dickbraswell

Word for Today:  August 11

Seed.

What you do with Seed determines what Seed will do for you.  Seed is created for one purpose.   It is created for planting and producing.  God created Seed to grow and produce fruit.  Seed is created to do something.  You can sort it, study it, save it or plant it.  But only planted seed will produce.  Production is the point.  Abundant harvest is the goal.  Every Seed is created to produce more seed.  “Any idiot can count the seeds in an apple but only God can count the apples in a seed…”  Seed produces abundance.

In the Bible, God makes some comparisons.  He compares the Kingdom of Heaven to seed.  He compares Faith to seed.  He compares the Word to seed.  He compares the Children of the Kingdom to Seed.  God obviously likes Seed.  He wants us to learn the lesson of the seed.

There are many kinds of seeds.  There are Good seeds and Bad seeds.  Some seeds produce life others can produce death, sickness and pain.  In the principle of planting seed… remember that like produces like.  “What you sow is what you grow…”   What you grow is what you get.  What you get produces Life or death.  What you sow will produce success or failure.

Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap…    Gal 6:7

Word for Today:  August 10

The source of all conflicts.

The Believer is constantly bombarded by conflicts and difficulties.   satan buffets and tries and tests and tempts.  “Many are the afflictions of the righteous…” and we can all say “amen” to that.  We must remember, however, that the “Lord delivereth them (us) out of them all…”  (Psa 34:19).  The Life of Faith is filled with confrontations and conflicts.

Remember, conflicts will control you or YOU will control conflicts.   It is up to you and what you do.  Your spiritual (and natural) success depends on what you know and what you do with what you know.   Some have grown “weary” in well doing.  Some have “run out of gas” spiritually.  Others have retreated from their faith stand and gone back into religion, tradition, doubt and reasoning.

Understand that satan wants to stop you before you go “too far.”   he wants to keep you from getting where God wants you to be.  he will set traps, and build obstacles and release devices and fiery darts to hinder your spiritual growth and development.  he wants you to ease up, let up, and finally give up.  he will move you into doubt and negativism if possible.  he wants to make you an embarrassment to the Church and the Kingdom of God.  he wants you sick and weak.  he wants you stressed and full of worry.  he will turn up the heat and tighten the screws to keep you frustrated and maxed out.  Frankly, he wants you dead and out of his way.

Conflicts come from hell.  God is not the author of conflicts or the Creator of circumstances .  God is a Helper and not a hinderer.  God is a Multiplier and not a subtractor.  God is a Good God and He does Good things.  Obstacles, conflicts, tests, trials, temptations come from the devil.

God is Good.  God does good things. The devil is bad.  The devil does bad things.  God does not do bad things.  The devil does not do good things.

Theology 101

Word for Today:  August 9

Things can be better.

Many feel “resigned” to certain situations that seem to be changeless.  Things that appear to be set in concrete.  Things that have been going on for a long time.  Things that cause despair, discouragement and disappointment.  This prison of things that seem unchangeable cause many to faint.  To falter.  To lose the joy of living.  To become resigned to failure and frustration.

Do you understand that it is the devil who LIES to you about things that cannot be changed?  God wants to bring you into a New Place.  He wants to reveal some Newness into your life.  He wants you to move up to a higher level of living.  He has provided a Way for you to escape.  To emerge from the doldrums of a boring, mediocre, disappointing life to a life of adventure and excitement and anticipation.

It is not the will of God for you to grow Old in your heart and Resigned in your mind.  His Will is for you to continually and constantly live a fulfilled and productive life. He wants you to stay young in your mind.  He wants you to think young.  And vigorous.  He wants you to be creative and innovative.  Is this what you want?

One of the biggest lies ever to come out of hell is the lie that things will always have to stay the way they are.  They can be better.

Things change when we change them.  Things change when we come into the revelation of Who we are in Christ and what God has already done for us.  The devil builds walls to confine us.  To restrain us.  To hold us back.  The fundamental principle of our Salvation and our Position in Christ is that we have been set free.  Not “going to be” but “already have been.”

We are at this very moment in possession of Resurrection Life.  God has DONE all this is necessary or that will ever be necessary for us to reign in life (Rom 5:17).    Not struggle.  Not strive.  Not suffer through.  Not tolerate.  Not stay stuck.  But to Live in Resurrection Life…. NOW.  TODAY.

Change happens when we make it happen

Word for Today:  August 8

Unstoppable.

There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage:  Joshua 1:5-6

No enemy can stand in your way.  No need to fear and be timid.  No reason to be anxious.  God says that no man (no demon, no devil, no situation, no circumstance, etc.) can stand before you (if they cannot stand before you, they must submit to your authority and the power of your words), all the days of your life.

How long?  All the days of your life!  When you are young and when you are old.  When you are strong and when you are weak.  When you feel bad and when you feel good.  When everybody is against you and nobody is for you.  When you have nothing.  When you are stressed.  When you are tired.  When you are discouraged.  When you are facing a dead-line.  When there is no way out.

Nothing and nobody can stand in your way when you are in pursuit of God and God’s will for your life.  When you choose to live and refuse to die.  When you choose Truth and refuse the Lie…  You join with God and connect with the supernatural.  And NOTHING can stand before you.

You are unstoppable

Word for Today:  August 7

Be strong and of a good courage…  Joshua 1:6

Be strong and courageous.  Being strong is a decision you make.  You do not “get strong” you “be strong.”  Being strong is a decision.  You decide to be weak.  You decide how you are going to be in your life.  It is really up to you.  You do not wait to get strong…. You “be strong!”  It is a specific choice you make.

God is saying to us:  Be Strong.  Don’t be weak.    Be strong in faith.  Strong in the stand you take.  Strong in the Word.  Strong in your calling.  Paul commands us to “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”  You can be strong or you can be weak.  Strong is better!

Strong wards of hell.  Strong defeats the devil.  Strong believes the Truth.  Strong refuses the Lie.  Strong never fails.  Strong never fears.  Strong resists.  Strong STANDS.

Courageous is Alert, Steadfast, Established, Prevailing, Obstinate… It is to be “on foot” and alert.  It means to be awake and not asleep.  It means to be locked and loaded.  It means to be ready.

Do you have the courage to do something about your situation?  Do you have the courage to challenge hell over your family?  Your marriage?  Your finances?  Your health?  How much courage do you have?  God commands us to BE COURAGEOUS.  Courage is the opposite of fear.  It is boldness and assertiveness.  It is refusing to stand still and watch the devil devour your possessions.  It means to launch an attack.  It means to be aggressive.  It means to be offensive.  It means to run into the battle!       Just as David ran toward his giant.

Don’t look at the size of the enemy.  Look at the size of the prize.  (Phil 4:13)

Word for Today:  August 6

Look up.

Why are you broken, wounded and sad?  What has come into your life that produced fear and dread and pain?  What are those elements in the Human Experience that make life miserable?  Do you understand that every misery and pain in life is caused by the devil?  By the powers of darkness… by those spirits in high places that purpose to kill, steal and destroy?    Here are some and I know you can find some of these lurking within your heart….

Rejection, loneliness, being unloved, failure, frustration, fear, worry, uncertainty, bondage, being “blue,” feelings of melancholy, unhappiness, burdens… loaded with care, being broke… strapped financially, guilt, condemnation, sickness, disease, pain, broken hearted, weariness and fatigue, anxiety, grief, hopelessness, no joy, continual sadness, feelings of worthlessness, no purpose  in living, disappointment, boredom, lack of self-esteem, feelings of emptiness, resentment, anger, unforgiveness, and on and on I could go.

Are you in here somewhere?  Did you meet your “personal pain” in this list?  Are you continually coping with any of these?

Do you know that all of these are works of darkness and that they are sent from the devil to destroy you?  Do you realize Jesus took these on Himself, shed His Blood and DIED to make you FREE of these?

Since satan did not succeed in keeping you from getting saved, he now purposes to make you miserable.  To make you tired of living.  To frustrate God’s Purpose for your life and to keep you blind and ignorant of the MAGNITUDE of YOUR REDEMPTION.

“Two prisoners stared through prison bars…One saw mud, the other stars…”

Look Up

Look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh…   Lu 21:28

Word for Today:  August 5

Getting God’s Power.

Jesus commanded His followers to stay in Jerusalem UNTIL they got what He had for them.  It was a Baptism of Fire and Power.  It was the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and it would empower them to continue the work that Jesus has begun.   Jesus knew quite well what the disciples needed and He knows quite well what we need today.  It is Power that comes by and through a Baptism of Fire and Power.  This Baptism is an experience apart from and in addition to the work of the Holy Spirit which occurs at the time of Salvation and it is called “being filled with the Spirit.”

Do we need that Power today?  What do you think?  They needed it then but we have a much bigger world with much greater needs today.  Many churches seem to be preaching and promoting a self-help gospel.  A warm and fuzzy, touchy feely gospel.   A “feel good” gospel.  The self-help gospel depends on just that…. Self-help.  It gives us more of self and less of God.  But, frankly, I’ve had just about as much of self as I can stand.

I don’t need more of self, I need more of God.  I don’t need more of feeling good, I need more of feeling God.  I don’t need more of what I can do I need more of what God can do.  I don’t need more of my power I need more of God’s power.

Jesus knew that if we continued to do what He began to do we would need more than self.  More than flesh.  More than human effort.

If they needed it then, we surely need it now.  Do you need it?  Do we need it?  Do our churches need it?  Does our nation need it?  Does our culture need it?  Does our world need it?   Then let’s get what God has for us.  And let’s get all that God has for us.

And let’s get it today

Word for Today:  August 4

Fixing damaged faith.

Your faith can be damaged.  We are commanded to “have faith” (Mark 11:22) as well as to “Continue in the faith…” (Acts 14:22).  The one area of concentrated satanic attack is an attack on our faith position.  Some have developed strong faith only to have it attacked, damaged and weakened.

If your faith has been damaged, you need to get it repaired.  Every Believer can stand to have their faith undergirded.  Here are some things that can damage your faith:

• Situations that seem to contradict your faith position.
• Bible Prayer that seems to go unanswered or ignored.
• When individuals who are strong in faith suffer sickness, setback or failure.
• Ministries or ministers who fall into sin and damage the integrity of the church.
• Answers that are delayed to the point of the Believer giving up. When the “due” season for reaping seems to never arrive.
• Slipping into compromise because doubting is easier than believing.

When your faith becomes damaged, what can you do to repair it?  How do we fix broken faith or strengthen weak faith?

• Begin each day with a positive attitude.
• Stand on and boldly confess the Word of God.
• Be faithful, consistent and steadfast.
• Expect good things to happen.
• Live in the atmosphere of praise and thanksgiving.

Strong faith pleases God  (Heb 11:6)

Word for Today:  Aug 3

The impossible fueled a boy’s faith.

When David heard Goliath’s challenge, something happened deep down inside him.   Something began to stir up his Confidence.  Out of this confidence came a surge of supernatural faith and a powerful spirit of boldness.  Faith literally exploded in the heart of David.    Out of his mouth confidence began to speak:

• “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the Living God?”
• “Is there not a cause?” (The God of Israel is being ridiculed and defied).
• “Let no man’s heart fail because of him…”
• “I will go and fight with this Philistine…”
• “The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, HE will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine…” (Notice David did not call Goliath a giant… he called him a Philistine.

Listen to Confidence talk on the battlefield:

“Thou comest to me with a sword and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the NAME of the LORD OF HOSTS, the GOD of ISRAEL, whom thou has defied…”

This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will:    

1. Kill you
2. Cut your head off
3. Give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines to the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth…

Confidence prevailed.  David won.  Goliath lost.  The Philistines were shamefully defeated.  God was glorified.  And David became Israel’s new champion…

The giant you are facing will fill you either with fear or with faith.

Fear will cause you to lose.

Faith will cause you to win

Word for Today:  Aug 2

The day God air conditioned a fiery furnace.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to worship Nebuchadnezzar’s great image of gold (Dan 3).  The decree was that all in the kings domain would fall down and worship the image at the designated time… when the music played, they were commanded to stop what they were doing, fall down and worship the golden image.  Those who refused to obey this edict, were sentenced to death.  Death by being thrown into a burning fiery furnace (Dan 3:6).

Because Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were faithful to the One True God, they refused to fall down and worship the image.  They were arrested.  They were brought before Nebuchadnezzar, who in great rage and fury, questioned them and commanded

if ye worship not (the image), ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? (3:15)

They were not fearful and they were not nervous… they had not cast away their confidence in God…and they declared:

Our God whom we serve is able us from the burning fiery furnace and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.”  (3:17)

In other words, you do what you have to do and we will do what we have to do.  We will see whose God is The God.

The furnace was heated seven times hotter than ever.  The three Hebrews were bound by the king’s men and thrown in the furnace; the fury of the fire was such that those who cast them in were instantly slain by the heat.  They fell down bound in the midst of the burning fiery furnace.  Pay Day has come.  Confidence has a great recompense of reward.

When the king looked in he was astonished.

Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?  …Lo, I see four men LOOSE walking the midst of the fire and they have NO HURT and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God… (3:24-25)

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were delivered from the fire.  But that is not all, they were promoted into a place of prominence and the King was turned into a Believer.

Confidence has a great Pay Day.

Don’t throw your confidence away.

Pay Day is on the way