Faith Works

Proverbs 29:25 (World English Bible - emphasis added) The fear of man proves to be a snare, but whoever puts his trust in the LORD is kept safe. There are no mental health days in Christ. We don't need them. In faith we can claim all the victories of Jesus because by faith we are abiding in Jesus and Jesus is in us. Why do we THINK we need them? Because we don't have faith. We have ideas. We have beliefs. But we don't have faith. When we have FAITH, it works. We need to choose to believe. We need to decide to have faith. And then we need to have it. Isn't that simple? Peter had faith that if it was Jesus walking on the water when he could too (Matthew 14:28-29). Peter lost his faith and started to sink (vs 30). That is all it took. He had faith at the beginning. He didn't have faith in the end. He let something other than his belief decide what was possible between Point A and Point B. The Word is our Point A. What Jesus says is possible. What the Father says is possible. What the Holy Spirit says is possible. They all agree. Consistent from before Day One. Faith. Love is faith. Kindness is faith. Grace is faith. The Tabernacle was faith. The Temple was faith. The cross was faith. The empty tomb was faith. The coming judgment is faith. The Kingdom of God is faith. It is ALL faith. God is life. Faith is life. Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him (Hebrews 11:6). Therefore we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord; for we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:6-7). Faith is the air of the Kingdom of God. We need to breathe to live. It's true in the natural. It's true in the spiritual. We need to breathe faith. Think it. Believe it. Receive it. Faith. It's how we get everything from the Lord. Because we don't see it when it isn't here. We MUST have faith. If we don't faith it, we can't receive it. It is the postal stamp on the package that is coming from heaven. If we don't stamp it. It can't be delivered. All it is, is faith. More than belief. The USING of that belief. He gave us faith in the first place (Ephesians 2:8-9). He gave us all the exact same amount (Romans 12:3). We have it. All of us. The same faith Peter had. The same faith Moses had. The same faith Abraham had. The same faith Jesus had. Faith. How does it work? Words. Why does it work that way? I don't know. All I know is that it is how God did it. Look at the first book of Genesis. Nothing happened unless it was said. Everything that was said, happened. Doesn't matter what translation you read. Doesn't matter if it is a Pentecostal bible, a Catholic bible, or a Hebrew Torah. They are all the same. Word equalled action. Faith equalled happening. There are those who call a whole segment of the Christian experience and call it "word of faith". It is often derided. But every single believer - no matter where they are on the spectrum of religious definitions, doctrine, and liturgical language - every single one is a word of faith believer. Why? Because we believed in our hearts and confessed that belief with our mouths and were baptized as a symbol of that confession of that belief and we were saved (Romans 10:8-11). This is the word of faith we preach it says. Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed, it says. It's a quote from Isaiah 28:16 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says, “Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation. He who believes shall not act hastily. That is faith in something, not faith on nothing. A foundation stone. A tried stone. A precious cornerstone. A sure foundation. That's something you can trust. That is something you can rely on. We are not afraid to have faith in that. To speak that word of faith. And churches all over the word say it again and again and again and again and again. If we believe those words, why not believe the others? I have overcome. Jesus said it. What did He overcome? The world (John 16:33). Death (Psalm 23:4, 1 Corinthians 15:22). Sin (Hebrews 4:15). The devil and his rule (Colossians 2:15, 1 John 3:8). And life (John 3:16-17, 1 Peter 1:3). Sickness in all its forms (Matthew 8:16-17, 1 Peter 2:24). Fear (2 Timothy 1:7). Aloneness (John 15:15). Unfruitfulness (John 15:16). And hate (John 15:17). That is NOT a comprehensive list. But what a list it is already. If you are depressed, anxious, despairing, upset, angry, frightened, lonely, or anything else negative then you are not having faith that Jesus has overcome. You're listening to another station. You're not tuned into the Word. All the negative and bad of this world has been overcome by the Lord Jesus the Anointed One. Bible says so. That was the Word of Faith that we all proclaim. If you listen to the Word, you will know that you do not have to accept any negative anything. You do not have to be in a bad mood. You do not have to be sick. You do not have to be judged. You do not have to be alone. You do not have to put up with any of that. You are NOT of the world. You are NOT a sinner. You are NOT lost. You are NOT alone. You are NOT a failure. You are NOT a NOT. You are all things in Jesus, who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13). What are you saying in the morning? What are you saying to yourself? Are you saying that Monday is a terrible day? Are you saying that you can't wait until the weekend? Are you saying work is stressful? Are you saying you can't face it? Are you saying that you can't handle seeing someone? Are you saying you can't stand phone calls? I've seen the negative confession in action. I have seen people whose children come home with the sniffles and they say "I just KNOW they are going to get this flu that's going around." Next day, kid gets up terribly sick and they say "I knew it! This ALWAYS happens." I have seen others who have children come home with the sniffles and they say "Don't worry about it, baby. You won't get sick." And their kid wakes up feeling fine. If you have faith in Jesus and what He did, it works. I recently heard a pastor say "If it isn't working, it isn't faith". I have never heard a truer thing. If you have the faith, you'll have the happening. If you don't have the faith, it won't happen. Thing is, you can't counteract your faith with your words of habit and unbelief. Watch them. Watch that tongue of yours. It's hard to tame. I have no balance. I can't open jars. I can't go on walks. I have to get a brace. I can't. I always. I shouldn't. Negative talk. So much negative talk. We do it without thinking. I have to correct myself multiple times a day. In my own words. In the words I say to my children. In the words I say to my covenant partner. In the words I say to my parents. In the words I say to my plants. Every word. Every single one. If it is not a confession of faith, it is not faith. If it is not faith, it is harming you. Never forget Romans 14:23. It's a principle of TRUTH. God is faith. Everything else is not Him. If it isn't Him, it's unrighteous. Unrighteousness isn't just not righteous. It is sin. Period. This is not a democracy. This isn't a socialist paradise. This isn't fascism. This is TRUTH. Unequivocal. Pure. Binary. Everything of God is faith. Everything else is not. Why do you want the NOT? Jesus never lost. From His birth to His death, He won. He was never poor. Strangers came from across the world to shower Him with riches when He was a baby. On the spur of a moment, He had two thirds of a year's wages on hand in His purse. He had a house to live in. Boats to ride around on. Fine clothes. Money for offerings and tithes. He couldn't be bound, arrested, or stoned. He went to the cross willingly, defied death, and gave up His spirit exactly when He wanted to. If you read the gospels, you see victory after victory after victory. I have never read a setback he experienced. There were things He couldn't do BUT ONLY BECAUSE THEY WOULDN'T LET HIM (Mark 6:5-6). He was ready, willing, and able, but they didn't have faith. Unbelief is the spirit killer. If you have it, you won't have things of the spirit happening around you. Faith is the spirit releaser. If you have faith, the things of the spirit will happen around you. We have faith. God-given gift. Use it. Exercise it. Deepen it. Strengthen it. Build it up. Like any muscle. Like any body. You can be that thirty-five pound weakling with sand being kicked in his face. You can be the world champion body-builder. Which do you want to be? It's your choice. It's a decision. With one, you do nothing and talk negatively. With the other, you get into the Word and watch your words. Write out some declarations of things the Word says. They're all over the place. Promises. Watch the things you need to do. Not every promise is generic. Some are specific. They are the IF YOU, THEN I ones. None are complex. Are are achievable. But you need to DO if you want to HAVE. Exodus 23:25 is a great example. You shall serve Yahweh your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you. If you are obedient to the Lord and serve Him, you won't get sick. He'll bless your food and drive sickness from you. It will NOT come near you. All you need to do is whatever the Lord says whenever He says it. That doesn't mean that if you miss it you'll be sick. It means just what it says: if you obey Him, you won't get sick. Don't be scared of the promises of the Lord. They are real and they work and that is just the way it is. Take the Lord at His word and ignore everyone who says anything different. I don't care how much schooling they have. I don't care how many certificates. I don't care how old they are. Never be rude. You can even thank them for their opinions. We are to treat one another with real love at all times. But nothing. NOTHING trumps the Word of the Lord God Almighty. It can be taken verbatim. It can be trusted. It is REAL. It is TRUE. And it can be RELIED on. If it says it in the Word, you can have it. We don't cherry pick verses. There is a LOT of correction in the Word. We NEED that. Without Jesus, we are not righteous. We miss it. We disobey. We need to repent. We need to always remember to be broken and not puff ourselves up. We didn't do the things, Jesus did. Don't get a swelled head over what someone else does. You can brag on Jesus. You can be proud of Jesus. You can't say enough about Jesus. But don't put you forward. God will let you know when you need a pat on the back and He will give it. He is a loving, GOOD father and rewards those who obey Him. Never fear. You'll be appreciated. Embrace His promises. Embrace His Word. He will LITERALLY take care of all the rest. Step into overcoming by abiding in the OVERCOMER. Don't fear the world. Don't fear going to work. Don't fear getting up. Don't let your feelings tell you that you cannot. Don't let your mind tell you that you cannot. Don't choose to be burdened by it. Tell all that stuff where to go and how to get there: Jesus' cross, take a left at the empty tomb. In Jesus, you can get out of bed. In Jesus, you can leave that migraine behind. Let JESUS take care of it. Take a step of faith. Faith steps to faith victory. Our weakness, His strength. If it doesn't change your life, you're not having faith you're going through the motions. It is real and it works. If you want to be safe and secure, there is nothing and no one better than Jesus to do for you all that you need done. The Lord will move if you'll show your faith. Just believe. Say it like you mean it, and then mean it like you say it. Put the power of your intent behind the words of the Lord's intent, which is where all power truly resides. See the difference it makes. In your life. In the lives of those around you. In the lives of those you pray for. Light drives out darkness. It bleaches stains out. The Word is the light and the light was for all the world (John 1:1-5). Let it do what it does. You do what you do. Which is: Believe what it says, declare your belief, and obey the Lord. You'll be bouncing out of bed in no time. No mental health days for you. No mental health days for us. Days of faith and glory. His faith, exercised by us, witnessing His glory as we walk obedient, broken, crucifying the flesh, humble before Him! Amen and Amen. As in heaven, so on earth: A Kingdom of Faith. Daily Affirmation of God’s Love: John 1:12-13. He loved us enough to bear us. It is a brutal truth that all babies who are wanted are born because this world has made it so easy to kill those we don't want - and then worked overdrive to convince you that you don't want them. It is evil. It is not life. It is not of the Lord. God is love. His love bore us. Right to term. We were made. In His image. Male and female. What does that mean? It means we are not born of flesh and blood. We are not born by the will of the world. We are not born because of some passion gone wrong (or right). We are not born because natural instinct kicked in. We were born because God Almighty wanted us born and He bore us. We are not subject to the flesh. To mankind. To blood. To the world. To what we see. We are subject to God. Submit to Him, obey Him, and the devil will flee from you. Sickness? Weakness? Depression? Anxiety? It will all flee. You don't need to be weak. You don't need to be sick. You don't need to die. You are not subject to ANY OF THAT. You are subject to God and it is about time you started talking it, walking it, believing it, and receiving it. Get up. Shake your tail feathers. Start talking freedom in Christ. THAT is the will of God. You were born of it. Accept your heritage and abide in Jesus. AN Overcomer in THE Overcomer. NOTHING can hold back the WILL of the FATHER. Receive it today! TODAY GOD LOVES THAT I _____________________________.