Author: Joshua Maynard

We were not designed to be able to do everything by our own strength.
Even the disciples were sent in pairs.

When we are alone, Christ is always with us in Spirit working with us to do the things that we cannot do alone.

Together with Chris, we can do all things by His power.

– Bishop Joshua Maynard

Fear cancels out faith.

You can empower fear with your faith by perceiving it to have power in your imagination that it doesn’t really have.

When you do that, you are giving fear and the Devil a foothold in your mind.

We must cast down such imaginations that exalt themselves above the knowledge of God by Christ Jesus.

– Bishop Joshua Maynard

You cannot base a belief or a set of beliefs on scriptures taken out of context and expect God to honor your ignorance of His Word. 
Because He is faithful, however, He honors our faith, even when it is based on something that we fail to understand or have completely wrong.

– Bishop Joshua Maynard

Sin-consciousness is believing that anything you do that is wrong has an effect on being in right-standing with God.

Self-righteousness is believing that anything you do that is good has an effect on being in right-standing with God.

Both are ARROGANCE, and neither affect your right-standing with God.

– Bishop Joshua Maynard

Man was not designed to die.

Every part of our being fights to live.

God did not create death. Death is an enemy of God.

He is not in it.

Jesus conquered death.

Don’t say then that God takes lives.

He is not sovereignly taking lives.

Death entered into the world because of sin.

– Bishop Joshua Maynard

  • Consider the Scriptures Series – Article #17 has been posted.
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Consider the scriptures

#17 – 2 Timothy 3:16-17

 

‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ – “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

These verses start with “All scripture”, but what is “All scripture”? Paul and other New Testament believers had the Old Testament as their scriptures. “All” as it is used here in the Greek means “every”. It is given by inspiration of God and that translated literally means “God-breathed”.

Just as God breathed life into man, it is said that the scriptures were breathed into man by the Holy Spirit to be written. Jesus quoted the Old Testament scriptures and bore witness to their authenticity.

This means that the scriptures were written with a divine quality and that they were not interpreted by the writers.

The Bible is profitable for “doctrine” means that we can learn it and believe it, trusting in the One who gave the Word.

The Bible is profitable for “reproof” meaning that  it reproves our wrong ways of thinking, believing and acting. Next, the scripture says it is profitable for “correction”. Reproof and correction go hand-in-hand. This “correction” can be translated to mean “conviction” or “evidence”. So in convicting us of our wrongdoing, does it provide evidence against us or for us? Perhaps both! In providing evidence that we have violated God’s law, the Bible also qualifies us as forgiven and righteous by the perfection of the law in Christ Jesus. By giving us not just the problem, but also the solution, we are able to apply what we learn and correct our way of thinking.

The scriptures then go on to say “for instruction in righteousness”.  This is not to mean just “instruction” or “teaching” but also discipline. It takes discipline to build character, courage and good habits. The word used here for discipline, “paideian”, means “training through correction” which is different than “paideuō” used elsewhere in the New Testament which means “training through punishment”.

If we read the Bible without the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, we are liable to see judgment and punishment when God wants us to see mercy and grace.

You see, the Bible is not about training us through punishment. It is about raining us in the ways to live rightly by educating us.

Righteousness used here is not particularly about living a moral and ethical way, but specifically in belonging to God and submitting yourself under his Lordship.

You are righteous because He is your God, He is your Lord and you are His child.

“that the man of God may be perfect” refers to something suitable, usable or capable. While most people see “perfect” and think of “perfection”, I think you would be hard-pressed to find any Christian that feels they are “perfect” or even close to it.

Therefore, let’s just accept that maybe this scripture is referring to the “man of God” being made suitable, usable and capable.

When we know the scriptures and know God’s Word, we are suitable, usable and capable of doing the will of God, whatever that may be.

None of us remember as many scriptures as we would like to, and it certainly takes practice to keep them fresh in our minds. Don’t judge yourself to be unworthy or incapable of doing what God has called you to do. He will always make a way for you when you step out in faith and are doing His will.

The scripture goes on to say, “throughly furnished unto all good works”.

We are fully equipped with everything we need when we are sent out to do God’s work.

He is faithful and we must remember to have faith in ourselves as well. Not that we are capable of doing His will on our own, but we realize that we are never “on our own” because He is with us and in us, and His Spirit empowers us for every good work.

Some Christians say:
“If I don’t want to be close to you, it’s because I don’t approve of your behavior.”
“If I don’t spend time with you, it’s because I don’t approve of your lifestyle. I want you to know that God is displeased with you.”
“If I don’t fellowship with you, it’s because God has told me that you are a bad influence on me.”
“I don’t hate you; I just hate your sin.”
Jesus says:
“I took care of your sins!”
“They don’t scare me away.”
“I don’t hide my face from you when you mess up.”
Come to me with your faults and let me show you how to live healthy.
I won’t condemn you and I’ll never reject you.”
Disciples say:
“Let’s get to know one another.”
“Let’s hang out together.”
“God loves you in spite of whatever you may do.”
“I’m not scared of your behavior rubbing off on me. Our behavior doesn’t change the love of God.”
“I can be your friend even if I don’t approve of the decisions you make.”
“I want you to be healthy and full of life, so I will pour all the life that I have into you.”
“You are worth my time.”
“You are loved and a friend.”
“Jesus loves you and He wants me to represent that love to you.”
– Bishop Joshua Maynard

what ‘being blessed’ means

 

Many go around saying how blessed they are.
Do you know what “being blessed” was to those in the early church, or even going back to the Old Covenant?
Romans 4:8
“Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.”
This really stirred something up in me today.
We cannot continue to go around saying we are “blessed” and still believe that our sins have any bearing whatsoever on God’s love for us.
This means that God’s blessing is opposed to tradition and legalism.
We are blessed because He does not count our sins against us.
We are blessed because He has an everlasting covenant that says we are righteous and justified.
We are blessed because He has chosen not to remember our sins.
We are not merely blessed financially or with material things of this world.
These things cannot compare to what God considers “being blessed”.
The Holy Spirit is saying to me, “You do not know what blessing is, because you do not know what I brought you out of!”
“You have not seen what the Devil had planned for you if you had continued on your original path.”
“You cannot fully appreciate what it means to have your sins forgiven and forgotten because your focus is still on your sins!”
Your sins do not define who you are to me!
You are forcing yourself to look upon and remember sins that I have already forgiven and forgotten!”
“Awake! Awake! Awake from your own imaginations that exalt themselves above the knowledge of God and bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ!”
Your sins are forgiven and forgotten!
Now soak in this blessing that I have given you.
Let this blessing be a revelation that transforms your life!
Look no more at the past or the present or worry about the future.
You are My child; you have My Name and you have been blessed!”
“No man can take it from you!
No devil can take you from Me!
Nothing can separate you from My Love!”
– Bishop Joshua Maynard
There is nothing more enticing to someone who is already being manipulated by religion than to mention “anointing”, “power”, “double-portion” or “mantle” in the same sentence with and Old Testament Bible verse and offer those things in exchange for a “seed offering” of money.
You wonder why people continue to give to televangelists and ministries that are preaching manipulatively to obtain money?
1.) They don’t know that they are already anointed.
2.) They dont know that they have the same power in them that raised Jesus from the dead
3.) They revere the Old Testament more than the Gospel because they still believe in trying to obtain/maintain their salvation by works and following parts of the law.
4.) They don’t feel empowered to study the Bible for themselves because they have merely been made converts and not disciples properly.
If we can fix these points, the manipulative ministries will lose traction.
– Bishop Joshua Maynard

Christians preoccupied about the sin in others deny the perfect sacrifice for sin which is Christ.

You cannot love you neighbor and hate their sin.

Don’t fool yourself.

You will yell at your neighbor, shun your neighbor, condemn your neighbor and in no way love your neighbor.

You will hate your neighbor.

– Bishop Joshua Maynard

Healiing is for you today

 

Cancer is one of the most destructive diseases that humans deal with.
There are more than 100 types of cancer. Some say that there are more than 200.
However, when a Christian deals with any cancer, whether in their own body or cancer that is affecting a loved one or friend, we must remember that God is not the cause. Death is not the solution or the healing.
Death entered into the world by sin, and Jesus came that we might have life!
Nothing has changed about this simple truth, and yet people are quick to blame God for disease and death.
It’s easy to blame God for disease and death if you believe that God controls everything or allows everything bad that happens.
It’s also easy to blame God when we don’t understand why bad things happen to us and others.
Here is a fact that I hope you will be able to receive today:
If you choose to believe that God controls everything and allows everything bad that happens to us, then you can’t also believe that Jesus came to give life and life more abundantly. (John 10:10)
You can’t believe two things that are diametrically opposed to one another and claim that what you believe is true.
Either God sent Jesus to save our spirit and kill our bodies or God sent Jesus to bring life and life more abundantly in every part of our being.
(Truth: John 10:10)
Either Jesus came to save, or Jesus came to kill. (Truth: Luke 9:54-56)
Either Jesus came to destroy the world or to destroy the works of the Devil. (Truth: 1 John 3:8)
Either Jesus heals all of or diseases or He causes and allows them.
(Truth: Acts 10:38, Acts 28:8-9, Matthew 8:17)
You say, what about when people aren’t healed?
God’s will isn’t done automatically on the Earth, even though it is clear from the example of Jesus and that of the disciples that God wants everyone healed.
How do we reconcile that everyone isn’t healed, even though the Bible clearly shows Christ and the disciples healing?
A:) We can believe that healing and miracles passed away with the early church.
B:) We can believe that healing is part of the atonement by Christ Jesus and believe for healing despite how things unfold.

Is the power of God not greater than the worst disease on Earth?
Of course it is.
How can we believe in healing when we don’t see consistent results?
How can we tell others that God can heal them but apparently won’t?
These are questions that I’ve wrestled with, and I’ve read quite a few answers that others have provided.
I don’t like the answers that have been given.
Here are a few of the commonly believed reasons to WHY PEOPLE ARENT HEALED.

Some say that it is a lack of faith in the part of the person praying that prevents healing.

(They often cite: Mark 9:17-18 in which the disciples could not cast out the demon afflicting a boy.)

Some say that it is a lack of faith in the part of the sick person that prevents healing.
(They often cite: Mark 6:4-5 in which Jesus could do not mighty works because of their unbelief. Let’s not forget that it says that while Jesus could do no “mighty” works, He still healed a few people.
Some say that it is others around the sick person that do not have faith and can hinder the healing.
(They often cite: Mark 5:39-40 where people made such laughter at Jesus in disbelief that He had to put them out of the house before He raised the little girl from the dead.)
Some say that it is unconfessed sin that prevents healing.
(They often cite: John 9:1-2 where the Disciples asked Jesus if the blind man had sinned or his parents. Jesus answered them and said “Neither”.)
If unconfessed sin blocked healing, then no one would be able to receive healing. None of us HAVE confessed or even CAN confess every sin.
Some say that God gave the person sickness for a purpose, so God’s grace is sufficient to suffer it.
(They often cite: John 9:1-1 claiming that God gives people sickness so that He can heal them and get glory from it. However, it seems that Jesus was merely refocusing their attention on how this situation is an opportunity to bring glory to God and not an opportunity to focus on sin. Their focus was in the wrong direction.
They also quote 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 and falsely claim that Paul was afflicted with a sickness from God. They claim that he was getting “puffed up” about the revelations he was receiving. They also say that God gave Paul a sickness and refused to heal him so that Paul would stay humble. It would take another article to fully explain, but Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” wasn’t sickness at all.
Additionally, they will also cite the entire book of Job as evidence that God afflicts believers and allows Satan to harm us, while conveniently leaving out the fact that Job and all that Job had were under Satan’s dominion already, and that God had no covenant or promise with Job.
It was only God’s grace that kept Satan from killing Job.
Some say that demons are the root cause of the sickness and that the person praying has not fasted and prayed enough to be able to cast them out.
(They often cite: Mark 9:28-29 where Jesus says that “This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.” They believe that Jesus is referring to the demon, but He is actually referring to unbelief.)
Everyone seems to have an opinion (always based on scripture, right?) about why people don’t always receive a healing or a miracle.
Faith, sin, lifestyle, demonic oppression, God’s greater purpose, God’s timing, God’s sovereignty are just a few reasons that are commonly used.
The great question of “Why we aren’t always healed” may never be answered while we live on Earth.
You can chase after formulas, prayer chains, healing waters, healing meetings and many other possibilities, but Jesus just said to BELIEVE.
Over and over again, Jesus reminded the disciples to just BELIEVE.
BELIEVING even when a healing doesn’t seem to be happening isn’t foolishness.
Seeking medical help doesn’t mean that you stop believing for a healing.
Death is NOT a victory over sickness and Death is NOT a method that God uses for anything good.
If we learn anything from Jesus and His example of the Father’s heart, understand that God is about giving life, not death.
How can we comprehend why God doesn’t intervene in death, even when babies and children die from disease?
I believe that we aren’t meant to understand why.
We are meant to BELIEVE in spite of the circumstances and even in spite of death.
Medical science cannot offer TRUE HOPE, only possibilities and probabilities of outcomes.
Without the HOPE that is in Christ for healing that our faith gives us, our soul becomes sick along with our bodies.
When our soul becomes sick, the outcome is all but certain: Faith dies.
If you need medical aid or surgery, don’t give up on hope for a healing.
With many medical procedures comes a recovery time, and your recovery can be smoother and shorter when God’s healing comes to you.
I have received many healings, and I have prayed for people who have also been healed.
I have not been healed of every issue in my body, but it will never convince me that God doesn’t heal today, or that He doesn’t want me healed.
I have heard that in other less-developed countries, people receive healings so much faster and easier than in the United States.
I believe it is because we have a culture of both medicine, death and vain religion in America.
We have years and years of garbage and wrong believing in our minds to bypass in order for our faith to be expressed in purity, without unbelief.
Unbelief is by far our biggest issue in receiving healing, and our bodies respond to what we believe, not what we fail to believe in.
I’m praying that anyone who reads this will receive their healing, and never stop believing that God heals today.
I pray that you won’t blame God for your sickness, nor for your lack of healing.
It is God’s will that you live free from pain and sickness.
It is God’s will that Satan’s work in your life be destroyed, and that every sickness has to leave your body.
God is the giver of healing and life. Sin and Satan bring about death.
I pray that God will guide you in your decisions and help you to make better choices for your health.
In Jesus name. Amen.
– Bishop Joshua Maynard

A church that is not teaching discipleship to people for ministry or at the very least empowering them with Truth is merely a social club for those who want to follow a set of tradition and rules.

It is often absent of the True and Living God and His overcoming Power.

– Bishop Joshua Maynard

Some believers live in a constant state of war against “imaginations”, when Christ has already declared that He is victor over all the power of the enemy.
We are not called to entertain an imaginary enemy and wage an imaginary war against it.
2 Corinthians 10:5 KJV
[5] Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
We must take these imaginations captivity to the obedience of Christ because they attempt to exalt themselves against the knowledge of God and His true authority.
Those that have a real problem with such “imaginary” enemies tend to see Satan and his minions everywhere.
Satan is not omnipresent, and his agents are not everywhere.
They aren’t listening to our every word or watching our every move.
We give Satan too much credit and we don’t give God the glory He deserves.
We don’t take enough responsibility for the issues we create for ourselves.
When we chase after imaginations that we created, they distract from the real cause of our problems, US!
– Bishop Joshua Maynard
Grace preachers are often asked the same question that the Apostle Paul was asked.
Isn’t Grace a license to sin?
We give the same answer that Paul gave.
NO!
Then we are picked apart with criticism, often from Paul’s own writings in scripture and treated like heretics.
Why?
Because our culture is pervasive with ideas that are contrary to the Gospel, and a social media culture that seems to empower people in a spirit of criticism.
People call themselves Christians, but choose to remain just as steeped in religious traditions as the pharisees of Paul’s time.
It is both sad and frustrating.
We are preaching the same Gospel that Paul preached.
– Bishop Joshua Maynard