Increase Your Faith

God Exalts Persistence By Jerry Savelle

God promotes persistence. He elevates persistent people. Proverbs 22:29 says, “See thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings.” And in Luke 9:62, Jesus warned us, “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

God always says, “Keep going forward. Don’t look back.” The more you look back, the less you can see where God wants you to go. The more you look back, the less you can see of what God has for you up ahead.

In Philippians 3:13, Paul said, “But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.”

It’s All Ahead Of You Everything God has for you is ahead of you, not behind you. So stop procrastinating and get moving. Don’t wait for perfect conditions before you move out to seize your opportunity. Remember, if you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.

Get rid of all of the negative excuses holding you back from seizing the opportunities God has for you. Don’t say, “I’m the wrong color,” or “I was born on the wrong side of town.” When you got born again, you became a new creature and a citizen of the kingdom of God.

There’s no “wrong side” to the kingdom of God. There’s no color barrier there. The Word of God knows no barriers. The Word of God knows no race but one—new creatures in Christ.

No More Excuses Don’t say, “Well, I don’t have the money.” God can get you the money. Don’t say, “I just don’t have any creative ideas.” God has plenty of creative ideas. Don’t say, “But I don’t have the education.” The Holy Ghost does. If He can’t teach you, then those folks up at the university certainly can’t!

God gives everyone opportunities for more effectual service, but in order to benefit from those opportunities, we have to be willing to take possession of them forcibly when they show up. And we have to be willing to work hard.

Keeman Wilson, the founder of Holiday Inns, was once asked what the key to his success was. His answer was this: “I’ve worked half days all my life. So I guess my advice to anybody who wants to be successful is just to work half days the rest of your life.” Then he added, “It really doesn’t matter which half you work—the first 12 hours or the last 12 hours.”

Keeman Wilson seized an opportunity, and through hard work and perseverance he brought his vision into reality.

All of us can do what the heroes of faith have done. But we have to be willing to work hard and persevere and fight the good fight of faith if we want to bring our God-given opportunities into reality.

Opportunities are doors that God opens. However, an open door is of no benefit to you unless you’re willing to go through it.

Source: Seizing God-Given Opportunities by Jerry Savelle.

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See Yourself Risen With Jesus By Gloria Copeland

“Constantly keep in mind Jesus Christ, the Messiah, [as] risen from the dead” (2 Tim. 2:8 AMP).

This is the key to holding onto the blessings of God. When pressure comes, when troubles and trials are bearing down on you, remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead!

Remember that when Jesus arose, you arose. When He came out of hell and defeated the enemy, you came out of hell and defeated the enemy. His victory is your victory because you’re in Him.

In the hard places, remember that. When the devil tells you you’re not going to get your answer this time, remember that. When he tells you there’s no way out, you remember Christ, the Anointed One, the Victorious Conqueror, risen from the dead and seated at the right hand of the Father!

If there’s an image Satan hates more than any other, it must be that image of Jesus, rising from the dead, stripping him forever of his authority and openly displaying his defeat to all of heaven and hell. That’s the picture you need to keep in the forefront of your mind. Think about it until it’s etched into your heart so deeply that nothing Satan says or does can get it out of you.

That’s when the gifts of God will be established in your life. That’s when the devil won’t be able to talk you out of your inheritance with trials and tribulations. Keep in mind Jesus Christ, risen from the dead!

Source: From Faith to Faith Devotional by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland

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Knowledge And Skill By Kenneth E. Hagin

“As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams” (Dan. 1:17).

“God gave them knowledge and skill.”

God gave Daniel and the other three Hebrew children, knowledge and all skill. Eternal life is the nature of God. You’ve got God’s nature in you. Know that! Believe that! Confess that! Then that nature will begin to dominate you!

Learn to walk in the light of life. Learn to put that life into practice in your being. Walking in the light of that life will enhance your entire personality, and will increase your intelligence.

Confession: I am a new creation. I am born again. I am a new creature. I have the life and nature of God in my spirit. That life is the light of men. I purpose to walk in the light of life. God’s life is in me. God’s knowledge is in me. God’s skill is in me. God’s ability is in me. God’s wisdom is in me. He is instructing me. He is leading me. I am a child of God. The Spirit of God in me is leading me. I’ll follow His leading. I’ll walk in the light of life.

Source: Faith Food Devotions by Kenneth E. Hagin.

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Called to Intercession by Kenneth Copeland

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4

Do you know what Jesus was really talking about when He said those words? He was talking about the mourning of the intercessor. He was teaching about the comfort that comes to the intercessor when he is assured by the Holy Spirit that he has prayed through.

To pray through means “to break through the barriers that have stopped the work of God in the lives of others.” It means using your spiritual armor to push back the forces of darkness that surround them.

There’s a desperate need for believers who are willing to do that today. There’s a need for intercessors who will go before God and reach out for His mercy and compassion for the sinner, for the sick, and for this downcast world. For prayer warriors who will stick with it until they have the assurance inside, in their spirits, that every barrier is broken and every area of bondage has been abolished.

God is looking for intercessors like that–and there are certain things that won’t happen on this earth until He finds them. There are blessings and moves of God that won’t come until someone gives birth to those things by prayer.

Even the Lord Jesus Himself was ushered into the earth by intercession. Remember Simeon and Anna? They were both intercessors, prayer warriors of God. They’d spent years in spiritual mourning, praying for the Messiah to come. But when they were done, they experienced the comfort of the Holy Spirit. For when they saw Jesus as a tiny baby in the temple, they recognized Him and rejoiced.

If you’re wondering if you’re one of those who’s been called to intercession, then you probably are. God is calling believers everywhere to experience that unique kind of mourning and comfort that only the intercessor knows. He’s calling you to lay down your life for others through prayer.

Somewhere in the world, someone needs you to pray them through. Spend some time on your knees today.

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He’ll Lead You to Holiness By Gloria Copeland

“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Titus 2:11-12).

If we want to enjoy the grace and power of God in one area of our lives, we need to be willing to have it in other areas. We can’t selectively obey God in certain areas and not in others. We can’t be holy in one area and not another. We have to give Him our entire lives.

If we want to enjoy the blessing and favor of God in our midst, then we’ll have to receive the grace of God that teaches us to deny ungodliness everywhere.

The Apostle Paul says, “If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:13-14).

Paul is telling us that although grace has freed us from the Law, it has obligated us to walk in obedience to the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit will never condone sin in our lives. On the contrary, He will lead us to put to death immoral desires and activities.

If you will fellowship with God and stay in living contact with Him, the Holy Spirit will lead you into holiness. He will say to you, for example, Stop using that profane language. Use words that glorify the Lord. Or He’ll say, Stop reading those worldly novels and read more of the Word.

Now that may sound like a legalistic requirement, but it’s not. Here’s why: It’s the favor of God that He corrects us. He is teaching us how to live free.

Another part of that grace is that you don’t have to do it in your own strength. Whatever the Holy Ghost asks us to do, He also empowers us to do. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that He gives us the strength to overcome every temptation.

That’s why the New Testament speaks to us in such strong terms about holiness. Nowhere does it say, “Well, I know you Christians have been sinning a lot lately. But, hey, I understand. Life is tough and at least you’re trying.”

No! It just says, “Be ye holy” (1 Peter 1:15). We have no excuse for living unholy lives. Because by grace, God not only tells us what we need to do to be holy – He gives us the ability to do it!

And, I’m telling you, it is high time we started using that ability. We’ve reached the end of this age. Jesus is coming sooner than we think. It is time to get the slack out of our lives and become absolutely focused on God. It’s time to drop everything that pulls us away from Him. It’s time to get our flesh under control and yield only to the Holy Spirit.

Don’t yield to the temptation that it’s impossible to live holy before Him. That’s a lie! He’s empowered you and enabled you to succeed. He’s given you His grace to see you through. Yield to obedience in every area. Yield to His Spirit. He’ll lead you to holiness. He is doing you a favor.

Speak the Word: I live soberly, righteously and godly, in this present age. (Titus 2:12)

For Further Study: Romans 6:1-22

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Treasure In…Treasure Out! By Billy Joe Daugherty

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2)

When you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, the life of God comes into your heart, or spirit being, and you become a new creature in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:17.) Your head, however, is still full of the same old thoughts you had before giving your life to Christ.

When you think the wrong, or sinful, thoughts, your body will follow in that direction. To continue living in sin when your heart is filled with the life of God only brings guilt, condemnation, and frustration.

Unfortunately, this is where many Christians are today. They know what is right, but their unrenewed thinking leads them in a wrong direction.

The mind is a battlefield for many. Whatever you think about constantly will eventually be acted out in your life. You cannot put garbage in your mind and expect something good to come out. If you want a different output, then you have to change the input.

If the life you are experiencing is not what you want, then you must increase the amount of time you spend reading, hearing, studying, and meditating on God’s Word. The light of God’s Word will drive darkness out of your life.

Some people try to quit sinning—lying, stealing, lusting, and getting angry, to name a few areas of challenge of the old nature. Sometimes they ask their pastor to pray their old sinful nature out of them, but no amount of praying will work. If their minds aren’t renewed with God’s Word, they’ll still think wrong thoughts and act out what they are thinking. It’s only by putting so much of the Word inside of you that sin will quit you. This is the only way to overcome your old, sinful nature.

DECLARATION OF FAITH

I am filling myself up with the Word of God so sin will quit me. The light of God’s Word is driving all darkness out of me. I put God’s Word in my eyes, ears, mind, and heart and speak it from my lips. Anger, fear, loneliness, and all of my old nature are all removed by the power of Jesus inside of me.

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Begin to Praise 
By Gloria Copeland 
 
“Rejoice in the Lord, O you uncompromisingly righteous; you upright, in right standing with God; for praise is becoming and appropriate for those who are upright in heart” (Ps. 33:1). 

Praise. According to the Word of God, that’s the most appropriate, becoming thing that you as a believer can do. 

Let me warn you though, God’s idea of “appropriate” praise and your idea of appropriate praise may well be two very different things. The praise He calls for is joyous and uninhibited. And, at times, it’s just plain loud! 

If you don’t believe it, look in the Bible and see the kind of praise that goes on in heaven. Read Isaiah 6 and find out how they act in the throne room. The seraphim shout in there until the doorposts shake! And when they do, the glory of the Lord fills the house. 

When you get to heaven, you’re going to be praising like that, too. You’re going to be leaping and praising God with every part of your being. But don’t wait until then to start. Begin now. 

Decide today that instead of praising God the way you like, you are going to start doing it the way He likes. Begin to release those praises joyously, uninhibitedly. Don’t wait until you get to heaven to praise God with all your being. Do it now. He deserves it! 

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 6:1-8 

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Universal Principles of Growth And Increase By Mac Hammond

Few people start a new venture with the goal of staying small and ineffective. No, God made us with the desire for growth. He constructed us with a desire to achieve and with a powerful inward need to go higher.

According to the book of Genesis, the very first marching orders mankind received was a mandate to generate increase. That’s why we examine the Bible’s keys to leadership and increase at this time each day. Although many people want to prosper, few understand God’s keys to making it happen.

My question of the day for you is, “Are you merely hoping for increase, or are you taking steps to make it happen?”

Source: Winner’s Way Broadcast produced by Mac Hammond Ministries

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