THERE IS MUCH WE CAN NAME AND CLAIM

Throughout Church History, there have been people and especially Preachers who have taken verses out of context, or simply misinterpreted what the Word of God says, and therefore taken truth to extremes, and at times into complete heresy.

Sadly, because many Believers are not really Biblically literate they accept the extreme teaching and can often end up in disillusionment, then the others who disagree often almost violently react to the error so that they THROW THE BABY (TRUTH) OUT WITH THE DIRTY BATH WATER.

I wrote recently about the so called “Prosperity Gospel” propagated by many Western preachers, Prosperity is a word often used in the Scriptures, but the understanding of the meaning in a Biblical context is very different to the 21st century interpretation of the word. Oh, how we must do as Paul urged Timothy to “rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Tim. 2:15. God sure wants us to prosper spiritually, and continue to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Another extreme teaching not unrelated to the so called “Prosperity Gospel” is the “name it and claim it” teaching, again often based on verses taken out of context, and promoted that believers can simply “name and claim” things and expect God to be the big father christmas in the sky to give them what they want. Again, believers end up disillusioned, when it doesn’t happen, and again the teaching is often violently opposed and an important truth is “thrown out with the dirty bath water”.

I believe again especially relative to our relationship with the Lord and the glorious inheritance we have now because we are born again can be and should be named and claimed. Again, this is where Biblical Discipleship is so important that a new believer knows what is his inheritance he can claim and experience NOW.

The Psalmist said in Psalm 2:7 NKJV I will declare the decree: the Lord has said to me, You are my Son, today I have begotten you,

Confessing (and claiming) what the Lord says about us is essential in our walk with God, it was CONFESSION that brought us into the Kingdom of God Rom.10:9 NKJV that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Let me just give you a few scriptures, we need to name and claim.

Rom.8:37 NKJV we are MORE than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Phil. 4:19 NKJV My God shall supply all your need (not greed) according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

1 John 4:4 NKJV He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

When we are tempted, and feel discouraged, and even feel under attack, we need to confess and claim these awesome truths, let me encourage you, to meditate much on these verses (for example) let them be quickened to your spirit, so they become a Rhema word, and the Sword of the Spirit Eph. 6:17 NKJV And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

It is so interesting that Paul puts the HELMET and the SWORD together in the same verse, as we must learn to know how to protect our mind from the attacks of the evil one, and to be alert and sensitive when those lies would come into our mind, so we can do as James urges us in James 4:7 NKJV “Resist the devil and he will flee from you”.

There is much we can can legitimately claim, as it is clearly written in the Will (the Word of God), as our inheritance. May we learn to enjoy and ever appropriate what is ours to claim amen.