Do This Everyday! The INCREDIBLE Power Of Praying God’s Word Everyday

this was too painful she knew for months that this was coming to an end the fights were getting worse nothing she did was good enough anymore he would complain the food wasn't good enough her makeup wasn't right if she went anywhere he would call and tell her to come back quickly it's like a demon had possessed him there was no love no warmth in him anymore their marriage was falling to pieces let me ask you how would you encourage this woman where is she going to get the strength to pray how do you tell her

to remain strong in prayer and not to give up for someone else there's an inner storm raging in their life they're tormented by strong feelings of fear anxiety stress and anger there's no peace in their life low self-esteem no joy rage let me ask you how do you tell someone with these feelings that they need to pray and seek peace in Jesus Christ sometimes the problems in life will be so great that it can be hard to pray someone somewhere is looking at a letter saying past due someone else is burdened with the pressure to

provide life isn't always easy for all of us but as a child of God we ought to know that sometimes it's not about telling someone some encouraging words and telling them that you'll pray for them people need real practical steps on how to reach out to God because we certainly don't have the answers and telling someone that you'll pray for them isn't enough sometimes so dear listener the next person you come across who has some kind of burden I encourage you to either pray with them or show them how to pray the scriptures when I

say pray the scriptures I'm talking about praying God's word to him for example the Bible in Naam 1:7 says "The Lord is good a refuge in times of trouble he cares for those who trust in him you could pray this verse to the Lord and say "God you are good your word tells me that you are a refuge in times of trouble be my refuge Lord my marriage is in trouble be my refuge Jesus i have no peace in my life so be my peace God your word tells me that you care you care for

those who trust in you i trust in you take care of me Lord amen do you see how much more depth and how much more meaning your prayer has when you pray from the scriptures even when you don't have the strength to pray open the Bible just start reading a passage from the Bible as a prayer read and pray from Psalm 27:5-9 and say "For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock then

my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy i will sing and make music to the Lord hear my voice when I call Lord be merciful to me and answer me my heart says of you "Seek his face your face Lord I will seek do not hide your face from me do not turn your servant away in anger you have been my helper do not reject me or forsake me God my savior now let's pray king Jesus with all of my heart and

soul I declare that I need you i need your mercy i need your strength i need your favor and your grace i need you Lord because your word in Psalm 40:es 1:3 it says "I waited patiently for the Lord he inclined to me and heard my cry he drew me up from the pit of destruction out of the miry bog and set my feet upon a rock making my steps secure he put a new song in my mouth a song of praise to our God many will see and fear and put their trust in the

Lord indeed God I wait patiently for you you alone can place my feet on steady ground and establish my way and so Lord right now I praise you i cast my burdens on you because in this life I acknowledge that I need your strength Lord Jesus i need your grace and your mercy because there are some problems and some difficulties that I cannot overcome on my own i need your strength i need your mercy lord I ask that you would stand with me in times of difficulty i pray that you would stand with me always

psalm 73:es 23- 26 nevertheless I am continually with you you hold my right hand you guide me with your counsel and afterward you will receive me to glory whom have I in heaven but you and there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you my flesh and my heart may fail but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever i praise you Lord for your faithfulness i pray that the Holy Spirit would ignite a righteous and holy fire in my life holy Spirit help me to be diligent with my walk with

Christ help me never to be half-hearted with my prayer life help me to be vigilant and alert in the spirit because the enemy he's out there like a roaring lion he's seeking whom he may devour protect me Father i pray that I would not be consumed by thoughts of fear or anxiety or worry i pray that my mind would be set on things above on heavenly things and not on things on this earth lord Jesus make me a believer who is on fire for you i want to burn with a pure and holy passion remove

everything that may try to hinder me from a closer walk with God your word in Psalm 121:es 1 and 2 it says "I lift up my eyes to the hill from where does my help come my help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth i look to you Lord Jesus." So God please help me to overcome adversity i know that the strength for me to conquer anything is drawn from you King Jesus so I will stand on your word forever father I pray that my life would never be one that is ruled by

fear i pray to live a life full of faith a life that is led by the Holy Spirit lord I accept that I cannot see the future in its entirety you're the one who sees all and who knows all and for that reason I surrender to your plan for my life i know and trust that you're always working behind the scenes so that all things will work together for my good i pray and declare Romans 8:es 31-34 what then shall we say to these things if God is for us who can be against us he

who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all how will he not also with him graciously give us all things who shall bring any charge against God's elect it is God who justifies who is to condemn jesus Christ is the one who died more than that who was raised who is at the right hand of God who indeed is interceding for us god I thank you for your precious word and I thank you for listening to my prayer in Jesus name I pray amen let's be honest one of the hardest

things for any believer to hear is when God says no we pray we fast and we hope for a yes and we've all been there whereby you pray and pray for something you wanted so badly only to find doors closing at every turn it's easy to think that God is silent but what if he's saying no and what if ignoring his no could lead you straight into danger and turmoil but you see God's no isn't rejection it's redirection whether it's through circumstances a lack of peace or wise counsel his no is always for your protection

and purpose but recognizing it requires spiritual discernment here are five signs to watch out for when God is saying no number one you do not feel peace even after praying in Philippians 4 6-7 Paul reminds us "Do not be anxious about anything but in every situation by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your requests to God and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." God's peace is one of the clearest indicators that he is saying yes to something when you pray earnestly and still feel

unsettled that lack of peace could be God's way of saying no imagine a red traffic light you may want to drive through the intersection but that red light is there to protect you from danger ahead a lack of peace is God's way of saying "Stop this is not the right path." When God withholds his peace he's signaling that the path you're pursuing is not aligned with his will instead of forcing your way forward take a step back and ask God to reveal his purpose ignoring the lack of peace can lead to regret and unnecessary pain

when you dismiss God's no you risk making decisions that lead you outside of his protective will number two when God says no it's often because he has something better planned in Jeremiah 29:1 God declares "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you a hope and a future god's no is often set up for a greater yes we may think we know what's best but God in his infinite wisdom sees the bigger picture imagine a child asking for candy before

dinner the parent says no not because they want to withhold joy but because they have a nutritious meal planned that will ultimately satisfy the child god's no is an expression of his love when he denies something it's because he sees a better path or blessing ahead trusting him in these moments requires faith in his character and his promises now here is the danger of ignoring this impatience can lead us to settle for less than God's best when we insist on our own way we may miss out on the greater blessings he has prepared for us

number three genuine people come to confirm the no in Proverbs 11:14 we read "Where there is no counsel the people fall but in the multitude of counselors there is safety." When God says no he often sends godly individuals to confirm that decision these may be mentors pastors or trusted Christian friends who are in tune with God's spirit imagine trying to climb a mountain alone but several experienced climbers warn you of an incoming storm ignoring their advice could put you in harm's way god uses others to guide us and affirm his plans when multiple people provide

consistent godly advice that aligns with scripture it's worth paying attention god often speaks through his people to confirm his direction in our lives dismissing wise counsel can lead to prideful decision-making which often results in unnecessary hardship god sends people to guide us for our protection and benefit number four God's no can serve as a shield against dangers we might not recognize immediately in Psalm 91:4 it says "He will cover you with his feathers and under his wings you will find refuge his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart." Sometimes God's no is a shield protecting

us from unseen dangers what may seem like a missed opportunity could actually be God sparing us from harm think of a parent pulling their child back from touching a hot stove the child may cry and feel frustrated but the parents know is an act of love and protection god's wisdom is infinite he sees the traps and dangers ahead that we cannot his no is often a shield sparing us from heartache loss or destruction when we force our way past God's no we expose ourselves to unnecessary harm trusting God's protection is essential for living a life

of faith and obedience number five God impresses a different direction or plan in Isaiah 55:8-9 God reminds us "For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord "as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Sometimes God says no because he wants to redirect us to something entirely different his spirit gently impresses a new direction or plan on our hearts imagine preparing to board a train to one destination but God reroutes you to a completely different

journey at first it may not make sense but in hindsight you see that his plan was far greater than your own god's plans are always higher and better than ours when he redirects us it's an invitation to trust his sovereignty and embrace his purpose for our lives resisting God's new direction can lead to frustration and a lack of fulfillment when we insist on our own way we miss out on the joy and purpose of walking in God's will how do you know that God is working in your life well one way to know that the

Lord is at work in your life is looking at the type of trials you face or the type of challenges you're facing god can allow trouble into your life so that he can drive you to your knees god can allow pain in your life in order to prepare you the Bible explicitly tells us in 1 Peter 4:12-13 "Dear friends don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through as if something strange were happening to you instead be very glad for these trials make you partners with Christ and his suffering so that you will

have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world when you encounter setbacks and challenges it's not always doom and gloom it doesn't mean that God has forsaken you perhaps he has allowed you to face this situation so that you would spend more time on your knees maybe he has allowed you to be in this tough spot so that you would see that he alone is all that you need perhaps this pain that you're feeling is God preparing you humbling you before he elevates you to the next level another

sign that the Lord is working in your life could be seen in the area of people your friends the company you keep you see at times we want God to use us we even pray for the Lord to use us however we have a tendency to want to hold on to things and especially people however all people have an appointed time and season all people will serve a purpose in your life according to God's will but what we need to realize is that not everyone we love is meant to be in our lives forever not

every friend will always be a friend look back over your own life how many friends did you have years ago who are still friends today they came and served a purpose whether you liked it or not they came for an appointed time and season so should you find yourself losing friends or if you find that people are walking out of your life it could be that they have served their purpose and the Lord is placing you in a position where you only have to rely on him where you only have him to trust look at

some of the giants in the Bible there were times where they were alone in terms of friends but that drove them to the Lord imagine Joseph after his brothers betrayed him and he was sold into slavery you would think that he was alone but he held on to the Lord job after he lost everything his children his wealth you would think that he was alone but he held on to the Lord so should you find yourself alone think for a moment that God may have put you in this position so that you would hold on

to him now another sign that God is working in your life is more to do with the conviction the counsel and ministering of the Holy Spirit the amplified translation says this about the Holy Spirit in John 14 26 but the helper comforter advocate intercessor counselor strengthener standby the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name in my place to represent me and act on my behalf he will teach you all things and he will help you remember everything the Holy Spirit will often work in our hearts and minister to us there will be

a tugging in your heart that tells you not to do this anymore and not to do that anymore there will be that urge in your heart to pray to read the word of God or to help and give to someone this is the ministering work of the Holy Spirit he works inwardly until you are transformed outwardly when you are in Jesus Christ you are alive when you are in Jesus Christ you are truly living and breathing however when you are in sin you are separated from God and although your physical body may be alive your

spiritual being is dead this is why Paul wrote in Philippians 1 21 saying "For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain." Now a lot of believers don't understand this a lot don't know that if you are in sin you are spiritually dead but let me tell you this the devil and his demons do not care whether you know how they work the forces of darkness don't care whether you know their action plan and devices they only care about which road you're on which direction you're heading in they only care about what

you do in those private moments because that's what counts you see there are forces of darkness at work in this world as the Apostle Paul reminds us "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers against the authorities against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms and you need to pray for understanding because the kingdom of darkness is exactly what it says it is a kingdom filled with darkness." 1 John 4:1 "Beloved do not believe every spirit but test the spirits whether

they are of God because many false prophets have gone out into the world." This is discernment with the guidance of the Holy Spirit you can tell who is really speaking from God's word and who is speaking from a place of doctrine mixed with deception and I believe saints that we need the Holy Spirit to speak and tug at our hearts my prayer is that the Holy Spirit would open my eyes to every hidden stronghold in my life and within my family may he shine a light on every corner that the enemy is hiding with the

aim to take me down saints God gives us the ability through the Holy Spirit to discern between various spirits and forces in the world at the heart of spiritual discernment is spiritual warfare because we do not wrestle against flesh and blood god's word says "But God being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in our trespasses made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus."

When you are alive in Christ you see Jesus Christ for who he really is you see him as the light of the world you see him as truth when you're alive in Christ you see that the devil may form weapons but they will not prosper the devil might make plans against you he may scheme against you but none of his plans none of his schemes will prosper when you are alive in Christ it doesn't matter what the kingdom of darkness does because in Jesus we have the victory already john 1 11 says "He came to

his own and his own people did not receive him." Now you and I may never experience the level of rejection that Jesus experienced however in one way or another at some point in your life you will experience rejection someone will think you're not good enough someone won't give you the time a day because they don't find you to be important enough to them everyone in this world has their own story to tell and you can never find a shortage of people who will be able to testify that at some point in life they felt as

though they were alone they felt as though they were alone even when surrounded by friends or family they felt isolated even though they were still receiving phone calls and texts from other people in their lives rejection is a real feeling that many people experience it's a crushing experience but for the believer who has been rejected I want to speak to you and tell you that your reality is in fact the opposite of rejection in Jesus you are welcomed in Jesus you are accepted the word of God says in 2 Corinthians 6:18 "And I will be

a father to you and you shall be sons and daughters to me says the Lord Almighty." That right there is acceptance the word of God says in John 1:12-13 "But to all who did receive him who believed in his name he gave the right to become children of God who were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God this once again is acceptance you are accepted and welcomed by God so hear me carefully in those moments when you feel alone on those occasions when

you are rejected by other people the first thing I want you to know is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners he loved you before you were even saved he accepted you when you didn't accept him and the second thing is that rejection from man can sometimes be a blessing in disguise the person that may reject you God would have seen that further down the line this person would have hurt you the rejection you feel today will cause you to look elsewhere for opportunities to look elsewhere for resources and in looking somewhere

else you will find that God had a bigger blessing in store a bigger breakthrough planned and a better opportunity in mind for you so remember that you are not rejected by Jesus Christ you are in fact welcomed by him you are not rejected by Jesus Christ but you are in fact forgiven and invited to abide under his protective shadow then spent all of eternity with him you are not rejected by Jesus Christ but you are in fact loved by him now I want to expand on this point about God's love 1 John 4:9-11 in this

the love of God was made manifest among us that God sent his only son into the world so that we might live through him in this is love not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins beloved if God so loved us we also ought to love one another the love of God is divine it's true and it's everlasting the love of God is real it's strong and it's pure god's love is unconditional it knows no bounds it has no limitations in fact

the Bible goes as far as stating that so great is God's love that John 3:16 says "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life." The love of our almighty God is characterized by grace forgiveness and mercy his divine love is eternal and it's a sacrificial love he gave his only begotten son for us so great was his love so great is his love i say this so that you may recognize the love of the Lord over your life open

your eyes and see that God in his love protects you in his love he always provides for you he always forgives you so I encourage you to praise him for his consistency his love is steadfast unmovable and never changing even when we are incapable of living consistently in a manner that is pleasing to him he is still loving towards us as humans we can sometimes be so inconsistent hot one moment and cold the other strong prayer life today and a weak one tomorrow we can sometimes be incredibly inconsistent when it comes to living righteously because

we are all sinners however in addition to seeking forgiveness from the Lord let's praise him for being consistent for never changing praise him and give him thanks for always being good for always being loving for always being caring despite our own inconsistencies in the Bible there was a woman who had an issue of blood she was rejected by society she was deemed unclean but this woman had an encounter with Jesus Christ and she was made whole in the Bible Luke chapter 17 tells us that there were 10 men with leprosy and in that time lepers

were outcasts they were deemed as unclean and they too were rejected by society in fact when these men came to Jesus the Bible says they stood at a distance i imagine they were worried about being rejected even though they sought healing from the Lord but guess what jesus didn't reject them he healed them and even though only one leper came back to say thank you all 10 of them were made whole now you may be here listening today feeling rejected well I'm here to tell you that God has not rejected you god has not abandoned

you he has not turned his back on you people may reject you society may reject you but for a moment I want you to consider this could their rejection be the very thing that's pushing you to be closer to God when people are putting you down and casting you out perhaps God has allowed that because he knows that the pain you feel will drive you to him the loneliness you feel will drive you to him and in him you will be made whole in him you will be elevated with God he will prepare a table

for you in the presence of your enemies the very same people who rejected you i once heard a story told about a man who witnessed a major accident on a highway there were multiple cars involved and this man witnessed the accident happening in real time one car going into the back of another now all the while as this was happening the driver was no longer paying attention to where he was going his focus was on the disaster happening and not on navigating his way from the disaster and as he was distracted with all that was

going on he too went into the back of a car because he wasn't paying attention now many Christians are in this world but they're distracted with what's going on around them they are distracted by this world the Bible says in Matthew 26:41 "Keep actively watching and praying that you may not come into temptation the spirit is willing but the body is weak." The word of God tells us to watch to focus and pay attention to what's going on yes but it also says "Keep praying continue praying so that you would not lose your focus as

Christians we are not to focus on the sickness in this world we shouldn't be focusing on the different strains and diseases out there no our focus should be on the healer we should focus on the chief physician the one who healed anyone and everyone who had a measure of faith as Christians we're not to focus on the violence taking place in the world don't focus on the tragedies and disasters that are happening all around the world instead focus on the ultimate protector ensure that you abide under the shadow of the Almighty in short what I'm

telling you to do is focus on Jesus focus on the prince of peace rather than focusing on the dread and the fear that's offered to you by the world focus on the deliverer Jesus Christ rather than the sin because ultimately focusing on the sin will not set you free what will set you free is focusing on Jesus listen if you choose to focus on the addiction that you have if you focus on that stronghold that you have or the bondage that you're under what do you think will get bigger what you focus on you magnify

and what you focus on will get bigger when Peter was walking on water do you know what made him sink he took his eyes he took his focus away from God matthew 14:es 28-30 says "And Peter answered him and said Lord if it is you command me to come to you on the water." So he said "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat he walked on the water to go to Jesus but when he saw that the wind was boisterous he was afraid and beginning to sink he cried out saying "Lord

save me." The Bible says "When he saw that the wind was boisterous he was afraid." When you begin to focus on everything happening around you when you begin to look at everything going on around the world you will be left in fear but should you focus on Jesus should you focus on the Prince of Peace then you will be blessed you will remain joyful and hopeful even in the midst of trouble the quickest way to block God's blessing in our lives is to believe others owe us and expect payment from them this is called unforgiveness

a subject with which I am well acquainted and I would like to speak to you and give you my own testimony i didn't understand why God blessed so many of my friends with loving supportive families while they were growing up and I had the opposite i compared my situation in life to theirs and inwardly resented the fact that God had not given me the kind of support network that others experienced instead of focusing on what God had given me I focused on what he hadn't i went into collection mode i tried to collect from others

what I thought was doomy tried to find in others the mother and father I never had and I became brokenhearted all over again when others couldn't compensate for the losses in my life have you ever felt like that has life and disappointment ever taken you to a place where you look for things in people that you can really only find in God [Music] matthew 18 tells of a man who demanded that the ledger be set straight forgetting that the divine accountant had credited him with far more mercy in the book of life than he could

ever repay the Bible says in Matthew 18 26-30 at this the servant fell on his knees before him be patient with me he begged and I will pay back everything the servant's master took pity on him cancelled the debt and let him go but when the servant went out he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a 100 silver coins he grabbed him and began to choke him "pay back what you owe me," he demanded his fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him "Be patient with me and I will pay it

back." But he refused instead he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt the unforgiving man wanted to collect from someone who simply couldn't pay even if the fellow servant did have the resources the unforgiving man was looking to people rather than trusting the Lord jesus went on to say that when the master of the unforgiving man found out he had treated a fellow servant so unmercifully when his own debt had been cancelled he threw the man into debtor's prison jesus said that unless we forgive we will not

be forgiven as I read this I realized how unjust I had become how self-righteous I had become how much like the unforgiving man I had become i repented and asked my heavenly father to forgive me and help me forgive others i stopped trying to collect from people what I thought was owed me what I thought would make up for past hurts as Hebrews 12:E2 says I fixed my eyes on Jesus the pioneer and perfector of faith the chapter right before that Hebrews 11:6 says "And without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who

comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." God loves to reward us we're his children he blesses us when we seek him first not people when we place our faith in him not people when we love him more than anything he can give us another hindrance to God's blessing in our lives is our thoughts what do we think about do we control our thoughts or do our thoughts control us do we struggle with worry over finances and can't focus on anything else do we struggle with loneliness

and can't find joy in our situation do we struggle with feeling trapped and are afraid we're losing control our heavenly father is so gracious he sees you he sees me he sees our struggles and wants to help us with our thoughts we can wake up in the morning and pray heavenly Father please help me to meditate on your word today to be thankful for your grace for your love for eternal life for salvation through the shed blood of your son Jesus Christ psalm 19:14 says "May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my

heart be pleasing in your sight Lord my rock and my redeemer." When I realized that Satan wanted me to believe that my thoughts were in control instead of me in control of my thoughts it changed my mindset completely i discovered that I could choose what I thought about so I chose to think thankful thoughts thank you God for loving me thank you God for saving me thank you God for watching over me once I decided that I wasn't going to allow my thoughts to block me from the blessing of God's righteousness peace and joy in

my life I made a few drastic changes for starters I paid careful attention to what and who I listen to in my life there were some TV shows I stopped watching there were some news columns I stopped reading there were some friends I stopped going to for advice i learned to recognize what fed my faith and what fed my fear my conversation started changing once my thoughts did i no longer felt comfortable engaging in gossip let alone listen to it then one day when I was reading the book of James I realized I had a

big problem my mouth the third chapter of James showed me exactly why I wasn't experiencing God's blessings of righteousness peace and joy james 3:11 says "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father and with it we curse human beings who have been made in God's likeness out of the same mouth comes praise and cursing my brothers and sisters this should not be can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring my mouth was a polluted well and I didn't want to be that way anymore i wanted to be a sincere believer

in Jesus Christ and that meant believing the entire word of God not just the parts that were convenient for me whenever I spoke unkindly about a brother or sister in Christ I was speaking unkindly about someone who Jesus died for shed his blood for gave his life for proverbs 18 21 says "The tongue has the power of life and death and those who love it will eat its fruit." I decided I had wielded the weapon of my tongue enough for a lifetime and I was tired of eating that poisonous fruit no I didn't take a

vow of silence i still talked not nearly as much though i became a better listener and discovered that I learned far more from listening than talking what we expect from God and others what we think about what and who we listen to and what we say flows from one of two wells a well of polluted water that hurts others and blocks the blessings of God or a well of fresh water that is lifegiving and full of goodness of God's righteousness peace and joy when you come to Christ there are many things that happen matthew 11:28

says "Then Jesus said "Come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest." This means that in Christ there is rest it means there is freedom that can only be attained when you come to Christ freedom from worry freedom from eternal damnation freedom from the snare of the devil there is freedom in the Lord when you come to Christ john 14 27 says "Peace I leave with you my peace I give to you not as the world gives do I give to you let not your heart

be troubled neither let it be afraid this means that in Christ there is peace there is peace which is unexplainable in Jesus a sense of calmness and tranquility that can be found in a person even when everything around them is chaotic or hostile when you come to Christ Romans 10:9 to10 says "If you declare with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved for it is with your heart that you believe and are justified and it is with your mouth that you profess

your faith and are saved this means that in Jesus you have a savior who will justify you meaning that when you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior he moves you away from a state of sin and death and by his grace and mercy he gives you the opportunity and the gift of eternal life when you come to Christ the Bible says in Romans 8:1 "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit." There is no condemnation in

Jesus meaning when you come to him and repent and turn away from your sin you are declared not guilty you have been pardoned there is no more shame on you anymore once you are in Christ there is no disgrace no accusations from the devil will stand there is no condemnation in Jesus Christ and when you really grasp the meaning of the word condemn then you can begin to appreciate just how much goodness can be found in Jesus the Bible in Revelation 12:10 says "Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven now salvation and strength

and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ have come for the accuser of our brethren who accused them before our God day and night has been cast down the devil is referred to as the accuser of the brethren meaning that he attempts to accuse us of sin of shame and guilt the devil's intention is to condemn us but in Christ we are acquitted of all charges and found to be not guilty we are indeed justified when we come to Christ we often trust people without question we often trust things without question

but dear friends the best doctors in the world make mistakes they get things wrong they misdiagnose they make errors of judgment and they sometimes come to a place where there's absolutely nothing they can do a car can be assembled by the most skilled mechanics in the world and still it will break down that car will have problems it will at some point have a flat tire or a warning light will come on to tell you that it needs to be fixed equally the greatest minds on earth the best teachers in the world don't know everything

they can't explain everything that you need to know in this life even after devoting large parts of their lives to studying their knowledge is still limited however saints there is one who makes no mistakes there is one whose hands are so skilled that whatever he touches is made perfect there is one who is all knowing one who has unmatched wisdom God Jehovah our trust should be placed in him and him alone jeremiah 32:17 says "Ah sovereign Lord you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm nothing is too hard

for you indeed nothing is too difficult for our God nothing is out of his reach there is nothing that is beyond him." You see our God holds time in his hands he's eternal and righteous and there is none like him and so I encourage you not to lean on your own understanding but submit all your ways to the Lord because God is bigger he's bigger than every complication you can face he's bigger than every mountain in front of you before we go any further we should first define what we're talking about when we say faith

the word faith has many definitions and connotations for some the word suggests belief to many people their faith is equivalent to the belief that they hold for instance the belief that Jesus is the son of God or that he died and rose from the dead is central to many Christians idea of faith for others faith represents a more general stance it's about hope and recognition of something greater than ourselves so someone can say "I have faith that it will work out or I have faith that I will get the job." This is less of a

spiritual stance and more of a general statement of hope finally there is the sense of faith that is trust the Greek word for faith in the New Testament is pist and it could just as readily be translated to the word trust in this sense faith is about a relationship with a person it is about trusting in God to fulfill your needs and guide your life in truth faith is all of these things it encompasses beliefs hopes but most importantly trust trust in the God whom you have a relationship with there's this word consistency it's one

word but here's the thing a man doesn't build a relationship with woman he doesn't get married to a woman unless there is consistency a man or woman cannot build a business unless there is consistency a person cannot become a professional athlete unless there is consistency you see unless you are consistent day in and day out you will never achieve anything anyone who has ever built something notable anyone who has ever built an empire whether it be a media empire a business empire or even a physical empire they all have one thing in common they were

consistent so now take this principle of consistency and think about this for a moment what would happen if you were more consistent in your prayer life what would happen if you were more consistent in reading God's word what would happen if you were more consistent in doing things for the Lord whether it's witnessing to unbelievers or simply giving to the less fortunate what would happen if all these things weren't one-offs how would your spiritual life be transformed if you became more consistent with the Lord would your faith grow it certainly would would your level of

anointing increase most definitely would your gift be effective in bringing people to Christ yes yes it would so how do we become more consistent with God what are some of the practical keys in building consistency in your walk with God one of the ways you can build consistency in your walk with God is by setting a schedule creating a routine you know what activities you will do each and every day you know that you'll travel to work you know that you'll go to the gym you know that you'll cook watch TV so why not make

time in your schedule whereby you know that this time is dedicated to the Lord i encourage you to set aside time 20 minutes 30 minutes whatever it is set aside time where you know you'll be praying and reading God's word time where you know you will be still and know that he is God set time aside where you'll open your heart and allow God to speak with you or rather where you listen and hear God's word the thing that God really cares about is faith the Bible clearly tells us that it's faith that pleases God

not prayer not reading his word but faith god loves the person who believes you have to believe you have to have faith in him are you standing in faith are you living by faith are you walking by faith faith is a life of action based on what you believe to be true for an example the action of not worrying that is a result of you having the faith that God is in control the action of not trying to fix everything that too is a result of you having the faith that God is in control jesus

Christ said "Let not your hearts be troubled." Why did he say this because he wants you to have faith that he will take care of all your needs another way to understand or define faith can be summed up in the following way faith is doing your part which is trusting God to do his part your part is to believe that's all you need to do and then you leave God to do his part your part is to stand on God's word his word that says nothing is impossible with God so let me ask you are

you doing your part are you believing are you believing and standing on God's word are you walking by faith and not by sight strong faith comes from knowing and believing that Jesus Christ not only rose from the dead but he defeated the devil he defeated death hell and the grave strong faith comes from meditating on God's word strong faith is cultivated and developed when you not only read the word of God but you internalize it you ponder on it and dwell on it i would even go as far as saying strong faith comes as a

product of great trials because the Bible says in James chapter 1 verse 2 to4 dear brothers and sisters when troubles of any kind come your way consider it an opportunity for great joy for you know that when your faith is tested your endurance has a chance to grow so let it grow for when your endurance is fully developed you will be perfect and complete needing nothing no matter what your hardship might be be strong in faith don't allow yourself to be moved because as soon as you let go of God's sure promises you are bound

to get swept up into the madness of this world jesus Christ is the only sure foundation in this fickle and everchanging world he is our steadfast anchor circumstances change people change social norms and public perceptions change but the word of God remains true forever in the book of Matthew Jesus says "Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away." That's why we can stand confidently in him that's why we can cling to him when we feel like we are slipping away into the chaos of life and he will rescue us and

place our feet back on solid ground now let us pray father we pray that you would strengthen our faith we know and understand that the testing of our faith produces endurance help us King Jesus to have the kind of faith that is strong and resilient help us Lord to have the kind of faith that believes you will outlast our problems lord Jesus you are a holy God you are a righteous God you alone are the one who moves mountains and causes walls to fall we know that regardless of everything happening around us regardless of the

things going on in this world you are still in control you are still on your throne and you are still a good God one who will never leave us nor forsake us your word in Isaiah 43:1 16 says "Thus says the Lord who makes a way in the sea and a path through the mighty waters you Lord will make a way in the desert you will create rivers in the desert you are still a God who makes a way where there seems to be no way when we are surrounded by the enemy you are a

God who delivers i thank you and I praise you Lord because when it looks as though the Red Sea of the unknown will overcome us we will call out your name the name that is above every name and that name is Jesus Christ and we will ask for your help to make a way where there seems to be no way we ask you Lord to split the sea of uncertainty before us turn the unstable ground we're on into solid and steady ground lord speak the words "Peace be still in the storms that we face calm

the seas in our lives lord we trust in you to be the solution we are trusting you to be the chain breaker to be the way out for whatever it is that comes against us be with us as we continue to fight and strive to walk by faith and not by sight give us the strength to always hold on to our mighty savior that is Jesus Christ for in him and him alone we can find deliverance you alone are our rock and refuge so we run to you lord Jesus I praise and I worship you

i praise you because you are unlimited in your power we may be bound by the laws of nature but you are not like man you are not bound or restricted or limited by the things that limit us lord your word says in Psalm 147 verse 4 to 5 he counts the number of the stars he calls them all by name great is our Lord and mighty in power his understanding is infinite be glorified Lord Jesus you are great and awesome i pray that you would help me to step out in faith and trust you always

i can't always change my circumstances but I will decide to trust in you fully lord Jesus help me to fight and change my attitude and outlook on life so that I will always walk by faith and not by sight thank you for hearing this prayer amen resistance means struggling and likewise for us as Christians to build our strength to build our faith we need to resist the devil we need to go through some struggles we need to fight against the tempting ways of this world and believe me it's a fight it's a fight when your

spirit man is saying no but your flesh is saying yes it's a fight when you want and need to be strong but you feel so weak it's a fight to press on when you feel like giving up and I encourage you don't you dare give up luke 10:17 says "I have given you authority to trample over serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy nothing shall by any means hurt you." Now you may not be trampling over serpents and scorpions but you can be trampling over weakness trampling over temptations trampling over sinful

desires life is truly about choices where are your choices leading you will you accept that this is a struggle but choose to still believe God for a way out will you still choose to worship to pray yesterday is in the past and yes we struggle with our decisions but we have power over the enemy we have been given power to defeat anything and everything that may tempt us to make the wrong choice and risk our relationship with God and so understand me it's okay to struggle with making the right decisions but remember that although you

may struggle ultimately you have the power to overcome and be triumphant to trust God in the light is nothing but to trust God in the dark that is faith true faith is keeping your eyes on God when the whole world around you is falling apart now the best quote about faith comes from Matthew 17 20 so Jesus said to them "Because of your unbelief for assuredly I say to you if you have faith as a mustard seed you will say to this mountain move from here to there and it will move and nothing will be

impossible for you." I wonder how many Christians across the ages have tried to move mountains based on this verse you see faith plays a huge role in the Bible whether it's in the Old or New Testament you're reading faith is paramount it's a central theme in scripture the book of Hebrews traces the faith of the great biblical heroes across the generations from Abel to Abraham to Moses to David and how they overcame great obstacles to accomplish the purposes God had for them but just what is faith what does it mean how do we get it

and what does it mean to live by faith hebrews 11:1 tells us that now faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen this suggests to us that faith is not necessarily something tangible it's not something you can put your hands on and control faith is the substance of hope and the evidence of the unseen this means to me that if you can see it it isn't faith if you can explain it or control it it isn't faith most of us try to orchestrate and control everything in our lives until

we are faced with things outside of our control and the truth is most important things in our life are out of our control we can eat healthy exercise and not smoke but disease can still come knocking on our door we can build magnificent buildings and structures but we still must bow to the power of a tornado hurricane or earthquake these things remind us that we are not in control but I want you to understand that it's during times like these when we feel out of control that we are reminded of the purpose of faith faith

enables us to be comfortably out of control even though we cannot control things like disease nature or death we have faith that God has a plan and that God will have the last word god will never let you slip so I urge you brothers and sisters the Lord Jesus is king and he invites you to come to him for rest the Bible says "Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ens snares us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us looking onto Jesus the author and

finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God troubles can be a blessing for believers you see God uses our troubles to remind us that he is a deliverer he is a savior he is our hope and rescue god is faithful to empower you to stand strong and victorious and not to be defeated understand that we are overcomers the first principle to receiving a victory from God is to understand that he has already

won the battle has already been fought and he has already won if we could only understand this we have the victory we have overcome and yeah it's a battle sometimes to be a Christian but we know that Christ told us to take up our cross and follow him as we do this we receive the rewards of victory in Jesus