JESUS IS OUR CHAMPION! WE ARE HIS TROPHIES!

HE IS OUR CHAMPION!  WE ARE HIS TROPHIES!



SCRIPTURE:  Romans 5:8

“But God shows and clearly proves His (own) love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ, the Messiah, died for us.”

Jesus was on a mission for mankind so we, as believers, are part of his mission fulfilled!  The purpose for Jesus coming to earth was to make His Father’s love known to man and now, as believers, the baton has been passed to us to share the true love of God with others.

Isn’t it exciting to know that we are laborers together with God according to1 Cor. 3:9?

Also, the Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:19 “What we mean is that God was in Christ offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world.  And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace.”

I can sure testify that finding out God was at peace with me through Jesus was like a breath of fresh air after a rainy day.  Growing up, I never felt a safe place and was often reprimanded whether I did right or wrong.  Consequently, when I did become a Christian, it took quite some time to get released from the mindset that God was just like what I had known growing up and not the One I know now that loves me and bought my innocence back for me!

I believe it is his heart’s desire for you to experience his love and peace in every area of life especially if you have been programmed, as I was, to see God as angry and sitting in Heaven with a sledge hammer ready to whack you if you get out of line!

My testimony now to others is just what the above Scripture says, “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  Doesn’t it make sense that If he was willing to suffer and die for us as sinners, how much more does he want to show his love as a caring Heavenly Father to us since we are now part of his family? 

One of my favorite Scriptures is: 1 Timothy 2: 1-4 I urge you first of all that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for ALL people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.  This is good and pleases God our Savior WHO WANTS ALL PEOPLE TO BE SAVED AND TO COME TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH.”

I believe this is saying you can accept Jesus as Savior and have eternal life knowing you will spend eternity in Heaven, but coming into the knowledge of who God is and wants to be in your life while you are on the earth requires knowledge of the truth and not the traditions of man and religion!  I believe when we truly come to learn how much God loves us and planned good things for us, which we  receive by faith, we will be able to live the life that the Scripture says is “good and pleases God our Savior!

For this to be accomplished, sometimes we have to unlearn some “stuff!” Jesus said to the religious rulers, “….you make the word of God invalid for the sake of the tradition you hold….” Mark 7:13

God’s plan, because of his great love, was to buy us back.  Jesus was willing to come to earth to be the sacrifice for all of man’s sins and our focus is to be on what He did for us.  My encouragement is to read the Bible as though it were a “Priority Letter” sent just to you!

Hebrews 12:2 says “Look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame…”

We all probably know what it is like to be misunderstood, mocked and shamed at times, but as we look to Jesus it would be difficult, without God’s help, to fully understand what he must have gone through mentally, emotionally and physically as he was experiencing so much shame while being mocked, beaten, spat upon, persecuted, stripped of his clothing and ultimately being nailed to the cross for us!  But, the Scripture says,  “he looked to the joy ahead of him,” which was BUYING US BACK to a place of innocence before God that had been stolen because of Adam and Eve's sin!

Because of this, I heard someone put it like this:

He is our Champion!  We are his Trophies!

When you and I gave our hearts to Jesus, we became “part of the joy set before him.”  Not only did we make Jesus happy filling him with joy because we accepted his true love, but the Bible says in Luke 15:10 …”I tell you, [Jesus said] there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Sometimes either because of lack of knowledge of the Word of God or letting the fullness of the price Jesus paid for our salvation slip from our thoughts, we can miss out on so much. Even beyond that, our lives bring the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit much joy when we are cognizant of God’s goodness to us that was purchased by Jesus!  He certainly deserves to have his trophies shine brightly for his glory!

Have you ever heard the saying:  What you don’t know won’t hurt you?”

Well, as I state in my DETOX: SPIRITUAL CLEANSING FOR A FULFILLING LIFE book, that is one of the biggest lies ever told!

Psalms 119: 97-98 “Oh how I love and treasure the revelation of your word; throughout the day I fill my heart with its light! By considering your commands, I have an edge over my enemies, for I take seriously everything you say!”

You know what it is like to go into a dark room without a light.  You end up stumbling around trying to find your way.  Just by flipping a switch though, the light comes on and you can see everything in your path so you can navigate more efficiently and without stumbling!

Not only does his Word give us great insight and wisdom as we consider his promises, it says we have an edge over the enemy who tries to show up in so many areas of life.  One of the ways the enemy does this is with harassing condemning thoughts and insinuations that lead to bondage because of fear.  The ultimate goal of the enemy is to keep you from living the “free indeed” life Jesus paid for you to live. You can readily see from the above Scriptures that you are loved and accepted because of faith in what Jesus did and you are also an answer to his prayers.

Before going to the Cross, Jesus prayed this enlightening prayer for his followers and for all future believers that were to follow him!

John 17: 20-23

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me THROUGH THEIR WORD, that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that you sent Me.  And the glory which you gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have LOVED THEM AS YOU HAVE LOVED ME.”

Isn’t it wonderful to know you are not only one of the answers to Jesus’ prayers, but also to think about the fact that Jesus wants us to know God loves us as He loves Jesus?

It is for sure, Jesus is our Champion!

Our prayer is that we will walk in a higher level of understanding so that we, as His trophies, will continue to bring Him joy and continue to be the answer to His prayers!

THE ANCHOR HOLDS (revised)

POWER THOUGHT:



THE ANCHOR HOLDS!



Scripture:  Hebrews 6:17-19



I remember quite a few years ago my son and I went out in our boat for an afternoon of skiing and later on decided to stop for a while, so we threw out the anchor to keep the boat from drifting.  A little later, we decided to go home and darted off when we felt a jolt and a pop!  We had forgotten about the anchor!



Hebrews 6:17-19 says: “So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us, we have this as a sure and steadfast ANCHOR of the soul.”



The above Scripture says that God actually made an oath stating that it is impossible for Him to tell a lie and that He is so committed to what He has promised that we can anchor our souls to His Word!  It is important to note that we, as believers, are heirs of this promise!



It sounds like this was something very important to God that He wanted us to pay close attention to, especially considering He made an oath!



2 Corinthians: 1:20 “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”



Isn’t that powerful?  His promises are not “Yes” and “No,” but “Yes” and “Amen!”  When we believe and speak His promises, they aren’t “yes” today and “no” tomorrow! 



Our Scripture says, God doesn’t change His mind.  In fact it says, we can have strong encouragement or as one translation says, “great encouragement” that His Word is given for your provision.



His Word is an anchor! 



Just like we forgot about our boat anchor, often we can find ourselves in situations and forget we have an anchor in God that remains steadfast and will not pull away from us.  



I like to think of God’s promises as gifts from Him that we open to receive the benefits.  If someone brought me a gift box and I just left it on a table without opening it to see the contents, I would have missed out on something special that was given to me from someone else’s heart, especially since they took the time to source it out, pay for it or make it for me to enjoy.



Often without realizing it, we do the same thing by not being conscious that the promises in the Bible are “gifts” because they are given to us to utilize.



2 Peter 1:4 “HE HAS GIVEN US EXCEEDINGLY PRECIOUS AND MAGNIFICENT PROMISES.…”



That sounds pretty significant!  Remember again, Peter went from being a rough and tough guy to a strong believer who came to realize that his source was not in himself, but God through his faith in Jesus.  The words, exceedingly, magnificent and precious so emphasize the intensity Peter, by the Holy Spirit, was placing on the promises!



For sure, one of the challenges each of us face each day is to not allow the concerns of the world to so dominate our thoughts that we neglect to focus on eternal things as well!



Again, the Apostle Peter, found himself in dire straits quite a few times but presents to us a message of hope in 2 Peter 1:4:  “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him that has called us….”



Knowledge of God’s word and applying it to our lives is how we receive what He has on His heart for us.



Just like we nourish ourselves with healthy foods each day to keep our bodies strong, we should also nourish ourselves with His Word, which is also referred to as bread, so that we will become strong in spirit and our faith will be increased to be confident that He desires us to receive the blessings He has prepared for us.



Each one of us may be in a situation where we have a significant need we are believing God to meet.  Perhaps it is a physical need that is being worked through.  According to 1 Peter 2:24, we have a powerful promise from Him that says: “By His stripes you were healed.”



Jesus paid the price for our healing with His own body by going to the cross and being beaten and shedding His blood.  As we stand in faith for our healing, we can also ask the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom if there is anything we can do naturally.  



Philippians 4:19 is such a powerful precious promise because it is pertinent for any need that arises:  The Apostle Paul said:  “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given TO US in Christ Jesus.”



It would be good to stop and reflect on what the Apostle Paul said:  “HE WILL SUPPLY ALL OUR NEEDS! This comes through being anchored in His promises knowing the answers are on their way, not only for us but those we pray for!  



Hebrews 6:12 says: “It is through faith and patience that we inherit the promises.”



The faith part is often easier for us than the patience part!  Nevertheless, we can have confidence if we have faith, that He is working on the needs being met.









Hebrews 11:6 says:



 “Those that come to God must believe that He is and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.”



God’s promises to us are as our Scripture says, unchangeable and, if there is an area where we may have “sped away” or “drifted away” from the power of God’s promises and confidence in his love for us,

He has promised He will never leave us nor forsake us.  We just get back into faith in His promises!



John 6:21 says:



 “When Jesus got into the boat with them they were “suddenly” on the other side!” 



With all of this in mind, knowing that we have an anchor for the soul that is unchanging, let’s also pray that as we call on Jesus, the needs we are presenting through our prayers will be met SUDDENLY in Jesus Name!

God's Plan

God has a dream for you, a purpose and a plan.  He has a vision for every woman, child and man. Days to walk in, filled with delight, overcoming power, a life without strife.

He planned it even before you were in your Mother's womb. Jesus finished the work when He arose from the tomb!

Filled with frustrations? It is time for a new start!

Today He is reaching out saying to you, "Give Me all of your heart.”

His dreams for you are far better than any man's plans but you must ask for His wisdom and then write it down!

He is waiting and watching to see what you will do.

He has already set His face like flint in order to see you through.

Write down your vision for that is God’s plan, and keep looking for victory, it is there for every woman, child and man! 

KEEP LOOKING UP!

KEEP LOOKING UP!

Just like us, Jesus’ disciples were interested in what the future would be like before His return and what signs we should be aware of!

SCRIPTURE:  LUKE 24:28

Jesus said: “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”

He listed several events that would be signs before His return such as:

-Wars and rumors of wars

-Nations rising against nation

-Kingdom against kingdom

-Pestilences (plagues and epidemics)

-Famines and earthquakes in various places

-Persecutions

-Offenses, betrayal and hate

You might be thinking:  Wow, how can you look up and lift up your head in circumstances such as these when the normal stance would be to hang your head in dismay at all these things coming on the earth!

Jesus always has a plan!  That is why He said, “When you see these things begin happening, know that your redemption draws near.” 

Redemption designates deliverance through Christ from evil. 

Although these things are happening all around us, He wanted us to keep our focus on His Kingdom and purposes.

The Apostle Paul said it like this:  Colossians 3:2. “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

This is not to put our heads in the sand but setting our mind on things above rather than earthly things puts us in tune with eternal reality.  Then, with the mind of Christ, we can understand more accurately what is going on around us. (Tozer Devotional)

Jesus furthermore said in Matthew 24:12-14, “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold but he who endures to the end shall be saved, and this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached IN ALL THE WORLD as a witness to all the nations and then the end will come.”

Jesus linked the worldwide witness of the gospel to His coming.  He said, “THE GOSPEL WILL BE PREACHED IN ALL THE WORLD.”

With the worldwide web and satellites broadcasting events in real time throughout the world by way of computers, phones, TV’s etc., Jesus knew at this time in history, the entire world would have the opportunity to hear and see the Good News of His paying for their redemption so that they would have the opportunity to make the choice to follow Him by accepting Him into their lives as their  personal Savior. 

Isaiah 60: 1-2 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.  See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you.  Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your rising.”

In the midst of all the turbulence in the world right now and the horrific pictures around the world that we see constantly, God is desiring men’s hearts to turn to His light through the preaching of the gospel.   His promise is that He will cause His light to shine through those proclaiming the gospel.

Daniel 12:3 expresses God’s heart so beautifully: “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament.  And those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.”

What a promise!  As we proclaim the Good News about Jesus and what He means to us and, as we assist those with our giving who are evangelizing, preaching, and teaching the Good News through churches and the Media in all of its forms, we are joining with them in “making people wise concerning Him and turning many to righteousness!”   

Not only that, but when God prompts us to give to those in need, the Bible says in Proverbs 19:17 “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them.” 

In these times we are living in, the Bible says, “We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us….” 2 Cor. 5:20

Sure, is great to be on God’s team!

The word, gospel, in Greek means:  good news, to speak a message of gladness and of victory and to proclaim a message that brings joy!

The gospel we are to proclaim, and experience is the kingdom message of love, grace, forgiveness and provision through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We, as born-again believers, have been given the ministry of sharing what He has done and is doing in our lives and the blessed hope of our future in Heaven with God for eternity.

 As we do this, we pray and believe that those who hear the message will have “ears to hear” and will experience Christ as well!  It is important to be mindful that once the “seeds” are planted, God may send another laborer into their path to water the “seeds” and, of course, we know He brings in the harvest!

As the love in the world grows cold, as Jesus said it would, people will be looking for something, which we know is Someone, Jesus, that they can look to for help and comfort in these times.  Not only does God want people to experience His comfort, provision and health, He does not want His children just getting by and existing.  Ephesians 5:27 says “He is coming for a glorious church…!”

Do you know what glorious means in the Greek language it was written in?  It means brilliant, bright, radiant and renowned! 

As we grow in faith and knowledge of His Words and who we are in Christ, we can become that glorious church that represents Him on earth and that He is coming back for! 

The disciple, John, that was consistently declaring that he was the disciple that Jesus loved, also said to believers:

 3 John 1:2 “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in ALL things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” NKJ

You see, John knew how much Jesus loved him and gave himself for him and he expressed his desire in this Scripture for everyone to have that same experience.  Should we not have the same proclamation that “We are the ones that Jesus loves?”

When we know how much we are loved by the Lord, it prompts us to  reach out in love to those that are not always lovable to show the same grace that we have experienced so through this they would potentially turn to the Lord and be saved and enjoy the life Jesus paid for them to experience.

According to John 10:10: “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.”

It is important to notice the word “may” in this Scripture.  Jesus words are to be received so that His heart behind the words spoken become our reality!

This Scripture enlightens us as well to know that the chaos in the world does not come from Him although He is often blamed as the perpetrator.  Jesus’ own words brings this truth to light!

Also, the word prosper in 3 John 1:2 means “to have success on your journey.”  The more we understand the “gospel of the kingdom” and walk in the knowledge of the truth that the God of the universe came to live inside of us, this faith not only pleases Him but brings us soul prosperity so that we can experience “life abundant” in our daily lives as Jesus spoke about even in the midst of the turmoil that is all around us.

Even though there are situations that may seem for now as though we are not prospering, Romans 8:37 clearly tells us: “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

I was always puzzled by what “more than conquerors” actually meant and after some in depth study I found it meant, “He causes us to PREVAIL through Him.…WHO LOVED US.”  As mentioned before, it is big on God’s heart and His servant, John, that we also realize how much He loves us!

One of my favorite Scriptures and what I call a Power Prayer is Ephesians 3:17-19.  Let’s look at what Paul is praying: “I pray that Christ will live in your hearts by faith and that your life will be strong in love and be built on love.  And I pray you and all God’s holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ’s love—how wide and how long and how high and how deep that love is.  Christ’s love is greater than anyone can ever know, but I pray you will be able to know that love.  Then you can be filled with the fullness of God!”

Can you imagine what “being filled with the fullness of God” would be like?  Yet, Paul was prompted by the Holy Spirit to focus on the fact that there is not one dimension of our lives that God doesn't want His love to be manifested in!

For many who have not been fortunate to have felt or experienced real love in the past, this is a revelation that has to be internalized by faith and by doing as John did, and as mentioned before, make it your daily testimony to yourself:  “I,……, am the one that Christ loves!” 

     

One of my favorite Bible teachers that use to work with the “Think Tank” and the Pentagon on artificial intelligence said that each morning she would get up and look into the mirror and point to herself and say:  “You have the fullness of God living in you.”  Her ministry over the years has been one of experiencing signs, wonders, and miracles!

I believe we would all like to experience that because that is exactly what Paul prayed, we would experience when we become aware of the fullness of His love!  It sure is something important to focus our faith on each day!

Taking all these things into consideration, it helps us to understand why Jesus said: “Look up and lift up your heads, your redemption draws near.” 

Staying aware of His great love for you in these times as well as  keeping His promises in 3 John 1:2 and John 10:10 in focus, is very important because they are as much alive TODAY and as real TODAY as they were when they were spoken!

LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE!

THROUGH CHRIST YOU ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS! 

KEEP LOOKING UP!

AMEN!

WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT. POWER TODAY!

POWER THOUGHT:

HEARTFELT PRAYERS AND DECLARATIONS HAVE POWER!

James 5:16 Passion Translation

…”for tremendous power is released through the passionate, heartfelt prayer of a godly believer.”

Amplified:

“The earnest heartfelt continued prayer of a righteous man makes power available [dynamic in its working].”

Prayers are powerful in God’s sight!  Thank God we became righteous with His righteousness when we accepted Christ into our hearts.  When praying sometimes we have an enemy that accuses us and tries to intimidate us because we haven’t done everything perfectly but our prayers are answered not because of what we have or have not done but on what He did and is still doing, which is answering prayers and watching over His Word to perform it because of His great love for mankind.

Remember, John 3:16-17 which speaks of God’s unfathomable love and reason for sending Jesus!

“For God so loved the WORLD, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever would believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

If we focus on this powerful word alone, we can have our faith recharged knowing that if He sent His Son to die for us and take away man’s condemnation, surely, He desires to listen to and answer the prayers of His children.

In troubling times, we need our Spirit re-energized with God’s truth. It is sort of like a failing battery, when it is hooked up to a power source, it gets recharged and full of power and is then ready to be used!

In James 5:17 the Scripture says something phenomenal about Elijah…..that he was just like us,  yet he prayed powerful prayers that caused nature to obey:

 “Elijah was a man with human frailties, just like all of us, but he prayed and received supernatural answers.  He actually shut the heavens over the land so there would be no rain for three and a half years.  Then he prayed again and the skies opened up over the land so that rain came again and produced the harvest.”

So, God wants us to pray dynamic powerful prayers and these Scriptures build our faith to know He is listening!

Also, as stated in Psalms 91:2 Amplified “I will SAY of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God, on Him I [confidently] rely and trust.”

According to this verse, what we say releases God’s desires for us to be fulfilled! God wants us to say, declare, talk about, sing about who He is in our lives, and be specific as King David was, and this will open the door for His blessings to be released on our lives and those we love and pray for!

Faith is voice activated!

Scriptures are voice activated!

Psalms 107:20 KJV “He sent his Word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction's.”

When we pray and declare God’s Word and Name, we are laborers together with God. Do it today, do it now and see His Glory!

PUT YOUR FOCUS ON LIFE CHANGING WORDS

POWER THOUGHT:

WHERE IS YOUR FOCUS?

Scripture: Genesis 15: 5-6

Are you ready for some great results to happen in your life?  God gave us the pattern for experiencing abundant changes and results in our lives.  This teaching can enable you to participate with God for mighty turnarounds and victories too.

 “Then God led Abram outside and said, look at the sky.  There are so many stars you cannot count them. You descendants also will be too many to count.”  Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord accepted Abram’s faith, and that faith made him right with God.”

God was actively involved with the vision He wanted Abraham to experience, and He wants you to participate with Him as well so you can experience the great things He desires for you!

First God got his attention by leading him outside!

Then He told him where to look and place his focus!

Then He told him what His plans were for him.

Then Abram believed the Lord (not his circumstances!)

The visual was vital so that it would be easier to believe the promise!

God had given Abram some amazing promises and instructions that would enhance his life in Genesis 12: 1-4. “Now the Lord said to Abram, Go for YOURSELF (for your own advantage) away from your country, from your relatives and your father’s house, to THE land I will show you.  And I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you (with an abundant increase of favors) and make your name famous and distinguished, and you will be a blessing (dispensing good to others). And I will bless those who bless you (who confer happiness or prosperity on you) and curse those who uses insolent language toward you; in you will all the families of the earth be blessed and by you they will bless themselves.  So Abram departed as the Lord directed him and lot, his nephew went with him.  Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran.

What does that mean to you as a New Testament believer?

A large part of the Apostle Paul’s ministry was to encourage people to focus on who they are in Christ Jesus and to believe the promises given in His Word concerning our lives.

Galatians 3:8. And the Scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand saying, In you all the nations shall be blessed. SO THEN THOSE WHO ARE PEOPLE OF FAITH ARE BLESSED AND MADE HAPPY AND FAVORED BY GOD WITH BELIEVING AND TRUSTING ABRAHAM.

In Galatians 2:20 Paul says we inherited Jesus’ faith.  “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me and the life which I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God.”

How powerful is it to know we have access to Jesus’ faith because He lives inside of us.  Faith is His gift to us to be used as He would use it.

Also, 2 Peter 1:1-4 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith WITH US through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ.  Grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Peter considered the faith He operated in to be very precious and he said we have obtained the same gift of faith as they received!

And, which is big, grace and peace gets multiplied the more we know we understand who lives in us and His desire to operate through us.

Verse 4 Whereby are given to us exceeding great precious promises that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature…..

Peter  referred to the promises of God as exceedingly precious and the benefits are that we become more like Jesus!

Take time to think of things you deem as precious in your life and what time and thought are given to them and the results from doing so.

It is exciting to know that the time we give to God’s promises is like sowing seeds into our garden of life that will result in exponential benefits because our faith, which comes through the Word, becomes ignited because of our connection with Him.

Every individual is very important to the Lord just as Abraham and Sarah were and we release our faith to receive just as they did. 

In fact, the Word says, Psalms 100:3 NKJV “Know that the Lord, He is God.  It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves.  We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”

Again, it is very interesting and powerful how the Lord worked with Abram in Genesis 15: 5-6!  He had to bring Abram outside of his circumstances to get his mind off of what was going on inside of him.  God had to take him out of his surroundings to get him to look up so that he could see and comprehend what God was saying to him.

In my mini book, “Focused Faith Gets Results,” I refer to having a vision of what we desire as using our spiritual binoculars.  We use the “eye of our faith” to visualize and then release the dreams/vision with our words in prayer in Jesus Name.

God says, “NOW faith is the substance (vision/dream) of things hoped for (or focused on) the reality of things not (yet) seen.” Hebrews 11:1

God had to get Abram to look up instead of down and around.  God gave him specific instructions that he was to follow.  Go outside - look up - do it now - count the stars - if you can.

Verse 6 is very powerful:  “And he believed the Lord.”

I believe the more we believe and lean on God’s promises and accept them as God’s will for our lives, we participate with Him in getting them accomplished.

If you take time to read the first few verses of Genesis 15, you will see that the Lord had made some promises to Abram - but - Abram was telling the Lord all the reasons it could not happen.

Don’t we do the same thing?  We look at ourselves, our circumstances - literally look around instead of looking up!

Some important things to think about and relate to how we think about our lives in connection with how God worked with Abram are as follows:

God did not give up on Abram because he had questions and                 concerns, and he has not given up on you.

He brought him outside of his circumstances so that he could give      Him a picture to focus on.

This caused faith to come to Abram and faith pleases God.

Now take time to think about your circumstances.  Be challenged to consider how much God loves you and how mighty He is to do great things when faith is activated.  In other words, Look Up!  Be willing to ask Him what His big plan is for you and trust Him to show you.

Again, as New Testament believers, we are to focus our attention on all that Christ Jesus has already accomplished on the cross for every believer. Our part is to receive it and believe what the Bible states in the following Scripture:

III John:  “Beloved, I wish above all things that you would prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers.”

Beloved is such a beautiful term of endearment spoken to us by the Lord.  He desires us to realize how much He loves us and how it pleases Him when we allow knowledge of who He is in us to flow outward to our souls.

Soul prosperity is vital to our receiving the things God has planned for us.  The soul encompasses our mind, our will and our emotions which are all a part of our experiential life.

Sometimes we carry negative emotions and memories from wounds failures and criticisms that hinder our believing that we are indeed “God’s beloved,” and these thoughts can prevent us from moving beyond our current circumstances.

If this is your case, step outside of your normal thinking pattern and allow Jesus to help you see yourself living and experiencing III John:

Healthy, Happy and Prospering in your daily life. 

The world pattern says, I will believe it when I see it!  But, faith and the vision and dream God offers is: I believe for it therefore I will see it come to pass!  See it with your spiritual binoculars as the Scripture promises and then stand knowing it is on its way!

True soul prosperity comes through removing the old clutter - past experiences and painful memories and allowing Jesus to replace them with His purpose and plans for you.  It is very much like defragging a computer.  Remove the old program and replace it with the new program.

As you think about Abram and how honest he was with God by openly sharing his worries, frustrations and concerns, notice that God did not shut the door on Abram’s future, but, in fact, showed him how to believe for great things.

Trust and ask Him to do the same for you. 

Proverbs 29:18 “Where there is no vision (no revelation of God and His Word and something to look upon with contentment) the people perish; but happy and blessed is he who keeps the law (instruction) [of God].

This is the good news! God desires you to have a focus, a vision and something to look upon with contentment.  This can be realized in your life when you believe it is true for you too!

As mentioned in “Focused Faith Gets Results,”

 take time to write down your heart’s desires and find pictures, photographs, magazine articles, etc., that can help you to more clearly bring your faith vision into focus.  Make it a habit to pray over them thanking the Lord for His faithfulness to fulfill His promises. You can imagine Abram looking at the stars nightly and remembering God’s promise to him.  Remember, his circumstances were not always the greatest, but he kept looking up.  And, it came to pass!

The absolutely amazing part of this teaching is that the following Scripture clearly lets us know we are to be a part of the benefits promised to Abraham:

Galatians 3:29 says: “IF YOU BELONG TO CHRIST, THEN YOU ARE ABRAHAM’S SEED AND HEIRS ACCORDING TO THE PROMISE.”

Today, decide your focused faith will bring great results to you and those you love so that your testimony will also be:

“AND IT CAME TO PASS!”

Life - Liberty - Happiness can be yours!

POWER THOUGHT:

LIFE - LIBERTY - HAPPINESS CAN BE YOURS!

Scripture:  Psalms 1: 1-2 (Amplified)

“Blessed, happy, fortunate, prosperous and enviable is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly (following their advice, plans and purposes nor stands submissive and inactive) in the path where sinners walk nor sits down (to relax and rest) where the scornful and mockers gather.”

Who would not desire to experience being blessed, happy, fortunate, prosperous and enviable?  In Psalms 1 God gives us a plan that will bring this into our reality as we meditate on His wisdom!

Also, Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address said:  “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights to life, liberty and happiness!”

Our Scripture focuses our attention on the man or woman who will put God’s word first so they will be in a position to enjoy the benefits of the blessed life God has in store for them.

Being aware that you are here on earth at this time in history, no longer by the will of man, but the will of God, can activate your faith so that God’s plans can be realized.  John 1:12-13 says: “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God!”

Meditating on that alone until it becomes real to you that you are chosen by God to be His child and, to repeat a phrase spoken by someone years ago, “And God don’t make no junk,” will help you to have faith that God has great things in store for you!

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago….” Ephesians 2:10 NLT.

Also Psalms 1:2 illuminates how we get there!  “But his delight and desires are in the Law (the Word) of the Lord and on His law (the precepts, the instruction and the teachings of God) he habitually meditates, ponders and studies by day and by night.”

The word “meditate” is very impacting when we understand that it is more than reading a Scripture or hearing a Scripture perhaps being taught or preached on. To realize the power God wants the Word to have in our lives He wants us to meditate, which means to muse, to ponder, to consider and study closely.  We draw inner wisdom and strength when we think on the Word again and again and allow it to become part of our inner man.

I remember as a teenager there were different genres of music that I loved to hear and sing.  Do you know after singing along with the music over a period of time it became second nature to me.  I knew every word, every pause and the rhythm as soon as the song started playing.

That is how God would have us to be with His Word.  Meditating on it and musing or thinking about what it says and means will cause it to become second nature to us so that we can live in the good of it.

Then the result of focusing on what God has to say about our life and situations when conversation or communication that is contrary to what God says about it arises, you will be well versed as to whether it fits the criteria of Psalms 1:1 “Blessed, happy, fortunate, prosperous and enviable!”  Those are the ultimate goals God has in mind for you, your family, your nation, etc.  Being fully persuaded, which is one of the meanings of faith, equips you to be able to make quality decisions.

For instance, are you feeling unhappy?  Who have you been spending time with?  Jesus said, “I came to give you life and give it to you in a more abundant way.”  Changing your focus from situations that foster negative emotions to what our Savior said His mission was can cleanse your thought processes so you are drawing from your meditation on the Word and the truth becomes activated in your life.

2 Timothy 3:16-17.  “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

When we find ourselves experiencing lack in any area of life, I have heard it said, it is caused by a lack in wisdom.  As we seek God’s direction, He will put people in our path that have experienced success in the area we need help with.  I love the Scripture in Proverbs 11:14 “Where no advice is, the people fail; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety, {victory and wisdom}”

Again, being mindful of where your counsel and advice is coming from is important in having the success in life that God intends.

One of the main areas that we must be mindful of is information, advertisements and pictures that come to us through Media.  What is broadcast may be factual in the natural world, but not necessarily the truth in God’s economy!

Envying others?  Envying is a strong feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else’s qualities, possessions or perceived luck.  God wants us to be so aware that He created us for His pleasure and has opportunities for us that only we can fulfill through seeking His wisdom will keep you from feeling let down or left out when others seem to be having an advantage.  Stay in faith that you are special to Him and that is the way to let go of discontentment or resentfulness!

When we use our faith to acknowledge that we are actually His workmanship created for good works to walk in, this can open channels for us to live the life Jesus paid for us to experience.

Jesus said His purpose for coming to earth was to give us life and give it to us in a more abundant way.  Life in this Scripture means:  the state of one who is possessed of vitality, a fountain of intelligence, a life active and vigorous devoted to God, blessed even in this world with every kind of blessing of those who put their trust in Christ! 

This Scripture says every blessing paid for by Christ belongs to you and the more you put your trust in Christ through knowledge of what He has done, the more faith is released to receive it!

Galatians 5:1 says:  “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (or bondage).”

True happiness and liberty comes through us spending time with the Lord and asking Him to reveal who we are because He lives in us.

In order to be happy, it is important to realize that success in life is a journey, not a destination. 

Each day is a gift.  We can realize true life, liberty and happiness when we focus on delighting ourselves in our Creator.  We do this by sharing and talking with Him, praying and petitioning Him according to His Word and expecting with great faith that answers are on their way.

As Abraham Lincoln said, “God has given each person a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.” 

Even though he had failed with many setbacks through life, one of his famous quotes was “I’m a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn’t have the heart to let him down.”  Could he have been speaking of Jesus? 

As we take time to ask ourselves important questions such as: “Is my life going in the direction God desires for me?   Where should I be focusing my attention?  Find out what makes you happy inside, where Christ lives, and begin to let this be your prayer focus and believe that God will help you as you pursue your talent and purpose you were created for because it says in Colossians 1:27 “To them (that includes you) God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” 

Also, today be aware as Psalms 1 says: “Of where you walk, where  you sit and relax and who you are listening to,” because you will either move into greatness listening to God’s truths or falter by listening to others’ opinions that may or may not be the truth.

God has blessed us with the ability to make great choices every day that will bring Him glory.  When you know the truth and the Truth Giver, Jesus, the choice is easy because then you can live life in liberty while pursuing the happiness He ordained from the beginning for you to walk in!

As you take time to meditate on this teaching, I pray Life - Liberty and Happiness will become yours more than ever before in Jesus’ Name! Amen.