Living By Faith

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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FAITH GETS HAPPY NOW

…so that I might finish my course with joy. (Acts 20:24)

Faith cranks God’s tractor
Mark Hankins

When you look at the life of the Apostle Paul, you will see a man that God had perfectly “putt” to a divine calling and destiny. You can see the genius of God as you observe the many turning points in the trajectory of Paul’s life. You will also notice the spirit of faith working to overcome adversity. Paul had been stoned, shipwrecked, snake-bit, beat in the head, and left for dead. He could have said he was a tired, mistreated, lonely, disappointed, and hurting man, but that’s not how Paul didn’t described himself. Instead, Paul said he was a happy man.

Towards the end of his life, Paul stood before the leaders of the Roman Empire and said, “I think myself happy” (Acts 26:2). Another translation says, “I have been congratulating myself, King Agrippa.”

Paul’s spirit of faith carried him to his divine destination. He finished his course with joy and completed the assignment given to him by Jesus Christ. He enjoyed the journey in spite of all the adversity he faced. Faith gets happy now!

Confession: I will finish my course with joy. In spite of adversity, the joy of the Lord is my strength! (Nehemiah 8:10)

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SPEAKING OF HIS GLORY

In his temple doth every one speak of his glory. (Psalm 29:9)

Whenever we say, “Glory,” we are including all of the goodness of God!
Mark Hankins

God is called the “God of Glory” in Acts 7:2.
Ephesians 1:17 calls God the “Father of Glory.”
He is the “King of Glory” in Psalm 24:7-10.
Jesus is the “Lord of Glory” in 1 Corinthians 2:8.
Hebrews 2:10 tells us that Jesus died to bring “many sons into glory.”
I Peter 4:14 says, “The Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you.”
In 1 Corinthians 2:7, the Apostle Paul says of his revelation, “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden widsom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory.”
John 17:22-24 describes Jesus as the Lord of Glory and says that He came that we might enjoy the same glory

One commentary I read defined the glory this way: wealth, numbers, commerce, power, wisdom, promotion, superiority, dignity, authority, nobility, splendor, valor, magnificence, extraordinary privileges, and advantages. Whenever we say “GLORY,” we are including all the goodness of God. We speak of His glory and carry His glory!

Confession: Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world! (1 John 4:4)

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