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Comment by Bishop Derrick Day on February 11, 2011 at 11:57am

Love and Marriage, Lesson 6 of "The Love Walk," a video teaching series by Bishop Derrick Day

For more articles, video, and audio teaching, please visit www.derrickday.com

Comment by Bishop Derrick Day on February 10, 2011 at 5:02pm

The following is an excerpt from the book, "satan, Let Me Refresh Your Memory," by Derrick and Angela Day. 

 

Who’s backing you?

 

Before we get puffed up and wise in our own conceits to think we can take on satan on our own power, we have to remember that true warfare require fighting forces. Every standing army is backed by the government it is sworn to defend. And every standing army has a commander-in-chief; in the Kingdom of God, the Commander-in-Chief is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Citizens of the Kingdom of God serve two roles, ambassador and soldier.

 

First and foremost, we are ambassadors of the Kingdom of God:

 

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20)

 

It is our duty to represent our King. As part of the new birth, we are commissioned to spread the good news of our God and His glorious Kingdom. When our citizenship changes, we remain in the world but we are not of the world. Therefore, we are ambassadors in a foreign land and, as such have the responsibility to speak the words of his home government, lest we be subject to recall!

 

Next we are called to be soldiers. This is why the Apostle Paul gave the illustration of combat apparel:

 

Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God…(Ephesians 6:13-17)

 

We have to understand that, in our capacity as soldiers, we are to be an occupying force of a victorious power. We are to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9), not aggressors. We are to fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12).

 

In our charge as ambassador and soldier, we are backed by the power and glory of Almighty God, creator of all things, the King of kings, Lord of lords, and the savior of mankind, Jesus Christ, and the Governor of all Creation, the Holy Spirit.

 

Just like U.S. dollars are backed by “the full faith and credit of the United States Government,” we must be fully persuaded we have the backing of the Lord of Hosts when resisting the devil. What is the guarantee we have this backing? The Word of God! It is the believer’s assurance that God will do what he says.

 

The devil is not the opposite of God. If this were true, satan would be God’s equal and would possess God’s creative ability. The fact is God has no equal! Evil is not the opposite of Good, it is merely the absence of it. Just like darkness is not the opposite of light, it is simply the absence of it!

 

© 2009 - Derrick Day (www.derrickday.com) and Angela Day (www.angeladay.com)

Comment by Bishop Derrick Day on February 7, 2011 at 1:41pm

God Wants You Healed - God Wants You Well!

 

In a previous posting, I wrote that God is not the author of sickness. God will not smite His children with sickness, plague, or pain for any reason. Yes, believers get sick; after all, we live in a fallen, sin-stained world. But we need to learn to discern between what is the chastisement of God and what is an attack of the enemy. Often times what saints ascribe to chastisement (e.g., "God made me sick to teach me a lesson...") is really an attack of the enemy.

I took the liberty of pulling a number of scriptures regarding healing:

• O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. (Psalm 30:2)

• Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healethall thy diseases (Psalm 103:2-3)

• He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. (Psalm 107:20)

• But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

• And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. (Matthew 4:23)

• And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. (Matthew 10:1)

• And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all. (Luke 6:19)

• Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (1 Peter 2:24)

• Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. (3 John 1:2)

Now, if you look at this forensically, you will conclude the preponderance of evidence points to the fact that God wants us to be healed if we are sick and to remain healthy. If you conclude that if God is the architect of sickness, then Jesus acted against the will of the Father. Heaven forbid!

Chastening, as I stated in my article COMES FROM THE WORD OF GOD for the believer. And If we do not endure the chastening of the Word of God, then we are, indeed, bastards. I wholeheartedly agree with that premise.

Sickness and affliction comes from the devil. When we veer off the path of righteousness, the Word of God chastens and puts us on the right path.

Understand, that if sickness is from God and Jesus healed them all (which means it is His desire to heal all today) then Jesus was operating outside the will of God. HEAVEN FORBID!!! No sir, Jesus said He only did what he saw the Father do (John 5:19); how many people did Jesus make sick or afflict with disease during His earthly ministry? None.

What the Holy Spirit has prompted me to teach is for the saints of God to stop saying things like, "God gave me this cancer to teach me a lesson," or "God took my baby to draw me closer to Him." God does not need to hurt His children to catch their attention. When I caught this revelation, it changed my life. Indeed, I have seen people healed from all manner of diseases once they experienced this liberty.

In fact, because of the fallen world we live in, I still catch the occasional symptoms of a cold but I'm able to reduce the severity and duration of the symptoms by speaking the Word of God to the root of the symptoms, thereby destroying the work of the devil!

My heart's desire is to see

Comment by Bishop Derrick Day on February 7, 2011 at 10:06am

What Jairus Knew (and Every Parent Should Know)

And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. (Mark 5:22-23)

Jairus was a ruler or priest of a synagogue. And he was a priest with a problem; his daughter lie at home, sick to the point of death. But he heard of a man, a man called Jesus, who had the power to heal the sick. And he heard this Jesus was passing through town and was compelled to seek Him on behalf of his daughter.

Notice here that Jairus was a ruler. He had responsibilities in the house of worship. But he understood his first ministry was to his household. Now, being a priest was a full-time responsibility, but he dropped what he was doing to get what his daughter needed.

Jairus knew that he could not get his daughter to come to Jesus, so he besought Jesus to come to his daughter! Praise God! Catch the revelation here: he invited Jesus to enter into his daughter’s presence. He knew that if he could just get Jesus to enter the room, to touch his daughter, her situation would change.

How many parents today experience difficulty in getting their children to come to Christ? Jairus understood CLEARLY that if he couldn’t get Jesus to come to his daughter, she would DIE! How many children are at risk of spiritual death because they lack a simple touch from God?

But the story gets more interesting, Jesus gets detoured by the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:25-34). This consumed precious minutes — minutes that Jesus could have been using to heal Jairus’ daughter.

Mind you, a miracle occurred here — the woman who interrupted Jesus was healed of her sickness! Glory to God! But it’s hard to see past someone else’s miracle when you are in dire need, yourself. How many times have you thought God was simply too busy with other things to pay attention to your little problem?

What happened next was someone came from Jairus’ household and informed him that his daughter was dead (Mark 5:35). At this point, Jairus could have given up and Jesus could have gone about His merry way, but watch what Jesus said:

As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue,Be not afraid, only believe. (Mark 5:36)

In the face of a bad report, we must maintain — no, increase — our trust in God. Without saying so, the Scripture implies that Jesus and Jairus continued on their way to his daughter.

And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. (Mark 5:37)

Jesus had twelve anointed disciples in His inner circle. Yet he only permitted three, Peter, James, and John to go with Him. In other words, you cannot take everyone with you into a faith fight! Even some of the most anointed folks may falter or faint when confronted with real spiritual adversity. To be blunt about it, not everyone in your inner circle can go into the fight with you. God will reveal who you can take. And this is absolutely critical when it comes to your children!

When Jesus, Jairus, and the three Apostles went into Jairus’ home, they found the trappings of death — mourners and wailers. A pall was cast over the household. The child was dead and the relatives were grieving. Listen, without Jesus, the trappings of death are all about you. You grieve because your child is spirirtually unresponsive to you.

Your child is dead apart from God!

Jesus told everyone that the child was not dead but sleeping (Mark 5:39). I stand in awe at how God can look at a dead thing yet speak life to it. And the funny thing is that folks standing around can only see the death in the situation and grieve — that is, throw up their

Comment by Bishop Derrick Day on February 4, 2011 at 10:12am

The 3 Kinds of Love, Lesson 5 of "The Love Walk," a video teaching series by Bishop Derrick Day

For more info, please visit www.derrickday.com

Comment by Bishop Derrick Day on February 1, 2011 at 6:45pm

Concerning the Office of the Apostle

 

Romans 11:29 declares, "For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance." That said, man cannot deem the office of the Apostle is no more. Ephesians 4:11 says the Lord "...GAVE some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;" Please note that He GAVE -- that means these offices are GIFTS from God!

 

These gifts also have a purpose, illustrated in Ephesians 4:12, "for the perfecting (or equipping) of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:" We must therefore ask the question, have the saints been fully equipped?

 

And they have a time limit, shown in Ephesians 4:13, "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:"

 

1 Corinthians 12:28 tells us "And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues." Note, here, the Apostle Paul says "in the church." Since we are in the church era, this pertains to the "here-and-now."

 

Now each office is unique -- interdependent in the body yet independent in function. Neither is any greater than the other. You need not first become a Bishop before becoming an Apostle, no more than one need be an Evangelist before becoming a Pastor.

 

Concerning the office of the Bishop, Strong’s renders it thusly:

 

G1984 — Strong

ἐπισκοπή

episkopē

ep-is-kop-ay'

From ^G1980; inspection (for relief); by implication superintendence; specifically the Christian "episcopate": - the office of a "bishop", bishoprick, visitation.

 

In other words, the Bishop is a superintendant or overseer. In modern parlance, the Bishop is what might be referred to as a “Pastor to pastors.” A Bishop is, therefore, a Pastor but not all Pastors are Bishops.

 

While these matters are, indeed, important to Church governance, I think they pale compared to the weightier matters of soul-winning and discipling. We must understand the offices of leadership are gifts to the Body of Christ but know that these gifts are not for the benefit of those who operate within them but for the Church and its edification. We must be faithful to that which makes disciples, matures believers and multiplies ministries.

 

© 2010 - Derrick Day (www.derrickday.com)

Comment by Bishop Derrick Day on January 31, 2011 at 3:55pm

The Chastening of God

 

I recently posted on Facebook that  WILL NOT make you sick to chasten you and that anyone who teaches that is repeating a lie straight from the pit of hell.

 

Yep, I said it.

 

Indeed, I am rather surprised that this statement did not get more traction than it did. I believe this is a revelation that will cause religious shackles to fall of the hearts and minds of all who receive it!

 

Strong words, for sure, but words of necessity. You see the church has been bound by a doctrine that suggests that God is the architect of illness and that He afflicts His children to chasten them. There are many scriptures proffered in support of that theory, chief of which is the following:

 

7And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 8For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. (2 Corinthians 12:7-1)

 

Now, we must first understand that Paul referred to himself as a Pharisee (Acts 26:5, Philippians 3:5). He was well schooled in the law, having studied at the feet of Gamaliel. Before his encounter with the risen Jesus, I posit that the former Saul of Tarsus was quite proud of his educational accomplishments. Perhaps God dealt with Paul to keep him from being puffed-up in the knowledge of the Kingdom of God as He was in his knowledge of the law.

 

Now, I’ll admit, that’s speculation and can be considered eisegesis. However, we can glean something concrete from the text – that Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was a “messenger of satan to buffet” him. A disease or an infirmity is not a messenger. This passage is referring to a sprit being that satan unleashed to impede Paul’s progress in spreading the Gospel. Furthermore, when Paul spoke of infirmities in verse 10, he was simply saying that whatever he had to endure for the Gospel’s sake, he was willing to take.

 

This is Paul’s testimony, saint, not yours! But I digress.

 

John 10:10 states that, “the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy.” Who is the thief? Why, the devil, of course; that is his job. When something comes about that steals from you or tries to kill you or tries to destroy your life, you can be sure that this is the devil and that God is far from it. Indeed, Jesus identifies his role in the life of the believer in the same passage of scripture, stating that, “I am come that they may have life more abundantly.”

 

Now, my first question to the reader is, “Is there anything abundant about sickness or bodily affliction?”

 

I’ll help you out: NO!

 

If you are a born again, washed in the Blood believer, you are an heir to the promises of Abraham and have an earnest expectation of long, healthy life.

 

7And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years. 8Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people. (Genesis 25:7-8)

 

Let’s face it, pain and suffering is stressful and certainly not conducive to long life. Further, it is not the will of God that His children, the saints, go through life this way. I’ve posed this question many times but it begs to be asked again in this context, would you, a parent, afflict your child with so much as a tummy-ache to get them to behave properly? I believe the answer to that is “NO!” And if God is a better parent than any of us could aspire to be, why would He do such a thing? The answer is, He will not!

 

Psalm 103:3 Puts it thusly:

 

Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases.

 

What part of ALL is unclear, here? God heals…period!

 

For the icing on the cake, let’s take a look at Jesus. Matthew 4:24 and 8:15, and Luke 6:19, all clearly state that Jesus healed all who come to them. It is interesting to note that these people whom He healed were Old Covenant saints – they had neither the risen Christ nor the Holy Spirit! BUT YOU DO!

 

Another good question is, how many people did Jesus make sick during His earthly ministry? Again, the answer is clearly “NONE!” According to John 5:19,

 

Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

 

Then, If Jesus only healed folks and made none sick (and certainly didn’t kill anyone), and He only did what He saw the Father do, this means God makes no one sick! But let’s take it a step further, If God did, indeed, make some sick and Jesus healed them, that would make Jesus’ actions contrary to the will of God, right?

 

When will the Body of Christ acknowledge that bodily healing is available for all believers? I'm tired of this weak-kneed, so-called "Christianity" that teaches that sickness somehow emanates from God. What part of "Jesus healed them all" (Matthew 12:15) are we missing?

 

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, “ALL means ALL, y'all!”

 

I like how God revealed this to Isaiah:

 

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

 

Note two things:

 

First, God said the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, that is, Jesus. This means the punishment we deserved was laid squarely on Jesus. Once we are saved and in Christ, the affliction we deserved is no longer reserved for us. Glory to God! Now this chastisement actually extends beyond the believer in that God is no longer making corporate judgments as He did with Sodom and Gomorrah. The plagues, weather phenomena, and acts of terrorism emanate from satan – not God! Yes, God did these sorts of things in the Old Testament, but they are conspicuously absent from the New Testament! Why? Because Jesus satisfied the anger and wrath of God once and for all!

 

Second, the stripes (the beating, scourging, and scorning) laid upon Jesus were the payment for the health and healing of the believer! Again, those who are in Christ have the earnest expectation that the God who saved them from eternal death can save them from earthy disease, plague, and disability!

 

God chastens His children with His Word. This is explained in 2 Timothy 3:16:

 

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

 

And again in 2 Timothy 4:2

 

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.

 

Correction for the believer is from the Word of God, not sickness! Man, this is a revelation!

 

The difference between capability and manifestation is potential. God has given us awesome capability but we have to get a revelation from Him for our potential to be revealed. The Body of Christ frequently operates beneath privilege because purpose is unknown to most of us.

 

I stand firmly behind my original premise. Any teaching that discounts healing or, worse, supposes that God is the architect of sickness is a perverted Gospel. I will teach this faithfully until the Holy Spirit releases me from it. Be healed. Be set free. In Jesus’ name!

 

© 2010 – Derrick Day (www.derrickday.com)

Comment by Bishop Derrick Day on January 31, 2011 at 3:15pm

Love and Discipleship (Part 2 of 2) - Lesson 4 of "The Love Walk"

This lesson illuminates that if you do not disciple new converts in Christ, you aren't walking in love!

Visit www.derrickday.com for more info

Comment by Bishop Derrick Day on January 28, 2011 at 12:21pm

Love and Discipleship (Part 1 of 2) - Lesson 4 of "The Love Walk"


Visit www.derrickday.com for more info

Comment by Bishop Derrick Day on January 26, 2011 at 8:24am

3 Things Every Pastor Must Do

 

Many pastors have asked, "Are there two or three key points that, when executed, will yield success in ministry?" Of course, there are many but I have found three that will ensure that will yield a healthy, effective ministry.

 

1. Check your "Love Walk." The Lord Jesus told us in John 13:35 that it is by the love we exhibit for one another that the world would know we are His disciples. Love is a choice and no one needs to choose love more than the man or woman of God called to lead a church body. Many people, when wounded while loving, tend to retreat and withdraw; this is a human response. However, the pastor cannot respond to hurt in this manner and hope to be successful. Know this, you will be hurt – and there’s no hurt like church hurt – but the leader must wear his or her emotions on their sleeve.

The pastor, while human, must have a supernatural response; he or she must respond to hurt by loving more! Why is this so important? You may be the most knowledgeable preacher in the world but no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care! You must love fervently, openly, and most of all, genuinely!

It’s important to love your congregation but you must first love God then love your spouse! Do not allow the church to become your “thang on the side!” Some pastors are so busy with church work that they have neither enough time for consecrated prayer nor for their families. We must understand that the institutions of marriage and family were ordained by God before the church!

2. Don’t worry about the numbers. People will distract you! If there are too few folks in your congregation, you may (often incorrectly) conclude that you are ineffective. If you have too many, you may start to believe it has something to do with you – that is, you may become conceited.

Throughout the Bible, God has done the miraculous with small numbers. He whittled Gideon’s army from 32000 to 300; this army defeated “an army without number” (Judges 7:12)! God used 12 men (actually 11, excluding the son of perdition) to spread the Gospel. Most of all, He used one man – Jesus – to redeem mankind and forever change the world. God is not concerned with numbers, He’s concerned with effectiveness. The Bible says one will chase a thousand and two will put ten-thousand to flight (Deuteronomy 32:30); that’s effectiveness!

It has been said that in any organization, twenty percent of the people do eighty percent of the work. This is especially true in the modern church nonetheless; it is a paradigm requiring change.  Having a 30000-member church is impressive; less so when 6000 or less are bearing the brunt of the work. Effectiveness only comes from discipling and example. Pastors and leaders must be willing to roll up their sleeves; not only pitching in but leading the work effort!

The Holy Spirit once had me set up an empty chair in my living room and preach to it for a week. When I asked, “why,” He told me that before He’d trust me with His Word before a multitude; He had to show me how to preach when there is no one there to hear it! If you change the fervency of your preaching based on the number of people in attendance, you need to go and repent! This was a powerful lesson and I share it with virtually every pastor or preacher I have occasion to speak to.

While we’re here (nice segue, there), don’t get preoccupied with folk’s expressions while you’re preaching and teaching. I used to get uptight about some of the “cross-eyed” looks I’d get from those in the pews. The Lord corrected me of this insecurity by bringing to my remembrance Jeremiah 1:17, which says, “…be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.”

3. Check your stewardship. Is your car or home A LOT nicer than those in your congregation? If so, do you have streams of income (other than church salary) to substantiate having them? If  you do, glory to God – I want to be like you when I grow up (cue laugh track)! If you do not, please take inventory of your stewardship.

You may be as clean-as-clean-can-be regarding material stewardship but if there is any hint of impropriety, this will appear as a red-flag to the world. Now, we are not to be men-pleasers but we need our stewardship to be above reproach. Folks in the world still operate under the premise that “all the preacher wants is my money.” While that notion is false more often than true, it is the little foxes that spoil the vine.

It is frequently easy to confuse good work with God work. We need to ask if it is necessary to embark upon a new building project when there is abject poverty in our neighborhood. How many computers, books, school supplies, winter coats, or shoes could be purchased for the outlay of most building projects?  Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we should not build; I am saying we need to operate in love – perceiving and fulfilling need – and discerning of season (i.e., is it time to build?).

Is there more to it than that? You better believe it! However, I think that if we begin with the simple and graduate to the complex, we will become more effective and efficient in our ministries. All ministry should be beacons of love and stewardship, rooted and grounded in the power of the risen Jesus. I don’t expect to hear a lot of “Amens” to this but, then, God has instructed me to preach and teach for result, not for effect! Nevertheless, I pray this message is a blessing to you.

© 2011 – Derrick Day (www.derrickday.com)

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