Weekly Bread

As Christians, we need to become established in two areas concerning faith. Number one, we must realize that faith is a lifestyle, it’s not something we try to stir up when trouble comes. As Christians, we must make a choice to live out the Word of God. In Romans 1:17 we read;

“For in it is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, the just shall live by faith.”

Number two, we must realize that when operating in faith, it must always be applied with love. In Galatians 5:6 we read;

“For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love.”

Love is not selfish or self-seeking. The God kind of love always has a pure motive and will give you confidence, which causes you to believe; and then all things become possible. In Romans 10:17 we read;

“So then, faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”

Just hearing the Word over and over doesn’t build faith. You must first hear the Word of God, and secondly hear the Word of God attentively. That is when it gets in your heart. When you believe in your heart, you can then operate in the God kind of faith.

1) When we operate in faith it causes our lives to please God.

In Hebrews 11:6 we read;

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him; for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”

Faith comes from the Word, and God is the Word. So when we grow in faith, we grow in God. When we talk like God, walk like God, and act like God, He is pleased. God the Father wants His children to operate in the earth as He would, and without faith we can’t do this. God is moved by faith, not needs. Faith pleases God, and allows God to move on our behalf.

2) When we operate in faith, it causes our lives to become whole and delivered.

In Matthew 9:22 we read;

“But Jesus turned about, and when He saw her, He said, Daughter be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.”

Faith will heal your body and deliver you from cares, worry, fear, lack, depression, anger, and from being a victim. God will make you whole, allowing you to operate in peace, love, and fullness of joy.

3) When we operate in faith, it allows us to remove obstacles with spoken words.

In Mark 11:23 we read;

“For verily I say unto you, whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatever he saith.”

Faith filled words tear down and rebuild. When we stand in faith by saying what God says, by speaking His Word, circumstances and situations change. Mountains Move! God doesn’t change, and He can’t fail. So, if we stay in faith, our circumstances will change; and we will see victory.

4) When we operate in faith, it allows us to be shielded from satan’s attacks.

In Ephesians 6:16 we read;

“Above all, taking the shield of faith, with which ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”

Faith causes God’s Word to become a fortress in and around our lives. When satan tries to attack us with darts of temptation, discouragement, and deception, we are not hindered. We are not devoured. The darts bounce off, and we keep operating in faith.

I encourage you today to strengthen your faith by hearing, and intently hearing the Word of God, so that you and those around you would benefit and profit in this life.

Feelings are the result of what we think to be true that emotionally stirs us. Feelings are the sensations we experience after having come in contact with something that touches our lives. Feelings are similar to the nerve endings in the human body. When heat comes in contact with the flesh, the nerve endings send a message to the brain to respond accordingly. Because of our nerve endings, we have avoided many harmful situations. Once we have experienced the pain of physical hurt, we are usually quick to respond when we are faced with similar circumstances. Our own personal experiences, I believe, would prove we have the tendency to overreact. Therefore, we accidentally hurt ourselves trying to avoid physical pain.

Everyone has had bad experiences and have been emotionally hurt by someone. The deepest hurt usually comes from those with whom we have a close relationship. Because of the emotional pain we have experienced, we try to avoid these situations at all cost. In our attempts to do this, it is easy to overreact. When we overreact in an attempt to protect ourselves, we wind up hurting ourselves and those around us. Living our lives based upon negative past experiences will always promote negative responses. It’s true we’ve had bad things happen to us, but we should refuse to stay bound when we can go free. Going free requires faith and putting it to work by choosing to walk in love. Galatians 5:6 says,

“For [if we are] in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love”(Amplified).

There has to be an active work on our part to put out of mind those things that disrupt a peaceful heart. When thoughts arise that are related to past experiences, by faith say to yourself, “I have chosen to walk in love and I have forgiven those who have hurt me, and I refuse to be controlled by my past.” Love takes no account of the evil done to it, or pays no attention to a suffered wrong. Love is ready to believe the best of every person (I Corinthians13, Amp). We will have many opportunities to react to the circumstances of life either in love or some other way. Ephesians 4:31-32 says,

“Let all bitterness and indignation and wrath (passion, rage, bad temper) and quarreling (brawling, clamor, contention) and slander (evil-speaking, abusive, or blasphemous language) be banished from you, with all malice (spite, ill will, or baseness of any kind). And become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted) forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you” (Amp).

Our lives can be gloriously changed because they have been touched by the love of God. Our choice to live like this keeps the freshness of His love resting on our heart. It becomes imperative to cultivate the lifestyle of being forgiving to those who may mistreat us. Paul said he forgot those things that are behind him and stretched forth to those things that are ahead. Apart from forgetting, going forward becomes a grueling process. When we’re affected negatively in our emotions, we have feelings that oppress instead of energizing us. The way we feel is directly connected to what we are thinking. Forgetting releases us from the clutter of the past. No one is perfect, including ourselves; but we can be forgiving and tenderhearted toward everyone.

Release the hurts of the past, and choose to develop a life that reflects the freedom Jesus has provided for us. True freedom is found in the Love of God. Emotional healing will be experienced, and feelings of joy and peace will be yours to enjoy.

In the world today, Christians have a responsibility to preserve the good news of Jesus Christ in a troubled world.

In Matthew 5:13-14 we read;

“Ye are the salt of the earth, but if the salt have lost it’s savor, with what shall it be salted? It is there after good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.”

Salt is a preservative. To preserve means to keep safe, to guard, protect, to keep from decaying. I believe that being the salt of the earth is a two-fold process. The first process is that of a preservative. As Christians, we have a responsibility to protect our lives with the Word of God.

In Proverbs 4:23 we read;

“Keep (guard) thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”

The world is full of elements that try to spoil our lives, but when we preserve or salt our life with the Word of God, the elements don’t overtake us.

The second process is that of flavoring. In the natural, we put salt on our food to make it taste better. As Christians, we need to flavor our life with the Word of God. The world is full of heartache, pain, sickness, fear, etc. When we have saturated our life in the Word of God, these people begin to taste or experience the goodness of God; and they come back for more.

Once again, elements from the world will try to spoil your Christianity and make you ineffective. When this happens, we’re not much good.

I encourage you today to salt your life with the Word of God continually, so that your life can be protected and your light will shine bright. By doing this, we will fulfill our purpose by preserving the good news of God’s Word and allowing those around us to taste and see the goodness of God.

Matthew 16:13-18 says,

“When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? So they said, Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. He said to them, But who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answered and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”TLB

The firm foundation of the Church is built on the revelation of Jesus being the Son of the Living God. He is the Chief Cornerstone of the Church, and He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Many people in the days of Jesus were lacking this very important revelation. There were many opinions and guesses about who He was, but Peter received the revelation. The same is true today, many opinions have been formed about Jesus that lack this revelation.

Most religions believe Jesus lived and had a positive influence in the world. Acknowledging Jesus in this way will not change a person in the eternal sense; but the revelation that He’s the Christ, the Son of the Living God will. It was this revelation that fortified the life of Jesus’ followers. Regardless of what the demonic forces dream up, they will be powerless against the Church.

When we set out to construct a building or organize a business, we pay close attention to the foundation. Without a good foundation, the structure is vulnerable to outside forces that have the ability to overthrow or teardown. When Jesus said the gates of hell shall not prevail, He was saying that the Church built on Him is eternal. It cannot be stopped, overpowered, or come to an end because it’s built on Him. When our lives are built on Him and His Word, we are unstoppable.

Jesus said in Matthew 7:24-27;

“All who listen to my instructions and follow them are wise, like a man who builds his house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents, and the floods rise and the storm winds beat against his house, it won’t collapse, for it is built on rock. But those who hear my instructions and ignore them are foolish, like a man who builds his house on sand. For when the rains and floods come, and storm winds beat against his house, it will fall with a mighty crash.” TLB

Demonic attacks will come, the storms of life will blow; but those who build their lives on Jesus will stand strong. His work is an eternal work, and it will never ever come to an end. We can take great comfort in these truths and rest on the Rock.