Isaiah 55:11, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
This verse has to me become the most important one in the Holy Bible. It’s because everything in the Bible is predicated on what God said as Apostle said to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God . . .” If just one thing that God said failed, it would invalidate and the Christian religion.
Why I’m in ministry [evangelism] and an entrepreneur
Apostle Paul is a Biblical example. He was a tentmaker as recorded in Acts 18:3, “. . . he stayed with them and worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers.” Also, note what Paul said in Acts 20:34-35:
- Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me.
- I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'”
The references confirm that Apostle Paul had a very real encounter with Jesus on the Damascus road by virtue of the physical effect it had on him. After his conversion, Paul eventually began to work with his hands to support himself and to give finances to the ministry.
I don’t dare to any degree equate myself with Apostle Paul. But, I am deeply convinced that the Spiritual and humanitarian mission described herein was assigned to me by God. I did not ask for it.
What I do know beyond all doubt is that Miraculous Experiences in the iFrame above are instances of God’s intervention for me at impasses. They reaffirmed Isaiah 55:11. They give me to fortitude to pursue Internet marketing is an interim business to finance the development and start-up of the online advertising medium.
The article, Like Peter: Step Out Of The Boat, is a more recent lesson the Holy Spirit taught me to further reaffirm the validity of Isaiah 55:1. I therefore continue to be focused on bringing the advertising medium to fruition, which would finance the Comprehensive Evangelism program.
Renaissance In Corporate America as one aspect of having good works as Jesus said we would have in Matthew 5:16: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Although I work as if the Lord will return in the next millennium, I live as if He’s returning today.
Hearing God speak
There is no special anointing on me through which I hear God’s inaudible voice. That is paradoxical because what is inaudible cannot be heard. But, with God’s voice, there is an exception.
One description is to say God’s voice can be telepathically or a thought that was not precipitated by my actions or environment. It is so definite that it’s almost audible. Or, I could say that the Holy Ghost gives me an intuition comprised of instructions and method for execution. However, the only Biblical explanation I could give is Hebrews 11:6, “. . . he [she] who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Diligently simply means to eliminate every distraction in times of prayer, fasting, and meditating on The Word, i. e., the Holy Bible.
Our Heavenly Father decides how to respond to everyone that eliminates her/his distractions. It coincides with what our Blessed Lord, Jesus, said in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” On that basis, if we want to know Him and be sensitive to His voice, He will show us how to.
Occasionally it has taken days or weeks of prayer, meditation, and/or fasting for me to comprehend what God communicates so that it becomes fundamentally ingrained in my spirit [psyche] and actualized in daily living. My persistence and diligence demonstrates to God that I honor Him and want to understand. When He rewards me with understanding others [individuals and/or congregation to whom I speak] recognize that God spoke to me and they are also affected by what they hear. It NEVER ceases to astound me.
I very seldom experience the Holy Ghost speaking to me in a dialogue as He did in the lesson herein. When He does it puts me on a journey through the Bible and He charts the course.
A good example would be someone planning a trip by car originating on and east coast and driving to a west coast destination. A map would be used to chart the route. The discoveries would be scenes, i. e., points of interest, that were not shown on the map. Consequently, there would be a vast accumulation of knowledge and experiences on the trip.
That example is comparable to what I experience when God speaks to me. I take a journey through the Bible in which the destination is understanding of what God said. I discover “Biblical points of interest [and the experiences they would effect]” that I would not have if the journey had not begun. However, in God’s foreknowledge He knew what I would discover, the experiences they would produce, and what they would ignite in me: faith to persevere. Therefore, when God speaks in the present He is looking at the future: what He intends for me/you to bring to fruition and it will prosper.
The revelation of Isaiah 55:10-11
The Holy Spirit didn’t teach this lesson by an inspiration. It was a short one way instructional dialogue. It was a life changing and faith building experience. (You decide after reading the article if God really spoke to me.)
The Holy Ghost spoke to my psyche while I was on my knees in a prayer meeting conducted by Maud Batie who was affectionately called Mother Batie. The setting was a small [storefront] church in an economically deprived neighborhood. There may have been 10 [including me] in attendance.
(I remember the place where Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Son of God was born. It was a germ infested manger. He was undoubtedly laid on hay where animals drooled and fecal matter and urine were on the ground. He was not born in a palace befitting a King. And, today He may or may not visit cathedrals built in His name. So, whether its a storefront church in an economically deprived neighbor or a megachurch in wealthy suburbia, I will go to either if evidence of our Lord’s presences is manifested there.)
The Holy Ghost made me understand that in a given circumstance I would look up verses in the Bible that seems applicable to the circumstance and proceed to claim them as God’s promises to bring a resolution to it. For example, if I were ill, I would quote Isaiah 53:5, “. . . by His stripes we are healed” and claim it to be the promise that healing will be manifested. Thus, it’s as though I am endeavoring to force God to perform a healing miracle by telling Him that His Word CANNOT lie and therefore CANNOT return to Him void.
I would do this while ignoring the fact that the same Bible that says “. . . by His stripes we are healed” also says in Hebrews 9:27, “it is appointed for men to die once”. The reality is that if God healed everyone that was sick no one would die from illness.
Consider the account of Lazarus of Bethany being sick and ultimately died but was resurrected, Jesus said regarding Lazarus in John 11:4 “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Thus, He qualified Lazarus’ illness as not being terminal, whereas just by deduction some illnesses are terminal.
The Holy Ghost proceeded to speak to my psyche to tell me that if while I’m praying for God to do something and He gives me an instruction that has absolutely nothing to do with what I’m asking my obedience could bring to fruition what I’m asking. There is Biblical proof, which will soon be presented.
Let’s first look at Isaiah 55:10-11:
- “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
- So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it SHALL accomplish what I please, and it SHALL prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
The Biblical reasons for rain and snow are for them to moisten the earth. Thus, produce would grow to provide food necessary to sustain life.
God so much as said in vs. 11 that just as the rain and snow have purposes so do the words He speak. Namely, they bring to reality whatever He has on His mind and it’s done to perfection. The creation that God spoke into existence is one example and scientists are forever discovering its perfection.
(Be sure to read the article, $100,000 Blessing From Obedience. It’s about Mother Batie. It’s her testimony that exemplifies Isaiah 55:11.)
Remember that in the Old Testament God’s name is Jehovah. Now let’s refer to the New Testament.
Matthew 1:20-23 tells us that the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said that his wife, Mary, would have a child and that His name would be Immanuel, which is translated, God with us.
Given that God’s name is Jehovah it’s justifiable to say that Immanuel could also mean Jehovah with us because Jesus is the incarnation of Jehovah who said in the Old Testament that His Word will not return to Him void. Therefore, Jesus could be referred to as the New Testament’s Jehovah. (See the tab, The Trinity of the One God.)
I said previously that when the Holy Ghost/Spirit gives me an instruction that has absolutely nothing to do with what I’m asking my obedience could bring to fruition what I’m asking. For proof, let’s look at examples of Jesus, the Jehovah in the New Testament, giving instructions.
The first occurence is during a wedding He attended. The wine [juice from crushed grapes] was consumed before the celebration ended. Note that Jesus is speaking in John 2:7-10:
- Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.
- And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it.
- When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom.
- And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”
Note the following references that teach clearly that all things were made by Jesus:
- John 1:3, All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
- John 1:10, He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
- Colossians 1:16, For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him
Given that Jesus was the creator He could have simply said to the water pots, “be filled with wine”. Rather, He changed the subject by instructing the servants to fill the pots with water. And, there is no inference that he prayed for the water to become wine. But, at some moment between the servants filling the pots with water and them taking some to the master of the feast the water became wine. Jesus knew that it would because His word could not return void: had to bring to reality was on His mind.
Let’s look at another occurrence: the 10 leprous men in Luke 17:12-17:
- Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.
- And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
- So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.
- And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God,
- and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
- So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?
We see that the men asked Jesus to heal them. But, note that in Jesus’ reply He again changed the subject. He told them to go show themselves to the priest. And, as they obeyed by starting toward the priest, the healing occurred.
Note that if Jesus had not known that 10 were cleansed, He would not have asked in vs. 17 where are the nine. He knew that they were also cleansed because He was the New Testament Jehovah that said in the Old Testament that no word that went out of His mouth would return to Him void.
The Relevance To Me
I’ll take the mask off, as it were, and briefly explain my situation. Namely, I experienced a financial collapse because of making business decisions presumptuously instead of acknowledging God first by praying for directions as the Bible instructs us to do in Proverbs 3:5-6:
- Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
- In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
I was presumptuous in assuming that God would bless my decisions because my intentions were/are more about ministry than my personal prosperity. More specifically, my intent was and still is to finance the evangelism program detailed in “Comprehensive Evangelism” and to accomplish “Renaissance In Corporate America“, which would be my “good works” of Matthew 5:16. However, I was obviously ahead of God’s timing. Even so, I was/am convinced that the inspirations about both objectives came from Him.
I am so very thankful for Psalms 103:13, “As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear [reverence, honor, and obey] Him.” Proof is in the tab, Miraculous Experiences, in the iFrame above and in the article, Miraculous Provisions To Pursue NMC.
About www.TheLawOfTheSpirit.info
I initially published the website years ago during my time of prosperity. I employed a professional website designer to design it using Front Page; a Microsoft application for designing websites. The designer did a masterful job. The header featured an opened Bible with the radiance of a bright sun in the background. The site name was under the image in a larger scripted font. It was a work of perfection. But, I took it down in downsizing after my financial collapse.
Years later the Holy Spirit spoke to my psyche and instructed me to publish the site again. I looked for the Front Page disc from which the site was built initially. It searched diligently but I could not find it. It was presumed lost during my move from my residence in a very nice suburban neighborhood to a property I own in a not-as-nice neighborhood in the city.
I telephoned Microsoft to request a replacement disc. But, I was informed that Front Page was discontinued and no longer supported. The replacement application was Microsoft Expression Web. I was further told that the upgrade to it would be $100 if I could find the lost disc.
I explained to Microsoft that the Front Page disc was lost during my move but the company has the purchase and tech support calls on record. The agent politely informed me that company policy requires giving an identification number from the disc or I CANNOT get the upgrade for $100. Without the disc, the upgrade would cost $300, which I didn’t have..
Over the next weekend, I had acquired $250 that I would put toward the $300. However, about 5:00 AM the following Monday, The Holy Ghost awoke me and spoke to psyche again and said, “you have been blessed and highly encouraged by Mother Batie’s testimony. Give her $100 as a love offering to show your appreciation for the fellowship you have with her.”
Needless to say, I was dumbfounded and deeply conflicted. I knew that God had instructed me to publish the website again and I also knew that He now instructed me to give Mother Batie $100. I struggled with that from the time I awoke to about 12:00 PM.
I called Microsoft again and pleaded with a “sob-story” but was given the same answer. Microsoft Expression Web would cost $300 without the Front Page disc.
I ultimately called Mother Batie and asked if she would be home for the next hour or so because I wanted to speak to her briefly. She said that she would. I remember hanging up the telephone, putting on a jacked, and picking up my car keys in preparation to go. Then God spoke to my psyche again.
The instruction was to call Microsoft the third time and this time ask for a supervisor, which I did. Presumably, after having been informed by the answering agent of the nature of my call, He told me the same thing I had heard the two times previously. Then he asked if I owned Microsoft Word. I answered, yes, it’s apart of Microsoft Office Professional. His response was that by me owning MS-Word and providing the key [ID number] from the disc Microsoft Expression Web would only cost me $100. I bought the it during that conversation and had $50 remaining after giving Mother Batie the $100.
There is no word, phrase, or paragraphs that can explain what I experienced emotionally nor the sensation that went through my body [and it wasn’t “goose bumps]. It was the impact from the realization that the Almighty Jehovah, the Omniscient God of the Universe, spoke to me. He knew I only had $250. He knew what I would be required to spend only $100 with Microsoft. And, He knew that I would obey His instruction to give Mother Batie $100. God knew that I would have $50 remaining.
Whatever the definition of the word, OVERWHELMED, is for me that experience raised it to another degree, exponentially, Given the broaden insight that God gave me about His Word not returning to Him void I know most assuredly that foremost He has life-changing blessings for those that read the content of this website in that people would come to know Him. And, He also has blessings for me because of my obedience.
This scenario is another reminder of what my god-mother, Inez, once said to me: She encouraged me by saying so very affectionately, “son, if God can’t trust you in the test, He will not trust you with the blessing”. Consequently, my objective is to be faithful to God in the test and after the test. I do not want to disappoint Him, thus, the basis of my perseverance.
Me knowing that it was God that inspired the publishing of this website, it will accomplish what was on His mind when He gave the inspiration. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “ I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” This verse assures us that God inspires us in the present while looking our your futures. Thus, our success is inevitable if we obey the inspirations, i. e., God speaking to us. It’s because His Word cannot return to Him without accomplishing what was on His mind when He spoke.
Conclusion
The experiences I’ve had and am having are indicators that God is watching over me, has initiated the process of reversing my economic circumstances, will help me bring the evangelism program to fruition, and also help me to contribute to the revitalization of our economy. And, equally as important the experiences provide personal testimonies to share with others to encourage them.
The one thing that Isaiah 55:11 has indelibly imprinted in my psyche is that when God inspires us in the present with ideas for inventions or starting businesses He already has our future success on His mind, which would please Him. He is fully aware of what we know and don’t know and have and don’t have.
If what we don’t know and/or have doesn’t bother Him, we can’t let it bother us. Because, as with the water turning to wine and the 10 lepers being healed, obedience necessitates miracles that would inevitably bring our success. Otherwise, His word would return to Him void. (This applies to anything God inspires us to do. It’s not limited to just business.)
If this lesson speaks to you, click on Mission To Corporate America. It’s about what the Bible says explicitly about how God could use ordinary people that are believers in Jesus Christ to effect a country’s economic viability.
Another Memorable experience with Mother Batie
She always gave me the highest respect as an elder. She would alway ask me to have word for those in attendance.
I remember in one morning prayer I used the phrase, “relationship with the Lord”. After I sat down, She in a very motherly way said, “Eld White, don’t use that phrase, “relationship with the Lord”. She reminded me of 1 John 1:3 . . . our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. She continued by encouraging me to use the language in of the Bible and to not dilute it with something that sounds sophisticated.
I knew that Mother Batie was a very Spiritual lady and consequently I esteemed her as a Spiritual Mother. I therefore remembered what Apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy 2:7 in a letter to Timothy: “Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.” Hence, for a number of days I thought about what Mother Batie said.
Given that my passion is to please the Lord and be effective in evangelism He caused me realize something very simple but to me so powerful. Namely, two people can have a bad relationship. But, they cannot have a bad fellowship just by definition of the word.
I thought in hindsight that the phrase, relationship with the Lord, didn’t become so prominent until high profile televangelists started saying it. Then the Christian community began copying them. But, given what Mother Batie said, I stopped saying “relationship” and use “fellowship”; the language of the Bible.
I cherish the memories of Mother Batie for demonstrating her faith walk with the Lord and for encouraging me to think and speak in terms of fellowship with the Lord and to stay with the language of the Bible. I thank God for the enlightenment she gave. Be blessed, abundantly!.
Subsequent to the experience with Microsoft I discovered FlexSqueeze with which I desisgned this and the other websites I use daily for business. Reading is the only skill required for using FlexSqueeze.
