Living By Faith

WINNING THE WAR

That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts and be renewed in the spirit of your mind and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-24)

When you get in Christ you are introduced to a whole new realm— the realm of God! Mark Hankins

Paul said to put off the former lifestyle, your old conversation, and your old way of living and to be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Evidently this change doesn’t happen instantly when you are saved, because he was talking to Spirit-filled Christians. There is a battle between your born-again spirit and your unrenewed mind.

How are you going to win this war? You are going to have to have your weapons ready. What are your weapons? They are the blood, the Word, and the name of Jesus. You also have another help, the anointing of the Holy Spirit, which destroys every yoke of bondage. You might think that all you need is a vacation when what you really need is the blood of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit breaking that yoke off of your soul and your mind!

Confession: I put off my former lifestyle and renew my mind to the Word of God. The blood of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit destroy every yoke of bondage in my life!

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EXCESSIVE CELEBRATION

Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. (Isaiah 12:3)

There is no penalty for excessive celebration in the kingdom of God! Mark Hankins

You can make a withdrawal from your salvation account with joy. The wells of salvation are reservoirs of healing and blessing. Joy is your bucket to draw out your blessing. If you have great joy, you have a great bucket with which to draw much salvation.

James 1:2 says, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations.” He did not say that it was a joy to have multiple troubles. He said to count it joy. Look at your problems and count. One joy…two joy…three joy…then laugh at the devil! What Satan meant for evil, God is turning around for your good. God paid too high a price for your victory for you to be defeated. Ha! Ha! Ha!

One translation of James 1:2 says to count it “Maximum Joy.” I like that! Smile, laugh, jump, shout, then dance — turn it up and things will turn around!

Confession: God brought me here to have a good time– now I am going to have a good time! Hallelujah!

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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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NATURAL VS. SPIRIT

I pray that your inner vision may be flooded with light, to enable you to see… (Ephesians 1:18 Barclay Translation)

In God’s economy, He has already done everything He is ever going to do about your redemption, your healing, your victory, and your prosperity!
Mark Hankins

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” (1Corinthians 2:12-13)

In these verses, Paul describes one of the primary roles of the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, in our lives. Verse 14 tells us that the biggest job we have as believers is to take the step from the natural realm into the realm of the Spirit. Remember, the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit. Paul makes it very clear that the things of God cannot be discovered intellectually. We must have the spirit of wisdom and revelation to understand the things of God.

Confession: Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.
(1 Corinthians 2:9)

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BLUEBERRIES ON YOU AND IN YOU

At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in Me, and I in you.
(John 14:20)

Anytime Satan tries to take a bite out of you, he hits a “blueberry.”
Mark Hankins

When I order blueberry pancakes in a restaurant, I always ask this question: “Are the blueberries on the pancakes or are the blueberries in the pancakes?” I don’t want just regular pancakes with a spoonful of blueberries on top from a can. I want the blueberries in the mix. I want the blueberries to be cooked in the pancakes, and then I want more blueberries on the pancakes. That means I can’t take a bite without hitting a blueberry!

As a born again believer, you have the Spirit of God — the Holy Spirit — living on the inside of you. When the devil brings persecution or trouble to you, God says, “Life can’t take a bite out of you without hitting me.”

When the devil hits you, say, “Devil, what does it feel like to hit a blueberry?” The life of God is in you and upon you, so much so that if a mosquito bit you, it would fly off singing, “There’s power in the blood!”

Confession: I have the life of God inside of me. I’ve got the Spirit of God living in me. Jesus lives in me. The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in me! (Romans 8:11)

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