Our Testimonies of the Law of Confession in Operation, Part 2

davidwpalmer

Jul 2

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1CNHZhX7gG27ro5LmNRhvk?si=73Dej_KLS-ulnXveECwFgA

David W Palmer

When Rosanna and I first decided to fully follow Jesus without reserve, he instructed us very clearly:

(Mark 10:21 NKJV) Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "… sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."

Our Lord used this and similar verses to instruct us to sell all of our audio equipment and to give the proceeds to the poor (as recounted in yesterday's devotion). Initially we felt deflated, thinking we had to give up music all together. We prayed about this, and Jesus said, "I didn't tell you to sell your guitars, just your PA equipment." Then he explained:

First, he led me to the following passage:

(Hebrews 12:26–27 NKJV) Whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, "Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven." {27} Now this, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.

Although this version is a little unclear, the Holy Spirit explained to me that everything was going to shake. Only the unshakeable will remain in your life. He explained that this means that only things—including equipment for ministry—that are obtained through faith in his word can survive the shaking. This is why we had to quickly sell our equipment and get it into the [spiritual] soil as a seed by giving it to the poor. He said, "If you don't sell it and give the proceeds away, you will lose it anyway. But if you obediently sell and give it, I will count it as a seed that I can multiply."

Perhaps the following translation of the passage in Hebrews explains this a little more clearly:

(Hebrews 12:26–27 ESV) … now he has made an oath, saying, There will be still one more shaking, not only of the earth, but of heaven. {27} And the words, Still one more, make it clear that there will be a taking away of those things which are shaking, as of things which are made, so that there may be only those things of which no shaking is possible.

The Lord explained to me that anything that could shake in his shaking would be removed. Our PA equipment was put together at our expense, by the sweat of our brow, by our hard physical work, and by the money we had "made." It was not gained by faith in God; it was not built on the rock foundation of his word, so it would shake loose. With this revelation fresh in our minds, we obeyed; we sold it, and sowed the proceeds as poverty relief through our church. All the equipment that we have accumulated ever since has been received by faith through the leading of the Holy Spirit and is founded on his word:

(Matthew 7:24–27 NKJV) "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: {25} and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. {26} But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: {27} and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."

Because the Lord Jesus told us to "sell what you have," his instruction didn't stop at our sound equipment; we also had a house. So, yes, at his instruction, we sold our house too. I took a long time to do this; mistakenly, I thought I had to prepare it first. I began to paint the rooms. But when the estate agent saw my work, he suggested not doing this but to put it on the market as it was.

As this house had been the home base for us when we all became Christians, and because it had housed some amazing prayer meetings, home groups, and great outpourings of the Holy Spirit, I delayed some more. Finally, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, "Within a day of advertising it, I will have a buyer for it." So, we put it into the hands of the real estate agent.

A couple of days later, a man arrived at dusk to put up the for-sale sign. Then, just before dusk the next day, a woman knocked on the door and enquired about purchasing the house. I directed her to the estate agent; she bought it. That was the fulfilment of God's promise to bring a buyer within 24 hours. Praise the Lord.

Coupled with the Lord's instruction to sell the house was his simultaneous instruction to sow much of the proceeds and, with what was left, to buy a quarter share in a house with Rosanna's mother—who was a widow. Her house sold almost instantly too.

Within a short time, we released our faith in prayer and began confessing a new house. The perfect house for us came quickly, and we moved in together. But after about 10 years, we had to move again as God changed our ministry location. Again, we used the law of confession, and God provided another house that was absolutely perfect for us and Rosanna's mother at the time.

Then, after living there for several years, God called Rosanna and me to Queensland (interstate). At that time, Kathy wanted her own house and didn't want to move with us. Consequently, we needed to find our own house at the Gold Coast so we could take up our new ministry role there—principal of the Bible college.

When we sold our original house, God instructed us to sow much of the proceeds; so we only owned a portion of the house we brought with Rosanna's mother. Now we had a challenge, we had enough money for a deposit for a house on the Gold Coast, but that was all. So again, we released our faith, and based our confession on this passage:

(Mark 10:29–30 NKJV) So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, {30} who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life."

When first arriving at the Gold Coast, I prayed daily—walking in the mornings—confessing continually the promise in this verse: "a hundredfold now in this time—houses." We had obeyed Jesus's instructions; we had sold and left our house and equipment for the gospel's sake (by Jesus's leading), and now it was time to claim the associated promise. I confessed this constantly for almost a year.

Meanwhile, while I was teaching at college, Rosanna was busy reading the real estate advertisements for houses for sale. We rushed off most Saturdays and some weekdays to look at open homes, but came back disappointed. It was so much more expensive to buy there than where we had lived in Victoria.

Towards the end of the year, we had decided where we needed to live to be near our work in Surfers Paradise, but the area we chose was super expensive. We barely had enough for a deposit. But God is true to his word. The ideal house came up and somehow, he opened the door for us to buy it. This was a miracle of astounding proportions, but we had to do it with a bank loan. This had us way outside our comfort zone and left us with such little income beyond the mortgage payments that we had to live completely by faith to survive.

Eventually, we sold that house at exactly—and I mean exactly—the price God gave me. The estate agent fought me on this, and I have to say it was the toughest spiritual battle I've ever been through. I was fighting the fight of faith, confessing the good confession, and waging spiritual warfare daily; but, eventually the buyer paid exactly in line with what God told me to confess. The law of confession worked again. But we were delayed in our move back to Victoria for a protracted time.

Jesus did say in his promise: "… a hundredfold now in this time—houses." Then I realised that once we had sold and sowed our original house, he would supply housing for us when we needed it for the rest of our lives. He did; while we were waiting to move to Victoria to commence our itinerant ministry, he supplied us with borrowed and rented homes at the Gold Coast. Over the four years of waiting, we accumulated enough borders to eventually live near the church work place again.

After a four year delay, finally our new home in Victoria was ready—simultaneously with God opening the door for our shift. But again, the delays and obstacles were overcome by faith and faith alone. There simply was no natural reason for the delay, and one builder who unexplainably pulled out of his contract to build our home, later apologised and said he had no idea why he did that. This was spiritual warfare; and the only way to overcome it was faith and confession. I knew that this had to be won first, or our house would have been in the same condition as our original PA equipment—it would have been shakeable. But after winning the fight of faith, it was firmly founded on the rock; so it would be lasting.

Now, by faith and the law of confession, we have audio equipment, house and vehicle—all acquired the same way. Plus, wherever we have been and been invited to ministry, God has continually provided housing and equipment and cars. And today, I encourage you to put your full faith in Jesus—his instructions and his promises. Engage the law of confession and remember that all things are possible to him who believes, plus:

(Ephesians 3:20–21 NKJV) Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, {21} to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

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