Don't Quit!

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns (Phil 1:6 – NLT).

 

This verse has been a great encouragement to me over the years. Discouragement and disappoint affect us all at times. At one point in my life, it seemed as though all that the Lord had done in my life was for nothing. The enemy attacked me with discouragement as I looked back at where I had been and then looked at where I was at that time in my walk with the Lord. My goals had not been realized. My plans had been hampered by circumstances beyond my control.

I’ve found that the toughest times in life can actually be the times of greatest spiritual growth. As fire tempers metal, difficulties have a way of bringing the dross, the negative things that hinder life, to the surface in us. And then the Father in His gentle, loving way begins the process of ministering life and changing us.

 

The Holy Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance. When the Father brought you into His family, He placed a down payment within you. The indwelling Holy Spirit is the guarantee that He will finish what He started.

Listen to Him speak to you today:

The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands (Psalm 138:8).  

The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day (Proverbs 4:18 - NIV).

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13).

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18).

The Lord is well able to finish what He started in you. Don’t give up while in process!

Feed Your Faith And Starve Your Doubts!

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).

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:11).

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).

  

God Wants to Help Me Do What I Can't Do Myself!

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 - Amplified).

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!

A Land in Crisis Needs the Light in Us!

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14).

The land of the free and the home of the brave is in crisis; a crisis of choosing darkness over light and cursing over blessing. Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known (Deuteronomy 11:26-28 -NKJV).

As we celebrate the fourth with our families and friends, let’s take time to pray for God do a HUGE work in us, the church of the Lord Jesus. Because as goes the church, so goes the nation.

When a nation is challenged, God looks to the believer in that nation to humble themselves and pray.  All change within a nation starts with the believers in that nation. We must humble ourselves, examined our lives, repent of sin, and ask God for mercy not only for ourselves, but also for the nation in which we live.

We are to also seek His face. Seeking God’s face in Old Testament usage means to live in such a way that our lifestyle makes Him smile. A small child will often do things to get mom or dad’s attention, and to make his parents smile.

The next phrase in this scripture is turn from their wicked ways. When we turn in repentance from that which displeases the Lord and do the things that bring His smile, He goes into action for the nation.

Then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land. All of this starts with three words: if my people.

Let’s not wait until the congress passes laws that are in favor of christian values; let’s not wait until prayer is allowed in schools again. Let’s not wait until laws are passed that outlaw the killing of  innocent children through abortion.

Let’s start right now to deal with ourselves; to make a choice to live in obedience to the loving voice of a Father through His word; to love our neighbors as we love ourselves; to treat others the way we want to be treated; to let His light shine in how we behave each day at home with our immediate families.

His mercies are renewed every single day. Let’s beseech God on behalf of our beloved country. Father, forgive us for our personal sins against you and your Holiness. We humble ourselves and ask you to manifest your presence in us in a fresh way in us. Use us as individual lights in the darkness of the hour. Move us into positions to speak with others about you and your love, mercy, kindness, and forgiveness. Bring a fresh moving of the Holy Spirit to this nation through the prayers of your people. Bring healing to this land, in Jesus’ name.

How Do I Walk By Faith in Front Of Those That Don't Understand Faith?

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).

Some time ago 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 Church 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 them 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).

Don't Allow Your Mind to Wander onto Just Anything!

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 six 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!

Don't Allow Satan to Invade Your Thoughts!

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!