Is it Live or is it Memorex?

[Today is New Year’s day – the beginning of 2024! Wow — a whole year has passed and here we are beginning anew! My prayer for you, dear readers and fellow believers, is that this year will be the BEST year ever for you as you believe and receive all that God has for you – and that’s a lot according to II Peter 1:3-4. Of course, in order to partake of all that God has for you, you have to do your part and that is to continue in His Word and do what He has old you to do. Yes, there are probably changes to be made but it will be totally worth it when you see His results in your lives. So, continue on in the goodness and the blessings of the Lord Jesus and be a partaker of His divine life!]

2 Peter 1:3-4 (KJV) 3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

There’s a lot of talk these days about “fake news” and things being purported as true but are actually false and totally made up.

A few years ago, three journalist actually got caught in a fake news story and resigned from a national news network – CNN. We shouldn’t be surprise because God’s Word says that their sin will be exposed and things that are hidden will come out!

Numbers 32:23b (KJV)23  … and be sure your sin will find you out.

Luke 12:2 (KJV)2  For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.

Just as we don’t want to be fed fake news, we also don’t want to be guilty of having fake faith! What? Fake faith? What on earth is that? Read on.

Fake faith is faith that doesn’t work – faith that appears to be genuine: it sounds like real faith and even looks like real faith, but produces no results.  It’s like the saying, “Is it live or is it Memorex?”

Here’s the problem: When results don’t come, it destroys any true faith that was even there at the start. It discourages those involved and causes them to think that God’s Word doesn’t work and even that God has let them down. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

First of all, God’s Word always works and God never lets anyone down who’s moving in genuine faith. God is faithful, faithful, faithful!

So, just what is fake faith? It’s faith that comes out of your head – called mental assent. You believe the Word with your head but it hasn’t gotten into your heart where it can take root and produce results with power.

What “imitation” faith does is imitate those who are genuinely walking in faith. They try to pray and speak forth the same way as the real “faithers” but they don’t get the same results.

Another example of fake faith is when someone tries to believe out beyond their level of developed faith. Instead of just admitting they don’t have enough developed faith for a certain areas of belief, they just go ahead and start confessing way beyond their actual faith: instead of believing for $500 extra income, why not believe for $5000! They don’t have the faith for $5000 but they go ahead and “try to believe” for it. Then when it doesn’t happen, they get discouraged.

True faith takes time to develop. It takes study and meditation in God’s Word to get it from your head to your heart where it can take root and develop into strong faith. Then when you pray, it comes forth with power – the dunamis power of God!

We don’t need more faith. We all start out with the same lump. It just needs to be developed. We need to consistently study and meditate God’s Word to develop our faith so we get our desired results every time.

Romans 12:3b (KJV)   … according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Continued next time — Pamela

Set Your Sails & Go for It!

[Today is Christmas Day in the USA and I want to say Merry Christmas to all of you! May the revelation of the true meaning of Christmas and all that God did for us through the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ become real in you life! We are so blessed!]

Acts 27:40 (KJV) 40  And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoised up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore.

There’s a saying in the world about not putting off ’til tomorrow what you can do today. In other words, don’t procrastinate! How many times have we been guilty of procrastinating?

Imagine what we could get done if we didn’t procrastinate! Some things are insignificant but others are a matter of life and death. Sometimes it’s the anchors in our lives that hold us back. Things that weigh us down, keeping us from fulfilling the plans and purposes the Lord has for us. We need to get rid of the anchors and commit ourselves to getting the job done.

Salvation is one of those life and death things that we cannot procrastinate about. We have to make a decision for the Lord or we’re headed for destruction.

So, just what are these anchors and weights that weigh us down and hinder our walk with the Lord?

Luke 21:34 (KJV)34  And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

Hebrews 12:1 (KJV) 1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Surfeiting refers to overindulgence. It doesn’t necessarily mean evil, sinful things. It can mean spending too much time and energy on things that distract us from what we’re to be doing. For example: too much time on hobbies, sports, TV, etc. Excessive time spent on these things interferes with our time with the Lord.

Weights refers to similar things as surfeiting but can also include wrong attitudes and actions. These are things that weigh us down like a heavy load on our shoulders.

Sins are self-explanatory, doing things we shouldn’t be doing but also not doing the things we should be doing.

James 4:17 (KJV)17  Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

The cares of this life refer to things in our everyday life that seem to burden us with worry and care. We need to trust the Lord to help us and roll that care onto Him. We were never meant to carry the “weight” of the world on our shoulders!

Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV) 5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Proverbs 16:3 (AMP) 3  Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.

So you see, there are a multitude of things that can hold us down and hinder our walk with the Lord. We need to de-clutter our lives so that we can have time to spend with Him. How else are we going to hear from Him if we’re so busy, busy, busy with the cares of this life? Actually, if we’d spend more time listening to the Holy Spirit’s leading and direction, we’d be so much better off and avoid a lot of heartache.

Purpose in your heart to de-clutter and spend quality time with your Lord and Savior, listening to the Holy Spirit’s leading and revelation, and live the victorious life God has planned for you.

Continued next time — Pamela

Seeing is Not Believing!

We’ve all heard it. “Seeing is believing or when I see it I’ll believe it!” But, actually, that’s not true. If you have to see it to believe it, then it’s really not believing it! And it’s not faith. So, what am I saying?

Having to see something before you’ll believe it is the world’s way of “looking” at things. It’s not God’s way. He says that believing is seeing. With God, you have to believe it before you see it in order to actually see it. How can that be? Keep reading.

Take God for example. You can’t see Him, so the seeing is believing won’t work with Him. You have to believe that He is and then you’ll see Him with the eyes of your faith. Faith is believing before you see results. Once you have the results, you don’t have to believe for them any longer. You have them.

Too many times people want to understand everything before they’ll believe the truth in God’s Word. It doesn’t work that way. You have to first believe the Word is true and then the understanding opens up to you. Anything else is not faith. And without faith, it’s impossible to please God. 

Take the New Birth. You really can’t understand much about it until you make a commitment to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. When that happens, a whole new world opens up to you and understanding starts to flow. But, you have to step out and believe with your faith. Then your spiritual eyes open and praise the Lord, revelation starts to flow.

All of God’s promises work the same way. You have to step out in faith and believe that what God says in His Word is true and then understanding comes.

God is faithful and will always back up His word. You can count on it!

Hebrews 11:6 (KJV) 6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 

1 Kings 8:56b (KJV) 56  … there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant. 

Numbers 23:19 (KJV) 19  God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? 

Continued next time — Pamela

 Honoring God

Just what does it mean to honor someone? How do we do that? Some of the ways are to give medals of commendation, honorary degrees, certificates of accomplishment, promotion, and even monetary remuneration. In other words, we bless those we want to honor.

But when it comes to God, how do we honor Him?

1 Samuel 2:30b (KJV) 30  …  for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. 

God says He will honor those who honor Him. So, let’s look into how we can honor God. 

Honor means to value, count as precious, show high regard for. Hebrew tells us that we please God by our faith. That means that when we use our faith, He is pleased and that honors Him.

Hebrews 11:6 (KJV) 6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 

But there’s more. When we please God with our faith it means that we not only have faith in Him but we have faith in His Word. Having faith in God’s Word honors Him. That means that we believe His Word and act on it, expecting results. You can’t say you believe God’s Word and be passive. Faith is action. Faith is what causes His promises to manifest in your life.

Faith is an action word because it always produces. We need to honor God by honoring His word and when we do that, He said He will honor us. Wow! God will honor us and you can know that when Almighty God honors you, you’re honored!

Believing the lies of the devil dishonors God. Never let yourself sink to Satan’s level by believing his lies. When the devil says you’re weak, you say you’re strong. When he says you’re sick, you say you’re healed by Jesus’ stripes. When he says you’re poor, you say your God supplies all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. When he says you’re going to die, you say you’ll live and declare the works of the Lord. Always say what God says and that will honor Him. All things are possible with God and to those who believe Him. We are blessed and we need to walk in all the blessings we’ve been given.

Continued next time — Pamela

God’s God Your Back

Just what does it mean when someone says to you, “I’ve got your back?” It means they’re right there with you, backing you up in whatever way is necessary. In other words, they’re looking out for you.

Wouldn’t that be great if we could have someone like that right there with us in whatever we’re doing, 24/7? Well, the good news is that we do!

2 Peter 1:3-4 (KJV) 3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and 4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Notice that all the promises of God have been given to us – healing, deliverance, peace, prosperity – whatever we need. It’s a done deal!

We don’t need to plead or beg God for the promises. Whatever we need, He’s already made the provision. It’s a available now, always has been and always will be. That’s what salvation is: healing, deliverance, preservation, soundness, and wholeness.

So, you might ask, “Why don’t I see all that provision in my life? Where is it?” Well, like I’ve said, it’s already there but God’s promises are only accessed by faith. They’re not for everyone, even though they’re available to everyone. They’re only for those who will use their God-given, God-kind of  faith to activate the promises. God has made them available, but even though you’re born-again and the promises belong to you, if you don’t use your faith to activate them, they won’t manifest in your life and you’ll do without.

We need God’s promises activated in our lives in order to live the victorious life that He has for us. So, if that’s what you want, you need to continue developing your faith by getting into the Word of God and letting it get into you.

Romans 10:17 (KJV) 17  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 

Remember, since God is a faith God, He expects us to walk by faith. He’s made a way for us. Let’s walk in His pathways and enjoy a life worth living. There’s no expiration date on His promises!

2 Corinthians 1:20 (KJV) 20  For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. 

Hebrews 11:6 (KJV) 6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

2 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV) 7  (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 

Continued next time — Pamela

When Will You Start Doing it God’s Way?

Proverbs 21:2 (KJV)  Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts. 

Proverbs 12:15 (KJV) 15  The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise. 

Jeremiah 10:23 (KJV)23  O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.

These are some very interesting scriptures. We all think our way is the right way. And, to a degree, that’s good. But if what we purport is not right, then there’s a problem.  Being passionate about what you believe can be a good trait as long as what your believing lines up with God’s Word.

Have you ever been “so sure” you were right about something and then found out you were 180 degrees off the track? I’ve been there and it’s a very humbling thing to realize that you were “so sure” of something but yet so wrong.

We need to be particularly diligent about God’s Word and where we stand. Believing His Word is the only way we’ll ever get what He has for us. To say we believe His Word, means we actually have to walk in His Word. Just saying we believe doesn’t get us the victory. It’s a heart issue; that’s where we have to believe it.

If God’s Word tells us to do things a certain way, then we need to do it His way. We can’t make up our own rules and then expect God to abide by them. It doesn’t work that way. 

Many times we pray and expect instant results — who doesn’t? But when we don’t get those results instantly or even after a few days, what do we do? Do we throw up our hands and say God’s Word doesn’t work or do we dig in our heels and stand firm on God’s integrity – His Word?

1 Kings 8:56b (KJV) 56  …  there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.  

Complaining to God about how long everything is taking is not prayer, it’s unbelief! Standing firm on His Word and commanding the victory is what we’re to do. Don’t quit or give up. That’s called unbelief and laziness. And as we know, God doesn’t bless unbelief or laziness. He blesses faith and He moves in response to our faith-filled prayers – always!

Hebrews 11:6 (KJV)  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 

If God says to speak to the mountain, then you speak to the mountain. Don’t ask God to speak to the mountain.

If God says to submit to Him and resist the devil and he will flee, then that’s what you are to do. You don’t ask God to get the devil off your back.

If God says faith comes by hearing His Word, then you need to hear His Word to get faith developed in you. You don’t ask God to give you more faith.

If God says He’s given us authority and power over all the power of the devil and that we have dominion, then we need to take our dominion, speak to the problem, and command obedience.

We are the victors in Christ Jesus. We need to take our rightful place in faith and demand results according to God’s Word. We’re not demanding of God. We’re making a demand on the Word – His promises – that He has given us.

Mark 11:23-24 (KJV) 23  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 
 24  Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them

James 4:7 (KJV)  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 

Romans 10:17 (KJV) 17  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Luke 10:19 (KJV) 19  Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 

Genesis 1:26 (KJV) 26  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

2 Corinthians 2:14 (KJV) 14  Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

John 14:13-14 (KJV) 13  And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14  If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

 Continued next time — Pamela

God’s Password to His Promises is Faith

How many times have you prayed without assurance of your answer, not knowing whether or not you actually made any “heavenly” contact? Unfortunately, for many, this is a common occurrence. But, the good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way. You can have assurance when you pray. Read on . . .

1 Peter 3:12a (KJV) 12  For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers:

1 Corinthians 1:30 (KJV) 30  But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

2 Corinthians 5:21 (KJV) 21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

If you’ve been born-again, Jesus is your righteousness whether or not you feel like it. You were made righteous in Him and therefore God hears your prayers.

Righteousness means right standing with God. When we’re in Jesus, we’re in right standing with God, something we could never do ourselves. It had to be by Jesus’ redemptive sacrifice.

As born-again Christians, our hearts continually desire to be and stay in right relationship with God. And thankfully, Jesus made a way for that to be. By His redemption, He became our righteousness – our right standing with God, Therefore, when we accepted Him as our Lord and Savior, we accepted His righteousness for ourselves. We are now the righteousness of Him — in right standing with God, now and forever.

I said all this to show that God does indeed hear our prayers. But as the title says, we need to use our faith password to access all of His promises because God is only moved by faith. He will answer all faith-filled prayers based on His Word.

Hebrews 11:6 (KJV)  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 

1 John 5:14-15 (KJV) 14  And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15  And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

We can have assurance regarding our prayers. When we pray in faith according to God’s Word (which is His will), we know that He hears us, and then, because He hears us, we can know that we have the answer to our prayers.

God is always on the look-out for those who will believe Him and His Word so that He can show Himself strong and move on their behalf.

Be one of those people!

2 Chronicles 16:9a (KJV)  For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.  

Continued next time – Pamela

Real Faith for Today

Too many times when FAITH is mentioned, it’s received negatively. Why is that? I think it’s because people really don’t know what it means to “have faith”. Perhaps they think it means to really, really, really want something to happen or not happen.  

For example, they might really want to be healed so they “have faith” that they will get healed. Or they might be afraid that something bad will happen but they “have faith” that all will be well. Is this really the God- kind of faith that we see in the Bible?

Faith, the God-kind of faith is not wishful thinking, it’s not strong desire, and it’s not even a feeling. The God-kind of faith is simply believing that what God has said in His Word is true and then acting that way. It’s our positive response to what God has already freely given to us by His grace.

If we truly love the Lord Jesus, then we, of necessity, must love His Word because He is the Word of God. And if we truly want to please God, we MUST develop our faith by getting into His Word and walking in it because without faith it’s impossible to please Him.

We need to find the promises given to us for every situation we’re in and stand on them. Let’s do all we can to develop our faith to where we are pleasing God and moving the mountains in our lives.

Romans 10:17 (KJV) 17  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 

John 1:1 (KJV)  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

Mark 11:23 (KJV) 23  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 

Continued next time — Pamela

Are You Accommodating Your Weaknesses?

Paul told us in Ephesians to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Ephesians 6:10 (KJV) 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power [kratos] of his might.

The word POWER in this verse is the Greek word kratos which means a power that is demonstrative, eruptive, and tangible and almost always comes with an external or outward manifestation. It’s the same word that is used in Ephesians 1:19-20:

Ephesians 1:19-20 (KJV) 19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power [dunamis] to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power [kratos],20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

The power that raised Jesus from the dead is the kratos power of God – demonstrative, eruptive, tangible.

Romans 8:11 (KJV) 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Do you see that the same power of God that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power of God that dwells in you! That’s awesome! 

When the power of God shot through Jesus’ body, it changed Him! And that’s what can happen to you. When the power of God shoots through you, it WILL change you!

We are told to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Too many times we succumb to the ways of the world because we’ve been in it for so long. If they say that by a certain age, eyes begin to change, hearing starts to go, memory lapses increase, and we get weaker physically, we agree with them. Then we fall into the same programming and end up getting exactly what we have confessed and believed for but not what we truly want.

After all, people say, I’m just human! But that’s not true, if you’ve been born-again. You’re not just human. One-third of you is wall-to-wall Holy Ghost! And He’s perfect. You have the power of Almighty God residing in you to help you in every way.

Nowhere in the Bible does it say that you have to get weak and decrepit. Your eyes don’t have to dim, or your hearing subside, or your physical condition weaken making you susceptible to any number of available sicknesses, diseases, and afflictions. Moses is a prime example:

Deuteronomy 34:7 (KJV) 7 And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.

Your organs don’t have to peter out. You can be strong in your senior years and continue to live a vibrant, full life ’til the Rapture or ’til you’re satisfied and ready to go home to Heaven.

Psalm 91:16 (KJV) 16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

We, as born-again believers, need to stop making excuses for our weaknesses and focus on God’s power in us that’s available 24/7.

Continued next time – Pamela

There’s Power in Consistency

Being consistent is of the utmost importance if you’re ever going to succeed in what you’re doing. For example, exercising. If you want the full benefits of exercise, you have to do it on a regular basis. If you want the full benefits of dieting, you have to do it on a regular basis. Intermittent adherence to exercise – being a week-end warrior – or dieting once a week is not going to get you the desired results you want.

And so it is with the promises of God. Reading a promise verse daily is not going to build your faith for said promise. Listening to one short Sunday sermon is not going to cause you to develop strong faith. What you do on a consistent basis is what will have an effect on you. Unfortunately, it even works in the negative. Listening to negative things on TV will cause them to have an effect on you – fear, worry, anxiety!

Faith in God comes by hearing and hearing and hearing His Word. It doesn’t come by having heard! It’s a daily, 24/7 process – always keeping the Word of God before your eyes and in your ears. Everyone can do it. It’s a matter of choosing what’s important to you.

Am I saying you have to have your nose in the Bible every minute? No. I’m saying you have to get the Word into your heart and that will cause you to be able to meditate on it day and night. You’re always thinking about something. That’s not the problem. It’s what you’re thinking about that causes faith to develop or to be hindered.

Thinking on negative things will hinder your faith: things like fear, worry, anxiety. You are well able to choose to think on good things. God tells you to do that and if He told you do something, then you CAN do it!

Purpose in your heart to give God more of your time by getting into His Word and studying it to develop your faith. Remember, you don’t get strong faith accidentally. It takes effort and diligence on a consistent basis. And when you do it God’s way, you will succeed!

Romans 10:17 (KJV) 17  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 

Philippians 4:8 (KJV)  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. 

 Continued next time — Pamela