Living By Faith

RISE UP IN FAITH

For as the human body apart from the spirit is lifeless, so faith apart from (its) works of obedience is also dead. (James 2:26 AMP)

Even in the middle of adversity, your faith will get you to your destination. Mark Hankins

I went to a hot-air balloon festival once in Albuquerque, New Mexico. A man from the church I was ministering at had a hot-air balloon in the competition and took me in the balloon with him. Not long after we took off, he told me that we had absolutely no control over the direction of the hot-air balloon. He said the only thing that we had control over was the altitude of the balloon.

The balloons that had made it to 3,500 feet were heading north. There was a different wind blowing at 3,500 feet that caused the balloons to go the opposite direction. We noticed that all of the balloons at 1,000 feet were heading south.  Unfortunately, that was the wrong direction. The target was on the north side of Albuquerque!

This experience reminds me of people following Jesus and obeying God. If you want to get on the target that God has for you, you are going to have to rise up in the Spirit, rise up in the reality of your redemption, and rise up in faith.

Confession: I have a divine destination. I choose to rise up in the Spirit where there is another wind blowing!

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EXPERIENCING THE GLORY FOR YOURSELF

O God, thou art my God; early willI seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy GLORY, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. (Psalm 63:1-2)

God wants to do something in you that will shock a generation! Mark Hankins

When Paul stood before King Agrippa he explained his experience with glory of the risen Christ. He said, “I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun…” (Acts 26:13)

I remember when I was 17 years old, I cried out and said, “God, show me your glory. I can’t live off my parents’ experience, sermon, or vision.”I wanted to experience the glory of God for myself.

God wants you to experience more glory this year than you did last year. Paul said every believer should not only have an initial experience with the glory, but should go from glory to glory.

Confession:  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.   (2 Corinthians 3:18)

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RECOGNIZE, RESPECT, RECEIVE, RESPOND

And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God… (Ephesians 4:30)

The Holy Spirit can do more in five minutes than you can do in five years. Smith Wigglesworth

Is it possible to suppress or resist the Holy Spirit? In Acts 7:51, Stephen spoke these words to the leaders of the synagogue, “Ye do always resist the Holy Spirit.” If we are not sensitive to the Holy Spirit, we can override anything He wants to say. God will not violate our right to choose. We must learn to recognize the Holy Spirit and welcome Him into our lives daily.

There are so many things in this life that try to demand and command our time.  The Holy Spirit is a gentleman; He will not force His way into our lives. He just prompts us and then it is our decision whether or not to respond to Him.

The Holy Spirit is the Greater One that lives on the inside of us. We need to reverence the Holy Spirit in us. We are to report to Him for orders. If we would listen and respond to the Holy Spirit, we could avoid trouble in every area of our lives.

Confession: I choose to recognize, respect, receive, and respond to the Holy Spirit. I will yield to and not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.

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YIELD TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

Dont suppress the Spirit. (I Thessalonians 5:19 Message)

Our only safeguard from dropping back into our natural mind where we can receive nothing from God is to be filled and filled again with the Holy Spirit. Smith Wigglesworth

My brother, Mike, is the pastor of a great church in Rowlett, Texas, which is a suburb of Dallas. Recently, he was in a service where the Holy Spirit was moving.  The Spirit of God began to move and the Holy Spirit manifested in great joy and freedom. The minister walked up to Mike and asked, “Why don’t you yield to the Holy Spirit?”

My brother thought, “Yield, that’s an interesting concept.” He pulled out his Greek lexicon from his coat pocket to look up the word. In Greek, yield means “when a soldier presents himself to his commanding officer for orders.”  This word yieldshows us how important it is for each of us to daily acknowledge, recognize, and respond to the Holy Spirit.

Confession: I present myself to the Holy Spirit as a soldier presents himself to his commanding officer for orders. I will not suppress his work in my life!

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THE HOLY GHOST IS A GENIUS

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. (Romans 8:14)

The Holy Spirit knows the mind of God and everything that Jesus has purchased for us. Mark Hankins

When the enemy has a scheme or strategy to come against you or your family, the Holy Spirit will warn you. He knows what God has planned for you. He is concerned with every area of your life. If you will listen to Him, He will make you successful.

It is great to have a genius living in you. Until you stop and recognize the Holy Ghost, He will allow you to keep doing what you are doing. You must stop and say, “Alright, what would the Genius like to say?”

I heard Dad Hagin say that the Lord told him, “If we would be led by the Holy Spirit, He would make us rich.” He said the word richmeans to have an abundant supply.  When the Holy Spirit leads us, He will bring us into the blessing of the Lord and we will be a blessing to others.

Confession: I hear and obey the voice of the Holy Spirit. I recognize His leading and I will follow. I have an abundant supply. I am blessed to be a blessing to others!

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