dickbraswell

Word for Today:  September 20

Use what you have. Begin where you are.

David, the sling shot boy, did not wait until he had something else or something better… he took what he had and trusted God to make it work…  He took his staff… his sling… and five smooth stones.  He did not wait for something better or delay for more equipment to arrive… He used what he had.

You can take what you have and defeat the devil today.  If you have been waiting for something else you have been waiting in vain.  Some are waiting for more faith…. more strength… more favorable circumstances… more money…  but God wants you to take what you have and use it to overcome the devil.

You are a New Creation in Christ Jesus and you can do all things through Him.  You have more than enough right now to overcome the devil. Remember… the devil’s biggest and best is still no match for the smallest and weakest in the Kingdom.   Jesus said: “He that is least in the Kingdom is greater than John the Baptist…”

David took what he had and partnered with God. And that, friend, will always give you the advantage over the powers of darkness.  Any warfare with the devil is always unfair to the devil…  he always has the short end of the stick and is at the mercy of the weakest Believer.

What you have is enough.

Just. Use. It.

Word for Today:  September 19

Agree with God.

In every conflict with the enemy, speak words of Faith and Confidence.  Make your words agree with God’s Word.

David confessed that God would deliver him and he made this confession before he confronted the giant.  “… He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine…”  David knew the same God that had delivered him out of the mouth of the lion and the paw of the bear would deliver him out of the hand of the uncircumcised Philistine.

After David made this powerful confession of his faith, he based his actions on what he had confessed.  He SAID and then he DID.  So make your confession and base your actions on what you confess.  DO what you SAY.  Say it.  And then do it.

How are you talking?  What are you saying?  Is your mouth speaking what is in your heart? The words of your mouth will determine the outcome of your battle.  Remember:

Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth… (Prov. 6:2)

The size of the “giant” you are facing has nothing to do with your impossibility.    Nothing is too hard for God…  God and one are always a majority.   Resist complaining and feeling sorry for yourself.  Make your most powerful confession in the face of your most formidable enemy.

Listen to what David said as he faced the giant:

• “The Lord will deliver thee into my hand…”
• “I will smite thee and take thine head from thee…”
• “I will feed you and the Philistines to the birds…”
• “The battle is the Lord’s…”
• “He will give you into our hands…”

David said it. David believed it. David did it.  And David got what he said.

And so will you

Word for Today:  September 18

Fear always initiates defeat.

Fear always births and brings defeat.  Fear is the opposite of Faith.  If you are IN FEAR you are OUT OF FAITH.   You will never stop the devil and win the victory if you live in fear and give in to fear.

David said:  “let no man’s heart fail him because of fear…”   No believer ever has any legitimate reason to be afraid.

Because:

• “If God be for you who can be against you?”
• “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper…”
• “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.”

Recognize that fear is a spirit… it is a demonic force designed to bind you into defeat and failure.

Your fear is an open invitation for satan to come and move in and take charge.   You will never have victory in any area of your life that is dominated by fear.  The thing that you “fear most” will “come upon you”… (Job 3:25)

Fear is unbelief.  Fear is a lack of trust in God.  Fear always sees impossibilities, obstacles and circumstances.  Fear magnifies the negative and exaggerates the impossible.  Every giant looks bigger through the eyes of fear.  Only David refused fear… Saul and the entire Israelite army were terrified and paralyzed by fear.

Fear has prevented your victory and your fear will keep you out of victory.  You cannot overcome the devil if you live in fear.

Dare to accept satan’s challenge today.  Deal with and defeat the spirit of fear.   Make plans to attack and invade satan’s territory.  And take back what he has stolen.

Fear not

Word for Today:  September 17

What Authority is:

Authority is the Ability to do something accompanied by the Right to do it.  Ability coupled with Right equals Authority and Dominion.

A policeman has authority that is enabled by the badge he wares.  And the right to use that authority is empowered by the .45 he packs on his belt.

What Authority means…

It means that every believer has the ABILITY and RIGHT to exercise and enjoy every privilege of Salvation.  This includes, Healing from all sickness and disease, deliverance from all demonic powers,  total protection from all dangers, catastrophes, accidents, or threats to life, prosperity and provision for every need,  preservation in and through every trial, test or temptation, soundness of mind and peace of heart.

It means that every believer has the ABILITY and the RIGHT to redeem every promise God has given.  It means that you are WORTHY to receive what God has promised on the basis of the Righteous Nature in you through Jesus Christ.

For God hath made Him to be sin for us (Who knew no sin) that we might be made the Righteousness of God in Him…  2 Cor 5:21

It means that every believer has the ABILITY and the RIGHT to take complete dominion over all the powers of darkness.  This is what Reigning in Life is.  The Believer is given all that he needs to Reign in Life… life on earth at this time and in this place.  Right now!

For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.   Rom 5:17

Word for Today:  September 16

Our main problem is a mind problem.

The mind tends to believe and act on what the senses tell it.  This is called “sense knowledge.”  When what we do is dictated by sense knowledge, we are living in and on the natural, carnal level.  The Word tells us that:

To be carnally minded is death, but to be Spiritually minded is Life and Peace… (Rom 8:6)

“Death” has many first cousins.  Worry is one.  Fear is another.  Then comes anxiety, dread, stress, unrest, sickness, poverty, bondage, terror, unstable marriages, messed up kids, fractured and broken relationships.

Death has many facets.  Sense knowledge invites death into our lives and hinders our Spirit from believing God.  This is why Paul tells us that it is important for us to “renew” our minds.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Rom 12:2

How you think and what you think determines who and what you are.

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:  Pro 23:7  

Word for Today:  September 15

Here are some Lies that many Believers have bought into:

• It’s a lie that you are a victim of circumstances.
• It’s a lie that you are helpless and can do nothing about your situation. (According to the Word is no such thing as “I can’t help it.”)
• It’s a lie that you are locked into impossibilities and hopeless conditions.
• It is a lie that “things will never change.”
• It’s a lie that you must be miserable, sad, depressed and defeated most of your life.
• It’s a lie that you must stay sick.
• It’s a lie that you must continually live in lack and need.
• It’s a lie that your family cannot be saved and delivered and that they will never love and live for God.
• It’s a lie that you can never change.
• It’s a lie that your marriage is beyond repair.
• It’s a lie that you will never have a good job, and that you will never make a decent living.
• It’s a lie that you will never be out of debt. (Unless you disobey the Word regarding your money, your giving and your spending.)
• It’s a lie that you must always live under a curse.
• It’s a lie that you will never get better, feel better, become stronger, stop worrying, overcome fear, or be a success.
• It’s a lie that you can’t.
• It’s a lie that it’s impossible.
• It’s a lie that you are weak.
• It’s a lie that you are a loser.
• It’s a lie that Prayer does not work.
• It’s a lie that it is “too late.”
• It’s a lie that God does not care.
• It’s a lie that miracles never happen anymore.
• It’s a lie that God does not speak today.

“Fear Not” is the most reoccurring command in the Bible.

Fear believes the lie.

Faith Believes God

Word for Today:  September 14

Faith and facts.

Truth, which is activated by Faith, is more powerful than Facts.  Facts are activated by reason.   Faith was present before Facts existed.  Faith gave birth to facts.  The Faith of God produced the Fact of Creation.  Faith always takes precedence over facts.  Truth has more power than Facts.  When the Word (Truth) is mixed with Faith it becomes Revelation.  It becomes Wisdom.  It becomes the primary force that functions in the Spiritual World.

Truth is Spiritual.  Facts are natural.  Truth is “unseen” Facts are “seen.”  Truth is understood by Faith, Facts are understood by Reason.  Truth is the functioning force in the unseen Spiritual World; Facts are the functioning force in the visible Natural World.  What we believe and how we believe determines which “World” we live in.

When we Believe with the Heart… we are making a decision to live by Faith.  By trusting God.  Living by Revelation.  By the Rhema Word.  By understanding.  By KNOWING.

This enables us to discern the difference between the Truth and Facts.  When facts contradict Truth we disregard the facts and choose to believe the Truth.  And we continue to believe the Truth until the Truth becomes a fact.

Faith creates facts

Word for Today:  September 13

Conflict

The more active you get and the more vocal you become for God, the greater the conflict.  As long as you are satisfied being “average” and “normal” and “sensible” and “reasonable” there will be little or no opposition.  When you get determined, so does the devil.  The fact that you and I are threats… serious threats… to hell and hell’s mission, makes us the focus of satanic activity.  However, the

Weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds… 2Cor 10:4

God has equipped us for victory.  Our weapons are not natural, man-made or physical.  They are Supernatural and never-failing.  When we operate in the offensive, our Spiritual Weapons will tear down and destroy every fortress and stronghold the enemy has placed in our lives.

Every attack of the devil is a challenge to the God in us… he is fighting the God in you (therefore he is fighting a losing battle).  The battle you fight is not yours.  It is God’s.  The devil hates Him and when he sees God in us, he is foolish and dumb enough to come against Him.  Remember David?

This is the reason the devil hates you… you are where God is.  When he see you he sees God.  He hates God and defies God.  David realized this in his confrontation with Goliath.  He declared:  “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”  Notice, he did not say that Goliath was defying the armies of Saul or the armies of Israel… but instead, the armies of the living God.   Now, Who is the Champion?  Who is the Stronger One?  Who is the Victorious One?

It is God Who lives in you.

If He wins, you win.

If He can’t lose, you can’t lose.

If He overcomes, you overcome.

He has made you a Champion

Word for Today:  September 12

Problem areas.

I have discovered that there are three main problem areas in the lives of Believers.  These problem areas, if left alone and not controlled, will prevent any Christian from living and walking in victory.

The problem areas are:

• The Flesh… which needs to be crucified and kept crucified.
• The Mind… which needs to be renewed and kept renewed.
• The Mouth… which needs to be controlled all the time.

The flesh is constantly warring against your spirit.  I do not need to tell you this.  You experience it every day.  It rebels against your spirit.   It is at odds with God.  It hates the Word.  It resists the Holy Ghost.  It likes to run loose.  It demands attention.  Uncontrolled, it causes misery, guilt, condemnation, and failure.  And death.

The Bible tells us how to have victory over the flesh.

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.Gal. 5:16

The way to overcome flesh is to walk in the Spirit.  It is our flesh that is constantly giving us trouble.  It is our flesh that causes us the most grief.  Flesh is not sinful in itself.  It was created by God.  It is when we allow flesh to be controlled by a carnal mind and an uncontrolled will that we are tempted to sin… and usually yield to it.

To walk in the Spirit means to have your total life (spirit, soul and body) controlled by the Holy Ghost, the living Spirit of the Most High God, Who lives in you.

The flesh lusts.  It is the nature and character of the flesh to lust.  Lust after food.  Lust after rest.  Lust after gratification.  Lust after comfort.  Lust after pleasure.  Lust after money.  Lust after attention.

To prevent lust from having its fulfillment, your life needs to be controlled by your Re-created Human Spirit.

Problem solved

Word for Today:  September 11

Out of control.

Paul declared that he was wretched, miserable and frustrated because he could not seem to get control over his natural, fleshly, carnal desires.  (Rom 7:24)  They were ruling and controlling him.  They were overpowering his spirit man and leading him into bondage and condemnation.  He needed help.  Just like you and I need help.  And there is help… Thank God!

God understands our dilemma. He knows that we are “but flesh.”  He understands our failures and frustrations.  He wants us to draw from what He has provided so that we might live in victory and peace.   There is conflict between the flesh and the Spirit.  It is a war.

Paul says that this is a Law of Sin and it is continually warring against the Law of our mind.  The law of sin fights against our will.  What we will to do is overpowered by the strength of sin (the flesh) and we find ourselves defeated and overcome.

In order to overcome the strength of sin that fights against us, the human will must come into play.   If you overcome the flesh, you must want to overcome the flesh.  You will never get free unless you want to be free.  God will not work against the human will.  What you will and what you want, God will respect.  He will not intervene or force Himself into your life and your plans.  If you want out, God will get you out.  If you want to stay under the control of your flesh and continue to suffer the consequences… God will not stop you.  Your deliverance is up to you.  Not me.  Not the church.  Not some prophet or evangelist… or anybody else…. Your deliverance is dependent on you.

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 1 John 5:4

Let not (you have the power to “let” or to “let not”) sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Romans 6:12

It’s up to you