39 FAITH RELEASES GOD’S POWER. Mark 9;23

I believe our faith releases God’s power and the lack of Faith restricts it. Not withstanding the fact that God is God and can do as he chooses, He doesn’t have to dance to anyone’s tune, but understanding His requirements regarding Faith is essential. The short version of this is.-- (1) We must believe that He exists. (2) We must believe that he is all powerful and (3) We must believe that He has all the rights. Yes, He is Almighty God. Yes, there is nothing He cannot do. Yes, He can say “Yes, No, Wait. Or whatever He chooses to. We must also keep in mind there is only room for one on God’s Throne and that’s not me or you. He doesn’t have to answer us, give us a reason or explanations for anything He does or doesn’t do. That said we can get on with what “Faith” can do.” Some of what I am going to pass on to you today is taken from a little book I have; by Charles Capps called “God’s Creative Power” which sold over a million copies, and I find some of of his thoughts bare repeating. Christianity is often called the great confession, but most Christians who are defeated in life are defeated because they believe and confess the wrong things, they have spoken and indeed still speak the words of the enemy. And those WORDS are holding them in bondage. (Proverbs 6:1-2) says “You are snared by the words of your mouth” Faith filled words will give you victory, while Fear filled words will defeat you every time. Understand this, WORDS ARE THE MOST POWERFUL THING IN THE UNIVERSE. Battles, wars, countries, thrones, relationships and millions of lives have been won and lost bought and sold or damaged through the spoken word. Jesus said “It’s not what goes into a man’s mouth that makes him unclean but what comes out of it.” Man is a Spirit being, This spirit being has a body which contains all the physical attributes we need to keep us functioning as human beings, but these functions are subject to the Spirit which controls them, and so the body only does what the spirit tells it to do. Now, for the body to comply with the spirit God has given us our five senses, one of which is our mouth containing our lips and tongue to speak with and taste, Unless we have a medical or physical disorder, none of our senses can operate without the express permission of our spirit. You have to will it, want it, verify it and make a decision to accept or reject it before it becomes a reality and then release it through your mouth. That’s what I believe FAITH is all about; It has very little to do with the body and everything to do with the spirit. That means accepting what the spirit says, For the Christian however, that means ..Listening, Trusting and Doing The Word of God, It means having a personal relationship with God and constantly being tuned in to His voice which we will learn to recognise as we get closer intimacy with Him. As that happens our Faith grows, we must also be aware here that our intimacy doesn’t turn to familiarity and start treating ourselves as equal to God. This must not happen. Just as we keep our parents in esteem so it must be with God. Almighty God is just that. “Almighty” there’s no way we should aspire to get higher than His feet, except on those occasions when He chooses to pick us up and cradle us in His arms. In Mark 2;3. Jesus said “Anything is possible if you have faith “ In other words if you meet the conditions ie. believe, and speak out the words which your spirit is receiving from God, The miracle will happen, God’s power will be released. Even if you don’t see a visual change in the situation. Because you can’t see it doesn’t mean God has not heard you, or said No or ignored your prayer. Some things need further prayer and or fasting,(keep praying) other times there is a blockage; (maybe unconfessed sin) and sometimes the miracle is a gradual process. We can ask God for a miracle, but we have to leave the How, Why, When, and Where up to Him. Again it’s a matter of faith-filled trust. God can do anything anywhere at anytime the world and all that is in it is His. He knows what is good for us and what is not just as we know for our children. He is a loving father who responds to humble faith, not to demands for miracles Ephesians Literally tells us to be imitators of God as children imitate their parents. To be imitators of God, you must talk like Him and act like Him similar to children with their parents, He would not ask or expect you to do something you are not capable of doing. Jesus operated in the faith principles of (Mark11:23) and (Matthew 17:20). While He was on earth. He spoke to the wind and the sea. He spoke to demons. He spoke to the Fig tree. He even spoke to dead men. And the wind, sea, demons, Fig tree and even dead men were obedient to Him. Why? Because He was imitating His father in everything He said and did. Jesus was imitating His Father and getting the same results as His Father did. God is a faith God, and He reacts to faith in Him. So have faith in God, what He says He will do He does, because He is a God of His Word. In John (14:12) Jesus said “Whoever believes in me the works that I do he also shall do and even greater works. Shall he do.” These principles of faith are based on spiritual laws, they will work for whoever applies them. You set them in motion by the words of your mouth. Do you really want all the negative things you’ve said in the past to happen. eg.”I’m getting a head cold.” I must have Covid.” “If I go down there I’ll have an accident.” You saying it can make it happen, so instead say “In the name of Jesus I pray good health over this body .” “Jesus I believe and trust You to keep me from Covid.” In a scary or dangerous area say “The Lord is my Shepherd whom shall I fear.” Be positive, because what comes out of your mouth is what you believe in your heart. So if you believe Scripture, Quote It It’s the Word of God) that’s what works. If Jesus came to you personally and said, From this day forward it will come to pass, everything you say will happen exactly as you say it; would you change your vocabulary? I believe you would. In (Matthew 16;19) Jesus said, I give you the keys of The Kingdom. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven, whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven.” and (Psalm 119;89) tells us “Forever Oh Lord, Your word is settled in Heaven,” so what God said is already established. God will not alter or change what He has said. “My covenant will I not brake, nor alter the word that has gone out from my lips “(Psalm 89;34) So the power of binding and loosing is on the earth... Use it. Spoken words program your spirit (heart). Our spoken words carry faith or fear and they produce after their own kind. (Romans 10;17) says Faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” Faith comes more quickly when you hear yourself quoting, speaking and saying the things God said. We will more readily receive God’s Word into our spirit by hearing ourselves say it than if we hear someone else saying it. The body of Christ must begin to live in the Authority of The Word, for God’s Word is creative Power. That creative power is produced by The Holy Spirit in the heart of all Bible-believing, Christians. It’s formed by the tongue and released out of the mouth in the form of words. For The Word to be effective we must speak God;s Word in faith, Jesus spoke it when He was on earth and as it worked then, so it shall work now. I believe God’s Word is not void of power, it just needs to be believed and spoken. This is a Spiritual law, not a physical law which tells us to believe only in what we can see, hear, touch taste and smell. But a Spiritual law uses your spirit, heart and mind as well. The application of this law, will change even the most impossible situation. But to incorrectly apply spiritual laws will hold one in bondage, and can cause the circumstances to grow worse. Every principal and spiritual law that God put in His Word was for man’s benefit and works only when fueled by faith. In (Matthew 8;13) Jesus said “As you believe so let it be done for you” He didn’t say it will only work if you believe right. If you believe right or wrong , it is still the law. God is not mocked, “Whatever a man sews, that also will he reap. (Galatians 6;7). The spiritual law is based on the same principal as the seed-time harvest. The words we speak are seeds, just as surely as they are planted, we can be equally sure a harvest will follow. Faith talks, and when faith talks it talks faith, not fear and unbelief. Learn to take the words of Jesus personally. In (Mark 11;23) Jesus tells us You can have what you say, if what you say comes from your heart Let us train ourselves to speak God’s Word. Ephesians (5;1) tells us, to be followers of God as dear children. The word “Followers” in Greek translates as imitators. We are to imitate Jesus (God) just as a child does his father. If a child imitates his father he walks like him, He talks like him and patterns his every move after him. We should do no less with Jesus. When we study the life of Jesus we find several important facts that caused Him to overcome the world, the flesh and the Devil. I will list some of them… 1. He spent much time in prayer, but He never prayed the problem, He always prayed the answer, whatever God said was the answer. 2. He spoke accurately, never crooked speech.--His conversation always consisted of what God said 3. He always spoke the end results, not the problem.-- Never did He confess present circumstances. He spoke the desired results. 4. He used the written word to defeat Satan, THE WORD OF GOD CONCEIVED IN THE HEART, FORMED BY THE TONGUE, AND SPOKEN OUT OF THE MOUTH IS GOD’S CREATIVE POWER. Thank you for reading about the “Creative Power of God.” It boils down to – The more we are like Jesus, the more power God will entrust us with. So for best results be Imitators of Christ. This can only happen through the power of The Holy Spirit. So take number 1. very seriously. Because if you don’t pray you’ll fall away. God Bless us as we pray. Phaline. --------------------------------------

38 DON’T BE ASHAMED. Psalm 34:5

“They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.” As a follower of Christ, that should be your testimony. Because you have placed your trust in Him you are able to say,”I am not ashamed of..(1) His Berth. Mary was His mother, but God was His father. So He was tainted with neither inherited sin nor practised sin, Hence He meets all of God’s requirements to be our Saviour. (2) of His Miracles. He never demanded money in exchange for a Miracles.. .Not one supernatural act was performed for selfish or ostentatious purposes, but only to meet the needs of people. (3) of His preaching... Even His enemies had to admit, “No man ever spoke like this man” (John;7-46) Other men’s words inform us; His words transform us. (4) of His claims... He said “He who has seen me has seen the Father… You see the fullness of God expressed in the person of Jesus Christ. (5) of His Death... He bore your shame.. You were morally and spiritually bankrupt. But He satisfied all of God’s claims against you at the cross, writing “paid in full” across your account. (6) ...His Resurrection “Lifted up was He to die, it is finished was His cry. Now in Heaven exalted high, Hallelujah, what a Saviour.” And His promise is ...”Because I live, you also will live.” (John;14-19) (7)... His mediatorship.. Picture this when you fall, He stands before God on your behalf, offering His blood in atonement for your sin. If you saw Him now would you say “I am not ashamed of Jesus Christ?” As a follower of Jesus you can also say along with Paul who wrote; in (Romans 1;16) “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” Our Gospel is not education or sophistication, but salvation. It’s not reformation or rehabilitation, from the penalty and power of sin. The Bible says in (2 Corinthians 5;17) “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” This is not the old car with a new set of plugs, points and carburettor; It’s a brand new model. Notice the words”For everyone who believes.” By placing your trust in Christ you have been forgiven of all sin, clothed in Christ’s righteous, made fully acceptable in God’s sight, and qualified for Heaven. You may ask, “How long does a prayer for salvation have to be?” The Thief on the cross beside Jesus only prayed nine words..”Lord remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” (Luke 23;42) The Tax Collector in the Temple prayed only seven words “God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18;13) When Peter was sinking in the lake of Galilee he only had time for three words, “Lord save me.”(Matthew 14;30) and the Good News is – Christ saved them all. Now you may ask”How do I receive this life- changing power?” By Faith! Because it is with your heart you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth you confess and are saved. For as the Scripture says in Romans 10;10-11) “Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame. We should not be ashamed of the hope we have been given in psalm (119;116) “Uphold me according to Your Word, that I may live, and do not let me be ashamed of my hope.: So what is our Hope? It’s found in the second coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul spells it out for us this way in (1Thes.4;14-17) ”We believe that Jesus died and rose again and accordingly we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.. “ For The Lord Himself will come down from Heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the Archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet The Lord in the air.” And according to (John 5;28;29) Jesus Himself said “For a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice and come out – Those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. In that day The Lord’s Prayer will finally be answered. “Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done in earth as it is in heaven” Jesus has not changed His mind; He’s coming again. Coming for whom? For a prepared people, to take them to a prepared home, where they will live with Him forever. Are you planning to be there?…. Don’t Be Ashamed!!! Thank you for reading my thoughts on not being ashamed, Always be prepared to stand up for Our God...His Son Jesus and... His Holy Spirit. His Commandments and His Promises have lasted for thousands of years, and will continue to do so through all eternity. He is The Lord Our God Phsline. ---------------------------

37. SPIRITUAL WARFARE

In Old Testament times when an attack was launched against a city or town, one of the first strategies was to bring in a battering ram, this was to demolish the gates and defeat the inhabitants. Today you are at war against Satan! Only when you recognise and fully understand that, is victory possible. And the Good News is ‘ The weapons we fight with have the power to demolish him and his strongholds.’ This necessitates being dressed DAILY in the whole armour of God. Why? Because Satan doesn’t text you and let you know when he is coming, No! he loves to use the element of surprise to attack you when you least expect it. You will find the ‘Armour of God listed in ‘Ephesians 6:11’ read it everyday and ask God’s Holy Spirit to dress you in it each morning so that you can not only be prepared for the devil but, be able to defend yourself through his attacks. He’s our enemy and he never lets up. He wants you and I to think he has equality with God. He hasn’t. God is Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent. That means He can do anything, anytime, anywhere. So rely on Him, I have found the more I trust God, the more help I get from Him. Trust denotes Faith, you wouldn’t believe someone you didn’t trust. God wants to see your faith demonstrated by your trust in Him. Satan is a formidable foe, but there are limits to what he is permitted to do. Read (Job 1:12). Your mind is your command centre, it’s where victory or defeat is decided and that’s what Satan wants to control and will use any means fare or fowl to get that control, he doesn’t play fare, so guard your mind that is what he is after, if he can get to your mind and get control of it, you are on dangerous ground and very vulnerable. So keep the armour of God as your dress-code it will keep you safe. In (2 Corinthians 11:3) “ Paul says I fear lest your minds be corrupted.” Don’t let that happen to you. Satan knows that Christ’s return is very close and he is raking up the opposition. The way you win the battle is through; (1) Praise, Praise and worship are the only things we can give to God, The Scripture tells us He lives in the praises of His people, That’s why it’s called the “garment” of praise. (2) Abiding in Christ, Your source of spiritual growth and fruitfulness. This means keeping His commandments and thus staying in His love. (3) knowing His Word. “Which is living and active and sharper than any two edged sward.” It’s designed to defeat the enemy. When Satan comes against you, combat his lies with what God says. (His Word) that’s what Jesus did in the desert, and that’s what disposed of Satan. If the word of God was good enough for His Son, surely it will be good enough for us. (4) You must also walk in love towards others. Others will pray, council and correct you, don’t be too proud to ask for, acknowledge, accept and act on the advice of people more experienced than you are. It’s impossible to be victorious when you’re wrapped up in yourself. When the first plane hit the World Trade Center in September 2001, we thought it was an accident. But,when another plane hit it, we knew New York was under attack. Doctor Robert jeffrees says, “Knowing the source of the problem is crucial,..”A navigational accident demands one sort of response. While a hostile strike requires a completely different strategy. Everyday our world is invaded by what we consider random events. Are we under enemy attacks?. Couples divorce, so we develop marriage guidance; the drug use increases, we educate our children to “just say No”. Pornography among Christians rises, so we organise accountability groups; Churches threaten to split, so we employ arbitrators to help with conflict resolution, Christians battle depression and suicidal thoughts; so they get medicated with the latest drugs. (Please understand I am all for such programmes) but, what if in fact the source is more than random events and we are under enemy attack? Would we change our strategy? Through the Scriptures we understand there is an unseen world and it’s at war against God and His followers. Paul writes,”Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against. the spiritual forces of wickedness, we can’t just shrug our shoulders and say “We don’t have a horse in that race.” You and I are living in the crossfire of this spiritual war... the enemy is determined to destroy everything and everyone important to us. And those who dismiss such words as being over the top – do so at their own detriment. Martin Lloyd-Jones said “Not to realise you’re in a conflict..means, you are so hopelessly defeated..that you don’t even know it.” We are in a very real war, the stakes are high, the enemy skilled, armed and determined. The possibility of loosing thousands of souls to Satan is real. We must be aware of what’s happening and be prepared to fight for our Faith and the Souls of our families and friends It’s important to know when you’re under attack – and when you’re not. Henry and Richard Blackaby said “There is a tendency among Christians to view anything unpleasant as spiritual warfare.” Rather than admitting we are merely reaping what we’ve sown. If you have neglected your role as spiritual teacher to your children, they may fall into sin, if you’ve been dishonest God may let you reap the consequences. It would be foolish to ask Him to ease your discomfort if He is disciplining you to get your attention. How tragic never to make the connection. Understand this, all our actions have consequences, good actions have good consequences which we can rejoice in, and bad actions have bad consequences which we have to wear. Don’t make the mistake of thinking sorrow for sin takes away the consequences of sin, it doesn’t, it takes away your offence against God (SIN). God’s discipline wont help you if you dismiss it as Satan’s doing. If you misunderstand you may blame Him for not answering your prayers or failing to protect you; meanwhile, God’s warning you of danger. In (1Peter 1;6-7) we read “For a little while you may have to suffer..that your faith may be proved genuine. God wants genuine faith-filled Christians whom He can trust to take His Word to all “Nations, Peoples, languages and Tongues,” and on Those He will pour out His gifts to accomplish His Will through them. A Blacksmith with a chunk of metal on an anvil envisions what he wants to make. But it means melting down the old chunk, recasting it, removing scars and repairing cracks, filling voids, and purging impurities until what was useless becomes valuable. Finally he plunges it into cold water until it hardens into an unbending useful tool. Max Lucado says ‘An instrument is useful only if it’s in the right shape. A good Blacksmith keeps his tools in shape, and so does God, should He place you on His anvil, be thankful. It means He thinks you’re still worth reshaping.” Thank you for reading my thoughts on “Spiritual Warfare” Never has our world needed God’s people to stand up for the principals of Almighty God as it does now, So don’t be ashamed, embarrassed or unwilling to let the world know where you stand and who you stand for, Remember Jesus said “He who stands up for me before man, I will stand up for him before my Heavenly Father.”What an advocate!! God bless us all Phaline. ---------------------------------

36. YOUR STORM SHELTER.

Heart-rendering scenes of nature’s devastation are hard to forget. Victims caught in the path of hurricanes, floods and earthquakes are tossed around like matchsticks. But those prepared in advance escape destruction. There is no such thing as a storm-free life! The word ‘When (not if) a storm strikes,’ teach us that we all go through times of trouble and heartache. The question is; Are you prepared? You can be, God can protect you in times of Loss, Sickness, Divorce, Unemployment, Loneliness and Depression. You may not be able to predict life’s storms or prevent them from happening, but you can be prepared for them and be protected in them by doing the following things: Locate your Storm shelter. Mid-storm is no time to be caught in confusion: while you are seeking refuge for yourself and your family. You must know in whom and where your security and protection lies. The Bible says in (Proverbs 18:10) “The name of the Lord is a strong and mighty tower, the righteous run to it and are safe” God’s name speaks of His character, His reliability and His Faithfulness. A man or woman without God, is forced to be their own god. What a fearful thought that is.!! But those who love God can understand and say, ‘God is always ready to help in times of trouble. So we wont be afraid! Let the earth tremble and the mountains tumble into the deepest sea. Let the oceans roar and it’s raging waves shake the mountains.” Psalm 46:1-3. An old Irish preacher had his own take on this hymn He’d say, On Christ the solid Rock I stand – “all other rocks are sham-rocks!”!! So trust God He’s the only storm-shelter you will ever need. To be prepared for life’s storms, you must (1) know your storm manual. The Hymnist Kelso Carter wrote “Standing on the promises that cannot fail, When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail, By the Living word I shall prevail, Standing on the promises of God’. Emotion-based faith is like a broken crutch: it wont support you in life’s storms. It’s fare-weather Christianity and it doesn’t work. God’s word stands sure; it’s greater than surrounding conditions and will enable you to out last any storm. Colossians (3;16) tells us “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” that means keep a rich deposit of Scripture within you at all times so you can make a withdrawal instantly any time you need it. Withstanding life’s storms depends on your willingness to… hear these words… and put them into practise...so memorise Scripture, It doesn’t matter very much if you don’t remember “Chapter and verse’ What does matter is that you Read, Understand, know and memorize the words, Just take short verses for a start eg ‘In God I put my trust.” or “He is my light and my Salvation.” or “Where shall I go,You alone have the words of eternal life.”(meditate on one verse a week) use it several times a day and in a year you will know and understand fifty two Scripture verses, if you do this God’s Word will fill and sharpen your consciousness and you will know exactly what to do when the storm comes. When his storm came, we read in (Job (23:12) “I have treasured His Word more than my necessary food.”.(2.) Storm-proof yourself through prayer. Many of us treat prayer like the emergency ward at the hospital, we neglect it until we think we need it. Imagine where Daniel would have been if he’d held off praying until he was staring down a lions throat? Not a smart move! Instead in his time of crises Daniel drew on faith built by a lifestyle of daily prayer. You too can make withdrawals from your account – as long as you’ve been faithful with making regular deposits. To be prepared for life’s storms we must (1) Practise self-control! Storms are much harder on the undisciplined and self-indulgent. The illusion that life should be easy, painless and an air-cushioned ride, makes us vulnerable to discouragement, defeat and disillusionment in hard times. The truth is, Tough times don’t last, but tough people do! And tough people practise self-denial and self-control. It’s their spiritual muscle for handling life’s hardships. In Galatians (5:22-23) we read one of the fruit of the Spirit is “Self-Control” God’s Spirit will make us strong enough to control our greatest weakness and that is what ultimately defeats us in the tough times, Paul lived by this principal in 1 Corinthians (9:27) he says “I discipline my body and keep it under control.” Great athletes know, it’s their conditioning not their condition that will gain them the victory. (2) Depend on God, not on people Psalm (118:8) says “It’s better to trust in God than to put confidence in man.” Yes others can help for a time, like a cast helps a broken leg, but once that leg is ready to bear the weight you must discard the cast or your leg wont regain full strength. People can go so far with their help, But only God will go all the way with you. In (2 Timothy 4:16-18 Paul writes ..”No one stood with me, but all forsook me, let it not be held against them but the Lord stood with me and strengthened me. The Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His Heavenly Kingdom. To Him be Glory forever and ever Amen.” In conclusion I’d like to say rely on God’s faithfulness He will deliver you out of the storms in your life, He has done it for me and my family on several occasions when all appeared lost He came up with the most wonderful unexpected and complete answers and solutions to my problems. Thank you for reading my thoughts on”Preparing for Life’s Storms.” We can always trust our Faithful God to be with us through any and every storm we may encounter in life. He is our Father and only wants the best for us. His promises are our guarantee while we do our part. Phaline. --------------------------