Continue

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Continue, faith, grace, help, Jesus, New Year Resolutions, power

“As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.” John 15:9

If I had to give you one word to focus upon this year it would be Continue.

Continue in what you might ask?  Well, here are a few things.  Continue to believe that you are loved by God.  Continue to believe that you are accepted in the beloved.  Continue to believe that you can do all things through Christ.  Continue to believe that you are part of the body of Christ and therefore undefeatable. Continue to believe that you have the power of God and the wisdom of God to execute the will of God in your life.  Continue to believe that you are blessed and highly favored by God.  Continue to believe in miracles. Continue in the word of God. Continue to pray without ceasing.  Continue to ask big of God because there is nothing impossible with Him.  In short continue.

This year as you’re making your resolutions be resolved to continue regardless of what happens or what comes your way, or how things look, or how you feel.  Continue.  As you do you will find that nothing you set your heart to do this year will go undone.

Equipped

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church, equipped, glory, grace, Jesus, power

2 Peter 1:3

“According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue.”

What was happening in the church during the time of Peter’s writing  is much like what is happening in the church today.  People were turning away from the truth of the Gospel.  The enemy had planted false teachers in the church to sway believers away from what the apostles were teaching.  Today, we have more motivational speakers than we have revelation teaching and preaching.  This is seen not only in Peter’s letters but in Paul’s and John’s letters as well.  It seemed to be an underline theme of the New Testament after the gospels.  There were those that refused to let go of the law for grace.  They were trying to convince believers that they still had to keep the law even while being under grace.  We still have this today.  They were teaching that there was no redemption and that Jesus was not coming back.  Sound familiar?  It’s still happening today.  Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:1-5

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lust shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

Peter in seeing this warns the church and teaches them what they needed to do to guard themselves against the murderous lies, and tricks of the devil.  He starts by saying,

“Simon Peter a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.”  2 Peter 1:1-2

We are equipped with the Faith of God

Precious faith is faith that comes from God’s Holy Word.  Not men, but God’s Holy Word.  Paul said in 1 Cor. 2:4-5

“And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and power:  That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”

Faith that comes from the Word of God can conqueror anything.  1 John 5: 4

“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world; and this is the victory that overcometh the world even our faith.”

Faith that is born of God is faith that comes from the Word of God.  Romans 10:17, “So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”  We have been given the faith of God.

We are equipped with the glory of God

Let’s look at what Peter says again in verse 1.

“According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue.”

We have been called to His glory.  His glory that shines brighter than the sun. Hebrews 1:3,

“Who 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.” 

And Jesus said in St. John 17:22

“And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one.”

We have been given the glory of God. Hallelujah!

We are equipped with the power of God

We have been called to His power.  That’s Dunamis power.  Power that is explosive.  It’s the power to breakdown, breakthrough and breakout. Eph. 2:19-21

“And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all.”

Christ is the head we are the body, if all things have been put under his feet, then all things have been put under our feet because we are the body.  The feet is a part of the body.  His power is our power!  We have been given the power of God.

We are equipped with the promises of God

Peter goes on to say in verse 4,

“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” 2 Peter 1:4

Now, it’s by His glory and virtue (His divine life and power) that we have received these great and precious promises.  Why?  Because Christ is the fulfillment of all the promises of God. 

I Corinthians 1:30 (Amplified version)

“But it is from Him that you have your life in Christ Jesus Whom God made our Wisdom from God, (revealed to us a knowledge of the divine plan of salvation previously hidden, manifesting itself as) our Righteousness (thus making us upright and putting us in right standing with God), and our Consecration (making us pure and holy), and our Redemption (providing our ransom from eternal penalty for sin).

Right here is where you must use that precious faith to believe that Christ is in you.  You are not just flesh and blood.  You are a divine spiritual being because Christ is in you.  Jesus prays in St. John 17:20-21,

“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou; Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us; that they world many believe that thou hast sent me.”

Christ in us is salvation, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. Christ in us is the fulfillment of all the promises of God.  “For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” 2 Corinthians 1:20.

We are equipped with the Word of God

Peter goes on to tell the church how to avoid being deceived by satan’s murderous lies through being diligent in exercising their faith.

“And beside this giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.”

We exercise our faith to develop what has already been given and is living in us.  What you believe you will act upon.  You will live out what you believe.  If you believe that Christ is that virtue in you, and you’re not trying to become virtuous in your own strength but believe that He is virtue in you, then you will live virtuously.

It all starts and ends with faith.  We should be moving from faith to faith; from glory to glory.  Paul teaches us how to move from faith to faith in Romans 1:16-17

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”

From glory to glory in 2 Corinthians 3:18,

“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

We move from faith to faith and glory to glory by giving all diligence to the Word of God. We have been given the written Word to reveal to us the living Word all we need to do is open it up and see His grace and glory.

Stand Firm In The Faith

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devil, distractions, faith, Father, Firm, help, Jesus, power, stand

Our faith is most precious because without it we cannot please God.  It is therefore of the utmost importance that we guard it with our entire being. There can be no breaks when it comes to guarding our faith.  We must be alert and on our guard at all times. 

The devil is constantly trying to get us to move out of faith because he knows that we cannot possess the land without faith.  The children of Israel didn’t possess the promise land when they could have because they had no faith.  Likewise, we cannot possess all that Christ died for us to have if we have no faith.  I Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”  Make no mistake it’s the devil who is walking about seeking whom he may devour not people or things.  He will use whoever and whatever lends itself to him to come after your faith.  Guarding your faith may mean that you will have to separate yourself from people, places and things in order to stay stedfast and firm in your faith. David separated himself from his army and encourage himself in the Lord after the enemy had invaded Ziklag and captured their women and children. I Samuel 30:6, “And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters; but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.”  David had to remove himself from all the negative talk and space in order to hear from God.   Peter said “be sober, be vigilant.” About what you ask?  About knowing who we are, what we have, and what we can do in Christ.  For a person who knows who they are; what they have and what they can do in Christ cannot be devoured.

Faith is both offensive and defensive.  We use it to gain and to defend.  I Peter 5:9, says “whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”  Notice it says, “whom resist stedfast in the faith”.  While we are using faith to lay hold on the things of God, we are also using faith to resist the things of the devil.  Our faith rejects and resists the things of the devil and accepts and receives the things of God.  This is why the devil comes after our faith so hard.  He knows that if we stand firm in faith we will accomplish our goals, realize our dreams and fulfil our destinies.  We need only remember that our Father God has never failed or gone back on His word.  He has proven over and over again His faithfulness.  As we read and reflect on God’s faithfulness it strengthens our faith and empowers us to stand firm on His word.  You are not alone.  All who will to possess the things of God are faced with the same distractions and many are standing firm and possessing all.

New Book – Faith To See, Speak And Live

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Belief, believe, Deborah Chandler, faith, Faith to See, power, seeing, Speak And Live, Vision

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Take The Challenge – Meekness

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fruits, fruits of the Spirit, gentle, meekness, mild, power, strong, take the challenge

Hi there!

Well here we are on the eighth fruit in our challenge.  I hope you’re hanging in there with me because we’re almost through this challenge.

As always I have to remind you that we have a choice in this challenge.  We can yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit or we can continue in our own efforts.  Remember the branch has to give way for the fruit to come forth.

Okay are you ready?  This week we will challenge ourselves in the fruit of meekness.

Many times when we think of someone being meek we think of someone who is weak and passive but that’s not how Jesus refers to Himself in Matthew 11:29 when He says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”   Jesus was referring to Himself as someone who is all power and someone who knows the power of his strength. He is gentle and mild because He knows that we are fragile in His hands.   For example, you wouldn’t squeeze an egg in your hands unless you wanted to crush it.  You are restrained in how tight you hold it because you know its frailty.   Likewise, Christ is meek and lowly with us because of His love for us.  It’s not just what He does but it’s who He is, He’s love and He knows we are but dust.

Matthew 5:5 says, “Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth.” It is those that fear and reference God that will inherit the earth.  It’s impossible to be meek or lowly without the fear of God.  It’s our knowledge of who Christ is and who we are in Christ that empowers us to be meek, gentle and mild to the poor, weak, and the fragile.  Meekness is not something that we can do it’s what the Holy Spirit does through us as we give way to His leading.

Therefore, I encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit to give you a fresh reference and fear of God this week which will enable you to see how frail you are and how strong He is in you.

Uncontainable!

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blood, blood of Jesus, power, shut in, shut up, substance, uncontainable

Exodus 14:3

“For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, they are entangled in the land the wilderness hath shut them in.”

Nothing can shut the people of God in.  Pharaoh thought he had Israel between a rock and a hard place But God let Pharaoh know that His people are uncontainable because He is uncontainable.

The night before Israel came out of Egypt God instructed them to take a lamb without blemish and take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of their houses because He would pass through the land of Egypt that night and smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt both man and beast.  The blood would be a token upon their houses and when He saw the blood He would pass over them (Exd. 12:1-13).  When Pharaoh and all of Egypt rose up in the night and found all their firstborn dead he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said “rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said” (Exd. 12:31).  It was the blood of the Lamb that opened the doors of Egypt and set the people of God free and it was the blood of the Lamb that made a way for them in the wilderness.  When you are covered in the blood nothing can shut you in because the blood of Jesus is uncontainable.

When Peter was thrown in jail by Herod he was bound in chains between two soldiers and there were soldiers outside his cell. The enemy thought he had Peter shut in but Peter was covered in the blood.  The angel of the Lord came and led Peter out of that jail, right from between the soldiers pass the soldiers on the outside of his cell and out the front doors of the prison (Acts 12:1-19).  Peter couldn’t be contained because the blood of Jesus is uncontainable.

Where are you today, do you feel like you’re between a rock and a hard place?  Are you feeling like you’re shut in?  Does your situation look like there is no way out?  The blood of Jesus opens doors the blood of Jesus makes ways out of no way.  Don’t be distracted by the enemy, he can’t hold you in because he can’t hold the blood of Jesus in.  He tried and failed.  Jesus rose up with the keys of hell and death (Rev. 1:18).

Child of God you’re not just coming out, you’re coming out with power and substance.  You’re coming out with a high hand!

A Few Facts About Power

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authority, dominate, Force, Live; Reign, power, Rule, subdue

1 Corinthians 1:24

“But unto them which are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

Did you know that everything in life requires power?  Whether it’s power in the sense of authority or power in the sense of force everything in life requires power to operate.

Did you know that for God to create the world He had to use power? And did you know that there is no other power above the power of God?  But do you realize that the same power that God used to create the world is living in you?

The power of God is a person and that person is Jesus Christ and He has a voice.  Hebrews 1:3 says “Who 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.”  Therefore, the power of God speaks.  All things are upheld by the word of His power or all things are upheld by Christ the power of God because He is the Word of God.

Why did God give us His power? He gave us His power so that we can reign in life.  “For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.” Through Christ God has given us power in authority and in force to subdue and dominate on earth.  Christ being the power of God is above every other power and He never stops working.  1 John 4:4 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.”  Greater is the power of God working for you than the power of the enemy working against you.

Now for my final question, what are you doing with all this power? There are no limits.

Cry Out To Draw Out

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Ask, Cry, Cry out, Draw out, grace, Jesus, power, pray, prayer, Receive

Mark 10:50-51

“And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.  And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?  The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.”

Everywhere Jesus went there was someone pressing upon Him to receive something from Him and Bartimaeus, was no different.

As Jesus was leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus was sitting by the highway begging as he usually did every day he had no idea that that day would forever change his life. 

When Bartimaeus heard the noise of the crowd he asked the reason for the noise and when they told him it was Jesus he began to do something that turned heads, he cried out.  Mark 10:47 “And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.”  The scripture says that many told him to hold his peace but he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me (Mark 10:48).  His cries didn’t go out in vain it got Jesus attention.  “And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called…” (Mark 10:49).  When Bartimaeus was told he got Jesus attention, he cast away his garment, got up and went to Jesus.  And Jesus said unto him “what wilt thou that I should do unto thee?”   Bartimaeus received his sight because he called upon the one who was passing by.

Today, Jesus is not just passing by but He lives in you. He walks with you and talks with you.  He’s given us His word that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb 13:5).  But like Bartimaeus we have to cast away our garments, our righteousness, our way, our works, our life and receive what He came to give us, His righteousness, His way, His works, His life.

When we cry out to Him, He gives us the same answer He gave Bartimaeus, “What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?”  The one whose sole purpose is to bless you is asking you today What do you want me to do for you?   There were many in Bartimaeus’s day that had needs but they didn’t cry out, to draw out what was in Jesus to give.

Beloved, you are not alone on this journey, Jesus is with you.   Whatever you need today cry out to Him and He will pour out to you whatever you ask of Him.

The Mighty Power Of God!

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life, Live, Mighty, Mighty Power, power, Powerful, Working

Ephesians 1:19-21

“And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.  Which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.”

The greatest demonstration of the power of God was when God raised Jesus from the dead and although all hell was against Him Jesus rose victorious!

Now the same measure of power that God used when raising Jesus from the dead (which was the greatest demonstration of His power) is working in you.  No wonder the gates of hell can’t prevail against us (Matt. 16:18).  The power that lifted Jesus up from the dead is the same power that lifts us up from among the dead. The power of resurrection is present in us to lift us up and cause us to live!

Therefore, no matter what you’re going through right now, boldly declare “I shall not die, but live and declare the works of the Lord (Psa. 118:17)” because the power of resurrection is lifting you up.  Remember all hell was against God but all hell couldn’t keep Jesus down and nothing that hell brings your way can keep you down.  There is too much power at work in you for you to die. Romans 8:36-27 says, “…For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.  Nay in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.” No matter what we live and we live victoriously!

Power To Live!

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death, dying, gave, giving, life, love, mediate, power, revelation

2 Corinthians 4:10

“Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.”

When we receive Christ we receive His death for our life and we receive His Spirit into our reborn spirits.  And His life is there in us in for us to use to live.  We don’t just receive His life for our salvation and then put Him on the shelf in our hearts, behind glass doors and keep Him clean and dusted off as we would a trophy.  No, His life is for us to live!  The life of Christ is power!   1 Corinthians 1:24 says “…Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.”  Power is the ability to act, it’s God’s supernatural, miracle working ability. It’s the same power that God used when He raised Jesus from the dead (Eph.1:19-20).   His life is power to live!

Likewise the same way His life is power to live, His death is power to destroy.  In His death He destroyed principalities and powers and made a show of them openly triumphing over them in it (Col. 2:14-15).  In His death He destroyed the body of sin that we should no longer be servants to sin (Rom. 6:6).  In His death He redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us (Gal. 3:13).  And in His death He took all of our sicknesses and diseases and by His stripes we were healed (1 Pet. 2:24).  We received His death before we received His life.

Therefore, it is the revelation of the cross in us, what was accomplished for us through the dying of our Lord Jesus that releases the life of our Lord Jesus in us.  Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”  Now, that my friends is Power!