Thor’s Hammer and Alice’s Sword

by Laura Tyree // May 13, 2014 // No Comments

This morning when I re-watched the Thor clip posted yesterday, I felt the Lord so strongly say- “It’s NOT Thor – it’s the HAMMER. It’s the HAMMER that makes Thor what he is.” As this revelation sunk in, I felt God’s tangible Presence.

Somebody better get this! It’s the WORD! It’s not us – who we are or are not (our significance or insignificance) – It’s the WORD! The WORD is what will ensure our success. The WORD is what will make us victorious! The WORD is what will make us the conquering warriors God has called us to be!

Immediately – He brought back to my mind a scene from a movie He spoke VOLUMES to us through in 2011; we had a true ENCOUNTER with Him through the things He spoke to us through this film (which I’m now seeing also goes perfectly with note 10 about having to finally BELIEVE who He’s called us to be and what He’s called us to do). The film is Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. He brought back to mind the scene where Alice fights the Jabberwocky. When she walked out on the battlefield to face that “goliath,” it is not Alice that the enemy addresses (or fears) – it is the SWORD she carries (the vorpal sword – which represents THE WORD). The enemy addresses this SWORD as his ancient foe (addressing Alice only as its insignificant bearer!)! Then He showed me another scene from the film where Absalom (who represents the Holy Spirit) tells Alice, “The vorpal SWORD knows what it wants – ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS HOLD ONTO IT!!!” I was overwhelmed in awe since He had me write a series last week in the healing/faith group about “HOLDING ON” – “HOLDING FAST” to the WORD, PROMISES, and to our PROFESSION of FAITH based on the WORD He’s given us!!! THANK YOU JESUS for more precise and astounding confirmation!!!

So HOLD ON to the HAMMER of the WORD that will break the rocks of stubborn opposition; HOLD FAST to the SWORD of the WORD that can slay every foe in the spiritual realm; wield it out of your mouth in spiritual warfare against everything that attempts to exalt itself against the Truth of God’s Word and watch IT do its work. As we’ve been focusing on for more than a week in the healing/faith group – It will not go out and return EMPTY-HANDED – IT WILL ACCOMPLISH what God desires and ACHIEVE the purpose for which HE SENT IT. And if WE WILL HOLD ONTO IT – SO WILL WE!!!!!!!

Alice – “This is impossible”
Hatter – “Only if you believe it is.”
Alice – “Sometimes I believe as many as 6 impossible things before breakfast” …
“I can slay the Jabberwocky”

Or rather, THE WORD CAN through you!!!
Got WORD?

Clip from movie of Alice and the vorpal sword, slaying the Jabberwocky

“I ACCEPT YOUR SURRENDER”

by Laura Tyree // May 12, 2014 // No Comments

“I ACCEPT YOUR SURRENDER”

Finally saw the new Thor movie this weekend! (continue reading at your own risk if you haven’t seen it)
Oh my! I absolutely love the “David and Goliath” scene with Thor and that massive rock beast! LOL! This is the attitude God has been trying to birth in us (and all His people) toward the “goliaths” in our lives!!

What a powerful image ~ Thor look Thor - I accept your surrender ing so small as he stands face to face with a HUGE enemy – yet saying with immovable, unshakable, unbreakable, and unstoppable confidence, “I ACCEPT YOUR SURRENDER.”

When I saw what happened next, Jeremiah 23:29 immediately came to mind: Thor faces rock beast

Is not My WORD like fire [that consumes all that cannot endure the test]? says the Lord, and LIKE A HAMMER THAT BREAKS IN PIECES THE ROCK [OF MOST STUBBORN RESISTANCE]?

(I couldn’t find one great clip on youtube with the scene. This one has most of it – with some annoying ads and then a glitch at the very end before his classic last line. You can either scroll past where it stops short or just wait and you can then hear the end, which diminishes the effect a bit)

God has been blowing our minds with the most recent series of messages He gave us for the healing/faith journey group last week. The imagery from this scene, representing the POWER of HIS WORD (and our PROFESSION of it) goes along well with it!!

We received another “catapult”-causing confirmation from the Lord last night – which included the phrase “PROCLAIM YOUR VICTORY NOW!” (hope that confirmation is making those of you in the healing/faith group catapult too!!)

David knew how to PROCLAIM HIS VICTORY IN ADVANCE; God wants us to learn to do the same:

“Then said David to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you IN THE NAME OF THE LORD OF HOSTS, the God of the ranks of Israel, Whom you have defied.This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will smite you and cut off your head. And I will give the corpses of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, THAT ALL THE EARTH MAY KNOW THAT THERE IS A GOD IN ISRAEL.”

I Samuel 17:45-46 (see entire account here)

It’s time to let the enemy know we ACCEPT HIS SURRENDER!!!

HOLD FAST YOUR PROFESSION – pt 6 – HFJ52

by Laura Tyree // May 10, 2014 // No Comments

(part 6 – pt 1 , pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, pt 5)

Since there’s a part of this confession that we all LOVE precisely because it sounds as though His Word is going to automatically (or Sovereignly) do its work to come to pass in our lives – He immediately began to draw my attention back to OUR PART in making sure we see the fulfillment of Isaiah 55:11 in many instances. Don’t misunderstand, I believe there are words that God can speak that will Sovereignly come to pass irregardless of whether anyone joins their agreement of faith to what has been spoken. But there are also many words He gives that He has determined will only come to pass if we are willing and obedient – if we truly HOLD FAST in FAITH AND PATIENCE and do our part. So after we began to focus on confession #10, He immediately took me back to the core curriculum of His Word (Kingdom Principles 101) – The Parable of the Sower. He first brought back to mind confession #4. Then a few days later, He also led me to the account of the parable of the Sower in Luke 8 (I will only include the end):

Now the meaning of the parable is this: The seed is the Word of God.¹²Those along the traveled road are the people who have heard; then the devil comes and carries away the message out of their hearts, that they may not believe (acknowledge Me as their Savior and devote themselves to Me) and be saved [here and hereafter] {Greek word for saved also meaning healed, delivered, protected, prospered}.¹³And those upon the rock [are the people] who, when they hear [the Word], receive and welcome it with joy; but these have no root. They believe for a while, and in time of trial and temptation fall away (withdraw and stand aloof).¹⁴And as for what fell among the thorns, these are [the people] who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked and suffocated with the anxieties and cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not ripen (COME TO MATURITY AND PERFECTION). ¹⁵But as for that [seed] in the good soil, these are [the people] who, hearing the Word, HOLD IT FAST in a just (noble, virtuous) and worthy heart, and STEADILY BRING FORTH FRUIT WITH PATIENCE. Luke 8: 11-15

Did you see it? When I reread this today, I was STUNNED when I realized it also has our key phrase “HOLD FAST” in the description of what the GOOD SOIL does with the WORD!!!!!!! ONLY JESUS!!!!!!! I can’t plan this stuff!!!

On THE SAME DAY that the Lord took me back to this passage, He also gave me this same message of the necessity of PATIENT PERSEVERANCE through a John Hagee devo:
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The fourth face (of the 4 faces of the man of God described in Ezekiel) is that of an ox, which brings me to the point. An ox is a persistent plodder. When you feed an ox … It just gets out and plows. Give it some oats and it will plow, plow, plow. More oats; more plow. No bellyaching, it just plods and plows. Let me tell you something, friend – God is not looking for flash and dash. He’s looking for persistent plodders. Those with flash and dash will fall in the ditch. God is looking for the oxen who will put their shoulders to the wheel and pull, who are COMMITTED to DISCIPLINE, DETERMINED to FINISH the race. God is looking for men and women who will be divine, persistent plodders to pursue the purposes of God. PERSEVERANCE is the portrait of the saints. How can you tell who’s a Christian? Certainly not by what they say. You can talk the talk and not walk the walk. … So how can you tell who’s a Christian? The Bible gives the answer: by their FRUIT. Fruit cannot be produced in a day. Fruit cannot be produced in a week. Fruit takes months and years TO COME TO MATURITY. The point is, you can’t tell who is a persistent Christian until you have seen their fruit, and that takes time. ONLY the PERSISTENT WILL PRODUCE FRUIT. (Copyright, John Hagee Ministries)
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AGAIN:

But as for that [seed] in the good soil, these are [the people] who, hearing the Word, HOLD IT FAST in a just (noble, virtuous) and worthy heart, and STEADILY BRING FORTH FRUIT WITH PATIENCE. Luke 8:15

These words came right on the heels of another similar word the Lord gave us about the need to PUT OUR HANDS TO THE PLOW AND NOT LOOK BACK! (He also showed me that same sobering warning from Scripture last week too – Luke 9:62). This is stout medicine, but also some much needed encouragement for anyone who is hearing the enemy screaming in their ears to give up and throw it all away. These words this week show us that instead God is pleading with us to HOLD FAST to the Word He’s given us, knowing that He who promised is FAITHFUL. He’s exposing the lies and attacks of the enemy that are attempting to steal, uproot, and choke out that Word. And He’s reminding us that we must take captive every one of those thoughts and circumstances contrary to His promises and bring them into obedience to Christ.

Finally, He’s urging us that we must continue to persistently plow, plant, and water – both in the field of our hearts and in whatever field He’s called us to work in in order to bring our dreams to pass – doing our part to ensure the Word takes root and grows until we finally bring forth fruit with patience. Since some of the other accounts of the parable of the Sower reveal that the good soil can produce a 30, 60, or 100 fold harvest, we should also seek the Lord to know everything we need to do to make sure the seeds of His Word that we’re planting will reach their FULL POTENTIAL and produce their MAXIMUM HARVEST possible! In Jesus’ Name!

(For those applying these words to healing – and potentially other areas as well – please do not get discouraged thinking that this means it must take a process of many years to see your healing manifest!!! God has provided other gifts of the Spirit – such as gifts of healing and miracles – to circumvent His normal process of seedtime and harvest (or Seed, T-I-M-E, and Harvest) with the gift of faith. While the HOLD FAST words still definitely apply until whatever time you see your healing, deliverance, or other promises manifest – I’m primarily applying the parts about persistence over years to life-long goals surrounding destiny/calling.)

The Lord also showed us that others were enduring the exact same attacks against their mind/faith this past week! It’s been so interesting over the years to observe how this happens – how the enemy seems to be launching the same attacks on believers everywhere simultaneously – and how God is speaking the exact same things to other believers that He’s speaking to us in the midst of those attacks to enable us to overcome. Seeing/Hearing these confirmations through others is always SO AMAZING and encouraging, letting us know that we’re NOT alone in the battle and that we’re truly hearing from the Lord in how to respond! THANK YOU JESUS!

Praying that we’ll all be GOOD SOIL ~ those WHO HEAR and HOLD FAST to God’s Word/promises (and our PROFESSION of and action toward them in faith). We pray we will all recognize and overcome every one of the enemy’s attempts to steal, uproot, and choke out the Word from our lives, and that we will PERSEVERE WITH PATIENCE until we see the Word ACCOMPLISH ALL THAT GOD DESIRES and ACHIEVE THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH HE SENT IT ~ that we will be those who reach its MAXIMUM POTENTIAL ~ bringing forth 100 FOLD HARVESTS! In JESUS’ NAME!

Laura Tyree

to be continued… (Hold Fast Your Profession – pt 7 )

HOLD FAST YOUR PROFESSION pt 5‏ – HFJ51

by Laura Tyree // May 10, 2014 // No Comments

(part 5 – pt 1 , pt 2, pt 3 , pt 4)

Before we move on to one of the other directions the Lord led me with confession #10, let me pick up from the last note to quickly share a few more confirmations of our confession and recent themes.

The next day (5/8) I asked the Lord to lead me to a teaching to listen to while I got ready to go out. I was drawn to a pile of teachings that we rarely touch unless we’re going on a road trip. At the top was a Joyce Meyer teaching entitled, “Your Words Affect Your Future.” Oh my! I knew the theme was continuing. As I listened, I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that it was NO COINCIDENCE that I was led to that CD. When I first put it in, since my settings were on “shuffle/repeat” it didn’t start out at the beginning (track 1), but actually jumped straight to track 6 or 7. Therefore, the VERY FIRST thing I heard Joyce talk about was ISAIAH 55:11 – our Scripture for confession #10 – emphasizing how God’s Word does not go out and return empty-handed, but ACCOMPLISHES what He desires and ACHIEVES the purpose for which it is sent!!! After marveling at God and then realizing the CD had not started at the beginning, I went downstairs to restart it on track 1.

Since the Lord had been emphasizing our confession/profession so much again – in the past week or so I had recalled hearing Joyce mention on occasion the confession list she put together when she was just getting started in ministry. I wished I could get my hands on that list and asked the Lord if there was a way to do so (wondering if I should write the ministry to request a copy). So when I heard Joyce begin to talk about that confession list on THIS TEACHING, I thought the Lord may be answering my prayer just by having her recite some of those confessions from memory. I was in AWE when He did exceedingly, abundantly more than that. She actually said on this CD that her list can be found in her book, “Me and My Big Mouth” – which I ALREADY had a copy of (and had read 10 yrs. ago)!!!!!!! So, the Lord answered my very specific prayer within days – telling me EXACTLY where to find what I was looking for!!! I immediately went to the bookshelves and found the book!

When I came back downstairs, I had a few minutes before leaving, so I began to straighten up. The first thing I picked up was a newsletter from John Hagee Ministries. I began to laugh in amazement when I saw at the top, in large, beautiful print, ISAIAH 55:11!!!!!!! God is continually astounding us!! So thankful for the lengths He goes to to surround us with each of these Scriptures for our confessions in so many ways to help them become greater heart revelation!

I also want to share these awesome confirmations from today. First thing this morning, I saw this devo. As soon as I saw the picture in the middle, I knew it was confirmation of the things I shared in last night’s note that Robb Thompson ministered about taking our thoughts captive, bringing them into obedience to Christ, and renewing our minds to the truth.

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“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Colossians 3:2 NIV

We can control where our mind “goes” – we can direct our thoughts.
We need to train ourselves and discipline ourselves to always keep our mind on heavenly things, and God’s purpose and Kingdom, rather than the things of the world.
There is life in His words that is heavenly, whereas the earthly thoughts create fear and difficulties.

Prayer: Lord help me to take every thought captive and direct my thoughts to heavenly things at all times, despite what is transpiring. I will put my trust in you and keep my thoughts directed on you. Amen. ~ Ed Traut (Copyright, Prophetic Life Ministries)
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Then, when I turned my calendar to May 10 it said – “HOLD FAST your dreams!” No kidding! No one can orchestrate these messages from every direction, BUT GOD! If there was doubt before, I pray you’re now convinced; GOD IS SPEAKING – relentlessly trying to speak this message to us!!!

And the two messages are definitely connected! We cannot possibly HOLD FAST our God-given dreams and promises unless we learn to take control of our minds and take authority over the thoughts and situations that are contrary to God’s promises/Word to and for us.

These words have been so timely for us because of the severe attack we endured last week – in such intense battle that we once again found ourselves praying that our minds would not break and our faith would not fail. But God has so faithfully rushed in with the words we needed to once again experience that He’s with us, that He hears every cry of our hearts, and responds with exactly what we need. He is encouraging us to be prisoners of HOPE who, in spite of attack and failure, keep getting back up until we “fail our way to success” (as Thomas Edison and so many others have). We must continue to endure and HOLD ON/HOLD FAST to what He promised, rather than give in to temptation to give up and quit. If we’re going to survive all the way to the goal of seeing the Word ACCOMPLISH what God desires and ACHIEVE the purpose for which He sent it, then we MUST learn to guard our minds from the violent assaults and attacks the enemy brings to steal, uproot, and choke out the Word.

This leads perfectly into one of the other directions the Lord took me with confession #10. Which I will share in the next part… (Hold Fast Your Profession – pt 6 )

HOLD FAST YOUR PROFESSION pt 4‏ – HFJ50

by Laura Tyree // May 9, 2014 // No Comments

(part 4 – cont. from same day – pt 1 , pt 2 , pt 3)
Due to the two PROFESSION devotionals earlier in the day and then the home group about the importance of our confession/profession that night, Rick Renner’s devotional “True Profession Is from the Heart” came to my remembrance, which God has given us on several occasions to encourage us to make sure each Scripture becomes heart revelation.

So the next morning, 5/7, I WAS AMAZED TO SEE THAT VERY DEVOTIONAL in my email inbox from Rick! This was NOT due to the theme of his home group with Robb Thompson, because the devotionals are sent out according to the date they appear in his book, Sparkling Gems from the Greek! I KNEW God was continuing to emphasize and confirm this theme about the critical importance of our PROFESSION!!! (link to whole devo below)

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True Profession Is From the Heart

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;). — Hebrews 10:23

Years ago, I was staying at a pastor’s house while I was preaching in his church. The first day I slept in his home, I became very frustrated early the next morning. About 5 a.m., the telephone started ringing — and it rang and rang and rang. I began to count the rings…. Finally on the fiftieth ring, I got up, put on my clothes, and walked down the hallway to the kitchen… I picked up the receiver and said, “Hello.” But to my amazement, the phone just kept on ringing, even though I was holding the receiver in my hand! Then I noticed that the ringing wasn’t coming from the telephone at all, but from something to my right that was covered with a big white sheet. I pulled the sheet back to look, and there in a big cage was a Grey African parrot looking back at me! It had been mimicking the ringing of the telephone! That parrot sounded just like a telephone, but it was not a telephone!

As I walked back down the hallway to my bedroom, I started thinking about how that parrot reminded me of some people I knew! I’m talking about people who made what sounded like great faith confessions, but who weren’t really in faith at all. Their words sounded right, but they weren’t doing anything but parroting what they had heard someone else say or do. Because there was no faith backing up their words, their confessions were no more real than the ringing telephone coming from the beak of that parrot!

In Hebrews 10:23, the Bible says, “Let us HOLD FAST THE PROFESSION OF OUR FAITH.…” Today I’d like to draw your attention to the word “profession.” It comes from the Greek word homologia, which is a compound of the words homo and logos. …When these two words are joined together, they form the word homologia, which seems at first to mean to say the same thing.

…To capture the comprehensive meaning of the word homologia, it is essential to further consider the word logos. … it means words. Let me give you an illustration of the word homologia. … If you read my books and agree with what I have written — with my words — then in essence you are in agreement with me, for those words are me! … If you take my viewpoint and begin to hold it as your own conviction, it won’t be long until you and I are aligned in our thinking and believing. … Then when you share that information with others, you will no longer be just repeating — or parroting — what you have read in my book. Instead, you will be speaking from the platform of your own heart about what you believe. At that point, you and I will be genuinely aligned in our viewpoints and convictions, talking the same language! (More confirmation of ALIGNMENT and AGREEMENT with God/His Word- seeing things from His viewpoint – and of CONVICTION, in the sense of being convinced about something, from previous notes)

The word “profession” used in Hebrews 10:23 (or “confession,” as it is translated in other scriptures), from the Greek word homologia, is not the picture of a person who simply repeats what someone else says. This is an individual who has gotten God’s Word into his heart and who has come into agreement or alignment with what God says. This person sees a matter like God sees it; hears it like God hears it; feels it like God feels it. Now his heart and God’s heart are so unified on the issue that their hearts are nearly beating in syncopation with each other. Thus, when the believer opens his mouth to “confess” God’s Word, his confession is no longer powerless, empty chatter; instead, it comes from a very deep place of conviction inside his heart.

In light of this, Hebrews 10:23 carries this idea:

“Let us come into agreement with God and then begin to speak what He says, HOLDING TIGHTLY to what we confess and refusing to let anyone take it from us.…”

Real confessions are made out of words from God that have been sown into the heart. After a period of meditating and renewing the mind, you finally begin to see it the way that God sees it. You really believe what God believes! And from that place of heartfelt conviction, you then begin to speak and to declare your faith! You see, when a believer gets God’s Word so deep into his heart that he comes into alignment with it, he is no longer simply muttering empty words or parroting something he has heard when he speaks. Now he speaks boldly from a legitimate place of faith!

…Your faith and your mouth must be connected. A mechanical profession doesn’t come from the heart; therefore, it doesn’t bring forth any fruit. True profession must come from your heart before it comes out of your mouth. How do you avoid making mechanical, mindless confessions?

First, make certain you have chosen to believe what God says. Commit your mind, heart, and all your strength to believing the Word of God, no matter how crazy it may sound to your natural mind.
Then ask the Holy Spirit to make God’s Word real to you — so real, in fact, that should anyone even imply that what God said isn’t true, you’d think that person was out of his mind!
Finally, pick up your Bible and do some serious study and meditation. Sow that Word into your heart until you and God are aligned on the issue. After that alignment comes into being, it’s time for you to open your mouth and start declaring the Word of God over your situation!

Today I want to encourage you to get into God’s Word. Take it deep into your heart and mind, and meditate on it until you and God begin to think alike! Once that Word becomes so real inside you that it becomes your word, it’s time for you to open your mouth and speak to any mountain that stands in your way. As you do, that mountain will be removed! A faith confession can only be a real mountain-moving confession when it comes from the heart before it comes out of the mouth. If you have planted God’s Word in your heart so that it is now your word as well, you have no need to tarry any longer! Open your mouth, and begin to confess what God has promised you! (© Renner Ministries)

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Blessings and Prayers! Laura Tyree

to be continued… (Hold Fast Your Profession – pt 5 )

HOLD FAST YOUR PROFESSION pt 3‏ – HFJ49

by Laura Tyree // May 9, 2014 // No Comments

(part 3 – pt 1 , pt 2 )

That same night (5/6), since Jesse and I have been periodically trying to catch up on some Rick Renner home groups that we’d missed, we put on one from early April. On this episode, Rick had Robb Thompson with him as a guest and asked him to share his story (you can find past episodes in his webcast archives or on youtube).

Robb has a pretty amazing testimony of how the Lord saved, delivered, and healed him in a mental institution and then taught him how to renew his mind with the truth of the Word. He very vividly describes the process of how he learned to take thoughts captive and bring them into obedience to Christ (II Corinthians 10:3-5). He shared how he realized that just reading the Word was not enough to help him overcome the thoughts that continually assailed his mind, but the Lord took him to the account of Joshua.

No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong (confident) and of good courage, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.Only you be strong and very courageous, that you may do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you. Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.Have not I commanded you? Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:5-9

From this Scripture, God showed him the necessity that he not only read the Word, and not even only meditate on the Word, but that he also needed to be continually speaking the Word. (Though not letting it depart out of your mouth may sound like God was saying not to speak it, in reality God was telling them “Don’t ever STOP speaking it!” ~ Other translations say – “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips;” “Let the words from the book of the law be always on your lips”; “Never stop reciting these teachings.” )

Robb shared that when he began to speak the Word continually (whatever specific Scriptures God gave him for whatever his present need was), he finally began to experience the power of the Word to ACCOMPLISH and produce change (confession #10 – Is 55:11) ~ what Romans 12:1-2 describes as being TRANSFORMED by the renewing of the mind (discussed in our recent note A Key to Unleash God’s Power).

Next he showed from this Scripture how God taught him that this was not something he could just do on occasion, but that he was to be speaking it continually – “day and night” as it says.

Immediately, this brought to mind the devo from KCM I’d just seen earlier in the day – making the play on words that our “profession” (confession/declaration) must become our “profession” (habitual, full-time, practice or career)! I knew the Lord was using this confirmation to encourage us to take our faith confessions to another level again (as we’d done more than a decade ago when He first taught us these principles to help me receive my first healing). (This idea of CONSISTENCY also ties into one of the other directions the Lord took me with confession 10 – but I’d better save that for another note.)

The last point Robb made from this passage was that while many believers have finally caught on to the importance of confessing/professing/declaring the Word, many still miss the next important step shown here – that we must then “observe” (obey) and DO it. From this he made the same point from our recent note (wrapping up confession #9) about not being HEARERS only, deceiving ourselves, but becoming DOERS of the Word. HELP US JESUS! Robb made the point that when he employed what God says about meditating on and speaking the Word day and night, the power of transformation was released that helped him DO IT.

Prayerfully, these confirmations will encourage those who need to change their PROFESSION to do so (because we DO have a profession – whether it’s based on the WORD or not is the only question) and will encourage those who already have the right PROFESSION to ramp it up from part-time to FULL-TIME and to become DOERS of those things we profess.

to be continued… (Hold Fast Your Profession – pt 4 )

HOLD FAST YOUR PROFESSION pt 2‏ – HFJ48

by Laura Tyree // May 7, 2014 // No Comments

(part 2 – from the same day – Hold Fast Your Profession – pt 1 here)

(Continuing from: But the word PROFESSION and PROCLAIM also jumped out to me and then emerged as themes in what God continued to speak throughout the day, night, and this morning.)

We will continue to look at the significance of “PROFESSION,” but I first want to share something I felt the Lord showed me about “PROCLAIM” that He brought to my remembrance yesterday. If we break it down, it originally comes from the Latin words pro – before, and clamare – to cry out, and refers to declaring or announcing things publicly (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proclaim). However, when I was meditating on this word a year or two ago, I felt like the Lord was encouraging me to break it down in a slightly unconventional way to get a greater revelation of what He wants us to do (without discarding the original meaning):

~ “pro” – meaning before, in advance,
~ and “claim” – meaning to state that something belongs to us and that we have it/possess it (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/claim).

The Lord showed me how this is what we do when we come into alignment and agreement with His promises and begin to confess them, declare them, or PROCLAIM them. We are declaring and announcing IN ADVANCE, BEFORE there is any evidence in the natural realm, that these promises are OURS ~ that they BELONG TO US through Christ. And we can even go a step further to include the meaning that we are DECLARING IN ADVANCE that we HAVE THEM/POSSESS THEM (by believing that we HAVE RECEIVED according to Mark 11, even before they come into manifestation in this realm).

Interestingly, Kenneth Copeland does the same type of thing in this next devo I read ~ using a play on words from “PROFESSION” to connect the “profession” of our faith (translated from Greek, with the meaning of Confession/Declaration – http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G3671&t=KJV) and the alternate definition of “profession” from our English language.

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Choose Your Profession
Kenneth Copeland

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our PROFESSION. – Hebrews 4:14

Your confession is what you say all the time. The word confession is translated in the New and Old Testaments as both confession and PROFESSION.

A professional is a person who devotes himself to a particular occupation. A professional athlete, for example, is not a person who participates in a sport every now and then. He or she is a person who plays that sport FULL TIME. Our profession of faith, the profession of our mouths and our actions, is the way we act and talk continually—not just when we stop for a few glorious moments and speak to the mountain, but all the time. Jesus said, “Whosoever shall SAY unto this mountain…and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass…” (Mark 11:23). Notice He said “those things,” not just “that one thing.” Everything you do and say all day long ought to be an answer to the mountain. What do you do all the time when no one is watching? What do you say when you first get up in the morning? How do you talk about that mountain when there’s nobody around to hear you? That’s your profession.

If your profession isn’t one of faith, then go to the Word, find God’s promise that applies to your situation, and meditate on it until it becomes God speaking to you. Then the hope of God will rise up on the inside of you. You’ll hook your faith to the living Word of God and you’ll start acting and speaking in strength and power. Let me tell you, when you speak the Word of God with real faith, mountains move, fig trees die and the devil runs for cover. Why? Because JESUS IS THE HIGH PRIEST OVER YOUR PROFESSION. He is anointed and appointed by Almighty God to bring it to pass. (to cause it to be ACCOMPLISHED AND ACHIEVED!) He is ready, willing and able to move on your PROFESSION of faith-filled words and actions. So give Him some! Talk to your problems in faith. Speak the desired end result and nothing contrary to it. Then continually offer thanksgiving and praise to the Lord for the answer:

“Lord Jesus, You’re the High Priest of my confession. You’re the administrator over the words I’ve spoken to this situation. I want You to know I appreciate it. I thank You for being my Lord. I’m standing on the living Word of God and I refuse to change my stand. I know the Word of God will never change. God will never change. The blood of Jesus will never change. The Name of Jesus will never change. So that means the devil and this situation will have to change. Lord God, I thank You for it. From here on, I consider this problem solved! Amen.” Scripture Reading: Matthew 17:14-20 (© 1999 Kenneth Copeland Ministries)
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I love this picture of Jesus being the High Priest over the words we speak! (A study of Scripture reveals that God gives much more weight to our words than most of us dare to think about and acknowledge. Help us Lord!) I also love the confirmation of our previous theme – that if we stay in agreement with the truth, it will trump and transform (CHANGE) the situations, facts, and circumstances that contradict it. Kenneth speaks of it in terms of taking our stand on God’s Word and refusing to change – and because it is unchanging (more confirmation of our theme ~ the same yesterday, today, and forever) and we’re determined to be unchanging in our agreement with it – then those things that are not in agreement are what must change!!

This also goes with the concept at the end of our previous note (confession #10) about how the Word IS GOING TO ACCOMPLISH what God desires and ACHIEVE the purpose for which God sent it – so if we will hold onto it and refuse to let go – it will carry us through every obstacle, hindrance, and opposition, to that final destination of fulfillment and completion. We must refuse to let go of it along the way, no matter what comes against us to knock us off. KEEP HOLDING ON!

Oh Wow! Right after I wrote that, the Lord said – “Just like the Word says! HOLD FAST to it!” So I scrolled back up to look at Hebrews 4:14 again, and sure enough, there it was – “HOLD FAST!” Praise God! So KEEP HOLDING ON ~ HOLD FAST ~ to the Word and to your Profession of it, refusing to let go until it carries you all the way through to the accomplishment and achievement of it!

Though we understand that the original Greek word in Hebrews 4:14 would not be appropriately translated as our “profession” in the sense of a full-time occupation or career, but rather refers to what we profess, confess, and declare – I LOVE this little nugget the Lord showed him by connecting it to the other meaning of “profession” in our English language, in order to give him the deeper revelation that this is something we are to be doing FULL-TIME, not only on occasion. Again, help us Lord!

This perfectly leads us into things the Lord began to emphasize last night with more confirmation this morning, but I’m concerned this is already too long, so this is to be continued… (Hold Fast Your Profession – pt 3 )
Blessings and Prayers!

HOLD FAST YOUR PROFESSION pt 1‏ – HFJ47

by Laura Tyree // May 7, 2014 // No Comments

I’ve actually noticed 3 different themes emerge surrounding the confession this week. I will deal with one of those in this message and hopefully talk about the others later.

The one we’ll talk about today is once again connected to the power/impact of our words in this process ~ though with a new twist. In some devos I read, which included our verse for the week, I immediately noticed a theme emerging from the word “PROFESSION” and the concept of our profession of faith.
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The Power of Proclamation in Receiving God’s Provision!

Proverbs 18:21—Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Isaiah 55:11—So shall My Word be that goes forth out of My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

The word “proclaim” comes from the Latin meaning to “shout forth.” Proclamation is spiritual warfare, and it releases God’s Word into our personal battle. In Hebrews 3:1, Jesus Christ is called, “The high priest of our PROFESSION.”

Look at the power of God’s spoken word (Genesis 1:3), “And God said let there be light and there was light.” God didn’t think it or meditate on it. He spoke it.

Psalm 33:6: “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made…and all the hosts of them by the breath of His mouth.”

Revelation 19 says that when Jesus returns to earth at Armageddon, out of His mouth shall come a two-edged sword with which He shall smite the nations of the world.

How is the power of God released into your life? The power of God is released through the spoken Word of God. … Do you need self-defense from sickness? Make the proclamation of Psalm 118:17, “I shall not die but live, and declare the works of the Lord.” You need to say, “By His stripes I am now being healed because He is the Lord that heals all of my diseases; the angel of the Lord encamps round about me, no plague shall come nigh my dwelling; I confess that the Word of God is life and health to my flesh; I receive divine health now in the name of Jesus.” (Copyright, John Hagee Ministries)
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Several things jumped out as confirmations from this one from our recent themes:

~ our verse for this week about the power of His Word to ACCOMPLISH and ACHIEVE the purpose for which it’s sent.

~ the reference again to the power of His Word that was spoken to create and form His original creation that we see all around us and the connection to the power of speaking His Word over our lives to create and form His will for us!

~ the power of the Word as a double-edged sword to destroy the works of the enemy – and the need to release that sword out of our mouths.

But the word PROFESSION and PROCLAIM also jumped out to me and then emerged as themes in what God continued to speak throughout the day, night, and this morning.

to be continued… (Hold Fast Your Profession – pt 2)

Confession #10‏ – HFJ46

by Laura Tyree // May 3, 2014 // No Comments

I think I’m running late on this one b/c I’ve been getting confirmations of it all week. So without further delay, here is confession #10:

“Not only do His Words penetrate completely and perform with precision, but they do not go out and return empty-handed. They ACCOMPLISH what God desires, and ACHIEVE the purpose for which He sent them. (Hebrews 4:12, Isaiah 55:10-12)”

Among the confirmations we’ve already received this week for it, last night Jesse read it from our regular confession list (which takes us about a month to get through). That version of it contains the revelation the Lord gave me years ago by connecting Isaiah 55 and John 15 in my heart/mind ~ which is of extraordinary significance and importance for fulfilling our destinies ~

“God’s Words do not go out and return without accomplishing what He desires and achieving the purpose for which they were sent. Because GOD’S WORD REMAINS IN US, WE DO NOT GO OUT AND RETURN EMPTY-HANDED, WE ACCOMPLISH WHAT GOD DESIRES AND ACHIEVE THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH HE SENT US. (Isaiah 55:10-11, John 15)”

One of the other confirmations I received of it this week occurred when my friend, Tamra, stayed up ALL NIGHT catching up on and responding to many past messages (from this group and other messages). When I read her responses I also reread the original messages I’d sent her (and God was speaking to me through them again as well!). When I reread this message that I’d sent her on November 6, 2013, I realized it went perfectly with confession #10! (It mentions the verse from confession #9, as does our new confession, and also mentions the principle/truth contained in confession #10!):

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Let the Word Change Things
by Kenneth Copeland

Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. For the word of God is quick [alive!], and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.– Hebrews 4:11-12

If you’re in a fix of a situation today, … abide in the Word. The Word can change everything. You see, the Word of God is ALIVE. It will go into the very marrow of your bones. It will go into your mind, your will and your emotions and change them. It will go into your spirit and get you born again. When you spend time meditating on that Word—when you abide in it—it will begin to change your thinking. Then it will convert your way of living and turn you around. It will bring your body into health. It will make your mind sound. It will make you prosperous. It literally has the power of God within it!

Although we work and put forth effort to learn that Word, to spend time in it, speak it and obey it—it is actually the Word itself that brings about the changes in our lives. That’s what the writer of Hebrews means when he says we “labor therefore to enter into that rest.” We rest on the Word, KNOWING IT WILL ACCOMPLISH WHAT GOD HAS PROMISED.

Some believers wear themselves out trying to make the Word of God come to pass. But that’s not our job! … Our job is to let the Word abide in us. Our job is to abide in Jesus. Our job is to replace our thoughts with His thoughts—to speak and act in line with His Word. But it is God who performs it. He’s the One who will cause His promises to become a living, manifest reality in your life. What’s more, He can do it right in the midst of the worst trouble the world has ever seen. He can do it in the midst of the worst trouble in which you may find yourself. He can prosper you in the midst of famine. He can heal you in the midst of plagues. He can keep you safe when danger is on every hand. In fact, He can—and will—give you anything you ask, if you’re abiding in Him and His Word is abiding in you. In this position you are always asking according to His will. “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him” (1 John 5:14-15). So let not your heart be troubled! Just set your heart on Jesus. Just let the Word of God answer the situation…and you’ll make it through in the glorious victory of God. Scripture Reading: Psalm 33
© 1999 Kenneth Copeland Ministries
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Thinking I may have already sent this one to the whole group previously, I checked to make sure that I hadn’t. But I did find that after I’d sent it privately to Tamra and a few others, I’d posted it to Facebook on November 8 with these closing remarks which go along with our present and past themes:

“When I read ‘Let the Word of God answer the situation,’ what immediately came to mind was the example of Jesus letting the Word answer the situation, by declaring each time, “It is written….” May we always do the same and see the power of His Word overcome in every area of our lives. HIS WORD IS GOING TO ACCOMPLISH WHAT HE DESIRES AND ACHIEVE THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH IT IS SENT. SO HOLD ONTO IT AND LET IT TAKE YOU THROUGH TO THE MANIFESTATION OF HIS VICTORY!”

So thankful to God that because the Word is ALIVE and ACTIVE, PENETRATING and DIVIDING (OPERATIVE), it will ACCOMPLISH and ACHIEVE the purpose for which He sent it! In the coming days, let’s meditate on and believe that God’s WORD IS DOING ITS WORK ON OUR BEHALF AS WE RELEASE IT BY FAITH INTO OUR SITUATIONS! It will not return to us EMPTY-HANDED, but will ACCOMPLISH and ACHIEVE! In the same way, may we continually do our part to be filled with His Word so that we do not return to Him empty-handed, but ACCOMPLISH all that He desires in our lives and ACHIEVE the purpose for which He sent US! Let’s pray this for each other!

Blessings and Prayers!
Laura

Wrapping up Confession #9 (Plus Next 2 Notes in Prophetic Series)‏ – HFJ45

by Laura Tyree // April 29, 2014 // No Comments

Here are a couple of other devos I reread today that go with confession #9 and previous confessions/themes.

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Receive His Life
Gloria Copeland

It is the spirit that quickeneth [or makes alive]; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. – John 6:63

The Word of God and its power to heal your body is more than just good information. It actually has life in it! Jesus said so in John 6:63.

Every time you take the Word into your heart, believe it and act on it, that life of which Jesus spoke, the very life of God Himself, is released in you. You may have read the healing scriptures over and over again. You may know them as well as you know your own name. Yet, every time you read them or hear them preached, they bring you a fresh dose of God’s healing power. Each time, they bring life to you and deliver God’s MEDICINE to your flesh.

That’s because the Word is like a seed. Hebrews 4:12 (The Amplified Bible) says it is “alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]….” It actually carries within it the power to fulfill itself! When you planted the Word about the new birth in your heart, then believed and acted on it, that Word released within you the power to be born again. By the same token, when you plant the Word about healing in your heart, believe and act on it, that Word will release God’s healing power in you.

When you read the Bible, you’ll see that spiritual power has been affecting this physical world ever since time began. In fact, it was spiritual power released in the form of God’s Word that brought this natural world into existence in the first place. He spoke it into being. It must become a revelation to you, that God’s Word is the force that originally brought into being everything you can see and touch—including your physical body. It will then be easy to believe that the Word is still capable of changing your body today. It makes perfect sense! So get into the Word. Speak its life-giving force aloud over your body in faith…and receive your healing! Receive His life!

In this devo, I was especially excited by the confirmation of things from part 10 of the prophetic series that I posted Saturday (below) ~ namely, the correlation between His Word being the force that brought everything into existence and how it’s still the force that can bring things into existence, and transform things in existence, today.

I don’t think I’ve sent parts 9 and 10 from that series yet, so here are the links to those:

Part 9 ~ Becoming SALT and PILLARS

Part 10 ~ FORMED in the Secret Place – Discovering Destiny

The second devo I re-read today was actually one that I’ve shared part of in an earlier message. If you want to see the confirmations in that one too, it’s the John Hagee devo shown in the Shield and Shepherd confirmations note. It goes along perfectly with our double-edged (or double-mouthed) sword message from last week, emphasizing the importance that we wield the sword of the Spirit by speaking/declaring God’s Word out loud as Jesus did.

We pray that we will all be committed to do this ~ that we will not be HEARERS only, who fail to DO and PUT TO PRACTICE what we hear and know, deceiving ourselves. We pray for the eradication of all spiritual laziness, complacency, lethargy, passivity, doubt, unbelief, and all else that would hinder or prevent us from being DOERS of God’s Word who put into practice the truths He reveals. We pray that we will all put on the full armor of God and wield the full power and potential of the Sword of the Spirit in our lives. Please pray in agreement with this for us all!
Blessings and Prayers!
Laura