Forgiven—Healed—And Whole

Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion;
they will not be defeated but will endure forever.
—Psalm 125:1 (NLT)

 

Trust is the ability to rely upon or place confidence in someone. When you trust someone, you rely on the integrity of that person and the security they give. You have faith in them. Those who trust in the Lord, the psalmist proclaims, have confident faith in His security. They know that in trusting God they will not be overcome but victorious.
 
The Old Testament God that Moses encountered on Mount Sinai offered security to the Hebrews if their behavior met His. Their security in God was conditional on their performance. They staggered in fright when God commanded them not to touch the mountain. Moses himself trembled in fear (Hebrews 12:20). The law defined what righteous living is. God blessed or cursed them based on their conduct. 
 
On the cross, Jesus changed everything. His grace defined righteous living as not performing according to the law but by walking according to the Spirit. When someone is reborn in Christ, the righteousness of Christ becomes God’s standard of judgment for that person. Conduct no longer remains God’s standard of judgment. The law gives sin its power (Corinthians 15:56). God has given us victory over sin in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57). Grace has overcome sin. Sin is no longer master over us. We are no longer under the law but now under grace (Romans 6:14). Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). The law is no longer our judge. Christ took our judgment. He took our condemnation and punishment and gave us His righteousness. 
 
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1, NKJV).

The flesh can never fulfill the requirements of the law. Jesus has fulfilled them. We walk according to the Spirit who gives us life and peace (Romans 8:6).
 
"You have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people” (Hebrews 12:22-24a, NLT). 
 
You have come to Jesus, my friend, who negotiated the New Covenant between God and you. You have no reason to fear God who became flesh and gave His life for you. His love is no longer conditional on your performance. God revealed His true character in the gift of His Son. He is love. He is grace and truth. Now you run to Him—without shame or dread. He is tangible. He is touchable. He is forgiveness, healing, and grace. You are His firstborn. Your name is written in heaven. You can trust God, your Father, who loved you enough to send His Son to perfectly meet the conditions of His law you could never meet.
 
Do you trust Him? If you trust Him, you know you are secure in Him. You have peace. You have joy. You believe His truth, and you receive His love. You have His faith to understand the integrity of the security He has given you. You have confident faith in Him because you know how much He loves you.
 
If you are dealing with trust issues with God, you must understand who you are in Him. You are His beloved. You are His child. He is your righteousness—your healer—your provider—your Abba Father. You can draw from the wellspring of His love for you. You can share your heart and leave your burdens in His care. You don't need to fear punishment. Yes, God is the judge over all things, but Jesus has negotiated a New Covenant for you. Jesus took the judgment for your sins on the cross and received your punishment. 

God sees you through the finished work of His Son. Forgiven—healed—and whole. How do you see yourself?

Lord, Help My Unbelief!

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
—1 John 5:14-15
 

Do you have this confidence in Christ?  Do you believe if you ask anything according to God’s will, that He hears you, and whatever you ask, you will receive what you have asked of Him?  When you know what God says about something in His Word, you can pray what He says with confidence that He will do it. 
 
If this is the case, why do some people—when they pray what the Word says, ask “if it be your will?” God desires for us to pray His Word. When the Word says that “by His stripes, you were healed” and we ask God to heal us if it is His will, we are questioning if what God said in His Word is true. Believing and confidently praying the Word is powerful. When you pray with confidence, believing God’s will, the Word promises that you will have what you ask of Him. 
 
“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:6-8). 

James tells us that we are to ask in faith without doubting. When you know what God says about something in His Word, and you pray “if it be your will,” you are expressing doubt in God’s will. Doubt hinders the Word’s power to work in your life. A person who doubts cannot expect to receive anything from the Lord, James says. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. 
 
There are times we pray when there is not a clear indication in the Word about God’s will—such as some decisions for our lives. These are the times to pray asking for God’s will. But when the will of God is clear in His Word, praying “if it be your will,” shows doubt that we believe what God’s Word says is true. We can’t be in a place of doubt about God’s will and receive. We have to believe what the Word says. The person who doubts has trouble believing in healing and other truths as well. They judge the issues they pray for based on their reasoning or feelings or experiences rather than allowing the Word of God to be their Truth.
 
In Mark 9:14-29, the father of a demon-oppressed boy asks Jesus that if he can do anything to help his son to please help him.
 
“If you can believe,” Jesus tells the father, “all things are possible to him who believes.”
 
“Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief” the father cries out to Jesus! He has heard the words of Jesus that all things are possible to the one who believes. His faith is stirred, and he desires above all else to believe!  And the boy is delivered.
 
The Lord knows your desire to believe His Truth beyond what you see and feel. “Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief” is an honest prayer. “Lord, I know what your Word says about my issue, but many around me say that nothing can change—that what I believe your Word says is impossible. Lord, I believe, but help me to believe and not doubt. When I know what your Word says, I will pray with faith believing and knowing that all things are possible in you.”
 
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). When you hear the Word, again and again, your faith is stirred to believe its Truth. When you choose to believe what the Word says is true, unbelief weakens. If you keep putting God’s Word in your heart, each day you will grow stronger in believing Him until you can ask with confidence for what He says is true for you and, believing, you shall receive.

When Jesus prayed in the garden, “not my will, but yours be done,” Jesus knew what God’s will was for Him—that his flesh must take on our sins. It was the man within Him submitting to the will of the Father within Him. The words He prayed came from his flesh realizing the horrible pain of sin and death that was coming. But His surrender to God’s will revealed His belief that what He was prepared to do would bring the Resurrection promise. He did not doubt God’s will. He knew the result of God’s Truth. He did not doubt the benefit of His obedience. Do we honestly pray with such belief and conviction when we pray “if it be your will?”
 
The Word is all-powerful, but if someone does not believe its Truth, the Word has no power in that person’s life. It will not benefit someone who does not believe it. But when you apply faith to what the Word of God says is true, it profits you. You experience the result of its Truth in your life.
 
“Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief!”
 

Resting In the Finished Work Of Jesus

 

 
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
—Hebrews 11:6
 
Your faith is so important to God that without faith it is impossible to please Him. Putting your faith in the finished work of Jesus is the opposite of striving to earn God’s favor. It is the work of Jesus that saved and favored you with unconditional love on the cross. You can’t save yourself or win favor from God. You can’t earn what has already been earned. You are favored by God because of the finished work of Jesus. Jesus took your sins, your sickness, and your pain so that they don’t have to own you. He rewards those who diligently seek Him.
 
Faith doesn’t create anything. It can’t create healing or deliverance or provision. Faith only appropriates what God has already provided. Everything good God has for your life is provided in the finished work of Jesus. When we make ourselves the authors and the finishers of our faith, we aren’t going to like the results. Anytime we make receiving about ourselves—anytime we think we have to prove ourselves to win God’s favor—we will be very disappointed and disillusioned.
 
“Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed. So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: ‘Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk’” (Acts 3:11-12)?
 
These two holy Spirit-filled men knew that this miracle was not anything they had done. They knew it was the supernatural power of God that flowed through them that had made a change in this man’s life. From lame to healed, this man was now whole. 
 
“Through faith in the name of Jesus,” Peter said, “this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes” (Acts 3:16).
 
You never receive through anyone else’s ability or through your own. You only receive through faith in Jesus’s finished work on the cross for you. Sin is the root of all sickness, destruction, and death. When sin is killed so is the evil fruit that comes from it. Sickness and everything that is not of God is overcome. Faith is trusting in the finished work of Jesus. It is resting in His finished work. Put your faith in Jesus, and seek His Truth for your life. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. He receives glory whenever someone is forgiven or healed or delivered because Jesus is the One who did all the work. There is no more work to be done. It is finished.
 
Do you want your struggle, your fear, your pain and your questioning God’s love for you to end? Jesus has sat down on the right hand of the Father. His work is done. He has accomplished all for you. But you must choose to believe His work is complete. When you believe in your heart that Jesus’ work is perfect, then you know that there is nothing to be done to win God’s favor. You know you are favored. You live in a new dimension of joy that removes everything you thought you must do to prove you are His. You are free to receive all the benefits of His finished work in your life. 

Know I am Your God

Be still, and know that I am God.

—Psalm 46:10

 
 Be still. I know your situation before you speak one word to me. I haven’t led you into something that won’t come to pass. Your circumstance may seem like a wasteland right now, but let me assure you; it isn’t. Your promise is just as real as when I revealed it to you. Don’t get frustrated by what you don’t see happening. Just because you don’t see or feel your promise doesn’t mean that I’ve not worked it out. My work is in you. I have much to show you. I want you convinced that my Word is truth and life. But you have to allow me to reveal it you.
 
You will find strength in quietness. You will find strength when you place your confidence in me. Don’t lean on your own understanding. Let go. Quit trying to fix my work. Your work frustrates my grace. It hinders. Just because you can’t see or feel what I’m doing right at this moment doesn’t mean it isn’t true. I reveal myself all the time. Often, you allow other things to pull you away from resting in me and to keep you from hearing me. Be still. Listen to me with all your heart. Be expectant. I want to reveal to you the work I’m doing in you. Don’t make my promise to you a work that you try to achieve. Don’t run ahead of what I alone accomplish in you. In seeking—in rest—in everything, acknowledge me. I counsel you and reveal myself in you. 
 
You have received my greatest gift. New life in me! Always rejoice in the gift of my life for yours! Praise me! I declared at the moment I gave my life for you that your life was worth my righteousness. I have given you your promise. You will see this with my understanding when you let go and believe me. Dwell in me. Rest in me. Trust me. I remain always the strength of your heart. I am in you, and you are in me. Nothing that comes against you will prosper.  I am your righteous victory over everything. You have inherited my blessing. All my blessings are yours. Open the gift of my life. My promises are yes to you, and they are amen. 
 
Now, cease your striving. I have overcome. Trust me to do this work in you. Believe me. Nothing separates you from me. Take what only my love could earn. Know that I am your God.
 

 

Pour, Holy Spirit

For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring,
and my blessing on your descendants.
—Isaiah 44:3 (ESV)

Life may appear dry and without hope to some, but to someone who knows they are filled with your presence—who believes in your promises—it is a life flowing with milk and honey and bursting with great promise. My heart hungers to know the new person that you have made me, Lord. My thirsty soul drinks in all of you—consuming your Word and receiving your truth. 
 
“For I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise (Isaiah 43:20b-21, ESV). 
 
You created me to know you, Lord—not just know about you. You have chosen me to be yours. You have blessed me (Ephesians 1:3-4). When I hunger and thirst to know the righteousness you have given me, I am filled (Matthew 5:6). I see your spiritual blessings instead of my own natural limitations. When I continually receive your never-ending truth, I am renewed by it (Romans 12:2). I see with your eyes instead of my own. I see your promises instead of a life without hope. 
 
My life reaches beyond myself, Lord Jesus. It impacts those you love. My life speaks life or death. It offers either despair or hope. It imparts failure or success. It either kills a heart or encourages someone to reach beyond their natural limitations to receive spiritual understanding of what you have given them. If I don’t know whom you have made me, Lord, I can’t encourage others to receive what I don’t spiritually understand. Continually teach me, Holy Spirit. Teach me the depths of your joy. Teach me about your gift of righteousness within me. My soul renews like the eagle. I soar above everything that comes against the knowledge of who I am in your love and grace (Psalm 103:5, Isaiah 40:31).
 
I was created to praise you, Lord. I was created to know you—to remain in fellowship with you—to be filled with wisdom and revelation in my knowledge of you—to be enlightened to know the hope of your calling—to know your power in us who believe (Ephesians 1:17-19).
 
I shall continually drink of You, Lord, so I shall never thirst again (John 4:14). I am loved, cherished, and blameless in your grace. Your love made everything right. There is nothing I need to make right. I am yours. I have hope and promise. And upon those I love—my offspring and upon theirs—upon those I care for—upon those I pray for—upon those you have brought into my life—you pour your life and your blessing. 
 
Grace imparts more grace (James 4:6). Love breeds love through the generations to come. I am yours, and you always remember the prayers of your children. Your golden bowl is full and ready to pour (Revelation 5:8).
 
“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,” He says, “and great shall be the peace of your children” (Joel 2:25, Isaiah 54:13, NKJV).

This is your promise to me. I believe. Pour, Holy Spirit.

Our Good Good Father

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”
—Jeremiah 29:11-13, NLT


The true nature of God is love. He loves you. He has plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Some people attribute things like sickness as being from God—that God causes bad things to punish them because of something they have done or to make them learn a lesson. I've heard people even say, "He can hurt me if He wants because He's God." God does nothing that goes against His nature. Things happen in life because we live in a sinful world where the enemy tempts and tortures us. Yes, you can learn and gain strength from the things that happen to you, but God is not the author of evil. He is the author of good.
 
The Hebrew names of God in the Word reveal God’s true nature and His love for us. Some of the names are:

Jehovah-Shammah, is the God who is always with us. He never leaves us or forsakes us. Jehovah-Rohi, our shepherd, is the God who keeps us safe and guides us. Jehovah-M’Kaddesh is the God who sanctifies and blesses us. Jehovah-Tsidkenu is the righteous God who gives us His righteousness—the God who loved us enough to die for our sins. Jehovah Shalom is the God who gives us peace. Jehovah-Jireh is the God who provides for all our needs according to His riches in glory. Jehovah-Rapha is the God who heals us.
 
Do any of these names of God make you believe He wants to harm you? Yet, some who love God and serve Him think of Him as a God of punishment and retribution. Why would anyone want to serve God if they believe He is just waiting to beat them up when they fail? God’s nature is love. He proved that on the cross.
 
Some believe that sickness is a blessing sent by God. Illness is not of God. God has plans not to harm us. If we think illness is a blessing, why don't we ask God to make us sick? Do we tell our children when they are hurting that they are blessed to be that way? No, we hurt with them. We ache with them and do everything within our power to help them feel better. God hurts for us the same way. When His children are in pain, He feels it. Why would we ever question if God, our Father, wants to heal our hurts and sicknesses?  
 
Our suffering does not bring joy to God. We need to look at sickness and other attacks of the enemy and declare that those things are not from our God! They don’t come from the heart of the Father who loves us so much that He would give His life for us. He is Jehovah-Rapha, our healer.
 
God is not the author of your sickness. He is good. The enemy is evil. Sickness harms you. Sickness attempts to destroy your future and the plans that God has for you. God is love, and He wants you to prosper and be in good health (3 John 2). God sent His Word to heal you (Psalm 107:20). God desires His Word to go deep into your heart because it brings life and healing to you (Proverbs 4:20-22).  
 
We sing that God is our good, good Father. Let’s believe it. Let’s allow the Word to build our faith. God loves us and wants the best for us. We must stand against the enemy’s evil. When we fight believing God wants all things good for us, we experience the power and determination of God rising within us. We know that nothing that comes against us has any authority to prosper. We trust in His love that was more than enough for our sins—our needs—our fear—our circumstances. God is our authority.
 
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20, NIV).  God wants to do immeasurably more than we ask or think. And this is according to His power at work within us. God has put His power within us. Christian! A good good God is living inside of you! He is a loving, forgiving, healing, providing, and empowering God. Remember, He is living in you! So you are loved, forgiven, healed, and empowered! That is who you are in Him.
 
And He says, “I want to do more than you can ask or imagine." Grasp this!  He has good plans for you—plans that don't harm you. You have the power and healing of God living inside of you. Believe what you have received in Christ and speak healing and life and joy and peace into your life. Experience the overwhelming and abundant love of God. Don't let the enemy steal and kill and destroy. God does more than you imagine according to the power that lives in you. Exercise your faith! Live what God has given you.
 

My Fullness Of Joy

 

You will show me the path of life. In Your presence is fullness of joy. 
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
—Psalms 16:11

 
 
Lord Jesus, your path is before me. I don’t always see what is ahead, but you’re always with me—guiding me and reminding me not to lean on my own understanding. Your peace rises from within. It has become as my next breath. You have cleansed me of all my sin, my pain, my fears, my sickness, and my inadequacies. You have given me all of you. Where I once stood condemned and guilty before you, I am now innocent in your righteousness. My old sinful nature has been crucified, and I have new life in you! You have poured every spiritual blessing into me that I would ever need to carry me abundantly through this life into the next. 
 
Abundant life is in your presence! I have a fullness of joy no matter what happens. When I received you into my heart by faith, you opened up the resources of heaven to me. For many years, I didn’t understand what that meant. I had to allow you to renew my mind—to change the way I think. I don’t have to live in fear that I can never be good enough or that sickness will claim me or circumstances will defeat me. I don’t have to struggle seeking just one thing to make you love me. I am yours. You accept and love me as I am.. You discipline me with your love. Your grace has set me free from condemnation that is no longer mine.
 
Peace is your perfect gift. I have contentment without an agenda. The enemy lies, but you have given me the authority to silence him. I can speak to my mountains, believing they will move. Thank you, Jesus, for your love which saved me from myself and imparted everything I need to stand strong in this life! Filled with joy, I am alive and free in your grace!

You chose me and loved me before all creation! That is the most incredible truth! I have no debt! I am forgiven! I run into your arms without hesitation. You said “no more” to my sin­—to my pain—to my fear—to my sickness—to my lack! You said these things are finished! You lavish me with your love! I have overflowing abundance in you. Your presence rises within me! You are my fullness of joy!

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love” (Ephesians 1:3-4).


 

Make Every Effort

Without knowing who we are in Christ, we face the prospect of failure. Exercising faith to believe in God’s truth develops good character traits to help us make it successfully. Faith is powerful and helps us walk positively through any circumstance. Hope helps us believe in God’s promises for what we can’t see.
 
“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm,” the writer to the Hebrews penned, “for God can be trusted to keep his promise” (Hebrews 10:23, NLT).  We can trust God to keep His promise. 
 
“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life,” Peter wrote. “We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires” (2 Peter 1:3-4, NLT).
 
God has given us everything we need for His righteousness to be alive in us. And we received "all of this" we need the day we believed in Christ. We received Jesus by faith, and we also receive everything we need to live a righteous life by faith.
 
God has given us great and precious promises that enable us to share in His divine nature. But if we don’t know the promises that are ours, we live defeated and powerless lives. When we exercise faith and allow the Holy Spirit to renew the way we think, we learn to see from God’s perspective instead of what we see. The full righteousness of God lives in us, but we can’t know what that means until we allow our faith to transform our understanding.
 
“For this very reason,” Peter continued, “make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love (2 Peter 1:5-7, NLT). 
 
Make every effort to add to your faith, Paul said—not just attempt and then when it gets too hard to give up. You decide to add these virtues in your life, but God’s power fosters personal growth and results in spiritual understanding. 
 
You decide to grow. You decide to change. You decide to forgive. You decide to persevere. You decide to be patient. You decide to surrender and allow Him to mold your mind. God empowers your choices and carries you in His strength, and your perception changes to His. You are transformed in the spirit of your mind. You have the mind of Christ. Peace is not just a dream. You discover it more quickly. Fear is defeated more easily. Walking the road of life is easier because your eyes are not on the road but on God. 
 
Life will always present trials. Whatever you face will either spur you on or hold you back. Christ promises success, but you decide to believe what you have received. Without allowing the truth of His Word to impact your mind and heart, you will not understand the wonderful gift of righteousness He has given you. His promises are true, but if you don’t know them, you remain in bondage. Faith comes by hearing the Word. Knowledge of the Word sets you free. And faith gives wings to His promises.
 
“The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ,” Peter wrote in conclusion. “But those who fail to develop in this way are short-sighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins” (2 Peter 1:8-9, NLT).
 

If you live with shame and guilt, you’re in bondage to the old person you were before you knew Jesus. You haven’t allowed the Holy Spirit to help you grow in spiritual understanding of what Jesus has actually given you. 
 
Never remain short-sighted in your knowledge and understanding of the grace of Jesus. Make every effort, and He will transform your understanding. The glass no longer has to appear half-empty or even half-full. It is always overflowing. Christ, the hope of glory, lives in you.
 

Expectation, Hope, and Faith

 

For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. 
—Philippians 1:19-20
 
 
What was Paul’s focus?  The message of new life in Christ was his absolute focus. Paul had the expectation and hope that God was with him in every moment directing and empowering him to share the Gospel. God’s grace was sufficient in everything. Nothing had the power to deter Paul from God’s will. He had the earnest expectation and hope that no distraction or feeling or circumstance had any power to discredit his faith. He was bold in his faith because he allowed the fruit of his relationship with Christ to be bold in him. Paul knew who Christ was manifested in his life. Paul had assurance—he trusted—he expected God to magnify Himself in his life. He was willing to give all for the grace of Jesus to be known and alive in others.
 
Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the only one who makes all the difference in you. He is the only one who gives you a new life. You are Paul’s focus. Jesus Christ is the life Paul offered to you. Paul’s message is for you to know Christ and experience the fullness of His grace. Paul endured persecution for the sake of Christ so YOU could experience the fruit of your relationship with Jesus. Your expectation and hope make all the difference in how you live this new life.
 
Look at the phrase “according to my earnest expectation and hope” in Philippians 1:20. 
 
You are expecting something in life whether you are aware of it or not. Look at your expectation as “soil” from which your life grows. A pessimist only expects a negative life. An optimist discovers something positive in every circumstance and thing that happens. If you fill your life with negative influences—negative thoughts—negative things, you will find yourself wrestling with negative expectations.  If you dwell on the mistakes and sins of the past, you may be expecting more of the same in your future. Your attitude—your approach to life—is extremely powerful. 
 
Your expectations are either based on God’s promises or on your fears and failures.  Hope comes alive as a result of positive expectations. Hope in God’s promises can only grow from the “soil” of your positive expectations. Since faith is the substance of things hoped for (Hebrews 11:1), a negative approach to life can never inspire your faith to grow. Faith can only be inspired and exercised when positive expectations and hope are alive. Negative expectations are why so many Christians wrestle to experience a victorious life. 
 
Expectation, hope, and faith spring from a promise God has made to you. These grow in your life from a seed that has been sown in your heart.  Every promise of God activates your faith, and faith comes to life when you “hear” His Word in your heart (Romans 10:17). God doesn’t lie. It isn’t His nature to lie. And God has designed seeds to multiply according to their nature. A farmer who plants seeds expects a harvest. A believer who sows God’s grace and His love into the lives of others can also expect a harvest. When you give, it will be given to you.
 
What do you expect in your life? What is the source of your attitude? If you are basing your life on God’s promises—if you believe you will reap a harvest from sowing His truth in your heart, you will without doubt live a life of faith. If you see everything through the eyes of a pessimist, you will be left to your own strength. You will experience a meager life when you could have had an abundant one.

As Paul stepped out in faith to share the message of new life in Jesus Christ, he had the expectation, hope, and faith that the Holy Spirit would supply all his needs so you, also, could, plant the seed of God’s truth in your heart. So you, also, could choose to live by faith and not by sight. So you, also, could believe. 
 
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).
 
 

The Power of Our Words

 

Do you feel weak and powerless when facing the challenges of this world? Has God abandoned you without any strength? Or have the voices of doubt and distrust led you to believe that you have no other options? What would you do if you discovered that you actually possess the power to transform your life and influence others as well as the circumstances around you?

If you are born again, the power of God resides within your heart.

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes . . ." (Romans 1:16)

The gospel that transformed your life holds God’s power to change those who hear you and believe.

“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” (Ephesians 3:20).

What is "the power that works in us?”  We can speak of the power of faith, the Holy Spirit, the Name of Jesus, the righteousness of God, and many other aspects of this power. But what about our words?

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 18:21).

If you have a tongue, you possess the power to speak both life and death. When filled with the Spirit of God, your words hold great power. Many of us have experienced the "death" that arises from hurtful or fearful words, yet we can also encounter victory, healing, life, and peace by speaking words of faith and encouragement. God's power is within us to speak life, but we must draw upon it and use it.

Hearing and believing the words of the Gospel saved you. You confessed Jesus with your mouth (Romans 10:9-10). That marked the beginning of the power for life. What are you doing with your words now? 

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).

Are you confessing the truths of His Word without doubting? God is faithful to His Word. His Word within you is powerful and life-changing when it is spoken.

As my pastor often preaches, if you have a pulse, you have a purpose. Once we accept that God's power to heal and free us from fear, depression, and lack is within us, we will become much more active in declaring God's words and releasing His power into a hurting world. 

"Is not My word like a fire?" says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?" (Jeremiah 23:29).

God’s power is yours. What are you doing with it?

A New Thing In Me

Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
—Isaiah 43:19

 

You promise something new, Lord. I want to perceive your Word producing life in me. Conceive in me, Holy Spirit. I’m meditating on Your Word, renewing my thoughts daily, and believing Your Word in my heart. Your Word is Truth. Guide me into all of it. Teach me beyond my natural ability to perceive. Take me to the place where I walk in peace, healing, and joy more abundant than I have ever known.
 
Amid the chaos, evil, unrest, and struggles, you tell me to keep my mind on You. I don’t have any answers. I know this is a matter of trust. You give me Your revelation to inspire hope. I want to receive it and share it with integrity.
 
You continually tell me that You are doing something new. But my perception is not yet Yours, Lord. I’m making the mistake of trying to understand with my limited mind instead of the spiritual mind You have given me. If I seek Your understanding with all my mind and heart and deny my own, I will receive the revelation You have for me. 
 
This journey of Your revelation is unlike any other. You take me out of my comfort zone, beyond the familiar, and open the life of Your Word within me. You expand my understanding from the ordinary aspects of this world to the extraordinary nature of Yours. I desire Your revelation more than human understanding. Nothing else is worth the divine unveiling of Your Word. Nothing comes close.
 
Everyone—whether they are from the world or from you—believes they have the answer. Their answers may be based on human logic or what they believe in your Word. Perhaps those who look for answers in Your Word have never considered that You possess a depth of understanding beyond their natural perception. 
 
Dare we open ourselves and allow You, Holy Spirit, to guide us into all Truth? The answer to everything is found in Your Word. We just haven’t perceived it yet so that it can be believed in our minds and conceived in our hearts. We haven’t been willing to risk venturing into uncharted territory with You.

When the Word has renewed us, we will trust You with our minds and hearts. You will keep us in perfect peace, no matter what rages around us. Our spirits are born-again in You. We perceive Your Spirit and conceive Your Truth with our souls (our minds and hearts). When what we believe comes into agreement with the Word, we align with Your Truth. We experience the physical manifestation of Your Word. When we place our faith in You rather than in the lies of the enemy, the world, religious tradition, or the opinions of men, You grant perfect peace amid chaos, unrest, and destruction.
 
“Behold, I will do a new thing. Will you not know it?  I make a road in this wilderness and give waters in this desert land to my people—to the ones that know me—the ones I have formed for myself. They shall praise me” (Isaiah 43:19-21).
 
You are the answer, Lord Jesus. The revelation of Your Word is the means you have given me to know you and to share you. But sometimes instead of allowing You to work through me, I fail. You paid the price, Lord; it is Your purpose, not mine. I am but Your servant. You give revelation. You bear fruit in me. You change hearts, not me. 

Lord, Jesus, may the meditation of my heart and the words of my mouth be pleasing in your sight. I take my hands off Your work. Open my heart to risk everything for you. Change me, Holy Spirit, into a vessel You can use so that Your Word will be manifested in those hungry enough to receive it. Help me write for hearts that are famished and willing to risk everything for You.
 

I have Your mind to exercise, Lord Jesus. I fix my mind and heart on You. I trust only you, Lord. I will keep sowing Your imperishable Truth in my heart, and You will bring forth something new in me. 

Guard Your Heart

My son, give attention to my words;
Incline your ear to my sayings.
Do not let them depart from your eyes;
Keep them in the midst of your heart;
For they are life to those who find them,
And health to all their flesh.
Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.
—Proverbs 4:20-23 NKJV

We must always guard our hearts and the things we put into them. We need to pay attention to God’s Words and keep them deep in our hearts, instead of fostering doubt and unbelief. Our thoughts, the things we value, the words we speak about ourselves, and above all else, our hope should reflect a heart that is surrendered and open to God’s healing grace. 

Psalm 103:2-4 emphasizes the importance of honoring the Lord for His forgiveness of all our sins and healing of all our diseases. We are told not to forget His benefits. How often do we forget these truths in the face of what we see and experience? 

If you consistently sow disappointment into your heart instead of embracing God’s truth, it can lead to the painful consequences of doubt, disillusionment, and bitterness, ultimately resulting in unbelief. Disappointment should never hinder your belief in Him. Even if you aren’t witnessing His promises in your life, God remains steadfast to His Word. It’s imperative to safeguard your heart from disappointment.

Regardless of any sickness or disappointing circumstance you encounter, don’t ever forsake the revelation of God’s goodness in Scripture and His covenant with you. Hasn’t His goodness and mercy surpassed anything you could ever earn or desire? During times of abundance and lack, God has always remained faithful and unwavering.

When faced with disappointment, we may be tempted to flee from God instead of fleeing from the enemy. When we do this, we play into the devil’s lies and confusion. A heart not surrendered to the Lord will struggle with issues it was never meant to confront. Our lives are already challenged enough without allowing mental and emotional confusion to guide us instead of faith in God’s goodness.

Never play into the enemy’s purpose to redefine God by what you experience in this life. It doesn’t matter if what you have gone through is good or bad. God is revealed in Scripture as perfectly good. He is better than you can think or imagine. It’s up to you to change the way you think so that you can delve into His goodness with all your heart and mind. Your faith must take possession of God’s Word. His truth must become your truth. If you are facing the pain of disappointment, there is no better time to explore the reality of God’s goodness.

If you don’t see God’s Word working in your life, God is still good. God didn’t send sickness for your benefit. That is an affront to the Gospel. You can’t believe for healing at the same time you believe the Father made you sick. That would be like having a divided house that cannot stand. Don’t compromise His truth by saying you believe it’s God will to heal, but He heals some and He doesn’t others. Spiritually seeing God’s truth as your own is essential to believing and ultimately receiving what God declares is true. Compromising His Word undermines His goodness and hinders His work in your life. God never surrenders to your definition of His truth if it is different from His Word.

The goodness of God is the foundation of our faith. A revelation of His goodness will feed your spirit, soul, and body. Your healing is not based on your goodness. Don’t ever speak defeat. Don’t be passive and give in to “what will be will be.” God’s Word is intentional. Are you? Keep believing. Keep putting His Word in your heart. God’s promises are true. He will use all things for His glory and your strength. 

“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13, NKJV).

Have you lost heart? Keep putting His Word in your heart, and guarding it from doubt and unbelief. You can be confident of His good will toward you.

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15, NKJV).

Redeeming God's Gift

Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.
—2 Tim. 1:9

God lives in eternity, but time was created specifically for man. While God has no beginning, time does. Time is a gift from God that allows Him to manifest His will in our lives. Time can be exchanged for all God has promised us. Before time began, God bestowed upon us purpose and grace. We can either redeem the time God has created for us or we can throw it away. 

“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16).

Some individuals use time to learn and grow, while others indulge in their desires. Some achieve success in life, while others become increasingly defeated. Some gain knowledge about God, His healing power, and His favor, while others grumble and complain.

We all have the same amount of time before us. Some are making the most of it, while others are wasting it. If you are asked where next year’s fruit will come from, you would say that it will come from this year’s seeds. The ingredients that produce fruit are seeds which contain the potential for future fruit, the soil that provides the life and growth necessary for fruit to thrive, and time.

A seed that is sown demands something from time, while a seed neglected wastes time.

Are you making the most of the time God has given you? The seeds of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control within you hold the potential for your future. However, these seeds must be planted if you want to redeem your time.

There is time right now to build relationships, create opportunities, and prosper in health to fulfill your purpose. There is time to allow the Holy Spirit to work through you. Time can be wasted or used to shape your future. 

Look where we are in the time God has given us. Prophecy is being fulfilled right before our eyes. Are we redeeming the time God has given us or are we throwing what we have left away? Choose wisely.

A New Beginning

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
—Philippians 3:12-14

Paul had made a choice for his life. His purpose was to reach his full potential in Christ. He not only acknowledged that Jesus had “laid hold” of him but also recognized his own need to “lay hold” of his calling in Christ (Philippians 3:12). Jesus may have “laid hold” of Paul, but without Paul “laying hold” of his new life in Jesus, he would never reach his potential. To accomplish this, Paul chose to persevere, forget the past, and concentrate on his future. He resolved to “press on” toward the goal, driven by the promise of God’s upward call. 

Paul had four choices to make: (1) He had to press on toward his calling, persevering and never giving up. (2) He had to lay hold of it at all costs. (3) He had to forget the past that lay behind him, believing the past was no longer who he was. (4) He had to reach toward those things of God that, though unseen, were true and eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18).

Rather than succumbing to complacency, Paul was propelled by the extraordinary grace of Jesus, which had transformed his life. He understood that forgiveness granted him a new beginning. Now, he had the opportunity to fulfill God’s calling and live an overcoming life. However, Paul faced a pivotal decision: to envision his future and take hold of his calling in Christ. He had to seize the new life Christ had bestowed upon him. Paul couldn’t settle for a passive existence. He yearned to work with the One who had forgiven him and given him new life.

Just like Paul, God has called you with a holy calling, that has nothing to do with your performance or your worthiness. He has called you to His own purpose because He wants to show you His grace. If you feel like giving up, you need to understand that it’s not your ability God wants. He wants your availability. If you’ve reached the end of your own strength, you’re a candidate for God’s grace. So come to the throne of grace.

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

Begin to offer the sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13:15). Determine to praise God, regardless of your circumstances. Pray in the Spirit so God can build your faith (Jude 1:20). Give Him the opportunity to work and turn things around. Forget the past and press on! Forgiveness gives you a new beginning!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Does Your Heart Hear?

Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: 

"Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
 and seeing you will see and not perceive;
 for the hearts of this people have grown dull.
 Their ears are hard of hearing,
 and their eyes they have closed,
 lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
 lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
 so that I should heal them."

But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

—Matthew 13:13-17


In these verses, Jesus is referring to those who are unable to understand spiritual truth. Proverbs 4:20 says, “My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.”  Spiritual truths can only be understood if we “incline” our ears to God’s Word. The disciples didn’t understand about the miracle of the loaves when the five-thousand were fed because their hearts were hardened (Mark 6:52). What have we missed from the Lord because we were insensitive to it? If we fail to meditate upon spiritual truths, we will become spiritually dull of hearing or hardened to them.

Have you ever experienced a spiritual revelation in your heart, only to be surprised when other believers seem to miss it? Unfortunately, many believers are spiritually deaf. Even when spiritual truths are conveyed to them, those truths fail to be heard in their hearts.

Those who fail to spiritually understand God’s truth can’t understand it when it’s presented to them. As a result of their ignorance, they become resistant to it. A spiritual “dullness” keeps their hearts and minds from hearing God. The things of God become foolish to them (1 Corinthians 2:14).

“For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed” (Matthew 13:15).

I once had a limited hunger for God. My mind and heart had grown dull. The Word had taken too many years to penetrate my heart. Now I have an insatiable hunger to hear from the Lord—to know what He wishes to reveal to my heart. 

God’s Word sets us free, but many are living in bondage, ignorance, brokenness, and fear. They aren’t truly hearing the gospel with their hearts. I don’t want a dull mind and heart. I never want to return to ignorance and fear. I never want to let the revelation of His truth out of my sight. I’ll guard it deeply in my heart because, in finding it, it has become life to me (Proverbs 4:21-23).

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8).

A spiritual lack of hearing isn’t just a heart issue; it’s a sin issue. If we will draw near to God with a sincere heart, He will draw near to us. If we aren’t hearing God spiritually, it’s because of an impure or mixed heart. An impure heart doesn’t know what it believes because it’s not fixated on the truth. What it believes changes with circumstances. One moment it believes truth, and at another moment it doubts. James says an unstable man is double-minded in all his ways—that he should expect to receive nothing from the Lord (James 1:7-8).

God has created us to know Him—to be one-minded with Him. But some just never hear Him. Although God has persistently spoken to them through the Word and His servants, they have become dull of hearing (Jeremiah.25:4), fixated on their circumstances, and double-minded in all their ways.

Our hearts determine how we hear. Seeking God is how we hear Him speaking in our hearts. “You will seek me and find me,” God says, “when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

Even though we are born again, we can still hold onto opposing beliefs in our hearts, and that indecisiveness can steal our capacity to hear God and be set free. It’s when we hear spiritual truth in our hearts that it begins to manifest in our lives. 

Your complete restoration of spirit, soul, and body is through Jesus’ atonement, but you must incline your hearts to hear Him. Are your ears blessed in hearing Him (Matthew 13:16)?  Keep seeking the Lord with a sincere, undivided heart, and you will hear the Holy Spirit revealing truth that transforms you.

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15).

Expecting the Miraculous Testimony of Jesus

The following passage is taken from Charles Spurgeon, speaking in the Royal Surrey Gardens in London on July 17, 1859:

When people hear about what God used to do, one of the things they say is: “Oh, that was a very long while ago.” They imagine that times have altered since then. 

Says one: “I can believe anything about the Reformation–the largest accounts that can possibly be given, I can take in.” 

“And so could I concerning Whitefield and Wesley,” says another, “all that is quite true, they did labour vigorously and successfully, but that was many years ago. Things were in a different state then from what they are now.” 

Granted; but I want to know what the things have to do with it. I thought it was God that did it. Has God changed? Is He not an immutable God, the same yesterday, today and for ever? Does not that furnish an argument to prove that what God has done at one time He can do at another? 

I think I may push it a little further, and say what He has done once, is a prophecy of what He intends to do again–that the mighty works which have been accomplished in the olden time shall all be repeated, and the Lord’s song shall be sung again in Zion, and He shall again be greatly glorified.

Others among you say, “Oh, well I look upon these things as great wonders and miracles. We are not to expect them every day.” 

That is the very reason why we do not get them. If we had learnt to expect them, we should no doubt obtain them, but we put them up on the shelf, as being out of the common order of our moderate religion, as being mere curiosities of Scripture history. We imagine such things, however true, to be wonders of providence; we cannot imagine them to be according to the ordinary working of His mighty power.
____________________________

The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10).
 
Charles Spurgeon had a revelation. We obtain what we expect. The Hebrew word for testimony means “to do it again.” That is the purpose of a testimony—to share what God has done so He can do it again. The miracle someone has experienced is the testimony of Jesus. It must be expected to happen again. Charles Spurgeon got this. But do we get this? Will we, the church, ever see miracles as the ordinary working of God’s power? If only the church had heard Charles Spurgeon’s revelation in 1859! Perhaps it would be living a totally different reality now.

If you want to change the atmosphere in a room, share your personal testimony of God’s deliverance—not for your benefit, but to invite the Holy Spirit so He can change the atmosphere.

People love hearing the stories of what Jesus has done for others. They are captivated with them. Every story shared gives a glimpse of Jesus through the eyes of one who has been redeemed. They catch another revelation of His grace. 

Our testimonies are the record of a God who chooses to work through people who aren’t perfect. He just looks for people who value Him and will give Him an opportunity to do what He does best. He works in the impossible. 

In Mark 8:17-18, the disciples were bewildered by the challenge Jesus had given them to provide food they didn’t have to a huge hungry crowd. He asked them, “Do you not see? Do you not hear? Do you not remember?” God asks us the same. Sometimes, I don’t see what He’s doing. Other times I can’t hear what He’s saying. But there is one thing I can always do. I can remember what’s He’s done. That I can do!

The things I remember God has done in my life before, He’s in the process of doing now.  I may not see or hear clearly, but remembering what the Lord has done tells me that He’s doing it again.

Signs and wonders are meant to be ordinary occurrences as they were in the days of the early church. But we don’t see miracles everyday because we don’t expect them.

Heather Bowden posted on Facebook yesterday: “If you live a life of expectancy, whether they're good, bad or neutral you get what you expect. I live expecting blessings and I receive blessings upon blessings. Change your expectations and watch God work.”

If we want to see the miraculous in our lives, we must stop seeing it as rare. We must change our vision to believe and expect it. What God has done in the past, He’s in the process of doing now. If I’ll change my expectation, I’ll see God move miraculously. This is my journey. I’m expecting the miraculous testimony of Jesus.

Stand Steadfast in Faith

 

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
— James 1:6

The devil will try to undermine your faith when you face a challenging situation. However, in this critical moment when the enemy is most intimidating, you have a choice to make. You can either give up or stand your ground. You can refuse to relinquish your position of faith. 

Don’t feel condemned when you fail to maintain your faith in challenging  situations. Let James’ message from the Lord encourage you, not condemn you. To overcome a challenging situation or a persistent obstacle, you must take a courageous stand in faith and remain unwavering.

Even though what you pray aligns with God’s will, that doesn’t guarantee a quick or easy answer. There’s a devil who comes against it. But not only that. You struggle with your own flesh, which desires comfort and hates challenges. Your faith requires greater growth because God wishes you to reach a higher level.

Faith isn’t being undecided or unsure. Faith believes. It stands steadfast, never moving or wavering. In James 1:6, James describes the unwavering attitude a believer must maintain when he asks God for something: “But let him ask in faith, with no doubt. For he that doubts is like a wave of the sea driven driven and tossed by the wind.”

In James 1:6 is we learn that we must “ask.” The Greek word used for “ask” indicates that we are to be firm and resolute in requesting assistance to meet our needs. We need to be so confident in what we request that we boldly pray with the assurance that we wil receive it.

James says that we must ask “in faith.” The Greek language places emphasis on the word “in.”  The phrase “in faith” designates a position you are locked into. In other words, this person who is “in faith” is praying from a firm and immovable position. He is praying from an unwavering belief. He knows God’s promise, and he isn’t going to change. He is utterly determined and refuses to settle for anything less than what he believes. Nothing is going to shake or move him.

James 1:6 also states that we must ask in faith and not “doubt.” The Greek word for “doubt” reveals a person who disagrees with himself.  You may be saying all the right words, but your heart may not really agree. You may be confessing all the right things without truly believing them. Until your heart and mouth line up, you’re not truly asking in faith. We must ask with hearts that agree with the words we speak.

This verse teaches that if we aren’t asking “in faith”—if we aren’t praying from a position of unwavering faith—we are like a wave of the sea. Waves are spectacular, but they always recede. Similarly, a person who lacks unwavering faith may appear or sound confident when they pray. However, just like a wave of the sea, if their prayers and desires are constantly changing, they aren’t in a position to receive God’s blessings.

James 1:7 instructs,:“Let not that man suppose that he shall receive anything from the Lord.” God wants to bless us, but if we don’t stay “in faith” long enough, we won’t receive the answer to our prayer. When we don’t stand firmly in a position of faith, we find ourselves vacillating constantly, just like the waves, changing from one prayer request to another prayer request over the same issue. When a small amount of pressure comes, we doubt, and change again. This is not what God wants for us. Faith knows. It stands, believing, no matter what Satan or the flesh or the world declares is true. 

What have you experienced? Perhaps this is one reason your prayer hasn’t been answered. Do you often change your mind or waver in doubt? Perhaps you haven’t fully committed yourself to steadfastly stand in faith for that particular need. Sometimes, it takes years to see the result of your prayers. If you’re moving around and wavering in your faith all the time, you make it difficult for God to bless you. This is why it’s imperiative to focus and be firmly committed.

What is in your heart? Do you believe? Can you truthfully confess, “I’m believing God for this answer to manifest,  and I’m not moving from my stand of faith?” If you can, you position yourself as someone God can bless.

Don’t be tossed around by the enemy, your challenges, or the opinions of others. Be steadfast, asking in faith without wavering. Never vacillate. Let patience have its perfect work. Remain confident that you will see your answer come to pass because your faith is based upon God’s Word, and His Word is His will. Profess the hope of your answer today and everyday until the will of God is manifested in your life (Hebrews 10:23).

God is faithful. Through patience and faith, you inherit His promise. (Hebrews 6:12).

Through Faith

 

Have you ever faced a problem and sought God’s intervention to solve it? Yet, deep within your heart, you heard Him ask, “What are you going to do about it?”

This question reminds me of 2 Peter 1:3:

“His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.”

God has provided me with all the things I need to navigate any situation in life. Through knowledge of Him, who has called me “by glory and virtue,” I possess all that pertains to living a godly life, confidently handling any challenging issue. Vision and faith play a crucial role in many aspects of life, and God has already taken care of His part. In Christ, He has gifted us with everything we need. However, the challenge lies in our lack of understanding and acknowledgment of the Word He has given us.

Are you struggling with a broken relationship, a poor health report, or financial difficulties? Sometimes, our religious response is to implore God to intervene instead of employing the promises He has already given in His Word. However, God is my Father, not a distant, hands-off God that must be convinced to provide something He has already given. I have a relationship with Him. He patiently waits for me to believe His Word, pray His will, step out of the place I have settled, and act on the faith He has given me. 

Life and death are in the power of the words we speak (Proverbs 18:21). Have you spoken healing and provision to your need?

Have you prayed for and forgiven those who have wronged you (Matthew 5:44-45)?

Have you honored God with your giving and sowed it in faith (Proverbs 3:9-10, 2 Corinthians 9:6-11)?

Have you resisted the enemy (James 4:7)?

Have you spoken to the mountains in your life and believed you have received victory (Mark 11:22-24)?

Far too often, we become complacent and even fatalistic in the face of life’s circumstances; we just give up. Some people resort to imploring God for intervention, only to become upset when the problems persist. Instead of trusting in God’s promises and stepping out in faith expecting to receive His promise, we often sit back and just wait on His divine intervention to resolve our issues. 

What if God is patiently waiting for us to take that first step of faith? 

The heavens, even the heavens, are the Lord’s; but the earth He has given to the children of men (Psalm 115:16).

You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet (Psalm 8:6).

God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). As the Creator, they are His. However, God gave dominion of the earth to man (Genesis 1:28). He placed the earth under man’s authority, and man gave away his authority to Satan (Romans 6:16). God Himself could not intervene in what man had done, but when God came in the flesh as Jesus, Satan faced His defeat. God had become a man and, as such, had power and authority to execute judgment on the earth (John 5:27). And He did, destroying Satan’s dominion, returning it to man, and giving us authority over all the works of the enemy.  

For many of us, it’s time to break free from our passiveness, embrace faith, and exercise the authority Jesus has returned to us. Without faith, we can’t please the Lord (Hebrews 11:6).

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith (1 John 5:4).

The faith you have received is born of God; it overcomes whatever you face in life. But for faith to overcome, it must be used. It may be as small as a mustard seed, but when you use it, your life will be powerfully transformed. 

Restoration is yours in Jesus Christ. Jesus has done all He can to restore you to an intimate relationship with the Father, complete with all its inherent blessings. Peter understood restoration (John 21: 15-19). He wrote that God's divine power has given us all we need to experience an overcoming and victorious life. Through faith, you enter into the abundant life Jesus has purchased on your behalf, taking by force what is no longer the enemy’s (Matthew 11:12). 

Jesus has restored all of you.

Embrace Righteousness

“Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart” (Psalm 97:11, KJV).

Your understanding of your right standing with God will provide guidance and direction in your life. Those who live for the flesh are consumed by fear and guilt and will find it difficult to make sound decisions. On the other hand, those who embrace righteousness are blessed with light and gladness. 

Righteousness is the grace of God that enables us to stand in His presence without guilt or fear. It’s the knowledge that Jesus resides within us, empowering us to be good. It’s the belief that despite our imperfections, God has chosen us in Christ and loves us unconditionally. This heartfelt peace with God will serve as a guiding light in your life.

“The way of the righteous is made plain” (Proverbs 15:19, KJV). “The path of the just is as the shining light, that shines more and more unto the perfect day” (Proverbs 4:18), KJV).

The freedom that comes from your spiritual understanding of your righteousness in Christ is profound. God has granted us His very nature, and this nature dispels confusion and doubt. When you comprehend your identity in Christ, you become guided by the Spirit. Instead of your flesh, your true self in Christ determines your actions and circumstances no longer control your life.

“For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers” (1 Peter 3:12, NKJV).

Those who embrace righteousness live in the presence of God. Effective prayer is the fruit of your righteous relationship with Him. Living with religious guilt can hinder your prayer life, while embracing your righteousness in Jesus can fuel it.

How can you discern if you’re walking in righteousness? You’ll experience inner peace. You’ll have peace with God and peace of mind no matter life’s problems and challenges. You’ll recognize that your God is for you, guiding and blessing your life.

Jesus didn’t come to condemn you. He came to give you a right relationship with God. Guilt and condemnation will only fuel your flesh.

“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me” (Philippians 3:12, NKJV).

Press on, growing in your understanding that you are the of righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Lay hold of its peace. Embrace righteousness, and let it guide your life.

God's Love Perfected In Me

You can’t control the attitudes and actions of others, but you can control how you respond. Whether you withdraw into your hurt and disappointment or lash out at the person who has hurt you, you’re only fostering uncertainty and distrust. As a Christian, you’re called to a higher level of peace in your relationships with others. God wants to heal the part of your your heart that has been hardened from those who have disappointed and hurt you. If you open your heart to the Word of God, you’ll discover that God’s love empowers you to navigate difficult relationships and the issues that may arise.

“For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set your mind on the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans 8:6 ESV).

What we set out minds on is crucial. Do we respond to our flesh or to the Spirit? We aren’t meant to act like the world. We are meant to seek God’s presence and His wisdom so that we overflow with His love. We’re not only called to survive difficult relationships; we are called to bring peace and life into them. We’re called to live at a level where others are so amazed by the Holy Spirit that they want to seek God’s help in their own relationships.

“Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love” (1 John 4:17, NLT).

Being perfected in God’s love is maturing in our faith. As we are being perfected, we are growing into the knowledge and assurance of our relationship with Christ and the depth of His love for us. 

It’s critical that we remain open and positive in our relationships so we can mature in His love. If we allow fear to control us, we will fail to connect with other people. Jesus calls us to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-14), so we cannot let fear isolate us. We are called to bring others to the Word, God’s love revealed to us in Christ.

Just as fear destroys faith, the love of God destroys fear. To get rid of fear, you must continually grow in your knowledge and understanding of God’s love for you. Fear is nothing but absolute torment; it paints pictures of a troubled future that is full of pain and disappointment. These images often come from old wounds and failures that, without an understanding of God’s love, have never healed. When you seek the Spirit’s understanding of God’s love, He speaks life and peace to you. He paints images of great hope in your mind. When you set your mind on the Lord, you begin to trust His love for the good future He has promised (Jeremiah 29:11). You discover His help when you need it the most.

No matter your trouble or uncertainty, God’s calls you to peace. Whatever your turmoil, it doesn’t need to rob you of joy and peace. God’s love is yours, and the Holy Spirit guards your peace. You can bring the Holy Spirit with you into any troublesome relationship, speaking God’s truth and imparting peace. Keeping your mind on the Spirit will stop the flesh from mastering you. God’s love will help you control your emotions, and you will start to speak life and peace into troubled relationships and hurting people.

When the love of God defeats fear, the attitudes and actions of others lose the power to control our feelings and manipulate our  lives. God’s love is perfected in us. We mature in His grace. His love reaches our inner being, and taking root there, becomes the wellspring of life from which the fruit of the Spirit can flow. He speaks life and peace into us and our relationships. 

I want to fully experience God’s love, changing my life. I want to receive wisdom and spiritual insight as I grow in my knowledge of Him. I long to release Jesus into the lives of those who are missing the blessings of His love. But just wanting isn’t enough. I’m called to co-labor with the Spirit so He can live through me. I must cast off the flesh’s fears, hurts, and disappointments, and walk in the Spirit, knowing that God’s love expressed through my life can bring life and peace to hurting people.
 

Don't Be Afraid

Fear is the greatest barrier to our faith.

“While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, ‘Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.’ But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, ‘Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well’” (Luke 8:49-50).

Jesus made it abundantly clear to Jairus that his daughter’s healing depended not on his fear but on his believing. Fear and faith cannot exist together. They are incompatible.

How often have we known God’s will, mentally believed it, spoken of it as ours, and, yet, not seen our promise? The underlying issue is fear.

Many Christians express fear when they’re sick or facing a bad diagnosis. They know God’s will concerning their health, and they are hopeful that they might receive healing, but within their heart is a fear that is eroding their faith.

“Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying” (Hebrews 2:14-15, NLT).

The fear of dying is the fear from which all other fears grow. When the fear of death is destroyed, the bondage of other fears is also destroyed. Jesus broke the power of death. You’re no longer a slave to fear. You can be free to appreciate life, experiencing God’s peace, joy, and love. This is an environment where faith can come to life.

There is no reason to fear dying. Isn’t death just passing from here into the very presence of God, the essence of eternal Love, where there is unspeakable joy? Those who fear death choose to be a slave to every other fear, and when you live in fear, you have no abundant life.

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18).

Just as fear destroys faith, love destroys fear. Perfect love casts out fear. Fear is torment, but knowing the love of God releases you from its torment. Do you truly know God loves you? The perfect love of God casts out fear. If you are living in fear and not receiving the benefit of your faith, the love of God is your solution.

Even thought I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I can know the perfect love of God that casts out fear and all evil (Psalm 23:4). 

I'm loved, and fear has no power in my life.