And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. (Luke 5:20)

God is always propelling us forward.
Mark Hankins

In Isaiah 43:25-26, God’s promise says that He blots out our transgressions and will not remember our sins. This promise of forgiveness and faith in His Word opens the door to God’s goodness.

The story of the man with four crazy friends in Luke 5:17-26 is one of my favorites. “When Jesus saw their faith,” He told the man with paralysis, “Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.” Jesus spoke to that man’s deepest need. If Jesus calls you forgiven, you are totally forgiven and released from the condition and consequences of sin. You are redeemed.

Jesus then told the paralyzed man to “Arise!” The man got up totally healed of all paralysis. This miracle caused the religious leaders much trouble. The rules and regulations of religion have paralyzed many people. However, when you get in the presence of Jesus, forgiveness and restoration are freely given. What a wonderful Jesus we have who forgives and heals!

Confession: I am redeemed! Isaiah 43:26 says to put God in remembrance of His Word. This promise of forgiveness and faith in His Word opens the door to His goodness in my life!

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. (Mark 9:23)

Any man can be changed by faith, no matter how he may be fettered.
Smith Wigglesworth

I have a niece who used to live in Italy. One day she came home with her paper from grade school and was crying. She had drawn a picture and one of the kids from the class had taken her paper and put a big ugly mark on it. She is a tenderhearted girl, so she was very upset. Her mom, trying to comfort her, encouraged her to settle down. She then took a pen and began to try to fix the picture. She started working with the ugly mark and before long it had become a beautiful flower.

Many people spend their lives whining and crying about what the problems of life have done or what kind of mark the devil has put in their life. If we will go to God and let Him show us a new picture, He will take the marks and turn them into something beautiful.

When you have a spirit of faith, you don’t just see the problems and the bad experiences you have had, you see what God can do when you come to Him.

Confession: I have a spirit of faith. It may look like something bad has happened to me, but I believe that God is going to make something good out of it.

Faith is like that. If faith does not issue in action, if it is all alone by itself,
it is dead. (James 2:17 Barclay)

The word of faith begins in your mouth.
Mark Hankins

It is very difficult to carry dead faith around. Faith without action is dead. However, living faith will carry you. Living faith demands action.

Romans 10:8-9 says, “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart God raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Again, the word of faith begins in your mouth.

The first act of faith a Christian makes is saying, “Jesus is Lord.” The miracle of the new birth is activated by words. There are many important facets of faith, but the speaking part is vital. It seems that Satan wants to stop you before the initial act of faith. When God gets His foot in the door, His power changes everything.

Confession: The word of faith begins with my mouth. My faith is changing my words and as a result, it will change my world!