The Power Of ‘As’.
Ephesians 5:1NKJV
Don’t let the broken promises of this world keep you from believing the promises of God. God will always act, “...according to His promise” (2 Peter 3:13).
Don’t let the broken promises of this world keep you from believing the promises of God.“God is not a man that He should lie...” (Numbers 23:19).
Don’t let the broken promises of this world keep you from believing the promises of God. God’s word teaches, “He/God, will not fail you, nor forsake you,” (Joshua 1:5). -God meant exactly what He said.
So, whatever you are going through today, lean heavily upon the promises of God—they never fail—or maybe it is better to say that the promises do not fail because God never fails!
Ephesians 5:1NKJV Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children.
Ephesians 5:1NIV Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children.
How would you understand and apply that? Beloved children would imitate their fathers. So since you are beloved children, imitate your heavenly father, God.
Once more, Ephesians 5:1TPT Be imitators of God in everything you do, for then you will represent your Father as his beloved sons and daughters.
Again, How would you understand and apply that? -So since you are beloved children, imitate your heavenly Father, God.
-So Be imitators of God as beloved children.
Therefore, since you are beloved children, imitate God. However, it doesn't exactly say that. It uses the word ‘as,’ the Greek, ‘Hoce.’
Hoce can be translated to mean in the same way as, or just like. So it could be translated,
“Be imitators of God in the same way as, or just like beloved children.”
How do you carry out that command? First, you must have an idea of what beloved children are, how they act, and how they react, and how they live.
* How they act. -You are called an ambassadors for Jesus Christ. -You represent the King.
How they react. -You turn the other cheek. You smile while in the furnace, because you know you are eternal.
How they live. -You live with moderation. You think on Godly things.
Therefore, you start living as if you were one of them. -‘As’ dear children!
So as you believe, you would act, so act in that same way.
As a child of God, you are not bound by what you’ve been or even by what you are now.
Romans 4:20-25NLT Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 21 He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. 22 And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. 23 And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded 24 for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.
Abraham was an imitator of God, as beloved children. He believed and he responded by faith. Real faith does God’s will. -Faith responds to faith.
‘As’, meaning you do, act and react like God, because you are imitators of God, as God’s children!
Go up a few verses in, Romans 4:18-19NLT Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” 19 And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.
Abraham was given a word from God and he begin to conform to God’s promise.
-The power of ‘as’ can, and will change your destiny!
Faith and Promises.
When something is promised, you have not seen it happen yet, have you? If I promise my wife that I'm going to clean out the basement, there's no proof that you can see. There's only my word. That promise is the only evidence it will happen. And I may prove unreliable for one reason or another.
But God is trustworthy and true! Say, “but God is trustworthy.” -His promises are more reliable than any evidence you can see or touch or reason out. -His promises are the unseen proof that gives faith it's sureness. -His promises are the unseen evidence that drives away doubt.
Therefore we can state, “Faith is certain of what we do not see because of God's promises.”
Ready to hear a secret, Conform to what God has already said to you, about you, and about others.
Let’s look a little farther in, Ephesians 5:21-29NKJV 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.
(Caption- Marriage—Christ and the Church)
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.
In God you have the power to live, as you are not… Or rather as you are not yet… To live as you are yet to be. And toward that end, the word ‘as’ is a very powerful thing: P.H
Judges 6:11-12NKJV Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”
When the angel came to Gideon, he found a man living in fear. Yet the angel said to Gideon, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor.” P.H
Hear this word, A mighty man of valor was not who Gideon was, but who Gideon was to become. -But the angel greeted him, as if he was a mighty man of valor.
The cold hard fact was, Israel wasn’t living for Jehovah they were serving idols. Therefore, God uses Israel enemies to take, and or, destroy all Israels crops.
Judges 6:1NLT The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. So the Lord handed them over to the Midianites for seven years.
The Midianites we're very cruel to Israel. These Hebrews were so frightened, they lived in caves and dens to hide from the Midianites.
Isn’t it something, Isn’t it just like the devil, the lier, the thief, the very same people Israel imitated, (Doing evil) are the very same people that placed Israel in bondage, and starved them out. -Burning Israels crops.
If you decide to follow the words of the world, the actions of the world, and follow what the media says about you, you will become like the world.
Judges 6:7-10NLT When they cried out to the Lord because of Midian, 8 the Lord sent a prophet to the Israelites. He said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of slavery in Egypt. 9 I rescued you from the Egyptians and from all who oppressed you. I drove out your enemies and gave you their land. 10 I told you, ‘I am the Lord your God. You must not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you now live.’ But you have not listened to me.”
“The power of ‘as’ is one of the greatest tool and weapon a true follower of Jesus possesses.” P.H
Again, When the angel came to Gideon, he found a man living in fear. Yet the angel said to Gideon, “the Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor.”
Remember this, When God gives you instructions, He doesn’t see you as you are, He sees you as you become.
1 John 3:2KJV Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
Therefore the angel spoke to Gideon, as if he was a mighty man of valor. Gideon now had to live by faith, as if he was that mighty man of valor. – And that's what he became!
That's the secret of ‘as’. Do not be bound by what you are. Rather, live, as if you were that which you are to become!
1 John 4:4NLT But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.
You heard the saying, “fake it to you make it,” but here’s the power of ‘as’. -Faith it and you will make it! -Believe you’re His beloved children, and be!
According to scripture, Philippians 2:10, Every name under the sun, will confess Jesus as Lord, and will be subject to the judgement of Jesus!
Because of the angels greeting, Gideon, a mighty man of valor. Gideon now, had to live by faith, as if he was that mighty man of valor.
And guess what? -That’s what Gideon was to become.
That’s the secret of ‘as’.
Hear this, “Refuse to be bound by what you are. Rather, live as if you were that which you are to become. -Be as Gideon, the one whose life was changed, when an angel greeted him.”
And do you know what the angel called Gideon… In Hebrew? He called him, ‘gibbor.’
Gideon- ‘Gibbor’ literally means champion!
Now, imagine how a champion in God would live, a person of righteousness, purity, holiness, godliness, and power.
Imagine how a champion of faith would live. -Then live as that champion. -Live as if you could do great and mighty things for God…
Judges 6:14NKJV Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”
“Go in this might of yours.” Gideon indeed had might, but not as we might normally think.
· Gideon had the might of the humble, threshing wheat on the winepress floor.
· Gideon had the might of the caring because he cared about the low place of Israel.
· Gideon had the might of knowledge, because he knew God did great things in the past.
· Gideon had the might of the spiritually hungry because he wanted to see God do great works again.
· Gideon had the might of the teachable because he listened to what the Angel of the LORD said.
· Gideon had the might of the weak, and God’s strength is perfected in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Judges 6:15-16NKJV So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” 16 And the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”
Notice, as one man. As a God man. Gideon needed more God-confidence. -It all begins with the power of ‘as’.
Even if it's far beyond anything you've known, or been, or done. Live by faith, as if you could, as if that champion was you, and as it was with Gideon, it will become so. -It will become you in the power of ‘as!’
Hear this, In Judges 7, Gideon gathers an army of 22,000, God instructed Gideon to tell those 22,000, that if any were fearful go home, 12,000 went home. Leaving Gideon with 10,000 men. They were told to drink the water from the water source. 9,700 men drunk water with their mouths down. They went home. -300 hundred men drink water while watching. These 300 were divided up into 3 sets of 100 men. Remember a three fold cord isn’t easily broken!~
Benediction. Maybe you need to make that transition from flesh to faith. Like Gideon, God calls you a mighty man or woman of valor. Once more, Gideon became a mighty force to reckoned with. -And that’s the power of ‘as’.
