Living By Faith

JOY: THE BRIDGE BETWEEN BELIEVING AND RECEIVING

Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith…(1 Peter 1:8-9)

Faith has a beginning, and faith has an end.

Mark Hankins

Joy unspeakable and full of glory is the bridge between believing and receiving. Psalm 2 says that God sits in the heavens and laughs. The Bible says the Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

The Kingdom of God is the realm of God, the place where God rules and reigns. If you want the Kingdom of God to break loose in your life, then joy is the supernatural battle strategy. Get full of joy and the dominion of God will break out.  Healing and blessing will break out. You cannot have joy and be unhappy. One thing about it, I don’t think the devil can hang around happy people. The faster you get happy, the faster the devil is out!

Confession: For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. (Romans 14:17)

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EXCESSIVE CELEBRATION

Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. 

(Isaiah12:3)

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 diverse 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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ENJOYING THE TRIP

Yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. (1Peter1:8)

Believing is always accompanied by joy.

Mark Hankins

Rejoicing activates faith; joy accompanies believing. In 1Peter1:8, the Apostle Peter speaks of some wild, ecstatic, triumphant, heavenly joy, not someday when we get to heaven, but right now! The Amplified Bible says, “You believe in Him and exult and thrill within expressible and glorious (triumphant, heavenly) joy.”

Unspeakable joy is a container of the glory of God. The glory and the abundance of God are manifested in an atmosphere of rejoicing. We are commanded to rejoice; it is not an option! God brought us here to have fun — now we are going to have fun!  God brought us here to have victory — now we are going to have victory! 

Confession:  I rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. I have victory! The glory and the abundance of God are manifesting in my life today!

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JOY COMETH IN THE MORNING

Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. (Psalm 34:19)

God always has an escape route and is faithful to bring us out. Mark Hankins

I’m glad that the Lord said in Psalm 34:19 that He would deliver us out of all of our afflictions. He did not say half of them or most of them, He said, “out of them all.” God always makes a way out.

The word afflictions means adversity, distress, tribulation, persecution, depression, misery, trouble, and pressure. God never guarantees us that we will be exempt from adversity. However, He does guarantee always to bring us out.

Joy cometh in the morning. It may seem like a long night, but the night cannot last forever. The sun is coming up on a new day. The Sun of Righteousness is rising with healing in His wings (beams), and you shall go forth and grow up as calves released from the stall. (Malachi 4:2) As sure as the sun comes up every morning, your deliverance is on the way. The earth is constantly turning on its axis. Even though you may not feel like it, your situation is turning right now. It may seem dark now, but something is happening. Things are turning, the morning is certain, and the sun is rising!

Confession: Joy cometh! Healing cometh! Blessing cometh! Money cometh! Faith cometh!

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FAITH IS MOTION ACTIVATED

Didn’t I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?
(John 11:40 Message Bible)

One act of faith will open up the supernatural and
cause the glory of God to come in.
Mark Hankins

I remember the first time I went into an airport bathroom where the faucets were motion activated. I stood there looking for a handle or a pedal or something to turn on the water. It looked like the plumbing and the sink was there, but there were no handles. While I stood there trying to figure this out, a man walked into the restroom and waved his hand under the water faucet. Immediately, water began to come out. I stood there thinking I had just seen a miracle. That’s when I looked up and saw a sign on the wall that said, “Equipment is motion activated.”

In other words, God said, “Salvation is here, healing is here, deliverance is here, and I am just waiting for someone to say, ‘I believe that’ and to act in faith.” While you are praising, rejoicing, and dancing around, the water begins to flow. Salvation, healing, and deliverance come — they are motion activated.

Confession: Salvation is here! Healing is here! Deliverance is here! As I act in faith and rejoice, I believe that I will see the glory of God in my life!

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