Saturday, March 31, 2012

Sickness Is Your Enemy

ACTS 10:38 NKJ
38 "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and
with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were
oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

According to Acts 10:38, those healed by Jesus were oppressed
by the devil. It has not changed in our day. Sickness is still
oppression by the devil. That means the devil is behind
sickness, supporting it and encouraging it -- not God.

The purpose of sickness is not to benefit you in any way, but
to steal, kill, and destroy.

Sickness is not the will of God. His Word reveals to us that
sickness is an enemy to be resisted.

Just like the children of Israel who had to possess their
promised land, we have enemies who would keep us from enjoying
God's perfect will, unless we fight them. We must resist what
is not from God (Ephesians 4:27, James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:9).

Look how Jesus treated sickness. He healed all who came to Him.
Jesus was God's will in action. Never once do we read of Jesus
telling anyone to stay sick for any reason.

Sickness is not from God. There is no sickness in Heaven. God
is not using sickness to teach you anything. Nor is He using
sickness to get your attention. To get your attention God
demonstrated His love for you at Calvary. That should be enough
to get your attention.

The devil is a liar (John 8:44) and a deceiver (Revelation
20:10). Think about that.

Deception requires getting people to accept a lie as the truth.
We know the devil is a liar so we don't expect his followers to
speak truth. So the devil can't effectively use a message
spread by devil worshipers to deceive most people.

To effectively deceive Christians (the ones who as members of
the Body of Christ have authority on earth), the devil has to
use people who will be accepted by Christians.

The ideal messengers of deception would be Christian preachers
saying things about God that were not true.

If the devil could get enough preachers to say false things,
then nearly everyone could be deceived. Don't think this is
impossible or strange. Remember how Peter spoke satan's idea
right after speaking God's revelation (Matthew 16:16,17,23).

Preachers (being human like the rest of us) have told us a lot
of things that are not true -- things the Bible does not teach.
Things like "God sends sickness to teach us something."

Not so! Sickness comes to destroy us, and the devil is behind
it!

No matter what preachers may tell you, the Word of God is what
we must depend on as the truth. If anyone speaks contrary to
the message of the Bible, we should disregard their message, no
matter who they are.

When Job was sick and afflicted, it says that God turned his
captivity (Job 42:10). It was not God who held Job captive. It
was God who set Job free.

Now Jesus has come to set all the captives free!

Most of us know of someone getting sick and then turning to the
Lord. There are many such stories, but we should not credit the
sickness for them finally making the right decision. They could
have turned to the Lord before they got sick. God was not
"sending" or "using" the sickness to save them. The sickness
came to destroy them, but fortunately they were smart enough to
turn to God during their affliction. (Sadly, there are also
those who have turned away from God because of affliction.)

The truth is that all sickness is an enemy. We should do
everything we can to resist it and not allow it in our midst.

For more Scriptures about healing, see www.healing-book.com.

SAY THIS: All sickness is an enemy to be resisted.

Friday, March 30, 2012

Press On

PHILIPPIANS 3:13-14 WEYMOUTH
13 ...one thing I do -- forgetting everything which is past and
stretching forward to what lies in front of me,
14 with my eyes fixed on the goal I push on to secure the prize
of God's heavenward call in Christ Jesus.

Believers face many difficulties. Trials. Adversaries. Doubts.
At times we're all tempted to quit. The struggle seems too
much, and we wonder if it's worth it to continue, to hold on to
our faith when there seems to be no hope left.

But there is a goal -- supremely worthwhile: life with our
wonderful Lord. Not just existence, but intimate fellowship.

Fix your eyes on the goal -- God Himself -- and press on!

1 CORINTHIANS 1:9 NIV
9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus
Christ our Lord, is faithful.

Please read the following verses slowly and thoughtfully.

1 PETER 5:7-10 NCV
7 Give all your worries to him, because he cares about you.
8 Control yourselves and be careful! The devil, your enemy,
goes around like a roaring lion looking for someone to eat.
9 Refuse to give in to him, by standing strong in your faith.
You know that your Christian family all over the world is
having the same kinds of suffering.
10 And after you suffer for a short time, God, who gives all
grace, will make everything right. He will make you strong and
support you and keep you from falling. He called you to share
in his glory in Christ, a glory that will continue forever.

Space does not permit much comment on these verses, but notice
that suffering is caused by your enemy, the devil, and its
purpose is to attack your faith.

Also notice that God only allows you to suffer a short time.

"But," you say, "it's already been a long time."

Not really. It seems like a long time when you are going
through trials, but afterward seems like a short time. Even a
few years is nothing when you look back on it. Ask God to help
you see things from Heaven's perspective.

"But why does God allow me to suffer at all?"

Because people make wrong choices. Conflict causes suffering.
But God believes in you! Why should He yank you out of the
arena? God believes that with His grace and help, you will
overcome and experience victory.

The end result is what really counts. God will make everything
turn out alright. (Read verse 10 again.)

Maybe you feel like your faith is barely hanging by a thread.
Just hang on. With God holding the thread -- and He is -- your
faith will survive. You will make it! God will help you.

SAY THIS: I will press on with God. I will not quit or give up
on my faith.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Father's Faithfulness

PSALM 27:10 NKJ
10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will
take care of me.

Normally, one's parents are among the ones who can be counted
on to help and love and support -- no matter what.

I recall reading that the mother of a convicted mass murderer
said he was still her son, and that she still loved him. That
is natural.

Yet, sometimes parents do forsake their children. But God's
love for you is more dependable than the love of a parent for
their offspring.

ISAIAH 49:15 NKJ
15 "Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have
compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet
I will not forget you.

Concerning earthly love, none is greater than that of a mother
for her baby. Yet even that can sometimes fail, in extreme
circumstances. But God's love for you is deeper, stronger, and
more sure.

HEBREWS 13:5 NIV
5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content
with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave
you; never will I forsake you."

People will fail you. You may even fail yourself. But God can
be trusted. He will never fail you. He will never give up on
you and never turn His back on you. He promised!

Does this mean God will always protect you from everything
unpleasant? No. Not any more than a good earthly parent can
keep their child from every unpleasant experience.

We must grow up. We must learn to walk in faith and love, and
to overcome.

But God will be there to help you. And to make sure that
everything does work out for your good in the long run.

Trust in the Father God. He is more dependable than friends or
family, and He loves you more than anyone else ever will.

SAY THIS: God will never turn His back on me. He is always
available to help me.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Do All Things Work Together For Good?

Many Christians would instantly say "Yes!" And a quick look at
Romans 8:28 in many Bible translations seems to confirm their
answer.

But is that what Romans 8:28 really means?

ROMANS 8:28 NASB
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for
good to those who love God, to those who are called according
to His purpose.

ROMANS 8:28 NIV
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of
those who love him, who have been called according to his
purpose.

While several translations can give us a different view on this
(like both of those above), it is not necessary for us to judge
translations or learn the meaning of Greek words to realize
some basic facts.

First, if everything that happened was good for us, then God
would never tell us to resist or refrain from anything. (And He
does!)

Therefore, everything is not God's will for us. Neither can we
consider everything to be good.

So this verse cannot be saying that everything that happens is
good, or that it will cause good in our life. Instead, as the
translations above reveal, God is working to cause things to
end up good.

Yes, God is able to bring good out of bad situations. But God
should be given the credit, not the bad things.

If you believe God is working everything out for your good, He
will. But that does not mean God planned or desired bad things
to come into your life.

The Bible teaches that some things are bad. Sin is bad.
Sickness is bad. Poverty is bad. Selfishness is bad. Pride is
bad.

Is God able to turn things around and produce good, even after
bad things have happened? Yes!

God is always working to cause good. But that does not mean
everything that happens is good.

I know this verse is a cornerstone of many people's faith. For
some it is really almost all they believe. This has been their
comfort in times of trouble when they did not understand.

But we need to grow in understanding. Just because we required
a pacifier as a baby does not mean we should always use one.

If all things work for our good, then why would God tell us to
resist the devil, or to refrain from certain activities?

God is working all the time to make things turn out good for us
who belong to Him. But that does not mean everything that comes
along is good for us. No! There are things we should refuse.
There are things we should resist.

Everything is not good and we should not accept everything as
being God's will. The Bible instructs us so we can know God's
will and resist all that is not God's will.

Some may think bad things actually cause good, but that is not
true. We all know stories of people who, in the midst of great
trouble, turned to the Lord. Many use such accounts to claim
that everything works out for good. But that requires you to
ignore the greater number of people who turn away from the Lord
because of trouble.

Some have been told that suffering bad things is God's plan for
them so that somehow others may be helped. But the Bible
teaches that Jesus already suffered all that was required for
people to be blessed.

The final end result for a believer who loves God and trusts
Him is that all things will work out for their good. Even the
bad things that come into their life will turn out to be
stepping-stones to a higher level instead of stumbling-blocks.
But it is dependent on that believer keeping their trust in the
Lord, loving Him, and allowing God to work things out. It is
not automatic.

Note that Romans 8:29 (the next verse) is a continuation of the
same thought. What is being said in Romans 8:28 is only part of
the statement. To get the right understanding, you need the
whole thought. Romans 8:29 starts with "For" or "because."

ROMANS 8:29 NET
29 because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be
conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son would be the
firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

The plan of God is that we become like Jesus. Bad things are
happening on earth because mankind allowed the devil and his
ideas a place here. Those bad things give us an opportunity to
overcome, to walk in love, and to grow into more Christ-
likeness. But bad things do not make us more like Christ. It is
only when we turn to the Lord (even in the midst of trouble)
and allow Him to work in us, that we are transformed into being
more like Him.

Multitudes of people experience bad things in life, who instead
of getting better because of them, get bitter and worse.

So do not take this one short phrase "all things work together
for good" out of context. It does not include everyone, only
those who love God, and it is only true in relation to God's
purpose in making us more like Jesus. And that does not happen
because of bad things, but only when we love God and trust Him
even when bad things happen.

SAY THIS: I love God and trust Him. He is always working to
produce good in my life.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

God With Us

MATTHEW 1:21-23 NIV
21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the
name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said
through the prophet:
23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."

Part of the wonderful good news of the New Testament is that
God is not just a far-off God, but He is right with us.

With us -- in many ways.

With us as we face life -- right here to help us. Not far away,
and out of touch with what we are facing. Not difficult to
reach -- but only a prayer away.

With us in understanding what it is like to live on earth and
face the problems and difficulties we all face.

With us in knowing what it is like to experience pain and loss.

With us in knowing what it feels like to be rejected and
despised and misunderstood.

With us in knowing what it is like to be hungry and have
nothing to eat.

With us in knowing how difficult it can be to struggle against
sin.

With us in knowing what it is like to be attacked by the devil.

HEBREWS 4:15 NIV
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize
with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in
every way, just as we are -- yet was without sin.

God came to earth. He became a man. (No, I don't understand
that, I just accept it.) Jesus experienced what we experience,
yet He always walked in victory.

If you let Jesus, He will guide you into victory, also.

SAY THIS: God is with me! He understands, and is here to help
me.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Healing Is Part Of The Gospel

ACTS 14:7-10 KJV
7 And there they preached the gospel.
8 And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet,
being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked:
9 The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and
perceiving that he had faith to be healed,
10 Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he
leaped and walked.

Whatever message Paul preached at Lystra, it produced enough
faith in a man who was born a cripple, and had never walked his
whole life, to receive instant healing.

Notice that it was the crippled man who Scripture says had
faith to be healed. Surely it was not because he was born with
faith, or else he would have received his healing sooner. No,
faith only came into him when he heard what Paul preached.
Think of that! The Gospel preached by Paul caused this hearer
to believe he could be healed right then, and he was!

Scripture does not say the man was healed because of Paul, or
Paul's faith. It clearly says this crippled man heard what Paul
spoke. After he heard Paul preach the Gospel, not before, he
had faith to be healed, and he was!

It does not say Paul healed the man. Paul did only three
things: he preached the Gospel, perceived the man had faith to
be healed, and then told the man to act on his faith and stand
up.

The Gospel Paul preached in Lystra caused this man who was
crippled since birth to have faith to be healed.

The question we must ask ourselves is if crippled people are
not getting faith to be healed when they hear the "Gospel"
today, why not? Is it because we are not preaching the same
Gospel Paul preached, but only part of it?

Yes!

We have been misled by centuries of unbelief in the church,
resulting in weak translations of the Bible and weak preaching.

For example, when we read Romans 1:16 in our English
translations, we immediately think of forgiveness of sins --
what we consider salvation. But when Paul wrote this in Greek,
the readers understood it meant deliverance and safety from all
harm. So for them it included their entire being, spirit, soul,
and body.

ROMANS 1:16 NKJ
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the
power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the
Jew first and also for the Greek.

When Paul wrote to the Romans, he told them that the Gospel is
the power of God to produce deliverance (which is what
salvation means). Paul was saying that the Gospel he preached
was powerful enough to deliver people. If the Gospel you are
preaching is not delivering people from sin, sickness, and
satan, then it is not being proclaimed fully and accurately.

The true Gospel is the dynamic power of God for total
deliverance for everyone who believes. But the Gospel power
only works to bring deliverance for those who believe. Doubters
and skeptics are not included. Therein lies our big problem
today: we have been taught not to believe.

(For more Scriptures on healing, see www.healing-book.com).

SAY THIS: The Good News about Jesus includes healing!

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Magnify God

ACTS 10:46a NKJ
46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.

PSALM 34:3 NKJ
3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name
together.

In the New Testament, the word translated "magnify" is the
Greek word "megaluno." It means to make great or enlarge.

We certainly cannot make God any greater, but we can perceive
Him as greater in our lives. In other words, what we think of
God can be enlarged.

How can we do this?

What you focus your attention on will seem bigger, because you
are choosing to let it occupy your time and thinking.

Very small objects can block very large ones. A small coin in
front of your eye can block the sun from view. Yet the sun is
infinitely larger than the coin. It's the placement in your
life that determines how big things seem to you.

An airplane in the sky can look very small, though in reality
it is huge. That is only because you are far away from it.

When Scripture talks of magnifying God, we assume it meant they
were praising God and talking of His greatness and goodness.

Does God seem big and capable in your thinking? If not, then
magnify Him!

Do the problems you face seem like giants? Then remove your
attention and focus from the problems -- de-magnify them -- and
focus on the Lord. To shrink the problem, magnify the solution.

The more you think about a problem you are facing, the larger
it can seem. The more you think about God, what He has created,
and all He has done, the smaller the problem will look compared
to God.

God IS greater than any problem or any situation you face. You
just need to realize it and quit letting the problem be your
focus.

Praise God and magnify Him!

SAY THIS: I will magnify God in my life.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Heaven Is Our Home

PHILIPPIANS 3:20 LB
20 But our homeland is in heaven, where our Savior, the Lord
Jesus Christ, is; and we are looking forward to his return from
there.

Heaven is a real place. In fact, Heaven is ultimate reality.
There are real people there, involved in real activities. But
most importantly, our wonderful Lord Jesus Christ and our
Father God are there.

Sometimes people talk of someone who has departed this life as
"having gone to their reward."

Heaven is not a reward.

There will be rewards given out by God, but going to Heaven is
not a reward. Heaven is a return to normal.

That's right. Heaven is the way life was supposed to be. Heaven
is normal. What we have been experiencing on this sin-infested
planet is sub-normal.

But part of the Good News is that Jesus will not leave this
place, or us, sub-normal forever. One day, maybe soon, Jesus
will return from Heaven and change things on Earth back to what
God intended when He created this place.

Everything on Earth, as originally created, was a reflection of
the home planet, Heaven. All the beauty and everything good
that we enjoy on Earth is but a dim reflection of what Heaven
offers.

What makes Heaven our home? Home is where your family is. Home
is where you are comfortable. Home is where you have a place to
live. Home is where you belong. For the believer in Jesus
Christ, Heaven fits all those descriptions.

SAY THIS: Heaven is my home.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Tell satan Where To Go

MATTHEW 4:10 NLT
10 "Get out of here, Satan," Jesus told him. "For the
Scriptures say, 'You must worship the Lord your God; serve only
him.' "

Jesus spoke directly to the devil -- and so must you.

Many Christians think they should pray about the devil and ask
God to deliver them from his attacks. But the Bible is clear --
God has given the authority to believers to resist the devil.

You must control the devil, or he will control you!

Unless you exercise the authority delegated to you by Jesus
Christ, the devil will wreak havoc in your life, and everywhere
he is allowed to.

LUKE 10:19 NKJ
19 "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and
scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing
shall by any means hurt you.

Praying to God to stop the devil's operations is no different
than my son asking me to take out the trash, after I have told
him to do it.

God told us to resist the devil and he would flee. We must
believe and act on God's Word.

EPHESIANS 4:27 NKJ
27 nor give place to the devil.

Would God tell us not to let the devil have any place, if we
had no say about it? If the devil does have a place in our
affairs, it's because we allowed it.

JAMES 4:7 NKJ
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee
from you.

We must first submit to God, because we are not greater in
power than the devil. But submitted to God in Christ Jesus, the
devil must back off when we resist him and his works.

SAY THIS: In the Name of Jesus, I command you devil to leave
me, my family, and my property alone! Be gone!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Hold Fast What Is Good

1 THESSALONIANS 5:21 KJV
21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

Sometimes things that should be obvious to us are not. Like, if
what you are doing is not working out, it would be wise to
consider a change.

Too many people are not receiving the blessings God's Word
promises, things the Bible says God desires us to have. But
instead of considering changing things in their life, too often
people fall into the temptation of blaming God and thinking He
is holding out on them.

But that is never true! There is never any fault or problem
with God.

PSALM 84:11 KJV
11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give
grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that
walk uprightly.

If you are acting on the Word and planting good seeds, don't
let the devil discourage you and cause you to give up too soon.
But if the course of your life is going the wrong direction,
and it is not getting better over time, then it would be wise
to consider your ways -- and make changes.

This is not something that should be done too hastily. Often
the only thing we are doing wrong that keeps God's provision
from manifesting in our life is giving up on our faith too
soon.

Jesus told us the kingdom of God works like a seed (Matthew
13:31, Mark 4:26). A seed takes time to grow. Just because
full-grown blessing is not yet evident in your life is no sign
it is not growing.

If you do need to change, what are the changes you will need to
make? Always it will be following the directions God gave us in
His Word.

If you think you are following the directions in God's Word,
and they are not producing freedom, peace, and wholeness in
your life (over time), then it is very possible you are
somewhat inaccurate in your interpretation and understanding of
the Word. Because acting accurately on God's Word will make you
free.

JOHN 8:31-32 NKJ
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you
abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
32 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you
free."

Don't be discouraged or disheartened. Just abide in God's Word
and always look to Him and He will give you wisdom to know what
to do.

SAY THIS: I hold fast to what is good, and God helps me when
corrections are necessary.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Freely Give Us All Things?

ROMANS 8:32 NKJ
32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for
us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all
things?

Most people approach prayer as an exercise in convincing God to
help. They think they must twist God's arm, or promise to do
something, in order to get God to give them anything.

The New Testament paints a different picture. God not only is a
willing giver, but has already given! He is not holding back on
us!

When He gave us Jesus, along with Him He gave us everything we
could ever need.

"Why then," you may ask, "do I not have what I need?"

Friend, there is a great difference between something being
given and something being received.

Many people have been unaware recipients of great good, but
until they became aware of it and took the necessary steps to
properly receive their bounty, it did them no good.

You can be entitled to some inheritance, or other windfall,
without knowing it. You can even know it, but without following
the proper procedure, not possess and enjoy it.

So it is with the things of God. Proper procedure must be
followed. There are instructions on how to receive. But the
instructions are clear and easy to follow. You will find them
in the New Testament.

1 TIMOTHY 6:17 NKJ
17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be
haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living
God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.

God gives us richly all things to enjoy!

Don't judge God's generosity by what you have, or have not,
received. Find out the instructions from the Bible, and receive
all that God has provided for you.

SAY THIS: God freely gave me all things in Christ. Now I will
learn to be a receiver of God's blessings.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Heaven Is A Happy Place

PSALM 16:11 NKJ
11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is
fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Heaven is where God is fully manifest and in His presence there
is fullness of joy. That's why Heaven is a happy place!

FULLNESS OF JOY! We have never yet experienced that, but in
Heaven we will.

REVELATION 21:4 NKJ
4 "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there
shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be
no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

In Heaven there will be nothing that will ever cause
unhappiness. Everything will always be perfect.

LUKE 15:10 NKJ
10 "Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the
angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Angels are smiling, not frowning. God is not mad. No one in
Heaven is having a bad day. No one is struggling.

ROMANS 14:17 NKJ
17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but
righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Where God rules everything is right and there is peace and joy!
God Himself is the Source of joy and is Himself full of joy.

ZEPHANIAH 3:17 NKJ
17 The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with
His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."

God is not worried or afraid. He rejoices in His work, His
creation. He has confidence in His plan and His ability to
carry it out. In His presence is fullness of joy because He is
full of joy and everything He does produces joy.

PSALM 2:4 NKJ
4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The LORD shall hold
them in derision.

Bad things may be happening here on earth. But it is not
worrying Heaven or causing discouragement there. Because a
glorious future has been determined and nothing will stop God's
plan.

Jesus of Nazareth came from Heaven and perfectly revealed God
to us in human flesh. He was not a somber man everyone was
afraid to be around. No! Jesus attracted people like children
and sinners. He was known as a friend of sinners. Jesus was no
killjoy. As a perfect man with complete faith in God, it is
very likely that Jesus laughed a lot, rejoicing in God and His
creation.

Even though we still face things on earth that are not perfect,
because Heaven is our true home we should be happy, too!

SAY THIS: Heaven, my eternal home, is a happy place!

Monday, March 19, 2012

You Are Writing A Story

2 CORINTHIANS 3:2B NLT
2 Your lives are a letter written in our hearts; everyone can
read it and recognize our good work among you.

Every day by your actions you are "writing" your story.

One purpose of life on earth is to give us each an opportunity
to "write" our own story, which we will be able to share and
enjoy throughout eternity. We are here to learn, and what we
experience and learn will be shared with many.

Humans love stories. Facts and figures can sometimes be boring,
but when anyone tells what happened to them, it usually draws
our attention.

Everyone knows and loves the story of David and Goliath.

We all love a good story. But what does every good story
require? It must involve some problem or difficulty that is
ultimately overcome so there is a happy ending. These are the
stories we love to hear.

The good news is that, because of God's love, your story will
at least have a happy ending. But you can make your story more
interesting by the choices you make now.

As you know, there can be many problems and difficulties in a
story. But how the story finishes is what's most important.

You may be facing some terrible circumstances right now. But
your story is not over. The trouble you are facing now is what
will make your story interesting as it is told in the future.
You can overcome! God is there to help you! You can face
difficulties with God's help and overcome (just like David did
with Goliath.)

So don't judge your story too quickly. Life is not over. Your
story is still being written. Some of the best and most
exciting parts are still to come.

It's too soon for a final judgment.

SAY THIS: My story is going to bring God glory with a happy
ending.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

One Thing Is Necessary

LUKE 10:42 WEYMOUTH
42 and yet only one thing is really necessary. Mary has chosen
the good portion and she shall not be deprived of it."

This is the word of Jesus. Someone who knows more than we do --
and loves us more than we love ourselves. So, we need to listen
and take heed. (After all, we should realize that Jesus did not
say things for His own benefit, but to help us.)

It is easy to get busy in life and let ourselves be distracted
from what we know is important. That was the case with Martha,
the sister of Mary, in the scripture quoted from above. Martha
knew she needed to hear what Jesus had to say -- but she also
knew that she was responsible for preparing something to eat.
What could she do?

We all face such problems -- which are actually choices.

WE choose what our priorities are. WE decide what we will spend
our time and energy on. And we should choose wisely.

(Here's a tip: if it won't be important one hundred years from
now, it's not that important now, either.)

In this situation, Jesus brought a calming -- not a condemning
-- word to Martha. (Jesus is still not interested in condemning
people, but in helping them.) In effect, Jesus said to not
worry, but to put hearing what God has to say first, and then
somehow things will work out with God's help.

Jesus is saying the same message to you, today.

The most important and productive way we can spend time is in
getting God's wisdom, guidance, and help. Hearing and heeding
His Word will pay rich dividends in this time, as well as for
eternity.

Never forget that God can do more for you in one minute, than
you could accomplish in a lifetime by yourself.

Don't make the wrong choices.

SAY THIS: I will listen to God's Word. Then, with God's help, I
will make it.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

The Lord Is Your Helper

HEBREWS 13:6 NRSV
6 So we can say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will
not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?"

Can you imagine how things could improve if God Himself was
helping you?

It can happen.

But, to receive God's help you must cooperate with Him.

God is ready, willing, and able to help you. He desires to help
you. But the choice is yours.

When you act contrary to God's principles, you stop God from
helping you as much as He desires.

To cooperate with God, you must trust Him and walk in faith.
You must agree with God and speak in agreement with His Word.
And you must walk in love. To do that, constant meditation on
God's Word will be required.

You will also need to humble yourself and ask the Lord to help
you in everything you do. God does not force His help on you
without you requesting His help.

Does this sound too hard? It's not. Just ask the Lord to help
you and He will!

ISAIAH 41:10 NIV
10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I
am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold
you with my righteous right hand.

ROMANS 8:31 NIV
31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for
us, who can be against us?

SAY THIS: God is for me. God is my Helper! I will not worry or
be afraid.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Giving Can Be Worship

PHILIPPIANS 4:18 NIV
18 I have received full payment and even more; I am amply
supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts
you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable
sacrifice, pleasing to God.

In the New Testament two verses speak of a fragrant offering to
God. The first (Ephesians 5:2) refers to the sacrifice of
Jesus. The second (Philippians 4:18) refers to giving offerings
to Paul while he was in jail. The wording used in these two
verses reminds us of the Old Testament offerings, especially
the burnt offerings.

Obviously, Father God was pleased with Jesus' sacrifice.
Because of the wording used in Philippians 4:18, we should
understand that God is also very pleased with our giving, which
shows our love for Him and the Gospel.

From the Old Testament we see that God was pleased with the
worship He received through burnt offerings. They were called a
"sweet savour" or a "pleasing aroma." But they had no human
purpose or benefit. They were not used to feed people. The
burnt offering was just burned. It was pure worship of God. Can
you imagine taking a perfectly good animal -- which would be
worth over $1,000 USD today -- and just burning it? Yet God
commanded this to be done in Old Testament times, so it is
evident He approved of it and even seemingly enjoyed it.

When God asked Solomon to make a request of Him, and Solomon
responded by asking for wisdom, it was the same day Solomon had
already offered one thousand burnt offerings to the Lord (1
Kings 3:4-5). The value was over $1 million USD that had no
purpose except to worship God. No one ate the meat. No one got
any benefit out of all this killing and sacrifice except God.

Imagine you were God and were always giving, always blessing,
always doing good for others. Wouldn't it be nice to have
someone demonstrate by their actions how much they valued you?

Matthew 26:7-10 tells of a woman who poured an alabaster box of
expensive perfume on Jesus. The disciples complained that it
should have been sold for much money and given to the poor, but
Jesus commended her for doing good. Then He said what she did
should be told to the whole world (verse 13).

Worship means demonstrating "worth-ship," or showing how much
we value someone.

Our giving to the Lord can be evidence of our love, proof of
our devotion, and a sign of our commitment to the Lord.

So our giving should not always be only because of the needs of
people, but because of our love for God.

SAY THIS: I will worship God with what He has given me.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

The Joy Of The Lord Is Your Strength

NEHEMIAH 8:10 NLT
10 . . . Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is
your strength!"

I do not claim it is the only meaning, but one thing the Lord
showed me from this verse is that our level of joy is like a
thermometer revealing our spiritual strength. If our joy is low
-- our spiritual strength is low. That is because the Lord is
our strength, and in His presence there is fullness of joy.

PSALM 16:11 NKJ
11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is
fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

So, if our joy is low, it means we have not been spending time
in God's presence, receiving His strength and help. It means we
have got our focus off God and onto something else.

(Although God is always with us, as we worship Him and praise
Him and thank Him, God manifests His presence.)

Being gloomy is not a sign of being spiritual. God did not
intend for His people to be downcast. Let the world be sad, we
have something to rejoice about! Jesus! Heaven!

If you look at your circumstances you may not feel like
rejoicing. But if you look at Jesus as He truly is -- you will
not be able to keep from rejoicing in Him. Jesus is wonderful!

PHILIPPIANS 4:4 NLT
4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again -- rejoice!

SAY THIS: I will rejoice in the Lord!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

You Are Beautiful

ECCLESIASTES 3:11a NKJ
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time.

Everyone is beautiful to God. And the world will eventually see
what God sees in people.

God saw you as so valuable that He judged it was worthwhile to
die for you. The death of the Son of God was a huge price to
pay for you. You are valuable!

You may not be what the current world system calls beautiful.
But you are beautiful to God -- the only Judge who really
matters.

God created you, and as it has been said, "God doesn't make
junk."

EPHESIANS 2:10 NLT
10 For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in
Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us
long ago.

God has a wonderful eternal purpose for you, and He has not
made a mistake in your life.

Your body may be presently imperfect -- or even disfigured. But
you must realize that the body you are now living in is not
you. You live in that body just like you live in a house.

The real you -- who is truly valuable and beautiful to God --
is the inner person. That's who you really are.

1 PETER 3:4 NKJ
4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the
incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is
very precious in the sight of God.

2 CORINTHIANS 4:16 NKJ
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man
is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.

How you see yourself is important. It determines how you will
act. Reality is how God sees things.

When you embrace the truth that God truly loves you, and sees
you as valuable enough to die for, then you will see that other
people are also valuable, and should be treated with love and
respect.

You need to wake up to this reality.

How you look and act now is only temporary. You are being
changed to conform to the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29).
You will be like Jesus! What a thought! God sees your
potential, what you will become, not just where you are now.

You need to get God's perspective which will encourage you. You
cannot even imagine what a beautiful, glorious creature you
will be. God sees you with that potential now, and treats you
accordingly.

Everything God made is very beautiful. Anything that distorts
or mars that beauty is because of the curse brought in by the
devil. The Good News is that Jesus has already paid the price
to redeem us from the curse.

So, we are redeemed from everything that is not beauty. We can
say we are redeemed from being ugly -- inside and out. We are
redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus! Jesus paid the
ultimate price to set you free from the curse and all it
brought. That includes everything ugly.

SAY THIS: God made me beautiful. The blood of Jesus set me free
from ugly.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Look At The Stars

PSALM 147:4-5 NIV
4 He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by
name.
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has
no limit.

Sometimes I wonder how God can be mindful of me when there are
so many other people for Him to be concerned about. How can He
keep up? Then I am reminded of the scriptures that tell us that
God has named all the stars. We don't even know how many stars
there are -- scientists say billions and billions -- but God
can call them all by name!

God is definitely in a different category than anyone else I
know. He is mighty. Compared to us, He has no limit to His
understanding or His ability.

ISAIAH 40:26 NIV
26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all
these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls
them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty
strength, not one of them is missing.

PSALM 8:3-4 NIV
3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the
moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that
you care for him?

When we do consider the heavens, it can make us feel small and
insignificant. But, according to God's Word -- we are not.

When I became a parent, I gained some insight into God's love
for people. When you have a child, you don't love that child
because it is great or powerful, or can do great things for
you. You love your child simply because it is your child --
your creation -- a part of you.

Why does God love you -- and the rest of humanity? The best
answer we can give is because He created us. He put something
of Himself into us. We are His children.

God doesn't love us because of our great achievements -- but
simply because we are His.

SAY THIS: If God can remember the names of all the billions of
stars, He can remember my name and address, and take care of
me.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Help Someone Today

PHILIPPIANS 2:4 NKJ
4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but
also for the interests of others.

Every person you see today is a person God loves. (Just like
you and me, they probably don't deserve God's love, but He
loves them anyway.) God would appreciate you helping them -- on
His behalf.

Jesus said that His followers would be known by our love. That
has to mean that people will see our love expressed through
giving help to others.

JOHN 13:35 NKJ
35 "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you
have love for one another."

The Holy Spirit is a Helper. When we allow Him to indwell us,
we will also become helpers.

JOHN 15:26 NKJ
26 "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from
the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father,
He will testify of Me.

None of us can help everyone. But all of us can help the one in
front of us. Even if it is just giving a smile, a word of
encouragement, or a helping hand.

Here is an amazing fact: Whatever we do give in helping people,
Jesus takes it personally.

MATTHEW 25:40 NKJ
40 "And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say
to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My
brethren, you did it to Me.'

The essence of God's kingdom is unselfish love. Jesus
demonstrated this for us perfectly. Acts 10:38 summarizes His
life by saying He went about doing good.

When God's love in our hearts is released it will result in us
helping someone. That is what the love of God produces.

There is a certain satisfaction in worldly accomplishment. But
it never brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. So many try
(in vain) to achieve more and more success and fame and gather
more and more material things. But that never brings them what
they inwardly crave.

You were created in the image of God, who is love. And until
you become more of a giver instead of a taker, you will not be
happy.

Selfish accomplishment will never give you the inner joy and
fulfillment that you will find in helping others.

You were created in God's image -- to be a blessing -- to be a
helper.

If you want to start feeling better, help others. Unselfishly
helping those in need will bring you joy.

SAY THIS: My purpose is to help people for God.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

What Is God Like?

NAHUM 1:7 NIV
7 The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for
those who trust in him,

Much could be said about God. But the first thing we need to
realize is that God is good. He is not a bad guy. He is not
against you. He is not your problem, but rather He is the
answer to your problems.

Although the world doesn't know what God is like, they
desperately need to know Him. Even sadder is the fact that most
Christians do not really know what God is like, either.

If you want to know what God is like -- look at Jesus Christ.
He perfectly revealed God to us.

JOHN 1:18 TEV
18 No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is the same as
God and is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

COLOSSIANS 2:9 PHILLIPS
9 Yet it is in him that God gives a full and complete
expression of himself in bodily form.

Would you be content to just read what someone else says
marriage is like? Why be content to just listen to what others
say God is like? You need to taste and see for yourself.

Have your own relationship with God!

PSALM 34:8 NKJ
8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man
who trusts in Him!

SAY THIS: The Lord is good and I desire to know Him better.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

God So Loved The World

JOHN 3:16 WEYMOUTH
16 For so greatly did God love the world that He gave His only
Son, that every one who trusts in Him may not perish but may
have the Life of Ages.

Do you ever get fed up with the world? Do you just get tired of
all the lies and the selfishness?

Do you ever deal with people that you think maybe the world
would be better off if they just went to hell right away?

Well, God never thinks that way. God loves the world -- enough
to die for it. He has never changed His mind.

JOHN 3:16-17 LB
16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son
so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have
eternal life.
17 God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but
to save it.

Remember this the next time you are having difficulty with
someone. You are dealing with someone God loves!

No matter how you classify yourself -- God loves you. If you
are a sinner or a saint, God loves you. And the good news is
that God's love and power will change you into what you should
be.

JOHN 3:16 BBE
16 For God had such love for the world that he gave his only
Son, so that whoever has faith in him may not come to
destruction but have eternal life.

Don't ever forget it: God loves people.

SAY THIS: God loves the whole world of people -- including me
and everyone I know.

Friday, March 09, 2012

Healing Belongs To You

ISAIAH 53:4-5 NKJ
4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet
we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for
our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.

This passage in Isaiah foretells the great substitutionary
sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, paying the price to
redeem all mankind from the curse resulting from Adam's
rebellion. As you can clearly see, it includes healing along
with payment for our sins.

In Matthew 8 we have the inspired commentary of the Holy Spirit
Himself, affirming that the passage in Isaiah 53:4-5 includes
physical healing.

MATTHEW 8:16-17 NKJ
16 When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were
demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and
healed all who were sick,
17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the
prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities And bore our
sicknesses."

Then Peter, writing to believers in New Covenant times, says we
were (already) healed. That does not mean we are necessarily
possessing healing, but that healing belongs to us.

1 PETER 2:24 NKJ
24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that
we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness -- by
whose stripes you were healed.

Just as much as your hands or your feet belong to you, healing
belongs to you. You need not ask permission from God to use
your hands or feet. They belong to you. They were given to you
as a gift. You did not earn them in any way.

It is the same with healing. You could not earn it. It was a
gift from God. Jesus paid for it with His own suffering. By the
wounds He suffered, healing was provided for you.

The normal human response to this great news is usually
something like "If healing belongs to me, then why am I sick?"

Ownership and possession are not the same thing. You can own
something you don't possess.

I am not saying you possess healing, but that it belongs to you
because Jesus paid for it and gave it to you.

So the main reason you may not have received healing is simply
because you did not know it belongs to you.

If you had money in a bank account in your name, but did not
know about it, it would do you no good.

If someone bought a house for you and gave you the legal
ownership papers, it would belong to you. Even if you had never
seen the house and were living in another state, it would still
be yours. Even if someone else was living in the house, it
would still be yours.

But if you wanted to possess that house and enjoy living in it,
you would have to decide to move there. If others occupied it
when you arrived, you would have to evict them. As the owner
the law is on your side, but you have to enforce the law.

Jesus purchased for you the house called "Healing & Health" and
the written Word of God is the legal notice of your ownership.
Where you choose to live now is up to you. Just because this
belongs to you does not mean the Lord will force you to live in
it.

Healing is not a promise in the New Covenant. A promise is
something that has not yet been done. A promise has to do with
the future. But healing is something that has already been
bought and paid for and is now yours through the sacrifice of
Jesus Christ.

So we should not approach healing in a passive manner, waiting
on God to do something. What we must realize is that God has
already done something about sickness and disease. Now we are
supposed to do something. We are to resist sickness and
actively receive and possess by faith the healing God has
already given us in Christ.

Provision has been made by God. Now it is our responsibility to
possess it.

Don't think this is strange. This is exactly the way God worked
with the children of Israel in the Old Testament. He told them
that the promised land belonged to them, but it was still
occupied by giants and they had to fight to possess the land.

It will be no different with you. For you to possess all that
God says is yours will require you to fight (1 Timothy 6:12).
But your fight will not be with other people, but with your own
feelings and reasonings.

Just as you accept the Bible as sufficient evidence to believe
that your sins are forgiven and you have a home in Heaven,
regardless of how you may feel, you should do the same with
what the Bible says about healing.

This message is not condemning anyone. We have simply been
ignorant of the truth. We have been destroyed for lack of
knowledge (Hosea 4:6). This is written to help spread the truth
so the Body of Christ can start rising up to possess all that
belongs to us.

It's time we quit approaching healing as beggars asking God to
heal us, and accept that the Bible says God has already given
us healing.

Then we can focus on how to possess what already belongs to us,
instead of begging God to give us something He has already
given to us.

What evidence should we demand of God before we will believe
that Jesus purchased our healing and it now belongs to us?
Should we demand that our bodies exhibit no symptoms of
sickness? Should we demand a signed note from our medical
doctor? Should we demand that God appear to us and tell us that
His written Word is actually true?

Are we unwilling to accept the evidence of God's Word, but
willing to always believe what the symptoms in our bodies tell
us? Are the symptoms in our bodies more reliable than God?

Should we ignore what God has said and trust completely in our
physical senses, and medical doctors, as our supreme authority?

It may be true that sickness is in your physical body, but that
is no proof it has a right to stay there.

We can beg God to heal us, and believe He has when we feel no
more symptoms of sickness in our body. Or, we can believe what
God says in the Bible that healing was obtained for us through
the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus, and therefore we should resist
the sickness and by faith possess the healing that already
belongs to us.

God's Word has told us what belongs to us. Now we must act on
what we have been told, and resist everything Jesus redeemed us
from.

Can we expect that all Christians will perfectly resist
sickness? Not any more than we can expect them to always resist
sin. But just because we fail to walk in complete victory is no
proof that it is not God's will and available to us.

Scripture uses the same words to tell us Jesus bore our
sicknesses as it does to tell us Jesus bore our sins. We know
we can still sin, but understand that Jesus has set us free
from sin's power so we don't have to sin. We must learn to see
sickness the same way and resist it as we would resist sin.

This article may leave questions in your mind. One article
cannot explain everything. But healing does belong to you. So
decide to quit letting the devil steal health from you and your
loved ones.

For more Scriptures about healing, see www.healing-book.com.

SAY THIS: Healing belongs to me because Jesus paid for it.

Thursday, March 08, 2012

Fellowship With God

1 CORINTHIANS 1:9 NIV
9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus
Christ our Lord, is faithful.

You need to stop and think about this. God wants to have
fellowship with you.

We are not talking about some lower level person. Not just a
leader of a country. Not just a billionaire.

God!

Stop and think about God, all His knowledge, all His wealth,
all His power -- the ruler of the Universe, and all that He
could choose to do.

Why would God desire your company?

Honestly, I don't know. All I can say is that He does,
according to the Bible.

But what an opportunity! What a privilege! To fellowship with
GOD!

What does fellowship mean? The word used in 1 Corinthians 1:9
is the Greek word "koinonia" (koy-nohn-ee'-ah). Some meanings
are fellowship, association, communion, participation,
intimacy, partnership, and a having in common.

That is what God wants with you. Koinonia.

The same word is used in the following verse. Notice how the
Living Bible translates it.

2 CORINTHIANS 13:14 LB
14 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. May
God's love and the Holy Spirit's friendship be yours. Paul

SAY THIS: I will respond to God's call and fellowship with Him.

Wednesday, March 07, 2012

Words Are Spiritual Weapons

REVELATION 12:11 NKJ
11 "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the
word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to
the death.

Words are more important than most people realize. All
authority is exercised through words.

When it comes to overcoming the enemy of our souls, and all his
tactics, we must speak words of faith in line with the Bible.

What Jesus did for you is enough. He defeated the devil for
you. However, you must enforce that defeat by speaking and
standing in agreement with God. Only then will you see Jesus'
victory manifest in your life.

EPHESIANS 6:17 NKJ
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the
Spirit, which is the word of God;

A sword is a weapon. God's Word is not a weapon when laying on
your coffee table. It only becomes a spiritual weapon when you
speak it in faith.

You must take it. Your spiritual weapon is speaking the Word of
God. You must take the Word and speak it -- just like Jesus
did.

SAY THIS: I overcome by what Jesus did, and my words that
enforce that victory over the devil.

Tuesday, March 06, 2012

We Receive From God By Faith

ROMANS 5:1-2 NKJ
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in
which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

All we receive from God is by His grace. We do not deserve it,
and we are not able to earn it. It is a gift offered by grace.

But we must access it by faith.

GALATIANS 3:14 NKJ
14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in
Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit
through faith.

We receive through faith. Whether we are receiving the Holy
Spirit or receiving healing. Whatever we receive from God must
be received by faith.

HEBREWS 6:12 NKJ
12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who
through faith and patience inherit the promises.

There are many promises in the Bible. If you want them to be
manifest in your life, you must possess them through faith and
patience.

MATTHEW 9:29 NKJ
29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith
let it be to you."

This is the statement of Jesus. It is valid for you today just
as it was then. You will receive from God according to your faith.

Do not let this discourage you. Rather it should encourage you.
Although your faith may not be strong now, you can strengthen
it by feeding on the Word of God. It is under your control.

God's Word is faith food. The more you read it, speak it, and
hear it, the stronger your faith will grow.

SAY THIS: I will feed on God's Word and build my faith so I can
receive all the blessings God has for me.

Monday, March 05, 2012

God Is Working In You

PHILIPPIANS 2:13 LB
13 For God is at work within you, helping you want to obey him,
and then helping you do what he wants.

Don't be discouraged. God is at work!

You may not be happy with yourself now, but God is not finished
working.

PHILIPPIANS 1:6 NASB
6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a
good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

God can complete what He starts. Give Him some time.

HEBREWS 13:20-21 RSV
20 Now may the God of peace...
21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will,
working in you that which is pleasing in his sight, through
Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

You will never be able to please God just on your own effort,
but through Jesus Christ and His work in you, you WILL become
what God wants you to be.

SAY THIS: God is working in me and He always does a good job.

Sunday, March 04, 2012

God's Word Is Medicine

God's Word is medicine — for any weakness or sickness in body,
mind, finances, family, marriage, etc.

Whatever sickness or disease you suffer from, God's Word can
cure it. God's Word is effective for any condition. It works as
a preventative as well as a cure. There is no cost and no
danger of taking an overdose.

Like any medicine, God's Word must be taken to be effective. It
will not work sitting on the shelf. And it has to be taken
according to the directions.

But if you will follow God's directions as faithfully as you
would follow the directions of a human doctor, you will see
wonderful results.

Here are the directions:

PROVERBS 4:20-23 NKJ
20 My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my
sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the
midst of your heart;
22 For they are life to those who find them, and health to all
their flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the
issues of life.

In verse 22 the Hebrew word translated health is translated as
medicine in some translations.

PSALM 107:20 NKJ
20 He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from
their destructions.

God's Word will heal. It is full of God's power and carries the
authority of God who spoke it.

JOHN 8:31-32 NKJ
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you
abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
32 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you
free."

You have the guarantee of Jesus — His Word will produce
freedom.

But, you must abide, or continue in His Word. You must feed it
in until you know that you know that you know the truth. Then
you will act on that truth — and it will make you free.

God's medicine works by taking His Word into your being. You
do that by listening to the Word, reading the Word, and
speaking the Word.

You must fill your thoughts with the Word of God. The more of
God's medicine you take, the better off you will be.

SAY THIS: I will take God's medicine daily and it will bring
healing into my life.

Saturday, March 03, 2012

Why Do Christians Fight So Much?

JOHN 13:34-35 NKJ
34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another;
as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
35 "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you
have love for one another."

Instead of being known for love, Christians are more likely to
be known for disagreements and fighting with other Christians.

Why?

Those who fight are displaying their immaturity. Children can
be expected to squabble over insignificant things, but adults
should not.

Yet even Christian leaders often fight with other Christian
leaders.

It is the devil's strategy to get believers in strife because
it opens the door to him. Do you really want to open the door
to the devil?

JAMES 3:16 KJV
16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and
every evil work.

God allows us to face the temptation of strife so we can
overcome and learn to walk in love. We are continually given
the opportunity to walk in love.

God's primary concern now is preparing us to inhabit eternity
with Him. His plan is to make us like Jesus (Romans 8:29). To
become like Jesus, we must learn to resist the temptation to
not walk in love.

SAY THIS: With God's help, I will walk in love. I refuse to
fight and be in strife with other Christians.

Friday, March 02, 2012

The Greater One Is In You

1 JOHN 4:4 ICB
4 My dear children, you belong to God. So you have defeated
them because God's Spirit, who is in you, is greater than the
devil, who is in the world.

This message is simple and has two parts: God is greater than
anything, and because you're a believer in Jesus Christ, He
lives in you.

How can anyone argue with the fact that God is greater than any
problem? God, the Creator, is above ALL. Nothing is too
difficult for Him. Most people believe this.

The second part is more difficult to believe: God is in you.
Yet, that is the message of the Bible to believers.

JOHN 14:16-17 NKJ
16 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another
Helper, that He may abide with you forever--
17 "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because
it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He
dwells with you and will be in you.

1 CORINTHIANS 6:19 NKJ
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy
Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not
your own?

2 CORINTHIANS 6:16 NKJ
16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you
are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will
dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And
they shall be My people."

Believe the Bible. The Greater One is in you. He is greater
than any problem. He is greater than any situation, any
difficulty, any obstacle, any enemy, any thing.

SAY THIS: The Greater One is in me. He is greater than anything
I now face or ever will face.

Thursday, March 01, 2012

God Is An Artist

EPHESIANS 2:10 NJB
10 We are God's work of art, created in Christ Jesus for the
good works which God has already designated to make up our way
of life.

Look around. See for yourself. God is an artist extraordinaire!

When we gaze at a beautiful sunset, or look at the infinitely
varied forms of life we find surrounding us, and realize that
God designed it all, it is easy to be impressed. God is an
artist. The most brilliant, creative artist ever to exist.

But when we look at our own lives and consider what God is
doing there, we tend to forget that God is an artist. He is
making something beautiful out of you and your life. You may
not see the beauty now -- you may not even see any design or
evidence that God is working -- but you will recognize it
someday.

God's intention for you is to be much more beautiful and
glorious than a sunset or a school of multi-colored fish. And
you will be! God will not fail.

"Wait a minute, preacher. I can see plenty of people that God
has failed on. They are anything but 'beautiful and glorious'
-- inwardly or outwardly."

Yes . . . today. But God is not finished. Many great works of
art take a long time. Don't judge too soon!

SAY THIS: God is a great artist and He is working on me.