dickbraswell

Word for Today:  July 12

There will be times in your Christian Experience when it seems like nothing is happening even though you are praying and believing.

However, waiting is not bad.  Not if you understand what is taking place in the realm of the Spirit.  When you PRAY and BELIEVE, powerful spiritual forces are released.  These forces are invisible but they are REAL.  They work and they produce.  While you wait, you can reinforce your faith.  You do not have to get discouraged, or depressed or frustrated.

Waiting can cause you to discover facets of God’s Grace and Tender Mercies that you never knew existed if  you wait with confidence and faith.

You will reap in due season (there is an APPOINTED TIME set BY GOD for your answer!), if you faint not… Gal 6:9

While you wait, there are some things you can do to strengthen your Faith Position.  Waiting does not mean “doing nothing.”  “Resting” in God does not mean idleness or inactivity.  Read the Word.  Meditate the Word.  Pray the Word.  Say the Word.

While you wait you can be assured that:

• God is working
• satan is resisting
• Patience is developing
• The answer is on the way

And God is with you

Word for Today:  July 11

Somebody is going through the fire today.

Fires are common to all Believers.

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice….  I Peter 4:12

There are several things you can do when you find yourself in the fire.

• You can run away
• You can try to put out the fire
• You can surrender and get burned up
• You can beg for help or
• You can rejoice, trust God and stand

We need to understand some things about fires.

• They are not caused by God
• They are not used by God to “teach” us something
• They are not punishment for something you did or did not do
• They are not terminal or fatal for the believer
• They are not unquenchable

Above all taking the shield of FAITH wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked…  Eph.  4:16

Who through faith… quenched the violence of fire… Heb. 11:33-34

It’s great to know that God will not only deliver us from the fire but will walk with us through it…  (Isa 43:2)

And where He is I will always be OK

Word for Today:  July 9

Have you ever been in a place where you honestly confessed that you 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 God.  And seek God.  And ask God.  Turn to God and confess that without His intervention, all our human and natural efforts will not produce any answers or solve any problems.

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 (2 Chron 20). He was defenseless against such overwhelming odds.  He had no escape route…. Nowhere to run.  Nowhere to hide.  Nowhere to seek refuge.  He was in line for defeat.  Humiliation.  And death.

He had exhausted all his resources.  Nothing he had and nothing he could do would be able to deliver him and his nation from total disaster and defeat.  He 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 with it, I can do something about it!”

And He did.

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.

Word for Today:  July 8

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.  1Co 2:9

This verse is not necessarily limited to mean only those awesome things awaiting the Believer in Heaven.

God has prepared unimaginable “things” in the present for those who love Him.  Do you love Him?  Then those “things” are for you and they are for you today.  Right now.

So, praise God and act as if the answer has already come. Refuse to doubt.  Believe with all your heart.  Hold on to your confession of faith.  Get your mind renewed by the Word of God.  Talk right.  Say the Word.  Confess the Word.  Talk the Word.  Act out your faith.  Act like you already have “it” and you will get “it.”

Live in an atmosphere of Praise.  Thank God.  Praise God.  Give God glory.  Worship God.  Pray in the Spirit.  Praise and thank Him in all situations and circumstances. Honor Him.  Trust Him.  Esteem Him.  Glorify Him.

And you will see your situation begin to change.    Immediately.  Now.

Today

Word for Today:  July 8

Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD. Psa 150:6 

Praise God and thank Him for the answer before your answer comes.  Praise God for the answer before you see it, feel it, or have it.  Your sight and your feelings are subordinate to the Word of God.  As far as God is concerned, you already have what you believed for.  He has already given you all things that pertain to life and godliness…

According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:  2Pe 1:3

I have a question.  What situation or circumstance would you like to see changed more than everything else?  What one thing have you been believing for over everything else?  What is the greatest desire of your heart at this very moment?  What one thing drives you and is the focus of your passion?  What is that one thing?  The One Thing that is presently the heart of your praying?   That One Thing that rises above all other situations and circumstances that you really would like to see manifest?

What if God visibly walked right into your presence now… at this moment… and with loving grace and mercy actually presented you with that One Thing you have so longed for?   Here it is.  What you have prayed and believed for.  This is it.  It is yours.   You now have in fact what you have believed for in faith.

Now… how would you act?  What would your response be?  Would you sort of glance off to the side and say “ho hum…”  “Well, so what?”  Could you walk off and be passive and unappreciative?   Would you be thankless and ungrateful?  Just what would you do?  How would you act?  What would your physical and mental reaction be if you got that One Thing that had been the focus of your believing for all these years?  Would you shout?  Would you praise God?  Would you leap for joy?  Would you run around the room?  Would you whoop and holler and dance and rejoice?  Is that what you would do?  Most of us would.  We would be uninhibited and unashamed to react in a noticeable physical manner.

Here’s a famous verse from the Gospel according to Bro. Dick… “Act like you got it and you will get it….”  Acting as if it is already here in the now is a fulfillment of Mark 11: 23 and 24.

And this is perfectly natural for any Spirit Filled, faith-filled, Word Believing individual.

The world cannot understand this

Word for Today:  July 5

Where the Power is.

One reason many do not have Power is because they do not know where it is.  If they do not know where it is they cannot function in it.   If they cannot function in it they cannot use it.  If they cannot use it they will be buffeted and whipped by the devil.  And the things that need changing will not be changed.

God’s power is not exclusively in heaven.  We have been taught that we are to pray for God’s Power to fall on us.  For God to “send the Power…”  For the “Fire of God” to fall and come down from heaven.

We were led to believe that we could do nothing unless the Power “fell” on us.

I often prayed for a Revival to come down from Heaven.  Our concept of God’s power has been flawed.  No wonder we can’t operate in God’s Power… we don’t even know what it is, where it is, how to get it or how to release it.

Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the (wonder-working, miraculous) power that worketh in us…  Eph 3:20

God’s Power does not “come down” or “fall on us.”  God’s Power emanates and rises up from our re-born human spirit that is Re-created in the Image of God and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ!   It is not in heaven and it is not floating in space or gathering in the skies to fall on us when we “pray through…”

IT is in us

Word for Today:  July 5

From the hearts of fifty-two framers of the Constitution, flowed the documents and structures which formed the foundations for this great nation: The United States of America.

“Of all the writings of the founders of our country, 94 percent either directly or indirectly cited the Bible.

In September 1774, the First Continental Congress opened its initial session with prayer.  Psalm 35 was read aloud:  “My soul shall be joyful in the Lord; it shall rejoice in His salvation… awake and rise to my defense!  Contend for me my God and Lord…”

George Washington often spent hours in prayer without interruption.  In his prayer book, he wrote:  “Direct my thoughts, words, and work. Wash away my sins in the immaculate Blood of the Lamb, and purge my heart by the Holy Spirit…  Daily frame me more and more into the likeness of Thy Son Jesus Christ…”

In his dying words, Alexander Hamilton, signer of the Constitution, spoke of his faith in Jesus Christ.  “I have a tender reliance on the mercy of the Almighty, through the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ.  I am a sinner.  I look to Him for mercy.”

Samuel Adams, signer of the Declaration of Independence, declared:  “First of all, I resign my soul to the Almighty Being who gave it… relying on the merits of Jesus Christ for the pardon of my sins…”

81 year-old Benjamin Franklin speaking at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 said:  “I have lived long, Sir, and the longer I live the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God governs in the affairs of men.  And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable than an empire can rise without His aid?  We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that ‘except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.’  I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without this concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel.”

From where did these men come?  What gave rise to such character and such confidence and such faith in God?  How did these men and women develop into such Champions of Liberty and Democracy?  I tell you, they came from Christian, Bible-believing, God-honoring, morally pure families.

Oh, God, give us Godly leaders…..

Word for Today:  July 3

Rejoicing opens the door to your dreams.

Rejoicing is acting like you have the dream before you have it.  Rejoicing is thanking God for it before you have it.  Rejoicing frustrates the devil and confuses the demons on assignment to destroy you and your dreams.  Rejoicing is praising God for the answer before you have it.  Rejoicing is enjoying your dream before it is fulfilled.

Many years ago, I had a dream for an airplane.  I had been flying for a good while and I really wanted a plane of my own.  It was my dream.  Airplanes are very expensive and there was no way I could purchase one with my own financial resources.

But I wanted an airplane.  It was the desire of my heart.  It was my dream.  At this time in our Spiritual development, a powerful Faith Preacher came across out path.  He taught us to rejoice and praise God for our answer (dream) before we actually had it.

I decided to try what the Preacher taught.  I began to plan on my airplane.  If my plane was on the way, I wanted to be ready for it when it came, so I began to up-grade my flying skills.  I enrolled in a flight training program and began to work on an instrument rating.

As this was taking place (it took about a year), I decided to fly my plane before I had it.  My 1967 Chevrolet became my airplane.  Every time I drove it, I acted as if it were an airplane.  The dash board became an IFR panel… with all the latest electronic and navigational radios and equipment.

The steering wheel became the control yoke and the gas pedal became the throttle.  When I reached 60 miles per hour, I would pull back on the steering wheel and watch the instrument panel as I became “air born.”

I flew my Chevrolet for nearly two years when one day a businessman met me and said “I hear you are believing for an airplane….”  I said yes and I told him about flying my Chevrolet for two years.  He responded “OK, God told me to buy you one.  Go and pick it out and I will pay for it….”

My 1967 Chevrolet turned into a 6-place Cessna 206

Word for Today:  July 2

The sum total of your life is the result of what you have chosen and what you have refused.

You are not a “Victim of circumstances” you are a “victim” (or a victor!) of the choices you have made and the temptations you have refused.

Everything you are today is the result of what you have determined to choose and refuse.  Everything that you have today (or don’t have) is the result of what you decided to choose and what you decided to refuse.

Your problems are not the result of your environment.  Your problems are not the result of your family.  Your problems are not the result of your race.  Your problems are not the result of your economic situation.  Your problems are not the result of your lack of education.

All your problems are the result of what you decided to choose and what you decided to refuse.

God has set before you life and death… It is up to you to choose which one you want.  God has set before you blessing and cursing… it is up to you to choose which one you want.

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: De 30:19

This verse is actually a “multiple choice test.”  And God gives you the answer to it.

Choose LIFE

Word for Today:  July 1

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 11:23

Do mountains have ears?  Of course not.  But Jesus commands us to talk to them anyway.  Do you mean we are supposed to talk to mountains?  If we have one or some YES.  It is important that we talk right.  It is important that we say the right things.  It is important that we get our tongue in line with the Word of God and that we make our tongue and our lips say what God says.

We are not to look at or consider our circumstances, or talk about our circumstances, or meditate on our circumstances, us are supposed to talk to them in Jesus Name and tell them where and when to go.

Many people never get their situation or circumstances changed because they are always praying and begging God to change it for them.  When, the truth of the matter is, God has already told us to talk to it and change it ourselves.    Do we have a tongue?  Do we know how to use it?  Can we speak words?  Can we say things?  Death and life are in the power of our tongue.  When we begin confessing with our mouth and talking to our situation, we will begin to change it by the power of our spoken word as we speak the Word in Faith.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.   Pro 18:21

You will have what you create with words you speak