DO THE WORD

James 1:22-25 (NKJV) But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

God does not want the Bible to become just a book of rules and regulations.  He wants His Word to be our life, to be our strength, and to be our everything.  That is why it is so important to not let the Bible be just a book we read, but a book that we live.  God’s Word is truth, and everything else in life has to bow to it.

When I make a decision in my life to let God’s Word take first place and to do what it says, it changes everything!  It changes my attitude, it changes the way I see things, it changes the way I treat my wife, my kids, and even my animals.  It takes me from this low-life to a greater life; an overcoming life in Him.  God and His Word are one.  It is the perfect law of freedom, and as I take time to look into it and do it, it has amazing affects on my life.

Many read God’s Word as a book, or history, or inspiration.  We need to read God’s Word so that we can be doers of it.  Then we will truly be blessed in life.  Then we are building our house on a solid rock, and not on sand.  And when the storms of life come, and we know that they will come, we might get bruised and shaken, but we know that we will still be standing.

So today, look in His Word, drink deeply, and when a verse or passage hits you, ask your Father how you can be a doer of that Word.  As you do this daily, you will see such a change in yourself that you are going to wonder if this is really you!

CONFESSION: I am a doer of the Word and not just a hearer.  God’s Word has first place in my life, and because of His Word, when storms come, I will be victorious in Christ Jesus!

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HIS WORD IS TRUTH

John 8:31-32 (NKJV) Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

When we take time each day to abide in the words of Jesus, it makes us a true disciple of His.  You see, if we call ourselves Christians, yet do not know what the Commander-in-Chief’s orders are, then how can we move in His will?  As we open the Bible and read the amazing Word of God, it truly sets us free!

God's Word is a lamp to our feet; it is a compass throughout our lives.  It will guide us and lead us in all that we do.  We can call the Bible a roadmap for our lives here on earth.  There is no other book on planet earth like it.  So many have tried to destroy it, and many are still trying, but I can say with bold confidence that they, and we, will be gone one day, but God's Word will continue marching on!

In today’s passage, Jesus is talking to those who believed on Him, so we can call them “believers,” just like you and me.  He said if we will remain in His Word, not only would we be His disciples, but we will know the truth and the truth will set us free!

Freedom is a wonderful thing.  It is to have nothing in this life that entangles us, but to be free in Christ.  Knowing the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is true freedom.  If you are battling something in your life, no matter how big or how small, look to Jesus.  Be one of His true disciples, and watch the freedom come.  You will not be able to conquer some areas in your life by willpower, but when you let the power of His Word work within you, look out!  You are going to see amazing results!

So do not fret and do not fear today, because Jesus is here and He will never leave you and He will never let you down.  He is your elder brother, and the Creator of all things.  Remember, He knows you better than you know yourself, so become His disciple and watch things turn around for you!

CONFESSION:  I am a disciple of Jesus, and He is the One who directs my steps.  In Him I have peace and assurance that everything is going to turn out all right!

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NOW FAITH IS

Hebrews 11:1-3 (NKJV) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

Our God is a NOW God.  He knows the past and the future, but He is a now God.  All that He is doing is in the now, because our God is a God of faith.  This is the way that God sees us also.  He sees us healed now.  He sees us set free now.  And this is the way that God wants us to see ourselves: through His Word.  He wants us to see it done now.  Not tomorrow.  Not in the sweet by-and-by.  NOW!

Faith in the now gives substance to the things that we hope for.  If we always see it as future, than it is still in the hope realm, because hope is not substance.  Let me show you what I mean.  The Bible declares that I am righteous now, because of what Jesus has done on the cross.  Look at what it says in 1 Corinthians 1:30: “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.”  It does not say we are going to be.  It says we have it now!

When we start seeing the Word of God as a NOW book, it will change everything for us.  This verse alone shows us four things that we have now.  Because of Jesus, we now have wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption.

So today, start talking NOW.  Start saying, “By His stripes, I am healed!”  Start saying, “I have the mind of Christ!”  Start declaring over yourself what you have, and start seeing the Word of God come alive inside of you, and then manifesting on the outside.  “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

CONFESSION: I declare today, that I am a NOW person.  If God’s Word states that I have something, then I am going to speak it over myself.  My Father is a NOW God, and I, as His child, am going to imitate Him.

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PREPARE NOW

Romans 14:10-13 (NKJV) But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11 For it is written: "As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God." 12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. 13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way.

Many look at these verses and say, “What a scary day that is going to be, to stand before Christ and give an account for our lives.”  But we need to remember one thing: All of our sins are washed away because of the blood of Jesus!  You see, when you received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, His blood, and His work on the cross, made you the righteousness of God, in Him.

So what does this mean?  In the Greek, this word judgment seat is talking about the bema seat, or the reward seat.  On that day, all that we did for Christ will appear, and this will be our reward for all eternity.  This is why I believe that the message of stewardship is so important.  What we do with our time, talent, and treasure, is going to follow us for all eternity.

As the old saying goes: “What we do for Christ will last, what we do for self will pass.”  I want every person to be able to come to this reward seat and leave with all that Jesus would want for us.  And it is possible!  How?  It is in one word: faithfulness. 

Just do what Jesus has asked you to do, and He will take care of the rest.  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said this profound statement that I say quite often: “If a man is called to be a street sweeper he should sweep streets as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause and say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.’”  Can it be that simple?  The answer is a big YES!  So go ahead, get prepared now for all eternity!

CONFESSION: Today, I am stocking up my heavenly bank account with good things.  I am going to be a good steward of my time, talent and treasure.

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HE’S THE ONLY ONE

Acts 4:12 (NKJV) Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

There are those people who say that there are many ways to God, yet the Bible could not be clearer on this subject.  Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation.  The devil has tried to bring all of these different religions, and has people in the media lying to people.  Jesus said in John 14:6, ”I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Jesus Christ is God’s gift to the world, and He is the most beautiful of all gifts.  When we receive Him as our personal Lord and Savior, it takes all of the works out.  You see, He did all the work for us.  He went to the cross for us.  He defeated satan for us.  He redeemed us and restored us back to our Heavenly Father, and now all we have to do is believe and receive.

The Bible is so clear that we cannot work to earn our salvation, but that it is freely given to all those who will believe God’s plan.  Man had fallen through Adam, and God sent a Man, Christ Jesus, the Incarnate One.  In other words, He sent Himself in a man’s body to redeem us.  No other religion shows the Creator redeeming His creation by His very own blood.

So when you see these people on TV, or hear of it on the news, just say, “No thanks!  I have the best, and I have the truth.  Jesus died for me to redeem me and to restore me, and I will stick with that.”  There is nothing greater in life then knowing Him.  He is the One who created us and redeemed us.  He wants to be intimate with us, and as we take a part of our day and fellowship with Him, it just gets better and better.

So today, see that Jesus is the only way to the Father, and that He gave His best for you and for me.

CONFESSION:  Jesus is the only way to God.  I believe that, and it is settled in my mind.  There is no greater gift that God could have given me, so I accept it and live in the joy of my salvation.

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HE IS THE IMAGE OF GOD

Colossians 1:15-18 (NKJV) 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

When we look at Jesus, do you know Who we see?  We see the Father God!  Jesus is Almighty God in the flesh.  It is so hard for us as humans to see God, because He is a Spirit, but when Jesus put on flesh and became like us, we could see God.  Now we could understand Him.

So what is God like?  He is everything that Jesus is like.  Jesus never made one person sick.  He only went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil (Acts 10:38).  So I can be sure that it is the Father’s will to heal me.  I know that it is the Father who wants to provide for all of my needs.  Jesus fed those that were hungry, so I know that my Father in heaven will provide for all of my needs.

You see, when I look at the Word of God, the Bible, and see what Jesus did, I know the heart of the Father.  I know that He loves me, and just like the disciple that laid his head on the bosom of Jesus, I can lay my head on the bosom of the Father and know that He loves me, and cares about my every hurt.

Jesus told us that the Father cares for the birds, and the lilies, and He cares for us much more!  God wants to be a Father to us, but we need to let Him.  So today, start seeing your Heavenly Father as a good, loving, and caring Father, and see the change that comes into your life.

Confession:  My Father in heaven loves me and provides for all of my needs here on earth and, one day, when I go to heaven.

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HIS THOUGHTS ARE GOOD TOWARDS ME

Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV) For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

This verse is amazing!  This is how God, our Father, thinks towards us.  His thoughts toward us are not to make us sick, to destroy us, or to give us a lousy life.  His thoughts are not to bring death and destruction.  He is not looking for ways to make us sick and miserable.  No, and a million times no!  My Father’s heart is to bless me, and to help me in my race on earth.

I do not know how much clearer God could put it for us: His thoughts are of peace and not of evil.  He wants us to have a peaceful life; a life of resting in Him.  One thing I figured out is that God wants the best for me, just like I want the best for my kids.  He has much bigger shoulders than I have, and He knows the paths that are in front of me, so He can show me the traps that the devil would like to bring against me.

My Father has a good future for me.  He has a life that has started well, in Him, and will end well.  How can we be sure of this?  Because that is what He said, and if God said it, then I believe it!

God is out for our good.  If we could say that every day over and over, we would get the true revelation of what it means.  God loves us.  We are His kids.  We are created in His image and likeness.  We are the apple of His eye.  He has our name written on the palm of His hand.  He even knows the number of hairs on our heads.  To be honest with you, I do not even know the number of my hairs!

This is His great love for us!  So today, let His thoughts be your thoughts.  Think about how good His thoughts towards you are, and enjoy this adventure called life.  Remember, He has your back and your front.

CONFESSION: God has good thoughts toward me today.  God has my back, my front, and every part of my life.  My Father is out for my good, so I know that today will be a very good day.

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