Mike Wilkins Ministries

MARK 16:17 NLT 17 These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages.

Jesus has made available for every believer a supernatural way to pray.

It is normally referred to as “speaking in tongues” because tongues is the old English word that was used for languages. It is simply a Christian believer speaking normally, in full control, but speaking in a fluent language unknown to them.

You might wonder how that could be possible. Without God, it would not be possible!

It works this way. The Holy Spirit dwelling in you will give words to your spirit (which is the real you, the inner person), and your spirit will speak those words, bypassing your mind entirely.

1 CORINTHIANS 14:14 NLT 14 For if I pray in tongues, my spirit is praying, but I don’t understand what I am saying.

Your mind will not formulate the words, or decide what to speak. Yet you will always remain in full control, just as when speaking in your native language. You can start and stop at will. You will never be forced by the Holy Spirit to speak.

1 CORINTHIANS 14:15a NLT 15 Well then, what shall I do? I will pray in the spirit, and I will also pray in words I understand.

Note that praying in the spirit (which, from the context, obviously means praying in tongues), is subject to your will in the same way as praying with your understanding in your native language.

The Holy Spirit does not speak in tongues for you. You will have to speak the words given to your spirit by the Holy Spirit. Speaking in tongues is your spirit speaking in a language you never learned, as the Holy Spirit inside you gives you the words to speak.

The words do not come through your mind, but directly from your spirit out of your mouth.

Because your mind is not directing this kind of prayer, there is no question whether it will be answered, for it will be a perfect prayer, free from all doubt, unbelief, and fear.

This wonderful gift allows us to pray for things we would not otherwise know about or know how to pray for. Our knowledge and understanding have limits, but the Holy Spirit knows everything, even the future, and will guide us in prayer accordingly. This way every one of us can pray perfectly.

This gift is freely available for everyone who believes in Jesus Christ. It is not something you have to earn or achieve. But like every gift of God it must be actively received by faith. For God never forces His gifts on anyone!

If you have questions about this, but want to know the truth, ask the Lord. Don’t ask someone to explain it who does not practice it, and therefore does not really understand it. Don’t let anyone use human reasoning to talk you out of this marvelous, miraculous gift from your loving Father God.

You can understand why the devil would not want any believer to pray in tongues because it is a way to pray perfectly. Every perfect prayer is always answered and that answer always sets back the devil’s program.

So we need to emulate Paul who spoke in tongues more than all the believers in Corinth.

1 CORINTHIANS 14:18 NLT 18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than any of you.

Just as you cannot pray “too much” in your native language, you also cannot pray too much in your spiritual language. For that is what it is, a language selected by the Spirit.

When you first start praying in tongues it may seem difficult and you may not be very fluent. Don’t worry! You didn’t start out speaking your native language fluently, either. As you continue it will get easier and you will grow more comfortable doing it. Just boldly continue speaking in faith and you will become more fluent.

Like doing anything new, it can seem awkward at first, but once you start it, it is so easy and natural.

Experts tell us there are more than 5,000 different languages used on earth. No one knows them all. So don’t hold back and hesitate if your supernatural praying does not always sound like a great language to you. After all, you are probably not an expert on languages. And remember that you are not speaking to yourself, but to God, so it doesn’t really matter how it sounds to you.

Just speak out boldly in faith whatever sounds the spirit gives you and as you continue to do that, it will become very clear to you that this is not something you could do on your own.

It is supernatural! It is real! It is a gift that has already been given to you. All you have to do is receive it. And you can do that right now, wherever you are.

God not only approved of everything Jesus did — He was very pleased with everything Jesus did.

JOHN 8:29 NKJ 29 “And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.”

Why is it important for us to look at this?

Many people are unclear what God’s will is in many areas. There is much confusion over what many call “acts of God” which bring destruction. But if we understand that Jesus always did God’s will perfectly, and that God was thrilled with everything Jesus did, then we can examine what Jesus did and see what God’s will is.

Did Jesus ever make anyone sick — even to teach them something? Did Jesus ever tell anyone it was not the will of God for them to be healed? Did Jesus ever tell anyone that God would not love them and help them? Did Jesus ever destroy anyone’s property or steal it from them? Did Jesus ever kill anyone’s family member?

No. Never! Jesus did what was pleasing to God. Those things are still not pleasing to God, and He should not be blamed for them.

Is God pleased when people are helped? Is God pleased when people are healed and delivered from bondage? Is God pleased when people’s needs are met? Is God pleased when people have their sins forgiven? Is God pleased when people know that God loves them?

Yes! Those are the things Jesus did, and He perfectly pleased God.

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MATTHEW 6:9-10 NKJ 9 “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.

LUKE 11:2 NKJ 2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.

These verses make two things clear.

1. God’s will is not automatically done unless we pray. Otherwise it is pointless for Jesus to tell us to pray that God’s will be done.
2. It is God’s will that things be done on earth as they are in heaven.

By understanding these verses we can see that those who tell us God is sovereign and everything that happens on earth is God’s will, are clearly wrong.

It is true that God is sovereign. He can do whatever He wants to do. No one is higher than God and can tell Him what to do. But God voluntarily and freely, without any rush or pressure, chose to speak words expressing His sovereign choices. And now He will not do anything contrary to what He has already spoken, because that would make Him a liar, which is against His nature. So we can trust God’s Word, the Bible, and know that it expresses His will.

Jesus told us to pray that God’s will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. That means some things happening on earth are NOT God’s will. Just because something happens does not mean it is the will of God. The way we can know God’s will is from the message of the Bible.

In heaven God’s perfect will is always done.

Is there sickness in heaven? No! Then clearly it is not the perfect will of God for there to be sickness on earth either.

Is there poverty or lack in heaven? No! Then clearly it is not the perfect will of God for there to be poverty or lack on earth either.

Is there sadness in heaven? No! Then clearly it is not the perfect will of God for there to be sadness on earth either.

God’s Word reveals that believing prayer makes a difference. We do have a part to play. Our prayers are not just vocal exercise, but make a difference. (Matthew 21:22, James 5:17-18)

T 

Jesus told a parable about a widow and an unjust judge which some have misunderstood. We need not harass God until He finally gives in and answers our prayers.

LUKE 18:1-8 NKJ 1 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, 2 saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. 3 “Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying,’Get justice for me from my adversary.’ 4 “And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself,’Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 5 ‘yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.'” 6 Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. 7 “And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 “I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

In verse one Jesus revealed why He told this story: to encourage us not to give up on prayer.

The idea that we must keep on begging God for the same thing until He finally answers — instills no confidence and gives us no encouragement to pray!

God is not like the unjust judge. You do not have to come to Him repeatedly asking for the same thing until you finally convince Him.

Jesus is teaching persistence in prayer, but not persistence in praying for the same thing over and over.

The literal meaning of the word translated “lose heart” in verse one is “not give in to evil.” It means giving up in view of difficulty.

Jesus’ purpose in telling this parable was to impress on us that we must continue to pray to God and not give in to the evil we see around us. We should not be cowards who lose courage and quit praying. Jesus told us that was His purpose, so we should not try to extract another meaning from this parable.

Jesus’ message is that God is nothing like an unjust judge, but infinitely better. So, if a poor widow can get help from a human judge who has no regard for what God thinks, much less what people think — HOW MUCH MORE can we expect our wonderful Father God to provide help for us when we come to Him.

After telling the parable, in verse eight Jesus gives us His interpretation: God will answer quickly! So we don’t have to approach God like this widow did the unjust judge!

It may seem to us that God is not answering our cries for help speedily. But Jesus said otherwise. God is working!

Although God actually answers speedily, from our human viewpoint the answer may seem delayed. I think Jesus is saying, “Don’t let circumstances cause you discouragement. You can have confidence in God. When you pray He will listen and answer speedily. So keep on praying.”

Why would people become discouraged and quit the practice of prayer? Only if it did not seem to work. If they always saw answers quickly, there would be no temptation to stop praying.

That is why Jesus told this story, so we would be encouraged to stand in faith no matter how long it took for the answer to show up. We can have faith because God is merciful, gracious, and dependable — nothing like the unjust judge.

God does not have to be convinced or coerced to help you. God loves you and desires the best for you. You can expect God to speedily help you. And don’t worry about people hindering your provision. If a poor widow can influence an evil judge to do right, how much more can your Father God influence people! So keep praying!

Why do answers to prayer not always manifest quickly — even when God immediately grants our request. God does not violate people’s freedom to choose. So, in answering our prayers, it may take some time for God to work with people to get them to change. But we can be confident that God is working on our behalf, even though we may not see any outward change yet.

Instead of thinking it does no good to pray, because God probably won’t answer anyway, this story was told to make us think the opposite.

So, we are to pray in faith, and never doubt. We are to be confident and keep looking to God, knowing that God is working and our answer is on its way. When we know that, it would be foolish for us to “keep on asking” for the same thing over and over.

Jesus summary statement in verse eight, which concludes with a question about faith, has this idea: God will be faithful. You can count on Him. There is not any chance that God will not be faithful to answer the cries of His people. But will His people be faithful? Will they persevere in their faith in God?

Will they keep trusting God and believing in His goodness, even when it seems like answers do not always immediately come? Will people continue to believe what Jesus said, that God will answer speedily? Or will people give up and think it is useless to pray to God?

John 8:31-32 NRSV 31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

Many people think God’s Word will put them into bondage. (I used to think that.) Like most of the world’s ideas, this is opposite to the truth.

A major reason people go their own way instead of turning to Jesus Christ is because they think following Him and His Word will restrict them and keep them from enjoying life. What a deception!

The only way to know true freedom in this life is found through the Word of God: the Bible.

Also notice that the “truth” Jesus refers to is found in His Word. Just knowing any “truth” does not guarantee freedom.

If you desire freedom, you now know the guaranteed formula to achieve it. Will you follow the directions?

With His Word God gave us a firm foundation to base our life on. Something absolutely unchanging. Something God Himself will never change. So we can be certain about God’s will. If we want to know God’s will, we only need to see what He said in His Word, the Bible.

PSALM 138:2b NLT 2 I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name.

The integrity of God is wrapped up in His Word; if He did not keep His Word He would be a liar — and that will never happen!

PSALM 89:34 NLT 34 No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back a single word I said.

God will not change the words He has spoken. God will never break His Word. God will always do what He said He will do.

NUMBERS 23:19 NLT 19 God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?

God never lies! He is always alert, making sure every word He has spoken is fulfilled.

JEREMIAH 1:12 NIV 12 The LORD said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.”

MARK 13:31 NIV 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

God’s Word is more dependable than the stars in the sky and the ground you stand on. That will all eventually be changed, but God will never change any word He has spoken.

2 TIMOTHY 2:13 NLT 13 If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.

No matter what, God is faithful to keep His Word because He cannot deny who He is — the Truth (John 14:6). To do anything other than what He said He would do, would make Him a liar. God is not a liar!

Only God can answer this question. Fortunately, we have a book available where we can find out what God thinks: the Bible.

(What a wonderful thought that is! We can read and know what GOD thinks! Don’t let yourself be robbed of this great privilege by being too busy.)

PSALM 103:13 NIV 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

One way we can begin to get an inkling of God’s love for us is to know what it is like to have our own children. Psalm 103:13 tells us that the same deep feelings a parent has for their child, are also present in God toward us. The word in this verse means much more than “compassion.” It is a very deep feeling — hard to express in words. This is what God feels for you!

(You may wonder why. I may wonder why God would feel that way about you or me. All I can say is: parents can think their own children are really special, even though others may think they are quite normal!)

Another way we can judge how much God loves us is by what He was willing to go through to redeem us and have us in His family. A lot!

We are familiar with John 3:16, but often being familiar with something keeps us from grasping it as fully and clearly as we should. Think about it: God so loved the dirty, rotten, rebellious world of people — even those who hated Him — that He decided to suffer the punishment that justice demanded so they could go free.

God loves you — no matter who you are — no matter what you have done. He loves you more than you can imagine or understand.

God loves you more than He loves Himself. That is proven by the fact that He put your interest and your feelings ahead of His own, choosing to suffer so you could go free.

How can anyone not love and worship such a Being as our wonderful God?

PSALM 115:3 NKJ 3 But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases.

PSALM 135:6 NKJ 6 Whatever the Lord pleases He does, In heaven and in earth, In the seas and in all deep places.

In order to understand the sovereignty of God, we need to know what sovereignty means. Sovereign means one who exercises supreme authority, and has freedom from external control. One who is sovereign is above everything and can do as they please.

In the beginning there was only God. He was sovereign and could do as He pleased. He could have done, or said, anything. He could have created man or not created man. No one could, or did, force Him to say, or do, anything. Whatever He said and did — He chose to say and do.

Because God was never forced to say anything, He never said anything that was not His will. So anything God did not desire to happen, was simply never spoken by Him.

Unlike us, God does not grow in knowledge and wisdom. Today we may wish we had made a different decision yesterday because we have gained new knowledge. But this never happens with God. He already knows everything. So whatever He has spoken, He will never have any reason to change His mind about.

So in the beginning there was a sovereign God. Then He began to say things. No one forced God to say anything. By His own choice He freely gave His Word. After He had spoken He was no longer free to do just anything. Because unless He acted in line with His Word He would become a liar. He could still do anything He pleased, but if it was not in agreement with what He had already said, then He would become a liar — which is against His very nature.

For example, after the flood in Genesis 7 God promised never to destroy the earth with another world-wide flood. What if He did? God would then become a liar because He already said He would never do that again.

If God ever told one lie He would come under the dominion of the father of liars, the devil (John 8:44). So, God always obeys His own Word (not because He is forced to, but because it is still His will.)

God was sovereign and He did as He pleased. The Bible lets us know the choices He made, so we can know God’s will. He gave it to us so we would have a strong foundation. So we can know where we stand — and stand up like men and women of God against the devil — which makes our Father happy.

JAMES 4:1-2 GWN 1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Aren’t they caused by the selfish desires that fight to control you? 2 You want what you don’t have, so you commit murder. You’re determined to have things, but you can’t get what you want. You quarrel and fight. You don’t have the things you want, because you don’t pray for them.

Selfishness is the root of every problem we face. If selfishness were eradicated all mankind’s problems would be solved.

JAMES 3:16 NCV 16 Where jealousy and selfishness are, there will be confusion and every kind of evil.

We need to clearly see the consequences of selfishness and so determine that we want nothing to do with such a vile thing.

No murder is ever committed without selfishness being involved. Theft never takes place without selfishness motivating it. No one is ever hurt except by someone acting selfishly.

JAMES 3:15 NLT 15 For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.

If God were to allow it, selfishness could turn heaven into a hell.

The opposite of selfishness is divine love. This is the love called “agape” in the Greek New Testament. It is not a feeling, but an attitude which results in putting others and their interests before your own.

1 CORINTHIANS 13:5 NCV 5 Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not get upset with others. Love does not count up wrongs that have been done.

This is the type of love God has for us!

The disease of selfishness cannot be cured just by a human decision to try and do better. No, it is natural for a human being to be selfish — to look out for our self. What we need is a new nature, a real cure, not just a bandage to cover up the problem. This is why Jesus told us we need to be born again. We need to become “new creations” with a new nature — the nature of divine love. We need to have the love of God in our hearts.

Then we will have the ability, if we so choose, to walk in divine love and put the interests of others before our own. When you have everyone doing that, you have heaven.

Buddha does not offer this cure. Mohammad does not offer this cure. Only Jesus Christ offers this cure for mankind.

There is only one way to be cured from this fatal disease of selfishness — receiving Jesus Christ. When you receive Him, Jesus imparts His life to you giving you a new nature. Then, as you allow that new nature inside you to control your actions, you will walk in divine love and be able to overcome selfishness.

Overcoming selfishness is also helped by knowing God loves you and is taking care of you. Because God Almighty takes care of you, you don’t have to worry. Because God is your Source you can freely give to others, without worry that your own needs will not be met.

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JOSHUA 1:8 NKJ 8 “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

God’s Word never changes. What God promised would work for Joshua will work for you, also. The problem with most of us is that we are just too busy to put God’s Word first like we should. But we are not too busy to work trying to get ahead. Explain that.

God never lies. Follow His instructions given above and you WILL have prosperity and good success. Maybe not in 10 minutes. Maybe not even for 10 years. But you will. God promises it.

Notice that Joshua 1:8 does not just say to think about God’s Word. No — the Word must continually be in your mouth! Words!

1 PETER 3:10 NKJ 10 For “He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking guile;

Speaking and thinking in line with God’s Word will cause you to prosper and succeed. If you would like to see good days, the Bible admonishes you to watch your words!

Never confess defeat. Confessing Jesus as Lord of every situation brings glory to God.