Living By Faith

FAITH AND REVELATION

Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart. (Psalm 24:3-4)

Double red blood cells…higher altitude Mark Hankins

The process of climbing the world’s tallest mountain, Mount Everest, takes about three months. Climbers go from lower altitude camps to higher camps, gradually making the ascent. Sometimes they must stay at high altitude camps for as long as three weeks until their bodies adjust to the higher altitude. Red blood cells begin to increase because of the lack of oxygen. By the time they reach the final altitude camp, the red blood cells in their bodies have actually doubled in number to be able to carry enough oxygen to keep them alive. This kind of mountain climbing has to be in your blood for you to survive.

There are some blessings you cannot receive from God at “sea level.” You will have to move up in revelation and in faith to move up higher into God’s presence. Every breakthrough in faith comes from a breakthrough in revelation. The red blood cells of your faith can double so you can move up higher in blessing and fruitfulness in the kingdom of God! 

Confession:  I am climbing higher in my fellowship with God. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10)

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MIGHTY MIRACLES REQUIRE FAITH

And He could there do no mighty work, save that He laid His hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. (Mark 6:5-6)

The spirit of faith knocks a hole from the natural to the supernatural. Mark Hankins

We know God is able to do all things. Nothing is impossible with God! People say, “It’s up to God. If God wants to do it, God can do anything. He’s a sovereign God.”  Mark 6:5 says, “And He could there do no mighty work.” If God can do anything anytime He wants to, why didn’t Jesus do it right there in His own hometown? Can you imagine Jesus being frustrated because He wanted to do a mighty work, but He couldn’t?  The original Greek implies that He tried, but He couldn’t.

What is a mighty work? It is a demonstration of His power and His glory. I believe Jesus wanted to do some mighty Jubilee miracles — some mighty demonstrations of His power — but because of unbelief, He couldn’t do any mighty work. I wonder what He would say about us today?

Confession: I do not lack for faith. God is able to do all things. I believe that nothing is impossible with God. I believe that miracles–mighty works–demonstrations of His power–are manifesting in my life! (Mark 9:23)

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YOU ARE ONE STEP AWAY FROM A MIRACLE

For with God, nothing shall be impossible. (Luke 1:37)

You can never achieve the impossible if you never attempt the impossible. Mark Hankins

Some time ago, I was watching a nationally televised NCAA football game. The team was ranked in the top ten in the country, and the quarterback was one of the best in college football. The quarterback came up to the line, began to yell out the numbers, and bent over to receive the snap of the ball before realizing that he was behind the guard instead of the center. In the middle of calling the play, he took one step over right behind the center, and hollered, “Hut, hut, hut.” The ball was hiked to him, and the play was run successfully.

The Lord spoke to me using this illustration and said, “Some people need to make a small adjustment if they are going to receive from Me. Some people are only one step away from a miracle!” It isn’t difficult, but it requires humbling yourself and moving into closer agreement with God’s ways, power, and plan. Sometimes, it just takes one small step over to receive from God.

Confession: The spirit of faith will position me to possess God’s best blessings. “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” (Mark 9:23)

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FAITH DETERMINES YOUR DESTINY

He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out]. (Hebrews 11:6 AMP)

The spirit of faith is necessary to do the will of God. Mark Hankins

God is sovereign, but He has tied Himself to human cooperation to work out His divine purposes. Jesus said, “According to your faith be it unto you.(Matthew 9:29) Lilian B. Yeomans said, “God has tied Himself irrevocably to human cooperation in the execution of divine purposes. He has made man’s faith a determining factor in the work of redemption.”

When the woman with the issue of blood touched Jesus, she got healed. Jesus said, “Daughter, your faith has made you whole.” (Mark 5) The first ingredient in the spirit of faith is to believe. Brother Kenneth E. Hagin said the Lord told him, “If her faith made her whole, then your faith will make you whole.”

Faith is absolutely necessary to please God and do His will. God rewards those who earnestly and diligently seek Him! (Hebrews 11:6)

Confession: Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.  (Ephesians 3:20)

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WHEN FAITH COMETH, FEAR GOETH

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. (Hebrews 11:6)

In the midst of adversity, David was overcoming fear! Mark Hankins

There can be no doubt that David had a spirit of faith. He killed Goliath the giant, a lion, a bear, and more than 10,000 Philistines. Case closed — the man had a spirit of faith! However, in the Psalms we see David dealing with fear. We also see that David dealt with fear by believing and speaking. The spirit of faith requires both! David penned these words in Psalm 116: “For You have delivered my soul from death, My eyes from tears… I believed, therefore I spoke…” 

There are over one hundred times in the Bible where we are told, “Fear not.” Jesus said, “Fear not: believe only.” (Luke 8:50) God works by faith; He is a faith God. It pleases God when we have a spirit of faith. (Hebrews 11:6) “We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak.” (2 Corinthians 4:13) We overcome fear as we believe and speak the Word of God.

Confession: The Lord is my light and salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)

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