Get A Grip On Your Lip!
Get a grip on your lip!
Hebrews 4:14
Intro: Christianity is called the “great confession”.
“So then we have a great High Priest who has passed into heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us HOLD FIRMLY TO OUR CONFESSION.” HEBREWS 4:14
What is our confession? It began with Romans 10:9-10 quote.
Confess = to say the same words as God is saying.
Words are containers that either carry faith or fear and they produce after their kind.
God’s ways are so contrary to our way of thinking because we don’t know Him very well yet. We begin our walk with God by faith in confessing, agreeing with His Word and then continue our journey with God as a walk of faith all our lifetime. This will require that we get a grip on our lip.
“For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Romans 10:9-10.
The mouth confesses what God is saying. Listen and agree.
“God MADE Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might be MADE the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Cor. 5:21
If you are a new Xn or have been doubting your salvation you should be confessing this scripture out loud every day. Ill. What do you think would happen if when doubting your salvation came to you that you spoke out loud, “No weapon formed against me shall prosper, for my righteousness is of the Lord.” Isa. 54:17 ?
In God’s eyes you are not an old sinner anymore. You are the righteousness of God in Christ. The more you say this out loud the more confident you become. It may not feel right at first but it is the truth.
Spoken words program your spirit either for success or defeat.
We must learn to release faith words not fear words.
God and angels and Satan and demons are listening to the words that come out of your mouth because it reveals what you really believe. Jesus said, “By your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned.” Matt. 12:37
“Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth.” Proverbs 6:1-2
Faith filled words put you over.
Fear filled words take you under.
God’s methods may seem strange to us because we don’t know Him very well yet. This is how faith works in every area of your life.
The facts say you are sick. God’s Word says you are healed. Whose report are you going to believe? If your faith is weak then fear begins to tighten its grip on you. What should you do?
The Word goes to work once it is in our mouth and in our heart. None of the blessings of God work automatically until we exercise faith to receive. The written Word of God was first the written Word so that it could become the spoken Word by us.
CONFESSION PRECEDES POSSESSION
Salvation, healing, Promise land, all the promises of God.
For example:
Abraham believed in God, but he was having trouble believing God!
In Gen 15 Abram said, “Lord what will you give me seeing I am childless and Eliezar my servant is my only heir?” Note is was in believing what God promised is what got a man right with God even in the O.T. So God took Abram outside at night and gave him a picture or vision of his descendants to help his heart start believing he would have his on biological son and descendants from him. “Abram believed God and He credited it to him as righteousness.” Gen. 15:6
Your destiny has to be seen in your heart before you can start believing God for it. Open the eyes of my heart – Eph. 1:17.
In addition to this God told Abram that he brought him out of UR of the Chaldeans (idolatry) to give you this land to possess it. Abram asked, “How shall I know that I will possess it?”
Then God told him to get some animals to make a blood covenant. This would put to an end forever any question because God was binding Himself to a blood covenant. This is like saying I I will fulfill my vow or die. Abram prepared the animal sacrifices split in middle.
Pic of Abram driving buzzards away. https://www.google.com/search?q=genesis+15+covenant&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjBv_3E4aPaAhUN3FMKHcNPDwgQ_AUICygC&biw=750&bih=683#imgrc=23IIL0OOw99SDM:
He had to drive away the buzzards from trying to get the sacrifices. God put Abram to sleep to quit asking questions and gave him a vision of God walking through animals binding Himself with a covenant. God is covenant bound to Abraham and his seed.
“For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could vow by no one greater He vowed by Himself . . . that we might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.” Hebrews 6:
To help the process in Genesis 17 God changed his name. from
Abram = exalted father
Abraham = God added a part of His name to Abram. The Hebrew letter HEY, which means BEHOLD, or What comes from, to reveal.
God’s sacred name = Yod Hey Vav Hey – Yahweh
Hebrew letter HEY is 5th letter of Hebrew alphabet. 5 = grace, God’s ability. Hey in written form looks like a man with both hands raised.
HEY is said to represent God’s creative power in His breath.
Just as God breathed on Adam and he became a living soul. God breathed on Abram a part of His name and HEY – behold ABRAHAM became a father of a multitude.
This made Abram to Abraham – father of a multitude. Even Sarai’s name God changed to Sarah meaning mother of nations.
Why? So they would start confessing what God was promising by covenant. Words are powerful when you hear them enough you begin to believe them.
God may put something in your heart that you are to start speaking. Ill. Jon Moorehead testimony he said he thought he heard the doctor tell him if he would walk 100 steps that he would not need insulin. After he walked 100 steps he told his doctor this and the doctor said that is absurd I never told you that. Jon heard it in his spirit from God and thought it must have been the doctor. It gave him hope to push and persevere. The day he took 100 steps the nurse checked his blood sugar and he did not need any more insulin. Did he hear from God? Yes. God planted a vision in his heart what to believe God for and then had him start muttering or speaking it to himself to build his faith.
The devil comes to steal and kill and destroy and will try to use your words against you. “Anything you say can and will be used against you.”
“let us HOLD FIRMLY TO OUR CONFESSION.” HEBREWS 4:14
This implies someone is going to try to take away your confession and get you to waver from faith.
Pic of bull rider
Ill. Like a bull rider in a rodeo. He positions himself on that bull and gets his hand in a glove and wraps it around that rope and holds on because he knows he is going for a wild ride. Once the enemy knows you got a grip on God’s Word he is going to do everything he can to shake you lose and change your mind.
Some of you need to get happy in order to be able to receive from God. “He has made me glad not sad.” You have been your own worst enemy by the negative words you have been speaking. You have been snared by the words of your own mouth.
God wants you to laugh again at impossibilities.
God named Abraham’s son Isaac which means laughter. Laugh in the face of the devil and laugh again.
Sure we get attacks from the devil and all kinds of oppression on earth all because we are in covenant with God. You are the righteousness of God Himself.
“In righteousness you shall be established, you shall be far from oppression, for you will not fear, and from terror, for it shall not come near you. Indeed, they will SURELY ASSAIL YOU FIERCELY, BUT NOT FROM ME. For whoever assails you shall fall for your sake.”
Isaiah 54:14-15
Modern English Version
Child of God you are established in God’s righteousness. You are far from oppression and you shall not fear terror. Oppression, fear and torment will try to gather together against you, but the Lord did not send them. Sickness, poverty and depression will try to come it must be resisted by you.
“So then we have a great High Priest who has passed into heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us HOLD FIRMLY TO OUR CONFESSION.” HEBREWS 4:14
The devil wants to take you for a ride and shake you lose of your confession of faith in Jesus. We need to help one another when we hear negative words to GET A GRIP ON YOUR LIP.