You CANNOT effectively compete unless you know the rules. Ultimately you CANNOT cheat and win.
Isaiah 55:11 – So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
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If you don’t know the rules, regardless of how athletic you are, you can’t compete well in the game. And no matter how honest you are, you can’t referee the game, this having true impact on the game’s outcome, unless you know the rules. Almost anyone can umpire a child’s softball game. But if you’re going to umpire a game of the world’s series, you must not only know the rules, but know them very well, and have a proven track record. Well my friend, there is no more important competition you can enter than the good fight of faith. That is a fight under the authority of God. But just because you are God’s child does not mean you win. You must still play by the rules, and to play by the rules, you must know the rules, and know them well. Your decisions on how you play must often be made quickly. You may not have time to go back to study the rule book.
Let me share some examples concerning rules of the game. Look at various kinds of prayer; thanksgiving, praise, worship, binding & loosing, supplication, dedication, commitment, intercession, praying in the Spirit. Not all the same rules of prayer apply to each of these kinds of prayer. If you want your prayer to be properly effective, you must accurately apply the rules. The five-fold ministry; apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, & teacher. Not all rules of ministry apply equally to each office of ministry. If you want your ministry to be most effective, you must abide by the rules that govern these offices of ministry. When you fast, do you do so Biblically? You must know the rules. The laws of reciprocity (sowing and reaping) are different in each arena of the types of giving; tithing (Malachi 3:8-10), commanded giving, or 100-fold return giving (Mark 10:29-30), treasure measure giving (Luke 6:38), and piteous giving (Proverbs 19:17). And there are rules concerning dealing with Satan and demons. It is so needful here that you know the rules to keep yourself from being entrapped in Satan’s devices.
And walking in the Spirit in the times in which we now live can be dangerous, deceptive, and distracting. We truly need to know the rules, or the order in which the Scripture reveals that certain things will happen. It’s called “rightly dividing the Word of truth.” We must be students of God’s Word at the highest level.
Manna for Today – Deuteronomy 28; Joshua 1:6-9; Isaiah 45:11; Psalm 119:89; Matthew 18:19-20; Mark 16:15-20; Romans 8:17; 1 Timothy 6:12; Romans 10:6-17
My Second Miler by Dr. Beechard Moorefield 