Living By Faith

A WALK IN THE CEMETERY

Ask the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, to give you the Spirit, who will make you wise and reveal God to you, so that you will know Him. (Ephesians 1:17 Good News Bible)

The language of faith or redemption gives us access to the supernatural.
Mark Hankins

I remember walking through a large cemetery with my dad when I was a little boy. I particularly noticed the word “veteran” on many of the markers. I even commented to my dad about the large number of “veterans” in the cemetery. My dad just responded, “Yes, there sure are a lot of veterans in this cemetery.” My dad did not realize that I thought a veteran was a veterinarian. We were saying the same word but with two totally different pictures. My dad saw someone who served in the military, but I saw an animal doctor. As a child, I wondered why so many “veterans” had died at the same time — maybe they had all been bitten and got rabies.

Even though my dad and I were saying the same thing, we definitely were not seeing the same thing. We must understand the language of redemption and effectively speak it. The Gospel of Christ is a language of power; it is the power of God working in this world.

Confession: The revelation of God is causing things to turn around for me right now! “O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee forever.” (Psalm 30:12)

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THE LANGUAGE OF FAITH

For verily I say unto you, That 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 whatsoever he saith. (Mark 11:23)

Many people would like to see different scenery in their lives. God says to make a different sound first.
Mark Hankins

God wants us to learn the language of faith. Language includes understanding and speaking. God communicates to us through His Word. He wants us to see the same thing He sees and say the same thing He says. The spirit of wisdom and revelation and the spirit of faith work together for the will of God to be accomplished in us and through us.

In other words, it does not matter what the devil has done in your life. Through the cross of Jesus Christ, there is another language God wants to teach you — the language of redemption, restoration, and freedom. If you can dare to speak this new language, He will restore your dominion.

Confession: Christ has redeemed me from the curse of the law. I know I have eternal life. I am a child of God because of what Jesus has done. I have joy. I know the hope of His calling. I know I have an inheritance in Christ. Jesus has given me authority over the devil!

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THE PERFECT LANGUAGE

Whosoever shall say…he shall have whatsoever he saith. (Mark 11:23)

Effective communication must involve both seeing and saying.
Mark Hankins

Human speech is a characteristic of man made in the image of God. We can see from Genesis 1 that God said and God saw. Sound came before sight in the order of this world’s creation. God said and God saw. Everything we can see was made from sound. Sound changes sight. Faith has a certain sound. As we speak the word of faith, things change in our lives.

In the beginning, a language existed that perfectly expressed the essence of all possible things. The language spoken in the Garden of Eden must have been such a language. Today, in the language of the Gospel, there is even greater power available. God has redeemed us by the blood of Jesus and has given us the language of redemption in Christ Jesus. God has restored all power to us “in
Christ.” It is a language of authority that will move mountains as Jesus said in Mark 11:23. It is a language of healing that Paul spoke in Acts 14:7-10. It is a language of love that Paul described in 1 Corinthians 13. It is the perfect language.

Confession: I am making a different sound — the sound of faith. The scenery of my life is changing because I walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)

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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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