Living By Faith

JESUS WENT TO THE SYNAGOGUE

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. (Luke 4:16)

Jesus had studied the Word and found Himself in the Word!
Mark Hankins

Jesus went to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and as His custom was, He went to the synagogue. Jesus went into the synagogue on the Sabbath Day as He usually did and stood up to read. Jesus went there all the time. His mama and daddy taught Him to go there.

You might say, “I don’t need to go to church because the Lord and I have our own thing.” If Jesus went to the synagogue as God, you ought to go to church.

They gave Jesus the book of the prophet Isaiah. When He opened the book, “he found the place where it was written.” (Luke 4:17) Jesus had studied the Word until He found Himself in the Word!

Do you know how He found it? He was looking. While everybody else was playing games, Jesus was studying the prophets. Luke 2:52 says, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” You can grow in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and man by finding yourself in the Word of God.

Confession: I am growing in God. I am increasing in wisdom and in favor with God and man.

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IN CHRIST: THE ANOINTED ONE

For in him we live, and move, and have our being. (Acts 17:28)

If you want to find God’s address, look inside!
Mark Hankins

God is not far from any one of us. T.L. Osborn said, “No other religion can say what the Christian can say, ‘My God lives in me.’” No other religion can say that because their god is always far off.

The word “Christ” is not Jesus’ last name. The word “Christ” means “the Messiah” or “the Anointed One.” The reality of your redemption is simply “in Him, in Christ.” If you are in Him, you are in the Anointed One and His anointing flows in you.

It does not take long for the anointing and the reality of the resurrected Christ and the power of God to rise up out of your spirit, hit your soul, go out of your hands, run the devil off, and heal the sick. It does not take long because you are in the Anointed One — you are in Christ — and the Anointed One is in you!

Confession: I am anointed. I have an unction from the Holy One. I am not confused. I know what I need to do, I know where I need to be, and I know who I need to be with. In Him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are open for me!

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WISDOM IN CHRIST

In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:3)

Wisdom and knowledge are more valuable than money.
Mark Hankins

The treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Him are hidden or stored up just for you. They are not hidden from you; they are hidden for you. In other words, God is not going to take all these wonderful things and lay them out in the street.

God has a secret place where He has hidden them for people who receive Jesus. You have access into the secret place where all are stored. Whatever knowledge, direction, understanding, and wisdom you need about your marriage, your children, your finances, or your future is stored up in Christ.

The Good News Bible says, “He is the key that opens all the hidden treasures of God’s wisdom and knowledge.” Wisdom and knowledge are more valuable than money. If you get the money without the wisdom, you will not keep the money long. But if you get wisdom, you can get money no matter what happens or where you go.

Confession: I have wisdom in Christ. Jesus is the key that opens all the hidden treasures of God’s wisdom and knowledge. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God…and it shall be given him.”

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GIVING ACCESSES THE GLORY

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)

Your giving will tap into God’s riches in glory.
Mark Hankins

Paul said to the Philippian believers, “Because you gave, and gave again, I have all and abound.” Their giving tapped into God’s riches in glory.

Some of God’s paydays are better than money! You can see the same principle with Cornelius in Acts 10. He was a devout man that feared God. He gave “much alms to the people, and prayed to God always.” (Acts 10:2) His prayers and his giving came up as a memorial before God and the glory of God came to his family. Cornelius and his whole house were filled with the Holy Spirit.

We are living in days of great glory when the glory and the goodness of God break into our lives on a scale that is unprecedented. Whenever we say, “Glory!” we are including all of the goodness of God. One commentary defined the glory as including wealth, numbers, commerce, power, wisdom, promotion, superiority, dignity, authority, nobility, splendor, valor, magnificence, extraordinary privileges, and advantages. Jesus came to restore the glory that God intended for us to have!

Confession: My giving taps into God’s riches in glory! Praise God! His paydays are better than money!

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DEDICATION AND REVELATION

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened… (Ephesians 1:18)

The more revelation we receive of God’s goodness toward us, the deeper our level of consecration or dedication will be. Mark Hankins

Reverend Kenneth E. (Dad) Hagin ministered in my Dad’s church time and time again. He would open his Bible to Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:17-23 and say, “This is not a prayer for sinners or for the lost; Paul is praying for Spirit-filled believers.  This is a prayer that all believers should pray!”

After teaching on this prayer, he stressed, “If you are not happy with your life, if you want life to be different for you, then pray this prayer for at least six months. Don’t pray it one week and then skip a week. Pray this prayer at least once a day, every single day for six months. Pray it over and over again. Just stick with it until something happens. If you do that, life will be different for you. The first thing that will happen is that the Bible will become a different book to you.”

Confession: May the eternal wisdom make me wise. May all the veils be torn away, so far as that may be in this life, and the full glory of the Revelation come flooding in upon me, so that my knowledge may be directed to the true end.(Ephesians 1:17-18 Carpenter Translation)

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