CONFESSING YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS PLEASES GOD :
ROMANS 10:6 - ...the righteousness of faith speaks...
Every time you confess, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ”, God the Father is pleased. When you confess that you are the righteousness of God in Christ, it reminds Him of what His Son has done for you to become righteous.
Also, by making you righteous, God is showing Himself righteous—“to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus”. (Romans 3:26)
Each time Jesus hears you confess, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ,” it brings much pleasure to His heart too, because you are laying hold of what He suffered and died to give you.
The Holy Spirit, who now indwells you to convict you of righteousness (John 16:10), also rejoices when you confess, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ.” He is pleased when you flow with Him.
The delight of the Godhead is not the only thing you gain when you declare, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ.” The Bible tells us that when you “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…all these things shall be added to you”. (Matthew6:33)
Whether it is food, clothing or other necessities in life, “all these things” will be added to you. They will not just be given to you, but added to you as your inheritance when you seek first His righteousness.
You don’t need to use your faith for every single need in life. You just need to use your faith for one thing—to believe that you are the righteousness of God in Christ, and it will cause all the blessings you seek to come after you and overtake you!
MORE THAN JUST SOWING AND REAPING :
LUKE 6:38, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."
This verse reveals one of God's cardinal laws that will work in the spiritual realm, as well as the physical world. Just as we "give" seed into the ground to receive back multiple seeds, so it is with everything we give. Whether it's money, possessions, an emotion such as love or hate, prayers, or our time, we will reap a harvest of whatever we give. We reap exactly what we sow and proportional to the same measure that we give (Gal. 6:7-8).
"He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully" (2 Cor. 9:6). This law works on positive or negative things that we sow.
Although this is an unchangeable law of God, it can be overcome by a greater law in much the same way that we can escape the law of gravity by using the greater laws of thrust and lift. The negative things we have given don't have to come back to us if we apply the greater law of forgiveness (1 Jn. 1:9). Likewise, the good things we have sown can be voided if we don't continue in well doing (Gal. 6:9).
God is our source, but God uses people. If we pray for finances, God is not going to make counterfeit currency and put it into your wallet. He will use people to get the money to you. So, it is not always as simple as praying for money and receiving it the next minute. We need to believe the Lord hears and answers our prayers, and then pray for the people He's going to use to deliver the answer. This could mean any number of people such as our employer and the people who buy our goods. Ultimately God is your source, trust Him.
RELEASE THE POWER OF PRAYER All through Scripture, we see that Jesus went around laying hands on the sick. We see power flow out of Him when a woman just touched the hem of His garments. We are told that believers are to lay hands on the sick. And, I personally have never met anyone who rejected prayer. Even if they aren’t a believer, even if they feel awkward at first or don’t want to say the prayer, they do want to be prayed for.
There’s power in prayer, and there’s power when we lay hands on people. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me.” Can you imagine what He deposited into those children through the power of touch? I guarantee those children were never the same. Those children went away blessed.
There may be some people in your family that you have grown tired of praying for. Maybe you have someone in your life that always calls for prayer but never takes your advice! We all know those kinds of people. But Jesus never said, “I’m tired of praying for these people.” No, we need to pray for them anyway. We need to reach out. We need to believe for others until they are able to believe for themselves.
Every day before my children go to school, I’ve always taken time to lay my hands on them and pray for them. You know what’s funny? Now that they are older, they lean into me when I begin to pray. They lean in for that touch. They feel the power and blessing in it.
Maybe you didn’t raise your children this way. Maybe you’ve never prayed for them before, but you can start today! Right now, you can speak the blessing over them and pray for them. When you see them, you can just hug them and say, “I bless you in the name of Jesus.” Instead of spending all your time correcting your children or the people you love, spend time connecting with them. Don’t look at what’s wrong; pull out what’s right. If you’ll connect with your children and family members, I believe you’ll see them leaning into you more and receiving your touch. Start today. Follow the example of Jesus and lay loving hands on people when you pray and watch what God will do through the power of touch!
“Then children were brought to Him that He might lay His hands on them and pray...” (Matthew 19:13, ESV)
OUT OF CHAOS
Speak evil of no one, . . . be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. —Titus 3:2
Everything I observe makes me believe this is true: Order is not natural. When I consider my office, I’m astounded at how quickly it descends into chaos and how long it takes me to restore order. Order requires intervention; it does not happen naturally.
I shouldn’t be surprised. God’s role in bringing order out of chaos is a prominent biblical theme. He did it when He was creating the nation of Israel (Ex. 7–14). When God said it was time to bring the Hebrew people out of Egypt, Pharaoh objected. His nation’s economy depended on the Hebrew workers, so Pharaoh didn’t want to lose them. To change Pharaoh’s mind, God sent 10 plagues to convince him. Pharaoh’s magicians were able to duplicate the first two plagues. But they could not reverse the plagues—any of them. They could cause chaos, but they could not restore order. Only God can do that.
With effort, we can bring order to our living spaces, but none of us can bring order out of the emotional and spiritual chaos of our lives. Only God can do that. He restores order to chaotic situations when we live as God intended—speaking no evil, being peaceable and gentle, and showing humility to all (Titus 3:2).
Father, our world and our lives do have much chaos and confusion. We need You to restore our souls. Help us to live as You want us to live—
loving others.
When we put our problems in God’s hands, He puts His peace in our hearts.
AMBASSADOR FOR CHRIST :
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ.... – 2 Corinthians 5:20
You are an ambassador for Christ! If you have made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, you have been sent to act as a representative for Him in this world. Just as nations send ambassadors to represent their interests in other countries, you've been sent here to look after the interests of the kingdom of God.
Think about that. Everywhere you go you are representing the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. That's a very high honor. It may also seem like a rather tall bill to fill. But God has equipped you to do it. He's given you His Name and the power of His Word. He's even put His very own Spirit inside you. And He's given you the ability to hear and obey the directions of that Spirit.
I heard a prophecy years ago that said there would come a time when men on the earth would walk and talk and act like God. They'd be motivated by His power and His Spirit so strongly that people would say of them, "Look at those believers. They think they're God." "No," the Holy Spirit said, "they are not God. They are agents of God, children of God, ambassadors of God, sent to do the works of God."
I believe we're living in the day and hour that prophecy was talking about. We're seeing that army of light begin to grow.
This is no time to be half-consecrated and half-dedicated. This is the time to go all the way with God, to give Him your whole life. If you'll do that, He'll give you back such anointing and such power and such glory and goodness that you'll shine for Him, as Philippians 2:15 says, as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.
Begin to think about yourself today, not as just another ordinary man or woman but as an ambassador of Almighty God. Let the interests of His kingdom be foremost in your mind and heart. Submit yourself to Him and say, "Lord, show me how to be Your representative in everything I do."
You are an ambassador for Christ. Begin to live like it today.
GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE TODAY!
If God is for us, who can be against us?
God is on your side. He is for you. So what opposition can succeed against you? If God Himself fights for you, defends you and vindicates you, what adversity or adversary can stand against you? There are none! Hallelujah!
Let me tell you why God is on your side. The answer is found at the cross. The blood that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, shed on the cross put God on your side. Today, God can be for you even when you fail because Jesus’ blood has washed you whiter than snow!
Beloved, God does not bless you based on your good behavior. He blesses you and is for you because of the blood of the perfect Lamb—Jesus Christ. That is why as believers, we can trust God to fight for us, defend us and vindicate us. If God is for us, who can come successfully against us?
So always remember that God is on your side today because of Jesus’ blood. His unmerited favor is on your side and all of heaven’s resources are yours because of Jesus’ blood!
Now, who or what can come successfully against you?
ROMANS 10:6 - ...the righteousness of faith speaks...
Every time you confess, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ”, God the Father is pleased. When you confess that you are the righteousness of God in Christ, it reminds Him of what His Son has done for you to become righteous.
Also, by making you righteous, God is showing Himself righteous—“to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus”. (Romans 3:26)
Each time Jesus hears you confess, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ,” it brings much pleasure to His heart too, because you are laying hold of what He suffered and died to give you.
The Holy Spirit, who now indwells you to convict you of righteousness (John 16:10), also rejoices when you confess, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ.” He is pleased when you flow with Him.
The delight of the Godhead is not the only thing you gain when you declare, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ.” The Bible tells us that when you “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…all these things shall be added to you”. (Matthew6:33)
Whether it is food, clothing or other necessities in life, “all these things” will be added to you. They will not just be given to you, but added to you as your inheritance when you seek first His righteousness.
You don’t need to use your faith for every single need in life. You just need to use your faith for one thing—to believe that you are the righteousness of God in Christ, and it will cause all the blessings you seek to come after you and overtake you!
MORE THAN JUST SOWING AND REAPING :
LUKE 6:38, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."
This verse reveals one of God's cardinal laws that will work in the spiritual realm, as well as the physical world. Just as we "give" seed into the ground to receive back multiple seeds, so it is with everything we give. Whether it's money, possessions, an emotion such as love or hate, prayers, or our time, we will reap a harvest of whatever we give. We reap exactly what we sow and proportional to the same measure that we give (Gal. 6:7-8).
"He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully" (2 Cor. 9:6). This law works on positive or negative things that we sow.
Although this is an unchangeable law of God, it can be overcome by a greater law in much the same way that we can escape the law of gravity by using the greater laws of thrust and lift. The negative things we have given don't have to come back to us if we apply the greater law of forgiveness (1 Jn. 1:9). Likewise, the good things we have sown can be voided if we don't continue in well doing (Gal. 6:9).
God is our source, but God uses people. If we pray for finances, God is not going to make counterfeit currency and put it into your wallet. He will use people to get the money to you. So, it is not always as simple as praying for money and receiving it the next minute. We need to believe the Lord hears and answers our prayers, and then pray for the people He's going to use to deliver the answer. This could mean any number of people such as our employer and the people who buy our goods. Ultimately God is your source, trust Him.
RELEASE THE POWER OF PRAYER All through Scripture, we see that Jesus went around laying hands on the sick. We see power flow out of Him when a woman just touched the hem of His garments. We are told that believers are to lay hands on the sick. And, I personally have never met anyone who rejected prayer. Even if they aren’t a believer, even if they feel awkward at first or don’t want to say the prayer, they do want to be prayed for.
There’s power in prayer, and there’s power when we lay hands on people. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me.” Can you imagine what He deposited into those children through the power of touch? I guarantee those children were never the same. Those children went away blessed.
There may be some people in your family that you have grown tired of praying for. Maybe you have someone in your life that always calls for prayer but never takes your advice! We all know those kinds of people. But Jesus never said, “I’m tired of praying for these people.” No, we need to pray for them anyway. We need to reach out. We need to believe for others until they are able to believe for themselves.
Every day before my children go to school, I’ve always taken time to lay my hands on them and pray for them. You know what’s funny? Now that they are older, they lean into me when I begin to pray. They lean in for that touch. They feel the power and blessing in it.
Maybe you didn’t raise your children this way. Maybe you’ve never prayed for them before, but you can start today! Right now, you can speak the blessing over them and pray for them. When you see them, you can just hug them and say, “I bless you in the name of Jesus.” Instead of spending all your time correcting your children or the people you love, spend time connecting with them. Don’t look at what’s wrong; pull out what’s right. If you’ll connect with your children and family members, I believe you’ll see them leaning into you more and receiving your touch. Start today. Follow the example of Jesus and lay loving hands on people when you pray and watch what God will do through the power of touch!
“Then children were brought to Him that He might lay His hands on them and pray...” (Matthew 19:13, ESV)
OUT OF CHAOS
Speak evil of no one, . . . be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. —Titus 3:2
Everything I observe makes me believe this is true: Order is not natural. When I consider my office, I’m astounded at how quickly it descends into chaos and how long it takes me to restore order. Order requires intervention; it does not happen naturally.
I shouldn’t be surprised. God’s role in bringing order out of chaos is a prominent biblical theme. He did it when He was creating the nation of Israel (Ex. 7–14). When God said it was time to bring the Hebrew people out of Egypt, Pharaoh objected. His nation’s economy depended on the Hebrew workers, so Pharaoh didn’t want to lose them. To change Pharaoh’s mind, God sent 10 plagues to convince him. Pharaoh’s magicians were able to duplicate the first two plagues. But they could not reverse the plagues—any of them. They could cause chaos, but they could not restore order. Only God can do that.
With effort, we can bring order to our living spaces, but none of us can bring order out of the emotional and spiritual chaos of our lives. Only God can do that. He restores order to chaotic situations when we live as God intended—speaking no evil, being peaceable and gentle, and showing humility to all (Titus 3:2).
Father, our world and our lives do have much chaos and confusion. We need You to restore our souls. Help us to live as You want us to live—
loving others.
When we put our problems in God’s hands, He puts His peace in our hearts.
AMBASSADOR FOR CHRIST :
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ.... – 2 Corinthians 5:20
You are an ambassador for Christ! If you have made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, you have been sent to act as a representative for Him in this world. Just as nations send ambassadors to represent their interests in other countries, you've been sent here to look after the interests of the kingdom of God.
Think about that. Everywhere you go you are representing the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. That's a very high honor. It may also seem like a rather tall bill to fill. But God has equipped you to do it. He's given you His Name and the power of His Word. He's even put His very own Spirit inside you. And He's given you the ability to hear and obey the directions of that Spirit.
I heard a prophecy years ago that said there would come a time when men on the earth would walk and talk and act like God. They'd be motivated by His power and His Spirit so strongly that people would say of them, "Look at those believers. They think they're God." "No," the Holy Spirit said, "they are not God. They are agents of God, children of God, ambassadors of God, sent to do the works of God."
I believe we're living in the day and hour that prophecy was talking about. We're seeing that army of light begin to grow.
This is no time to be half-consecrated and half-dedicated. This is the time to go all the way with God, to give Him your whole life. If you'll do that, He'll give you back such anointing and such power and such glory and goodness that you'll shine for Him, as Philippians 2:15 says, as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.
Begin to think about yourself today, not as just another ordinary man or woman but as an ambassador of Almighty God. Let the interests of His kingdom be foremost in your mind and heart. Submit yourself to Him and say, "Lord, show me how to be Your representative in everything I do."
You are an ambassador for Christ. Begin to live like it today.
GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE TODAY!
If God is for us, who can be against us?
God is on your side. He is for you. So what opposition can succeed against you? If God Himself fights for you, defends you and vindicates you, what adversity or adversary can stand against you? There are none! Hallelujah!
Let me tell you why God is on your side. The answer is found at the cross. The blood that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, shed on the cross put God on your side. Today, God can be for you even when you fail because Jesus’ blood has washed you whiter than snow!
Beloved, God does not bless you based on your good behavior. He blesses you and is for you because of the blood of the perfect Lamb—Jesus Christ. That is why as believers, we can trust God to fight for us, defend us and vindicate us. If God is for us, who can come successfully against us?
So always remember that God is on your side today because of Jesus’ blood. His unmerited favor is on your side and all of heaven’s resources are yours because of Jesus’ blood!
Now, who or what can come successfully against you?
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