Living By Faith

POWER IN THE GOSPEL

That I may know him and the power of his resurrection…being conformable to his death. (Philippians 3:10)

The power of the Gospel is destructive and constructive; destructive to the works of the devil, and constructive to the believer.
Mark Hankins

The power of the Gospel is seen in both the death and resurrection of Christ. The Gospel gives you the ability to not only speak life but also to speak death to the works of the devil. The death of Christ put an end to what you were; the resurrection of Christ opened up who you are in your new identity.

Someone might say, “The doctors have told me that I have incurable cancer. They have given me only a few months to live.” Hold it just a second–not only was there a resurrection in the Gospel, but there was also a death. So you can say, “I curse that cancer and command it to die. I speak death to that cancer.”

What does that mean? “Death” means, “cease to exist.” You can speak to works of the devil that are ruling in your life today and command them to cease to exist in the name of Jesus!

Confession: I speak to the works of the devil that are ruling my life today and command them to cease to exist in the name of Jesus! Now life comes in!

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THE SECRET POWER OF JOY

Even now you are happy with the inexpressible joy that comes from
heaven itself. (1 Peter 1:8 TLB)

Rejoicing is an act of faith.
Mark Hankins

One day, the Lord spoke to me very clearly and said, “If you only knew what happens in the spirit when you rejoice, you would rejoice every day.” When we rejoice, we are acting like sons and daughters of God!

Rejoicing is an act of faith. Remember the words of Paul in Acts 27:25, “Cheer up…I believe God that it shall be as He told me.” When we believe God, we can cheer up! Believing and rejoicing ushers in the glory and goodness of God in our lives.

Rejoicing enables us to make progress in difficult times. Joy is the secret of faith and endurance. James 1:2 says to count it all joy when trouble comes. This must be why Job laughed at destruction and trouble. (Job 5:22) Of course some people may think you are a fool, but if you have found joy, you have found the secret of survival and success.

Confession: Even now I am happy with the inexpressible joy that comes from heaven itself! The joy of the Lord is my strength. Just like Job, I laugh at destruction and trouble because I know that joy is the secret of faith and endurance. Ha! Ha! Ha!

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MOVE YOUR MOUTH– MOVE YOUR MOUNTAIN

For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain…
(Mark 11:23)

Change your words; change your world.
Mark Hankins

The speaking part of faith is very important. Speaking is vital to faith working effectively. In Mark 11:23, Jesus’ words indicate that the speaking part must be emphasized three times more than the believing part. Jesus emphasized the speaking part three times and believing only once.

Faith moves God. Faith moves mountains, but faith will not move anything until it moves you. The first part of you that your faith will move is your mouth. Smith Wigglesworth said, “No man looks at appearances if he believes God. I’m not moved by what I see, I’m not moved by what I feel, I’m moved only by what I believe, and I believe God.”

Your faith must change your words before it will change your world. If you are silent, you lose by default. There is no silent faith in the Bible. Faith must have a voice.

Confession: I’m not moved by what I see, I’m not moved by what I feel, I’m moved only by what I believe, and I believe God!

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A FINISHED WORK

O Lord our God, masters besides You have had dominion over us …Therefore You have punished and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish. (Isaiah 26:13-14 NKJV)

Once you get a revelation of your redemption, the only way the devil can defeat you is to deceive you. Mark Hankins

I remember when our troops first went to war with Iraq after 9-11. Newscasters reported that American troops had secured control of the Baghdad Airport and were in control of the city. Simultaneously, however, Iraqi networks aired video footage saying that Sadaam Hussein was still in control. Sadaam Hussein had been overthrown, but he was still sending out propaganda influencing people’s lives. In reality, this former tyrant master had fled the city and was hiding in a spider hole!

Our redemption is a complete, finished work. However, the devil likes to air his propaganda and make us think that he is still in control. Isaiah tells us that the devil may have ruled over us at one time in our lives, but because of our redemption in Christ, he no longer has control of our lives.

Confession: They [the former tyrant masters] are dead, they shall not live and reappear; they are powerless ghosts, they shall not rise and come back. (Isaiah 26:14 AMP)

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WHOSOEVER SHALL HAVE WHATSOEVER

If ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. (Matthew 21:21)

There are no immovable mountains. Mark Hankins

Jesus told you to speak to the mountain. The mountain has been speaking to you, telling you how big it is, how long it has been there, and that it is impossible to move. You need to do some speaking to that mountain! God is holding you responsible to “frame your world” with His Word. The devil would like to frame your world with doubt, fear, depression, sickness, and poverty. The Word of God will put him on the run. We can draw five simple conclusions from Mark 11:23:

1.  If it were God’s will for the mountain to be there, Jesus would not have told you to move it.

2.  If you only knew what was on the other side of your mountain, you would move it.

3.  If it is there, you can move it. There is no mountain in the sphere of your life that you cannot move.

4. Your mountain needs to hear your voice.

5.  If what you have in life was completely up to God, Jesus never would have said Mark 11:23.

Confession: With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.  (Matthew 19:26)

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