“And the spirit of the Lord hovered over the surface of the waters…” – Genesis 1:2
Then God said… Then God… Then… Then…
“The Spirit of the Lord hovered…”
“Then God said…”
We have a mighty truth found in the first three verses of our Bible, three verses that we all have heard and read hundreds of times. There is a hidden truth that will give to life to the dying, wealth to the poor, hope to the depressed, and deliverance to the oppressed.
“The Spirit of the Lord hovered… and then God said…”
O’ Lord hover over our church today, hover over our congregation of believers today, hover over our hearts, hover over our minds, hover over our mortal bodies, and hover over our spirit today. And then Lord… And then...
We are a faith of praying believers, we are a faith of people that believe that God will answer prayer – so we cry out – we cry out – we cry out. But do we truly follow the wonderful examples that God has shown us in his word? Are we missing the ability to bring the Kingdom of God (his reality) into our reality, by ignoring the principles and direct commands that God has laid out for us in his word? Let me ask that question again…
Are we missing the ability to bring the Kingdom of God (HIS REALITY) into our reality, by ignoring the principles and direct commands that God has laid out for us in his word?
Who has prayers that you want to see answered? Who here has been praying and waiting for God to answer, for God to move, for God? Maybe God is simply waiting for us…
· Job 22:28 “Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee”
A decree is an order, a law, it is a command that is set forth by authority that must be followed by those under that authority. When the King of a country or territory set forth a decree – it was final. The decree could not be changed or done away with, because the Kings word was to never be doubted.
So it is with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords – his word will never return void, it always accomplishes what is was set forth for.
You shall decree a thing, and it shall be established unto you!
This is not “name it and claim it” or “blab it and grab it” theology that somehow ran rampant in the 90’s – however just because some people exploited truth or added covetous desires along with their prayers, does not dismiss the truth that lies in the word of God.
Truth will always remain and truth that is for you and I today!
We excuse our lack of supply, our lack of understanding, and our lack of power, as God’s sovereign will. God is a sovereign God we say. God has a plan we say. God is still on the throne we proclaim. Our ways are not his ways and our thoughts are not his thoughts we reason with one another.
It’s OK if our Government supports abortion we say – God has a plan…
It’s OK if we allow Gay marriage and homosexual rights – God is still on the throne…
It’s OK if the church body is full of sickness and disease – God is still in control…
It’s OK if our churches are small and the world around us is going to hell – God is still God…
God had a plan and God was on the throne 36 years ago when this nation allowed abortion-on-demand as a legal right to the women of this nation. 36 years ago, and 50 Million bloody deaths later, he is still on the throne and he still has a plan… As Cancer has grown from 1 in 100 people to 1 in 3 people, taking precious lives and destroying families, God had a plan and God was on the throne… when the churches have split and hurt people have turned their backs on God and let the world comfort and soothe their wounds, God had a plan and God was on the throne.
Yes God is on the throne and Yes God has a plan... His plan is you and I – It is the church body! He has given us power and authority – and commanded us – I repeat commanded us to take his Kingdom, his power, and his love to the world!
We must pray and seek God’s face in our daily battles, we must pray and seek God’s face for our nation, we must pray and seek God’s face for our family, but we must also take our authority that we have, and decree – speak forth from our mouth the decision we stand upon, the decision for righteousness, the decision to live Holy, the decision to walk under an anointing that brings deliverance, and for it to be on Earth as it is in Heaven!
God is on the throne today with THE PLAN to bring this world into alignment with Heaven, God is on the throne with a plan and that plan is the decision, the actions, and the decrees of us, his children.
“Ask and you shall receive” “You have not because you ask not” “Whatsoever ye shall ask…”– we have been taught very well how to ask… it is time we start learning how to decree – pronounce – firmly decide – and speak into existence.
When the disciples were in the boat and facing the fear of death from the storm that thrashed them around, they ran to Jesus and begged for his help and his deliverance. “Peace. Be Still.” We love to tell that story, how Jesus can calm the storms in our life. How he can deliver from us danger with just a word.
But as we study the scripture fully we see that Jesus, immediately after calming the storm, rebuked the disciples for their lack of faith – they were rebuked for their action of going to him for the answer when THEY HAD AUTHORITY themselves!
Jesus also did not pray to the father in this situation. We know Jesus prayed to the father at other times, but why not this time? Was he showing his divinity? Or was he making an example by taking authority over that which was under his authority?
Peace. That was not a petition or prayerful request. It was a command – it was a decree.
Be Still – a direct command from a person of authority. The speaking of the word activated the faith in that authority, and the storm had to obey.
What storms in our life are we still waiting for God to answer? We cry with fear and desperation, just as the disciples did, their cry echoed “don’t you care Jesus” and so do our cries and pleas. Where are our decrees and proclamations? Where is the body of Christ standing boldly and taking authority over the evil that is attacking us?
Mark 11:23 tells us that if we have faith and then say unto the mountain to be cast into the sea, then it will be done. It continues by saying that whatsoever we say will come to pass, and we shall have what we say. What are we as a church saying? What are we letting escape our lips in vain and idle words, and also what are making a firm decree, a decision based on faith and the promises of God?
· It has been said by one minister that our words of prophetic decree are just as important as our prayers of petition, if not more important.
Are you ready for some miracles to manifest in your life? Are we ready to see the Kingdom of God manifest in our church?
Let’s look to the book of Ezekiel chapter 37 – the valley of the dry bones. He was taken by the spirit to a valley of dry bones, and the Bible says Lo’ they were very dry. How many understand this valley represents a low time, and the bones represent death – the bottom of the bottom and the worst of all.
God asks “Can these bones live?” I believe God is asking us this same question today. Can these bones live?
Can the death of holiness and righteousness be brought back to life?
Can the dead parts of our hearts be reborn with life?
Can the mental pain and aguish of our past be brought back to the living?
Can your sickness and disease be overtaken with LIFE as the dry bones live once more? I believe God is asking us these questions even today!
But God does not initiate the miracle for Ezekiel, God does not bring life, and from the dry bones we can see that God did not stop the death from happening in the first place.
Where was God? On the throne waiting for man to partner and take authority!
God spoke – not to the dry bones, but to Ezekiel, INSTRUCTING HIM to prophecy – instructing him to decree – instructing him to activate the miraculous through his voice. And as Ezekiel decreed life over the bones – as he spoke life over the bones – as he spoke rebirth into the bones… Suddenly, there was a rattling noise all across the valley!
Who is ready for a rebirth, who is ready for life instead of death, who is ready for power to come alive within your body? Who is ready to hear a rattling over your life as you see your words move the very hand of God almighty?
Say with me I AM READY!
In the book of Genesis we see the spirit of God over the waters, and as the spirit hovered… can we fill the spirit hovering over us today? As the spirit hovered God spoke, he chose to use words to form the world. As the spirit hovers over us… are you ready to speak life, and power form God to manifest in our world today?
Then we see the spirit of God over the valley of dry bones – how many of us have ‘dry bones’ in our life today? We see the spirit of God over the dry bones, and then he chooses to use words yet again to bring life… but this time he chooses to use his servant, his child, to speak life and bring forth the miraculous!
As the spirit hovers, the glory of his presence opens up a realm of Heaven and anointing that brings supernatural miracles.
Should we pray? Yes!
Should we fast? Yes!
Should we seek? Yes!
But if we fast and pray and seek and still ignore the command of God to decree forth and bring life to the dead bones, decree and bring forth peace to the crashing waves and storms, if we fail to decree life – then we have failed to be all that God has called upon us to become.
God said speak to the mountain – not pray about the mountain.
Jesus spoke to the fig tree – he did not pray about it.
Jesus spoke to the storm – he did not pray about it.
Peter spoke – rise and walk – he did not pray about it.
We were told to preach (that is speaking) saying the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, heal the sick (not pray about it), cleanse the lepers (not pray for them), raise the dead (not pray for them), and cast out demons (not ask God to do it).
There is a time for prayer obviously, yet just as obvious is our duty to stand in faith on the promises of the word and the name of Jesus and decree, speak forth healing and deliverance!
The spirit of the Lord hovered over the water, it was upon the valley of dry bones, and as we worship him here today, his spirit inhabits his praise and hovers over us today. What will we prophesy – what will we declare – what we will bring to life through our declarations?
I say to the storms in our life, the storms in our church body, the winds that tear at our heart – I speak Peace. I decree Be still in the name of Jesus.
Are you sick in body? The decree Romans 8:11 “Just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal body…” Decree yet again, “Just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to MY mortal body…”
Mortal body is THIS BODY – now! We have a promise from his word we can stand on and decree with authority! We have life and life more abundantly!
Speak to your mountains – speak to your mortal body - speak to your checkbooks – speak to your church – speak to your community- and speak to the person in the mirror. I AM what God says I am.
You shall decree a thing, and it WILL be established unto you. When you believe that verse as much as you believe John3:16 – then you will have exactly what you say – and today I decree that this word will go into your heart and like a seed well watered, will sprout forth into prophetic utterances that pour out of your mouth into an atmosphere of expectancy – and manifest HIS will done on this earth, just as it is in Heaven.
