TAKE

JUST WORDS :

Matthew 12:37, "For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."

God created the heavens and the earth and everything that is in the earth by His words (Heb. 11:3). The whole creation was made by, and responds to, words. Our words, when spoken in faith, release either life or death (Prov. 18:21) and will affect people, things, and circumstances. We can release the power that is in faith by our words.

Every word counts. There is no such things as an "idle" word which will not work for us or against us. Our words can be our most powerful weapon against the devil, or they can become a snare of the devil (Prov. 6:2). Faith-filled words can move mountains.

The faith that made Jesus marvel was a faith in the authority of the spoken word (Mt. 8:8, 10). We are to believe in the power of our words. If we begin to speak words in faith that line up with God's Word, then we will have the positive results that follow. But if we continue to speak words of doubt, we will eventually believe them and have the negative things that these words produce. Death or life are in the power of every word we speak.

Faith is released by speaking words. Jesus encouraged us to speak to mountains or to whatever our problem might be. Most people speak to God about their problem, but few follow Jesus' instructions and speak directly to the "mountain." God has put certain things under our authority and we must exercise it. When a problem stands in our way, we must speak to the problem and command it to get out of our way in the name of Jesus. Speak God's Word today. His Words will produce life.

LIVE YOUR LIFE “FOOL PROOF” ….

April first is traditionally a lighthearted holiday with silliness and practical jokes played on unsuspecting friends, loved ones and coworkers. But, even if you fall for a joke, that doesn’t make you a “fool.” The Bible clearly tells us in Psalm 14 that a fool is someone who believes in their heart that there is no God; but, if you honor the Lord, that is the beginning of wisdom.

Notice that Scripture always makes a distinction between believing in the heart and believing in the head. You see, sometimes we say things and don’t really mean them, or we don’t fully believe them. Even people who say there is no God oftentimes have a struggle deep down inside about what is true. That’s because God is always drawing people to Himself. He’s always trying to reveal Himself. He loves us with an everlasting love that knows no limits and no end!

If you know someone who says they don’t believe in God, let your love and kindness be what changes their mind. Pray that God will use you to build a bridge to their heart. Everyone has a God-shaped hole inside that only He can fill. Don’t ever condemn people. Don’t try to correct them. Don’t mock their hurts. Don’t argue with them. Jesus never argued with people. He just went around doing good and healing people. He showed mercy and love. He showed kindness, and it’s His kindness that leads people to repentance.

Today, live your life “fool proof” by acknowledging God in all of your ways. Show love and compassion everywhere you go. Let your life be a testimony of God’s goodness and faithfulness and be the one to show others the path to Jesus Christ!

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10, NIV)

A REFLECTION OF YOUR FATHER :

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord... - 2 Corinthians 3:18, NKJV

If we brought our two children up on the platform and their clothes were all raggedy and worn out, if they had holes in their shoes and their hair was a ratty mess, you would look at us and think, “What kind of parents are they?” It would be a poor reflection on how we care for our children.

Now, think about how our lives reflect God’s goodness. When you’re happy, looking good, living in a nice place, excelling in your career, generous with others, that brings a smile to God’s face. It shows the world His goodness.

Always remember: it brings God pleasure to prosper you. It brings God pleasure when you show the world His goodness and glory. Remember, you are a reflection of your Father, and He delights in you!

JESUS IS YOUR QUALIFICATION FOR GOD’S BLESSINGS :

DEUTERONOMY 28:2 - And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you…

God loves to bless you. He has even declared that “blessings shall come upon you and overtake you”. This means that you can’t run fast enough to escape them! When you turn one corner, there is a blessing waiting for you. When you turn another corner, you run smack into another blessing!

Now, you may think that you don’t qualify for God’s blessings because of the preceding verse which says that these blessings will come to pass only if you diligently obey God’s voice and keep all of His commandments. You know that no matter how hard you try, you just cannot keep all of God’s commandments. In fact, the Bible says that if you fail to keep just one commandment, you fail to keep all. (James 2:10)

My friend, I have good news for you: Jesus is the one who qualifies us for every single blessing because He has kept all of God’s commandments. When He died for us on the cross, He not only fulfilled all of God’s commandments, He also redeemed us from the curse of the law. (Galatians 3:13) Note that He did not redeem us from the blessings of the law, so the blessings are still ours today!

As you read the list of blessings in Deuteronomy 28, starting with “Blessed shall you be in the city…in the country…the fruit of your body…your basket…when you come in…when you go out…” (Deuteronomy 28:3–13), I believe that Jesus is saying to you, “Like the blessings? Then take them by faith!”

You may say, “But I don’t deserve them.” Yes, you don’t deserve them, but you still get them because of Jesus. That is God’s grace! The law says, “You must deserve the blessings.” But the law is no longer here. Grace is here. So take the blessings by grace through faith. Believe God for the blessings.

Today, it is no longer a question of how much or how well you have kept God’s commandments. It is a question of how much you can believe God for His blessings. All the promises of God in Christ are “Yes”, and because you are in Christ, you can say “Amen!” to His blessings! (2 Corinthians 1:20)

GOD PROMISED RESTORATION FOR ALL THE ENEMY HAS STRIPPED FROM YOU: YOUR HEALTH, YOUR MENTAL FACULTIES, YOUR EMOTIONAL WELL BEING:

(Isaiah 61:7) "For your shame you shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion; therefore, in their land they shall possess the double; everlasting joy shall be unto them."

YES GOD WANTS YOU TO BE MADE WHOLE BODY, SOUL AND SPIRIT AND HE HAS THE POWER TO MAKE IT SO

Acts 4:10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.

Acts 20:27 For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

3 John 1:2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

PREPROGRAMMED FOR VICTORY!

Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. - 1 John 5:5, NIV

Did you know that you are preprogrammed for victory? As a child of the Most High God, you are filled with His conquering power. You are filled with the power to overcome all the negative, self-defeating forces of the world. Do you know what that power is? It’s you’re faith. When you activate your faith, you are tapping into His unlimited strength. You are opening the door for Him to move supernaturally in your life.

Understand that faith causes you to live your life differently. It causes you to speak and act differently than before. When things come against you, instead of complaining and giving up, faith causes you to rise up and say, “No weapon formed against me shall prosper. I am able to do all things through Christ who gives me strength!” Faith causes you to obey God’s Word and do the right thing even when the wrong thing is happening. When you choose to live the life of faith, you are choosing God’s best. You are choosing blessing. You are choosing to allow His conquering power to flow through every area of your life!

Leave Foolishness Behind

Evil pursueth sinners: but to the righteous good shall be repayed. - Proverbs 13:21

Satan has had us in a poverty mentality so long that it's tough for us to grasp just how intensely God really does desire to prosper us--even though He's demonstrated that desire again and again.

Take Abraham, for example. God made him an extremely wealthy man. Genesis 13:2 says he was rich in cattle, in silver and in gold.

Then, of course, there was Solomon. The Bible says he surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.

God's servant Job possessed such great wealth that he was called the greatest of all the men of the East. That was before Satan put him through the wringer. Afterward, God blessed him with more than twice what Satan had stolen.

The problem is, just the thought of the kind of wealth God gave to those men scares most believers today. They're afraid it would destroy them.

God has said that "the prosperity of fools shall destroy them" (Prov. 1:32).

But that doesn't mean you should avoid being prosperous. It means you should avoid being a fool!

I challenge you, this week, to go to Proverbs and find out for yourself what God says about the characteristics of a fool. Let the Holy Spirit search your heart. If you see ways in which you've been a fool, repent and make a firm decision not to be caught in that trap again.

Let the Word of God inspire you to leave foolishness behind and stir within you the faith to reach out and receive what you, as a redeemed child of the living God, have a divine right to--not the curse of poverty, but the blessing of prosperity!

TAKE, TAKE AND TAKE MORE!

1 CORINTHIANS 2:12 - Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

As a child of the Most High God, God wants you to know the things that have been freely given to you. He wants you to receive them freely although it cost Him His Son. He paid the price, but He wants you to receive the blessings freely. That is His love toward you.

Perhaps you are asking God, “How is it that I don’t have this blessing? And why do I have so little of that?”

I believe that He is saying this to you: “What do you lack, My child? Health? Take it! It has been paid for with the life of My Son.

“Do you need peace of mind? My Son wore the crown of thorns on His head to give it to you. Take it!

“Lack wisdom? Take My wisdom!

“Need victory? Victory is not something you attain. It is a gift to be received. Take it!

“Take My provision! Take My favor! Every time you come into My Presence, take, and take some more!”

God, your heavenly Father, wants you to receive like the prodigal son, who deserved nothing, but received everything. (Luke 15:11–24) God delights in giving freely. And He delights in you receiving freely because it shows that you value and appreciate His Son’s sacrifice.

You miss it when you are busy trying to earn what has been freely given to you, when you think that you must do more for God to bless you, or that you must pay the price for it. God cannot give it to you based on your works because if it is by works, it is no longer by grace. When you try to work for it, you frustrate the grace of God and make light of Jesus’ work at Calvary.

My friend, the days of trying, striving and earning are over. The days of take, take and take more have come. Take and you will bring pleasure to God’s heart!