Increase Your Faith

By Keith Butler “Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be” (Rom 4:18). In the absence of all natural hope, Abraham continued to believe. How did he do that? He had the promise. He had the Word of God. God told him that he would have a son. So his name must be changed from Abram to Abraham, meaning father of a great multitude. Well, if you are going to receive what Jesus has done for you, seed of Abraham, then you must first find out what the Word says on the subject. Then every time you run up against something, you must read what God said about it. Do it even when all natural hope is gone. This is how you will find supernatural hope from the Word when natural hope is gone. Don’t consider the circumstance. Don’t consider the bankbook. Don’t consider the doctor’s report. Don’t consider what people say, because people talk junk all the time. But they don’t have any authority behind it. Jesus gave the authority to you. Don’t be shaken by what you are looking at. Don’t allow it to get to you. Be strong in faith and prove it by giving God the glory that your need is already met. Give God the glory that you are blessed in the city and blessed in the field. Praise God that all your needs are met. Praise is an expression of faith in God. Praising God builds your faith. Praising God shuts the devil’s mouth. Praising God causes others to praise God too. When you praise God you cannot lose. The devil has to run, because he gets confused. So, never forget who you are. Through faith in Jesus you are the one who possesses the enemy’s gate. You are the one through whom all families of the earth shall be blessed, as you share the good news that the price has already been paid. You have the message of reconciliation, which is that God was in Christ restoring the world to favor with himself. He is not counting against men their trespasses, but has cancelled them, and committed to us the word of reconciliation to favor with God. Abraham received his miracle – a son. And when you operate in supernatural hope, you shall see your miracle as well.

Bookmark to:

By Jerry Savelle

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. (James 1:2-3)

Today’s Confession: I will count it all joy when I fall into divers temptations, the trying of my faith will bring patience and joy will give my faith fuel to work.

Anybody can say hallelujah when his needs are all met. Anyone can be happy when everything is going his way. When a person has an abundance of every good thing, it doesn’t take much faith at all to say, “Praise God, my needs are met.” It does take faith to make that confession when it looks as though he is about to lose it all!

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” James 1:2,3

James tells us to count it all joy when we fall into divers temptations. That’s when we are to be joyful, at the very moment we are beset by temptations, testings and trials. Why then? Because that is when the force of joy is most needed – and most productive.

As Christians we ought to be full of joy all the time. But joy really pays off most when we are under pressure. Because that’s when it has the greatest opportunity and challenge to go to work on our behalf.

I heard about a fellow who carries $3,000 around in his pocket all the time. Someone once asked him why he carried so much cash with him. His reply was, “So if I ever need it, I’ll have it.” That makes sense, doesn’t it? That’s the only reason any of us ever carry any amount of money — so we’ll have it when we need it. That’s one of the reasons we need to learn to stay full of joy — so we’ll have it when we need it.

That fellow may never need that much money at one time, but if he ever does, it’s going to be great to have it. It’s also great to know that you have a plentiful supply of joy on hand for any emergency that might present itself in life.

Sooner or later, pressure will come. When people get under pressure, that’s when they reveal what they are full of. Doubt. Unbelief. Anger. Hostility Resentment. Fear. Whatever a person is full of will be revealed when the pressure comes. That’s another reason we need to stay full of the joy of the Lord. To assure that what comes out under pressure is “the right stuff.” Without a real sense of joy deep down in our spirit, our faith will not stand up under pressure. Because joy is the thrust of faith. Joy is “faith fuel.”

Bookmark to:

Blessings by the Bushel by Kenneth Copeland

And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you. Mark 4:24

How many blessings are you going to receive from the Word of God? It depends on how many you expect to receive. When God measures them out to you, He’ll be using your measuring stick, not His own. He always works that way.

Two people can hear God’s Word about healing, for example. One will measure it with faith. “Praise God, by His stripes I was healed!” he’ll say. “I believe that with all my heart, and I’m going to keep on believing it until I receive my healing.”

The other will measure it with skepticism. “I don’t care what Bible verses he comes up with,” he’ll say. “I just don’t trust that preacher. I’ll give this healing stuff a try, but I doubt very much if anything’s going to come of it.”

Both of those people will get exactly what they expect. God will measure to them just as they measured the Word. One will get healed…the other won’t.

I must warn you though, sometimes measuring the Word with faith is hard. Years ago, when Gloria first read the scripture, “Owe no man anything,” it was tempting for her to measure it as a curse, not a blessing. We were living in a terrible little house at the time, and she wanted a new one more than just about anything.

How were we ever going to buy a decent house without borrowing? It didn’t seem possible. So, to her, it was as if that scripture had said, “Gloria, you can’t have a new house.”

But she refused to measure it that way. She grabbed the devil by the throat and said, “Look here now, you’re not going to cheat me out of my house.” Then she started believing that somehow God could provide her with a house debt free. Sure enough, He did.

If you want to receive blessings by the bushel load, start going to the Word with a bushel basket. Put a big measure of faith in the hand of God. He’ll fill it to overflowing and give it right back to you.

Bookmark to:

The Sweetest Victory 
By Kenneth Copeland 
 
“If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32). 

One afternoon, as I was studying that scripture, the Lord spoke something to me that nearly knocked me out of my chair. He said, Jesus was not free because He didn’t sin. He didn’t sin because He was free. 

I want you to let that statement sink in a moment. Can you see what it means? It means that many times as believers, we’ve been going at things backward. We’ve thought, If I could just kick this smoking habit, if I could just get rid of this disease, if I could just get some money in the bank, then I’d be free. 

But we need to go after the freedom itself. Once we lay hold of real freedom, those cigarettes, that disease and that financial lack will fall powerless at our feet. They’ll have no more ability to bind us than they had to bind Jesus. 

You may say, “Yeah, but people have laid hands on me until they’ve nearly rubbed all the hair off my head trying to get me that freedom—and I still don’t have it.” 

Listen, Jesus didn’t say you’d have hands laid on you and the laying on of hands would make you free. He said you’d know the truth, and the truth would make you free! He said, “Continue in My Word and you’ll be free like Me! Get in the Word and act on it. Then the laying on of hands will work.” 

I know it’s thrilling to have hands laid on you for healing and feel the power of God go through your body. But let me tell you, there’s an even stronger joy that comes when you get your healing or your deliverance by standing in faith in God’s Word. 

You know you’re growing up in Jesus when trouble comes and instead of running to the pastor crying for help, you go into your place of prayer, take your Bible and find the answer. You begin to read and, as you do, you hear God talking to you. Every scripture you find that quickens your spirit, you write down. 

Then, every night before you go to bed, you read those scriptures again—and you believe them. Your body may not feel any different. The devil may be standing by your bedside saying, You won’t get healed this time. I’ll kill you in the morning. 

But instead of wilting in fear, you just say, “Shut up, devil, and take your hands off my body. I don’t belong to you and I never will. The Word says I’m healed and as far as I’m concerned, that’s the end of it.” 

The next morning, you get your Bible and read those scriptures again. Suddenly you catch yourself and think, Praise God, I got so excited about these verses, I’ve forgotten to hurt for the last 30 minutes! 

That kind of victory is the sweetest kind there is. 

Speak the Word: “I continue in the Word of God, and I am a disciple of Jesus. I know the truth and the truth makes me free” (John 8:31-32). 

Bookmark to:

by Kenneth Copeland

“What about 2012? What does it hold? What’s in store? What’s in store for the nations? What’s in store for Israel and what’s in store for the Church? I have a great storehouse. Much more has been stored up in the storehouse of riches beyond your wildest dream that I laid up for you before the foundation of the world. Much more is stored up there than what the Church has ever called for. I never have held back on the Church,” saith The LORD and the God of plenty. “I’ve made it available to you. I put it in My WORD. I gave you a promise and stood behind it with the blood, precious blood of your Savior.

But there has been a backwardness in My people about laying hold of the things that I have provided for you. But I will say this: There is a people in the land. There is a people around the world. There is a people strong and mighty, growing much stronger and much mightier and more bold to lay hold and put their claim of faith on the things that I have laid up for you and it thrills Me,” saith The LORD, “because it’s been yours all the time.

“Ah, but what about 2012? 2012 is a year full of surprises. Some surprises are going to shake people up. Some surprises are going to shake people down. But for those who are listening to My voice, those who have made themselves available to My Spirit and to My WORD, you’ll have surprises. Oh, not like the world and not like a lot of carnal-minded Christians. Your surprises will come as suddenlies. Like in My WORD when it said, ‘And suddenly there came upon them.’ And you’ll stand up with a big smile on your face and say ‘I just got a suddenly, didn’t I? Oh! Yes.’ But it’ll not take you by surprise because I said in My WORD I’d show you things to come. I said in My WORD what I speak the Holy Ghost will hear and He will speak it to you. And there are those of you who are seeking My voice and seeking My WORD and seeking My Name and looking at Me in My face while I’m looking at you in your face. And together we’ll walk in this and together we’ll walk through this and there’ll come a time when you’ll just smile at Me and I’ll just smile at you and you’ll say, ‘Ha. Ha. Ha. I knew that all the time. Praise God. My Father showed me that was coming and I was all prepared and it didn’t come on me as a suddenly. But this other surprise that came on me. Oh, what joy. Oh, what thrill. Oh, what goodness. I wonder what else my Father has in store for me. Hallelujah. Praise God.’

“2012? I’ll tell you about 2012. It’s going to be a year of great joy for those who know joy. It’ll be a time of marvelous breakthroughs. This is a time of victory. It’s a time when people begin to realize that My WORD is a living WORD, that My Spirit is the living Spirit, and that you are My voice in the earth. And your voice is the voice of victory. So rejoice and shout and understand that the breakthroughs that you’ve sought and watched over, prayed over, stood in faith for, ah, don’t turn loose now. Don’t turn loose now because they’re at hand. They’re right at hand. They’re right on top of you right now. Praise God. Hey!

“Have no worry. Do not be in fear about the United States of America. Don’t be in fear over the failure of this republic. This is not the time for this nation to fail. I’m not done with it yet. And it may come as a surprise to many; this nation is not done with Me yet,” saith The LORD. Hallelujah.

“We have a job to do. And this year will be like none other where this nation is concerned. And many will say, ‘Oh, woe is us! Oh, woe is us!’ And you know what? Oh, woe will be them.

“And there are others who’ll say, ‘Oh, we can’t win! We can’t win!’ And to them they can’t win.

“Ah, but to those of them who say, ‘Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. This is a time of greatness! America again! Oh, and it’s my nation and it’s God’s nation and we’re right where we’re supposed to be. He has us right where He wants us, and our future is bright because God is still LORD over the United States of America.’

“So rejoice and give forth a glad sound because The LORD of glory is still on the throne and prayer changes things and together we’re going on to greater victory.

“Oh yes! 2012 is a time of miracles. Miracles that seemed as if they would not come but they’re here. There is an atmosphere conducive to miracles that’s been growing and growing and will manifest greatly in the first quarter of 2012 and continue throughout the year and on into 2013. I’ve been looking forward to 2012,” saith The LORD. “I know how it’s going to turn out. I’ve already dealt with it in My WORD. Your future is looking better all the time. But of course you’ll need to look at it through My eyes,” saith the Spirit of grace. “So as I said before, rejoice, for your time has come.”

Bookmark to: