Archive for June, 2010

Surrounded By Favor

PSALM 5:12 NIV
12 For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround
them with your favor as with a shield.

God’s favor can change your life.

Someone who is favored is called a favor-ite.

(The New Testament teaches that being righteous (in right
standing with God), is a gift we receive when we receive Jesus
– not something we attain by our works.)

So, the promise of Scripture is that God surrounds you with
favor. What does that mean?

Favor is the blessing of God making people like you and treat
you well.

Is it automatic? We have access to God’s grace only through
faith (Romans 5:2). So, you will never experience the fullness
of God’s favor without believing for it.

Faith is released through words. So every day thank the Lord
for giving you favor with people, for surrounding you with
favor!

Don’t say, “People don’t like me.” or “Everybody seems to be
against me.” or “I never get a break.”

Instead say, “Thank you Lord for giving me favor with people.”

Then watch God begin to move on your behalf!

SAY THIS: Thank you Lord for surrounding me with favor.

Why I Tithe?

MALACHI 3:10 ICB
10 Bring to the storehouse a tenth of what you gain. Then there
will be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord of
heaven’s armies. “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I
will pour out more blessings than you have room for.

Tithing is giving ten percent of your income to God.

While tithing is not a command given in the New Testament, what
we do with our money is a test of our love and commitment to
the Lord.

In truth, all we have as believers really belongs to the Lord.
Ten percent is a low figure, yet it is a starting point. Sadly,
one which many Christians have never reached.

I practice tithing to God because:

* Tithing is a way of expressing my worship in a tangible way.

God is worthy of my all — my best — and so much more. Nothing
I could ever give would be sufficient, but that is no reason to
do nothing. The money I give is tangible evidence that I do
value God.

* The Lord promised blessing to those who tithe.

There are books full of testimonies from people — even non-
Christians — who put God to the test, as He challenges us in
Malachi 3:10, and found God faithful to prosper them, as He
promised.

* Tithing is an act of faith, which pleases God.

It takes faith to give when you don’t have enough. Many people
do not tithe for this very reason; they are afraid God will not
come through and take care of them.

I have experienced miraculous provision many times. I can
testify that God is faithful, and will always, somehow, take
care of His children who trust Him.

SAY THIS: Giving money to God is an act of worship.

Do You Believe In Love?

MATTHEW 5:44 NKJ
44 “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse
you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who
spitefully use you and persecute you,

Most people believe in force: guns and armies.

Most people believe in money: “financial power.”

Many people believe in education, that “If we just educate
people enough we can change the world.”

Hardly anyone seems to believe in the power of love to change
things. No one seems to think it would do any good to “turn the
other cheek.”

Jesus didn’t tell us to “turn the other cheek” just so we could
get beat up more. Jesus believes in the power of love. Jesus
believes that evil can be overcome with good.

ROMANS 12:20-21 NKJ
20 Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is
thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals
of fire on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

God still believes in the power of love. He believes that if
you love enough, and for long enough, people will finally come
to their senses and respond to that love.

JOHN 13:34-35 NIV
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved
you, so you must love one another.
35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you
love one another.”

Jesus said the mark of His believers would be their love. Where
did we go wrong?

SAY THIS: Lord, help me to believe in love, and to act in love.

Jesus Became Poor . . .

2 CORINTHIANS 8:9 NKJ
9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though
He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you
through His poverty might become rich.

Most people know that Jesus became poor. They just don’t know
why.

Some people may tell you this verse refers only to being made
“spiritually rich.” Don’t fall for that. Look at the context
and you will see it is discussing money.

“Then why aren’t Christians rich?”

The main reason is because of a lack of teaching on this
subject. Everything we receive from God must be received by
faith. If we don’t believe it, we won’t receive it.

(Jesus died so that everyone could be saved. However, until
people hear the message and believe it, they continue lost in
their sins. Yet the price has already been paid by Jesus for
their freedom.)

Instead of teaching that prosperity is a blessing available to
believers, most churches have taught the opposite — that it
was the will of God for us to be poor.

What we need is to hear preaching and teaching about it being
God’s will for us to prosper. We need to continue in the Word
on that subject, to be set free in that area of life.

I am NOT saying being prosperous makes you a better person, or
that it is a sign of great faith. I AM saying that poverty and
lack is part of the curse — which Jesus redeemed us from.

God’s prosperity is a growing thing that will not destroy you,
unlike winning the lottery, or other get-rich-quick schemes.
Time and continued obedience to God are required.

But the fact remains, according to Scripture, Jesus became poor
to set you free from poverty — to make you rich.

SAY THIS: Jesus became poor to make me rich.

We Receive From God By Faith

MATTHEW 9:29 NKJ
29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith
let it be to you.”

Have you ever wondered why God blessed someone — when it was
obvious they did not deserve it?

Do you wonder why you are not more blessed — even though you
are doing your best to be a good Christian?

The answer is faith.

We do not receive from God based on what we deserve, but on
what we believe.

GALATIANS 3:9 ICB
9 Abraham believed this, and because he believed, he was
blessed. It is the same today. All who believe today are
blessed just as Abraham was blessed.

Our receiving from God is not based on our works, but on God’s
grace. We have access to God’s grace by our faith — not
through our merit.

ROMANS 5:2 NKJ
2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in
which we stand . . . .

Many try to earn something from God when He has already given
us all things through Christ. Now by faith we must appropriate
what God has provided.

Don’t despair if your faith is not too strong. The cure for
weak faith is to feed on the Word of God, the Bible.

ROMANS 10:17 NKJ
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of
God.

If you feed your heart and mind the Word of God, your faith
will grow strong. You feed it in by reading it, hearing it,
speaking it, and meditating on it.

SAY THIS: I will feed on God’s Word and my faith will grow.
Then I will receive all God has for me.