Living By Faith

YOU HAVE BEEN FRAMED

Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. (Heb 11:3)

Your success and usefulness in this world will be measured by your confession and your tenacity to hold fast to that confession. F.F. Bosworth

Everything we see was framed with an unseen substance called faith. Faith comes from the spoken Word of God; our words create our world. There is so much power in our words that the devil has tried to derail it. He has gotten into people’s lives and presented a false picture that is not part of God’s plan.

Prison inmates have been known to say, “I have been framed.” They are blaming someone else for their predicament, but they don’t realize how true those words really are. The truth is, everyone has been framed.  Our words and the words of others have framed our world.

As we speak the Word of God, it tears down, roots out, builds, and plants. (Jeremiah 1:4-12) God wants us to speak His words and frame the picture He has for us. He has a custom plan for each of us in Christ Jesus.

Confession: For I am his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that I should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

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BY YOUR WORDS

For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile. (I Peter 3:10)

Change your words and change your world! Mark Hankins

Your words will make you or break you. Your words determine the boundaries of your life. The speech center is the dominion center of your being. Your tongue will determine the direction, destination, and quality of your life! (James 3, 1 Peter 3:10)

When you go to a doctor, the first thing he does is look at your tongue. When you go to God with a problem, the first thing He says is, “Say Ahh! I see the problem. It’s written all over your tongue!”

James 3:2-5 in the Message Bible tells us how important our words are: “If you could find someone whose speech was perfectly true, you’d have a perfect person, in perfect control of life. A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets course in the face of the strongest wind. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly everything – or destroy it!” 

Confession: I will refrain my tongue from evil and my lips from speaking guile. I will love life and see good days! (1 Peter 3:10)

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WINNING THE WAR OF WORDS

In solemn truth I tell you that if anyone shall say to this mountain,“Remove, and hurl thyself into the sea,”and has no doubt about it in his heart, but stead fastly believes that what he says will happen, it shall be granted him. (Mark 11:23  Weymouth Translation)

Jesus won the war of words. Mark Hankins

Jesus defeated Satan in the wilderness by speaking the Word of God (Matthew4).  Satan said…Jesus said… Satan said…Jesus said…Satan said…Jesus said. The Lord Jesus Christ won the war of words and put the devil on the run. Even Jesus had to “say” three times before the devil left. The power of speaking the Word of God was evident in this example from Jesus’ life and it is necessary for you to win the fight of faith.

Jesus tells us clearly how faith works in Mark 11:23. Faith is released by speaking.  If you are silent, you will lose by default. You must win the war of words in order to win in every conflict.

A war of words is going on every day of your life. How you fight that war will determine whether you win or lose; it will determine whether you live in the blessing or the curse. It could even determine whether you live or die. God has supplied the ammunition to win- His Word! It has the power to win in every area.  There is life, healing, joy, victory, and blessing in the Word of God!

Confession: I have a spirit of faith. I believe therefore I speak. (2 Corinthians 4:13) I will win the war of words and experience the blessing of God in my life!

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YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE PERFECT

According to your faith be it unto you. (Matthew 9:29)

We need to acknowledge every good thing that is ours in Christ. Mark Hankins

The devil is good at pointing out your flaws. When you are confronted with your imperfections, don’t allow yourself to doubt your authenticity in Christ!

I recently talked with a jeweler who said that all diamonds have a flaw somewhere that can be seen by the trained eye using a magnifying glass.  However, the fake diamonds, cubic zirconium, are flawless. They are man-made. They look like diamonds but they are much cheaper; they have only a fraction of the value of a real diamond.

You are valuable to God. You are a real diamond, not a cubic zirconium! God sees you in Christ. He will keep working with you if you keep a spirit of faith and seek Him with all of your heart. You don’t have to be perfect to have a spirit of faith.

Confession: I have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus! It is God who works in me both to will and to do of His good pleasure! I am valuable to God! (II Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 2:13)

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RADICAL REVELATION OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ROMANS 10:9, 10 (KJV)

What are you going to believe and speak?  You are going to believe and say you have been made the righteousness of God in Christ!  You quit struggling and trying.  You put your trust in God and you receive this free gift.  You believe with your heart that God loves you, God accepts you, and He has made you as righteous as Jesus.

Believing you have been made righteous and receiving the gift of righteousness is a radical, revolutionary revelation and can be difficult for some people to comprehend.  Sometimes people will not receive it because they think they’ve got to work for it.  Sometimes people get proud and think “I don’t want a handout.  You don’t have to give me that.”  But when it comes to this righteousness, you had better take it!

I once ate at a restaurant where some of the waiters worked who attended the church where I was preaching. I gave each one of them a hundred-dollar bill. Do you know only one worker took it?  The other three said, “No, that’s too much.  You don’t have to do that.”  It seems there is something about human nature that questions when God wants to give a gift, saying, “Are you sure about that?  That’s too much.  I don’t really think that’s necessary.”  What Jesus did for you is entirely too much, but you must receive it!

Confession: I believe in my heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and I openly confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord.  Salvation is mine; righteousness is mine.

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