Faith and Love

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love (Galatians 5:6).

Love is the foundation of our walk with God. We may have faith to move mountains, but if we fail to walk in the love of God, our faith will not work! A race car with a flat tire is useless. An aircraft with a missing wing will not fly. And so faith must have the ingredient of love if it’s going to work.

Jesus gave us a new commandment, the love commandment that has in it all the other ten combined. Others know of our salvation experience by the demonstrations of love in our life.

Because this love is so vital, the Father has placed it in our spirits in the new birth. Now we must steward this love every day. Patience, kindness, self-less care for others, humility, no selfish ambition, not holding a grudge when wronged, actually paying no attention to an offence committed against us, believing the best of others, these are some of the characteristics of love. Without them, our faith is hindered.

Eagerly pursue and seek to acquire this love make it your aim, your great quest (1 Corinthians 14:1 Amplified). All that God does in my life rests on what I do with the love of God. Love covers a multitude of wrongs. It forgives and disregards the offences of others.

If answered prayer has been a challenge, or over a period of time, the results of faith have not been forthcoming, then check up on your love life. Make the adjustments necessary to bring love to the forefront of all you do. Make it your aim, your great quest!

Faith is the Evidence

NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things we hope for, being the proof of things we do not see and the conviction of their reality; faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses (Hebrews 11:1- Amplified)

Faith is for what I don’t have, and what I can’t see, but that God has promised me in the Word. Faith takes the place of what God promised me until it shows up in my life. It’s the title deed that what God promised belongs to me now even though I can’t see it!

Himself took my infirmities and bare my sicknesses is what my title deed for healing is based on. But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in Glory by Christ Jesus is what my title deed is based on for the need I have to be met.

If I have the title deed, then I own the property. If I believe I receive, then I own the thing I believe for. I may not see it yet, but it’s just as real as though I could see it. I’m to look mot at the things that are seen (the symptoms), but at the things unseen (the eternal Word of God). The things seen are temporary, the things unseen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18).

So if I’m walking by faith, and my faith takes the place of what I believe I receive, then I should be just as joyful and happy now as I would be if I could actually see what I’m believing for! Faith has the shout before the answer can be seen, or it’s not real faith.

Abraham could not see the child of promise, but still gave glory to God. He was fully persuaded that what God promised belonged to him. His faith was the title deed. (See Romans 4:17-20).

Standing in praise and thanksgiving is the best way to exercise your faith. Your faith is proof that what you believe for exists. Exercise your faith today by doing all you can to act as though you already had in manifestation what God has promised!

Fellowship and Change

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.
For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).

I’m looking forward to our Pullen Park picnic this coming Saturday. These events help create an atmosphere of unity in our church family. They help enable an atmosphere in our church body that attracts the manifestations of the Holy Spirit.

I also want to urge you to be involved in one of our Lifegroups. Personal relationships help the change to occur that the Father is seeking in all of us.

There is a strength that comes from fellowship with other members of the body of Christ. We have become a culture of lonely people. And loneliness breeds dysfunction and pain. A hurt animal will isolate himself. And those dealing with emotional struggles shy away from being with the family, and keep themselves from a prime ingredient necessary for change in their lives.

Truth, relationships, and time are the three necessary ingredients for change in human life. We need the truth of God’s Word confronting and challenging us; shedding light on areas of personal darkness. We also need truth with ourselves; being honest and real about things we deal with deep inside.

We also need relationships with others. God create us humans to thrive best within the context of loving relationships. Relationships can bring strength, encouragement, and healing to us. Genuine close relationships sharpen us. They keep us from isolating in our personal pain and difficulty, and help strengthen us when we face the challenges of life. Those who run from relationship are avoiding a path God has created to minister to them personally.

Lastly we need time to change. No change is overnight. Change is a process of confronting ourselves and allowing the Word to do its work in the context of close personal relationships.

Take advantage of the rich diversity found in the body of Christ. God has an ordained strength for your life in the fellowship you allow. If you’ve been hurt by close relationships, it’s going to take time for that to heal. And you’ve going to have to be willing to open yourself us and trust again.

It’s well worth the risk to open up to fellowship. And in some areas of life, the Word is hindered from producing its fruit until we get into close contact with spiritual family. I can’t encourage you enough to get involved in one of our
Lifegroups. You’ll find that others are dealing with the same issues that you are. You’ll find a new source of personal strength and ministry.

Faith for Answered Prayer

I was raised to believe that answered prayer was relative. You really couldn’t count on the Father to answer your prayers. Sometimes He may say yes, other times He would say no, and sometimes maybe. This idea sapped all the faith for an answer out of me. The best you could do was to hope if you got enough people praying long enough, maybe you could coerce God into answering.

When I made Jesus the Lord of my life, I was totally delighted and shocked to find that the Father longs to answer our prayers, and He wants to say yes every time! All we need to do is to look into the Word to find His will before we pray. His Word is His will!

All things whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive (Matthew 21:22). Whatever things you desire when you pray, believe you receive them, and you will have them (Mark 11:24). If you abide in Me and My Words abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done to you (John 15:7). In that day you will ask Me nothing. Whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Up until this time you’ve asked nothing in My name. Ask and you will receive that your joy may be full (John 16:23-24). Whatever we ask we receive from Him because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight (1 John 3:22). This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know He hears us, whatever we ask, we know we have the petitions that we have asked of Him (1 John 5:14-15).

These are the promises to answered prayer that I meditate on every day. I mean every day they revolve around inside me. I keep my faith built up in the fact that if I pray according to the Word, He hears me, and I’m promised the answer. This eliminates worry and fretting about things that arise in the course of life. This knowledge of His desire to answer prayer solves most problems. I’ve learned to take everything to Him in believing prayer. That keeps my mind free, my emotions calm, and my spirit in charge. And it keeps me dependent on Him to work in every area of life.

When we choose to live a lifestyle of prayer based on the Word, it brings a ray of sunshine into the darkest day, and brings great peace and joy into everyday life. How can we lose? How can we but shout for joy! How can we go under in the light of these awesome promises from the Father to care for and to provide! Our God is more than enough!

No More Obsessing

Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully (1 Peter 5:7 - Amplified).

We’re all changing from glory to glory by the Holy Spirit. That means we never really arrive in full spiritual maturity. We’ll be in process until the day we meet Jesus face to face.

I thought I had a pretty much conquered the worry habit. When I came to Jesus, I had a well developed habit of worrying about everything, and the Lord had helped me redirect my focus to faith and to believing I receive instead of allowing fear, doubt, and unbelief to rule.

Some months ago I was reading Happiness is a Choice by Frank Minirth and was confronted with an uncomfortable idea about myself. He mentioned that those who are leaders generally have a degree of obsessive compulsive tendencies. That’s what makes them good leaders. They push and get things done. I was taken back a bit when I read that, and the Father began to slowly speak to me about my obsessive tendencies. He revealed to me yet another layer of doubt, fear, and unbelief that I did not realize that I allowed in my life.

Since that time I’ve been challenged to another level of faith and obedience. I found that when things are not going as planned, I obsess. That is, I try to figure out what I need to do to work it out. In my mind I will come up with several scenarios that will work out. For instance, if I’m in between flights and my flight is late, I will obsess about all the scenarios of what could happen with my connecting flight.

A couple of years ago, I was in the Omo valley in Ethiopia, and we were beginning the journey home the next morning. This area is very mountainous and is prone to flooding. I was awakened early with the sound of pouring rain, a real gulley washer! As I obsessed about what could happen if it flooded and we got stuck (we had to cross several river beds on our journey), the Lord began to deal with me to trust Him instead of obsess over the varying possibilities.

Now, I have become constantly aware of the need to depend on the Father through the Word rather than try to figure every problem out alone. He’s turning my obsessing into trusting! I’m more rested and at ease. Sudden changes and challenges are not nearly as threatening. Peace is a constant friend. Life is more of an adventure with the Father taking the lead.

Worry on any level is an exercise in futility. It’s a complete waste of time! Instead of worrying or obsessing, pray the prayer of faith and believe you receive. Then spend time in praise and worship when the worry thoughts of doubt and fear attack. In His presence is fullness of joy, pleasures forevermore. The Father inhabits praise. His joy becomes an hourly strength!

We are in His grasp. Our days are arranged by the Father. Let Him rule you through the Word today! Keep yourself in His care!

Be Faithful

And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry (1 Timothy 1:12).

You can be taught a skill in life. Abilities can be acquired through study and diligence in a certain discipline. But nobody can teach you character. Character is something that only you can develop. Faithfulness is a character issue, and is a quality that can take you right into the perfect will of the Father for your life.

For me, I knew that God had called me into ministry. But He didn’t tell me what kind of ministry, or even how to pursue what He wanted. I learned that faithfulness is top priority with the Father. And to find His purposes for life and ministry, I learned to pursue being faithful above all else.

After graduating from Bible School, the Lord led me to be faithful in my local church. No one asked me to do anything. I just wanted to be a blessing, so I looked for an opportunity to help out weekly in my local church. To begin with, I helped prepare for weekly services by assisting the maintenance crew as they set up 1200 chairs twice a week. It was grueling work. There was no spotlight or pat on the back. I just had a heart wanting to be faithful to the Father in some way.

I was eventually hired as part of the church maintenance staff, and later on joined the pastoral team of the church assisting the pastor in counseling. The door opener was faithfulness. Eventually, that same faithfulness opened up the pastoral role the Father had called me to when He first placed ministry in my heart as a teenager.

At every level, the Father looks for faithfulness before promotion. Don’t try to make your own way. Prove your character by being a faithful person at whatever lever you are in life right now.

The faithful abound with blessings. Those that are faithful in the small tasks will most likely be faithful in the larger responsibilities. Seek to be faithful today. Tomorrows opportunities are opened by the faithful deeds and the faithful attitudes you sow today.

An Admonition to Praise

We had a great praise and worship night this past Wednesday as we dedicated the entire time to worship. While I was standing there, the Holy Spirit began to work inside of me. I began to know that the Father wants us to live a lifestyle of praise. In our praise, the enemy is bound and hindered (see Psalm 149), and the kingdom of God manifests(Psalm 22:3). The Father manifests Himself and His attributes as we praise and worship from our hearts.

It was in the midst of their praising God that Paul and Silas were delivered from prison chains in Acts 16. In 2 Chronicles 20, God told His people to place the worshippers in the front lines of battle and He would fight for them as they praised Him!

In the confrontations that we face with darkness in this last hour, the Father would be pleased for us to live in worship, to face every challenge and difficulty with cheerful, God honoring praise and worship. Praise is not just for a church service, but must become a part of our daily lifestyle. Praise should be the first response we have to duress and trouble.

The Holy Spirit began to give me a Word of Wisdom concerning future events as I stood there worshipping Wednesday night. So at the end of the meeting, I spoke what I heard from Him. I have no idea what will occur; just that something will happen that will be challenging. Our response should be to walk in faith and to praise our God!

Here is a transcription of what I said at the end of the Wednesday night meeting. When these things come to me, I really have no more to add. They don’t come from the mind, but from my spirit by the Holy Spirit, so I’m as clueless as anyone as to what could occur. It’s time to walk by faith, to pray, to worship, and to believe!

Wednesday night, April 30th, 2009:

In the days to come, the things that will occur, and the things that you will see and hear, will shock the world. For in the months – one, two, three – there will be happenings that will cause the beginning of things that I have foretold by My prophets. And many will wonder and say, “What will I do?” But those that do know their God will be strong and do exploits – for Me.

So you should never be in a place of concern. For I’ve called you to rest with Me. And I’ve called you to be those upon whom I have placed My Spirit and My protection from things. And so if you’ll rise up and worship and rise up and praise – I inhabit praise – I’ll cause the manifestation of Who I Am to hover around you and yours. And you will know My solace, you will know My protection, you will know My way. You’ll not be taken by surprise. Darkness will not overtake you, because I’ve called you to walk in light. The light will prevail, and My glory will shine.

For even in this time, and even in this hour, those who have been allured by the things of this life and have walked away from Me – I have begun to call them back. And I have placed something from Me deep within them. And I’m calling them, and they are hearing My call. This day I will call the prodigal back to Me. Those who thought there’s no help for them in God will know My aid and know My help, for I will forgive their transgressions, and I will draw them back. I will give them a spirit of repentance. And so don’t be those that judge. Don’t be those that are law-filled. But be those that are love-filled, and Word-filled, and Spirit-filled. And let me work in you, for I will work a work in your day which none can gainsay nor resist. I am the restorer of the breach, the restorer of the paths to dwell in. And I will use you to bring those in darkness to Me. So prepare yourself and be ready, for surely I come. Surely I mend. Surely I help. Surely I reveal Myself. Surely you’ll be ready. Praise God.