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 God.

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) 1  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.

 

Are You Suffering from Spiritual Malnutrition?

Matthew 4:4 (KJV)
4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life!”

John 6:35 (KJV)
35  And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

As Americans, we can say, for the most part, that we have plenty to eat and we do it very well, even to excess! And, as you know, that can be harmful. In fact, the acronym for the Standard American Diet is SAD! And sad it is. People eat and eat and eat but are they getting the nutrition they need to be healthy? I wonder and I think not. Of course, that can change but it takes effort, commitment, and diligence to stick to it.

Enough said but I wanted to use that as an example of what happens in the spirit realm. God uses natural things to explain spiritual things. Just as we need to feed our bodies, we most definitely have to feed our spiritual bodies – our reborn human spirit. And the food we must feed it is God’s Word.

Just as your physical body will eventually die if you starve it long enough, so it is with your spirit. It won’t die but it will remain emaciated and virtually unable to help you in the realm of life here on planet earth.

Romans 8:14 (KJV)
14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

God intends for you to live from the inside out – being led by your spirit under the direction of the Holy Spirit. But, the only way you can trust your spirit is to continually feed on the God’s Word. It’s more than mental assent which acknowledges that God’s Word is true but goes no further, not acting on it.

By feeding on the Word of God continually, it will get down into your reborn spirit and develop and mature. When that happens, you’ll begin to speak God’s Word with power and authority and see circumstances change.

Feeding on the Word takes commitment, diligence, study, meditation, and doing the Word. That’s how you get it from your head into your heart. And that’s when supernatural things happen.

God’s Word always works but we have to work the Word.

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

John 1:14 (KJV)
14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Pamela

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

God’s Not Mad; He’s Not Even in a Bad Mood!

Too many times we tend to think that God is mad at us when we mess up and miss the mark of perfection. That’s simply not true. He loves us with an everlasting love. Not only that—His love has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

Romans 5:5b (KJV)  … because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Hebrews 13:5b (KJV)  …  for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

How can we think that God is mad at us when He said He will never leave us nor forsake us – never, never, never?! We are truly loved in spite of ourselves. Remember, we are not to judge God the way people judge each other. He is perfect and He is love. He doesn’t just have love, He is love personified! He chose us before the foundation of the world and that should settle it for us.

Ephesians 1:4 (KJV) 4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

There are many Christians who think they have to do everything just right or God won’t answer their prayers. Not so. We can’t earn anything from God. Everything we’ll every need on planet earth has already been given by Almighty God to us. Our part is to simply believe and receive. God has His part to do (and He’s already done it) and we have our part to do—to receive by faith what He’s already given. How can it be any simpler?

Of course, there are those who would have you believe otherwise but they have no scripture to back up their false allegations against God.

What we need to do is to trust God with all our beings and believe that what He said is what He means. That’s what faith is. And that’s how we access the His promises.

 — Pamela

Fear – the Enemy of Faith!

1 Peter 5:8-9 (KJV) 8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9  Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV) 7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

As I’ve said many times, faith and fear are opposites. In fact, fear cancels out faith. That’s not what we want when we’re believing for answers. We need answers and therefore, we need to do all we can do to cooperate with our faith to bring the manifestation of what we want.

So, just how do we stand against fear? First of all, you have to recognize fear when it comes knocking on your door. It can be very subtle because the devil is a wily, scheming enemy and will try to sneak in the back door when you’re not looking. Doubt, unbelief, and temptation to quit are all open doors to fear. Shut the door!

Many times when we’re being challenged by the devil’s attacks, it seems like we’re in way over our heads. Actually, we are. But—the good news is that we’re not alone trying to fight enemy. God has given us all the tools we need to win the battle because the victory is already ours even before it begins.

When the battle is raging, it usually looks like it will never end. That’s when you have to dig in your heels and stand on God’s Word with all you have. His Word never fails. It is incorruptible seed and will produce what He has sent it to do. Our part is to keep on keeping on.

1 Peter 1:23 (KJV) 23  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

God’s Word has enough power in it to cause itself to come to pass. Your faith is the catalyst that activates the power. That’s why it’s imperative that you resist the temptation to get into fear. Fear will negate your faith and you won’t get your answer. Stay in faith and walk in victory!

Isaiah 55:11 (KJV) 11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

1 Kings 8:56b (KJV) 56  … there hath not failed one word of all his good promise …

 Psalm 119:89 (KJV) 89  For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.

 — Pamela

 

 

 

Where is My Answer?

How many times have you thought, “Where is my answer? Why is it taking so long?” The truth is that these are the wrong kinds of questions to ask. If you have to ask that question, you’re not in faith. I know that sounds harsh but it’s true.

If you’re looking at the circumstances to determine what God is doing about your problem, you’ve missed it and you’re not in faith.

Faith doesn’t look at the circumstances to determine anything. It looks beyond the circumstances to what God has already said about your problem and receives the answer.

In Romans 4:17 we see that God calls things that are not as though they were

Romans 4:17b (KJV) 17  … even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

Then in Isaiah we read that God declares the end from the beginning.

Isaiah 46:10 (KJV) 10  Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

God doesn’t look at the circumstances to determine what He wants. He looks at the answer and calls it in. What if He looked at the darkness and said, “Wow, it’s dark out there!” It would have stayed dark. That wouldn’t have produced light. But, He didn’t do that. He looked and said, “Light be!” And, as you know, light was!

Genesis 1:3 (YLT) 3  and God saith, `Let light be;’ and light is.

Even when you don’t see any signs of manifestation, you must keep focused on the Word that you have prayed and know that God always honors His Word that you have prayed in faith. His Word always works but we have to believe and receive. We have our part to do and God will always do His part. He is faithful, faithful, faithful!

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.

Pamela

Stay Stirred Up or You’ll Sink to the Bottom!

Remember when you made chocolate milk by adding the cocoa to the milk? Remember how you had to keep it stirred or it would separate? Well, that’ what happens to us if we don’t keep ourselves stirred up in the things of God – we’ll sink to the bottom! 

It’s easy to let things slip because we’re so busy with the natural, everyday things of life – family, work, church, etc. But, we can’t use that as an excuse. God knows how life is for us. He’s well aware of our daily commitments – some of which are probably not even necessary.

We are without excuse when it comes to serving the Lord. We have a way of “making” time for the things we want to do, and so it is with God’s things. We need to, on purpose, make time to read and study the Word, to pray, to fellowship with one another. We can make time to spend with the Lord if we so desire. It’s vitally important for our lives and total well-being. We can’t afford to let the Word slip!

Have you ever been reading the Word and a scripture popped out that you had let slip? I think we’ve all been there. We need to pay closer attention to how and where we spend our time. Remember, we can make time for the things we want to do.

Have you ever gone several days without eating because you forgot or were too busy? I think not. We’re very diligent about feeding our physical bodies and we should be ever so diligent about feeding our spirits with God’s Word.

You’ll never grow spiritually if you starve your spirit! Revamp your schedule and make time for the Lord. The results will amaze you!

Hebrews 2:1 (KJV) 1  Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.
2 Peter 1:13 (KJV) 13  Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;
Jude 1:20 (KJV) 20  But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
Matthew 6:33 (KJV) 33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Pamela

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What’s Blocking Your Blessing?

God said that the Name of Jesus is above every name and at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow. But He also said that He has magnified His Word above His Name. Wow! That means that the Word of God is above everything and that His Word has the final say.

Philippians 2:9-11 (KJV) 9  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Psalm 138:2b (KJV)  … for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

However, there is something that will negate the Word of God and cause it to be ineffective. How can that be? Jesus said it’s your traditions that will render the Word of God ineffective in your life! What?  Let’s take a look.

Mark 7:13a (KJV) 13  Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition

Just what are the traditions that will cause God’s Holy Word to be of no effect? Take healing for example. Many Christians have been taught that it’s not God’s will to be healed every time. Maybe you’re one of them. But that’s simply not true.

It is His will to heal you every time! There’s not one time in the Bible of a person who came to Jesus for healing and He turned them away. Therefore, what you’ve been taught is a tradition and not God’s Word. That will hinder your faith and keep you from receiving your healing. How can you believe in God’s faithfulness if you don’t know His will? You can’t even have faith for healing if you don’t know that it’s His will. Faith stops at the question mark and starts where the will of God is known.

It’s the same with prosperity. If you don’t know that it’s God’s will for you to prosper, you won’t have the faith to receive His prosperity and blessings.

3 John 1:2 (KJV) 2  Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

If you’ve prayed and prayed and wondered why you haven’t received your answer, check your traditions and see if that’s what’s blocking your blessing.

It’s imperative that you know the difference between what people say and what God has said. Know the difference and get blessed!

— Pamela

 

Are You Being Robbed in Broad Daylight?

I guess that’s a funny question to ask but I have a point to make. What is it that you need but find elusive to receive – healing, deliverance, finances . . .? Maybe all three and more!

What I’m going to share is applicable to any situation but I’m going to use money as an example but then show you how it applies to healing.

Let’s say you are in a situation where you’re being held up and the perpetrator demands you turn over your money. If you listen to him, you’ll let fear get in and turn over everything to him. Why? Because you’re afraid and when you let fear rule, faith goes out the door. Fear will negate you faith. But if you stand your ground on the Word of God, you’ll not only be able to resist the robbery, but you’ll still be in charge.

Now, let me elaborate. You are the one with the authority and power to operate in the earth. Satan has no authority except what he can get you to turn over to him. The only authority he has is what he steals from you. He is an outlaw spirit with no authority to operate in the earth. That’s why he has to deceive people into turning over their authority so he can beat their spiritual brains out!

So, you ask, just how does he do that? Simply by getting you to believe his lies instead of God’s Word. In order to disbelieve God, you have to believe the lies of the devil. But, believing God’s Word will get the promises to manifest in your life.

Jesus came to destroy the works of Satan and we are now required to enforce that defeat. Remember, Satan has no authority except what he wrenches out of your hands. When you get an evil report, do you automatically agree with it? Or do you stand your ground on God’s Word and say, “No way!” If you agree with the evil report, you are agreeing with the lies of the enemy and turning over your authority to him.

But, on the other hand, if you stand on God’s Word saying, “No evil shall befall me nor shall and plague come near me”, then you’re standing your ground and using your authority to whip the devil at his own game.

Remember, you’re the one in charge. You have the healing that Jesus bought for you and the devil is trying to steal it. Don’t let him. He tries to dupe you with symptoms and if you agree with the symptoms, then he can put the sickness/disease on you.

Here are some vital scriptures to study:

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.

Genesis 1:28 (KJV)
28  And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

1 John 3:8b (KJV)  For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
1 John 3:8b (AMP)  The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done].

John 10:10 (KJV) 10  The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
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.

Ephesians 1:3 (KJV) 3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
1 Peter 2:24 (KJV) 24  Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
Proverbs 18:21 (KJV) 21  Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Psalm 91:10 (KJV) 10  There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

Stand your ground and receive all that God has for you!

— Pamela

 

Just What Does “Hold On” Really Mean?

“Just hold on, things will get better!” How many times have you heard that? Too many. But, what does that actually mean? Does it mean to just grit your teeth and endure ’til the end? Does it mean to continue to just put up with all the aggravation you’re going through? No, no, no! That’s not what it means, although to some, it actually does meant that.

So, just how do you “hold on” in the face of glaring obstacles? In the face of sickness and disease? In the face of lack? Let’s go to God’s Word and find out what He has to say.

Too many times people go to the world for their solutions and when they don’t work, they “shoot up” a prayer like scatter shot and hope something sticks. That’s not how it works.

God said that when we pray according to His Word, He hears us and then we know that we have the answer to our prayer. That’s great but then what do we do between amen and there it is? How do we continue believing in spite of what we see with our natural eyes? Let’s continue.

First and foremost is the fact that God’s Word is God’s Word. It is incorruptible seed and always works. We dishonor God by disbelieving His Word and believing the lies of the devil. And, we surely don’t want to ever be in a place of dishonoring God!

Since God’s Word is incorruptible seed, we must plant it by saying what He has said. That’s what He did in the beginning and that’s what we’re to do since we’re made in His image.

Once you commit to believing that God’s Word is true, the next step is to speak it forth in faith against the problem and then stand your ground against Satan and his evil barrage. We have to enforce his defeat by continuing to stand on God’s Word in faith.

Remember, what you see is temporary. What you want is eternal. Everything we need is in the spirit realm and we access it by faith to bring it into the physical realm. We have to guard our hearts from looking at the natural realm to determine if our prayers worked. That’s not the determining factor. God’s Word is the determining factor and His Word always works. We believe we receive when we pray, not when we see the results.

As I’ve said before, there’s a God-part and a man-part. He is faithful, faithful, faithful. But we must do our part. Our part is to believe His Word to us and His part is to do it. We can’t do His part and He won’t do our part. That’s what it means to walk by faith and not by sight.

Is it easy to “not look” at the circumstances? No, but it’s do-able and that’s what you must do if you’re to stand in faith until you see the manifestation of what you want.

You can’t see into the spirit realm with your natural eyes but you must look with the eyes of your faith and know that God’s Word is working day and night to cause your answer to manifest. You can do it. Keeps walking by faith and see your victory!

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.

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

1 Peter 1:23 (KJV) 23  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
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.
 2 Corinthians 4:18 (KJV) 18  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Mark 11:24 (KJV) 24  Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

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

— Pamela

 

 

 

Which Truth Will Make You Free?

There are many voices out there that would have you believe that their way is the way to the truth. They purport to have the answers yet, in reality, they’re just as confused as everyone else seems to be.

There are many things that are true: the sun is always out there, electricity works, sound waves transmit, gravity works, plants grow, etc. But . . . which truth can you depend on every time? Which truth can heal your body, deliver you from depression, give you peace? Let’s see what Jesus has to say about truth.

 Even though there are many truths, there is only one that is THE TRUTH. Jesus said that He is THE way, THE truth, and THE life. It’s not just any truth that we are talking about—it’s THE TRUTH – Jesus!

Many times people will quote part of the scripture saying that the truth will make you free. But, Jesus didn’t say it that way. He said, “If you continue in My Word . . . you shall know THE truth and THE truth will make you free.”

 John 14:6 (KJV) 6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 8:31-32 (KJV) 31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

So, what is THE TRUTH that will make you free – free from sickness and disease, free from poverty, free from depression, addiction, and a life of anguish and torment? It’s the Word of God. Jesus is the Word of God and He said that His Word, if you continue in it, will make you free.

John 1:1,14 (KJV) 1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

How can you believe for healing if you don’t know what God has already said in His Word about healing? How can you believe to get out of poverty if you don’t know God’s way of financial prosperity? How can you escape hell if you don’t know God’s way of salvation? The answer to each of these questions is that you can’t know God’s ways if you don’t know and continue in His Word.

Now, let me say that just knowing about the Word of God is not enough to make you free. You have to be a doer of the Word because only the doer of the Word is blessed in what he does.

James 1:22-25 (KJV) 22  But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23  For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24  For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25  But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

When you continue in the Word of God, you begin to know His ways and by knowing His ways, which is THE TRUTH, that TRUTH that you walk in and do, will make you free!

Be a doer of the Word of God and live a life of freedom worth living!

Pamela