Faith

And these are they by the way side where the word is sown; but when they have heard, satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.                ~  Mark 4:15

Interestingly enough the words “taketh away” in this verse of scripture actually means “to make doubt“.  One of the ways satan steals the word out of our lives is to cause us to doubt what we have heard.  Now of course, most believers believe that God would never lie, so satan would never get them to believe that God’s Word is a lie.  However, he is successful in getting many to believe that God’s promises would never come to pass in their lives.

Jesus not only told us to take heed what we hear; He also told us to take heed how we hear.  So, to put it plainly, you’ve got to “take heed how you hear what you hear.”  How you hear what you hear is very important.  Someone could hear God’s Word and say, “that would never come to pass for me”, while another hears the same thing and says, “thank God that’s for me and it will come to pass in my life.”

You see, you can either hear God’s Word with doubt or you can hear it with faith.  If you hear it with doubt, satan will steal the Word out of your heart.  So from now on, check up on yourself and ask, “How am I hearing God’s Word, with faith or doubt?”

Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?   ~  Mark 4:40 NKJV

What fear is holding you back?  What fear is dictating your behavior?  What fear is paralyzing you?  If you don’t face your fears you will never progress in God.  In this passage in Mark 4 the disciples were in a boat in the midst of a storm.  You have to understand that they were commercial fishermen, they fished for a living.  They understood storms and what they could do to boats out on the water.  So, when Peter woke Jesus up and told Him they were about to perish, he wasn’t exaggerating.  In the natural they were in trouble!

So what was Jesus upset about?  Why did He reprimand them?  It wasn’t because they weren’t in trouble.  It was because they failed to face their fear with faith.  So, what have you been fearful of lately?  What fear do you need to face down with faith?  Get ready to face that fear and use your faith, and your life will change for the better!

And from the days of John the baptist until now the  Kingdom of  Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.   ~   Matthew 11:12

We’re living in a time when satan is fighting believers like never before.  He knows his time is short and that the consummation of the ages is upon us.  If you’re going to live in divine health right now you’re going to have to be extreme about believing what God’s Word says about healing.

We’re not in a time when a little dab will do you!  We’re living in a time when you must be violent about what you believe.  Not violent with people, but with the devil, and the sickness he tries to bring your way.  If you have sickness in your body today, if I were you, I’d choose some teaching CD’s that would fill my heart and mind with God’s anointed Word on the subject of healing, and listen to them throughout the day.  I’d do everything I could to run that sickness off.  That’s taking the Kingdom by force!

But Jesus said unto them, “A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and among  his own kin, and in his own house.”    ~    Mark 6:4,5

Familiarity is a faith destroying and Spirit quenching thing that every believer must guard against.  Even Jesus faced it in His ministry.  Familiarity happen when we get so accustomed to a person, place, or thing that we no longer regard it as highly as we once did.  When that happens we can no longer receive the blessings from it that God intends for us to receive.  Our faith is then choked and the anointing stops flowing like it once did.  While others around us are blessed, we ourselves are failing to receive. 

We may still get excited about new things but fail to appreciate what God has already blessed us with.  Be on your guard against familiarity and don’t let it have any place in your life!

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.   ~   Ephesians 4:14

Right now there seems to be a lot of winds of doctrine blowing about in the Church.  They blow in, people get excited about them, and then they blow out.  That’s because they are not really founded upon the Word of God.  But one doctrine that’s around, and will continue to be around for a long time, is the doctrine of confession.

You see, confession is a major doctrine of the Church.  It’s not just some side issue that doesn’t really matter that much.  In fact the Word teaches us that we’re saved by believing in our heart and confessing with our mouth.  Paul said that Jesus witnessed a good confession before Pontius Pilate.  When Jesus was before Pilate He didn’t back down from saying who He was. 

The Greek word for confession is “homologeo” which means “to speak the same thing”.  Confession is simply saying the same things as God has said in His Word.  I think we should all be able to agree that it is a good thing to say what God’s Word says about us and our situations in life!

And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, ‘How long halt ye between two opinions?  If the Lord be God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him.’  And the people answered him not a word.   ~   I Kings 18:21

Elijah asked the people to make up their minds.  To make a decision and stick with it.  One of the things I’ve noticed about some people is that they have no staying power.  No ability to make a decision and stick with it.  If we’re going to be victorious we can’t allow ourselves to be double minded.  James said a double minded man won’t receive anything from the Lord.  We must make a quality decision that we’re going to believe God and not turn back.  The world calls it “going for broke”.  The good thing about going all out for God is…  you’re not going for broke, you’re going to be blessed!  So make up your mind that you’re going to serve God 100%; that you’re going to believe Him and never give up!  If you’ll do that you’ll end up possessing the promises.

For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed.       ~      Malachi 3:6

One of the things that makes God who He is, is that He never changes.  That’s one of His characteristics.  People may change, circumstances may change, but God remains the same forever.  There’s no variableness or even a shadow of turning in Him.  That’s how we know, not just guess, that He still heals today.

He revealed Himself to Israel in Exodus 15:26 as, “The LORD that heals you.”  If He was the LORD who healed then, He’s the LORD who heals now!

Jesus said that the traditions of men make the Word of God of no effect.  Tradition teaches that God has changed; that He no longer heals or works miracles today.  However, we know that can’t be true because He said, “I am the LORD, I change not.”

I’ve chosen to believe God, not the traditions of men.  Let the unchangeableness of God anchor your faith.

Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.   ~   Philippians 4:6

Having a problem with worry?  This verse is for you!  If you’ll practice this verse, worry will leave your life.  It may not happen overnight, but as you continue to practice this verse, you’ll train yourself not to worry.  Worry is a learned habit that can be broken by making a habit of acting upon God’s Word.

Not sure how to take your issues to God?  We’re here to help.  Make plans to join us for our next service.

But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.  ~  Hebrews 11:6

The Bible doesn’t say it’s hard to please God without faith, it says it is impossible.  In other words, “it can’t be done!”  The main reason it is impossible to please God without faith is that you can’t receive from Him without it.

Faith is how we accomplish things in the Kingdom of God.  It’s how we obtain things.  Jesus said, “According to your faith be it unto you.” That is exactly how it is going to be in your life.  It’s going to be according to your faith.  If you don’t like the way your life is going, the first place to make a change is to start working on your faith.  Begin to build your faith everyday.

Faith is like a muscle, the more you use it, the stronger and bigger it becomes.  Feed on God’s Word regularly and use your faith often, and you’ll begin to notice that your life is getting better and better.  Remember, faith is the victory that overcomes the world!

God also bearing witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to His own will.  ~  Hebrews 2:4

According to this verse, God is willing to bear witness with signs, wonders, miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost.

To bear witness means you give confirmation to something that has already been said. If you and I will just dare to testify about the goodness of God and His willingness to use His power to bless humanity, then He’ll back what we say by demonstrating His power. We can’t wait for God to move first, we must make the first move so He’ll have something to bear witness to. Don’t be afraid. Step out in faith and expect God to bear witness to His Word that comes out of your mouth!