Heart of Kim

Most people think of  God as “way out there, somewhere”, when in reality He is “everywhere”.  God is omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing) and omnipresent (all present).   It’s difficult to get our minds wrapped around that thought because it extends past our ability to understand and comprehend with the natural mind.  

The psalmist said it like this in Psalm 139:

 ¹O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. ²Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.  ³Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.   ⁴For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.   ⁵Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.   ⁶Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.   ⁷Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?   ⁸If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.   ⁹If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;   ¹⁰Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.   ¹¹If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.   ¹²Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.   ¹³For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.   ¹⁴I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.   ¹⁵My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.   ¹⁶Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.  ¹⁷How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!   ¹⁸If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.   ¹⁹Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.   ²⁰For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.   ²¹Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?   ²²I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.   ²³Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:   ²⁴And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

God is closer than the air you breathe.  He is God.   He is upholding all things by the Word of His power. He is the creator of life. He is the sustainer of life. He is the wonder of  the miracle of conception and the maker of all things beautiful.

He is God.  He is Love. He is Good.  He is the beginning and the end. He is infinite. He is God.  He is ….. where you are.  There has never been a time that He has not thought of you. You have never been anywhere He wasn’t there.

From the smallest atom to the largest “whatever”, He is there. He is God.

Satan would like to convince you that you are all alone. Not So!  All you need to do is believe the infallible Word of the Living God.  In most religions, the follower is required to be willing to die for their god.  In Christianity, our God, sent His son to this earth to pay the eternal price for sin and He died for us. That’s not all,  He rose from the grave, conquering death and ever lives to make intercession for you and me.  He ever lives to enforce His covenant of grace.  He longs for each human being to believe in Him and receive Him as their personal saviour. Jesus lived, died and rose and now lives to love you.  He came to save and not condemn.  If you don’t know God then receive Him today.  Believe in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died for you, confess with your mouth that He is Lord of your life and your life begins anew as a new creation in Him!  Why does it have to be that way you ask?  Because God is a God of faith.  Without faith it is impossible to please Him, He that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him! (paraphrased Heb 11:6).

 God knows every link in your DNA.  He knows you.  He loves you. He promised in His word that He would never leave or forsake you!  Wow, to have a wonderful saviour that is everywhere at anytime and you never have to feel alone again!  Awesome! 

 You are Special!  You are one of a kind!  And God knew you before you were even born!  He loves you, and longs to have an intimate relationship with you.  But He will not violate your will.  He waits for you to come to Him and receive Him.  He was, is and forever will be “a gentleman”.   He ever so gently whispers your name and calls you to Himself.  Can you hear Him?  He’s calling you this very moment.  If you know the Lord and have gotten away from His fellowship, never fear, just go boldly to His throne, run to His loving arms, for they remain open to receive you.  Even if we have not been faithful, He abides faithful!  He forgives, restores and refreshes!  Oh what a wonderful Lord!

   Just remember,  God is the smallest thing you can imagine and the biggest thing that you can imagine, whether it is a tachyon particle or a whole universe………  That is the God that loves you!  That is the God that is everywhere, knows all things and is the most powerful being that will ever exist.  And, He desires an intimate relationship with you! 

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

Faith.  It is interwoven throughout scripture.  We cannot seperate the bible from faith. To do so would be to remove the underlying foundation of what the Word of God is all about. The entire Word of God is a faith message. 

Romans 10: 

 ⁸But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;  ⁹That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  ¹⁰For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 

 ¹⁷So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.  

Mark 11:23-24

  ²³For 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.

 ²⁴Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Look at the story of David and Goliath. David might have been a young man, but David knew that He was in covenant with a mighty God. I love the story of David and Goliath.  That wonderful account of David taking on the giant in the presence of the armies of Israel that were afraid of the Philistines giant is definitely a story of faith in action.  It’s amazing to me just how accurately David acted on a scripture that had not even been penned yet.( Mark 11:23-24) As you read the story of David and Goliath, notice how many times David said something by faith and then acted on what he said.

I Samuel 17 

 ³²And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.  ³³And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.

 ³⁴And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:  ³⁵And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.  ³⁶Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.  ³⁷David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.

And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.  ³⁸And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.  ³⁹And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.  ⁴⁰And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.  ⁴¹And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him.  ⁴²And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.  ⁴³And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.  ⁴⁴And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.

 ⁴⁵Then 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.  ⁴⁶This 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.  ⁴⁷And 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.

 ⁴⁸And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came, and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.  ⁴⁹And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.  ⁵⁰So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.  ⁵¹Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.

David knew he had a covenant with God.

David believed God would deliver him.

David said what he believed.

David acted on what he believed and said.

God has not changed.  We have a covenant.  The Word says that we have a better covenant. We have a covenant with great and precious promises that are backed by the sinless, spotless blood of Jesus. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. We’ve all been given the measure of faith and it is near us, even in our mouth, that word of faith. We are to call things that are not as though they are, believing it in our heart and saying it with our mouth. It is the confidence we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us, and we know that if He hears us, we have the petitions that we have desired of Him. 

As you go about your life each day, meditate on the following scripture and let it become reality to you, let it become alive in you and then go take down the giants in your life!

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

Have you ever had a hang in there  week?  You know, the kind of week where life is moving faster than you are?  A week where your plate is full week?  Life can seem to be a a vacuum sometimes.  We can feel sucked up into a vortex of moving events with seemingly no way to stop the suction.   Distractions and interruptions can become a common foe and we can begin to experience fatigue and frustration.  We find ourselves pouring out without taking in.

 The Word says let the weak say they are strong and  we are admonished to not  become weary in well doing.  David encouraged Himself in the Lord because there was no one else to encourage him ……… Sometimes being strong and not becoming discouraged and weary seems far far away from our state of mind!   And just when you think you cannot go another step you find once again that  God is  faithful,  even when we are not faithful to Him.  It is so wonderful that we have such a merciful and loving Father.  It’s a matter of just knowing that the seasons of our life change constantly.  Some seasons are very long and some are very short, you know; like a week.  It’s amazing how His mercies are truly new every morning!  So even though it could be a hang in there week for you; I encourage you to hang in there anyway! The season that you may be in is just that – a temporary season that will not endure. It is the Word that endures forever, and as long as we have that, we can continue to take those steps and press on, knowing that He is with us every step of the way.

How do I know this with certainty?  Because, I know that Jesus experienced a hang in there day for us.  When I have those weeks,  I think of this and just begin to encourage myself in the Lord, confessing that I am strong in the Lord and the power of His might and that because He hung on the cross for me,  I will not become weary in well doing.  I begin to think on what He endured and meditate on all the promises and the precious price that was paid that I might embrace those promises until they are manifested in my life.

Life has its ups and downs. But, we have a constant. When we just stop a second and realize that our hope is not a hope-so, maybe-so kind of hope, but a confident expectation of good, backed by a blood covenant that cannot be broken.  We then begin to experience that familiar renewal and refreshing of  His power infusing and undergirding our heart and mind.  So I encourage you to face each week with the knowledge that you are not alone.  We have His promise that He will never leave or forsake us.  We have his Spirit;  which is our comforter, teacher, friend and counselor. We have His Word emphatically proclaiming that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. And we have His mercy and goodness following after us,  every step of the way!  Hang in there!

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John 10:10 says – The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.  

Have you ever seen a “happy” sick person?  I haven’t!  No person that is sick or diseased is truly happy!    Sickness robs people of  quality of life, productivity, and joy!  Plain and simple:  Sickness is an enemy!  It certainly isn’t our friend!

Now tell me, Do you honestly think that our God would inflict such a thing on a person when it was for their deliverance that He came?  Doesn’t even make sense;  does it?

I am confident that if sickness and disease could teach us something, that Jesus would have surely said to some of those people;  No, you keep that a little longer so you can learn a lesson……..  or,  sorry, no healing for you today, you  need to suffer a little longer…..  or,  maybe I will heal you tomorrow after you have discovered the purpose of your torment……   OH COME ON!  That would be absolutely absurd to even consider Jesus in this manner!

Throughout scripture it is evident that God is for us, not against us!  God is against sin; so much so that He sent Jesus to pay the penalty for us.  In paying that penalty, Jesus took upon Himself  ALL of the curse, that we might be blessed!  Yes, we live in a corrupted world and yes, we await our new bodies that we will receive one day.  Until then we can believe that our bodies be quickened according to Romans 8:11. The enemy would like to deceive us into believing that sickness and disease are from the Lord.  Absolutely not!  Look at the following scriptures:

Psalm 103:   1Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

 2Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

 3Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

 4Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

 5Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

and in the new testament: 

Matthew 8:17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

We can get discouraged and we can get down because of circumstances and situations.  I encourage you today to lift of your head and trust Him. He is with you.   I think there were a lot of smiling faces throughout the earth ministry of Jesus.  Everywhere He went there was always LIFE and life more abundantly.  I believe that when we believe His Word, He is honored.  Why would we want to suffer what He has already suffered.  I don’t think so.  Let’s continue to believe the Word.  Let’s continue to ask the Lord for eyes that see, ears that hear and a heart that understands.  Let’s stay on His side and continue to grow up in Him! I certainly don’t know everything there is to know; but I know Him and I know that He is GOOD, ALL THE TIME!

There is a scripture that some folks use when they cannot explain something tragic or devastating.   It is where Job ascribed to God as being the one behind all his troubles.  Job 1:21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.  Now I know there have been endless debates by theologians throughout the years over this one topic.  However, I am not here to debate and a single post is not nearly enough space to write a discourse on this portion of scripture.  The point I want to make is this:  God is never the one who takes away!  I say that emphatically and with confidence. Job made this statement based on insufficient  knowledge of the character of God. I believe people still make this statement today because of the same reason, hence, I see people hurt, angry and bitter against God because of it.  Look at some of the following scriptures with me:

 Jesus himself said in John 10:10 – The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. Now think about it for a moment.  Jesus himself answers the age-old question concerning Job.  Jesus is plainly telling us that it is satan who is the thief.  It is satan who steals, kills and destroys.  But what about God’s sovereignty you ask?  I’m glad you ask.  Adam gave away his dominion when he sinned in the garden of Eden.  Guess who he gave it to?  He gave it to satan.  Yes, God is sovereign!  But God is also just.  God didn’t act unjustly and take back dominion from satan when Adam lost it.  What makes us think that God would take away anything that is legally someone elses.  God Almighty is the Righteous Judge and he always judges righteously. 

 Mankind is in the state it is in because of sin.  Jesus willfully came and paid our price and satisfied the righteous justice of God when he hung on the cross and went into hell.  Whether we like it or not, satan is still the god of “this” world and he is god over anyone who has not received Jesus Christ as their saviour and Lord.  It is not till a person receives Jesus as their saviour that they are translated from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light.  

Another reason that I know that God does not take is because the scripture says that Jesus was the express image of God. Hebrews 1: 2Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:   Jesus kept saying, If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.  Show me somewhere in the new testament where Jesus ever took from anyone.  Jesus was the epitome of  GIVE, GIVE, GIVE.  He hasn’t changed.

 Another reason:    People get the idea that they got to carry the cross of Jesus by the suffering of sickness, disease, poverty, tragedy, loss, etc.  This is not so!  All these sufferings are listed in Deuteronomy 28 and are labeled as curses of the law.    Then, Galatians 3:13 says: Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree…  Once again, God is giving, not taking away!  Every one knows John 3:16 which says that God so loved the world that He gave….   Every thing that Jesus suffered was for us. But everything that Jesus bought and paid for us has to be received “by faith”.  

Another reason:  I hear a lot of folks say that they or someone they know is sick because God wants to teach them something.  My dear friend,  who in their right mind would teach their own child something by making the child sick or breaking its legs, etc.  To even consider that God would teach His children in that manner is utterly ridiculous.  The Word of God says in John 14:26 says But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.  In correcting His disciples, Jesus always corrected them with His words. Jesus has not changed; He is the same yesterday, today and forever. 

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to perish from lack of knowledge.  And I certainly don’t want to be accusing God of things that are totally out of character for Him.  And I shutter to think that I would misrepresent Him to others.  I pray that the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him be upon all who are part of the body of Christ.

I know this has been a long blog post, but I thought it necessary to try to fully explain to the best of  my ability why God is not the Taker but He is the Giver.   I will conclude with the real suffering that we enter into and the real carrying of a cross with Him.

Paul said in  2 Timothy 1:11 - …for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.  Paul was talking to Timothy concerning the sufferings of imprisonment  and persecution that he continued to experience because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.   This was written close to the end of Paul’s life and he is writing to Timothy words of  wisdom and encouragement from his cell in a prison in Rome.  We are told in verse 12 of chapter 3 of 2 Timothy that  all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.  There are those all around the world today who are suffering this type of persecution.  We don’t see a lot of this type of persecution in America.  I am thankful to live in a free nation that has been built on christian principles!   However;  there is verbal, mental and emotional persecution against the church everywhere.  Yes, there is suffering.  But the sufferings that Jesus shed His blood to redeem us from, let us receive by faith our healing and deliverance to the Glory of God.  And the suffering that comes from persecution, let us endure to the end to the Glory of God! 

2 Corinthians 10:3-5   ³For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:  ⁴(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)  ⁵Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

The illustration above is a good picture of how we can feel when we have been trying to fight lifes battles our own way!  When we do it “our way”, we end up tired, weary, disgusted, frustrated and down.  There is a mental treadmill that satan will lead us to and  keep us on and then will use our own energy as fuel to keep it going round and round and round.  God has provided a much better way!  He gives us the strength to face life and He gives us the way in which to win. 

Ephesians 6 says:

¹³Wherefore 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.  ¹⁴Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;  ¹⁵And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;  ¹⁶Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.  ¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:  ¹⁸Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

No matter what’s going on around us and the circumstances that we find ourself in, the entire outcome is dependent upon what goes on WITHIN.  Everyday we have opportunity to build our arsenal of weapons within our hearts and minds, Everyday we have opportunity to use what we have stored away in our arsenal.  To take our thoughts into captivity as II Cor. 10 says is dependant on verse 14 in Eph. 6.  Step one is having truth available in our mind for recall when other thoughts (darts) from the wicked one have been thrown at us.  When we venture out to desire and learn how to incorporate all these spiritual weapons into our life,  the Holy Spirit will teach and train us, and we will then experience the reality that we are truly more than conquerors thru Jesus!  

2 Chronicles 32:8  With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

Romans 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Ever noticed someone seemingly running in circles?  Ever noticed people that just can’t seem to settle down or don’t seem to be happy anywhere they go or with whatever they do.  They house hop, job hop and partner hop and  nothing ever seems to satisfy them.   Sometimes it makes you tired just watching !   Well that’s the way we are in our faith sometimes and the scripture is clear;  if we find ourself in an unrestful state then it’s real simple: we are in unbelief!  Ouch!  That stung just typing it!  But it’s true, take a look at the following passage:

Hebrews 4:  ⁹There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.  ¹⁰For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.  ¹¹Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Now, I’m not talking about being busy!  I’m not talking about working or labouring,  I am talking about not being at rest in your heart, being fearful and being anxious and all tied up in knots about something, someone or a situation your facing. I’m talking about us trying to help God work it all out!

The word “rest” in the passage above is a word that means, reposing down, to settle down, cause to desist, cease, give rest, colonize.  

 I Peter 5 says:

⁶Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.  ⁸Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:  ⁹Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

If we find ourself anxious and worried today, my dear friend, we’re not resting and if we’re not resting, we are not in faith!  The scripture says to “labour” to enter into that rest.  So let’s grab the Word and begin refreshing ourself  on the promises that we might have let slip. Let’s pull out those old tapes or cds and listen to good, Godly teaching concerning our situation.  Let’s pray in the Spirit, and build ourself up on our most holy faith.  let’s begin to pour it in, until its coming back out of  our mouth!

We may not “see” things change immediatly on the outside, but I guarantee, we will  begin to “know” things have changed on the inside.  And when the inside is lined up with the Word of God…….  watch out!  The adversary will have to flee, and our faith will work and the outside will soon look like what we are seeing on the inside!  

Romans 10:17 says ”So then, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God”.   Sometimes we get the bright idea that once we have heard the Word, we’ve heard the Word.  Not so.  The very next few scriptures talk about how they (Israel) had “heard” the Word, yet still did not believe the report.  Now don’t get me wrong, having heard is good as far as renewing our mind and hiding the Word in our heart, etc.  But, hearing (present tense) is essential to our present experience in life. 

Remember the manna?  The manna was to have been partaken of on a daily basis.  Long periods of time without daily manna (Word) will have an effect sooner or later. Truly, it is our daily bread.  We begin to run short on “life fuel” and wonder what is wrong. We begin to entertain thoughts of doubt and wonder what is wrong.  Hearing and Hearing is what produces the faith to get the job done.

 In the scriptures it says “they came to HEAR and be Healed.  The longer we stay away from hearing the Word, the weaker we become in our faith.  The longer we stay away from hearing the Word, the more stale the Word we have becomes.  Ask the Lord today to increase your desire to hear, ask Him to increase your capacity to hear.  The Word of God was made flesh and dwelt among us……..  in all reality that has not changed. 

 It is the FRESH Word in our life: heard, received and acted on that brings about the reality of  His promises to us and His presence with us.  Oh, He is always with us, but the reality of that fact can be increased and experienced to the extent that you desire it to be.  Increase your faith today by hearing Him.

Sometimes I find myself basing my current faith on my past experiences. And believe me all my past experiences of walking in faith DO NOT rank in the “Hall of Faith”!  I have to stop and do a heart check every once in a while to make sure that the faith I am walking in is based on the Word.  There is a tendency in everyone to think about situations based on the last negative situation that even resembles the current one.

In Philippians 3:13, Paul tells us to “Forget those things which are behind” and in verse 14, He tells us to “Press toward”.   These two phrases are vitally important when walking by faith.  But to me, the key phrase is in verse 9, which says, “not having my own righteousness”.  I don’t know about you, but that takes all the pressure off and allows me to just trust Him!   Bringing an end (manifestation) to my faith does not depend on me doing anything….  but just believing His Word.  After all He is the Author and Finisher of  our Faith .  So today,  Forget, Press On, and Believe!