Dearest Valuable and Precious Prayer Partners,
A few months ago, I had a dream I believe God gave me concerning the power in our speaking in tongues. Since the dream, the power in our mouths has been uppermost in my thoughts. I taught on it two-weeks on BVOV TV with Gloria Copeland to be broadcast in May.
My monthly letters to you, unless the Lord changes it, will be what is being emphasized to my spirit by the Holy Spirit on the subject. I believe it has so much to do with the plans of God in these last days. (Please save this letter, I will refer to it later.)
God's Gift of Love
The last sermon I heard Kenneth E. Hagin preach was at his Campmeeting July 2003. He went home the following September. His face literally glowed as he preached a sermon that changed my life the first time I heard it 30 some years ago. To him it was one of his most important teachings. He entitled it: What Have You Done With Love?
He taught along this line: Every believer is given the love of God at the new birth. It is shed abroad in our hearts, our spirits, by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Our only law is the law of love. We can keep it by letting our spirits, where the God-kind of love dwells, dominate us. This is how we walk in love. This love behaves as is described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. We have a responsibility and an accountability to manifest this love to the world.
God's Gift of Intelligent Speech
I've heard some preachers saying "and man became a speaking spirit." I think they got that from me and I want to establish the foundation from which it comes. It comes from the Onkelos Aramaic translation of Genesis 2:7.
Onkelos was a convert to Judaism who did an Aramaic translation from the original Hebrew. After the Babylonian captivity, the Jews' everyday language was Aramaic. To show how this translation is highly regarded, I quote:
The rabbis of the Babylonian Talmud recognized Targum Onkelos as the authoritative translation of the Bible, and it remains so to this day. It was the document that the rabbis expected people to read to determine the meaning of scriptural words and phrases…they said, read the Bible in its original Hebrew twice each week and once in the Aramaic translation of Targum Onkelos rabbinic Bibles…placed Targum Onkelos in a central column in every publication of the Bible. Indeed, there is no rabbinic Bible in which Targum Onkelos does not take center stage… (Onkelos on the Torah, Gefen Publishing House, Jerusalem, New York, p. xvii.)
The Stone Edition of the Chumash (the first five books of the Bible) translates Genesis 2:7 as follows:
Genesis 2:7
And HaShem God formed the man of dust from the ground, and He blew into his
nostrils the soul of life; and man became a living being.
The Stone Chumash comments on that verse:
This soul made Man a living being, which Onkelos defines as a speaking spirit.
Accordingly, the life that is unique to Man and which only God could "blow" into him is the rational soul that included the power of intelligent speech. This is what
elevates a human above animal life: the ability, and therefore the responsibility, to use his intelligence in God's service.
DeVaR:
The Hebrew word, DeVaR intrigues me. It is Hebrew for word. It can also be translated thing, or matter. For some time I have contemplated the idea that words become things or matters. Of course, this is supported by Mark 11:23.
Its root word, spelled exactly the same, is defined in the Hebrew Lexicon as speak, to arrange in order…. Strong's Concordance #1696 says, "to arrange, used figuratively (of words) to speak." This seems to indicate that our words arrange things, or matters. Consider this excerpt from Dr. Paul Yonggi Cho's book, The Fourth Dimension:
One morning I was eating breakfast with one of Korea's leading neuro-surgeons, who was telling me about various medical findings on the operation of the brain. He asked, "Dr. Cho, did you know that the speech center in the brain rules over all the nerves?" Then I laughed, saying, "I've known that for a long time." "How did you know that…? In the world of neurology these are new findings." I replied that I had learned it from Dr. James. (See James 3:2-5.)
Then this neuro-surgeon began to expound their findings. He said that the speech nerve center had such power over all of the body that simply speaking can give one control over his body, to manipulate it in the way he wishes. He said, "If someone keeps on saying, 'I'm going to become weak,' then right away, all the nerves receive that message, and they say, 'Oh, let's prepare to become weak, for we've received instructions from our central communication that we
should become weak.' They then in natural sequence adjust their physical attitudes to weakness.
"If someone says, 'Well, I have no ability. I can't do this job,' then right away all the nerves begin to declare the same thing. 'Yes,' they respond, 'we received instruction from the central nervous system saying that we have no abilities, to give up striving to develop any capacity for capability. We must prepare ourselves to be part of an incapable person.'
"If someone keeps saying, 'I'm very old…and tired, and can't do anything,' then right away, the speech central control responds, giving out orders to that effect. The nerves respond, 'Yes, we are old. We are ready for the grave. Let's be ready to disintegrate.' If someone keeps saying that he is old, then that person is soon going to die."
That neuro-surgeon continued saying, "That man should never retire. Once a man retires, he keeps repeating to himself, 'I am retired,' and all the nerves start responding and become less active, and ready for a quick death."
The Book we call Deuteronomy is named Devarim in the Hebrew. Devarim is the plural of devar. So, the name of the Book is Words—taken from the first line of the Book, "These are the words which Moses spake…." Both words and spake are the Hebrew word devar. Moses did not get to enter the Promised Land because God told him to speak to the rock to bring forth water; instead Moses struck it. Some rabbis say that God wanted to demonstrate the power of the spoken word and that Israel could use it to take Canaan. Moses was the only one spiritually mature enough to so demonstrate.
Jesus taught on a regular basis, that we could have what we say. The ability. He also taught accountability (Matt. 12:36-37). Therefore, "What Have We Done With The Gift of Speech?" Selah.
The Blessing of the Lord
I am so thrilled to report to you that we enjoyed a January overflowing with blessing from the Lord. In our meetings we experienced the Glory of His Presence, with the resultant harvest. Books and tapes went to 300% more people. Here at Prayer Mountain we received your love and support in abundance.
Please Come See Me at One of These Places
July 28-August 1 Champions 4 Christ Youth Rally in Branson with lots of Branson fun and glorious meetings. Call today to register your youth.
May 12-16; 19-23 BVOV Television Broadcast. As Gloria Copeland's special guest, where will be sharing on this very subject—DeVar—Words.
October 23-27 Prayer Mountain's Annual Prayer Conference. I'm so excited about our new location, the new Hilton Convention Center and Hotel. You can register for your rooms at the Hilton on line at billyebrim.org, or call the Hilton at 417-336-5400. We'll be praying just before the elections.
Once again, thank you for helping us serve Him. You partners are sending me to Israel in April. To Australia in May. To France and other European sites in November.
Send us your e-mail address to receive information that I may need to get to you quickly. Also, you can hear our daily radio where I'm teaching on all this at billyebrim.org.
Love in Him,
Billye Brim