Keep Your Faith Strong

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17).

We need to feed our faith daily on the Word! Faith is the victory that overcomes the attacks that come against you in a fallen world. Hear Jesus say to you today: If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.

Right now in the circumstances of my life my faith is either pulling me towards or unbelief is pushing me away from: healing in some part of my body, financial supply, change in a grueling circumstance, a better job position, or daily ministry to the unsaved.

Time spent building up your faith today by meditating in the Word will ensure that you’ll have the needed faith when a crisis arises in your life or with some family member. Don’t wait until you need it to get faith. Plan ahead and build it up now. I take time every day to meditate on scripture and build up my faith. In the end, it’s what I can believe that determines what I receive from the Lord.

Don’t be like the people in Jesus’ home town who limited Him by their unbelief. Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching (Mark 6:5-6).Give Jesus the ability to live big in you and minister strongly through you by keeping your faith fed on the word of God every day.

I’ll leave you with these familiar passages for meditating on to build up your faith in the Word:

God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Numbers 23:19) My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips (Psalm 89:34). Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven (Psalm 119:89). The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever (Isaiah 40:8). Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away (Matthew 24:35). For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them (Mark 11:23-24).

Pray Daily for Government Leaders

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence (1 Timothy 2:1-2). The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes (Proverbs 21:1).

A daily part of your personal prayer life should be praying for our president and those in authority over us. The office of king or in our case president is a God ordained position. You may not agree with the person in the office, but we are commanded to pray for them. In doing so, God can intervene and bring needed change.

This praying for leaders command is even more important in the election season we’re in right now. Two different ideologies are contesting for public office. Two different ways of seeing the world and of dealing with social, financial, and international problems.

Our nation is in a precarious place with financial difficulty, shifting cultural mores, and international challenges unprecedented in scope. We need a leader who depends on a higher wisdom. As a nation we need to bow our knee to the Almighty and ask for mercy and grace.

Scholars of eschatology (the study of end-time events) have long mentioned that the US is not mentioned in bible prophecy relating to end-time events. This could be because of the rapture of the church and the ensuing chaos it leaves behind. Or it could be because some event erases decades of world leadership and catapults us to a lesser position on the world scene.

This is a time of preparation and prayer. The world is heading towards tribulation and then the second coming of Christ. The church is headed toward heaven. We must rise up in this hour and win souls, taking as many people as we can with us. People are desperate for the hope we have.

Let’s let our light shine brightly. Engage in the political process by first of all praying and then voting. Become involved in daily personal evangelism. This is the hour for us to shine! Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising (Isaiah 60:1-3).

Signs of Spiritual Attack

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand (Ephesians 6:12-13).

In these days, the enemy is looking for a weakness in your flesh. In the days just before the rapture, the enemy has a plan to snare the believer and bring spiritual impotence. So to be forewarned is to be forearmed.

Here are some telltale sign of spiritual attack. The enemy will seek to pull you back into things that once held your attention and bound your flesh. The sensual gaze, the fantasy world where the things of the flesh seem so appealing is a major snare the enemy will use. Today, movies, the internet, magazines, and the airwaves in general are filled with the risqué and the tawdry appeal of sex without marriage. This is a common attack and easily snares the unaware.

Phillips Translation of 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 give a clear warning for our generation: God’s plan is to make you holy, and that means a clean cut with sexual immorality. Every one of you should learn to control his body, keeping it pure and treating it with respect, and never allowing it to fall victim to lust, as do pagans with no knowledge of God. You cannot break this rule without cheating your fellow men. Indeed God will punish all who do offend in this matter, as we have plainly told you and warned you. The calling of God is not to impurity but to the most thorough purity, and anyone who makes light of the matter is not making light of man’s ruling but of God’s command. It is not for nothing that the Spirit that God gives us is called the Holy Spirit

Mammon is another tool in the enemy’s arsenal of weapons to hinder spiritual life. The craving desire for more; more money, more possessions and the prestige they bring. Paul’s admonition fits well here: For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows (1 Timothy 6:7-10).

Strife and divisiveness are another common strategy of the evil one. Spiritual life fails when strife, selfish ambitions, un-forgiveness, malice, and un-controlled anger rule. One of the signs of the last days mentioned by Jesus is a lack of love. And the love of the great body of people will grow cold because of the multiplied lawlessness and iniquity (Matthew 24:12 – Amplified).

Paul encourages us along these lines: Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you (Ephesians 4:31-32).

We could go on and on in unmasking Satan’s tactics. The cure for of his ploys is for us to keep that “first love” relationship with Jesus ablaze in our hearts. Because I love Him more than anything the world, the flesh, or the devil offer, I choose to keep myself from the temptations that allure. That is the heart drive that should guide our day.

Do you love him enough to say no when the tempter comes? Hear Jesus speaking today: Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends (Revelation 3:20 – New Living Translation).

Grace

But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in your weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me. So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in infirmities, insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities and distresses; for when I am weak [in human strength], then am I [truly] strong (able, powerful in divine strength) (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

Marion Zirkle Wright and her husband Clarence were with us in service last night. They are missionaries in Guatemala. Marion spoke about the grace of God and reminded us all of how God’s grace enables us in life.

Grace is unmerited favor. Another definition of grace that I came across years ago is God’s ability to help you do what you can’t do yourself. Grace helps your inability and your weakness. We’re helpless to save ourselves from our sins so God’s gives us His grace through faith and we enter the family of God and or sins are cleansed.

Faith changes things and circumstances as we exercise it and stand in the tough times. But grace is directed towards us personally. Faith changes things but grace changes people.

Grace helps me in every small detail of life. Grace quickens, empowers, motives, and changes me. Jesus by the grace of God took our sins and freed us from its wages. When I come to the end of myself and feel whipped, defeated, and powerless, grace enters lifts me up, and enables me in the impossible circumstance.

Hebrews 4:16 tells us that God’s throne is a throne of grace. We can approach it with boldness to find the necessary strength to face every challenge that life brings our way. Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God's unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it] (Hebrews 4:16 - Amplified).

Grace is accessed by prayer. Jesus obtained the grace in the garden of Gethsemane during a time of prayer to go to the cross and become our sin.

Today, grace is available for every challenge you face. Divine ability is waiting for you to tap into it to help you in family matters, in tense relationships on the job, in situation with your children, or to enable you to conquer a life dominating habit. Let’s approach the throne of grace early today and obtain the necessary grace for this day’s challenges. We are never alone. The Father’s ability, strength, wisdom, guidance, life, power, and nature are ours today. It’s called GRACE. Spend some knee time accessing it!

Faith and Relationships

Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them (Mark 11:24).

Yesterday, a person asked me a question regarding how standing in faith works with respect to being in relationship to others. One of the values that we hold at Victory fellowship is relationships. The person mentioned to me that when I talk about walking by faith and believing that I receive from the Lord, I usually don’t tell others that I’m in a battle. I usually just act on the word, believe that I receive the answer to my prayer, and act as though I have the answer. The question was, how do you relate closely to others when believing you receive if you don’t talk to them about it?

Faith is believing God’s word in the face of physical contradiction. Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is the substance (literally- the title deed) of the things we hope for and the evidence (that which supports the existence of something) of things not seen. Faith takes the place of what you don’t physically have until it shows up! Faith is the guarantee that what you are believing for exists, and if you continue to believe it will sooner or later manifest in the physical realm.

Another aspect of faith is that it is released with words. Hebrews 11:3 reveals: By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. Faith and words go hand in hand. So, if I’m really standing in faith and not doubting God’s word to me, then I have a confident expectation that what God promised me belongs to me right now! And if I have the expectation that what God promised me belongs to me right now, then I’m going to reflect that confidence in what I say! You could say it this way, if I’m not talking by faith, then I’m not walking by faith!

So how do I relate to others when I’m believing I receive and still struggling with circumstances that are grueling and tough and still look and feel terrible? Here’s what separates the men from the boys. If I really believe that I receive what I’m believing for, then I’m really excited inside about it eventually manifesting. And every day there is an expectation that what I’m believing God for will manifest that day!

If it’s obvious to those that I closely relate to that I haven’t received the manifestation of what I believe and they ask me about it, I respond: Yes, it may look that way, but according to God’s word I have believed that I receive the answer to my prayer of faith. And I believe that my faith is giving substance to what I’ve hoped for. One day you’ll see that I have what I asked for! Please agree with me in faith as I stand, will you?

Of course, if a person is struggling to stand in faith, and they are having a hard time with the circumstance, then close relationships with folk that will assist then in faith can be a great encouragement.

If you are struggling to stand in faith, take the struggle to the Lord and pour your heart out to Him and tell Him in detail what you think and feel. But don’t just stop there. Go to His Word, and meditate on His Word that promises you an answer. Then go to a person who will stand in faith with you, and have them agree with you in prayer. We can be a great strength to each other when facing a crisis.

Let me mention here to make sure that you go to a person who will encourage you in faith and not drag you down further into the circumstance by siding with your doubts! Some people will never hear from me if I’m standing in faith and need encouragement, because I know they will only be pessimistic and not help me! So find a believer, a person who will encourage you and let them agree with you in faith. And let us consider and give attentive, continuous care to watching over one another, studying how we may stir up (stimulate and incite) to love and helpful deeds and noble activities (Hebrews 10:24).

Thought Control

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things (Philippians 4:8).

For us to experience the best that God has for us in this life, we must take control of our thought life. Most people allow their thought to meander unbridled throughout the day. Thought association occurs in a millisecond. You hear a song, you smell something, you see something, and your mind associates the present event with something in your past.

When I first came to the Lord, I found this happening to me every day. It was as though my mind was trying to hijack my relationship with the Lord. At the time I was going to college and working in a grocery store stocking shelves. It doesn’t take a lot of thought to put a can on a shelf, and I had a lot of time for my mind to wander.

I would allow my mind to wander for several hours before I recognized what was happening. The new birth changed my spirit; old things pass away and all things became new. But my mind was largely unaffected. It was still filled with the debris from my old sinful life. Left alone, my mind would seek to pull me away from God back into familiar paths of thought. Emotions and thoughts go hand in hand, and I would feel spiritually away from God after these episodes.

I decided that if I was going to be a committed believer I must also commit My mind to the Lord. So I began to assert control over my thought life. To begin with I tried to make negative thinking leave by praying, by commanding Satan to leave in the name of Jesus, or by praising God. None of this worked.

I decided to take a scripture a day, place it on a note card, and when I had idle mental time I would pull that note card out and look at the scripture. Once I had it memorized, I would force myself to think on it. I found that I could make my mind think on what I wanted it to think on! This revolutionized my life.

I was so undisciplined mentally that my mind would wander for hours and I didn’t realize it. As I kept reigning it in by catching myself thinking on wrong things, I found that the time of out of control thinking lessened over time. Now, over thirty years later, I catch myself almost immediate when my thoughts stray.

I would use the above scripture written on a note card to challenge my thoughts. Make a decision today to assert control over your mind. Don’t allow it to wander off into negative things. Think on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, virtuous or positive, and praiseworthy. Your life change, and Jesus will become real to you!

Be Mentally Self-Controlled

Satan works in the realm of thoughts and feelings. He has the ability to place thoughts in our minds. He can manipulate the senses and make us feel certain things. That’s the reason that we must walk by faith and not by sight!

Satan’s first line of attack is in our thoughts. Notice 1 Peter 5:8: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. The Greek word for sober could be translated be mentally self controlled, or be free from mental intoxicants. He seeks to plant a thought of fear or doubt in our mind and then get us to act on it so that he can in some way steal, kill, and destroy. So it’s important that we guard our thoughts carefully. The word vigilant in this verse means to be ever on your guard.

Ephesians 6:11 reads: Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. The word wiles here is from the Greek word methodia. Methodia is a compound word taken from the Greek words meta (with) and hodos (road). Together they mean with a road, revealing that Satan has a route or a road that he travels on when attacking you. That road is your thought life.

2 Corinthians 2:11 reveals: Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices. The word devices in the Greek is noema and refers to the thoughts. You could translate the latter part of this verse: for we are not ignorant of his mind games! Satan seeks to use your own thoughts against you.

Then notice 2 Corinthians 10:3-5: For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. Our fight is to keep our thoughts free from the negatives, doubt, fear, and impurity that Satan brings. Our battle is in the realm of thinking. Spiritual warfare occurs between our ears!

Lastly, let me refer you to what I call the Christians “think list.” Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.(Philippians 4:8- KJV). The quality of your Christian life is directly related to the quality of your thoughts.

As you go through your day today, compare your thought life to the list. Are your thoughts, true honest, just, pure, lovely, positive, and worthy of praise? If not, change them! Your peace, joy, and success in God today will be directly related to what you do with your idle mental time! Keep them clean and positive and allow the Father to work in you and through you. Put up a roadblock on the road Satan wants to travel to gain entrance into your life. Be mentally self-controlled! Don’t play Satan’s mind games!

Faith Overcomes

Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one (Ephesians 6:16).

It’s the shield of faith that quenches all the fiery darts that the enemy throws at you. We need to remind ourselves regularly that we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the dark hosts of Satan. He has a legal right to rule over the unsaved and will also assert his influence over believers who don’t know and act on the word. Jesus has given us authority over them!

Satan has the ability to put a thought in your mind and place a feeling on your body. But he can’t touch you if make a decision to live by the word! When thoughts come that disagree with the Word, refuse to think them. When feelings come that disagree with the word, don’t live by them. Our authority over Satan and his emissaries comes by walking by faith in the Word of God.

When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus responded over and over again with it is written. And that’s the way we’re to deal with the devil today.

When thoughts of doubt and fear come, respond with it is written. When feelings of sickness attack, respond with it is written. When circumstances seem unrelenting and defeat seems inevitable, respond with it is written!

The victory that over comes the world is our faith. And faith is acting on and speaking the Word of God in the face of negative circumstances. Act on God’s Word in every area of life today. Refuse to dwell on the negative thoughts that come. Act on God’s Word in spite of feelings that tell you you’re not going to make it. Greater is He who is in you than He who is in the world! Remember that all things are possible with God, and all things are possible to him who believes!

Three Hindrances to Healing

It is the will of God for every believer to walk in Divine health. Provision for our healing and health are included in our redemption in Christ. The same faith that saves also heals! The Father forgives all of our sins and heals all of our diseases (Psalm 103:3).

Though the Father has provided salvation for all, it is not an automatic guarantee. Personal faith must be exercised in the sacrifice of Jesus for a person to experience salvation. In the same way, person faith must be exercised for an individual believer to receive healing and walk in the health that Jesus desires that they have.

If a believer is sick and fails to receive healing, there are three main reasons: Lack of knowledge, lack of faith, or disobedience.

The first reason is lack of knowledge. Most Christians are in this category. They go to church week after week, but never hear about the provision of healing that Jesus makes available in the salvation package. Hosea said My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Rare is the believer that can maintain steadfast faith for healing if they do not receive the teaching of scripture that enforces and produces faith. I encourage a person not to attend a church that does not preach and teach Divine healing. If they do, they will lack the faith and knowledge to act on that is necessary to receive healing.

The second reason a believer may fail to receive healing is lack of faith. Faith is alike a muscle. We all have the same number of muscles in our bodies at birth. Through regular exercise a muscle can be built up and strengthened. Some folk have muscles that can lift heavy weight while others have allowed theirs through lack of use to atrophy. Faith for healing must be built up regularly through meditating on scriptures about healing and by exercising that faith when attacked with physical symptoms.

If the physical attack of sickness or disease is stronger or heavier than your individual faith can deal with, then you may not be able to receive the healing. And that’s where a lot of people are in their faith life. They wait until a huge crisis comes before building up their faith in the word, and then they find that they don’t measure up in faith to the size of the attack they find themselves up against! I personally take time just about every day to meditate on scripture that promise healing and health. And then I exercise faith against every small physical attack that comes against my body. This keeps my personal faith strong.

The third reason a believer may not receive healing is their personal disobedience. Isaiah 1:19-20 reads: If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. We can receive God’s best only if we are walking in His will for our lives. There is a God purpose for every life. It is not possible to walk in health and be able to ward off the enemy’s attacks while living in known disobedience to God. Let me give you one example.

Years ago while pasturing a church I pioneered in a small city I got a call late one night from the wife of a faithful church member. Her husband had been rushed to the emergency room of a hospital and was unconscious with a hemorrhage in a blood vessel in the back of his neck and the base of his brain. As I entered the room she asked me to please pray for her husband to be healed and raised up. I laid my hands on him and as I asked the Lord to heal Him, I felt a sudden restraint. I felt within that I should not do this, as though the Lord wanted me to stop praying. This happened several times as I tried to pray for his healing. Finally I asked his wife if I could talk to her privately. I told her what happened and she related to me that several weeks earlier the doctor had told her husband that if he loved his family and wanted to live, he must immediately stop smoking. Her husband knew he should, but just didn’t do it. He knew that the Lord wanted him to quit. He knew that smoking wasn’t good for him, but persisted. The smoking had weakened his blood vessel walls and brought about a hemorrhage. I watched as his five family members gathered around his bed and he took his last breath later that night. His personal disobedience to the Father had cost this wonderful man that I knew and loved his physical life. I could give you many illustrations of this kind of thing happening to people.

It’s important for us to walk in the will of God for our lives in general as to life direction, and also in specifics as the Lord talks to us about what we do with our bodies. If we ignore Him or disobey, it could shorten our life.

Take time daily to meditate on the word and feed your faith about healing. Attend a good church that teaches the word concerning healing. Exercise your faith in small things. Walk in obedience to the will of the Father for your life and for your person. Health and healing belong to you. Walk in it!

What Life After Death Will Be Like

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea (Revelation 21:1).

We’re having our celebration service for Jeri Calkins today. She’s been in heaven for a few days now and is having a much better time there than we are here. Paul said in Philippians 1 than to depart and to be with Christ is far better.

One of the books I am reading for the second time now is Heaven by Randy Alcorn. In the book he made a statement that has stuck with me: As humans, we will forever be connected to the earth.

Heaven is not our final home, earth is! Heaven is a temporary place that we go to if we leave our physical bodies in death before the second coming of Christ. At His second coming, we come back with Him from heaven (that’s one reason I believe in the pre-tribulation rapture of the church – See Revelation 19). Jesus rules the earth for one thousand years when He returns (Revelation 20). He reigns until all of His enemies are subdued (1 Corinthians 15). And we are right there with Him the whole time.

But then after the millennial reign of Christ and after the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20: 11-15), there is a new heaven and a new earth. They are not new in that the old has completely disappeared and has been replaced, but new in that they undergo a renovation. All of the effects of sin are removed from the new earth and in eternity we will be able to travel between heaven and earth.

The thought I want to get to is that in eternity we will be back on this planet that we are accustomed to, but with all of the negative effects of the fall removed. There will be plants and trees and animals. There will be cities and commerce and travel. We will be busy and active here as we are about our Father’s business.

Most folk don’t look forward to heaven and the afterlife here on earth because they think that we won’t be doing anything but sitting around singing churchy songs! That is totally wrong thinking. Purpose and productivity are innate in the human and will be a part of us in eternity. God gave you gifting and talents not just for life on this fallen planet, but also to be used in eternity with life on the new earth!

In eternity you will be the you that we know now minus your personal flaws. You’ll have your unique personality, your personal likes and dislikes, your personal tastes, your personal items of interest just like you do now. The only difference will be that the flaws produced by the personal weakness of the flesh and sin will be removed!

Our precious friend Jeri loved to paint pictures. She’ll do that in heaven! She loved to help others. She’ll do that in heaven and in the new earth! She’s learning new laws of locomotion and physics right now while we’re still in a limited world. She’s learning secrets that we’ll learn one day. And she’s being who she is!

I’m personally excited about going to heaven one day to be with my Father God. And I’m excited to think of the plans He has for my future life. I personally believe that He’ll give me a wonderful library of books there! And I believe that the Father will open my understanding to new realms of truth. I’ll enjoy music that fits my tastes, scenery that brings me delight and so many things that I experience and enjoy now: That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:7).

Gentleness

You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has made me great (Psalm 18:35)

One of the fruit of the spirit that the Father deposited in us in the new birth is gentleness as the King James Version reads or as most translations read as kindness. The best definition that I’ve come across for gentleness is a sweetness of temper which puts others at ease and shrinks from giving pain.

Donald Gee calls it strength under perfect control. Hydraulic power is able to crush metal or punch holes through thick steel, yet is able also with a careful operator to crack a walnut without destroying it. Gentleness is seen in a great athletic strong man who does not manhandle his wife and children. In kindness with a gracious, sweet spirit, stands firm for what is right and corrects what is wrong. He’s not quick-tempered and domineering, but is soft-spoken, firm and in self control.

Gentleness is not weakness. Gentleness is the ability to hold yourself in check. Gentleness is moral integrity. Gentleness is the desire to do the right thing in relation to others.

Many times people who assert themselves in the crowd are the ones with the weakest character. The bully on the playground picks on the other kids due to his insecurity. The loudest person in a praise service could be the weakest and is simply increasing the decibels seeking to assert some kind of spirituality (but please balance this out because that’s not always true)!

Gentleness enables us to control ourselves and remain calm and caring when others don’t treat us the way we think they should. Gentleness is one of God’s character traits that He desires that we manifest.

Notice the scriptures (The same Greek Word is translated both gentleness and kindness): But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil (Luke 6:35). That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:7).

God has called each one of us to sweetness of temper that puts others at ease and shrinks from giving pain. Make these scriptures on gentleness a part of your meditation today: And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will (2 Timothy 2:24-26). Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering (Colossians 3:12). And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you (Ephesians 4:32). To speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men (Titus 3:2). By purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love (2 Corinthians 6:6). But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy (James 3:17).

Looking unto Jesus

…forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead (Philippians 3:13). Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2).

The Father wants each of us to look away from our past successes and failures and keep our focus on Him and His ability that is available to us! This word for looking here in Hebrews is the Greek word aphorao and it means to purposely turn your eyes away from other things and to fix your gaze purposefully onto something.

We often allow the distractions of personal weakness, inferiority, and of our past to hinder us from moving forward in God. Peter walked on the water as long as he kept his eyes fixed on Jesus. He began to sink when removed his gaze from Him. And we stop moving forward when we focus on anything but the Jesus and His ability in us through the Word!

Abraham’s life was changed at age 75 when God gave him a vision of a multitude of children living in a land God promised him! A man from a pagan family was transformed into the father of faith by a Word from God. He became what he looked for!

Jacob’s life was changed after he wrestled with an angel an entire night. His name was changed from Jacob (deceiver) to Israel (prince with God)! His vision of his life was never the same.

Joseph’s life was transformed when he had a dream of being great leader. Because he kept his focus on this dream, circumstances never got him down! Sold as a slave by his brothers, lied about and thrust in a prison, Joseph rose to the top regardless of circumstances. And it was because his inner gaze was on the dream! And he became that leader he dreamed about years later, after successfully overcoming daunting impossibilities.

Moses was born with a death threat on his life. He killed a man at 40 years of age and spent the next 40 year living in a desert in exile. Moses’ life was forever changed by a Word from God in the burning bush. He became one of the greatest prophets of Israel because He moved his gaze to the Holy God revealed in the bush! His legacy lives on!

Focus on your past, and you’ll never overcome it. Turn your eyes away from the hardship and troubles life has brought you and look purposefully at Jesus by focusing on the Word, and you’ll become a transformed person! A change of gaze will change your life course! Forget what has happened. You can’t change it. But you can do something with today! And what you see determines how you live! Let’s keep our focus on the promises of God today. He is faithful that promised!

The Right Foundation

The foundation of a house determines its strength. Wind and Water are powerful forces of nature, but a house built on the right foundation can remain strong when they rise against it.

Likewise, a person who chooses to be a doer of the Word has a firm foundation in life. Adversity has many faces and comes to us from so many sources, but a person who chooses to live life by obeying the Word will come out on top every time!

The Word never changes nor will it ever fade into useless nothingness. It’s eternal (Matthew 24:35). The Word will always accomplish the purpose for which it was sent (Isaiah 55:11). The Word has been sent by the Father to produce forgiveness, healing, strength, love, joy, patience, victory, prosperity, and abundance. The Father is always watching over His Word to make it good where believed (Jeremiah 1:12). Earthly things wear out, but the Word endures and is ageless (Isaiah 40:8). It stronger than rock, and is forever established (Psalm 119:89). The Father will never break the covenant He has with His Word. It will always produce fruit, and will be honored by the Father in the life of whoever believes it (Psalm 89:34)!

Since the Father’s Word is so sure, the best assurance of a blessed future is obeying and lining your life up with the Word now. A step away from the Word is inviting disaster. A decision to go your own way at the neglect of the Word is an invitation for the thief to invade your life by stealing, killing, and destroying in some way. It’s a real bad idea to forsake the Word for your own way!

I’m still amazed at how a person can hear the Word week after week, month after month, and year after year, and still refuse to act on it when challenges come. Don’t ever let yourself get so burdened that you make a decision that is contrary to the Word. Never turn a deaf ear to God’s will as found in the Word. That decision is a disaster in the making. The flood and winds of life will destroy a person who willfully chooses to ignore the Father’s counsel.

Over the years I’ve seen people overcome great adversity and succeed when failure seemed apparent by simply firmly choosing to obey God’s Word when it was not the most convenient or the most comfortable thing to do. You’ll always come out on top if you’ll obey God and stand on His Word. It’s not always the easiest route. And yes, there are challenges when you choose the Father’s way through the Word. But the end result will always be the same. Victory, success, peace, and joy will rule your life!

Small Beginnings

For who has despised the day of small things (Zechariah 4:10).

Plants, trees, and shrubs begin life as a small seed that germinates. Human life begins as a zygote. Speech development in a child begins with one syllable words.
The kingdom of God operates on the principle of the seed. Something begins small and then grows a little at a time. When you are born again, God plants the seed of His nature within and it begins to grow and develop. With that seed from Him comes a talent, an ability, a skill, a calling.

Faithfulness in the small things causes the seed of His call on your life to germinate. No person in God’s kingdom starts out immediately after salvation functioning in their full calling. The seed must grow.

I began my ministry cleaning a large local church. There I learned humility, faithfulness, integrity, endurance, submission, respect for leaders, unselfishness, and how to adapt to different personalities. I also studied and developed my fellowship with God. The seedbed of my ministry now found its fertile soil in faithfulness in small things.

You may feel the call of a pastor, an evangelist, or a teacher in the body of Christ. You sense a seed of ministry in you. Find a way to be faithful in small things. Minister in nursing homes, prisons, Bible studies, home groups, in children's ministry, in youth groups. Assist your pastor in the local church in any way he needs you. Usher, greet, duplicate CD's, cut the grass, repair the building, help with the sound. Look for areas of need and lend a hand.

Promotion in ministry comes from the Lord. Don’t despise the day of small things. Those days are the proving ground for what God can do through you for the rest of your life.

Faith and Patience

Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise (Hebrews 10:35-36).Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him (Hebrews 10:38).

Endurance or patience is an important ingredient of faith. It’s faith and patience that inherits the promises. The Greek word for endurance is hupomeno and it means to remain when under pressure. It’s the ability to keep your chin up when things aren’t going well. It’s the ability to remain joyful and expectant when it looks as though nothing you believe is coming to pass. It’s the ability to remain unmoved and unshaken by circumstances.

The very nature of what faith is makes patience so necessary in the faith fight. Faith is for what you don’t have in the physical realm yet. Faith takes the place of what God has promised you until it arrives in the physical and you can see it. Faith is the substitute for the thing God has promised you until you can physically see or feel it.

The Word promises healing, so you have prayed and exercised your faith. The pain increases and the symptoms worsen. Patience enables you to stand your ground in the tough time. Patience or endurance enables you to look away from the symptom and look at the promise of God, knowing that God is faithful to fulfill His Word.

The faith life is very challenging to the flesh! So many think that walking by faith means you receive instantly, but that is just not true! Abraham waited 25 years for the child of promise to come! And his patience enabled him to keep going strong when the impossibility of what he believed weighed on him.

Faith and patience are the twins of success! Patience keeps you from letting go of your faith! I remember when I was believing God to build our current building. It seemed that obstacles manifested every hour to keep it from happening. I had prayed, and I was believing that I received the answer to my prayer, which was a building being built.

At times I would get so tired of resisting the circumstances that just kept compounding! But it was the hupomeno, the ability to keep on going when the chips are down, that refused to let me quit. I gritted my teeth and praised God for honoring His Word! And you can see the results.

Don’t quit if you’re in a faith battle. Rest in the promises of God. He is faithful that promised. He watches over His Word to make it good. Heaven and earth may pass away, but His Word never will! Allow patience to under gird your faith today. Keep your eyes on God’s promises and not the unmoving circumstance. You will receive if you just don’t quit!

Jeri Calkins is With the Lord

For those that attend Victory Fellowship where I pastor, our beloved sister Jeri Calkins went to be with the Lord Jesus at 2:30 AM on Thursday, August 14th. Jeri had a severe physical battle for some time. She is now jumping, shouting, praising, worshipping, and learning all about a new way of life in the Presence!

Of course people have the why question when someone leaves us, and now is just not the time for me to deal with that. I’ll do that later. For now, let’s believe God for her family to be comforted and strengthened by the Lord and by trusting friends.

Jeri was a vivacious lady with a zeal and passion for Jesus. She was constantly looking for ways to give and to encourage. She has added to that legacy of giving by donating her body to medical research at Duke Medical Center! Even in her home going, her final act was a gift to help others.

We’re having a celebration service in honor of Jeri at Victory Fellowship next Friday, August 22, 2008 at 5:00 PM. If you knew Jeri, please come and honor her and encourage her family with your presence. We’ll have some praise and worship and a time of sharing together in her honor. Then afterwards, we’ll snack on some finger foods and fellowship with each other and her family.

Our home going is precious to God because we’re no longer separated from him by time and space. Please pray for Jeri’s family as they adjust to life separated from her. I’ll leave you with some thoughts from the word.

For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven,
if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. The Judgment Seat of Christ Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him (2 Corinthians 5:1-9). For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better (Philippians 1:21-23).

End Time Update

Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords (Ezekiel 38:1-4).

The Bible is an incredible roadmap. It shows us where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going. I’ve been asked about the Russian invasion of Georgia and whether it has anything to do with this scripture in Ezekiel.

A reading of Ezekiel 38 and 39 shows that Russia plots with other Islamic nations to attack Israel. Study of the above scripture reveals that Rosh, Meshech and Tubal refers to what we know now as Russia. What we don’t know is when this attack against Israel from Russia and these Islamic nations will occur.

The Russian attack against Georgia last week could well be the beginning of Russia asserting power and influence to eventually carve a path to fulfill Ezekiel 38 and 39. We do know that Russia has forged an alliance with Iran to provide military arms and has worked with them in their programs to provide nuclear power in Iran. We also know from Ezekiel that Iran (formerly Persia) is one of the players in this coming battle.

In addition, there is speculation that Israel may attack Iran’s sites that are working to create nuclear material before the inauguration of our next president in January. The president of Iran is a hard line Islamic radical that has called for the destruction of the United States and Israel. News about what I’m talking about is all over the internet and a simple search will provide you with loads of info about this.

At the same time, the US is undergoing a huge financial hardship brought about by greed as the lending institutions lent money to borrowers who they knew could not repay the subprime loans that they were given. This has rocked the world financial system as these loans have defaulted causing investors to lose billions of dollars worldwide. The result here in the US is that property values have deflated and banks have become unstable as they have lost millions of dollars of investment capital.

The rise in fuel prices has had a huge impact on the US economy as well, fueling inflation and creating hardship on businesses and average consumers. These things may be the very issues that work together down the road to bring to an end the US role as the world superpower. The US is not mentioned in any of the scriptures dealing with end time events and that seems peculiar since it has been the major world power for decades now.

These and other events are working together to line the world up for the time of tribulation and the rise of the coming world ruler called The Anti-Christ that is predicted by bible prophecy in Daniel and in Revelation.

The skinny of all this is that we should be doing our due diligence as Christians to get our house in order and prepare for the coming of Christ in the rapture. And we should be committing ourselves to God sincerely and ministering to those around us and working toward evangelizing the world!

This is an exciting time if you know the bible. But it’s also a day of reckoning for those who don’t know Jesus and are living to fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

Spend time daily praying for the fulfillment of the plan of God in this hour. Pray that the purpose and plan of God would be fulfilled in every nation on earth. And pray for Jesus to use you in this last great harvest of souls prior to His coming!

Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising (Isaiah 60:1-3).

Some Thoughts on Our Authority in Christ

Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions[demonic forces], and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you (Luke 10:19).

Adam’s sin gave Satan a temporary control over humanity and over the earth in general. Since that time he has become skilled in his killing, stealing, and destroying tactics (John 10:10). Romans 5 tells us that death reigned from Adam to Moses, indicating that there was a lessening of that reign when the law of Moses was established among those in covenant with God.

Under the Old Covenant sin was atoned or covered by the application of blood from a sacrificial animal to the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies where the presence of God dwelt. This atoning of sin severely limited Satan’s reign over God’s Old Covenant people. The problem with the Old Covenant was their rebellion to the will of God by wandering off into idolatry and gross personal sin. Humans are sinful to the core. So this Old Covenant was flawed because of sin and the wandering heart of man.

Jesus through the new birth gives us a new heart! We’re new creatures in Christ! The nature of sin is replaced by the nature of God in the heart of the believer! And Jesus captured Satan’s Adam given authority over man when He rose from the dead! That authority over Satan has been given to us, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ!

The demonic forces that have terrorized men for thousands of years are afraid of believers understanding and walking in their authority in Christ. Their scheme now is two-fold.

First, they want to keep Christians ignorant of their position and authority in Christ by watering down what churches teach with man-made traditions. This makes void personal spiritual authority over Satan in the average church going believer. Because they never hear their rights and privileges in Christ preached, most believers are unaware of what they can do to hinder Satan’s kingdom. Hosea said my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). Make sure you go to a church that strongly proclaims what Jesus did for us in His death and resurrection!

Secondly, if a believer knows about his personal spiritual authority over Satan, then the enemy schemes to push that believer to walk in the flesh. This will cancel the authority that believer has over him. Strife discord, disunity, unforgiveness, and lack of holy living are tools the enemy uses to keep an informed believer neutral in spiritual authority over him.

So the key to our walking in our God given authority is to feed our faith on the truths of who we are in Christ and on our position and standing before God in Him. And then make a choice to walk in the spirit by walking in love and by choosing to be a doer of the word.

Keep short accounts with the Father. Confess your sin when you miss it. The moment you mess up, fess up! Feed your faith daily on who you are in Christ Jesus. Pray the prayer of faith for yourself and your family. Believe you receive answers when you pray even when it seems as though the prayer isn’t answered. Pray on behalf of others. Take their needs before the Father and ask Him in specific ways to meet them. Take time daily to pray in the spirit. If you do these things, demon forces will fear the Jesus in you. And you’ll live in the cubicle of the Father’s care while living in a fallen world.

Prayer Importance

And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. (Luke 24:53). These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers (Acts 1:14). So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart (Acts 2:46). And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:31). Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God (Luke 6:12).

The foundation for all that God does in us and through us is in our prayer life. Jesus set the standard. Jesus’ days of ministry were preceded by nights of intense praying. The early church was formed after Jesus ascension in the incubator of prayer.

The kingdom of God functions on the prayers of the saints. The mighty forces that shape the world are not physical but spiritual. The answer to every challenge we face is first of all found in that place of solace with the Father. If Jesus heeded the importance of praying things out in His earth walk, should we not heed His example?

We’re facing pressures unheard of in previous generations. The climax of the ages is upon us. God has a grand and glorious strategy for the church in this hour. And it begins and ends on our knees! To neglect the place of prayer is to neglect the very purpose and plans of the Father for life.

Start today. Move yourself into a deeper place of prayer. Find a private place, and begin to tell the Father how wonderful He is to you. Ask Him to help you pour out your heart to Him. Then, take to Him every concern and problem. Give Him the details of what bothers you. Then ask Him to intervene and bring the solution. Remind Him of the promises of His Word to you. Spend time in thanksgiving for the answer.

While praying, take time to pray in tongues. This is the most effective form of prayer. Praying in the spirit enables you to pray the perfect will of God about the unknown future. It enables you to pray the will of God into manifestation in so many ways! Don’t neglect this secret weapon God has given to you! Use it regularly and watch the forces of the enemy back up!

The success of your day today begins in your prayer closet. Make it count!

Praise Power

Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls — Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills (Habakkuk 3:17-19).

Praise is the language of faith. When life turns sour, turn up the praise! James tells us to count it all joy when hard times arrive. Paul tells us to rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice!

Praise brings a manifestation of the presence of God that will give inward strength and that will attack the problem and bring a solution. Enemy armies had surrounded the people of God in 2 Chronicles 20. King Jehosophat and the people began to seek the Lord.

Through the prophet God told them that He would fight their battle for them. All they needed to do was to send the praisers to the front line of the battle and God would do t he fighting for them.

They obeyed and the praisers began to sing Praise the Lord for His mercy endures forever. As they sang, the presence and power of God manifested and the enemy were slain before they could lift a sword!

God will undertake to bring you out of the hard place if you will choose to put on the garment of praise. There is no feeling in this, it’s a total act of faith! When your flesh is screaming at you and the problems pile up, the best thing to do is to praise. Paul and Silas were set free from prison because they chose to pray and to sing praises to God while sitting in a dungeon.

Stop the complaining and begin to praise God in the troubles of life. God is not partial. He helped His Old Covenant people and fought for them. He will do the same for you!

Open Up to the Father

O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me," even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You (Psalm 139:1-12).

I want to clarify something today concerning walking by faith. I’ll be ministering tomorrow about the importance of living by faith. Part of the faith walk is maintaining a positive confession while waiting for the manifestation of answered prayer. Faith is always released from your heart with words. So saying what you believe is all important to having effective faith.

But the other side of the coin is that we are human and life brings disappointments and frustrations along emotional hurt and pain. Just the way we’re wired we sometimes need a place to vent these things and sort out our thoughts. And I have found that the best place to do this is in the presence of the Father.

You’ll find David in the Psalms venting his heart-felt frustrations to the Lord over and over again. Instead of stuffing his emotions, he let them go in a safe place. That safe place for all of us is in our closet in the Father’s presence.

Over the years in my life as circumstances have brought disappointment and frustration, I’ve learned to run the Father and tell Him everything, the good, the bad, and the otherwise. He understands our deepest thoughts and reasonings, and knows why we do what we do. He is the only person in the universe that knows us to the core of our being.

Taking time to get comfortable enough in His presence to pour out all your motives and thoughts will be one of the most worthwhile things you’ll ever do. Pouring your heart out to the Father is like a pressure valve being release from within.

I’ve learned to tell the Father every single thing I think and feel about a situation and why I feel that way. Then I just let His word minister to me. I ask Him to help me overcome the issue and give Him permission to speak into my life. He won’t unless you invite Him to. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you (James 4:8). Since He already knows everything about everything, why hide?

The more honest you are with the Father, the freer you will become. And the easier it will be to really be yourself with others. Faith will become a heart-felt process if you’ll spend time with the Father and talk to Him about life’s challenges and how you think about them. Afterwards, when you leave His presence and make a confession of faith, your intimate relationship with the Father will boost your faith and you’ll rise above the circumstance, carefree and joy filled.

In this context, the confession of faith that comes from heart-felt words will defeat the circumstance and bring you personal victory every time!

Personal Divine Help

For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:11).For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful(1 Corinthians 14:14). For one who speaks in an [unknown] tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands or catches his meaning, because in the [Holy] Spirit he utters secret truths and hidden things [not obvious to the understanding] (1 Corinthians 14:2 – Amplified).

Learning to overcome wrong thinking and wrong responses to life is one our greatest challenges as a believer. The New Birth transforms my spirit, but my soul and my body have been so enmeshed into sinful thoughts, motives, emotions, and response patterns that it’s difficult for me to see and understand them all.

So, we know things from the scriptures with our head. We know what we should do, but often end up doing the opposite. Paul said it this way in Romans 7: 15-17:
For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

Here is a key to being freed from wrong thinking and responses in the various areas of life. Take some time to get alone with God in the Word and just read it real slowly. Go to scriptures that deal with relationships, motives, and responses. I suggest Romans 12, Ephesians 4, Colossians 3, and 1 Peter 3 for starters. Read slowly going over each word carefully and asking yourself; Do I do that? Is there something that I need to put into practice here? Is there something that I need to stop? Is there some motive within me that needs to be changed? Is there a promise here that I need to act on? The key is going slowly and taking your time.

Then afterwards, take some time to pray in the spirit, in other tongues. Ask the Lord as you pray to unseat any wrong underlying patterns of thinking in your life that cause hurtful responses to others. Remember that your spirit knows things about your life that your mind doesn’t know. When you’re praying in tongues, you’re often praying out issues in your own life that need changing.

We have the same issues to deal with in life that all people face. But we have a loving Father and a loving Holy Spirit within us that are ready and willing to help us work through the issues and challenges that we face in our personal lives. Give God a chance to work in your personal life by spending time as I mentioned in the Word, and by taking time to pray in other tongues. After a while, thoughts will come up from your spirit person that will reveal areas of needed change. The Lord will then quicken you and enable you to deal with things that may have bothered you for years. We have a Divine helper within us who is longing for us to work with Him to bring in us needed change. Let’s give Him opportunity to work!

Discipline Yourself for the Purpose of Godliness

But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come (1 Timothy 4:7-8).

Godliness produces change that impacts life right now! Phillips translation of the latter part of verse 7 above reads: take time and trouble to keep yourselves spiritually fit. The New American Standard Bible of the same verse reads: on the other hand discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.

The Word of God will have an impact on your personal daily habits if you’ll take the time and trouble to get into the Word and let the Word get into you! God gave us the capacity of habit to keep life from being difficult.

A habit is something that is done so frequently that it can be performed without conscious thought. We all have personal daily habits that affect our routines throughout the day. We prepare for our day pretty much the same way each day after day. Many things in our occupation become routine and habitual. And our ways of relating to ourselves and others can become entrenched in habitually patterns of thought and response.

We also develop bad habits that harm us and those around us. These habits can keep us from God’s best. Here are some tips that will help you break a bad habit, be it a habit of thought, word, or action.

Breaking a habit is a three step process. The first step is to catch the habit after the fact. It’s becoming aware that you’re even doing something wrong! That’s where the Word comes into play. Find scriptures that deal with the area of life you’re challenged with, write them down and read them over and over again. That will sensitize you to the need to change that area of life.

The second step to changing a habit is to catch yourself in the middle of it! Once the Word is in you, conviction to change comes. And breaking a habit takes time. Just keep catching yourself after the fact, and eventually you’ll begin to see what you’re doing that’s wrong right while you’re involved in it!

The third and last step to breaking a habit is to catch yourself just before you start to do it. This is all a process that may take weeks of time. Psychologists tell us it takes three to four week to begin forming new habits. So start the process and work yourself through it.

Habits are changed by replacement. Don’t concentrate on the negative, concentrate on filling yourself with the Word, and then making a choice to repent the moment you see that you’re violating God’s Word in your life. This works in any area: thoughts, verbal responses, emotions, or physical habits.

I’ve used this three step principle for years in my own life and can vouch for its effectiveness. I’ve changed colloquial expressions I’ve picked up from others, habits of gossip when I was first saved, mental traits of believing the worst of others, all sorts of wrong patterns of response to others, workaholic tendencies, perfectionist patterns, and all sorts of physical habits by using these three follow through principles.

Catch yourself and repent after the fact. Catch yourself and repent in the middle of a wrong action. Then you’ll catch yourself just before the engrained habit pushes you to action. That’s how the power of the Word can change you from the inside out. Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.

Praying in the Spirit

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God (Romans 8:26-27).

Praying in the spirit is one of the most effective ways that we can pray. It plugs us directly into the spirit realm where we can be efficient in praying out the purpose and will of God for people and circumstances.

Mental praying is limited to your scope of understanding of a situation. But praying in the spirit takes you into God’s understanding and all-knowing bout things. Then while you’re praying in the spirit words will often float up to your mind from your spirit. Speak those words out and you’ll sometimes receive the interpretation of what you’re praying.

As I’ve mentioned over the last couple of days, we believers are the only people on earth that have a legal, God-given right to exercise authority over Satan and his forces. This authority does no good unless it is put into practice by us. It does not work automatically. Many believers are bound by the enemy because no one told them that they are free from his control and shown them how to take their rightful place in Christ.

Knowing your authority gives you a certain prayer responsibility before the Father. He wants you to take that responsibility and use your authority to command Satan to loose his hold on men and women.

Praying with the spirit and with the understanding combined can make you a tool in the hands of the Father that is dangerous to the kingdom of darkness. Take time today to pray in the spirit.

Here’s some practical instruction. It takes time to get into the flow of prayer when praying in the spirit. John was “in the spirit” on the Lord ’s Day in Revelation 1:10. That means he became more sensitive to spiritual things than mental or natural things. It takes time to get there. For me, it used to take me over an hour of praying in the spirit to get sensitive to the spirit realm and calm my thoughts down. Now it takes me anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes. Once you get to that place, it seems as though there is an easy flow of pray, and you can sense that the Spirit of God is working together with you. And in that place, your mind and spirit begin to work together to ask the Father’s intervention in the lives of people and in their circumstances.

The result for your own life is a deep penetrating peace and exquisite joy that is deep and almost beyond words. The result in others is changed lives. Take your place today and pray in the spirit and allow the Father to work with you to exercise authority over the work of the enemy. You’ll be glad you did.

Prayer Necessity

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.' "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!'" And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:1-8 – NIV).

Constant prayer in necessary for God’s highest and best to be realized in the home, in the church, and in the world. Because Satan obtained a legal right to rule on earth until the lease that God gave Adam on the earth runs out at the return of Christ, we must labor together with God in prayer. There are no shortcuts. If we refuse to pray, Satan makes inroads into life and circumstance. Our prayers of faith give God a legal right to move into life’s circumstances.

Refuse to yield to the pressure of the busy and necessary at the expense of prayer. To see a need is to have a call to this prayer life. Satan fears committed believers more than anyone else in the whole world. We alone have the authority in the name of Jesus to bind his activity and to command him to desist in his maneuvers against the will and purpose of God worldwide.

The unjust judge in the parable above is the devil. He will not let go of his victims unless we assert constant pressure on him and his kingdom with our prayers, intercession, and faith. Don’t buy the lie that your praying is ineffective and is a waste of time. Don’t allow the busy to take the place of the important. To God, our prayer time is the most important time of out day. Our prayers loose His benevolent hands and allow Him to demonstrate His ability to those in need.

Be a laborer together with God today. Be one of those that the Father can count on to work with as He seeks to save those who are lost. Can He count on you today?

Authority and Prayer

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints (Ephesians 6:18).

Our prayer life is more important than we often realize. John Wesley said: It seems as though God is limited by our prayer life; that He can do nothing for humanity unless someone asks Him to do it.

Adam’s original lease of dominion was transferred to Satan when Adam obeyed him, and Satan became at that time the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). You understand that God gave man authority and dominion over the earth when God created him (Genesis 1: 26-28). Satan gained a legal right to this authority when Adam chose to disobey God’s direct command. Since that time, the earth has been under Satan’s control. Jesus called Satan the prince (ruler) of this world in John 14:30. Satan is called the prince of the power of the air in Ephesians 2. John tells us that the whole world is under Satan’s power and control in 1 John 5:19.

During Jesus’ wilderness temptations, Satan offered Jesus the authority of the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would simply worship him. Satan told Jesus that the authority of the kingdom of the world was delivered to him. Who delivered authority over the earth to Satan? It was automatically transferred to Satan when Adam sinned.

Though God is sovereign overall, for a time limited period God had given some of His authority to Adam to rule over the earth under His providence. Now, Satan has a legal timed limited dominion over the earth since he obtained Adam’s original lease of dominion. This lease of dominion will end at the second coming of Christ.

Until then a thief has been let loose on this planet. He comes to steal, kill, and destroy. His desire is to mar human life and to make the earth a place of rebellion to God instead of a place of peace and tranquility. This is a sobering fact.

The good news is that Jesus Christ conquered Satan when He became our sin, died, and then was raised from physical death. Jesus cancelled the authority Satan has over Christian’s lives! When Jesus was raised from the dead, He spoke to His disciples just before He was taken into heaven and said: All authority has been given to me in heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18). Jesus spoke that as the representative new creation man, the God -Man who is the first-born from the dead (See Colossians 1). Jesus is now head of a brand new race of people, the New Creation folk, the church.

When He said in Matthew 28:19, Go ye, He actually transferred His authority over Satan to the church. Now, the only people who can exercise authority over Satan are Christians who know their rights and privileges in Christ. That’s the reason we must exercise our rights in prayer, binding Satan from hindering people from receiving the gospel, and demanding that He leave us and our loved ones alone.

The Father desires to use us to pray and ask Him to manifest Himself in the earth. God is limited to the prayers of believers because of this lease of dominion being transferred to Satan by Adam when he sinned. Since the church is the only group on earth that can exercise authority over Satan, God must now work through the church for His will to be accomplished.

Our prayers untie God’s hands. Take time every day to pray in the spirit. Praying in the spirit is a way to pray the perfect will of God into manifestation, and a way to pray for things that you’re aren’t aware of that need God’s intervention (see Romans 8:26-27 and 1 Corinthians 14:2). Pray with your understanding about things you know about. The Father has promised answered prayer. Take time to call on His name today, and invite His purposes into your life circumstances and into the earth.

God and Voting

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people He has chosen as His own in
heritance (Psalm 33:12).
I conducted a question and answer time during our midweek service this week and one of the questions that were asked was about the next presidential election. The questions was would the Holy Spirit tell every believer to vote for the same person?

My answer was that the Holy Spirit is not going to make the choice for us! He is not a democrat, republican, libertarian, or an independent. In fact, God is not into politics at all! God is not into democracy! His best is Theocracy, rule by God.

We live in a democratic republic with a representative form of government. Our congressmen, senators, representatives, and our President are elected by the will of the people. Their office of government is respected by God, but He is not the one who chooses them. The people choose those who hold governmental offices in our land.

A democracy cannot exist without a foundation of moral law and restraint. We are a fallen, wicked, depraved, and sinful race. The challenge of any democratic form of government is for the citizens to adhere to morality and civil law based on fairness and justice. When a citizenry becomes self-absorbed and self-centered in a democracy, they will begin to vote for that which most benefits their beliefs and lifestyle. Without a moral compass to hold the nature of sin in check, a culture will vote and the will of the people will reflect self-centeredness and lack of morality. The breakdown of law, order, civility, and family values will eventually follow. And without some form of moral restraint, a democratic culture will eventually fail and give in to rule by force. This is the lesson that history teaches us.

So when we go to the polls this fall to elect of governmental representatives, we must personally choose to allow the Lord to deal with us as we look at the facts concerning each person for which we vote. We must ask ourselves, which person most closely follows what I see as the standard for living in the word of God? Which candidate stands most closely for the moral values as taught by the precepts of scripture? When we as a people veer from God’s morals for living as a fallen race as given to Moses in the Ten Commandments, our culture will eventually fail. So we must be careful as Christians to vote from our hearts as we weigh the issues at hand in the balance of the word of God.

Where does the candidate stand on these issues: marriage and family values; personal financial responsibility; the role of government in personal life and choices in general; child training and education; financial matters such as taxes, business, the free market, and international commerce; national defense and military issues; the Middle East conflict and its resolution?

Ask the Lord for wisdom as you make your voting choices this fall. This next election may well make or break our nation. Family values are being challenged. Economic issues are testy and looming problems are on the horizon. Our national security is at risk from terrorism that is increasing in intensity. We must have leaders that respect God and His morals.

We must have leaders that are pro- Israel, for no nation can prosper that hinders God’s plan for this race that gave the world its moral compass, and gave the world the Messiah we know as Jesus the Christ. God made eternal promises to Abraham that He will fulfill in the Jewish race on their soil. Our leaders are wise to take heed this fact.

A wise believer will become involved in educating himself on the facts of what each candidate believes before voting this fall. God cannot honor ignorance, and will not grant wisdom to the uninformed. Take your civic duty to vote seriously this fall. Our future as a nation and the lifestyle we enjoy will rest on the choices we make at the voting booth!

Renew Your Mind

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:1-2).

In the new birth our spirits are transformed from darkness to light. The nature of sin is removed and replaced by the nature and life of God. A new motivation for living rises up from within. The things we once delighted in are replaced by an attraction to right living. And that’s where the challenge begins.

Before Christ we allowed our minds, emotions, wills and bodies to absorb habits that now bring regret if we participate in them. Paul said it to the believers in Rome this way: I am speaking in familiar human terms because of your natural limitations. For as you yielded your bodily members and faculties as servants to impurity and ever increasing lawlessness, so now yield your bodily members and faculties once for all as servants to righteousness (right being and doing) which leads to sanctification (Romans 6:19-Amplified).

Stubbornness, anger, malice (the desire for bad things to happen to people who do you wrong), self-centeredness, habits of fleshly lusts sexual and otherwise, overeating to cover pain, overwork to escape dealing with relational issues, perfectionism; all of these things come from a soul (mind, emotions and will) that must be subdued and brought to obedience to the Word! The mind is renewed and the body submitted to God as a living sacrifice as we daily yielded ourselves to the Lordship of the Word, making a conscious decision to act on the Word when everything in you wants to go the other way!

Make a decision today and everyday to 1) meditate the Word, to let it revolve over and over in your mind. 2) Make a decision to be a doer and not just a hearer only of the Word. 3) Make a decision to put the Word first place in your life. Not last place, but to act on the Word in each situation life brings. Do what God says should be done in that situation. 4) Make a decision daily to obey your conscience, the voice of your human spirit speaking to you. As you train your conscience to obey the Word, the voice of God in your inward man will become clearer and clearer.

Mind renewal is a lifelong process that will only culminate when we get to heaven and are like Him! Work towards that end everyday! He must increase; I must decrease!