Increase Your Faith

By Billy Joe Daugherty “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) Abundant life is God’s phrase for the “good life.” Abundant means “excess, more than enough, bounteous, rich, profuse, extravagant, fully enough, and lavish.” This is the type of life God has planned for every believer and that includes you. He wants your life to be blessed—abundant, prosperous, and successful. The devil is the thief, the killer, and the destroyer. God is the blesser, the giver, and the abundant one. Don’t get God and the devil mixed up. They are totally different with opposite motives concerning your welfare. God is for you. The devil is against you. However, since God is for you, the devil can’t stand against you. Jesus came into the world so we would experience the life of God, which is abundant, full, and ample. He came to the earth to give life to you, not to take it from you. Jesus died on the Cross and was resurrected from the dead so you could live an abundant life. You receive resurrection, or abundant life, when you become born again. You were not reborn to barely get along. Your heavenly Father does not take pleasure in seeing His children living in poverty. Realize this: God wants you to enjoy His riches in glory right now. He loves you and does not plan for your failure. Instead, He plans for you to succeed. He plans for you to experience eternal, abundant life now! And this life is always more than enough! DECLARATION OF FAITH I live abundantly in Christ Jesus. He is my Shepherd, and I do not want. No good thing is withheld from me. God has blessed me with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Bookmark to:

By Tim Davidson

“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” (Rom. 8:37)

Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Today, in this verse, there is a tremendous declaration. It says that in all our issues of life we are completely victorious through Jesus, the One who loves us.

We don’t always feel this victory in our emotions and we don’t always have this victory in our thoughts. But we have this victory at all times in our heart. We can face anything and everything that life throws at us and not even be slowed down, because we are loved.

The Message Bible says: None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us.

You are more than, so much more than, a conqueror in Christ Jesus’ love. Love always produces the best of every situation, and triumphs over all. The truth is if you want to be victorious in your life you are going to have to let God love you the way He wants to. Stop evaluating yourself out of the benefits of believing on Jesus.

Today’s Thought to Take With You:

I am more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ. He loves me and He enables me to vanquish all the enemies of my peace today.

Bookmark to:

By Jerry Savelle

In every thing give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (1 Thess. 5:18)

If you are struggling with knowing the will of God in your life, then start here. Start being thankful. You may not know what God wants you to do. You may not know where He wants you to be. But, you can know the will of God for your life is to be thankful. You may not have clarity about anything else, but if you will be thankful, then He will reveal the other things that you need to know.

If nothing else, you can say, “God, I thank You that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and I believe that You are going to direct me, show me where to go, and tell me what to do. Your Word declares that You are not the author of confusion but of peace. I believe that the confusion in my life is about to depart and the peace of God is coming. Thank You, Lord, that you are ordering my steps.”

The will of God is to give thanks. In everything. That is the starting point. Colossians 2:7 says, “. . . abounding therein with thanksgiving.” God expects you to get to the place where you are abounding with thanksgiving.

Paul said to, pattern yourselves after me. Follow my example as I follow Christ. If Paul could rejoice always, then we can too. The Bible says that God inhabits the praises of His people. That means He will manifest His presence in your life.

When you learn to abound in thanksgiving and it becomes your lifestyle, then you can count on it, God’s best will come into your life.

Bookmark to:

By Gloria Copeland 
 
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thess. 5:18). 

Notice that this scripture instructs us to give thanks “in” all things, not “for” all things. 

When tragedy or temptation strikes, we are not to thank God for them. He is not their author. He’s the One Who provides our way of escape from them. And that’s what we’re to thank Him for. 

If you read the four Gospels, you’ll find that Jesus never gave thanks for sickness or death. Instead, when He encountered them, His response was to overcome them by God’s power. So give thanks as Jesus gave thanks, not for Satan’s activities but for the victory God has given you over them. 

Bookmark to:

by Kenneth Copeland

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Jeremiah 33:3

Who do you turn to when you need help, when you need an important answer to an important question? Do you ask God first?

So many believers fail to do that. They’ll stand around wringing their hands and talking to each other all day. They’ll inquire of their pastor. They’ll inquire of their friends. They’ll inquire of their husbands or wives. But do they inquire of God? No.

Don’t make that mistake.

Instead, follow the example of King David. In 1 Chronicles 14, the Bible tells us he was about to face a battle with the very powerful Philistines who had ALL come out against him. The Philistine nation had been an enemy of Israel for years. David probably could have guessed that God would tell him to go to battle against them. But he didn’t guess! He went to God and inquired, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? And wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the Lord said unto him, Go up; for I will deliver them into thine hand.”

Don’t depend on guesswork. When you encounter a problem, seek the Lord through the Word and in prayer and ask Him what the solution is. No matter how much scripture you learn, no matter how fully you perceive who you are in Christ Jesus, you’ll never outgrow your need to do that.

Go to the Lord and find out exactly what He wants you to do. Don’t decide your course of action and then ask God to bless your plans. Go to Him and say, “Lord, what are Your plans?” His plans are already blessed. If you follow them, your victory is guaranteed.

Bookmark to:

By Kenneth Copeland 
 
“Wherefore remember, that…at that time ye were without Christ…having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:11-13). 

Have you ever really thought about what it truly means to be in Christ Jesus? Have you ever gotten a clear revelation of that? Once you do, it will revolutionize your life. 

You see, it’s in Him that we’re raised up from our sins. It’s in Him that we’re made to sit in heavenly places so that God can show us the exceeding riches of His grace. It’s in Him that we’re made the righteousness of God! 

If you want that revelation to explode in you, start searching out scriptures that refer to being in Christ. Watch for the words in Him, with Him, through Him or in Whom. Mark those and meditate on them until the truth of them gets down into your spirit man. They’ll give you some powerful ammunition against the attacks of Satan. 

When he tries to tell you, for instance, that you’re just a sinner and God doesn’t want to be bothered with your problems, you’ll know he is lying. You’ll be able to answer him boldly and say, “Thank God, I was a sinner, but now I’m the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. I’ve been raised up to sit with Him in heavenly places. Now I’m in Him and you can’t touch me at all!” 

Be prepared the next time Satan comes at you with doubt, unbelief, and condemnation. Be ready to fight back with the scriptures about who you are in Jesus. You’re sure to win once you truly know you’re in Him! 

Bookmark to:

by Gloria Copeland

Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 2 Timothy 3:12

Did you catch that? He said all who live godly lives are going to suffer persecution. Not just the super-saints, not just the missionaries in hostile lands–but ALL.

If you’re going to live for God, you’re going to run into persecution somewhere along the line. The devil’s going to make sure of it!

Now I’m not saying that to frighten you or to depress you. I’m saying it because I want you to be prepared.

When you’re wise to the strategies of the devil, it’s harder for him to use them successfully on you to confuse you and get you off track.

Second Corinthians 10:4 says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.” So stay armed and ready for Satan’s attack. Then, whenever and however it comes, it won’t bring your life to a halt or even slow you down.

That’s especially important right now because we’re living in the last days. The devil’s time is drawing short. He is desperate. He is going to do everything he can to stop the Church. But Jesus said the gates of hell would not prevail against His Church!

Remember the more we grow to be like Jesus and the more God’s glory is revealed through our lives, the bigger threat we are to Satan’s kingdom. Jesus said, “Rejoice and be glad at such a time, and exult and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is rich and great and strong and intense and abundant in heaven” (Luke 6:23, The Amplified Bible).

So, when persecution comes your way, and you know it will, rejoice and be glad. Take the Jesus cure and begin to leap and jump and praise God! There is no way persecution will hurt you if you do that. I’ve tried it and it works.

Bookmark to:

By Dwight Thompson

I love this powerful, reassuring Scripture:

Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. Then because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with a peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.(Phil. 4: 6-7 CEV)

We live in uncertain times. We live in rapidly changing times. These are times that are fearful to all who do not know our God.

Wars…terrorists…anthrax…joblessness…economy…recession…child abductions…and the list goes on. During these times of such uncertainty, we, as children of God, have been given a peace that external fears cannot disturb.

We are to be ruled by this peace. The New King James version of the Bible states it this way: “And the peace of God…will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

When a submarine descends into the depths of the ocean, the force and pressure on the outer hull would crush the submarine were it not for the release of equal pressure from within.

The internal God-given peace in your heart is greater than any external pressure from without. So rest assured, you will not only be victorious, but the wonderful ruling force at the very core of your being will remain undisturbed.

That force is called peace.

During WWII President Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

Fear is a spirit. It is not of God.

Bookmark to:

By Kenneth Copeland

“Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God…Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began” (2 Tim. 1:6,9).

Are you doing what God called you to do?

If you haven’t ever thought about it before, that may sound like an odd question to you. You may be tempted to shrug it off and say, “Oh, I’m not really called to do anything. I’m not a pastor or a teacher or a minister of any kind…. I guess I’m just what you might call a little finger on the Body of Christ.”

Let me tell you something: No matter who you are, God has put a holy calling in you. He’s designed you and called you to meet a need in the Body of Christ that nobody else can meet quite like you can.

You may be called to be so successful in business you can finance the gospel worldwide. You may be called to a ministry of prayer and intercession. You may be called to a ministry of healing right there in your own neighborhood. But no matter what that calling is, it’s important and you need to follow it!

If you’re like many believers I know, you may have let your life become so overgrown with other things that you just don’t have time to pursue your calling. You may be so overwhelmed with the cares of life that you can’t imagine how you can fit anything else in.

Over the years, a pastor friend of mine got involved in so many different areas of ministry that he was about to fold up physically under the strain of it. The overload was actually about to kill him. Finally the Lord spoke to him one night and said, John, it’s not your calling that’s nearly killed you. It’s everything else you’ve added to it.

I’ve had to deal with that in my own life. I’ve had to quit doing things just because they needed doing. I’ve had to discipline myself to sticking to what I’m called to do.

Make up your mind to prayerfully trim away the extra things you’ve added to your life. Stir up the gift God has placed inside you. Get back to what He has called you to do.

After all, that calling is vital. It’s holy…and it’s yours. Don’t ever let it slip away from you.

Bookmark to:

Awake to Righteousness by Kenneth Copeland

Awake to righteousness, and sin not. 1 Corinthians 15:34

When your alarm clock goes off tomorrow morning, don’t just wake up to another day. Do what the Word says to do and “awake to righteousness!” Reawaken yourself to the glorious fact that you’ve been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus and given right-standing with Almighty God.

Why? Because tomorrow–and every other day of your life on this earth– Satan is going to try to convince you that you don’t have any right to the things of God. He’s going to try to bring you into bondage again to sin in order to control your life. But he won’t be able to do it if you’ll reawaken yourself every day to who you really are in Jesus.

Here’s a prayerful confession to help that revelation come alive in you:

“Father, I confess anew Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior today. Lord, You are the head of my life. I completely yield myself to You. My will is now Your will. My plans are now Your plans.

“As a new creation in Christ Jesus, I accept the gift of righteousness and all that gift includes: health, prosperity, peace, joy and life abundant. I put aside every weight and the sin that so easily besets me. I now look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith.

“According to Your Word, I can now reign in this life as a king. The power of sin and death in my life has been overcome. No longer am I ruled by the forces of evil but by the God above all gods. I am more than a conqueror through Him who loves me.

“I determine today to walk conscious of my right-standing with You, Lord, and with every step to draw closer and closer to You. Thank You for the gift of righteousness. Because of that gift, I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me.

“In Jesus’ Name. Amen!”

Bookmark to: