Expect your faith to come alive

 

But do you want to know, O foolish man that faith without works is dead? (James 2: 20 NIV)

New Revised Standard Version says: Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith apart from work is barren.

Expect your faith to come alive. Practice your faith through your actions. If not either you are making it dead or your making it barren or unfruitful. Which means, you are killing your own vision or letting not the faith bear your belief & generate your miracle.

 

You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did (James 2: 22)

Your prayer may be for a heavy rain …..but if you get a small cloud to see as a response; don't be discouraged. Don't loose hope and give up. Keep thanking for it. The God who sent the small cloud to make stronger your faith will also shower a mighty rain of blessing when you cling on to HIM 100%.

Has he not proved it to you several times … and every time you doubted his works? Warm up your faith, make it a bright flame.

As seen as shared in : Spiritual Warfare Community

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Faith Assurance - Faith vs Fear

Faith vs. Fear

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7)

This past weekend, I went to see some friends who were speaking at a church in our city. As they spoke, they reminded me of a very important truth that we need to understand about fear. There are two types of fear: emotional fear and a spirit of fear. The emotion of fear is a very healthy thing to have. When we feel fear it causes us to quickly evaluate a situation for the sake of a proper response. Such as, do you need to call 911? Do you need to move out of the way of a falling object? Do you need to stop and ask God for help?

While my friend Carol was speaking, she told a story of a woman that she knows who was shopping at her local mall. When the woman had finished shopping, it was just past closing time. She walked out to the garage where she had parked her vehicle and noticed that the garage was completely empty, except for her car. She was not afraid, but she was cautious as she walked alone in the dark.

When she arrived at her car, a strange woman came up behind her and told her to get in her car and drive her to the nearest ATM (automatic teller machine). Carol's friend refused to obey her command. The woman once again insisted, and then pulled a gun on her. Obviously, at that point Carol's friend was frightened, and rightfully so! The fear caused her to quickly evaluate the situation. She realized that it would not be wise to get in her car alone with an armed woman, so she did the only thing that she knew to do--she yelled as loudly as she could, "Help, Jesus!"

As soon as she did this, the armed woman was thrown against the vehicle by something unseen, and what appeared to be a cloud wrapped around Carol's friend. She ran away from the armed woman, and then noticed her attacker ran away from the parking garage, leaving her in safety. She also realized that she had been surrounded by angels immediately after calling out for God's help.

Why did I tell this story? Because it is an example of healthy fear. Apart from this fear, this woman may have gotten into her car with this armed woman and become a victim of a violent crime. But healthy fear caused her to quickly evaluate the situation, and she responded in the counsel of the Holy Spirit.

A spirit of fear is a different issue. A spirit of fear stays with a person whether there is rightful cause or not. For example, sometimes people with a history of cancer in their family line can enter into a spirit of fear. Healthy fear (the emotion of fear) would probably cause an individual in that situation to do some preventive tests and to be sensitive to any unusual pain or abnormalities in their bodies (and possibly get some prayer ministry).

A spirit of fear would cause the individual obsessive fear and anxiety. It would likely steal the peace of God from them and could cause them to be defensive rather than offensive. A spirit of fear brings forth a reaction rather than a healthy response. When we come into an agreement with a spirit of fear, it binds us (chains us) to its control, rather than to the counsel of the Holy Spirit that leads us into a wise response. "When we come into an agreement with a spirit of fear, it binds us to its control."

Breaking The Spirit of Fear

If you have a spirit of fear, you can either pray alone or ask someone to pray with you to break (renounce) the binding agreement with the spirit of fear. You can begin by praying this simple prayer:

"Father, I want to thank You for my emotions and even for the emotion of fear that You have put within me to keep me safe and to alert me when I need to respond to a situation. I confess that I have moved from an emotion of fear into a spirit of fear that has bound me and stolen my peace and confidence in You. I renounce any agreement with the spirit of fear that has tormented me and caused me to react in anxiety and strife rather than allowing me to respond in the counsel of Your Spirit. I now come into agreement with the fear of the Lord that keeps me in confident peace and healthy responses. I ask for peace, power, love, and a sound mind to return to me. Thank you for aligning me with Your truth. In Jesus Name, Amen."

Excerpted from "Faith's Assurance -- Stand on The Promises and Extend Your Staff Into The Waters of Adversity" by Kathi Pelton. As seen in ELIJAH LIST NEWSLETTER  © 2007. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

Faith Assurance - Faith vs Circumstantial Evidence

 

Faith vs. Circumstantial Evidence

"Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit," says the LORD of hosts. Zechariah 4:6

Recently, I was sitting alone and thinking about a number of circumstances that were quite difficult in the lives of some believers who I am acquainted with. The circumstances surrounding their lives were quite contradictory to the prophetic promises that God had spoken over them. As I pondered these situations, I heard the Holy Spirit speak these words:

"Will My people draw a conclusion about what I have said in My promises based on circumstantial evidence?"

I was taken aback with this question. Have we stood as the judge of God's promises based on circumstantial evidence in our lives? Will we lose heart and reject His prophetic promises based on circumstances that are contrary to what God has said? Circumstantial evidence is usually a theory (opinion or speculation), supported by a significant quantity of corroborating evidence.

Think back to Moses and the people of Israel leaving their captivity in Egypt--they had the Red Sea before them and the Egyptian army behind them with no place to go. The circumstantial evidence was stacked heavily against the promise that God had given for deliverance. If Moses had allowed the circumstantial evidence of the situation to be his dictator, he would have surrendered himself, and the Israelites to death then and there. But he did not allow circumstances to deter what the Lord had said to him. His faith in the midst of fear caused him to respond to the situation by touching his staff to the Red Sea, causing it to part, and allowing the promise to be fulfilled.

By My Spirit, Says The Lord

It is very difficult emotionally to have circumstances stack up against all the promises you have received from the Lord, but do not lose heart! Even when you feel like death is about to take you over, stand on the promises and extend your staff of faith into the waters of adversity. You will see the parting of the waters as you walk in obedient faith. Remember--do not let your emotions dictate your behavior and decisions. Always go with what you know, not what you feel.

Many people are having their faith tested in this season. We are being prepared and strengthened in the current season to be able to stand firm in the seasons ahead--in times when we will have to live by what we know, not by what we see or feel. In God's mercy and grace, He is allowing a "spirit work-out" to get our spirits into shape so that we are not ruled by thoughts and emotions (or circumstances) but by His Spirit!

May you rest in the assurance of His promises this day!

Excerpted from "Faith's Assurance -- Stand on The Promises and Extend Your Staff Into The Waters of Adversity" by Kathi Pelton. As seen in ELIJAH LIST NEWSLETTER  © 2007. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

Faith Assurance - Faith vs Emotion

Faith vs. Emotion.

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1

We have all read this Scripture time and time again, but do we fully understand the very faith by which we live? How do we know that we are saved? The answer is--by faith alone. We know that the Bible is true by faith alone. And we know that we have been forgiven by faith alone. Yet, we often bring this very faith that we rest our eternal life upon into question when life's circumstances seem more troubling than our minds and emotions can process. But be assured--our faith has nothing to do with our emotions!

The other day, I was remembering back to the beginning of this year, when my family stood together in front of our burning home watching three fire companies try to contain the fire that would take our home from us. My husband, Jeff, was an emotional rock for all of us. When he is in a crisis situation, he becomes absolutely calm and reassuring until the crisis has passed and the pieces are put back together. Our oldest son is the same way. The two of them went from family member to family member bringing comfort and help. They remained calm and steady for many days following. I, on the other hand, felt like I was having an "out-of-body" experience for the next few days. Nothing seemed real and my emotions were raw. I felt like I'd been thrust into a nightmare. The first three days were absolutely terrible for me.

Now, let me ask you: whose faith was greater, my husband's or mine? Neither! Just because I'm wired emotionally different than him didn't mean that I didn't have the same assurance and knowing that God was in control and He would come through for us. My faith is what kept me from entering into hopelessness and despair. I just process differently than Jeff does. I had three days of processing my emotions immediately after the fire, and my husband had a few of days of it a month after the fire, because he processed "after" the crisis had passed and his family was taken care of. Grieving or processing the emotions of a traumatic situation does not mean that you don't have faith; it merely means that you are human.

God gave us emotions so that we could feel things like love, pain, joy, and sorrow.

These emotions are healthy, but they sure can play with our minds regarding our faith. Many people feel as though they have wavered in their faith when they are having an emotionally hard day (or season). This may not be true at all. You may be having a day that brings strong feelings, even negative feelings, regarding your health, finances, or relational issues. You may feel deep sorrow and pain, but this does not mean that you have lost your faith. Who do you cry out to when your emotions are failing you? Is it God? If so, then you have not lost faith! You probably just need a greater dose of intimacy and comfort in that dark hour.

The enemy loves to come to us when we are in grief or sorrow to throw accusations about our "lack of faith." He will try to rob us of our intimacy and comfort when we need it the most. He comes with words of condemnation accusing us of being "double-minded" and weak. Can our emotions and thoughts enter into doubting God's promises in stressful times? Of course, but this is part of discerning between your soul and spirit. At the point of doubt, we must rely on what our spirit knows, not what our feelings feel or thoughts think. If I remember correctly, the Bible tells us that God manifests His strength in our weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9 states: "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Is Paul talking about physical infirmities? Probably not! He is most likely talking about struggles and sufferings that all of us battle. God loves our emotions, and He loves our dependency upon Him for strength in those weak times. When my kids are hurting, I am honored when they come to me and find strength and comfort in my arms. It is very intimate, and it is a privilege to comfort them. The last thing I want is to find out that they have cried alone. God is a much better parent than I am, so I know that He is the same regarding our times of sorrow and weakness. He loves it when we allow Him, our Comforter, to comfort us in times of pain.

"If you love Me, obey Me; and I will ask the Father and He will give you another Comforter, and He will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive Him, for it isn't looking for Him and doesn't recognize Him. But you do, for He lives with you now and some day shall be in you. No, I will not abandon you or leave you as orphans in the storm--I will come to you." John 14:15-18 (paraphrased)

This is a promise that we can put our faith in. He will not leave us as orphans in a storm! If you are facing a storm, know that you can stand in the realization that you have not been left orphaned or abandoned. You may not feel strong, but let your faith arise knowing that your Comforter is there with you.

Excerpted from "Faith's Assurance -- Stand on The Promises and Extend Your Staff Into The Waters of Adversity" by Kathi Pelton. As seen in ELIJAH LIST NEWSLETTER  © 2007. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

Just Wait

 

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

Jairus was a well-known, powerful, wealthy individual who was the head of the local synagogue. When his 12-year-old daughter, his only child, was in great need, he sought out Jesus to heal her.

We don't know whether Jairus was a believer in Jesus. As the head of the synagogue, he would have been a religious man. He probably had heard about Jesus. Maybe he had already put his faith in Him. The Scripture doesn't say. But Jairus believed that Jesus could save his daughter's life. So he went and found the Lord and begged Him to heal his daughter. He placed his complete trust in Jesus.

But as they were on the way to his house, the news came that his daughter had died. The reason they did not get to his daughter more quickly was because a woman in need of healing came along and touched Jesus, and He stopped and demanded to know who it was that touched Him.

Yet Jairus did not complain. Rather, he committed himself to Jesus, believing that God knew what He was doing. His faith was dramatic, especially because at this particular time in Jesus' ministry, He had not raised anyone from the dead. Granted, He had healed people. But there had been no resurrections.

Jairus had to wait, and we have to wait. A lot of us grow impatient with God, and in our impatience, we can foolishly take things into our own hands and make them far worse. Know this: God's delays are not necessarily His denials. We need to wait on the Lord. God's timing is just as important as His will. He doesn't ask for us to understand. He just asks us to trust.

HARVEST MINISTRIES by Pastor Greg Laurie © 2007. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

A Fish Story?

 

"You don't really believe that stuff" he said to me. "Who in their right mind would believe that a man could be swallowed by a whale and live?"

 

"I do believe it, with all my heart" I replied. "All of it except for the fact that it was possibly a fish not a whale."

 

"Hah! I got you" he snorted. "The Bible contradicts itself. My Bible says fish in the Old Testament and whale in Matthew 12. It cannot be both."

 

"You are right some translations do say whale in Matthew, but that is an English translation error not a contradiction. Most translations show "big fish" or "great fish". The Greek translated here actually means sea monster or sea creature. Technically, it is not even an error, rather it is confusion generated by modern systems of taxonomy (classification). When the King James Version was translated (1611) the modern classifications which show whales as mammals not fish was not yet invented. A whale was considered to be a form of fish. It was a logical use of the word."

 

A variety of possibilities have been offered as candidates for the "great fish". The whale shark, the largest known of all fish can reach 18 meters in length and weigh 10 tons. The sperm whale is another. Both have been known to be found in the Mediterranean. When I was in South Africa I saw Humpback whales that certainly looked big enough, they reach 45 feet and weigh up to 65 ton. Now, I confess that I do not know enough about fish or whale physiology to know if these candidates are valid possibilities or not. Frankly we do not know what kind of "fish" it was.

 

Just as frankly, it does not really matter whether it was fish, whale or some form of "sea monster" or "sea creature". We are talking about a supernatural occurrence where Jonah was indeed swallowed by something huge that swam in the ocean. It is an actual, literal historical occurrence with supernatural intervention. God created all that existed with a word. He could easily have created a sea creature for just such a purpose, although there are a variety of fish and whales large enough to have done so.

 

It is particularly appropriate that Jonah would be swallowed by a whale/fish/sea creature. He was being sent to Nineveh to minister to people who worshipped a fish god, Dagon. His appearance there after having escaped the mighty fish would have trumped their god hand down.

 

There is no question that the event was a miracle. Actually, there are six direct instances of God's intervention in the Jonah account, some of which involved the divinely directed use of natural phenomena. These were:

Jonah 1:4 NIV
Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.

 

Jonah 1:17 NIV
But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.

 

Jonah 2:10 NIV
And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

 

Jonah 4:6 NIV
Then the LORD God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine.

 

Jonah 4:7 NIV
But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered.

 

Jonah 4:8 NIV
When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah's head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, "It would be better for me to die than to live."

Some would even say that the repentance of people of Nineveh constitutes a miracle. I would agree that it is a wondrous example of what God's grace can do, but would not count it a miracle per sae.

 

I recommend that you read all of Jonah. It is a short book, only four chapters long and there is much in it to ponder. It provides great insight into the times in the New Testament when Jesus tells the people that they will see the sign of Jonah. It is quite apparent that Jesus accepted the account as truth. The God of all truth would not use a lie or a myth to show His divinity.

 

Just a Jonah was three days in the belly of the whale then seen alive, so Jesus was three days in death and then seen alive. Our God truly is a God of the miraculous. The biggest miracle of all is that He cares enough about us to offer us salvation purchased by His own blood.

 

GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD MINISTRIES by Kevin F. Corbin © 2001 - 2007. All rights reserved. For prayer request please email us at prayer@gleaningsfromtheword.com (Please include this line to forward the message).

What Prayer Can Do

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (James 5:16)

The Bible is full of accounts of people whose fervent prayers were answered. 

 

Hannah was unable to have a child, but the Lord answered her prayer, and she gave birth to a little boy, Samuel, who became a great prophet (see 1 Samuel 1:9–20).

Paul and Silas were in prison for preaching the gospel.  But instead of complaining, they sang praises unto God.  Their entire situation was turned around by prayer, and they were freed from prison (see Acts 16:22–35).

Peter was also in prison for preaching the gospel, so the church got together and prayed.  And within hours, their prayer was answered and Peter was released (see Acts 12:5–10).

The prophet Elijah prayed and the rain stopped.  Later he prayed again, and the rain started up once more.  He was a man who prayed, and God answered his prayers (see 1 Kings 17, 18).

We hear stories like this, and we might say, "But these were great people of faith.  I am just an ordinary person.  Certainly God would not hear my prayers in the same way."  But that is not true.  Elijah was a man with a nature just like ours (James 5:17).  He was an ordinary man, made of flesh and blood.

One thing that clearly stands out in the Bible is that prayer can dramatically change things.  And more importantly, PRAYER CAN CHANGE YOU.

 

HARVEST MINISTRY by Pastor Greg Laurie © 2006. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

Limited by Our Senses

 

The reason many of us aren't growing Spiritually is because our faith doesn't reach beyond our sight. Real faith begins where our senses end. When we can see something, we usually don't feel the need to trust God for it. And since we can't see very far, living by sight keeps us living small.

Think of the African impala, a marvellous animal that can soar 3 metres high and 10 metres out with just one jump. But did you know that you can put that impala in a 1 metre cage with no roof and it will not attempt to escape, even though it has more than enough power to clear the cage. That's because the impala won't jump if it cannot see where its feet are going to land. The impala lives by sight, so it's easy to keep it caged. The same goes for you!

But let's add an all-important truth here. Some children believe in the Tooth Fairy. The problem with that is, their faith is ineffective because the object of their faith isn't real. Scriptural faith says, "God, I know that whenever You speak You're telling the truth, and that I can stake my life on it."

Faith establishes what we believe about God. Too many of us act like we've more confidence in ourselves than we do in Him. If faith is the action by which we lay hold of the power and promises of God, then if our faith is lacking we won't see the supernatural work of God in our lives - and we'll live in the natural with all its limitations.

THE VINE by Bob Gass © 2000 - 2007. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

Faith is Fact of Things Unseen

The word "substantiation" means the capacity to make something real. For example, here is a picture in beautiful colors, but the beautiful colors can be substantiated only through the eyes. Without the eyes, the colors could not be substantiated no matter how beautiful they are. The sound of the organ is very beautiful, but it can be substantiated only by the ears... Once we see something, we substantiate it. Once we believe, we substantiate the facts, and we have it... If you do not have faith, you will not substantiate the facts....The same is true of our faith. All of God's facts are real. However, these facts of God can be substantiated only by faith, because faith is the substantiation of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

 

A nice painting may have beautiful scenery, but a blind man cannot see it. However, one cannot say that the painting does not exist because he has not seen it. The painting exists as a fact. The question is whether or not you have received the benefit from the painting. In the same way, God's Word and His promises can be substantiated only by faith. We do not have to hesitantly pray to God, saying, "Lord, be my victory, be my life, and be my sanctification." Rather, we should say to Him, "God, You are my victory. I thank and praise You because You are my life and You are my sanctification. I thank and praise You!"

 

Brothers and sisters, we encounter temptations all the time. Many difficulties confront us, and harsh words fall on our ears. Should we pray for God to give us the strength to overcome? No, we should say, "Lord, I thank and praise You because You are my victory! Lord, You are overcoming for me. I thank and praise You that You are withstanding everything for me. Thank You that You are my Head and I am Your member. You are the vine and I am a branch. You are supplying me everything." He is already supplying us everything according to His Word!

eMANNA published by LIVING STREAM MINISTRY © 1997-2006. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

Faith is Not Feelings

 

Some people are not hoping, praying, or waiting, but they are looking for feelings. A sister said that she had surrendered and believed that the Lord was living in her, but she dared not say that she had overcome. This was because from the day she received the Lord Jesus as her victory, she had never had any feeling about it...

 

There may be some occasions when feelings are useful. However, feelings are useless in understanding the things of God. The hand can only touch things and sense their temperature; it cannot see a picture. Spiritual things can be substantiated only by faith; they cannot be substantiated by feelings. We overcome because of the Word of God. God speaks, and it is done. This is not a matter of feeling some kind of strength or experiencing some exuberant sensation for a few days. In order to overcome, there needs to be only one word from the Lord. So faith comes out of hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Rom 10:17)

 

God has given us a covenant which says that meekness is ours, patience is ours, and love, temperance, and everything in Christ are ours. But when you lose your temper again, and your pride, uncleanness, and failures come back, what should you do? If you believe God's Word, you should say, "God, I thank and praise You because I can be meek, patient, humble, loving, and temperate. I can be all these because Christ is living in me." As long as you grasp hold of God's Word, the things you fear will go away.

eMANNA published by LIVING STREAM MINISTRY © 1997-2006. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

Faith is Not Hope

Faith is not hope. Those who have hope do not necessarily have faith. When you talk to others about overcoming and ask whether they have overcome, you know that they do not have faith if they answer, "I hope I will overcome." This is like talking to someone about salvation. If he tells you that he hopes to be saved, you know that he does not have the faith yet.

 

Some people constantly hope that the Lord will save them, and they constantly hope that the Lord will help them overcome. Some people constantly pray and ask the Lord to make them overcome. Some people constantly wait for the Lord to make them overcome. Some people say that they have surrendered and believed, but they are still waiting to see whether it will work. If they want to wait and see whether this works, it will never work, because faith is not hope.

 

eMANNA published by LIVING STREAM MINISTRY © 1997-2006. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

Think Big

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21)

When you think about it, the people of this world have always seen much less than God intended to show them. Do you ever have trouble thinking big and trusting God for something big? If you do, you're not alone, because everyone has. But in order to experience all the blessings God has in store for you, you must step out of your small box and dive into the large box of God's love. Sometimes it's difficult to have a God-sized life view and expectations, but when you learn to really trust God, you'll see Him do great things for you.

Prayer,
God, Your Word says that You are bigger than I could ever imagine, and I thank You for Your bigger plans for me. Give me the strength to trust You and expect You to do great things in my life. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRY by Joel Osteen © 2006. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward).

The Cure for Disappointment

When God doesn't do what we want, it's not easy. Never has been. Never will be. But faith is the conviction that God knows more than we do about this life and He will get us through it. Remember, disappointment is cured by revamped expectations.

I like the story about the fellow who went to the pet store in search of a singing parakeet. Seems he was a bachelor and his house was too quiet. The store owner had just the bird for him, so the man bought it. The next day the bachelor came home from work to a house full of music. He went to the cage to feed the bird and noticed for the first time that the parakeet had only one leg. He felt cheated that he'd been sold a one-legged bird, so he called and complained. "What do you want," the store owner responded, "a bird who can sing or a bird who can dance?"

Good question for times of disappointment.

OAKHILLS CHURCH by Max Lucado © 2001-2006 All rights reserved.

Excerpt from "He Still Moves Stones". (Please include this line to forward).

Fix Your Eyes on Jesus

Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking and leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God. (Acts 3:1-9)

When you read these scriptures, meditate on them, receive them by faith and trust in God, and you will be a target for restoration, a target for healing, and a target for a miracle that God will perform in your life.

The Beautiful Gate in this chapter turned out to be not as beautiful as its name as daily the lame beggar sat at the gate, and every day he was hoping and expecting alms from people. It must have been a great burden for this beggar and his family to live their lives like that. Every single day he had to be carried to this gate and sit there begging from the people who were going in and out of the temple.

Before Peter and John passed by, no one apparently ever stopped and took time out to pray for him, except maybe to give him some small change as a sign of compassion. To him and his family this must have been the most important thing every day receiving the alms, so they could sustain themselves with whatever money they got. His weak body, poverty and circumstances probably already caused them to abandon all hope a long time ago. But look at what God did do in this tragic situation.

Peter and John, the disciples who walked with Jesus, loved and obeyed His will, went to the temple to pray. It was no coincidence that they passed through the Beautiful Gate. When the beggar saw them coming, he immediately went to work trying to get their attention so they would look at him and give alms. Instead Peter and John said, "Look at us." Without hesitating, he looked up to them expecting to receive something.

Beloved brothers and sisters, no matter how heavy the burdens of life are, whether it be sickness, troubles, or something else, Christ is also asking the same thing from us. He asks that we fix our spiritual eyes on Him, looking onto Him with hope. When you fix your eyes of faith on Christ and not on the sicknesses you are suffering, not on the burdens you carry, not on the situations and problems you are facing, then HE will DO SOMETHING!

But, too often it happens quite differently. Although we fix our eyes on Christ, we don't expect anything, because of a lack of faith and trust that He can do it. And so, we don't receive anything from the Lord. The beggar's face expressed hope, he was expecting something, and God responded and met his need through Peter and John.

Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have, give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk." So, what did they have? They had POWER from the Most High God. Peter acted on the POWER that he had. He took the beggar by the hand, and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.

Brothers and sisters, there may come times in our lives when money cannot help us. Maybe some of you are already experiencing that maybe the doctor told you that there is no cure for your illness. A luxurious house, jewelries, a fancy car, fancy clothes, a trip abroad, may not be able to heal our inner wounds. But if we are a child of God, we have hope, and that is CHRIST!

The Scripture in Acts 1:8 states, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you." The beggar who was lame since birth was healed! There was no doctor at that time that could cure him. But the power of Christ through Peter was able to heal him. That same power will work in you right now, if you open your heart and let Him. His Spirit is still working today.

I have personally seen the manifestation of God's power over and over again, a few months ago in one of the Crusades, 4 men carried a lame man with much effort on the stairs and laid him down upon the platform, the minute they laid him down the Power of God manifested, the man stood up and walked off the stage by himself.

In our earlier years of Ministry a little boy with his grandmother came over the border from Mexico, one leg was at least 6 inches shorter than the other and therefore he was limping badly. When we prayed, and laid hands on the boy's leg, by the power of God the boy's leg suddenly started to grow! I was amazed myself to see this, but praised and glorified God for His wonderful work.

In the end, God is glorified. Everything that happens in our lives as a child of God has a purpose, so that ultimately God may be glorified. It will become a living testimony for His children and especially for people who don't know God.

The lame beggar, who had sat at the Beautiful Gate, eventually had people amazed and praising God because of his healing and even today. The Beautiful Gate had now truly become beautiful and when we as children of God read these scriptures we know that God can do the same for us. God restores, God heals, God provides, God delivers and etc, and God makes His POWER known.

May this Christmas remind you to always keep your eyes on Jesus, and be faithful to God who gave us His Son. Have a Blessed Christmas!

GOTN MINISTRY by John Hartman © 2006 All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward).

Unless The Lord Builds The House

God delights in our seeking and searching to know Him more. He desires to take us a step deeper into His heart. Day by day we watch as He reveals more of Himself. Some days it seems dynamic, but more often, it is in the midst of the simple and menial tasks of our day, that we begin to see and understand who He is, where He is taking us, and who we are becoming in the process. The only thing that can stop the progress is we ourselves, by refusing to walk in the direction He is leading. We have to completely trust the path He has chosen is perfect, and allow His desire for our lives to become what we desire.

Prayer,
I choose to walk the path You have chosen for me. Help me to remain focused on You and what I am becoming as You skillfully make each necessary change within my heart. Unless You build it, it is all in vain. Amen.

GODTODAY DEVOTIONS by Cheryl Curtis © 1999-2003 All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward).

Trust in The Lord

Where doubt lives, faith cannot; where hate rules, love is crowded out; when worry is present, trust is gone.

The best way for us not to worry, is to commit all to God, which means turning all over to him and trusting Him completely, with both the large and small things in our lives.

There are things we never doubt or worry about. We trust the daylight will come and the night will not last forever; the seasons will change. We are certain of these things, because they have always been this way.

We can have that same confidence in our God, that He is the same yesterday, today and forever, (Hebrews13: 8) and that He will always love, protect and provide for us.

He has never gone back on a single promise and He never changes. We can place our trust in Him completely. We can experience fullness of joy, because we know we are never alone. Although we do not see him with our eyes, we can feel his presence in our lives. He holds the world in His hand and He remains always in control. Great is His faithfulness!

Prayer,
I commit my day to You Lord. I place my trust in Your provision, for every aspect of my life. No matter what the day holds or how things may appear, I am certain I can depend on Your love and faithfulness. Direct my steps. Allow faith in You to rule in my heart and life today. As sure as I know the sun will rise tomorrow, I know You are always with me and I am never alone. Let my life reflect the joy You have given me within, in Jesus name, Amen.

GODTODAY DEVOTIONS by Cheryl Curtis © 1999-2003 All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward).

Where Is My Help?

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah" (Psalm 46:1-3)

Sometimes, as I am driving past a serious automobile collision I try to imagine what it would be like for those people. One minute they are traveling toward their destination, minds set on what is going to be happening that day, and the next they are on their way to the hospital and perhaps months or years of therapy, pain, or heartache.

Over and over I have planned out my day and have something unexpected happen. Sometimes it is a small thing like the notification I mentioned saying someone installed a phone somewhere and the bills were going to come to us. Sometimes it is a large thing.... sickness, death, or disaster of some kind.

I often feel like one of those spiders that walks on the surface of the water. When the water is smooth I have no problem walking on the surface. However, the water often gets rough. Sometimes it turns into a hurricane situation where the waves are 50 feet high. What can I do?

There is only one thing to do. I must turn to God. I don't have to look for Him or wait for Him. He is right by my side all the time. He has what I need. He can change the situation or He can carry me through it. With His help I will be able to survive.

I won't just survive, either. I will be able to experience joy where there is no joy. I will be able to have peace where there is no peace. Notice the scripture doesn't just say God is a help in trouble, He is a VERY PRESENT help! So often, as we thrash about trying to survive, we forget that He is standing next to us with His hand out saying, "Take My hand. I will help you. Lean on Me."

It has taken me many years to be able to see Him in the midst of trouble. It is my own fault. When times were good I wasn't communing with Him every day. I wasn't searching the scriptures to find out more about Him and His Kingdom. Once I developed a friendship with Him where He is in my mind all the time then I found that He was my first thought when things happened. I moved Him up in the priority list of my mind to the top place. He became my best Friend. He became my daily Companion. It was only me that was hindering that relationship, not Him.

Can you handle ANYTHING that happens today? I guarantee you that, with God's help, you will be able to handle whatever comes along

Written by : Kay Meyeret at clarion-call.org

(Note : Please include the author to forward this message)

Faithless Unbelief

And Jesus answered, "O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me." And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly.
(Mat 17:17-18 ESV)

Here's a man who had tried to get his son healed through Jesus' disciples and they had not been able to help him. (vs.16) Jesus answered saying they were a FAITHLESS generation. When the disciples asked him why they couldn't cast the devil out, Jesus told them it was because of their UNBELIEF.

 

Could it be that they saw the manifestation of the devil's work and had more fear than faith? Could it be that is the same mountain that we come up against in our lives?

 

We see the devastation that the devil has had in our lives. We hear it when the doctors give their "medical diagnosis." We hear these disease names and with them comes fear and hopelessness, because the medical world says "there is no cure." Why do we believe a medical system, when it has had its fallacies from the beginning. The statistics are not good.

 

We believe man rather than God. Jesus says all we need is faith - even the size of a mustard seed would be enough. (vs.20) We have to stay in God's Word and principles for healing until we believe it more than we believe what man says. We have to believe it more than what our bodies are saying to us. They are manifesting the works of the devil and we look at it and say, "There's no hope." Maybe we don't say it, but our thoughts confirm it over and over as we "feel" bad and our bodies continue to agree because "as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."

 

We cannot base our lives on feelings. If we did, we wouldn't get out of bed in the morning. We wouldn't go to work because we didn't feel like it. We must learn not to make choices based on feelings. As Christians, our daily lives must be based on faith and God's Word.

 

This is a big hurdle. We have become used to instant gratification. Ask for it and get it now. Drive-through fast food, dry cleaners instead of doing laundry, prescription pickup, pizza delivery, email, cell phones. Fast, faster, fastest!!! We are not used to waiting patiently on the Lord at all.

 

Jesus said "this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." (vs.21) We just have to set aside some time to focus on what we truly want. We say we want to be healed, but are we spending dedicated time moving down that path? God will always make a way for you to spend time with Him if it's in your heart to do it. Prayer and fasting can turn around 'faithless' and 'unbelief' when we see who He is and what He did on the cross for us. He bore our sickness and disease upon Himself so that we might be able to choose life. Choose it and have it more abundantly.

 

It's a process to turn our fear into faith and our unbelief into belief that God's Word is true. God doesn't promise 30 minute deliveries, but He does promise we will reap what we sow. Sow time into what you say you want. Many people say they want to be healed, but live their lives like it's at the bottom of their list of priorities.

 

Others have gone so far down the road in illness that they can't "do" much of anything any more, and when they do spend time in the Word, they are so convinced that nothing will help, that they negate the effects of what they are reading. The Word and Truth are being swallowed up by the fields of thorns of disbelief and doubt because your vision can only see yourself in bed and in pain, so the Word is choked out. You must reach beyond what you see to what Jesus says there is for you.

 

Regardless of what the church is teaching about healing, you need to find out what God has to say about it in the Bible to YOU! Our belief systems and strongholds keep us from experiencing true freedom in life. Freedom from pain and disease. We have to get to work and change those belief systems. Change those thinking patterns for the renewed mind we were promised at salvation. Remember the words, "work out your own salvation" (Philippians 2:12). This is work! Renew your mind. Get all that comes with salvation - keep discovering the gifts God has for us. Anything that is worthwhile in life requires time and work. You will reap what you sow. Take time now!

 

Faithless Unbelief by Donna L. Watkins, Taken from the free online ezine, "A Healing Moment"

Permission is granted for use of any articles written by Donna L. Watkins if credit includes the author's name and an active link to this website.

Good Fight of Faith

"Fight the good fight of faith." I Timothy 6:12

Faith has many challenges, for the storms will get rough, the mountains will be too hard to climb, the rivers too deep to cross, the valley's too dark and lonely, and the battle too long and weary. This is the reason the Apostle Paul told Timothy, "fight the good fight of faith." 

 

Faith itself is a battle and is only won through great effort.  When God speaks a word of faith into your heart, the devil comes immediately to steal that word through offense, persecutions, and the cares of this life (Luke 4:15-19).  To receive God's promise, you must hold on to God's word and endure to the end.  You must fight the good fight of faith. 

 

A good fight is one where you know that you are going to win.  You have a secret plan, a hidden weapon, or you hold the high card in your hand and you know that you can draw on that strength when the demand comes.

After Paul told Timothy to fight the good fight of faith, he instructed him to, "Lay hold on eternal life."  The fight of faith can't even begin until Jesus is professed as Lord and trust is placed in Him and His completed work at Calvary. 

 

Having faith in ourselves and who we are, our financial security, our education, and our relationships will fail at some point, for there is no supernatural substance in them.  Having the assurance that we belong to God and that we have obtained eternal life through the blood of Jesus is our hidden strength.  With this revelation in our hearts, even the gates of Hell can not prevail against us.

As you face today and every day after, remember that there will always be battles.  The Apostle Paul had battles and he told Timothy that he also would have battles.  Serving Jesus does not exempt you from problems.  In fact, many times it qualifies you to go to the front lines of battle.  Your faith will be challenged in all areas, but understand that your faith does not have the responsibility to prove the devil wrong. Faith is designed to enforce what God has already accomplished. You hold the keys to God's kingdom. Jesus said, "Whatever you loose on Earth will be loosed in Heaven and whatever you bind on Earth will be bound in Heaven" (Matthew 16:19). 

 

You don't have to debate with evil but just resist it and declare the written words of God as Jesus did.  He said, "It is written" and then quoted the Word of God.  Let the devil debate with Almighty God and His word.  At God's word, the devil will flee, for he knows that he is already defeated. 

God and His Word always prevail. This is the good fight of faith.

Good Fight of Faith, A Word In Due Season by: Mary Padgett Ministries, Inc

Let God be God in your life

Dear friends,

 

I'd like to share the video of Pastor Joel's sermon (5 minutes duration), you can easily watch and listen to his sermon by click on the link below.  If you have slow bandwith then you may let it run first and replay the video to see it run well.

May God strengthen your faith and bless you thru this sermon. 

 

Have a blessed weekend,
Linda

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Trust in the Lord with all your heart and mind (Proverbs 3:5)

If you knew God was preparing to turn around a situation you're worrying about right now, then you would probably let out a big sigh of relief. You would relax and let go of all the pressure. Why don't you go ahead and do that now? Turn it completely over to God and stop trying to figure it all out. David said, "I was young and now I'm old and I have never seen the righteous forsaken." Let God take care of it His way and He'll not only bring you out, but He'll bring you out better than you were before!

Click here to watch the sermon>>

 

Joel Osteen Ministries, 3700 Southwest Freeway, Houston TX 77027 Copyright © 2006 by Joel Osteen