Seeds of Victory

“Now faith is....” Faith is always in the now! It is the currency of heaven, the heavenly substance with which God created this universe.  It is “the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]” (Hebrews 11:1, The Amplified Bible, Classic Edition ).  God did NOT create the heavens and the earth from nothing! God created the heavens and the earth from something that cannot be seen with the natural eye - the substance of faith! Faith is tangible, but it is not visible. Everything seen can be traced back to this original force that cannot be seen.  Faith is the parent force of everything that can be seen on this planet with the physical eye!  It is the substance, or the evidence, of things not yet seen with the natural eye or not yet revealed in the natural, physical realm. God fra...

“After this manner therefore pray ye, Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen” - Matthew 6:9-13 What a simple, direct and powerful prayer but somehow religious tradition has made it seem as though it is a begging wish instead of the power prayer that it is! Do you see any questions or begging contained in that passage?! NO! Do you remember the creation story in the book of Genesis?  Do you remember all the times that the King James Version of the Bible says “and God said, Let there be...”?  The Jewish sages and rabbis tell us that a much more accurate translation of what God actually said would be a command. For example, instead of saying “Let there be light and lig...

Some have asked, “Why do you talk so much about faith?  It seems like this “Word of Faith” thing is all you talk about!” Well, that’s a legitimate question that deserves a legitimate answer! Number one, it’s what we are called to preach and teach.  Other ministries are called to preach other aspects of the Word.  We are all members of one body but we are not all knees or all elbows!  We are called for different functions and operations in the body! Here is a simple outline of why we study faith... It is impossible to please God without faith.  Hebrews 11:6 A person cannot be saved without faith.  Ephesians 2:8 One cannot live the Christian life without faith.  Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38 and Habakkuk 2:4 One cannot fight the Christian fight without faith. 1 Timothy 6:12, 2 Timothy 4:7 One cannot overcome the world without faith. 1 John 5:1-4 Whatever is not of faith is sin. Romans 14:23 One cannot stand without faith. 2 Co...

I want to show you today the seriousness of John 15:7.  Jesus said, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.”  That’s the King James translation of those Greek words. Let me state it the way it is stated in the original Greek language.  Hold on to something so you don’t fall over now! “If you live and have your being in Me and my Word lives and abides in you, you will require and demand as something due to you whatever you will and it will be done for you!” WOW!! As a comparison to help you see how very seriously the Lord takes this and impress upon you the absolute certainty of this reality, let us look at Mark 6:17-29.  This is the story of how and why John the Baptist’s head was cut off.  Read the whole story but for the sake of brevity I will just provide a short summary here. The king had tremendous respect for and even some fear of John the Baptist and listened to him often and di...

2 Corinthians says that God is able to make all grace abound toward us so that we, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work! Do you find yourself increasing in that ability or frustrated in your inability to abound to good works? Are there people in need around you that you yearn to help physically, financially or in some other way but you find yourself unable to help? Let me encourage you today to do a quick check up on a few things. 1. The Lord says in verse 8 of II Cor 9 that it is grace that facilitates this process of being able to abound.  In II Timothy 2:1, Paul instructs Timothy to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” Have you developed yourself in grace?  If not, begin to grow and develop until you become strong in grace! 2. Are you prepared to abound to those good works?  II Timothy 2:20-26 tells us that there are both vessels of honor and vessels of dishonor in the house of the Lord.  This is talking a...

There are a lot of opinions floating around on how to transform your life but how many of you know what you have to have to be scriptural about something?  That’s right....SCRIPTURE!   The Bible tells us exactly how the Lord says to transform your life!  Romans 12:2 tells us very plainly that it is through the renewing of our mind!   “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” It is very enlightening (and a whole lot of fun too!) to follow a trail through scriptures such as Romans 8:29, Colossians 3:10 and Philippians 2:5,6 finding out exactly what we are to renew our minds TO that produces the very transformation of our lives that we desire!   The Word, as always, tells us precisely how to effect the transformation that so many of us desire and so desperately need. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Wh...

As I was studying this morning, I saw an aspect of the term “stand fast” that I had not seen before.  As you may know, Paul told us numerous times to stand fast in the faith (I Cor 16:13), stand fast in one spirit (Phil 1:27), stand fast in the Lord (I Thes 3:8, Phil 4:1) and to stand fast in the gospel (II Thes 2:15). Normally as I read these scriptures, in my mind I think to be stalwart and unmoveable as in a pillar or a lighthouse.  This is not an incorrect image or concept as it is consistent with the Word in I Cor 15:58 moving on into 16:13 where you see phrases such as unmoveable, steadfast, always abounding, act like a man and be strong. As I was studying this morning however, I noticed in the center reference of my Bible all the places in which Paul told us to “stand fast” and I was prompted to look at them and delve a little deeper into those words. The word translated “stand fast” in the KJV of the New Testament is the Greek word “steko” which simply means to b...

In Joshua chapter 1 we find a most profound key to success in life and ministry!  In verse 8 we receive this insight and instruction, “This book of the law (in our case the Word of God) shall not depart out of you mouth; but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it: for THEN you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success!” That is quite a significant statement on several levels! First of all, notice that we are told that the closer we are to God and the more we are in His Word we should expect increase in prosperity and higher levels of success in life!  That’s contrary to what a lot of churches and demon-isms, I mean denominations teach! The real subject I want to address today though is that word “meditate.”  The word “meditate” has several components to it.  It is closely related to the instruction right before it to not let the Word depart from your mouth. The word ...

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that BEARETH FRUIT, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth MORE FRUIT. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot BEAR FRUIT of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth MUCH FRUIT: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is WITHERED; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear MUCH FRUIT; so shall ye be my disciples.”    John 15:1-8 KJV Verse 16:  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ORDAINED you, that ye ...

“Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.” ‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭2:10‬ ‭KJV‬‬ Have you ever noticed that to most Christian’s way of thinking about salvation that this scripture doesn’t make any sense? Most people think of “salvation” as having a salvation experience in which they have received Jesus as their Lord and Savior which in turn allows them entrance into Heaven when their body dies on this earth. According to that concept, this verse (and others) makes no sense whatsoever because Paul is already talking about “the elect.”  Now, some would argue that this reference was to the Jewish people but Paul was never called to the Jews but tot he Gentiles.  He is talking to the church!  People who have already had what is typically thought of as a “salvation experience.” The answer to this seeming inaccuracy of scripture lies in the true definition of the word “salvation.” A...