dickbraswell

Word for Today:  June 11

Jesus changed things.

He came from heaven and into this world for the express purpose of changing things.  He took the bad and made it good.  He took the weak and made it strong.  He took the dead and brought them to life.

Jesus went about changing things.  He always made them better.  He made it possible for you and me to change things.  He gives us power to alter situations and change circumstances and make things better.

It’s the devil who makes things bad.  demons make life miserable.  However, YOU can change your situation, your circumstances, your bad things into good things.

Maybe today you are living in situations that need to be changed.  You want them changed and you feel trapped because you “think” you can do nothing about it.   Some have been convinced by the devil that they can do nothing about certain situations… “They are hopeless…” They are “impossible”…”You’ll never overcome this…”  “You might as well quit because you can’t win…” these are insinuations the devil makes when you find yourself in a fix.

Others would confess “I can’t help it” or “there is nothing I can do about it…” or “it is out of my hands…”  It is imperative that you know God has given every Believer Authority and Power to change situations and circumstances.

Jesus said: Ye shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make you free John 8:32

This means that the Truth you know and act on shall deliver you (give you the power) to change things.

If you don’t like what’s happening…. change it

Word for Today:  June 10

What is the Will of God?

What is His Plan?  What has He purposed for me?

Jesus prayed for the will of God to be done on earth as it (the will of God) is being done in heaven.  The will of God is the same thing that a last will and testament is here on earth.

The Will is what God has provided for His Children.  It is what He has left for His heirs.  The Will of God is the Word of God… the composite of Truth that provides revelation and knowledge to those who belong to Him.

The level of “all things possible” living must come from a revelation of His Will… which is His Word.  What it is.  What is says.  What it promises.  How it works.  Why it works.

Understanding the Will of God opens the door for one to Believe God and to Believe Him for what He has promised in His Word.

I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.   Jer 29:11 (The Message)

God has plans for you.  Big plans.  Exciting plans.

He plans to give you the future you hope for.

That is The Will of God

When you feel like Quitting

There will be times in your Christian Life when you will just feel like quitting.  You will get tired and weary and impatient.  You will begin to wonder if it is really worth it all.  Discouragement will move in and the devil will be­gin to make you tempting offers and alterna­tives.

The faith walk is not an easy walk. According to Jesus,  the way into life is narrow and straight and only a few will find it.   Sometimes, the way out seems to be just to quit; to follow the path of least resistance. To forget it.  To retreat.  To back down.  You see, it is always easier to cop out than it is to cope.  The greatest temptation any believer faces is the temptation to quit. When you begin to listen to and follow your feelings and your reasoning sets in, the option to quit may look like the best thing for you to do.

The pressure and stress of maintaining your victory may build to the point of breaking.  Situations and circumstances may de­velop that will press you beyond measure and push you “over the edge.”  Now, how are believers to handle such situations?  What are we to do when we feel like quitting?  Where can we go to get some “relief?”  Is there a way out when we are at the breaking point?  What are our alterna­tives?

 You can Quit

This is probably the easiest to do and it is always a temptation when things really get tough.  It is the simplest and of­fers the least resistance.  But anybody can quit.  You can quit.  We can quit.  Many have quit.  And others will quit.  What about you?  Has the devil “got your number?”  What will it take to make you quit?  How much more “can you stand?”  Is quitting a real temptation for you in your situation at this time in your life?  I am sure some reading this right now are at the “giving up” and “quitting” stage.

You can compromise

Satan may be saying to you “if you will back off, I will back off!”  “If you will ease up, I will ease up…”  “If you will compromise, I’ll give you some relief.”  You can back down and ease up and let off.  You can stop and get stuck where you are.  You can re­treat and give up ground that you have fought for and won.  Compromise is an alternative.  But it is costly. You can slip back and fall back and go back.

You can give in to self-pity

You can compare yourself with others and get mad at God.  You can become jealous and envious and get discouraged.  Often you will feel that nobody really cares anyway.  You can begin to wonder about the wicked being blessed and you can get jealous and pout.  You can play on the sympathy of others and complain and murmur.   The pity demons will inoculate you with their lethargy and they will constantly tell you how pitiful you are and how others should patronize you and cater to you.

OR… you can turn your problems into Opportunities to trust God! 

            You can make your “situations” a test track for the Word of God.  You can stand and sing and shout and refuse to accept defeat.  You can endure and count it all joy when you come into temptations and trials.  You can see every impossible situation as an op­portunity to defeat the devil.  You do not have to quit!

OK… so you have decided not to quit.  You have decided not to compromise.  You have de­cided not to feel sorry for yourself.  You have decided to quit complaining and murmuring.  You have de­cided to turn your problems into Opportunities to trust God… NOW:  HOW do you do it?

            FIRST…. Understand that you are not the only believer facing a tough situation.  There are literally thousands of other saints who have not bowed their knee to Baal in the thick of the battle!  The very fact that you are tempted to quit is a good sign.  If you are not facing any resistance, it is obvious you are headed in the wrong direction.  No resistance means you are doing nothing for the Kingdom of God.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.    Ps. 34:19  

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.   1Cor. 10:13  

SECOND... never expect your faith walk to be easy.  You have not chosen an easy way of life!  To live by the Word is the most disciplined life a man or woman can know.  All the forces of darkness are set in array against you… demon powers have zeroed in on you because you have become a threat to them. You should recognize that your “situation” is really a conformation that you are headed in the right direction.  So, begin to rejoice and be glad!

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            THIRD... You should review your contract with God.  Look it over.  If you do, you will see that there is no provi­sion for quitting in it.  When you got saved, you made a Life Commitment to God with no strings attached.  There were no “what ifs” or “just in cases” or other conditional clauses in the Contract.  God did His part.  Jesus did His part.  The Holy Ghost did His part.  The Salvation Contract calls for you to do your part.  You are expected to ENDURE.  You are required to STAND and not WAVER.  You are bound by your Contract with God not to QUIT no matter what.

… but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. Matt. 10:22

For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Hebr. 12:3  

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.   Eph. 6:13  

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  Ps. 91:1  

FOURTH... Remember your victories in the past.  See how God delivered you from the “hand of the lion and the hand of the bear…”  That is what David did as he faced the uncircumcised heathen giant.  Remember and relive the many victories in your past Christian Life.

I can remember the numerous times God came to our rescue in situations when there seemed to be no way out.  In over a half century of preaching, teaching and pastoring, I can attest to the faithfulness of God and the power of His Word.  He provided deliverance in times of financial crisis, attacks of sicknesses and health difficulties, times when we had to totally trust Him for food and sustenance.  Every time… not just sometime, but every time, He was there and carried us through and gave us victory over the devil.  I can only praise Him now as I remember those wonderful times of confidence and trust, knowing that with God all things are possible and that in all seasons and situations He will never leave us nor forsake us.

           We have endured dishonest building contractors and thieving con men.  We have maintained our honesty and refused to bow to criticism.  We have lived down lies and resisted the devil and watched him run.  We have held our head high we have bowed our knee to no man and we have refused to compromise our convictions.  And we won.  We are still winning.  The Word will always win.  And God will never fail.

If you are considering quitting, stop right now and remember your past victories!

            FIFTH… You need to repent for even considering quitting.  It is a sin and an affront to your faith to even give any thought about giving up and going back.

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 2Pet. 2:20  

For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.   2Pet. 2:21    

But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.  2Pet. 2:22  

In fact, you do not have the RIGHT to quit.   You can­not legally cancel your commitment to God.  You are bound by your promise and the integrity of your word.  If you have quit, REPENT and come back.  If you are consid­ering quitting REPENT and stop considering it.  Quitters are apostates.  Quitters are backsliders.  Quitters are losers.  Quitters are cowards.   The Bible calls quitters those who “fall away.”

They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.  Lu 8:13 

            SIXTH… Rededicate your efforts to keep on keeping on.  Renew your mind so that you can think right in the middle of your tight situa­tion.  If you allow your situation to dictate how you think and how you feel you will surely fail and you will more than likely quit.  If you allow your mind to be re­newed by the Word of God you will think like God thinks and you will know that quitting is not an option.

Notice, God did not quit.  Jesus did not quit.  The Holy Ghost did not quit.  The Word did not quit.  Aren’t you glad they didn’t?  Why don’t you decide to be a non-con­formist?  Be a misfit in the declining culture of the world.  Don’t conform to the world and the world system.  Be a Word radical.  Determine to be different.  Don’t yield to the pressures and allow them to make you back down.  Resist all temptations to give in.  Make your boldest confession in the midst of your darkest trial.

You do not have to be like everybody else.  Trying to be like others in order to please men is foolish.  Say this with me right now:

“Jesus, forgive me for even considering quitting.  I repent of the sin of turning back and slowing down and backing down and giving up.  I vow this day to never quit!  I will stand and I will not yield to the pressures of satanic powers.  I decide today to keep on keeping on… no matter what.  I will not be moved.!  Hallelujah.” 

Be as persistent as the three Hebrew Children:  “I will not bow I will not bend… go ahead and heat the furnace and throw us in… God will deliver us out of the fire and out of your hand, devil.!”  (See Daniel Chapter 3)

Be as unwavering as David when he faced his giant with a sling and a stone and the assurance that God was with him…. (we all have our giants to face, don’t we?)  Remember… your “situations” are not defying you… they are defying the Lord God Who lives inside of you!

Then said David to the Philistine, 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 the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 1Sam. 17:45  

This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.  1Sam. 17:46  

And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hands. 1Sam. 17:47  

 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 2Chr. 20:15  

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD. Isa. 54:17  

AND  THEN…  Rejoice and praise God for the Victory even before it comes.  Know you “got it” before you “get it.”  Sing and shout.  Leap and dance.  Run and jump.  Rejoice and praise God right where you are before you see any signs of relief.  Get some banners and flags.  Paint some posters.  Hang out some ribbons.  Declare and advertise your victory before you get it.  Buy a billboard. Let the world know.  Shout it from the housetop!

Show God that you are committed to winning and overcoming.  You can never embarrass God with your faith.  (You may embarrass your friends and family, but not God!)  Persist.  Press through.  Stretch.  See your victory with the eyes of your spirit.  See it so real that you can shout about it.  Sincere, heart-felt praise al­ways precedes victory.  (2 Chron 20:20-21)

… Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.   Jos 6:16 

Word for Today:  June 9

But ye shall receive Power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you…  Acts 1:8

God wants you to have power in your life.  He has fixed it so that you can have power in your life.  He wants you to take His place and Function in His place on this earth every day of your life.  You know that you need God’s Power in your life.  There are some things you want to do and you cannot do them unless GOD’S POWER is operating in your LIFE.  You need:

• POWER over sin
• POWER over being timid
• POWER over being sick
• POWER over wrong attitudes
• POWER over the desires of the flesh and mind
• POWER over the curse of poverty and lack
• POWER over your thought life
• POWER over fear and anxiety
• POWER over your hurt feelings and bruised spirit
• POWER over depression and worry
• POWER over the devil and demons

You know where you need power and why you need power.  You know what God’s Power will do for you and in you.  You know that you can do nothing without His POWER.  You need His Power and you want His Power to work in you and for you.

You are tired of waiting and procrastinating… you have tried other things and they have all failed.  You have read books and you have listened to tapes and you have prayed and you have gone to church… but you have never received the full measure of God’s Power in your life.

It’s yours for the asking.

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.  Mt 21:22

For the promise (of God’s Power) is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.  Acts 2:39

It’s available for you today

Word for Today: June 8

The Rivers flowing

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. John 7:38

We should come together with the Rivers Flowing. Most come to Church to get filled. They are already dry and empty. They have been drained by the demands of the unbelieving world and the constant constraints of the enemy. They come in need. This is not bad, but it is not the Best. To come filled up is better. Filled up and running over.

Can you possibly imagine what kind of a service we would have if everybody came filled up and running over? No need to get “worked up.” No need to get “pumped up.” Coming in as a Mighty River Flowing. Men and women and young people and children with Rivers of Living water gushing out of their inner beings. What a gathering this would be!

The River is the Anointing. The Anointing is the continual pouring forth of the Holy Ghost. It is the One Thing Needed most. In the Church. In the Pulpit. On the stage. In the Musician. In the Body of Christ.

Let the RIVERS flow

Word for Today:  June 6

Has God ever lost a battle?

Has He ever had to take flight and run because the enemy was too big?  Has He ever conceded or fallen into confusion and despair?  Has He ever been afraid?

Remember Who He is and who you are.  You are wall-to-wall God.  “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.”  Don’t be impatient.  You do not have to rush God.

It seems that the very nature of our present world is one of hurry.  Rush.  Speed.  And this contributes to our impatience… our unwillingness to wait.  God’s time and our time may not be the same.

The production time of the Word is programmed in and it is as dependable as God is dependable.  What is programmed will come to pass.  What He promises He will perform.  What He says He will do.  He will confirm His Word “In due season.”   Waiting will develop your patience.

But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. James 1:4  

Waiting is one of the hardest things to do in our Faith Walk.  It is not hard to ask in prayer.  It is not too hard to believe….  But it is next to impossible to wait, with patience, until God confirms His Word and produces in us the “wanting nothing” condition.

God has said we will “reap in due season IF we faint not…”  Gal 6:9

So be patient

Word for Today:  June 6

“There is only one relationship that really matters, and that is your personal relationship to your personal Redeemer and Lord. If you maintain that at all costs, letting everything else go, God will fulfill His purpose through your life. One individual life may be of priceless value to God’s purposes, and yours may be that life.”  Oswald Chambers

What are those things that plague us?  What is it within the Human Experience that brings pain and grief?  What are the things that are burdens and problems to us?  It is precisely here (where we hurt) that God focuses His Grace.  His Provision.  His Relief.  We have seen just how these provisions are met in the Covenant He made with us and that is guaranteed by the Blood of Jesus Christ

What is hurting you?  Where are you broken and 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 your 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?

If we can come to know God’s Purpose for us, we can better get our lives in agreement with it.  Once we come into a living agreement with the Purpose God has for us, we can experience the Abundant Life Jesus promises in John 10:10.

Everybody wants the abundant life, but they may be in agreement with the Purpose God has for them.

And until this takes place, true fulfillment in life is impossible.

And real Peace evades us

Word for Today:  June 5

“I don’t know what to do!”

Have you ever been in a place where you honestly did not know what to do?

The first temptation is the temptation to try to fix it ourselves.  Plans.  Procedures.  Steps to take.  People to see.  We want to “fix things.”  We want to “fix” people.  Instead of throwing our cares and worries and tribulations on Jesus, we think we can fix it ourselves.  We try.  And it does not work.  We try something else, and it does not work either.  We reason.  We consider the problem.  We analyze it, examine it, look at it from every angle and try again.  Another failure.

Finally, we remember to pray.  And seek God.  And ask God.  And turn to God and confess that without His intervention, all our human and natural efforts will not produce any answers.

O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee. 2Chron 20: 12

The King’s army was outnumbered (2Chron 20). They were defenseless against such overwhelming odds.  They had no escape route…. Nowhere to run.  Nowhere to hide.  Nowhere to seek refuge.  They were in line for defeat.  Humiliation.  And death.  They had exhausted all their resources.  Nothing they had and nothing they could do would be able to deliver them from total disaster and defeat.  The king finally confessed: “I don’t know what to do.  But my eyes are on You, Lord….”

There are some attempts at victory that you need to “give up.”  Because they are your plans, your ideas, your efforts and they are done in your strength.  I remember praying one time:  “Lord, I don’t know what to do.  I’ve tried everything I know to try.  I don’t have any resources left.  I give up.”   In my fit of self-pity and false humility, God responded to my heart:  “Good!  Now that you are through, I can do something.”

Giving up on your efforts does not mean giving in to the devil.  It simply means changing your “trying” into “trusting” and then leaving it all to God.

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.  1Pe 5:7

Word for Today:  June 4

Intel

In natural warfare, any nation engaged in conflict is advantaged when they have knowledge of and about their enemy.  This is the reason our country has the CIA.  This is an agency established for the express purpose of gathering intelligence regarding all aspects of our enemies.  Who they are.  What they do.  Where they live.  How they operate.  What to expect.  When they move.  How to counteract their attack strategies and negate the destructive purposes they design against our country.  Intelligence is vital to our defenses and ultimately to the safety and security of our nation.

This same thing is true regarding the conflict every believer has with the devil.  he is our enemy.  he wants us dead.  Defeated.  Overcome.  Sick.  Sad.  Broke.  Depressed.   Every believer needs Intelligence as to how our enemy works.  We need to know his strategies.  Once we know this, we can plan our offense and our defense.  Notice:

• Satanic attacks are the norm for the believer (not the exception)
• Conflicts come when we declare our Faith in Jesus
• Satan defies the God in us… and the Word in us
• The devil messes with our mind…. Leads us into wrong thinking. (Remember… the carnal mind is enmity against God. Rom 8:7)
• The ONLY way the devil can harm any believer is by making them believe his lies. He is the Deceiver.  The Liar.

If you KNOW the Truth (the opposite of the Lie) the Truth will make you Free.  (John 8)

The Truth is the believers INTEL

Word for Today:  June 3

We win.

The Allied victory at Normandy in 1944 is much like the victory we win in our spiritual conflicts.  The enemy was entrenched and holding a secure beachhead. The Germans knew that if they lost here, they would lose the war.  It was do or die.  Win or lose.  Succeed or fail.  It was D-Day.

I believe that some reading this are ready to attack and take the beachheads satan is holding in their lives.   It’s D-Day for the devil.  he thinks he has you pinned down and whipped.  he has relished the day that he will win the ultimate victory in your life.  he is poised for the final push and the final attack.  It is D-Day now… and it is time to celebrate your Victory over the Devil.   

For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.  1Jo 3:8  

D-Day was a crucial turning point in the liberation of France and the entire world from the crushing brutality of the Third Reich.  It forever changed history.  Many of our troops paid the supreme sacrifice… others were wounded and scared and suffered from the vicious intensity of the battle.  Blood flowed on the sandy beaches and down the lofty cliffs of Normandy.  But we won.  And the world was changed.

We still win.  We are winners and not losers.  We win because we Know God and because we refuse to quit.  We live in freedom and security because of the victory on D-Day.  We have the wonderful privileges of liberty… the rights guaranteed to every American citizen because of the blood.  The blood of countless fallen warriors that purchased our freedom.

The Blood of the Sinless Son of God purchased our victory over the powers of darkness.    And we have the wonderful privilege of experiencing liberty and freedom from sin every day in every way over every demon and devil because God has made every Believer a winner.  Jesus captured and destroyed the devil at Calvary.

The battle has been won