We need faith to live the abundant life Jesus promises. Believing something does not mean you have faith. Faith what you believe and the corresponding actions you take as a result of what you believe is what brings God s power into your life. It s clear that you never need to accept defeat! Yet, have you ever felt defeated? Difficult circumstances, temptations and old habits may knock you down, causing you to wonder if you really do have the ability to overcome. If you have given up on anything in life, resurrect hope! You can reactivate your faith and overcome anything! Question #1: How Do I Walk Out My Faith? Does it seem as though God s answer is always no or wait when you pray? You may begin to think that asking God for help is pointless. Maybe you even tried begging Him for help but because you feel rejected, you stop praying altogether. Life can be tough, causing many to ask Why does God allow so much pain in this 2 Peter 3:9, NKJV The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. life? He doesn t. Just because something happens doesn t mean it is God s will. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us that He s not willing that any would perish, yet hundreds go into eternity every day without knowing Him. We live in a fallen, imperfect world and sometimes bad things simply happen. Many people have a misconception about prayer that causes them to shy away from it. They think prayer is begging God for something and He decides if His answer is yes, no or wait. If they work up the right level of emotion, they hope He ll have compassion and drop the answer into their life. Prayer is not begging God. It s absorbing God. Just as people who spend a lot of time together begin to develop similar characteristics, God s thoughts and beliefs can rub off on you when you spend time with Him. When we read a promise in God s Word, we tend to ask ourselves, Is this promise for me? Satan will try to plant doubt in you by causing you to question if you qualify. It s one of his oldest tricks. When you read Old Testament promises, you will find that many of them have conditions. For example, when you read Psalm 84:11 (VOICE), He doesn t deny any good thing to those who live with integrity. the first question that may pop into your mind is Am I blameless? Instantly Colossians 1:12, AMP Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints (God s people) in the Light. your mind turns to all the things you ve done wrong. You remember that Jesus said even thinking about committing sin or knowing something is right and not doing it is sin! There s just no way you could qualify for this promise...right? WRONG!
If you follow Jesus, He qualifies you for EVERY promise. There is no point in focusing on all you ve done wrong. You cannot disqualify yourself from God s promises because you didn t qualify yourself in the first place! Stop thinking you are not good enough! According to Colossians 1:12, you qualify for it all when you put your trust in Jesus. Never take your eyes off Jesus and become focused on what you do and fail to do. If there is a condition attached to the promise, ask yourself, Did Jesus fulfill that condition? If He did (and He fulfilled every one), then you qualify to receive the promise. Do not become discouraged! As you spend time in prayer and come to know God better by reading His Word, you will absorb more of Him. Things that you thought impossible will become possible! Psalm 89:34, NLT No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back a single word I said. God never goes back on His Word. Numbers 23:19 (NLT) says, God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. If God said something, He ll do it. God s words are timeless. Some would argue that miracles ended with the book of Acts, but God s promises don t have an expiration date. Jesus said, Heaven and earth will pass away: but my words shall not pass away (Mark 13:31, ASV). Deuteronomy 7:9 (ASV) says, Know this: God, your God, is God indeed, a God you can depend on. He keeps his covenant of loyal love with those who love him and observe His commands for a thousand generations. The Bible is God s written will and testament to you. If you want to find out what you have inherited when someone passes away, you read their will. Similarly, if you want to find out what you inherit from God through Jesus, you read the Bible. You can stand on every promise you find in the Bible because every one is upheld by God s Word...and He never goes back on His Word. We need to know when God is willing to come through. In order to have faith, we need to know WHEN God is willing to come through on the promise. If I promise to take you out for dinner someday, you likely won t begin to make plans. But if I promise to take you today, it s a different story. Order your copy of Fortify Your Faith, a 3-part audio download series, and dig deeper into this topic today!
If you need a miracle, believing that God will do it someday isn t faith. This belief can cost you your miracle because you never know when it will be His will. According to 2 Corinthians 6:2, now is the time! Faith is present tense. When you find a promise from God in His Word, declare that it is yours today. See with the eyes of faith. See it done in your life today. 2 Corinthians 6:1-2, AMP Working together with Him, we strongly urge you not to receive God s grace in vain (by turning away from sound doctrine and His merciful kindness). For he says, At the acceptable time (the time of grace) I listened to you, and I helped you in the day of salvation. Behold, now is the acceptable time, behold now is the day of salvation. Question #2: How Do I Know God s Will? One of the biggest stumbling blocks to faith is a misinterpretation of Jesus prayer in Luke 22:42. Many people assume that this verse means we cannot know God s will on any matter. Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done. Luke 22:42 (ASV) There certainly are times when we can pray this prayer. When we are going through a situation and the Bible gives no indication of God s will on the matter, this prayer makes sense. For example, if we are praying about a new job opportunity or whether to move, we can t flip to a page in the Bible that says, Yes, take the job, or No, stay where you are. In these cases, we can pray that God s will would be shown to us through the still, small voice of Holy Spirit. On the other hand, when we pray for things that the Bible is clear God already promised us, it makes no sense to pray if it is your will prayers. If I promised to give one of my kids a new car, it would make no sense for them to repeatedly say, Dad, if it s your will, please buy me a new car. More than likely they would say, Dad, I m so excited that you re buying me a new car! Thank you! The second you attach an if to what you believe, you stop believing. When you say, Please heal me if it is your will, that s not faith. Instead, say, I m so excited that you re healing me, Father! Thank you! Until you become absolutely convinced that something is God s will, you cannot have faith. If unsure, you flip back and forth between two opinions and you receive nothing (James 1:7). Faith can only exist where the absolute will of God is known. But how can you know God s will for sure? Moses knew it was God s will to set His people free from slavery when He heard God speak from a burning bush.
David knew what to do as king of Israel because he had access to prophets who heard God speak. Abraham discovered God s will by hearing from angels and so did Mary, Jesus mother. James 1:6-7, ASV Ask boldly, believing with without a second thought. People who worry their prayer are like wind-whipped waves. Don t think you re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open. God has never spoken to me from a burning bush. I ve never heard His audible voice and angels have never appeared to me. However, I am confident that I know God s will in many areas of life. Do prophets tell us God s will today? Sometimes others help to confirm something we already sense is from God, but the absolute best way to discover God s will, is to find it in His Word. Don t become capped by your own beliefs. In Moses time, God brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. He led them to the edge of a prosperous land flowing with milk and honey, but they wouldn t take hold of it. Why did they miss out on their Promised Land and remain stuck in the wilderness for forty years? Psalm 78:41 says, Yes, again and again they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel (NKJV). You see, God wasn t limiting them. They limited their ability to enjoy God s promise with their unbelief, and the same is true for you when you don t believe. Wherever you are today, God has more for you, but you have to believe it. If you don t, your unbelief will cap you at your current level of living. Some would argue that wanting more is greed, but Jesus came so you could have life abundant life (John 10:10)! And think about it... you may be happy with your current income, but how many more people could you help if your income continued to increase? Having a marriage that is stable may seem good enough, but it s even better to grow a marriage that inspires others to go after building an awesome relationship with the love of their life! Start going for it! Talk and act as though you really believe you will have what God says you can have. This doesn t mean you have to do anything crazy like toss out all your medications. Just start thanking God every day for His promises, and then take action. Believe and then do what you need to do to go to that next level. Question #3: What Is Faith? Your faith is not your denominational background. It s also not the same thing as belief, although we often interchange the two words. Faith is more than belief. Believing something does not mean you have faith. Satan believes in Jesus but he doesn t have faith. Faith requires action. Faith what you believe and the corresponding actions you take as a result of what you believe is what brings God s power into your life. Order your copy of Fortify Your Faith, a 3-part audio download series, and dig deeper into this topic today!
However, there is a counterfeit faith that I call mental assent. Mentally agreeing that it is possible for God to heal is very different from believing that God WILL heal you today. We need to know the difference! Faith is not mental assent. James 2:18, CEB Someone might claim, You have faith and I have action. But how can I see your faith apart from your actions? Instead, I ll show you my faith by putting it into practice in faithful action. Let me give you an example: when a man becomes convinced that Jesus died and rose again to save him, he does something different. He speaks out his commitment to follow Jesus... which shows faith. What he believes causes him to take action and this releases power into his life. His spirit is miraculously made new. Simply believing that Jesus existed is not faith. Doing something in response to that belief is faith. If you believe that God heals, that alone is not faith. When you study God s Word to become fully convinced that God WILL heal YOU, it s a different story. You take action by claiming your healing verbally. You picture yourself healed. You begin to act differently. You may return to your doctor to ask for more testing or begin to move the body part that once restricted you. Whatever the case, you take action...and that s faith! Mental assent is agreeing with something in your mind, but you can t depend on your mind alone. Your mind relies on reasoning, which will try to talk you out of your miracle. When you decide to believe, reasons why you think things can t change will pop into your head. For example, if you re diagnosed with cancer, you might justify that you somehow had it coming because it runs in the family. If your teenagers are struggling, you might reason that you deserve to get a taste of what you put your parents through because you had a few difficult years. Even if you succeed in convincing your mind, there s no power in mental assent. You need to believe in your heart, which involves being able to picture it coming into your life. You see, Jesus died on a cross and paid the price so that you and I could walk in God s blessing. The answer when you ask for any promise of God is always yes. He wants you to experience His promises even more than you do. Religion will try to make you accept that whatever will be, will be. But if you meditate on God s promises and picture them in your life, you won t settle for anything less than God s best. 2 Corinthians 1:20, VOICE In Jesus we hear a resounding yes to all of God s many promises. This is the reason we say Amen to and through Jesus when giving glory to God. Shake off the religious mindset. Resist anything that tries to limit you. And if people say, It can t be done when you re going for a great goal with God, prove them wrong!
Question #4: What Stops Me From Having Faith? Faith is not a function of your rational, analytical mind. Faith is a matter of trusting in Jesus. No matter what your experience or what you have heard, choose to trust Him at His Word. He will do what He says. 1 John 5:4, AMP For everyone born of God is victorious and overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has conquered and overcome the world our (continuing, persistent) faith (in Jesus the Son of God). Romans 10:17 says faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ (NLT). Hearing the good news that Jesus earned all of God s promises for you gives you faith. You grow your trust and faith by learning and meditating on God s Word. It is not some magical level you have to achieve. All you need to do is become more convinced of what Jesus has made possible for you. Get off the defensive There are two types of players. The offensive line takes new ground, moving the football farther down the field toward the goal line. And the defensive line s role isn t to score; it s to stop the other team from scoring. It s necessary to bring out the defensive line; we all feel under attack at times. But we can t remain stuck there if we want to move forward. Staying on the defensive means you are staying in fear, always watching out for the devil. You can t believe God for big things in life when you are solely focused on defending yourself from attack. 1 Timothy 6:18-19, AMP Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous willing to share (with others). In this way storing up for themselves the enduring riches of good foundation for the future, so that the may take hold of that which is truly life. Are you spending too much time on the defensive? Speak God s Word when you feel like you are under attack but get on the offense by speaking His promises over your future. Be proactive with your prayers. And another great way to fight offensively is to do good for others, even when under attack. Why merely fight the devil to maintain your ground? Instead, push back at him with all you have by being a blessing to someone, even when dealing with multiple problems. Question #5: How Important Is Faith To God? Order your copy of Fortify Your Faith, a 3-part audio download series, and dig deeper into this topic today!
Wired into every human being is a desire to do more, experience more, accomplish more and have more. It isn t wrong. Think about it; without this desire, we would all still be living in caves and tents. It only becomes a problem if you let it overtake the number one spot in your life. God gave you a desire for more, but you need faith to achieve it. Something within you will always drive you toward what you don t yet have. Some would say that you should just be satisfied where you are, but remaining stagnant actually shows a lack of faith. How important is faith to God? Hebrews 11:2 tells us that faith made the great men and women of the Old Testament pleasing to God. In fact, verse 6 says that without faith no one can please God (CEV). Hebrews 11:1-3, CEV Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see. It was their faith that made our ancestors pleasing to God. Because of our faith, we know that...what can be seen was made out of what cannot be seen. So if you stay at one level, you don t need faith. You already have everything you hoped to have. Since you can t please God without faith, always go for more! Your growth should never end. As you do things differently while expecting great results, an exciting sense of passion builds from within. Question #6: What Kind of Life Does God Want Me To Experience? God is cheering you on! He wants you to experience more, whatever that more is for you. More of Him and His promises! Religion is stifling. Religious people will try to make you feel guilty for every bit of increase you gain. Meanwhile, God is all for you experiencing more. He wants you to experience more love, life, success, purpose, passion and more of Him. Never lose sight of the fact that God beautified this world for you to enjoy. Wherever you are today, God has more for you. On this adventure called life, don t allow religious guilt to hold you back from experiencing more of God and His promises. Life is meant to be experienced and enjoyed to the fullest. Ecclesiastes 5:18-20, The Message Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life. And that s about it. That s the human lot. Yes, we should make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what s given and delighting in the work. It s God s gift! God deals out joy in the present, the now.
If you give your life to Jesus, you become born of God. You enter into a whole new life. You re adopted into God s family and you become spiritually brand new. As a result, you have the power you need to overcome anything that comes your way. 1 Corinthians 15:57 also expresses this victory, saying Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory (as conquerors) through our Lord Jesus Christ (AMP). Discovering how to use your faith is one of the biggest challenges you will face. No one else can activate your faith for you. When Jesus healed people, He often said something like, According to YOUR faith let it be done to you. As it is with all of us, there are several things you are not experiencing in life because you are not in faith in that area. We can t simply pat each other on the back saying it s going to be okay when God has so much more for us than what we are living. We need to encourage and provoke each other to stand up and speak to the mountains that try to take us out. Refuse to be satisfied with mental assent when you can have real faith that moves mountains. It s clear that you never need to accept defeat! Through faith, YOU HAVE VICTORY WITH JESUS! On this faith journey, it is also imperative to know how to deal with doubt. We all experience times when our confidence in God s promises waver. Sometimes it s because we ve witnessed tragedy around us, and we are left questioning, Why do bad things happen to good people? Some would have you believe that heartache and tragedy are all God s design; that He has a purpose for our pain and it s to teach us something or to punish us when we ve done wrong. But is this true? Does God allow painful events to happen to us? Does he orchestrate suffering in our lives to teach us things? And if God is good, how could he stand by and do nothing as innocent little children suffer starvation, neglect and abuse? If you ve ever asked yourself these questions, you need to get this month s bonus series, entitled Fortify Your Faith. As our gift to you for any donation of $30 or more, these three audio messages will help you to uncover definitive answers to these questions and more. Discover the truth about your authority here on earth, learn to exercise your right and privileges as a believer, and begin to release God s promises in your life. The truth is, God s plans for us are all GOOD. He is not the author of destruction. In fact, He wants us to understand our power and authority so we can stand against these attacks and release His miraculous power into our world. Fortify Your Faith by settling your God, why? questions once and for all, and open the door to an amazing life! Order your copy of Fortify Your Faith, a 3-part audio download series, and dig deeper into this topic today!
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Leon Fontaine Leon is the CEO of Miracle Channel, host of The Spirit Contemporary Life, and the Senior Pastor of Springs Church, one of the largest churches in Canada. His weekly messages broadcast across North and South America, Asia, Africa and other far reaching parts of the world. Leon s daily devotional, Devoted with Leon, is sent by mail and email to thousands of readers. Miracle Channel Miracle Channel is television with purpose. It is reaching people with the hope of Christ through contemporary, life-changing programs. In addition to airing programming from popular ministries such as Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen and Joseph Prince, the channel airs documentaries, talk shows, movies, news, live programs and children s shows. Miracle Channel has been leading the Christian television industry in Canada since 1996 as the first and still the only all Christian broadcaster.