When your faith is tested, think about all that God has done to bring you to where you are today. Remember the wonderful testimonies you have heard from others of God’s intervention in their circumstances, and confess that He is able to do it for you!
In every situation of sickness and disease we have three witnesses. One of those witnesses is the Word of God. God’s Word is the truth that He speaks about your situation.
The second witness is what your senses are telling you about the symptoms you’re experiencing. The pain is “declaring” that the sickness and diseases are not healed, the symptoms are still present and that the Word of God is not true.
The third witness we have is the sick person. That sick one has the opportunity to place his or her testimony alongside the Word of God and refuse to take the testimony of the pain or the symptoms—declaring that “by the stripes of Jesus, I AM HEALED!”
King David was not even considered by his own father or family to be thought of as a prospect for anything other than a shepherd. Yet the prophet Samuel singled him out as the one with the destiny to be King of Israel.
What did he do when he received this great announcement and anointing? He went back to shepherding. The difference was, the idea was now birthed in his heart and he began to dream of himself as a king!
But it was neither the prophet nor the dream that made David a king. It was the victory gained through the challenge of Goliath that put him on the path to kingship. Confronting this giant was a decision he had to make alone, but something within him rose up and moved him to face Israel’s enemy. Where others saw a young boy tending sheep in the present, the Lord saw a mighty man leading Israel to greatness in the future.
Search your heart, seize the moment and be bold because of the Greater One living within you!
“…And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith” (Mark 11:22).
Jesus is saying that there is a force inside the heart. It is a force so powerful that even a natural obstacle as large as a mountain cannot withstand its power. This power is called heart-faith, and every day people are using it for either their benefit or their destruction.
Faith is as natural to the heart as air is to the lungs. Most people think it is something only for the super spiritual or saintly, but in reality all of us have it. Where we put it in action will determine our future outcome to our joy or dismay.
What counter-force will short circuit this power? Doubt. When doubt is operating in your heart then fears rise and sleep is lost. Nervousness, sickness and anger spring up, causing wrong decisions with bad consequences. Keep doubt out by using your words to keep your dreams alive!
You might be thinking that your faith is a personal matter. It’s true that it is extremely personal. There is nothing that controls your personal life more than what you believe. At least, that’s what Jesus believes.
He is the authority on life. When He talked with people, what did He predominately tell them to do? He spoke to a woman with a blood disease, saying, “Your faith has made you whole.” He spoke to two blind men, telling them, “According to your faith be it unto you.” He told a high ranking Roman soldier, “As you have believed so be it unto you.”
Notice what Jesus is saying: life is not according to your past experience, your wish, or even what He wants. It is according to what you believe!
One of the great truths of our era that has caused an explosion of growth in literature and given understanding to the spiritual workings of the word of God, is the revelation of seeds.
The power in life is found in the seeds of life, in every aspect of our natural life. A farmer doesn’t need great faith to see a crop or harvest, he just needs enough good sense to plant seeds. He doesn’t need any power or anointing to farm, all he needs is to put the seed in the ground. A farmer doesn’t check the soil to see if the soil is doing its job, he just plants the seeds.
It would be strange indeed to applaud the farmer for all his creativity in a crop, and marvel at his ability to produce. He would humbly say, I just put the seed in the ground.
Every seed in the earth will grow. God’s Word is a spiritual seed full of potential, and when put in the ground of man’s spirit, it will always grow! This truth has revolutionized the church. A preacher who belittles the power of words is like a surgeon who belittles what knife he uses. Would you agree to be operated on if your surgeon was happy to use a kitchen knife?
Jesus said, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you”(John 15:7 author’s emphasis).
He reveals that the power of His Word in your mouth is as powerful as rain upon the earth. When I lived in a desert for three months it became easy to appreciate a little rain. Hidden seeds that lay dormant for years under the sands would spring forth immediately when drops of life from above would fall.
We experience this in our crusade meetings all the time. A little word will bring to life a dormant dream hidden for years in the hearts of people. A word spoken releases a healing from above for those trapped by cancer, lameness, deafness and all types of disease.
“For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it”(Isaiah 55:10-11 author’s emphasis).
God’s Word in your mouth on any subject carries the same weight as if Jesus Himself were speaking. Spoken in faith, it is never empty or ineffective. It brings the rain of blessing from heaven on a cloudless day.
Keep saying what God says and the earth will yield its abundance to you!
Have you ever stopped a storm? Jesus did. In a boat when all others feared for their lives, He spoke peace and the winds obeyed! Over the years we have seen the power of the Name of Jesus in similar situations when storm winds threatened our events.
It is truly a wonder when the winds respond to that name.
It happened in the northern desert of Mexico at a church roof dedication. We were suddenly pounded by a mighty wind and rain such as the people had not experienced before. First the side windows began to rattle. Then the roof we were dedicating began tearing off, panel by panel, right above the pulpit. The people ran for the door and the walls. I did also, but Leslie stood her ground at the pulpit and commanded the storm to stop in the name of Jesus. After she said the name three times, the wind and rain instantly stopped. The roof was saved and we had a glorious celebration!
We live in Florida where bugs thrive in the moist, humid, hot weather. If you don’t place some kind of protection in and around your house, soon you’ll be sleeping with the fleas and stepping on the cockroaches.
The devil is utterly defeated and powerless, but he is an opponent looking for entrance into your home. Like the roaches, he flees when you turn on the light. Our light is the truth of God’s Word. The devil cannot exist in truth, because he is the father of lies.
We observe this truth overseas quite often. Many times we present the Gospel to people groups that have lived in false religions or atheism for a thousand years, and suddenly in a moment, they completely change when they hear truth!
The only weapon the devil has is deception, and his only entrance into a born-again believer is the mind. He is looking for you to grab hold of a lie so he can have a foothold in your life. Allow God’s Word to wash your thoughts and steer your thinking into right paths, and you won’t be tripped up by the devil!
King Solomon is considered the richest man who ever lived and also the wisest man before Jesus Christ. The same spirit of wisdom God “placed upon” Solomon has been “created within” you, the believer in Jesus. This wisdom gives you power to make good choices and brings favor to your life. We see that financial wealth is not alone a satisfaction, but wisdom is the principle thing in life. Solomon’s prayer for wisdom was a key to unlocking wealth.
“Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. “Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for— both riches and honor— so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings” 1 Kings 7:13.
We see that financial wealth alone is not a satisfaction, but wisdom is the principle thing in life. His prayer for wisdom was a key to unlocking wealth!
