GOD TAKES PLEASURE IN MEETING OUR NEEDS :
Matthew 7:11, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"
What kind of parent would ever deny their children, the necessities of life? If you have children would you fail to feed them? Or provide for them? Or if they ask you for food would you give them poison instead? Of, course not. This is the point Jesus is making.
God is love (1 Jn. 4:8)! And His love for us is infinitely greater than any loving relationship here on earth. We can apply this truth about God's love for us to any command or example we find in God's Word where His standards for relationship are revealed. Be assured that He will much more than meet those standards Himself.
This gives us confidence that, in the same way we respond in love to our children and to those who are in need, our God, who is love, will also respond to us. God is a faithful God, and He will always give us the things that we need.
Today, let the Lord be magnified in your life as Psalm 35:27 says, "Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant." It pleases God to minister to you. Let God have pleasure today by meeting your needs. You have not, because you ask not (James 4:2). God wants you to ask so that you can receive (John 16:24). Believe God. He gets pleasure when you ask Him.
DON’T BE INTIMIDATED :
Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies... - Philippians 1:28, NLT
With God on your side, there is no reason to be intimidated by your enemies. You don’t have to be intimidated by cancer. It’s no match for your God. Sickness cannot keep you from your destiny. God has you in the palm of His hand. Nothing can snatch you away. If it’s not your time to go, you’re not going to go. Don’t be intimidated by that financial problem. Don’t be intimidated by what somebody said about you. There is an anointing on your life that seals you, protects you, enables you and empowers you. God has infused you with strength. The Scripture says that you can do all things through Christ.
Today, go out with confidence. Go out with boldness knowing that if God is for you, it doesn’t even matter who is against you! No foe can stand against the power of Almighty God. You are empowered and equipped for victory, so don’t be intimidated!
THE BIBLE IS GOD SPEAKING TO YOU (2) :
'...I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread.' Job 23:12 NIV
Psychologists are agreed on this point: people only keep doing what rewards them! So when Bible reading becomes unrewarding, we quit. As a result we feel guilty, and become spiritually weak and discouraged. Your soul can no more thrive without God's Word than your body can thrive without a daily intake of food. The Bible says, 'He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.' (Deuteronomy 8:3 NIV)
One of the dangers of our always-connected technological age is that you begin to live on 'hits' of information and short messages limited to 160 characters or less. This creates spiritual ADD (attention deficit disorder). God cannot be reduced to a limited word count or a few hurried moments in your day. To prosper, you must meditate day and night on the Scriptures (Psalm 1:1-3). You say, 'But I don't have time to read the Bible.' How much time do you spend each day watching television? Hours? If you find television to be rewarding, but not God's Word, your soul is in need of intensive care!
If you want to change your life, change your habits and start reading the Bible. Job, who had more trouble than any of us will ever see, said, 'I have not departed from the commands of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread.'
IT’S JESUS’ UNMERITED FAVOR THAT TRANSFORMS YOU
…the goodness of God leads you to repentance… - Romans 2:4
You are important to Jesus. Know with full assurance in your heart that He knows you perfectly, and yet accepts and loves you perfectly.
When you begin to understand that, you will realize that it is truly that unmerited favor, that favor from Jesus that you know you do not deserve, did not merit and cannot earn for yourself, that will perfect every imperfection and weakness in your life.
If you are facing challenges, such as lack in any area, addictions, fears, sicknesses or broken relationships, Jesus’ unmerited favor will protect, deliver, prosper, bring restoration to and provide for you. His unmerited favor will transform you and make you whole, and it is His goodness, not your striving and self-efforts, that will lead you to live victoriously for His glory.
HOW DO YOU SEE GOD?
LUKE 7:9 - When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!”
The way you see Jesus, the revelation that you have of Him, will not affect God’s acceptance of you. But it will affect your acceptance of what God has for you. It will affect how you receive from Him.
Consider the Roman centurion who told Jesus, “You don’t have to come to my house. Just speak the word and my servant at home will be healed.” (Luke 7:6–7) Compare him with Jairus, the ruler of a synagogue, who told Jesus, “My daughter is dying. Please come to my house and lay Your hands on her, and she shall live.” (Mark 5:22–23)
Do you know that Jesus does not have to go to your house to heal you? So why did Jesus follow Jairus to his house? Jesus had to come down to Jairus’ level of faith. Jairus believed that his daughter could be healed, but only if Jesus came and laid His hands on her.
The centurion was different. He said, “Lord, You don’t have to come to my house. I know who You are.” This centurion believed that Jesus did not have to come to his house for his servant to be healed. He believed that Jesus only needed to speak the word. He said to Jesus, “Just speak the word and my servant at home will be healed.”
Do you know who Jesus is? The centurion had a greater understanding of who Jesus is than Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, and he wasn’t even a Jew!
Jesus asked his disciples, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” (Mark 4:40) He even remarked, “O you of little faith.” (Matthew 6:30) But to the woman whose daughter was demon-possessed, He said, “O woman, great is your faith!” (Matthew 15:28) And to the centurion, He declared, “I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!”
My desire is for you to have an accurate understanding of who Jesus is because when your revelation of Jesus is big, you will know what has been freely given to you. And when you know what is yours in Christ Jesus, you will be rich in all things
GOD ANSWERS EVERY PRAYER :
Matthew 7:7, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:"
Prayer which meets the requirements outlined in God's Word is always answered. Many times we don't perceive the answer because it always comes in the spiritual realm first before it is manifested in the physical realm. If we waver from our confident faith, then we abort the manifestation of that answer (Jas. 1:6-7; Heb. 10:35). But God did answer. Everyone who asks receives.
In the book of Daniel chapter 9, Daniel prayed a prayer and waited a relatively short period of time to see his answer to prayer. In less than three minutes the angel Gabriel appeared and answered all of his questions.
This same man prayed another prayer in Daniel chapter 10, but this time it took three weeks before he had an angelic messenger come and answer his questions. What was the difference? Most people believe that God answered one prayer in three minutes and the next prayer in three weeks. But Daniel 10:12, says "from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand,...thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words." Satan had hindered the second prayer from reaching Daniel. God was not the variable. God answers every prayer.
This is confirmed in Matthew 7:8, which says that everyone who asks receives, he that seeks will find, to him that knocks it is opened. God answers, but Satan can hinder our prayers in the spiritual realm before they ever physically manifest. If we understand that God gives the answer and that Satan is the one hindering, the truths of these scriptures will encourage us. God does answer prayer.
God is always answering your prayer. If you haven't seen it manifest, don't doubt God, but recognize that you're fighting an enemy, and persevere. Stand on your faith. Pray without ceasing until you see the answer.
Matthew 7:11, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"
What kind of parent would ever deny their children, the necessities of life? If you have children would you fail to feed them? Or provide for them? Or if they ask you for food would you give them poison instead? Of, course not. This is the point Jesus is making.
God is love (1 Jn. 4:8)! And His love for us is infinitely greater than any loving relationship here on earth. We can apply this truth about God's love for us to any command or example we find in God's Word where His standards for relationship are revealed. Be assured that He will much more than meet those standards Himself.
This gives us confidence that, in the same way we respond in love to our children and to those who are in need, our God, who is love, will also respond to us. God is a faithful God, and He will always give us the things that we need.
Today, let the Lord be magnified in your life as Psalm 35:27 says, "Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant." It pleases God to minister to you. Let God have pleasure today by meeting your needs. You have not, because you ask not (James 4:2). God wants you to ask so that you can receive (John 16:24). Believe God. He gets pleasure when you ask Him.
DON’T BE INTIMIDATED :
Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies... - Philippians 1:28, NLT
With God on your side, there is no reason to be intimidated by your enemies. You don’t have to be intimidated by cancer. It’s no match for your God. Sickness cannot keep you from your destiny. God has you in the palm of His hand. Nothing can snatch you away. If it’s not your time to go, you’re not going to go. Don’t be intimidated by that financial problem. Don’t be intimidated by what somebody said about you. There is an anointing on your life that seals you, protects you, enables you and empowers you. God has infused you with strength. The Scripture says that you can do all things through Christ.
Today, go out with confidence. Go out with boldness knowing that if God is for you, it doesn’t even matter who is against you! No foe can stand against the power of Almighty God. You are empowered and equipped for victory, so don’t be intimidated!
THE BIBLE IS GOD SPEAKING TO YOU (2) :
'...I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread.' Job 23:12 NIV
Psychologists are agreed on this point: people only keep doing what rewards them! So when Bible reading becomes unrewarding, we quit. As a result we feel guilty, and become spiritually weak and discouraged. Your soul can no more thrive without God's Word than your body can thrive without a daily intake of food. The Bible says, 'He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.' (Deuteronomy 8:3 NIV)
One of the dangers of our always-connected technological age is that you begin to live on 'hits' of information and short messages limited to 160 characters or less. This creates spiritual ADD (attention deficit disorder). God cannot be reduced to a limited word count or a few hurried moments in your day. To prosper, you must meditate day and night on the Scriptures (Psalm 1:1-3). You say, 'But I don't have time to read the Bible.' How much time do you spend each day watching television? Hours? If you find television to be rewarding, but not God's Word, your soul is in need of intensive care!
If you want to change your life, change your habits and start reading the Bible. Job, who had more trouble than any of us will ever see, said, 'I have not departed from the commands of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread.'
IT’S JESUS’ UNMERITED FAVOR THAT TRANSFORMS YOU
…the goodness of God leads you to repentance… - Romans 2:4
You are important to Jesus. Know with full assurance in your heart that He knows you perfectly, and yet accepts and loves you perfectly.
When you begin to understand that, you will realize that it is truly that unmerited favor, that favor from Jesus that you know you do not deserve, did not merit and cannot earn for yourself, that will perfect every imperfection and weakness in your life.
If you are facing challenges, such as lack in any area, addictions, fears, sicknesses or broken relationships, Jesus’ unmerited favor will protect, deliver, prosper, bring restoration to and provide for you. His unmerited favor will transform you and make you whole, and it is His goodness, not your striving and self-efforts, that will lead you to live victoriously for His glory.
HOW DO YOU SEE GOD?
LUKE 7:9 - When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!”
The way you see Jesus, the revelation that you have of Him, will not affect God’s acceptance of you. But it will affect your acceptance of what God has for you. It will affect how you receive from Him.
Consider the Roman centurion who told Jesus, “You don’t have to come to my house. Just speak the word and my servant at home will be healed.” (Luke 7:6–7) Compare him with Jairus, the ruler of a synagogue, who told Jesus, “My daughter is dying. Please come to my house and lay Your hands on her, and she shall live.” (Mark 5:22–23)
Do you know that Jesus does not have to go to your house to heal you? So why did Jesus follow Jairus to his house? Jesus had to come down to Jairus’ level of faith. Jairus believed that his daughter could be healed, but only if Jesus came and laid His hands on her.
The centurion was different. He said, “Lord, You don’t have to come to my house. I know who You are.” This centurion believed that Jesus did not have to come to his house for his servant to be healed. He believed that Jesus only needed to speak the word. He said to Jesus, “Just speak the word and my servant at home will be healed.”
Do you know who Jesus is? The centurion had a greater understanding of who Jesus is than Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, and he wasn’t even a Jew!
Jesus asked his disciples, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” (Mark 4:40) He even remarked, “O you of little faith.” (Matthew 6:30) But to the woman whose daughter was demon-possessed, He said, “O woman, great is your faith!” (Matthew 15:28) And to the centurion, He declared, “I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!”
My desire is for you to have an accurate understanding of who Jesus is because when your revelation of Jesus is big, you will know what has been freely given to you. And when you know what is yours in Christ Jesus, you will be rich in all things
GOD ANSWERS EVERY PRAYER :
Matthew 7:7, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:"
Prayer which meets the requirements outlined in God's Word is always answered. Many times we don't perceive the answer because it always comes in the spiritual realm first before it is manifested in the physical realm. If we waver from our confident faith, then we abort the manifestation of that answer (Jas. 1:6-7; Heb. 10:35). But God did answer. Everyone who asks receives.
In the book of Daniel chapter 9, Daniel prayed a prayer and waited a relatively short period of time to see his answer to prayer. In less than three minutes the angel Gabriel appeared and answered all of his questions.
This same man prayed another prayer in Daniel chapter 10, but this time it took three weeks before he had an angelic messenger come and answer his questions. What was the difference? Most people believe that God answered one prayer in three minutes and the next prayer in three weeks. But Daniel 10:12, says "from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand,...thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words." Satan had hindered the second prayer from reaching Daniel. God was not the variable. God answers every prayer.
This is confirmed in Matthew 7:8, which says that everyone who asks receives, he that seeks will find, to him that knocks it is opened. God answers, but Satan can hinder our prayers in the spiritual realm before they ever physically manifest. If we understand that God gives the answer and that Satan is the one hindering, the truths of these scriptures will encourage us. God does answer prayer.
God is always answering your prayer. If you haven't seen it manifest, don't doubt God, but recognize that you're fighting an enemy, and persevere. Stand on your faith. Pray without ceasing until you see the answer.
WITHOUT POWER :
He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. —Isaiah 40:29
In late October 2012, a hurricane-spawned superstorm struck the heavily populated northeastern US, leaving massive flooding and destruction in its wake. During the storm, more than 8 million customers lost electricity. Power outages alone caused shortages of food, fuel, and water, along with the chaos of gridlocked transportation. The howling winds and surging waters left many neighborhoods crushed, flooded, and choked with mountains of sand. Media coverage of the event reported: “Millions Without Power.”
Like a storm of nature, a personal tragedy can often leave us feeling powerless and in the dark. During such times, God’s Word assures us of His help: “He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength” (Isa. 40:29).
At our lowest point, drained of emotional resources, we can place our hope in the Lord and find our strength in Him. He promises us that, for each new day, “Those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (v.31).
God is our spiritual power source in every storm of life.
O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home!
It takes the storm to prove the real shelter.
LIVING BY FAITH-- IT'S A LIFESTYLE :
Endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. – 2 Timothy 2:3
Times of hardness are inevitable. You need to know that. It's true that we've been redeemed from the curse, and there's nothing Satan can do to reverse that, but he is going to challenge you on it.
So don't be surprised when things get tough. Times will come when you have to stand strictly by faith, when you'll have to speak and act as though what God says is true even when you can't feel it or see it happening around you. There will be times when everything looks terrible. That's when you must endure hardness as a good soldier.
So many people hear the word of faith about healing or prosperity and they think, "Hey! I'm going to try that." Then when the hard times come, they give up and cave in.
Let me warn you, living by faith is not something you try. It's a lifestyle. You do it when it's hard. You do it when it's easy. You do it all the time because you're not doing it just to get in on the benefits. You're doing it because you know that faith pleases God (Heb. 11:6).
Things may get a little rough at times, but let me assure you, you'll always come out on top if you endure hardness as a good soldier. If you refuse to faint and fall away, you will have the victory. The only defeated Christian is the one who quits!
He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. —Isaiah 40:29
In late October 2012, a hurricane-spawned superstorm struck the heavily populated northeastern US, leaving massive flooding and destruction in its wake. During the storm, more than 8 million customers lost electricity. Power outages alone caused shortages of food, fuel, and water, along with the chaos of gridlocked transportation. The howling winds and surging waters left many neighborhoods crushed, flooded, and choked with mountains of sand. Media coverage of the event reported: “Millions Without Power.”
Like a storm of nature, a personal tragedy can often leave us feeling powerless and in the dark. During such times, God’s Word assures us of His help: “He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength” (Isa. 40:29).
At our lowest point, drained of emotional resources, we can place our hope in the Lord and find our strength in Him. He promises us that, for each new day, “Those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (v.31).
God is our spiritual power source in every storm of life.
O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home!
It takes the storm to prove the real shelter.
LIVING BY FAITH-- IT'S A LIFESTYLE :
Endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. – 2 Timothy 2:3
Times of hardness are inevitable. You need to know that. It's true that we've been redeemed from the curse, and there's nothing Satan can do to reverse that, but he is going to challenge you on it.
So don't be surprised when things get tough. Times will come when you have to stand strictly by faith, when you'll have to speak and act as though what God says is true even when you can't feel it or see it happening around you. There will be times when everything looks terrible. That's when you must endure hardness as a good soldier.
So many people hear the word of faith about healing or prosperity and they think, "Hey! I'm going to try that." Then when the hard times come, they give up and cave in.
Let me warn you, living by faith is not something you try. It's a lifestyle. You do it when it's hard. You do it when it's easy. You do it all the time because you're not doing it just to get in on the benefits. You're doing it because you know that faith pleases God (Heb. 11:6).
Things may get a little rough at times, but let me assure you, you'll always come out on top if you endure hardness as a good soldier. If you refuse to faint and fall away, you will have the victory. The only defeated Christian is the one who quits!
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