7 Unavoidable Truths You Must Know to Succeed

You're listening to the Miracle Word podcast. We believe that the word of God gives you the power to experience never-ending increase in every area. If you're ready for revelation that will take you to the next level, you're in the right place. Here's your host, evangelist, author, and founder of Miracle Word University, Ted Shuttlesworth, Jr.

["The New Year"] Seven unavoidable truths that you must know to succeed in the Kingdom of God. Some of these you may be familiar with, others. Maybe they've never been sufficiently taught or explained in the past, but I want to go over these because in 20-some years of ministry, about 24 years of ministry, I've seen these, if they're avoided by Christians, I've seen them frustrate the lives of Christians. Of course, you don't want to live frustrated, but I've watched this happen because either somebody's not taught these things properly to Christians, or they grew up in a religious environment with preconceived ideas that were actually contradictory to what the Bible teaches.

And as a result of contradictory teaching or assumptions, people live in a frustrated state because the things God wants to do for them, that he has set aside for them, they're not coming to pass because God has a system through his word that he uses to bring these things to pass. And we can only operate by God's system. We can't make up our own way and expect God to bless it or get on it. And so I'm gonna cover these things with you today.

I would take notes and please feel free, put them in the comments as we're talking about them. People that watch the replay will be able to see it a little bit more easily as they're looking at live comments on YouTube and stuff. Morning Maria. And so I want to jump in.

This first one is it seems foundational, like you shouldn't have to teach on it, but you'd be amazed at how many people do not understand this principle. And then they're frustrated because they're in a waiting game. You're there in a waiting game. You don't want to just sit around waiting for years for something that God's willing to do right now.

And so the first unavoidable truth that we have to know is that God responds to faith and not need. So if you're taking notes or if you're writing in the comments, put that down, that's number one. God responds to faith, not need. And you'd be so surprised how many people say things like this.

Well, brother, God knows my needs. And when he's ready to bless me, he knows what I need. And whenever he's ready in his sovereign timing, he'll open up the windows of heaven and he'll bless me with what I need. I've heard that so many times.

I'm sure you have. I'm sure you've heard people say things like that. But God doesn't respond to need. He responds to faith.

Amen. God doesn't respond to need. He responds to faith. And that, you know, a lot of times that blows people's minds.

Well, why wouldn't God want to just supply my needs? He does want to supply your needs. He is a God who supplies need and takes you into the overflow. No question about it.

But he responds to faith. Now think about it logically. If God responded to need, there would be no Christians in the body of Christ that had any needs. Every need would be supplied and nobody would be in lack in any area.

Nobody would be lacking financial provision. Nobody would be lacking in healing. Nobody would be lacking in joy or peace. Nobody would lack in any area of their life if God was moved and responded to need.

That's not what God responds to. He responds to faith. The Bible tells us in Hebrews chapter 11 and verse number six. And without faith, it is impossible to please God.

For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Very powerful thought there. He's a rewarder. So God's nature is to reward you.

He's a rewarder. But who is he a rewarder of? The Bible says he's a rewarder of those who seek him. So how would we prove to God that we are seeking him?

You can only seek him by faith. Because remember this, if you think about it this way, he is an invisible being. He's a heavenly Father. You can't see him with your natural eyes.

And so how do you seek an invisible being? You have to go about it by faith. There's nothing you can, in the natural senses, that you can use to discern or define God. Now his manifestations will show up that can be seen and felt by your five senses.

But his actual being is invisible. You can't touch him. You can't see him. You can't smell him.

You can't hear him. All those things in the natural realm. Unless he would have speak to you audibly. I mean, I've been a Christian for, you know, 39 years of my life.

And I've never heard God speak audibly one time. So this, when you pursue God, you're pursuing an invisible being. And you do that by faith. You do that by faith.

And so that's why the Bible says without faith, it's impossible to please God. A good example of this is what Jesus says after Thomas doubts his resurrection. He says, blessed are those who have not seen yet they believe. Thomas, remember what Thomas said.

I won't believe that he's been resurrected until I can put my fingers in the nail scars in his hands. He starts talking about what he'll have to do in the natural in order to believe God. But Jesus corrects that and says, no, no, blessed are those who have not seen and yet still believe. So there's a blessing.

Remember this, there's a blessing that comes on those who haven't seen in the natural realm, but they still believe. That means they're operating by faith. We can only pursue him, we can only see him by faith. And the Bible says, if we don't do that, it's impossible to please God.

Without faith, it is impossible to please God. So the first thing we gotta realize, if you wanna succeed in the kingdom, remember that faith is the currency of the kingdom. Faith is the currency of the kingdom. Without it, you can't please God.

Impossible. Faith is the currency of the kingdom. And so the reason I started with this is because if we understand that faith is the currency of the kingdom, then you've got nothing to spend if you don't have faith operating. There's nothing you can receive.

There's nothing you can do without faith. And notice this, he only rewards one type of person. That's powerful to think that. God only rewards one type of person, those who seek him.

One translation says, those who diligently seek him. That's the only type of person God rewards. So if you wanna see success in the kingdom of God, then it's got to be faith pursuing God by faith. And it's not about, well, he knows my needs.

Yes, he does know your needs, but he's moved by your faith, glory to God. If Jesus was moved by needs, he would have never walked past blind Bartimaeus going out of Jericho. He'd have seen, oh, there's a blind man there. He's wearing a beggar's coat.

I can see he's in need. Let me stop here and touch him. And he let know he waited until Bartimaeus cried out in faith to Jesus. And when he cried out in faith to Jesus, everything changed, everything changed.

And Jesus healed him. So number one, get this in your spirit. God responds to faith and not need. The moment you understand that you are in position to receive great things from God.

I know how to, I know how to pursue him now. I know how to receive from him now. Expecting God to notice your need will be an eternal waiting game. You say that again.

Expecting God to notice your need is going to be an eternal waiting game. And so he responds to faith. Now, number two is vitally important as well. If you're taking notes, here's number two.

This is how the kingdom works now. Obedience always precedes increase. I like that. Christ, that's one of my favorite quotes.

Lord, thank you very much. Lord, make me a visible representation of an invisible God. Pastor Paul and Nietzsche, I like that. Make me a visible representation of an invisible God.

Very powerful. So remember this, number two, obedience always precedes increase, always. So your obedience, your active faith, is always necessary for increase and promotion to come to your life. We're participating with God's promises.

I like that. We're participating with God's promises. My obedience. And here's what's interesting.

There's two types of obedience. If no one's ever taught you this, this is such a wonderful truth. There are two types of obedience. General obedience is obedience to God's word.

That's general obedience. But then there's specific obedience. That is unique to every person in the body of Christ. That is what it's like to be led by the Holy Spirit.

And the reason I say that, all of us have different assignments. We have a different purpose. We have different callings on our lives. And so we all can't follow the same instructions on the Holy Spirit, because we're not all called to do the exact same thing.

All of us can follow God's word. That's general obedience. But specific obedience. That is what the Holy Spirit leads each and every one of us to do.

So all of us follow the word, but all of us follow the Holy Spirit differently. We follow the word the same, but we follow the Holy Spirit differently. And this is an interesting thought because the word of God, it can't tell you which career path to take. It can't tell you where to live.

It can't tell you where to go to college. It can't tell you who to marry. It can't tell you any of those things. Those are decisions that the Holy Spirit will lead each individual to do.

And it'll be different for everybody. And so there's two types of obedience, general and specific. Bible obedience, Holy Spirit led obedience. Morning, Daryl.

And so your obedience will always go before your increase. Every time, every time. In fact, if you look through God's word in different places where, I've heard people say this before, the Bible is a book of promises, but the Bible is not a book of promises. It's a book of covenants.

It's a book of covenants. And if you understand these first two points that we're making today, God is looking to interact with his children. A promise is one-sided, but a covenant is two-sided. I have a part, God has a part.

I have a part, God has a part. So when I do my part, God will do his part. Any of those places in scripture where you read these covenants being laid out, a great example that's very, very easy to see is found in Deuteronomy chapter 28, one of the most famous passages we have from the Old Testament that people read often. And the first verse really is the key, right?

And if you faithfully obey, notice all of these covenants are if, then, propositions. If, then, if, then, if you do this, I'll do this. If you do this, I'll do this. Covenants are if, then, propositions.

A promise would be no matter what you do, I'm gonna do this. But a covenant, if you do this, I will do this. So verse one says, if, if, if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments, that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And then you can read through the rest of the 13 verses after it and it lists all the ways God will bless them for their obedience.

You'll be the head, not the tail. You'll bless coming in and going out. You'll only go up, you'll not go down. The Lord will open his treasury.

I mean, you read all the different things. Your enemies will come out against you one way. They'll be defeated, they'll flee from you in seven directions. So all of those are based on one thing.

If you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God and do all his commandments of the Lord your God, then the Lord your God will set you high above the nations of the earth. It's an if then proposition. So understanding that obedience always precedes increase and promotion without question, all the time, all the way through God's word. You go to the New Testament, it's the same.

You might think that's an Old Testament principle. It's not. It's not. Matthew 633, if, see, that's why it's an if then.

There's a contingency. If you do this, this happens. Seek first the kingdom of God. So what happens if I seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, all these other things will be added.

What happens if I don't seek first the kingdom and his righteousness? All those things won't be added. That's the point Jesus is making. You have a choice.

You can worry about, this is what he was teaching here. You can worry about the things that Gentiles worry about. Where will I eat? Where will I sleep?

What will I wear? He said, you can worry about that. That's what the Gentiles worry about. Not what people with a covenant should be worried about.

Or you can seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. And then all these things that other people are worrying about will just be added to you. Very powerful. But again, it's an if then proposition.

Right? It's an if then proposition. In the book of Revelation, it continues from Matthew to Revelation. What does Jesus say to the churches, the seven churches of Asia Minor?

He says to one of the churches, if you don't return to your first love, right? I know your deeds. If you don't return to your first love, then I will return and remove your candlestick from among the churches. Again, it's an if then.

If you do this, I'll do this. If you don't do this, I'll do this. So it's not something that's just an Old Testament principle. In the New Testament, it's found from Matthew to Revelation as I just showed you.

So the second truth that many people, I'm surprised even when it comes to Pentecostal Christians, charismatic Christians, I'm surprised even with Spirit-filled Christians, how many people push things off into the realm of God's sovereignty. I'm very blown away by that. God's sovereignty. Well, if the Lord has a promotion for me, if he has a blessing for me, he'll choose when I get it.

But the thing is, there are things required on your part before God does his part. Obedience precedes increase. Morning Amy from Pittsburgh. So remember this, when God does his part, it's only because you've done yours.

It's a response. It's a response. God took the first step in initiating covenant with his people. He loved the world.

He sent Jesus Christ, right? He initiated covenant. So God did take the first step, but now he's looking for people who will respond in the covenant so that he can bless them. Promotion does not come from the east or the west or the south.

Promotion comes from the Lord. And if we read just this first description, Psalm 75, verses 6 and 7, then we could be led to believe God's just randomly picking people. Promotion does not come from the east or the west or the south. Promotion comes from the Lord, and he alone decides who will rise and fall.

So if you just read that, you would think, well, then God's just going to randomly decide if I'm one of the ones that rise or if I'm one of the ones that fall. No, you have to read scripture in the light of all scripture. You can't pluck a verse of scripture out of the Bible and then try to make it mean something that the rest of the Bible does not teach, right? So if you compared Psalm 75 with Deuteronomy 28 that we've already read, and remember he's still talking to Israel, still talking to his people Israel, then you can understand what is the concept being taught here.

For example, why did God say to them, promotion doesn't come from the east or the west or the south? The reason he said it is because it's not that promotion is this like thing flying through the air, and God's saying it's not flying in from the east, it's not flying in from the west or the south. No, what he was actually telling them was, you might think that my power is insufficient to promote you. And so what he was dealing with was this, you think you have to team up with nations to the east, you think you've got to team up with nations to the west or to the south, that's not where your promotion is going to come from.

You're not going to team up with these people from the east, west or the south, I think you're going to get promoted. Promotion comes from the Lord, and he alone decides who will rise and who will fall. There might have been times where Israel thought that their size and their ability was insufficient to move forward. But how many times did God perform miracles to show them that the battle was not their battle, that they don't need to team up with a pagan nation?

He paired Gideon's army all the way down to 300 men, so that he could prove to them, it's not about the size of your army, it's not about how many people you have in the nation, and you think you've got to amass larger allies by partnering with pagan nations, that's not the key. I'll pair your army all the way down to 300 men so that I can show you that if I'm on your side, it doesn't matter who's against you. If I'm fighting your battles for you, it doesn't matter who's against you. Right, so promotion doesn't come from having large armies, promotion doesn't come from teaming up with nations to the east, west or south, that are pagan nations that don't serve the Lord.

That's not where promotion comes, comes from the Lord. So that's what he's teaching them, but compare it with all the scripture. If promotion comes from the Lord, and the Bible says he alone decides who will rise and who will fall, how did he decide? Because remember something, God doesn't change.

He's the same, God is always the same, Jesus is always the same. Okay, he set the system up, how does he decide then who will rise and who will fall? He decides based upon what his word declares. If you faithfully obey, all that I command you today, right?

If you're faithful to it, then I'll set you on high above the nations of the earth. So there's, we just saw God's framework. That's how he decides. Amen.

That's how he decides. He looks at his people and sees who is responding by faith and obedience to my word, those are the ones that will rise. Because remember, one of the promises in Deuteronomy 28, we quoted every Sunday at church, you will only go up and you'll not go down. You'll rise.

You'll only go up and you'll not go down. Thank you, Jesus. You shall only go up and you'll not go down. Put it in the comments, I will only go up.

Make that your declaration. I will only go up. I'll not go down. Good morning and Montreal.

Believe it with your Stephanie, increase at your job. Lacking nothing. I will only go up, I'll not go down. How does that come?

Obedience that precedes your increase. These are unavoidable truths you must know to succeed in the kingdom. Must know, must know. No question about it.

I've got to know these things. I've got to put them into practice. I've got to succeed in the kingdom of God. Miss Lisa, I love you.

Okay, number three. This gets, I can't imagine, I can't believe the hate that this gets. Even from some spirit filled Christians. As if this is some pagan thought process, some new age thing.

You ready? Words carry authority. You'd be blown away by how many people hate on this truth from the word of God. I've heard it personally.

I've heard preachers and Christians make fun of this concept. Literally, I've heard people make fun of this concept. Oh, you're one of those name and claim at Christians. Name it, claim it and frame it.

Blab it and grab it. I've heard it. I've heard it so many times and I'm blown away. But they don't understand what the scripture teaches about the words that you speak, words carry authority.

The Bible says so. How could I read the scripture and think differently? It's not just that, remember something, it's not just that God's words carry authority. And it's not just that God's word carries authority.

As a believer, as a follower of God, your words carry authority. I'm gonna give you a couple of scriptures here that I don't know how people get around them. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Those that love it will eat the fruit thereof.

Proverbs 18, 21. Let's look at that verse, Proverbs 18, verse 21. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. This is the ESV.

And those who love it will eat its fruits. Okay? Let's listen to the new living translation. The tongue can bring death or life.

Those who love to talk will reap the consequences. You reap the consequences of what you're talking about, not what you're doing, what you're talking about. That's the new living. Let's look at the new English translation.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue. And those who love its use will eat its fruit. These are all saying the same thing. In case you thought there was just like one translation that got it wrong.

New American Standard Bible. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Those who love it will eat its fruit. Same thing again and again and again.

Let's see what the amplified Bible says. Listen to the amplified Bible. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words.

So it's the same message no matter where we look at it or what translation that we choose. But let me give you, in case you know that's a proverb, you're just reading poetic, you're just reading poetic scripture and trying to make it. Okay, well let's look in the New Testament. Things Jesus said.

Why would Jesus say this to his disciples? If it wasn't for people other than God to indulge it. Good morning in Broken Arrow Oklahoma. Mark 11, 23 and 24.

Now Jesus is teaching his disciples about prayer. Prayer has to come out of your mouth, its words, its words. But Jesus after saying to them, have faith in God, he says, truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, be taken up and thrown into the sea and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will come to pass, it'll be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you've received it and it will be yours.

Now this is not Jesus defining God's power or his power. He's talking to the disciples. He's talking to the disciples. He says, whoever says to this mountain, be removed.

Taken up and thrown into the sea and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says, what he says will come to pass. It will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer. So even prayers are a form of what comes out of your mouth, your confession.

Prayer is a positive way to use your words. Morning Jared, love you. So get this, if Jesus taught it, it's found in the Old Testament, it's found in the New Testament. You know what's interesting to me?

Even when, I'm just gonna show you a couple of things because I truly, I'm blown away that there are spirit filled Christians that hate on this principle on New Age thing. This is not the law of attraction. This is not the, remember that book, The Secret that came out and all that. This is not, people in the New Age community stole this concept from God.

When Joshua was taking over from Moses to lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land, God speaks to him in Joshua chapter one. Remember this, he says in verse eight, this is Joshua one eight. This book of the law shall not depart from what? Your mouth.

God is literally telling him what to speak. This book of the law will not depart from your mouth. Hmm, but you'll meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do all, according to all that's written in it. For then, only then, will you make your way prosperous and have good success.

Wait a minute, God is telling Joshua Old Testament unless you keep the word in your mouth. That's what you speak in every day. I'm speaking God's word. I'm aligning my words with God's words.

Unless I speak the word on a daily basis, I'll not be able to make my way prosperous and have good success. So in a sense, what is God telling Joshua here? Same message that we get in Proverbs 18. You will reap the consequences.

You will eat the fruit of what comes out of your mouth. You will eat the fruit of what comes out of your mouth. Death and life are the power of the tongue. God's telling Joshua, if you want life, if you want to make your way prosperous and have good success, keep this word in your mouth.

Keep this word in your mouth. What does Jesus say? Whoever speaks to this mountain, keep that word in your mouth. Why was Jesus so blown away with the faith of the Roman centurion and Matthew chapter eight?

Because he said, Lord, you don't have to come to my house. I know how this works. Speak the word only and my servant shall be healed. Good morning, Andy.

Love you, buddy. Jesus said, speak the word only and my servant shall be healed. There it is. The Roman centurion who wasn't even Jewish.

That's why Jesus said, I've not seen faith like this in all of Israel. I've not seen it. I've never seen this level of faith. What was the level Jesus was talking about?

He was talking about the fact that this Roman centurion understood the power of the spoken word. He said, Jesus, I know the kind of authority you have. Just speak the word only. He said, I have it in the natural realm.

When I tell my servants go, they go and I tell them come, they come, you have it in the supernatural. Just speak the word only and my servant shall be made whole. All the way from the Old Testament to the New Testament, we can see this principle is throughout. Jesus taught it.

Jesus taught it. That words carry authority. That's why we don't just say anything. We say what the Bible says.

You know, when we, I do this every Sunday, when we get ready to give and return our tithes and give our offerings to God on Sundays, we don't just flippantly throw something into the offering. We speak over it's an important moment. It's a moment of worship just like our singing, the lifting of our hands, anything else. And we speak what the word of God says over our finances.

Every Sunday, you know what we say? I tell people lift your offering to the Lord and declare it with me, I'm blessed. And I can't be cursed. When I come in and when I go out, I'm blessed in the city and in the field, I'm blessed.

My basket and my storehouse, they are blessed. Whatever I touch, wherever I go, I'm blessed. I only go up. I don't go down.

I don't run out. I run over because I'm connected to the provider. We say that verbatim every single week over our giving. Where did all those things come from?

The word of God, Deuteronomy 28. And we declare them because we're obeying God's word. So those things are becoming realities to us. If it, remember this, put it in your notes, put it in the comments.

If it came out of his mouth, it's coming into my life. If it came out of his mouth, it's coming into my life. If it came out of his mouth, it's coming into my life in Jesus name. So that's number three, words, carry authority.

Number four, these are unavoidable truths that you must know to succeed. Number four, and I'm gonna say it in a simple way, but then explain what I mean by it. Number four is this, this is what you must know. I am a new creation.

Now, that's something that Christians say all the time without fully grasping the reality of that truth. I am a new creation, brand new. Old things are passed away. All things have become new.

I touched on this Sunday morning. I don't know how many people have seen this because I don't know that it's talked about that often, but it's very encouraging, very encouraging to understand this. Let me give you the verse. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4 and verse number 16, So we do not lose heart, though our outer self is wasting away.

Our inner self, the inner man is being renewed day by day. That's 2 Corinthians 4, 16, think about that. The outer man is perishing, or this translation says the outer man is wasting away. The inner man, the inner man is being renewed day by day.

So think about this, you didn't just become a new creation on the day you got saved. According to Paul's teaching here, inspired by the Holy Spirit, every single day you're renewed. Your inner man, your spirit man is renewed every single day. The outer man's perishing, getting older, decaying, but the inner man is renewed day by day.

Every day that you wake up in the Kingdom of God, you're a brand new creation, brand new man, renewed, renewed. If you renew a warranty, it's brand new, starts all over again. The whole timeframe on that warranty starts over again. All the benefits start over again.

It's renewed. Same with you. Every day you're renewed. And many people don't, they don't take advantage of understanding that we're gonna do some teaching on this coming up on our righteousness, new creation realities.

It changes everything about the dominion that you walk in as a believer. People who don't understand this fail to walk in dominion, fail to walk in authority, fail to walk in success, because they're not aware of their new creation reality, of who they are in Christ. Because if you realize who you are in Christ, then you don't allow the devil to lie you out of things that belong to you. Once you know where your property line begins and the spirit of this world ends, then you don't let the devil encroach on your property.

I always teach it that way. It's a good way to see it, because if you have a bunch of property and you don't know where the property lines are, the boundary lines, what happens? If somebody came in and tried to start building a house on your property, you can't get over there. And so, hey, you can't build here.

You can't build here. This is my property. Well, I think my property starts somewhere right around here. Or where does it start?

I'm not sure, but I think it's somewhere right around this area. No, you gotta know where your property ends and the rest beyond begins. Because if you don't, you cannot exercise authority over what's yours. So it's not like, for example, the things that Jesus promised and purchased for you, it's not as though they are maybe available.

No, they are yours. He purchased them for you. He gave them to you. So when you understand where the property line is, right?

Think of it this way. My body is God's property. Jesus is my healer. God is Jehovah Rafa.

He's the healer. And so sickness, if sickness enters into my body, it is trespassing on God's property. First Corinthians six tells us, we are not our own. We don't belong to ourselves.

For we were bought with a price and our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. So I don't belong to me. My body belongs to God. He bought it through the blood of Jesus Christ and I'm the temple of the Holy Spirit.

So if sickness tries to come on this body, it is trespassing on God's property that he purchased. Now I know my boundary line. Now I know where my property begins because I'm in covenant with God. Amen.

So that means now because I'm in covenant with God and I understand where my property line begins, I have the authority to stand up and say, sickness, get out of my property. Get off my property. Disease, get off my property. Depression, get off my property.

Anxiety attacks, get off my property. Suicidal thoughts, get off my property. Poverty and lack, get off my property. Right?

You have the authority to do that because you now know as a new creation where your property begins and where it is. I can't force someone else to walk in God's promises. I can't. I wish I could, but I can't.

Maria says, what happens when sickness and disease takes us? You then begin to contend by faith to cast those things out of God's property. Healing is already yours through what Jesus did. It's not going to be yours.

People think healing becomes theirs when they get healed. It doesn't become yours when you get healed. It's yours right now. It's yours right now.

And the authority to cast out sickness and to cast out disease is also yours. It's also yours. You have authority over the devil. And what people a lot of times miss is if they don't understand their new creation realities, what are the benefits of this new position that I hold?

They don't understand it. What ends up happening is they don't know whether or not they carry sufficient authority to go to war with the devil and all the things that he tries to bring to your life. But you do have sufficient authority. In fact, I like Luke 10, 19, where even Jesus told his disciples before he died, I give unto you all authority over all the power of the devil and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

You'll tread on serpents and scorpions, not just natural serpents and scorpions, talking about spiritual things, spiritual things. So notice this, all authority. Now, it's interesting because if you ever read the King James Bible, one of the things that you'll realize when you read the King James version of Luke 10, 19 is that it says, I give unto you all power over all the power of the devil. But even though the King James translated it, I give you all power over all the power of the devil, the actual Greek there, those are two different words.

That's why all modern translations properly translate it. I give unto you all authority, authority, exusia. That's the Greek word, exusia. They're not the same Greek word, power and power.

It's authority over the power. And if you remember Brother Hagin taught this in his Believer's Authority, that if you have an officer at a traffic light or at a stop area where the traffic light's gone out and he's directing traffic, right? If an officer holds his hand up and tells a line of traffic to stop, they stop. Could be an F-150 right at the front of the line and the officer holds his hand up or the flashlight up and they stop right where he tells him to stop.

Now, it's important to understand that that officer did not have the power to stop that truck. If that guy in the truck decides to put his foot on the gas and go, he's gonna go and the officer doesn't have the power to stop the truck. So why does the truck stop? Because the officer has the authority to stop the truck.

The officer carries authority. Authority then is greater than power. Authority is greater than power. What if there was a little judge that weighed about 125 pounds sitting on the bench and the guy who was on trial was some muscle bound criminal?

285 pounds of solid muscle, 6 foot 4. The judge does not have the physical capacity to restrain that criminal and throw him into prison personally. But what does he have? The authority to put him there.

The judge doesn't have to watch this now. The judge doesn't have to work out for 10 years and take supplements and get on steroids in order to gain sufficient power to put that criminal in prison. He can remain just as he is. Why?

Because he's been given a position. Think of this now. That judge has been given a position that gives him authority. And so it doesn't matter how big or how small or how strong that criminal is that's on trial.

It doesn't matter because all that judge has to do is speak a word. And when he speaks a word, then his authority causes something to happen. And their size difference means nothing. Means nothing.

The authority. The authority. And so that's the point is that you as a new creation have authority. That's one of the benefits of you've been given a position.

Just like that judge, you've been given a position. Just like that officer at the traffic light. You've been given a position in which you hold authority. Ali Luya.

And that authority gives you access to destroy the power of the enemy in your life and in your family and your home. And so don't forget, number four, these are unavoidable truths. You must know to succeed. You are a new creation.

You're not natural. You're not who you used to be. You're not who God made you to be. Number five, again, when I say they're unavoidable, they're unavoidable because without these, without understanding these things, you won't succeed the way God called you to in the kingdom.

I can't imagine operating with no authority in the kingdom. Number five, write it down this way in your notes in the comments. Number five, covenant thinking gives you confidence. Covenant thinking gives you confidence.

I love this. It unlocks confidence in your life. Romans chapter eight and verse 15. So what does this new creation reality do for you?

It makes you aware of your covenant relationship with God. So if I flip over to Romans chapter eight, let me show you this verse, verse 15. The Bible says, in fact, let me just read from verse 12, Romans eight, 12 through 15. So then brothers, we are deaders, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.

For if you live according to the flesh, you'll die. But if you live by the spirit, you put to death the deeds of the body you'll live. For all who are led by the spirit of God are sons of God. Looking verse 15, now, for you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons.

By whom we cry, Abba Father, you have received the spirit of adoption as sons. That's so powerful. I've been, I wasn't born Jewish, but I was adopted into the family. Galatians chapter three tells us how in verse 29, if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise.

That's Galatians 3 29. That's the spirit of adoption. I wasn't born into the family, but I was reborn into the family through the spirit of adoption. That's the new birth.

Amen. Born again. I was born again. You know, many people, they gloss over that.

I'm born again. What does that mean? It's a second birth, the new birth. In the second birth, I'm born into God's family.

In the first birth, I was born into my family, in the sins and iniquities, on my way to hell, but in the new birth, as I was born again, I was born into God's family. New benefits now. So covenant thinking unlocks confidence. So now when we pray, we're not praying and hoping it comes to pass.

I hope God's willing to do this for me. He's your father, because you were born again. He's your heavenly father. You were born all over again into his family through the spirit of adoption as sons.

Hallelujah. And so now when you ask God for something, you can do what the Bible says in Hebrews chapter 4, 16. Hebrews 4 verse 16. Let us boldly approach the throne of grace.

So why can we do that? How can I boldly approach God? Because I have a new understanding. I am his son.

I came into the family by the spirit of adoption. I was born all over again. Hallelujah. And that's a different kind of thinking.

It gets, it does away with guilt and shame. It does away with spiritual insecurities. Covenant thinking gives you confidence in the presence of God. I'm not crawling up to the throne, hoping he doesn't strike me down for asking for something.

No, on his son, on his son. You're his son. That's what the Bible says. So I'm a woman.

You're his son. Men and women. Bible says in the kingdom of God there's neither junior Greek. There's neither male nor female.

Every person in the kingdom is a son of God. To as many as believed on his name, to them he gave power to become the sons of God. There's a reason for that. Man or woman in the natural realm, you're a son of God because that's who gets the inheritance.

Amen. I often say in the same way that every man is the bride of Christ. It doesn't matter if you're a man or woman, if you're in the kingdom, if you're part of the body of Christ, you're the bride of Christ. Jesus is the groom or the bride.

Amen. And see these things are not about gender. They're about position. The sons receive the inheritance.

But Christ being the groom, he's the one who looks out for the bride, protects the bride, provides for the bride. Works on behalf of the bride. Makes intercession for the bride. Amen.

It's not about gender, it's about position. When you have that covenant thinking, it unlocks confidence in the kingdom of God. You never again have to approach God with guilt and shame. Number six, let me hit you with these last two.

Number six, you have to steward your faith. This is number six, unavoidable truths you must know to succeed. I have to steward my faith. I have to.

Faith is like a muscle. In the same way you have to steward a muscle. You have to steward faith. You ever think about this?

How is it possible that the disciples heard the greatest preacher of all time, all the time? For three years they heard the greatest preacher who ever lived, Jesus. Greatest preacher, preached with pure spirit of faith, pure revelation of God's word. And they heard all of his messages.

Well, how does faith come? Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. There's no way, there is no way that Jesus' messages did not produce faith. There's zero way that Jesus preached and preached and taught and taught and did not build faith.

There's no way. But then there were times in the middle of a trial, right? A test where the disciples missed it and Jesus would say what to them? Oh, ye of little faith.

How did they get to the place of hearing all Jesus' messages, hearing Him teach and teach and teach and preach and preach and then because they traveled with Him, they got inside information. He was talking to them privately even. We know that's the truth because there's times in the scripture where the Bible says Jesus taught in parables and later his disciples would come to him and talk to him about what he taught and he'd explained further the parables to his disciples. So they got behind the scenes teaching.

There's no way you can have personal one-on-one teaching with Jesus and it not build your faith. But there were multiple times in the gospels where they failed in a time of test or trial and Jesus rebuked them by saying, oh, ye of little faith. So what happened? Think of it this way, Peter had enough faith to step out of the boat, obey Jesus' command and walk on water.

In that moment, watch this, in that moment, he had enough faith to do the impossible. Get out of the boat in the middle of a killer storm and walk on water. And then halfway to Jesus, he takes his eyes off of Christ, starts to consider the wind and the waves. And the Bible says he starts to sink.

What happened? He was operating by faith at first, but he didn't steward his faith. He didn't stay in faith. He didn't stay in faith.

So what happened? He began to sink. He began to sink. Thankfully, Jesus came to him, grabbed hold of him and lifted him back up.

Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. So what happened was he didn't steward his faith. The disciples didn't steward their faith.

And so watch this. It's one thing to receive something from God. It's another thing to keep what God gave you. One of the things my father has done for many years, he preached churches and hold revivals.

People get healed, people get delivered and all that. And then he'd preach a message toward the end called how to keep what God gives you. Why is that? Because people would lose through different avenues.

They would lose the thing God gave them in that revival meeting. You come back and the people that got healed the last year are suffering with the exact same thing the next year because they fell right back into it. Why? You got to keep what God gives you.

You got to steward your faith. One time my father was preaching a revival. And this guy brought his mother to be healed. She was deaf.

She was deaf. And my father prayed for her. Her deaf ears came open. And she was instantly healed by God's power.

Powerful miracle. And so the service came to an end. People were leaving. And all of a sudden the son, who's an adult, comes running back into the church.

Brother Ted, you got to come quick. My mom has locked herself in the car. And so my dad started going out. And then he thought to himself, well, if she locked herself in the car, she can let herself out of the car.

He said, no, she's mad. My mom's mad. And she won't know what she mad about. He said, well, she's gone back deaf again.

She's deaf already again. She just got healed. I mean, they tested her in the service. Ears were open.

She could hear how fat she lost it that quick. And I said, yes, she's deaf again. Can't hear a thing. And so he said, what were you guys talking about?

As you left the service tonight, he said, well, I said to her, mom, isn't it awesome God opened your ears? Isn't it wonderful that the Lord opened your ears? And the mother replied, yes, it is. I hope it lasts.

And when she said, I hope it lasts. Her ears went right back. Def again. I hope it lasts.

She didn't stay in faith. She didn't keep what God gave her. I've seen this happen so many times. I watched one time.

I was a music director at the time. And my uncle was praying for people at the altar. A lady came up with a big growth on her neck. Big.

I'm talking baseball size, baseball size on the bottom of her neck. And my uncle went down the line, was praying for people, and he laid hands on her, boom. And I watched with my own eyes as the tumor, or whatever it was, go it or tumor, it disappeared right out of her neck. It just shrunk right down.

It was gone, literally gone. And she went back. And I mean, I watched this. Now, that's not something I heard.

I saw this happen. It was just, I mean, when I tell you it was gone, her neck looked normal. And this was baseball size, huge, gone. And I watched.