dickbraswell

Word for Today:  July 24

What if?

“But, what are you going to do IF….?”  “But, what IF…?”  What if it gets worse?  What if I’m not healed?  What if the money doesn’t come in?  What if my marriage fails?  What if I don’t get the job?

If our faith is determined by situations, then we really do not trust God.  We are “wishers” and “hopers.”    We are compromise and chameleon Christians.

If our faith is based on the Word, then, sink or swim… live or die… win or lose… succeed or fail… We Believe God!

Listen to the Hebrew Boys:

Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king… but if not, be it know unto thee O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up…      Daniel 3:17

Fires are faith’s Proving Ground.  Trials, Tests and Fires are the test track for your faith.  God does not bring on trials but they are the testing and proving ground for your faith.  “Impossible” and “hopeless” situations are opportunities for God to show Himself strong in your behalf.

The fire you are now in is purifying and refining… it cleanses and tempers… it develops and works patience into you.  It forces you to depend on God and it directs your attention off of yourself and on His ability.

Make your boldest confession in the midst of your hottest fire

Word for Today:  July 23

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.   NOTHING can stand before you.

You are unstoppable

Word for Today:  July 21

We need to make our mouth say what the Word says.

When we feel bad we normally very verbal about it.   If we are going to talk about how we feel, we should say instead, “by His stripes we are healed….”  Because that’s exactly what the Word says.

When we are fearful and confused and unsure about things, we usually say, “I’m afraid…. “  We should say, “God has not given us the spirit of fear but instead He has given us the spirit of love and power and a sound mind…”

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.  2Ti 1:7

When pressures build up and stress builds up and worry and anxiety come, we should not talk about them.  Instead we should talk to them.  We should talk to them and tell them when to go and where to go.

But some might say, “That’s not really true, I am sick or I am worried, or I am afraid or I am stressed out…”  If what is happening to us contradicts what the Bible says about us, then what is happening to us is a lie… it is not the truth.

The Lie will hold us in bondage.  The Truth makes us free.  Therefore, we should believe the Truth (what the Word says) instead of what our carnal, reasoning, physical emotions are saying.

I am amazed at how negative folks talk.  They are giving power to the forces that plague them by talking about them, complaining about them and telling others how bad their situation is.

The world system is a negative system.  It is death driven and death doomed.  It is a kingdom of darkness and there is no light in it.  It is fathered by the devil and propagated by demons.  It is harsh.  It operates in fear.  It has no hope and no future.

It is totally opposite from everything in the Word. It will overtake us and hold us captive.  It will depress us, keep us in despair and make us miserable.  It is the primary purpose of the devil and hell to keep us away from the Truth, ignorant of the Truth, and disobedient to the Truth.

How we talk will determine how much control the world system has on us, our family and our possessions.

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

Train your brain and tame your tongue

          Faith really does work.  However, we need to un­derstand some basic principles about the Spiritual world and the Natural world.  Faith is a spiritual force.  It works first in the spiritual world before it is manifested in the natural world.  Let me attempt to explain.

          There are, right now, two separate and dis­tinct worlds in existence and they are existing simultaneously.  They are real.  They exist side by side and they exist now.  The one world we are most familiar with is the natural world.  This is the world that we see.  This is the world that relates to our five physical senses.  This world is easy to believe and re­late to because we can see it, feel it, hear it, smell it and taste it.  It is the natural world. 

However, there is also an­other world, just and real and just as vital as the natu­ral world.  It is the spiritual world.  It is more difficult for us to understand and relate to because it is unseen.  It does not relate to our physical senses.  It is invisible and spiri­tual.  But just be­cause we cannot see it does not mean it is “not there.”  We cannot see air, but we know it is pre­sent.  Electricity is invisible (apart from lightning) but we know it is real.  We cannot “see” many of the suns, moons, stars, planets and galaxies that are in our uni­verse, but we know they are there and they are real.   We cannot see our brain or our heart or our mind or our internal physical organs, but we know they are there because we are alive and functioning. Therefore, just because we can­not “see” something does not mean that it is not “there.” 

The Bible tells us about things that are in­visible.

For the invisible things of him from the cre­ation of the world are clearly seen, being under­stood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without ex­cuse: Rom. 1:20  

Who is the image of the invisible God, the first­born of every creature: Col. 1:15  

For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and in­visible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: Col. 1:16  

Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisi­ble, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. 1Tim. 1:17  

By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. Hebr. 11:27  

          The spiritual world is just as real as the natural world.  Physical forces and physical beings work in and relate to the natural world.  Spiritual forces and spiritual beings work in and relate to the spiritual world.  Faith is one of the spiritual forces that works in the unseen spiritual world.   Here are some interesting verses that of­ten cause trouble for the Believer:

Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. Matt. 18:19  

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

And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glori­fied in the Son. John 14:13  

If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. John 14:14  

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. John 15:7  

And in that day ye shall ask me noth­ing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. John 16:23  

          May be we have “asked” and nothing seemed to happen.  We may have even “asked in Jesus’ Name” and still nothing appears to have happened.  Did you ever sin­cerely “ask in prayer, believing” and still got “no answer?”  Perhaps the Word abides in us as far as we can tell, and when we pray, no answer seems to come.   What is wrong?  What is the matter?  What is the hold-up? 

Look at it this way:

          We did get an answer.  We just cannot “see” it yet.  It was just as God said it would be in His Word.  The thing we need to understand is that the answer came in the spiritual world.  This is the world we cannot “see” into.  But it is real.   It is just as real as the natural world.  Now, what we must do is see it with our “faith eyes.”  Remember what the Bible says about “walking by faith?”

For we walk by faith, not by sight:  2Cor. 5:7  

While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2Cor. 4:18  

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Heb. 11:1  

          We need to be totally convinced that it (the an­swer that is presently in the spiritual world) is “on the way” to being manifested in the physical world.   We do not need to keep on pray­ing about it and asking for it be­cause we do not “see it” in the natural world with our natural eyes.  The Bible thing to do is to thank God for the answer and praise God for the answer even before you ex­peri­ence it in this world.  It really is on the way.  When will it get here?  Remember the delay Daniel’s prayer had because of the conflict in the heaven­lies?

Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to under­stand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. Dan. 10:12  

But the prince of the kingdom of Persia with­stood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Dan. 10:13  

          Actually, three things are happening as we wait for our answer.

First, God is working. 

He never puts us on “hold.”  He hears and He begins to work in our be­half.  We may not know it or be aware of it, but He is doing things and moving things and working things out in the spiritual realm that will answer our prayer and mani­fest our miracle.  Thank Him for actively “processing” your case.  Give Him time to get it done.  Do not blame Him for not hear­ing.  He always hears.  He never slum­bers or sleeps.  His ear is always inclined toward us and our in­terces­sion.

Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, there­fore will I call upon him as long as I live. Ps. 116:2  

Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall nei­ther slumber nor sleep. Ps. 121:4  

And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. Isa. 65:24  

Second, Satan is fighting.

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Eph. 6:11  

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Eph. 6:12  

          The powers of darkness are warring against our an­swer.  They will fight, complicate, hold up and hinder in any way possible just to keep us from receiving our an­swer.  Just as the Prince of Persia withstood Daniel’s prayer, so will these same prin­cipalities and powers with­stand our praying, our asking and our believing.  But that does not mean that God has not heard and that He has not an­swered our asking.  Satan is fighting.  demons are warring.  Principalities and powers are resisting and complicating and hindering.  But we have power over all the powers of the devil.  Therefore, we can bind and we can loose and we can keep on be­lieving.

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and what­soever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.   Matt. 16:19  

Third, our patience is being developed. 

This is probably the hardest part.  Waiting.  Waiting without get­ting discouraged and disappointed.  Refusing to get mad at God or to blame God or to doubt His Word… all these are very hard to do if we do not see immediate results to our praying and be­lieving. 

But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Rom. 8:25  

For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. Hebr. 10:36  

Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. James 1:3  

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

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who pros­pereth in his way, be­cause of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Ps. 37:7  

          Here are some things we can do while we wait:

          We can understand that our waiting is developing pa­tience: (hupomone “cheerfulness, en­durance, con­stancy”).  According to James we should count this “all joy” (Jas 1:2)

          Hold on to hope.  Hope believes that better things are on the way.  Hope knows that changes for the better on coming soon.  Hope is optimistic and expectant. 

          Know that God is faithful (trustworthy).  God will honor His Word.  God will al­ways perform what He Promises.  “God is faith­ful…”  is the Magna Charta  of the New Testament Church.  He will not fail us.  He will not forsake us.  He will show up and deliver us in time and at the right time.  

The Bible is a record of God’s faithfulness.  “In the full­ness of time…”  There is a “time” set aside for every pur­pose and every answer.  Do not frustrate God’s Grace by getting impatient.  Impatience has birthed many Ishmaels.  Taking over before God gets through can be disastrous.  Let “patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect (teleos: com­plete, full grown) and entire (complete in every part, perfectly sound, whole), wanting nothing…”  (James 1:4)

          There is a way of escape.   God is faithful.

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  

He will not allow us to be tempted more than we can stand.  But with every temptation, He will also make a Way of escape.  Remember, Jesus said:  “I am the Way…”  (Jn 14:6)

Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the en­emy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Luke 10:19  

          Nothing shall by any means hurt us.  No evil shall come near the place we dwell…

Because God is faithful!

A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thou­sand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.  Psa 91:7   

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  

Remember the Word.  Recall  the Word.  Rehearse the Word.  Exercise it like you exercise your mus­cles.  Use it.  Let it rise up out of your spirit.  Temper the Word with aggressiveness.  Be offen­sive and attack your hard situation with the Revelation God gives you in His Word.  “It is writ­ten…”  “God says…”  “The Word declares…”  “God, you said…”  “Father, You promised…”   Say the Word and say it out loud so that God can hear it and you can hear it and your situation can hear it and the devil and demons can hear it. 

          Quit worrying.  At least 99% of the things we worry about never happen.  Settle in your heart that ev­erything is really all right.  Remember… “All is well.”  Satan exaggerates and intensi­fies and magnifies the negative.  God is in control.  The devil is a liar.  So whatever he tells us, the very op­posite is the truth.   If  he says you are going to lose, then the truth is you are going to win.  If he says you are going to fail, then the truth is you are going to succeed.  If he says you are terminally ill, then the truth is you are going to live and not die.  

          Worship Jesus. Seek Jesus… not the answer to your problem.  The more we worship Him the less we think about our problem.  Sing.  Pray.  Bow before Him.  Pray in the Spirit.  Prophesy to your­self.  Worship God.

          Let’s summarize some of the things we have learned about Faith:

1.  We have faith.   God gave us faith.  Our faith is a gift from God and we have it right now if we are born again. 

2.  Faith is an attribute of God… it is a part of God’s nature and as God’s children we have received a nature like that of our Heavenly Father.  God is a Faith God and we are “partakers of His Divine Nature…” 1 Pet 1:4

3. Faith is developed by Hearing the Word of God.  Where the Word is abundant, Faith is strong and miracles happen.  No Word means no faith.  Little Word means little faith.  Much Word means great faith.  Faith is proportionate to hearing, be­lieving and doing the Word.

4. Faith has more power than facts. Faith is a first order force… it was here before facts were here.  God used Faith to make facts.  Faith has more power than facts.  Therefore, functioning faith will change, alter and negate facts.  Faith will cause facts to agree with the Word of God.

5.  Faith works.  Faith works for every believer.   If faith is not working for us and elevating us to the position of Reigning in Life, it is our own fault and failure.  We need to recognize this and correct it. 

Word for Today:  July 20

Where the Power is.

It could be that many do not have the Power of God working in them 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.  The truth about God’s power has been warped and distorted.  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 power that worketh in us…  Eph 3:20

God’s Power does not “come down” or “fall on us.”  God’s Power emerges 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

Arise, shine, for thy light is come and the Glory of the Lord is RISEN UPON THEE…  Isa 60:1

Word for Today:  July 19

Rejoicing opens the door to your dreams.

Rejoicing is acting like you have your 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.  And I needed 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 navigation 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 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 Cessna 206

Word for Today:  July 18

Evidence

There is only one real fool-proof evidence of the new birth.    Jesus gave this measuring method to us in His Word.  This is the one most important characteristic of the Christian Walk.  Nothing is more important than this.  This one demand and one command is basic.

Jesus talked about it more than anything else and He demonstrated it more perfectly than any other message of His earthly ministry.  He longed to see it in His disciples and He knew that it would be the basis for the New Testament Church.

If the Church is to BE what Jesus died for it to be and if the Church is to do what He died for it to do, then this one thing is absolutely necessary.

I am convinced that this is the greatest need in this hour.   It is perhaps the greatest need in your life as a Believer.  It is not impossible.  It is possible.  It is necessary.  It is vital.  It is fundamental to the continuation of the Gospel on earth.

Jesus called this a “new commandment” in John 13:34.  He knew that He was soon to depart from the earth and He wanted so desperately for His followers to be adequately equipped to carry on His Ministry on earth.  He did not emphasize theology.  He did not emphasize education.  He did not emphasize experience or ability.  He brought attention to the one thing that will guarantee the continued success of the Gospel message.

He also stated that this would be the one qualifying characteristic that would cause the world to know how we stand with God.

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples…  John 13:35.

By this….  This is the one thing that will show the world where you stand with God.  And this is the greatest thing needed in the Christian Faith today.  This One Thing is

LOVE

He that loveth not knoweth not God for God is Love…  I John 4:8

Word for Today:  July 17

Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth…. Eph 4:25

Wherefore putting off the lie…

In these passages, Paul is speaking about the Believer.  He is talking about “putting off” and “putting on.”  This is an act of the human will.  We determine what we “put off” and what we “put on.”  We are to “put on” the New Man with all his privileges and provisions and we are to “put off” the old man with all his lack and need.

This speaks of personal action that issues forth from the human will.  You do it or you don’t do it.  If you do it you get the results the Bible promises and if you do not do it you don’t.

There are two primary principles involved in living and not dying.  One is Truth and the other is “the lie.”  Operating in TRUTH results in LIFE.  Operating in “the lie” results in DEATH.  Jesus said:  “I am the WAY the TRUTH and the LIFE…”  John 14:6.

In the 17th chapter of John, Jesus declared:

They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them through thy Truth:  thy Word is Truth… (16-17).

Every man has the option of living by Truth or living by the Lie.  The Lie is from hell.  It is authored by satan and orchestrated by demons.  It is the operating principle of the kingdom of darkness.  Everything in hell operates and functions by the lie.  Pain, lack, fear, sadness, depression, worry, sickness, disease, poverty, anxiety, stress, condemnation, guilt, dread, bondage, no hope, no joy, no happiness, no satisfaction, no purpose, misery, uncertainty, terror, death…. all these operate by the force of the lie.

And the Word commands us to “take off THE LIE”

Do it

Word for Today:  July 16

The Hardest Thing.

The most difficult thing to do in your Christian Walk is to stand.  It is always hard to stand.  We are in warfare and are constantly being buffeted by the enemy.  The challenge is for us to stand.  Anybody can quit, change or compromise when the pressure is on.

Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand…  Eph. 4:13

God wants to encourage you today.  He wants to build you up today.  He wants to strengthen you today.  He want to help you in your fiery trial and in your Spiritual Warfare.  He wants to reassure you that He is able to deliver you and that He, at this very moment, has everything under control and if He does, then so do you.

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper… Isa 54:7

When the enemy shall come in, like a flood the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard (the Word) against him…  Isa 59:19

Fear thou not for I am with thee: be not discouraged; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness…  Isa 41:10

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength…  Isa 40:29

Many are struggling with apparent impossible situations.  Some are hoping against hope and wishing for the night to end and the day to begin.

Many are tempted to doubt and move into unbelief because the manifestation of their faith has been delayed.

Others are fearful and anxious because of the intensity of their trials.

God wants you to know today that He is Able to Deliver you out of your fire.

And He will

Word for Today:  July 15

Choices are important.

Your life and the lives of your family depend on what you choose and what you refuse.  Your future will be determined by what you choose and what you refuse today.

Your greatest responsibility is making right choices.  There are only two kinds of CHOICES before you: (1) Right ones (based on the Word) and (2) wrong ones (based on the world).

Right choices are choices that are made on the basis of God’s Word.  They are choices and commitments that are made in agreement with the Word of God.  These right choices are guarantees that God will work with you in accomplishing your dreams and goals in life.

When you make a right choice… one that is based on the Word, you make a connection with Deity and you are assured that no powers in hell or in earth will defeat you or stop you.  You are locked into success and blessing because you have made a choice that agrees with the will of God for you.

You have chosen life and refused death.  You have chosen blessing and you have refused cursing.

Wrong choices are choices that are made on the basis of the kosmos (world system) and on human reasoning apart from God.  The World System is the domain of the devil.  he is called the god of this world.  his kingdom is destined to failure and anything and everything connected with it will fail also.

Human reasoning, natural facts, sense knowledge, and an unrenewed mind are the elements that give birth to wrong choices.  Wood, hay and stubble are the results of wrong choices and gold, silver and precious stones are the results of making right choices. (1Cor 3:12-13)

Those who make right choices will succeed and live and those who make wrong choices will fail and self-destruct.

Every success is the result of making right choices.

Every failure is the result of making wrong choices.