(Part 3) Growing Trees of Righteousness: Rooting Out Wrong Thoughts

Three weeks ago I shared with you concerning a group of really wonderful Kenneth Copeland daily broadcast where he had a very interesting guest named Dr. Caroline Leaf.  Dr. Leaf has been studying neuroscience for years, but prior to this, she was a strong Christian firmly rooted in the Word of God.  In these broadcast Dr. Leaf and brother Copeland tie Scripture to science and give a true revelation of just how literal the Bible actually is.  For example, thoughts in your brain physically look like a tree, and a bad thought, will generate bad proteins and chemistry in your brain effecting cells around this thought, and if you dwell long enough on it, you can actually impact every cell in your body, and this can lead to sickness and disease.  You have to purposefully decide what you are going to dwell upon, and if you dwell upon wickedness and evil, then it can literally consume you spiritually, mentally, and physically, because it has been also been found in neuroscience that you were not just spiritually designed to walk in love and forgiveness as the Bible teaches, but you were physically designed to walk in love and forgiveness also.

The first week of this message we began our Bible study with reading in Isaiah chapter 61 and verse 1.  Let’s read that again.  The Bible says…

Isaiah              61:1    The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the

                                  LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto

                                  the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the

                                  brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and

                                  the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

Isaiah                 61:2   To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the

                                  day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that

                                  mourn;

                        61:3   To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto

                                  them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the

                                  garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they

                                  might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of

                                  the LORD, that He might be glorified.

Ashes-665-rp,ae <eÆpher, ay’-fer; from an unused root mean. to bestrew; ashes:— ashes.

Bestrew-dict.(bef. 12c.)-strew, to lie scattered over.

Strew-dict.(bef. 12c) –to spread by scattering.

Mourning-60-lb,ae <eÆbel, ay’-bel; from 56; lamentation:— mourning.

Heaviness-3544-hh,Ke-keÆheh, kay-heh’; from 3543; feeble, obscure:— somewhat dark, darkish, wax dim, heaviness, smoking.

Beauty-6287-raeP] pƒ<eÆr, peh-ayr’; from 6286; an embellishment, i.e. fancy head-dress:— beauty, bonnet, goodly, ornament, tire.

Oil-8081-÷m,v, shemen, sheh’-men; from 8080; grease, espec. liquid (as from the olive, often perfumed); fig. richness:— anointing, × fat (things), × fruitful, oil ([-ed]), ointment, olive, + pine.

Vines-shemen (8081), "(olive) oil; olive; perfume; olivewood.” Cognates of this word appear in Ugaritic, Akkadian, Phoenician, Syriac, Arabic, and Aramaic. This word appears about 190 times and in all periods of biblical Hebrew. 

Shemen means olive “oil”: “And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it” (Gen. 28:18). Olive “oil” was also used to anoint a future office bearer (Exod. 25:6; 2 Kings 9:6); one’s head as a sign of mourning (2 Sam. 14:2); one’s head as a sign of rejoicing (Ps. 23:5); and one’s ear lobe, thumb, and toe as a ritual cleansing (Lev. 14:17). Shemen is used as a preservative on shield-leather (2 Sam. 1:21) and in baking (Exod. 29:2) and as a medication (Ezek. 16:9). This “oil” is burned for light (Exod. 25:6). Its many uses made olive oil a valuable trade item (Ezek. 27:17). 

In many contexts shemen perhaps means the “olive” itself: “… But ye, gather ye wine, and summer fruits, and oil, and put them in your vessels …” (Jer. 40:10). 

Once the word appears to mean lavish dishes, or dishes mixed with much oil: “And in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things [nasb, “lavish banquet”]” (Isa. 25:6). 

Shemen is “a kind of perfume,” or olive oil mixed with certain odors to make a perfume, in passages such as Song of Sol. 1:3: “Because of the savor of thy good ointments [nasb, “oils”] thy name is as ointment poured forth.…” 

Shemen sometimes modifies “wood”: “In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olivewood, each ten cubits high” (1 Kings 6:23, rsv). 

A related noun mishman appears 4 times. It means “stout or vigorous ones” (Isa. 10:16) and “fertile spots” (Dan. 11:24). 

Joy-8342-÷/cc; saÆsoÆwn, saw-sone’; or ÷cc; saÆsoÆn, saw-sone’; from 7797; cheerfulness; spec. welcome:— gladness, joy, mirth, rejoicing.

Praise-8416-hL;hiT] tƒhillaÆh, teh-hil-law’; from 1984; laudation; spec. (concr.) a hymn:— praise.

Laudation-dict.(15c)-the act of praising.

Vines-tehillah (8416), “glory; praise; song of praise; praiseworthy deeds.” Tehillah occurs 57 times and in all periods of biblical Hebrew. 

First, this word denotes a quality or attribute of some person or thing, “glory or praiseworthiness”: “He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen” (Deut. 10:21). Israel is God’s “glory” when she exists in a divinely exalted and blessed state: “And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth” (Isa. 62:7; cf. Jer. 13:11). 

Second, in some cases tehillah represents the words or song by which God is publicly lauded, or by which His “glory” is publicly declared: “My praise [the Messiah is speaking here] shall be of thee in the great congregation …” (Ps. 22:25). Ps. 22:22 is even clearer: “I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.” 

In a third nuance tehillah is a technical-musical term for a song (shir) which exalts or praises God: “David’s psalm of praise” (heading for Ps. 145; v. 1 in the Hebrew). Perhaps Neh. 11:17 refers to a choirmaster or one who conducts such singing of “praises”: “And Mattaniah … , the son of Asaph, was the principal to begin the thanksgiving in prayer [who at the beginning was the leader of praise at prayer].…” 

Finally, tehillah may represent deeds which are worthy of “praise,” or deeds for which the doer deserves “praise and glory.” This meaning is in the word’s first biblical appearance: “Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises [in praiseworthy deeds], doing wonders [miracles]?” (Exod. 15:11). 

Two other related nouns are mahalal and hillulim. Mahalal occurs once (Prov. 27:21) and denotes the degree of “praise” or its lack. Hillulim, which occurs twice, means “festal jubilation” in the fourth year at harvest time (Lev. 19:24, rsv; Judg. 9:27, nasb), 

todah (8426), “thanksgiving.” This important noun form, found some 30 times in the Old Testament, is used there in the sense of “thanksgiving.” The word is preserved in modern Hebrew as the regular word for “thanks.” In the Hebrew text todah is used to indicate “thanksgiving” in songs of worship (Ps. 26:7; 42:4). Sometimes the word is used to refer to the thanksgiving choir or procession (Neh. 12:31, 38). One of the peace offerings, or “sacrings,” was designated the thanksgiving offering (Lev. 7:12). 

The first week of this message we discussed that here the Bible says that there are three demonic attacks that try to come against us and they are ashes, mourning, and a spirit of heaviness.  These three are a progression where the ashes express some sort of loss, the mourning is the grieving for that loss, that can lead to such a spirit of heaviness that it is just hard to go on, but this verse we just read tells us something truly beautiful, for it says that the LORD has three things for us also, and they are beauty, oil of joy, and a garment of praise.  These three are a progression as well and each is given in exchange for each of the demonic attacks.  The “beauty” we discussed is the truth that if you know Jesus as LORD and Savior, every day you have a new day with the LORD, and whether you live or die …you win.  Now while you are here on the planet, God has a purpose and assignment for you, so the goal is to live.  Then the LORD says that once you realize the beauty of the truth that everyday is a new day with the LORD, then the LORD says he wants to put joy on you such that it is just stuck all over you like oil.  Praise God!  Then the LORD says that He has given us a garment of praise.  Do you know what is true about a garment?  You have to choose to put it on!  Praise God!  Put on some praise.  On purpose lift your hands in the air and just say I praise you Jesus …either for the situation, …or for getting you through the situation, …but either way you praise the LORD.

Then we asked the question, “What are you doing when you do these things?”.  You are making the willful choice to cast off ashes, mourning and heaviness in your thoughts and spirit …and exchange them for beauty, joy, and praise.  Let’s go back now and read why God provided this exchange for us.  Let’s read Isaiah 61 and verse 3 again.  The Bible says…

Isaiah               61:3  To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto

                                  them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the

                                  garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they 

                                  might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of 

                                  the LORD, that He might be glorified.

Here we see that God wants us called “trees of righteousness”.  Praise God!  Isn’t it amazing to think about the fact that a thought in our mind looks like a tree?  God is saying that He wants these hurtful, harmful things removed from our minds and He wants them replaced with thoughts that He plants, …thoughts of righteousness, …thoughts of right-thing-doing, …so that we will be the planting of the LORD, with His thoughts planted in out minds, so that our lives …might bring Him glory.  Praise God!  God wants us …to think His thoughts …after Him, …by allowing Him …to plant His thoughts …into our minds. 

Last week we discussed bad thoughts and using the book of James we showed that bad thoughts are not from the LORD.  The Bible says…

James             3:14   But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts,

                                  glory not, and lie not against the truth.

                        3:15   This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly,

                                  sensual, devilish.

                        3:16   For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and

                                  every evil work. 

Let’s stop here for a moment.  Here we learn that harboring bitter envying and strife in your heart is not from God. The Bible uses really strong language letting you know that if you are having a jealousy problem in you heart and spirit, then that problem is worldly, out of the realm of the soul, and is demonic, and may be due to the presence of a demon.  In fact here we just read that these wicked thoughts actually affect a person’s thinking such that they are confused, disordered, and unstable, which will cause them to perform foul, wicked, and evil deeds.  Think of the word “harbor” for a moment.  To “harbor” means that the boat is tied to the dock and the crew is unloading its cargo.  If you harbor envy and strife, then those thoughts will unload their cargo in your brain.   According to Dr. Leaf, she says that when you think on evil and strife it actually causes the brain to fold unusually where that thought is, and these unusual folds cause electrical turmoil in the signals that are supposed to be being sent in your brain, and it literally causes confusion in the signals that your brain is sending. 

So the Bible is both spiritually and physically correct in saying that “where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work”, because people harboring these ungodly thoughts are not thinking God’s thoughts after Him, …so they are literally warping their brains …and physically hurting themselves, …which will lead them to perform evil deeds. 

Then last week we discussed one of the most power verses in the entirety of the Scriptures and that is Mark 11:22 and following.  Listen to what Jesus said…

Mark    11:22  And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. 

             11:23  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this

                        mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and

                        shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things

                        which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever

                        he saith.

             11:24  Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when

                        ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Here Jesus just said that if you will have faith in God, you can ask what you will and it will be done.  Praise God!  Then we read and discussed the next verses.  The Bible says…

Mark    11:25  And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against

                        any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you

                        your trespasses.

             11:26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in

                        heaven forgive your trespasses.

Here we see that receiving the blessing from God …is hinged …upon you …choosing …to be obedient to the LORD’s command …to forgive, …but if you choose not to forgive, …then that unforgiveness …is going to keep unloading that cargo …in your brain, …and you will not receive from the LORD. 

Instead, if you will love the LORD and act in obedience to His command to forgive, then Jesus says the doors of heaven will open to you, and you can have whatsoever you desire.  Praise God!

So we have learned that we have to choose what we are going to set our mind upon and choose to receive beauty, the oil of joy, and put on the garment of praise, and we have to chose not to harbor devilish thoughts in our minds, and we have to choose to forgive others …if …we want God to forgive us, and if we want to receive the blessings of God in our lives.

This week we are going to learn how to rid ourselves of wrong thoughts.  Have you ever noticed that every plant grows from its root up?  If you get rid of the root, you will get rid of the plant.  Since thoughts look like trees, it is interesting to think of the fact that if we get rid of the root of a thought, that would get rid of the thought.  So just what is the root of a thought?  What causes a thought to take root in your mind?  Well, you have to take the thought and make it yours.  So how do you take a thought and make it yours?  Listen to what Jesus says…

Matthew    6:31   Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or,

                             What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be

                             clothed?

First of all let’s deal with what this verse is saying.  The Bible teaches us that worry is a sin for the Bible says…

Romans  14:23b … for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.  

So if it is not of faith, …it is sin, and worry is a sin that can cause a lot of pain and suffering …unnecessarily, …and it certainly will do nothing toward fixing the situation …and that is why the LORD is teaching us here …not to worry, …but notice how it is that you would take a worried thought.  Jesus says that the way you take a thought …is to say it.  You take a thought by saying it.  This …is …so …important, …because it means …that the root of a thought …is saying …that thought.  In Luke chapter 12 and verse 17 Jesus speaks concerning a man in a parable.  Listen to what Jesus says…

Luke     12:17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I

                        do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?

Here again we see a person thinking within himself …saying.  So the root of the thought, …is saying the thought.  Listen to what is written in the book of proverbs…

Proverbs  26:20 Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where

                            there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.   

Here we see that the Bible teaches us that evil words are like adding fuel to a fire and will cause strifeful thoughts that lead to strifeful situations.  Listen to how this continues…

Proverbs  26:21 As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a

                            contentious man to kindle strife.

Contentious-4079-÷y:d]mi midyaÆn, mid-yawn’; a var. for 4066:— brawling, contention (-ous).

Here we see that the evil words that generated evil thoughts have caused this person to become a contentious, brawling, strifeful person.  Those thoughts have grown …wrong trees …and caused this person’s brain to fold wrong …until this person has now become a brawling person.  Hold your place here a moment and let’s look at what the Bible says in Proverbs 23:7.

The Bible says…

Proverbs  23:7   For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:

If you speak brawling and contentious words, then you are growing brawling and contentious thoughts or trees in your brain, and you are warping your brain until you become a brawling and contentious person.  If you do this repeatedly for a long enough time you can make yourself a natural brute beast.  Listen to what the Bible says about people who have willed themselves to continually be speaking evil concerning the things of God.  The Bible says…

II Peter     2:11   Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might,

                            bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. 

                 2:12   But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and

                            destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not;

                            and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

II Peter         2:13   And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they

                            that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are 

                            and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own 

                            deceivings while they feast with you;

Here we see that people who continually speak against the Word and will of God …are natural brute beast …made to be taken and destroyed.  I once question the LORD about this and said, “Surely LORD You did not make anyone a natural brute beast made to be taken and destroyed”, and I heard so clear in my heart and spirit, “I did not make them that way, but it is what they have made of themselves”.  So there are people who have made themselves natural brute beast made to be taken and destroyed.  How did they make themselves this way?  Let’s go back and look at the verse again in II Peter chapter 2 and verse 12.  The Bible says…

II Peter     2:12   But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and

                            destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not;

                            and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

Here we see how they became natural brute beast.  The Bible says that the way this happened …is that they spoke evil …of the things …that they understood not.  So by speaking evil things these people grew evil thoughts that caused wrong chemistry and wrong folds in their brains until the point that they had warped their thinking and created themselves to be natural brute beast made for the slaughter where they will receive the reward of the unrighteous. 

How did they get that far down the road to destruction?  The Bible says that they have deceived themselves.  Look again at II Peter chapter 2 and the end of verse 13.  The Bible says…

II Peter     2:13b  …sporting themselves with their own deceivings while

                            they feast with you;

Here we see they have deceived themselves, and therefore, they continue their evil speaking, planting more wrong thoughts until they have made themselves… natural brute beast.

Look back again at Proverbs chapter 26 picking up our reading in verse 22.  The Bible says…

Proverbs  26:22 The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down

                            into the innermost parts of the belly. 

                 26:23 Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsherd covered

                            with silver dross.

                 26:24 He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up

                            deceit within him; 

Look at all the emphasis on words.  The words of the talebearer are as wounds, the wicked have burning lips, the hater is destroying with his mouth, and again look at the end of all of this.  Again Proverbs 26:24 reads…

Proverbs  26:24 He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up 

                            deceit within him; 

Here again we see that the evil words that this person has been speaking have caused this person to …deceive himself.

Listen to what the Bible says to people who refuse to seek God’s Word, who refuse to seek God’s will, and who refuse to seek to think God’s thoughts after Him.  The Bible says…

Romans  1:28   And even as they did not like to retain God in their 

                          knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do

                          those things which are not convenient;  

reprobate-96-ajdovkimo" adoákimoás, ad-ok´-ee-mos; from 1 (as a neg. particle) and 1384; unapproved, i.e. rejected; by impl. worthless (lit. or mor.):— castaway, rejected, reprobate.

Vines- adokimos (96) signifies not standing the test, rejected, (a), negative, and dokimos, “tested, approved”; it is said of things, e.g., the land, Heb. 6:8, “rejected,” and of persons, Rom. 1:28, “reprobate”; 1 Cor. 9:27, kjv, “castaway,” rv “rejected” (i.e., disapproved, and so rejected from present testimony, with loss of future reward); 2 Cor. 13:5-7, “reprobate” (sing. in rv in each verse), i.e., that will not stand the test; 2 Tim. 3:8, “reprobate (concerning the faith),” Titus 1:16, “reprobate.” See reject, reprobate.

Mind-3563-nou`" noáus, nooce; prob. from the base of 1097; the intellect, i.e. mind (divine or human; in thought, feeling, or will); by impl. meaning:— mind, understanding. comp. 5590.

Vine- 1. nous (3563), “mind,” denotes, speaking generally, the seat of reflective consciousness, comprising the faculties of perception and understanding, and those of feeling, judging and determining. 

Its use in the NT may be analyzed as follows: it denotes (a) the faculty of knowing, the seat of the understanding, Luke 24:45; Rom. 1:28; 14:5; 1 Cor. 14:15, 19; Eph. 4:17; Phil. 4:7; Col. 2:18; 1 Tim. 6:5; 2 Tim. 3:8; Titus 1:15; Rev. 13:18; 17:9; (b) counsels, purpose, Rom. 11:34 (of the “mind” of God); 12:2; 1 Cor. 1:10; 2:16, twice (1) of the thoughts and counsels of God, (2) of Christ, a testimony to His Godhood; Eph. 4:23; (c) the new nature, which belongs to the believer by reason of the new birth, Rom. 7:23, 25, where it is contrasted with “the flesh,” the principle of evil which dominates fallen man. Under (b) may come 2 Thess. 2:2, where it stands for the determination to be steadfast amidst afflictions, through the confident expectation of the day of rest and recompense mentioned in the first chapter.

Here the Bible is clear that people who choose not to think God thoughts after Him, God will give them over to a reprobate mind, which obviously means they will have a wrong way of thinking, because they have literally warped their brains.

In contrasts to all of this there is a right way of speaking leading to a right way of thinking.  Listen to what the Bible says…

Psalm      37:30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his

                          tongue talketh of judgment.

Here we see that we are to be speaking in line with the Word and Wisdom of God.  The Bible says…

Proverbs 12:17a  He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness:

Here we see that a person that is speaking the truth in line with God’s Word will also show forth righteousness by doing right things.  What does this mean?  It means when he spoke rightly, he planted a right thought that caused his whole body to move in the right direction following that right thought, and therefore he began doing righteousness. Praise God!  In fact right speech is the very basis of faith.  Listen to what the Bible says about speaking rightly.  The Bible says…

Romans  10:6   But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh…

Let’s stop here a moment.  This says that if you have been made the righteousness God through Jesus Christ, then the way you talk is an indication of your faith.  In other words, as a Christian, …there is …a right way of speaking …and you should be speaking in faith, for the words that you speak are seeds …to either grow trees of righteousness and the blessings of God in your life, …or they will grow worldliness and the curse that is in this world.  Let’s return to Romans chapter 10 and verse 6 and read the verse again and continue it.  The Bible says…

Romans  10:6   But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this

                          wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven?

                          (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)

                10:7   Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up

                          Christ again from the dead.)

Let’s stop here a moment.  Here the we are instructed to not be running around speaking doubt and unbelief concerning with the Bible says, because if you do, you will be planting seeds of unbelief, and you will grow trees of unbelief in your brain, and since the Bible says…

Proverbs 23:7   For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:

…that would mean if you are thinking unbelief, and sowing seeds of unbelief, then you are encouraging yourself …to be an unbeliever. 

Incontrast, we are to be believers, and we are to sow seeds of righteousness, by sowing the Word of God with our mouths, growing trees of righteousness in our brains, so that we are thinking the thoughts of God after Him, and having the mind of Christ, we begin receiving the blessings that God says will manifest.  Praise God! 

Let’s back up to Romans chapter 10 and verse 6 and then jump down to how we are to speak.  The Bible says…

Romans  10:6   But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this

                          wise,…

Let’s stop here a moment.  So the Scriptures are going to tell us how to speak to sow seeds of righteousness.  Let’s skip this time the wrong way to speak and jump down to verse 8.  Listen to how the righteousness that is of faith is supposed to speak.  The Bible says…

Romans  10:8   But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth,

                          and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

Here we see that that God’s Word is supposed to be …so …close …to us, that it is coming out of our mouths, so that we are sowing seeds of righteousness, taking thoughts of righteousness, growing trees of righteousness in our brains, and becoming right-thing-doers living in accordance to the Word and will of God.

Then listen to how the Bible jumps to the biggest item of all, and that is our eternal salvation, for the next verse says…

Romans  10:9   That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,

                          and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him

                          from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

                10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and

                          with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Look at all the references to the words we say.  Here we see that the words we speak are actually a part of determining our eternal salvation, for we have to confess Jesus as LORD, and this confession leads to salvation, because “taking a thought by saying it” is planting seeds of righteousness, growing tree of righteous in our brains, that will yield the fruit of righteousness in our lives as we continue our confession and relationship with the LORD.  The Bible says…

Hebrews 10:23  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without 

                          wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;)

We are to “hold fast the profession of faith” out of our mouths “without wavering”, for that is the root of the thought that will lead you to see the faithfulness of God that He has promised.  I want to show you this in the Bible.  Look at Mark chapter 5 and verse 25 and listen to what the Bible says…

Mark       5:25   And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve

                          years,

                5:26   And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had

                          spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather

                          grew worse,

                5:27   When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and

                          touched His garment.

                5:28   For she said, If I may touch but His clothes, I shall be

                          whole.

Said-3004-levgw leágoµ, leg´-o; a primary verb; prop. to “lay” forth, i.e. (fig.) relate (in words [usually of systematic or set discourse; whereas 2036 and 5346 generally refer to an individual expression or speech respectively; while 4483 is prop. to break silence merely, and 2980 means an extended or random harangue]); by impl. to mean:— ask, bid, boast, call, describe, give out, name, put forth, say (-ing, on), shew, speak, tell, utter.

In verse 28 this word, “said” does not merely mean, “to say” but it also means “to keep saying”, and “to continually say it”.  This woman set her course that this is what she was saying …continually, holding fast the profession of her faith.  She was planting trees of righteousness in her heart, and soul and believing God to bring forth the fruit.  So what happened when she reached out to the LORD Jesus Christ in faith and touched His clothing?  Listen to what the Bible says…

Mark       5:29   And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and

                          she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

Praise God!  So this woman received her healing from God, …but a good question to ask is, “Did Jesus intentionally heal her?”.  Well, listen to the next verse…

Mark       5:30   And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that virtue had 

                          gone out of Him, turned Him about in the press, and said,

                          Who touched My clothes?

This says that Jesus did not send His power to heal this woman, but it was the woman’s faith, which was manifest by the words she was saying, that sowed seed, grew righteousness, and brought forth fruit through the power of God that caused this healing to manifest.  Listen to what Jesus says concerning this woman…

Mark       5:34   And He said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee 

                          whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

Praise God!  Jesus said that the Words she had been saying …were her faith.  She was planting “faith seeds”, and they grew and brought forth the harvest of her healing when she reached out to the LORD.

So you have to make the choice to root out wrong thoughts and stop planting wrong seeds with the Words of your mouth, because by saying something with your mouth you are planting a seed that is going to grow a tree in your brain.  You have to choose to sow the incorruptible seed of the Word of God, to grow trees of righteousness in you mind, so that you can have the blessings of God manifest in your life.  The words you speak are either going to be a root for righteousness or the words you speak are going to be a root for worldliness and destruction.

Perhaps today you have decided you are tired of dealing with a world full of wrong thoughts in your brain.  Well today you can lay the ax to the root of those thoughts and chop them down and have a bonfire in your brain.  You can choose today to stop putting voice to those wrong thoughts, and instead you can choose …today …to speak the Word of God in faith.  By doing so, you can plant a whole new forest of thoughts in your brain and receive the blessings of God’s peace, health, prosperity, and general well-being, which is the shalom of God.  Listen to what Jesus says…

John        14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the

                          world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be

                          troubled, neither let it be afraid.

When Jesus says, “peace I leave with you”, Jesus is saying that He gives us “shalom”, which is, “peace, health, prosperity, and general well-being”.  You just have to decide to receive it and act upon it.  Pray with me if you want the peace of God in your life today.  Just say…

God ...I know that I have sinned ...but I repent …and turn from that sin right now ...and I set my goal …not to walk in sin any more ...I receive Your cleansing …of everything that I have ever done wrong ...in the blood of Jesus ...Jesus, that means You are my Savior ...and I believe that God raised You from the dead ...so I ask You, Jesus ...to come into my heart ...to be the Lord of my life ...Lord Jesus, I ask You to baptize me in the Holy Ghost ...Father God, You are now my Daddy …You are now my heavenly Father ...and praise God …I am now Your child …I am now in the family of God ...LORD Jesus …this day …I choose this day …to stop speaking about all the evil mess of this world …because I do not want this mess planted in my brain… instead …I choose to speak Your Word in faith …and believe You for the manifestation of the promised blessing …thank You LORD …for helping me …to root out all of this mess in my mind …I forgive …and I let it go …never again to be in my thoughts…thank You Jesus …for Your peace… for Your health …for Your prosperity …and for Your general well-being …I receive Your shalom now… and I thank You Lord Jesus ...for my victory this day ...and for all of Your blessings ...that are headed my way …I receive them now by faith ...so be it ...Amen.

Praise God!  You have just begun the greatest adventure of your life, for in following and serving God, you will get to see God perform miracles in your life and in the lives of those around you.  Expect good things to happen for God is good and wants good things in your life.  Read God’s word and speak His word in your life for this will release the power of God to begin working on your behalf …to take you from where you are …into God’s best blessings.  Praise God!  Remember, God loves you, Jesus is Lord, and Jesus is coming soon.