THE PRINCIPLE OF SITTING DOWN AND COUNTING

Are there situations or recurrent phenomena in your family, or other people’s life that you don’t wish  for or fear it may happen in your life or your family? Fear no more! In this post, THE PRINCIPLE OF SITTING DOWN AND COUNTING, Brojid Guest Minister, Pastor Bankie, shares truths on how to escape it’s occurrence in your life. It’s in-depth and eye opening. Relax and learn.

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W. Kenyon said that a lot of people wait till they reach a point of crisis — they are sick, or a loved one is sick, or they are in financial crisis — and then they start trying to recite scriptures in prayer in what they call faith. He said it is often nothing more than unbelief. The prayers are just prayers of panic, and not prayers of faith. Smith Wigglesworth said that if you wait till you need faith before you try to go get it, then you waited too late!

There is a principle of life that the Lord taught us which applies very well to the issue of faith.

“For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?” (Luke 14:28-29)

As we go about in life we see where death had reigned and is still reigning in many lives. We are not blind to the issues that plague the people around.

Depending on the geographical location you live in and the situation in which you grew, you are conversant with certain oppressive operations of Satan. For example, people from most third-world nations are familiar with the operations of the spirit of poverty. Those living in the first-world are familiar with operations of the spirit of family breakdowns, divorces and a feeling of hopelessness that often results in suicide. Some families have certain spiritual problems or even physical problems; you may have heard that mental illness run in some families. Paul explains that being aware of the schemes of Satan helps us know what to do so that he won’t be able to take advantage of us (2Cor 2:11).

I have heard it preached, and I believe it, that certain kinds of devils tend to hang around certain places and families so that the problem of a father tends to be repeated in the lives of the children.

One thing I have noticed is that many times the children know that their fathers had those problems and so want to avoid it in their own lives; they try but often find themselves in those very problems before they realize it was even coming. The reason is because they were trying to tackle a spiritual problem by natural means, and it does not work. What is happening is that the force of death is at work, and only the power of life can reverse it. It does not just get reversed because you are now educated or have become civilized. All these modifications of your life only serve to modify the manifestations of the problem, so that, as an example, where the fathers only lost money on the farms, the sons loose in large businesses; however the spirit of loss is still working.

In this principle of sitting down and counting, you identify ahead of time those areas that appear like places where the force of death has especially raged and you consciously attack them with the force of life.

Many people unconsciously expect and prepare for those bad things to happen to them. A young woman from a broken home thinks she will have to endure the breaking of her own marriage one day. Listen, it does not have to happen to you the way it happened to your family before you; that is why you have a hope in Christ Jesus.

If you have noticed an area that fear seems to grip you concerning what may happen to you there, then it is time to specially tackle it. There is a weapon of the spirit, and that weapon is effective. “for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.” (2 Cor 10:4)

Remember that I explained earlier that the main area of the battle is in your mind. The first thing therefore is to take the word of God and meditate upon it with prayer so that it will penetrate your heart and change your deeper thinking. Allow it uproot every thought in your heart that is not the thought of good about your life. Take that word in prayer and use it as a cleanser.

The Bible described the word of God as water that washes; apply it by prayer.

When I say apply it by prayer, this is what I mean.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9-10) One thing that I have come to learn about our Father God is that He sees everything and there is no need to pretend before Him. If you are afraid because of the things that appear like echoes of accusation against you, simply go in prayer and first say it to the Lord just as it is. Tell him, “Lord, I confess that I am afraid that I might not be able to have children after I marry.

My reason is that I notice it happened to that my sister or cousins.” Or, “my reason is that I remember I had abortions as a young lady before I came to know the Lord Jesus, and the thoughts of the consequences keeps coming to my mind.”

Then go ahead and tell Him that you realize that those thoughts are not in line with the word and you have come confessing it as a sin so that He might by His Spirit help uproot the fear and establish a hope, a confident hope.

See, there is a spirit of fear, which is a spirit of unrighteousness, and this kind of confession washes it out of your life. Remember He is faithful to cleanse us of all our righteousness.

After that is when you begin the second kind of confession — the confession of faith. You begin to confess the truth that you have learnt.

“I know my sins are forgiven; I have been cleansed by the power of the blood of Jesus. My past sins have lost their effects on my future.

“I have not inherited any evil genes because I have the Spirit of God dwelling inside me. I am a redeemed child of God and I am above the Devil and his accusations.”

Then begin to direct specific words at the area in contention.

“I will bear my children by the power of God. I am a blessed person, and the

Bible says a quiver full of children is a blessing. So I have my quiver full of children.

“I speak to children, ‘come to me in due season, in the name of Jesus.’

“I am a joyful mother of children.”

Now, you are saying these when you are not even married yet. You are taking charge ahead of the time of battle.

A young man that has been assailed in his mind by the fear of poverty must take charge of it before he comes into the times of pressure. Confess the sin of fear — the fear of poverty. Then confess the truth of God. Though He was rich, He became poor that I through His poverty might be made rich.

“In Christ Jesus I have all grace abounding toward me so that I have all sufficiency in all things and even have abundance for every good work.

“The spirit of lack and poverty has been taken away from my life by the sacrifice of Jesus. It is well with me financially and materially.”

You begin to speak into your future, calling those things that be not as though they were.

You may have been told that mental illness runs in your family, and one of your siblings is currently afflicted. Well, the same principles apply; the word of God concerning you is that old things have passed away and all things have been made new. Also, God has given you a spirit of love and a sound mind. You have a sound mind guaranteed by the shed blood of Jesus.

Though many have said it does not matter, I personally believe that you may have to change your name as directed by the Spirit of God. You cannot afford to have a negative word prophesied upon you every time your name is called.

Jesus said that Caesar had his mark and his inscription on what belonged to him, and the God too has things that belong to Him (Matt 22:20,21). I believe that I belong to God and must therefore have His inscription in my name. I cannot serve Jesus and bear the name of an idol that my forefathers served.

Those little things leave small doors open for Satan, and I believe it is a thing that Africans must overcome. If you have stopped serving idols, then stop bearing their names. In Nigeria we have a lot of names that do nothing else but glorify Satan and his works of old in the lives of our ancestors.

The word of God and prayer is what generates the right words from inside you. You would have first conquered Satan in your heart, cast down his stronghold, before you begin to take charge of your environment by that creative word of God.

For this reason you must arm yourself with the relevant word even as you pray. Take books that address those areas of conflict and read them with purpose. Don’t go around playing religion and just reading the Bible or a daily devotional. Take the Bible as you would take medicine and read it with the purpose of discovering the counsel of God that will give you the victory.

Read it with prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to direct you to the relevant areas for your need, and to give you understanding.

The word of God has the answer to every part of life that you may be having problems in; there is nothing that can plaque anyone today that the Lord did not know ahead of time and that He did not provide an answer for. The understanding that you will get in the word of God, David said, is the secret of acquiring life.

“Thy testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live.”

(Ps 119:144)

To live means to acquire life, to convert the reign of death into the reign of life. The power that makes all these available is the power of His resurrection. Once Jesus rose from the dead, it was a sign that the reign of death had come to an end. But you must understand what the blood is speaking so that you can use the same words to inject life into those threatening areas of death.

I have a conviction that the Lord allows us to notice those areas of threat so that we might tackle them before they begin to manifest in our lives. I remember a massage that was preached by Rod Parsley which he titled, “You can miss that mess.” What he was explaining is that you do no have to get into trouble before you get delivered; that you do not have to get into debt before seeing abundance, nor do you have to have a divorce before you experience the power of God to heal a marriage. He said that it is better to see the problems ahead and engineer the circumstances so that you miss the mess. It is the same principle I have been explaining in this chapter.

Editors Note: This post is a full chapter from Pastor Bankie’s book, By Faith Acquire Life. You can download it FREE by clicking HERE. To get the hard copy contact Pastor Bankie on 08082609588 or 08077118777 or [email protected]