Because God has truly pressed upon me to outfit bold, unashamed believers who are overflowing with the joy of the Lord and are "more than conqerers" I wanted to talk to you about using the victory that you have already been given in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Defeating Satan is something that we must do in our everyday lives...each day is a new opportunity for us to worship in spirit and in truth...but because of that we can be assured that each day the enemy will be hard at work to stop us from doing God's work.
"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:57
this scripture is our garantee that we have already won the war! Thanks to the sacrifice of Christ we were translated into the kingdom of his dear son and given eternal VICTORY! That's something to be excited about! Glory to God.
We must excercise this knowledge and faith in the word of God an turn to God for our Victory.
Time and time again, the Bible instructs us to rely upon God to deliver us from our enemy.
In (Mt. 6:13), Jesus taught His Disciples how to pray. And one part of that prayer says, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
According to this verse, who can deliver us from the evil one? Our Father in heaven!
In (James 4:7), the Holy Spirit inspired James to write, “Submit yourselves, then to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.”
Before we can resist the Devil, we must submit to God!
In (Eph. 6:10-11), the Bible says, “Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the Devil’s schemes.”
'That's it!Put on the Armor of God.Each day when we get up...seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness then suit up and get ready for war! Using the metaphor of a well-equipped Roman soldier, Paul told how we can be prepared for spiritual warfare (Eph. 6:11-18).
The belt of truth. Since Satan depends on deceit to maintain his power, our first line of defense is always to be truthful. We must never distort or misrepresent the truth, regardless of any advantage we might gain by doing so.
The breastplate of righteousness. Any sin in our life leaves us open to Satan's attack. Even though we are given the righteousness of Christ (2 Cor. 5:21), we must still continually put on the protection of holy living.
The shoes of the gospel of peace. With our feet firmly planted on the truth that we are at peace with God and that He is on our side, we can stand firmly against Satan's attacks.
The shield of faith. In order to quench the "fiery darts" of Satan's temptations, we must trust and believe what God has said about every area of our life.
The helmet of salvation. This is the confidence that there is coming in the future a great victory celebration. It's also referred to as the "hope of salvation" (1 Thess. 5:8). This helmet protects us against Satan's two-edged sword of discouragement and doubt.
The sword of the Spirit. Since the Word of God is the basis of our faith, we need to learn how to wield it with authority. Scripture is our best offensive weapon against the devil (Matt. 4:1-11).
Once we have put on the full armor of God, we are ready for each new day and the challenges that it brings...through focus on God and an undying faith in his word we truly do have the victory.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Prayer- Why? Who? What?
It seems that one of the biggest struggles Christians have is being in a constant state of prayer. All too often we can find ourselves only praying right before bed or before our meals.
So the question a lot of times is why should we pray? But first of all we must put things in order and understand to whom we pray. There is only one supreme Creator and sovereign God. There is only one way to Him and that is through His only son, Jesus Christ. God, our Heavenly Father, is the only one we can be assured of who hears and answers our prayers. He is the God of amazing love, mercy, and forgiveness.
By Him, all things are possible. Jesus says in Mark 10:27, "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God."
Daniel 9:18 tells us: “We do not ask because we deserve help, but because God is so merciful.”
One way in which God demonstrates of love is forgiveness of the sins each of us have committed. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it” (John 3:16-17).
What do we pray for?Prayer is the key to the heart of God. Prayer is the only way to a real and personal relationship with God.
Pray acknowledging He is God, and that you accept His gracious gift, Jesus Christ, as your Lord and Savior (Genesis 17:1, Romans 6:16-18).
Pray confessing our sins and accepting His forgiveness (Romans 3:23-26).
Pray that His will be done in our lives, that His Holy Spirit guide us, and that we be filled with the fullness of all God has for us.
Pray for (spiritual) understanding and wisdom (Proverbs 2:6-8, 3:5).
Pray with thanksgiving for all the ways He blesses us (Philippians 4:6.) Pray when we are ill, lonely, going through trials or interceding for others (James 5:14-16, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
Pray to worship Him (Psalm 95:6-7).
Honestly, there is nothing we can’t pray about. Paul tells us to “pray without ceasing.” This shows us that the communication with God is meant to never end.
We find intimacy with God through communicating with Him in prayer. We go to Him in faith, knowing that He hears and answers all our prayers (1 John 5:14).
Be confident that God knows and wants what is best for us; so ask that His will be done in all we seek from Him. Then, thank Him for it, even though it hasn’t happened yet.
How do we pray?Jesus gave his disciples, what we call, “The Lord’s Prayer” (Matthew 6) as a model. In addition, Hebrews 4:14-16 tells us we can pray boldly -- “That is one reason that we have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus. Let us seek him and never stop trusting him. Jesus understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.”
The Bible shows us that “God is not a man that he should lie.” Knowing this we can be sure that all of God’s promises will be kept. Go to the Lord boldly in confidence that he is keeping His end of the Bargain.Above all, pray with sincerity, honor, and humbleness before the Almighty God. “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results” (James 5:16).
So as the lyrics of one of my songs say, “There was a time when I would pray, couldn’t think of a thing to say…But Lord I FOUND MY WAY.” I pray that I have helped you to yet again find your way. Peace and Blessings. Point5
www.point5online.com
www.myspace.com/point5five
So the question a lot of times is why should we pray? But first of all we must put things in order and understand to whom we pray. There is only one supreme Creator and sovereign God. There is only one way to Him and that is through His only son, Jesus Christ. God, our Heavenly Father, is the only one we can be assured of who hears and answers our prayers. He is the God of amazing love, mercy, and forgiveness.
By Him, all things are possible. Jesus says in Mark 10:27, "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God."
Daniel 9:18 tells us: “We do not ask because we deserve help, but because God is so merciful.”
One way in which God demonstrates of love is forgiveness of the sins each of us have committed. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it” (John 3:16-17).
What do we pray for?Prayer is the key to the heart of God. Prayer is the only way to a real and personal relationship with God.
Pray acknowledging He is God, and that you accept His gracious gift, Jesus Christ, as your Lord and Savior (Genesis 17:1, Romans 6:16-18).
Pray confessing our sins and accepting His forgiveness (Romans 3:23-26).
Pray that His will be done in our lives, that His Holy Spirit guide us, and that we be filled with the fullness of all God has for us.
Pray for (spiritual) understanding and wisdom (Proverbs 2:6-8, 3:5).
Pray with thanksgiving for all the ways He blesses us (Philippians 4:6.) Pray when we are ill, lonely, going through trials or interceding for others (James 5:14-16, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
Pray to worship Him (Psalm 95:6-7).
Honestly, there is nothing we can’t pray about. Paul tells us to “pray without ceasing.” This shows us that the communication with God is meant to never end.
We find intimacy with God through communicating with Him in prayer. We go to Him in faith, knowing that He hears and answers all our prayers (1 John 5:14).
Be confident that God knows and wants what is best for us; so ask that His will be done in all we seek from Him. Then, thank Him for it, even though it hasn’t happened yet.
How do we pray?Jesus gave his disciples, what we call, “The Lord’s Prayer” (Matthew 6) as a model. In addition, Hebrews 4:14-16 tells us we can pray boldly -- “That is one reason that we have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus. Let us seek him and never stop trusting him. Jesus understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.”
The Bible shows us that “God is not a man that he should lie.” Knowing this we can be sure that all of God’s promises will be kept. Go to the Lord boldly in confidence that he is keeping His end of the Bargain.Above all, pray with sincerity, honor, and humbleness before the Almighty God. “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results” (James 5:16).
So as the lyrics of one of my songs say, “There was a time when I would pray, couldn’t think of a thing to say…But Lord I FOUND MY WAY.” I pray that I have helped you to yet again find your way. Peace and Blessings. Point5
www.point5online.com
www.myspace.com/point5five
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
The New Testament tithe!
Many of you have read my last post "The generous man will prosper".... I have received messages recently claiming that my 1st point, the necessity of the tithe is wrong. The email states that the tithe(10%) is no longer required by God because it is a part of the old testament covenent which was changed at the time of Jesus. The claim is then maid that the law of tithing 10% has been abolished and that we are only to give what we feel.The email also says that tithing is not mentioned in the new testament (tisk tisk tisk).
well because I am very accepting of critisism and more importantly because the bible teaches us that "My people suffer for lack of knowledge," I must prove the tithe is in the new testament before these unGodly teachings effect the growth of our brothers and sisters in Christ!
The first thing I have to say is that the bible NEVER mentions the abolishment of tithing.
secondly, tithing began well before the law was introduced. The Law only regulated the tithe.
Abraham tithed to Melchizedek, about 400 years (by my calculation) before the time of Moses and the Law, and according to Romans 4:12 we are to walk in the footsteps of the faith of Abraham. If tithing was good for him, it should be good for us, too.
We give tithes like Abraham gave them—by faith, not necessarily by law (if not thats like saying you serve God because you have to,not because you want to). And beside that, if the people of God paid ten percent before the Law, and ten percent at the time of the Law, should we be doing any less ? I mean we have a better covenant now (Heb 7:22-22 "Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant").
Hebrews 7:8 (New Testament) deals with this directly. "In the one case, the tenth is collected by men who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living."
Christ is declared to be living right?
Thirdly, The early Jewish believers had no problem with tithing since they had done it under the Law. They gave their tithe to the elders of the church and did it by love. However, as the church became less Jewish this issue came up to the church fathers.
Jesus answered the question of tithing with Matthew 23:23 (New Testament):
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former."
Notice Jesus said, "You should have practiced the latter (justice, mercy and faithfulness), without neglecting the former (tithing)." The fathers argued, and rightful so, that Jesus word ends the discussion. Since Jesus said not to neglect the former,being tithing,then no believer should neglect tithing.
Wait...Jesus is the creator of the new covenant, and he just said it, plain and simple.
Here is more New Testament evidence.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:13-14 and says,
"Don't you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. "
Paul argues that just as the priests got their food from the tithes of the people, so the preachers should live the same way. This passage clearly shows the mentality of the apostle and his understanding of carrying over the concept of tithing into the church.
The scripture that was used to argue against tithing was 2 Corinthians 9:7:
"Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."
This was used to say that tithing is of our free will giving and not required, which is clearly untrue because the above passage is not dealing with giving to support the church at all. It is talking about giving to the poor. Giving to the poor was a free will offering. The Word of God clearly seperates tithes and "freewill offerings as 2 different things in the old testament book of Deuteronomy:
"But you are to seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go; there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, what you have vowed to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. (Deut 12:5-6)"
So now that we have proved the tithe exists in the new testament, I just want to say be careful of who you let pour into your understanding because a little misunderstanding can lead to great disobedience. Now that you have it, Cherish understanding
Proverbs 19:18
He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; he who cherishes understanding prospers.
God Bless. .5
well because I am very accepting of critisism and more importantly because the bible teaches us that "My people suffer for lack of knowledge," I must prove the tithe is in the new testament before these unGodly teachings effect the growth of our brothers and sisters in Christ!
The first thing I have to say is that the bible NEVER mentions the abolishment of tithing.
secondly, tithing began well before the law was introduced. The Law only regulated the tithe.
Abraham tithed to Melchizedek, about 400 years (by my calculation) before the time of Moses and the Law, and according to Romans 4:12 we are to walk in the footsteps of the faith of Abraham. If tithing was good for him, it should be good for us, too.
We give tithes like Abraham gave them—by faith, not necessarily by law (if not thats like saying you serve God because you have to,not because you want to). And beside that, if the people of God paid ten percent before the Law, and ten percent at the time of the Law, should we be doing any less ? I mean we have a better covenant now (Heb 7:22-22 "Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant").
Hebrews 7:8 (New Testament) deals with this directly. "In the one case, the tenth is collected by men who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living."
Christ is declared to be living right?
Thirdly, The early Jewish believers had no problem with tithing since they had done it under the Law. They gave their tithe to the elders of the church and did it by love. However, as the church became less Jewish this issue came up to the church fathers.
Jesus answered the question of tithing with Matthew 23:23 (New Testament):
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former."
Notice Jesus said, "You should have practiced the latter (justice, mercy and faithfulness), without neglecting the former (tithing)." The fathers argued, and rightful so, that Jesus word ends the discussion. Since Jesus said not to neglect the former,being tithing,then no believer should neglect tithing.
Wait...Jesus is the creator of the new covenant, and he just said it, plain and simple.
Here is more New Testament evidence.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:13-14 and says,
"Don't you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. "
Paul argues that just as the priests got their food from the tithes of the people, so the preachers should live the same way. This passage clearly shows the mentality of the apostle and his understanding of carrying over the concept of tithing into the church.
The scripture that was used to argue against tithing was 2 Corinthians 9:7:
"Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."
This was used to say that tithing is of our free will giving and not required, which is clearly untrue because the above passage is not dealing with giving to support the church at all. It is talking about giving to the poor. Giving to the poor was a free will offering. The Word of God clearly seperates tithes and "freewill offerings as 2 different things in the old testament book of Deuteronomy:
"But you are to seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go; there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, what you have vowed to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. (Deut 12:5-6)"
So now that we have proved the tithe exists in the new testament, I just want to say be careful of who you let pour into your understanding because a little misunderstanding can lead to great disobedience. Now that you have it, Cherish understanding
Proverbs 19:18
He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; he who cherishes understanding prospers.
God Bless. .5
Monday, August 4, 2008
A generous man will prosper.
Proverbs 11:24-25 says "One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."
I am truly touched by the above scripture because I love to see how God moves in the lives of his people when they give of themselves to one another.
For whatever reason, this is not always a scripture that people take hold of an impliment its truth in their daily lives, but hopefully after reading this that will change. Me being a man that lives by faith has allowed me to see on many occasions how my giving to someone else puts me in position to be blessed by God in a big way.
2 Corinthians 9:6 says "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully."
Scripture shows us that in a very general sense, what we receive is very much related to what we give. If we choose not to give much of what we have then it really shouldn't be much of a suprise that we don't have much.
..."you know I always thought people would get tired of being broke. That's all it was for me. I just woke up one day and said 'I am tired of being broke' I opened up the Word of God and began to apply the scriptures that were necessary to get me out of poverty...sure enough, the Word will never return void."
There is however a method to our giving:
1st- we must be tithers and offerers....regardless of what you have heard, if you do not tithe your 10% you are stealing from God. The offering is anything in addition to God's 10%...a gift
Malachi 3:8-12 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.
2nd- We must know that "faith worketh patience" and that "faith is being sure of what we hope for and CERTAIN of what we do not see." As we give we must be faithful and claim the return as ours in Jesus' name.
3rd-Our faith also teaches us that our giving should be done in secret in order for God to openly reward us. It should not be seen by man.
Matthew 6:1-4 reads "Be careful not to do your `acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
The Bible is very clear on this—when we give in private, our Father rewards us openly, and His favor is evident to all of those around us.
4th- the scripture above touches on giving to the poor. This is very important. As followers of Christ, we should love the less fortunate and help them when we have the means to do so. God has promised us many blessings in return if we reach out to the less fortunate.
1 John 3:17-18 says "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."
Luke 14:13-14 says"But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
5th- It is important to sow a seed into the life of those in ministry as well as the word teaches us that they should make their living from the Gospel.
1 Corinthians 11-14 reads "If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? If others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we have it all the more?
But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. Don't you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.
and there it is 5 points from point5...
If you are obedient to God's word and follow the process of giving...both to God and to others. Jesus will bless you in ways you could never imagine! The effect of those blessings will be prosperity and favor. It's time to stop being broke. It's time to stop lacking.
I pray that this message is one that has given you revelation and will begin a change in your life for the better.God Bless. .5
I am truly touched by the above scripture because I love to see how God moves in the lives of his people when they give of themselves to one another.
For whatever reason, this is not always a scripture that people take hold of an impliment its truth in their daily lives, but hopefully after reading this that will change. Me being a man that lives by faith has allowed me to see on many occasions how my giving to someone else puts me in position to be blessed by God in a big way.
2 Corinthians 9:6 says "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully."
Scripture shows us that in a very general sense, what we receive is very much related to what we give. If we choose not to give much of what we have then it really shouldn't be much of a suprise that we don't have much.
..."you know I always thought people would get tired of being broke. That's all it was for me. I just woke up one day and said 'I am tired of being broke' I opened up the Word of God and began to apply the scriptures that were necessary to get me out of poverty...sure enough, the Word will never return void."
There is however a method to our giving:
1st- we must be tithers and offerers....regardless of what you have heard, if you do not tithe your 10% you are stealing from God. The offering is anything in addition to God's 10%...a gift
Malachi 3:8-12 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.
2nd- We must know that "faith worketh patience" and that "faith is being sure of what we hope for and CERTAIN of what we do not see." As we give we must be faithful and claim the return as ours in Jesus' name.
3rd-Our faith also teaches us that our giving should be done in secret in order for God to openly reward us. It should not be seen by man.
Matthew 6:1-4 reads "Be careful not to do your `acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
The Bible is very clear on this—when we give in private, our Father rewards us openly, and His favor is evident to all of those around us.
4th- the scripture above touches on giving to the poor. This is very important. As followers of Christ, we should love the less fortunate and help them when we have the means to do so. God has promised us many blessings in return if we reach out to the less fortunate.
1 John 3:17-18 says "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."
Luke 14:13-14 says"But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
5th- It is important to sow a seed into the life of those in ministry as well as the word teaches us that they should make their living from the Gospel.
1 Corinthians 11-14 reads "If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? If others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we have it all the more?
But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. Don't you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.
and there it is 5 points from point5...
If you are obedient to God's word and follow the process of giving...both to God and to others. Jesus will bless you in ways you could never imagine! The effect of those blessings will be prosperity and favor. It's time to stop being broke. It's time to stop lacking.
I pray that this message is one that has given you revelation and will begin a change in your life for the better.God Bless. .5
Friday, July 25, 2008
ALL thing will be added unto you!
1faith
Pronunciation:
\ˈfāth\
Function:
noun
Inflected Form(s):
plural faiths \ˈfāths, sometimes ˈfāthz\
Etymology:
Middle English feith, from Anglo-French feid, fei, from Latin fides; akin to Latin fidere to trust — more at bide
Date:
13th century
1 a: allegiance to duty or a person : loyalty b (1): fidelity to one's promises (2): sincerity of intentions2 a (1): belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2): belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1): firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2): complete trust
Now that I have properly defined faith... I would like to share scripture from the book of Matthew chapter six starting at verse 25:
25Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
This is especially important for us to know...that Jehovah Jirah is our provider! Living by faith leads us into a lifestyle of trust and commitment to a God that has promised us many things. We are told in his word that we reap what we sow...we are told in his word that by his stripes we were healed... We must however learn to trust our God and know that his word is absolute truth.
It is time to stop the hurting...we are healed! It is time for us to be obediant to the things we have been instructed. We know that God said if we just seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; ALL things will be added unto us...
All things means those bills you have, that shelter you need, etc. it is all provided. Our God has so much and loves us enough that if we would just dedicate our lives to serving him and live by faith...All things will be added unto us as well.
It is so important that we dont put restrictions on a limitless God. Look at Peter. The man walked on water!!! Jesus didn't do it alone. Peter stepped out on that water too. and when he looked back what did he see? A boat full of faithless believers. So many times Jesus said these words, "Oh ye of little faith"...
I don't know about you but I never want to hear those words. So what's it gonna be are you going to be a water walker? or a faithless boat sitter?
And yes many of you will say that Peter fell into the water, and your right! He did eventually fall in........ BUT FIRST HE WALKED! thats amazing...He was a faith filled wet water walking man of God! Not a dry, unbelieving, boat sitter. That is faith! So whatever boat your sitting in, get out of it! take a step out into the waters of everyday life. you might get a little wet but you will have the favor of the Lord! .5
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Step Out on Faith
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him” Hebrews 11:6
What is Faith? It’s putting your belief and trust in something or somebody outside of yourself, and then acting on that belief. Think about the examples given in Hebrews 11. Like, for instance, Abraham, venturing from his home to the unfamiliar, trusting a promise that wouldn’t materialize for decades. How about that same patriarch, placing his beloved son, Isaac, on the altar, trusting that somehow God would either provide an alternate sacrifice or raise his son from the dead? Or think about Moses, choosing to leave behind the pleasures and power of the pharaoh’s palace to shepherd a group of grumblers out of slavery into the Promised Land. Step by step, day by day, Moses acted on his faith in a promise that wouldn’t even completely materialize until after his death. The writer of Hebrews recounts these and many other examples of trust in this “Hall of Faith” chapter.
Of course, acting on faith isn’t always easy. It calls us to step away from what is comfortable and safe and, like a two-year-old at the edge of a vast swimming pool, look into unknown and unfamiliar circumstances. Maybe it’s a challenge to surrender our finances to God’s control, a career change, a move overseas, or waiting patiently on the Lord for the right spouse. It may be forgiving an offender or risking something for the sake of integrity or purity. Whatever the case, when God nudges our heart beyond what we can manage and manipulate on our own, we have an opportunity to act on the faith that we profess to believe.
So the ultimate question becomes...what wil you do? Will you act out on the faith that you profess each day? Or much like many others, will you allow the fruit of your actions to contradict your words?
-Point5
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