Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /home1/heartof6/public_html/blog/wp-content/themes/responsive-mobile/includes/functions-extentions.php on line 35
Home › Posts tagged doubt

doubt

Understanding Your Authority

Posted on by

Authority over the Earth – Genesis 1:28

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Authority over bondage and doubt – Matthew 18:18-20

18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Authority over idolatry – Exodus 20:5

5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

Authority over lack in one’s confidence – 1 John 4:4

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.

Protection of Authority – Ephesians 6:13

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Authority over Sin – 1 John 3:8

8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Authority over Emotions and Imaginations – 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Authority over your church – Acts 20:28

28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Authority over your house – Acts 16:31

31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Authority unto Victory – Revelation 12:10-11

10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Throughout all of the word of God we see where when mankind could not maintain stability (from the lack of knowledge and desire for power) that God used His authority to re-align us in His will. The flood came as the ultimate authority for all whom would not receive this fellowship with God.

When the promise that floods would come no more mankind was steady for a season but eventually fell under the bondage of religion and government dominance. God sent Jesus Christ to not only rid us from the bondage of sin but granted us the authority from the power from on high to defend ourselves and fight for others’ salvation until the return of Christ.

So while we remain let us be reminded of the areas in our lives where we have control to shift the situation. Let us yield our obedience to the gifts, callings and faith we have to be overcomers and ready for the return of Jesus Christ!

Looking Back, I Know Why They Did It

Posted on by

homecoming

Looking at the picture above I can immediately remember some of the best meals that I have ever had when I was younger. This is of course during one of the days that we combined church and food to follow: Homecoming! And when I talk about homecomings, I am talking about the ones that used to be out in the fresh air with cars as tables and taking. With freshly prepared meals stretched as far as my eyes could see I always remember looking forward to eating everything there! And if I had to single something out I would say that I always looked forward to getting down to the end of the row (that is where the desserts were!). Through the next few years of growing up I began to see things differently than what I had once felt. Somehow the excitement for the food had been lessened with the attention now being drawn to the people around me.

Looking back, I now know why they did it. Yes, food is a great way to bring people together, but this gathering was about so much more than food. The efforts that people made when they would get up at the break of daylight to fix the perfect dish went beyond the worry of peoples satisfaction with the taste. I finally realized more was going on than met the eye (or the stomach). Food was the metaphor to what was behind the ingredients of what prepared it. I realize now as those days are behind me that the people that worked so hard to prepare wonderful days like that were creating one of the closest experiences we will have to heaven on earth. There was a fellowship being shown by coming together. There was a love being shown to all who would come. Everyone could come and dine as they were. The more I think about this now I now know beyond all doubt that homecoming was not only about the message of fellowship and reunion but also showing the message of salvation through those dishes. That may be a laugh to some people out there but I will forever remember all the wonderful people who always worked so hard for others even when they received little or nothing in return for their efforts.

If I could do anything now, I wish that I could have not just lived in the moment so much and saw the bigger picture. There is simply never enough gratitude for all the small things that are done behind the scenes that make pictures and memories like these so wonderful. I am glad to say though I may miss dining at the table with my brothers and sisters who have passed on I will get to dine with them again in a far better place than this world!

 

 

Sometimes You Have To Lose To Win The Bigger Prize

Posted on by

When I think about all of the times that I have ever felt defeated in my life there was something within me that I could not realize at the time. Day by day after the bad times I felt so awful, longing to go back and change what had happened, making the statements like “I should have never went to begin with” or “Why do I even bother”.

Ultimately when we get stuck on the whys and whats of a problem we tend to lose the confidence that we possess within ourselves to succeed. In his walk on earth Jesus opened up something that totally went against the grain of our discouragement from not seeing or getting what we expect. Jesus began to teach with references to moving mountains speaking to peoples lack of faith from discouragement of not seeing it and boldly stated that through faith renewed in hope that you could ask and receive.

Matthew 17:20

[20] And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Matthew 21:21-22

[21] Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
[22] And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

The bigger picture is even when you lose through hope you can still have the bigger prize. Even when I do not see the blessing with hope within I still have strength to believe in faith regardless of the conditions of the situation. This can be seen in its simplest form when you see amazing people fighting cancer within their body yet they still have the mind power of a perfectly healthy human being. The power of hope renews the hope of faith. And with faith comes the renewing of the mind. And with a renewed mind comes the sanctification of the body through temperance (self-control) to not only keep you at peace but to be disciplined to continue and believe based on what you have knew of God to have done for you in the past!

So you know what? I will gladly take a loss in this life to hope and realize the strength of the spirit and long for Heaven’s gain! As I have said many times in the past, I strive for the mark, the prize of the high calling of God. Do we know what that prize really is? It is faith through hope and belief in Jesus Christ! When you reach the prize you win the race!

 

 

 

Loose Him And Let Him Go

Posted on by
Click To Play     

John 11:34-45

[34] And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.
[35] Jesus wept.
[36] Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!
[37] And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?
[38] Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.
[39] Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.
[40] Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
[41] Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
[42] And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
[43] And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
[44] And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
[45] Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.

34-35 – Jesus was concerned and wept because He loved him, just like that same love is representative to His love for us

36-38 – All the reasons in the world to give up, yet Jesus pressed on into God’s will, even in the face of death and the voices of doubt around him.

39 – When Jesus came to the stone being rolled away, He was standing in the very presence of death.

40 – By saying this, something amazing was about to happen!

41-42 – Jesus speaks out to God and gives glory for understanding what is about to come to pass.

43 – What a boldness, what a power, and what a miracle!

44 – Death (or as we know as sin) tried to prevail once more by what Lazarus was bound to: graveclothes (justification for sin) and a napkin (the belief that one cannot change and they are finished). By the power of Christ sin had no hold and that which was dead came alive! This miracle was a prophetic word of the future sufferings Christ would endure for you and I!

Death! Turn loose and never have a grip again!

John 12:2-9

[2] There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.
[3] Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.
[4] Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him,
[5] Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?
[6] This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.
[7] Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.
[8] For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.
[9] Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.

2- Lazarus stayed with Christ, leaning on Him in this time of coming from present death and danger.

9 – and oh how the enemy is bold enough to attempt to put the same death (temptation) on Lazarus; thus being the same way we are tempted to fall into our old ways. But through Jesus Christ’s command and as we know through the word of God, we were made free and can stay free through Him.

Who Are We Serving? Wait, Why Do You Ask?

Posted on by

I love going to church. I love it for the fellowship, the unity that it brings through God, and the multiplied powers and abilities of your reaching out that can happen when done. The church to me has always been such a great place of refuge; in other words a place where I associate “a place where God dwells” With that said, I want to bring out a point that has been on my heart lately. Since we have started singing and working in the ministry (even before Heart of Grace years ago), we have been in a multitude of churches with many wonderful bodies of people. Sadly, I would be lying if I said that every place that we went had that “right at home” feeling, but it reminds me of a very important thing that we must remember to apply in our lives.

When we are at church, we are there to help each other and to serve God. One of the biggest mistakes that you see is when people begin to serve people rather than God. We’ll worry about each and every thing that we do with the fear of upsetting someone or ruffling their feathers. I know that when we preach or sing oftentimes that I know for a fact that people probably don’t like half or more of what I’m saying, but I know when I am doing it that I’m doing it to help them and to serve God. When we serve God in love, God fights the battles and goes before you with people by the spiritual warfare. That way, when you obey God in confidence, you will leave the work sowed in confidence. Don’t doubt the work that you do for God!

Most importantly, don’t get caught up in the opinions of people. It’s perfectly okay to seek Godly advice from someone you have confidence in, but remember to not be in bondage to one another by what you would think they think (and what the other person’s friend thinks lol). As we become more dependent on people, we forget all the others around us that God is showing us that need help! Get out from under the veil of fear and step out and perform the will of God FOR God! He is more than able to equip you with the ability to endure all persecution that you will face! So I ask you today, who is it that we serve? Do we need to adjust how we take our approach to how we are a spiritual Godly help in and out of service?

Trust me, the more you commit to God, the more that you will find the desire to keep serving Him with joy!

Out Of The Abundance Of The Heart

Posted on by

THE WORD

Matthew 12:34-35 – O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

When I consider my everyday worship to God it is easy for me to see the great things that begin to come forth from my spirit as I do it. You will find people who dwell in the love of God to be friendly, open and forgiving. In short, the attributes you will display in your personal life come from what is living within your spirit. It is easy to agree and feel that God lives in your heart, right? If you know that God is in there then doubt cannot ever overcome again! However, there will come a point where just having the knowledge of it in your heart may not be enough to keep you in more difficult times. I see people each and every day that know God in their heart but have little or no abundance. Their joy could be far above what they possess but because they think they survive by what they have in knowledge it causes decline in their spirit. I encourage you to start living in your potential abundance. That abundance is when you push past all the times you feel bad, all the times you do not want to worship, and especially all the times that we could say that we feel lazy or idle.

We read in the word of God in Luke 6:45 that we essentially bring out of us whatever lives within us. If God is in your life then the result of what is in your heart will flow out of you. Worship will become natural to you and there will not be a battle or debate about it! Do not let others around you that would try to choke out your spirit life succeed in doing so. Step out for God and do not look back. Fulfill your vision and do not be moved in the will of God for your life! Clap your hands, raise them, jump up and down, shout, teach, preach, exhort, prophesy, intervene, go the extra mile! Move and worship as God lead!

PUT INTO PRACTICE

After a stressful day you experience I encourage you to examine what came forth from your spirit to help or hurt you. If you examine with honesty you will find room for change!

One Foot In Front Of The Other

Posted on by

2 John 1:6 – And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

3 John 1:3-4 – For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

– – – –

I know sometimes it feels like it is going to take “forever” to ever see the great big move that we stand in need of. I am learning, however, that with each new day that there are great big moves that God wants us to make in kind. We cannot have it all without changing a great lot in turn. God requires us to “move up” by the lowering of ourselves before Him. If we are willing we must begin to live closely to God by raising our standards of Godly living, by increasing the amount of daily/weekly obedience inside/outside of church, and most of all by not letting our daily bread (faith) be cut down with our own doubts and fears.

When you talk about the correlation of obedience and discouragement from waiting on the great things, we often live in a loop of “I can do it, but do not want to” or “I am incapable therefore I will sit back and stop”. God does not want us to be in either of those states; frankly He does not accept it. If we read into our bibles in detail, this fits the profile of what we would like to call lukewarm.

So what do we say today? Declare to your mind, to yourself, and to others that you are going to see it come! Start building your faith now and see what great victory you build out in your future! I send out a word of encouragement to you out there that is down and out and feel like there is no hope to live by: just keep one foot in front of the other one and let God lead you, and you will find your victory!

– – – –

Put Into Practice:

I am not sure if this has been done before, but I hope that it proves to be just as effective as it has been for me before. I would like for you to start your “faith chain” today. All you need is a pack of sticky notes or some cut-up paper and some tape. You can spread this out to work on every day or you can work on building it all at once. It’s up to you.

First, start out with a small thing you having faith in God for. Once you think of it, write what your statement of faith should be and make sure to include that need. For example, a good one would be “I believe that God is going to make me to be a happy person today.” Once you have one or a few (I would say about 5-7 at a time), stand before it and recite it to yourself every morning in a commonplace right before you head out before your day. As you see one completed, keep it as a future statement of victory! It’s a great way to believe! I encourage you to give it a try!