Living well into years is indeed a blessing from the Lord that many don't take seriously. Do you know anyone who considers old age a gift? I can't say that I've ever thought of it that way, but now I think I'm going to change the way I look at aging for sure!
Scripture tells us that when people live to be very old, we are to let them rejoice in every day of life. A lesson we all need to learn and live.
People who have been blessed with long life have received favor from God. Their added years are a reward if found righteous or a "crowning glory" (not just graying locks!) reward. (see Proverbs 16:31)
The Bible also tells us that if we worship and serve the Lord, we can expect His promises to be manifested in our life.
"You must serve only the LORD (Jehovah) your God, If you do, I (God) will protect you from illness. There will be no miscarriages or infertility in your land and I will give you long, full lives." (Exodus 23:25-26 NLT)
When Moses was leading the Israelites out of Eqypt, while in the desert he spoke about the protection and promises of God for those who abide in His presence. Although an author has not be identified in writing, it is believed that Moses penned Psalm 91 and King David included it in his journals/books of the Psalms.
It makes sense that this psalm of prayer be recited as it is packed with the goodness of God on those who love Him, including the promise for length of days. It is considered a wisdom psalm and one of, if not, the most powerful prayer recorded in the Holy Bible! These promises we speak out loud daily over our family based on God's faithfulness to His own words!
Take a look at why I value this passage so dearly. The last verse of the chapter reads like this:
"When they call on Me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them My salvation (through Jesus Christ)." (Psalm 91:15-16 NLT)
Who doesn't want help when in trouble or need rescuing at some point? Don't we all long to be honored or rewarded for a job well done? Isn't the desire to live something we plead to God for in times of doubt of the future?
Getting up in years doesn't have to be sad, boring or full of sickness! I know that doesn't sound convincing coming from me, especially if you've been a DFB follower and reading about all the things hubby has experienced over the years. The wonderful fact is that he has stayed in faith and God keeps healing him, because daily he proclaims what the Lord has already promised.
If you are a child of God, His promises are always available and attainable for all who will believe. I know this teaching is mainly about understanding the gift of those who have lived many years, but it's also for anyone no matter what their age.
God has given all life as a gift and He wants us to enjoy it in spite of difficulities or circumstances that may come our way. Look at what Jesus said in John 10:10 to His followers; it's one of my favorite passages I cling to when the deceiver satan tries to steal my joy.
"The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy (it's his main purpose). I came that they (believers in Him) may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)."
He doesn't want us to ignore situations, but trust completely in Him and His promises. We do this by having full confidence that what God says He will do, He WILL do! In doing that we can truly find pleasure and joy in living no matter how many years we have behind or ahead of us.
"If a person lives many years, let them rejoice in all of them by being grateful and finding pleasure, while enjoying every day no matter how long they live." (from Ecclesiastes 11:8 emphasis mine)
In understanding that no matter how long you have been on Earth it is a gift of life, how are you going to help a "grandparent" or senior citizen rejoice and take pleasure in being blessed with years? Let me know in the comments. I'd love to read about how you helped restore someone's joy in living!
Happy Grandparent's Day from your friends at Daily Favor!
*For those who trust in Jesus Christ, God gives the promise of life here but also the gift of eternal life as an inheritance of being His child. If you would like to have this gift also, click here to learn more.
Until next time, may God favor you with long life!
Note: The words satan or devil are not capitalized deliberately, because we give him no place in our lives.
Disclaimer: Article information is not meant to be used as treatment for mental or physical issues, but geared toward spiritual awareness.
Maybe you don’t know the Living God that I know, but would like to have this kind of favor in your life also.Click on the above tab “Tell Me About Jesus” for more information on becoming a child of the Savior.
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Unless noted, scripture reference in series was taken from the New King James Bible Version provided by Bible Gateway. ImageCreative Common License if not specified.
Welcome, Daily Favor Blog, Favored1, Daily Favor Teaching Blog, Grandparents Day, National Holiday, Holidays, Grandparents Day, Blessed with Years, Aging,Senior Citizens. Psalm 91, Moses, Prayer
Over the past months I've
received messages concerning a number of concerns that many of you are
experiencing; so much so, that I felt the subject needed addressing. Levels
of frustration, anxiety and uncertainty are through the roof worldwide.
Things aren't going as you
planned and you're waiting on God for answers or deliverance. You
wonder if you’re doing something wrong and whether or not God is even
listening.
Has He forgotten you even exist? Your thoughts take you to places you don't want to go emotionally and question, "Can’t He see what I’m going
through and that I need help?" Does this sound about right?
I don’t know where you might be
spiritually or if you have done anything to be out of fellowship with Him, but
can assure you God is absolutely without question, aware of the what’s going on and definitely
cares.Let me share a situation that
might give insight on how God feels about those who seek Him for help.
The King Knew What to Do
In the Old Testament of the
Bible, we read about a king who sinned against the Lord. In his distress
King Manasseh needed God to intervene in a major way; he also knew what to do
in order to receive God's favor on the situation.Let’s take a look.
"When he (the king) was
distressed, he sought the favor of the LORD his God and earnestly humbled
himself before the God of his ancestors.He prayed to Him and the LORD was receptive to his prayer and granted
his request." (from 2 Chronicles 33:12-13 CSB)
The key here is that the king
did three things. Did you catch them?
First, Manasseh sought the Lord.
In other words, he went searching for God in prayer instead of running away
from the One he sinned against. He called out to God and faced the
problem, knowing he was the one who needed to change.
Next, the king humbled himself
before the Lord seeking forgiveness in order to become obedient to God. He
earnestly, intently, seriously went before God knowing their relationship had
been broken by him. He sought the Lord in order to make things right with God,
and did what God had commanded from generations of his ancestors.
Finally, King Manasseh asked
for help – “favor” - in prayer. Knowing all that happened, it leaves
us wondering why did God answer his prayer? For the answer, we need to
back up to the beginning of chapter 7 in Deuteronomy for the original
promise to the people if Israel.
The Lord had given commands to
the children of Israel for generations. He loved them and had set them
aside for favor as His chosen people. The Lord "set" His heart making a
covenant to those who would love Him and faithfully follow His commands.Basically, the king went back to the original
covenant promise and started afresh with the LORD.
What Was, Still Is
Those who believe in Jesus are
heir to the covenant promises as much as those of generations that have gone
before us. The promises never change or expire - people do!
I believe in God's promises and
that includes "the Lord will keep you from illness" (verse 15)
or from harm. Although our bodies experience sickness or disease at
times, it is a biblical right as an heir to the covenant promises of God, that
we make our requests known to the Lord and walk in wisdom following His
principles for receiving anything from Him. This includes slowing down
and taking time to rest so you can heal or hear from the Lord.
That's what we have done these
past months and literally for years.Time and time again God faithfully granted our requests as we sought Him,
have a repenting heart and ask for His help in prayer knowing that without Him
we can do nothing.
"Do not be anxious or
worried about anything, but in everything (every circumstance and situation) by
prayer and petition (asking) with thanksgiving, continue to make your
(specific) requests known to God." (Philippians 4:6 AMP)
Search for God
Humble Yourself before God to Seek Forgiveness
Ask for God’s Help and Favor
Friend, don't give up on God or
distance yourself from Him during this difficult time, or any time for that
matter. Instead, run to Him trusting that He has not forgotten you. Restore your relationship with God right
away; there’s not time to delay.
Let God know you are serious about getting right with Him and want to take the right steps. Your life can be restored to His favor with the peace that passes all understanding if you take action.
Go to a room or area where it is quiet and without distractions, even if it's only for a short time. With pen and paper in hand, pick up your Bible then sit down and by faith expect to hear from God.
"Lord, I set my mind and heart towards You alone. Reveal Yourself to me so that I may hear and do what You require of me."
Write down whatever the Holy Spirit places in your thinking and then act on it believing you have had a "word" from the Lord regarding the situation(s). Ponder, dwell, think on what you have heard and whether it has given you peace in your spirit.
Don't make excuses or try to reason out what you've heard. Search scriptures that target your circumstance and see how they line up with what you have written or heard in your spirit. If they do not meld, then it is not from the Lord - keep seeking!
"God will never tell you to do something that goes against His Word."
If there is anything standing
between God and you, ask Him to forgive or make it known to you. Sometimes we aren't even aware that we're doing something to cause a breach in the flow of favor. It may not be you specifically, but something you're involved in or even people you associate with that are blocking your answers. Find out and resolve the issue(s) immediately (but don't look to blame others).
When you have repaired fellowship with God, then
make your request for favor. Thank Him for the answer in advance, knowing
that He is faithful to His promises and will deliver in His way and timing.
He Is Sustaining Me
There have been some extremely
rough times in my Christian journey, with tests and tribulations when I never
knew if I’d make it from one minute to the next.People have asked, “How do you do it?”I always answer, “I don’t. God is the One who
is sustaining me.”
These past nine months (especially
since hubby’s first brain bleed stroke in January) I have continually sought
the Lord and His righteousness daily, knowing that somewhere I did or may have
missed God in some way. Over and over, He has been faithful, walking with
me through each trial and helping me to the other side of a situation despite
episodes of anxiety, worry or fear.
Through the pain, anguish and
suffering, each time His Word and Spirit leads me back to the path in which I
am to follow that has His favor marked all over it! If I mess up I run to God and ask, "Show me what I've done and what I need to do to restore fellowship." He's always near and somehow, someway we get through whatever it is and become stronger.
I don't know how many are
praying for God to move on behalf of my husband's situation (in which I am
truly grateful), but I do know that His favor isn't a joke or some kind of
magic. Neither is His favor given just because we want it, but it's given
out of His grace and covenant love.
God alone determines when, where and if His favor will be
given. Our job is to seek His presence, obey Him by faith then ask for God's favorbelieving
He will show up at the right time and in the right place when we need Him the
most. Trust Him; God has not forgotten you.He is faithful and desires to restore favor.
"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you
completely, and may your entire spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful, and
He will do it," (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 BSB)
Maybe you don’t know the
Living God that I know, but would like to have this kind of favor in your life
also. Click on the above tab “Tell Me” for more information on becoming a child of the
Savior.
Content and Image
Copyright from Favored1. Do not copy.
Scripture reference was
taken from the New King James Bible Version provided by Bible Gateway.
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Image credit: Google Images Creative Common License if not
specified. Image
For weeks the internet has been filled with reports of
all sorts of physical storms throughout the world.
Lately there’s been a running joke on Twitter
that the weather in my area has spread all over the states. I can assure you
that I had nothing to do with it.
However, there is something I do that may interest you.I’ve been talking to storms of all sorts by
faith for over twenty years. Okay, you officially think something
is strange; you can stop rolling your eyes any time now.
To cut to the chase, one of the first times was during a
fire that surrounded our house. My pups and I were trapped inside,
but God showed me what to do and say by taking authority over it in the name of
Jesus.
I haven’t forgotten that lesson and still practice it
daily. If you want know
what I did, keep reading and you too will learn how to take authority over the “storms”
in your life.
Thanks for joining us on Daily Favor Blog.
Be sure to read News from Fay, updates and visit
the Q & A or
other sections.
Supernatural Life
Lessons
Everyone deals with storms in life, not just ones
that occur in the weather.It’s how we
handle them that determines whether or not we survive as a victor or victim.
If we truly walk with Jesus we are to do as and
command as He did by facing the storm(s) without fear. I know it
sounds crazy or impossible, but do you remember what our Savior did?He spoke to the storm with authority and
commanded it to be calmed.
“Then He arose and
rebuked the wind, and said to the sea,
Peace, be still! And the wind ceased and
there was a great calm.”
Jesus didn’t go into a panic, but did something natural as
God’s Son.He used the power given to
Him by His Father and the Holy Spirit.By putting those power tools into practice, the storm had to bow to His
command and obey.
As children of the KING we have authority to act and
command as Jesus did. Do you recall how He was disappointed that
the disciples didn’t speak to the storm?
“Then He arose and
rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, Peace, be still! And the wind ceased and
there was a great calm.”
Here comes the reprimand …
But He said to
them: Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? (Have you still
no faith?)
And they feared
exceedingly, and said to one another:
Who can this be that even the wind and
the sea obey Him?”
(Mark 4:35-41 NKJV emphasis mine)
You Have Power through Christ
Before Jesus went to the cross, He openly told the Disciples
that they had authority and power to destroy the hand of satan over a situation. The
power was given through the Holy Spirit and He is the one who acts when we give
voice to the authority we’ve been given.
The Holy Spirit power is given to Christians at the time
of salvation as part of the promise package of favor to God’s children. Anyone
who receives Jesus as their Savior has this same believer's authority of power, I merely
acted on that promise. Think of it as if Jesus spoke to you and
said, “I give you power over the works of the enemy, now use it correctly.”
This is where most of us fail. We don’t really
understand the promises of God that we receive through the Holy Spirit. The
book of Timothy in the Holy Bible tells us that we have been given a spirit of
power, along with the spirit of love and discernment to know how to respond
when the spirit of fear from the enemy arises.
So why aren’t we using this favor power promise from God
in all situations? Shouldn’t it be the first thing that pops into
our thinking during storms (difficulties, situations or circumstances) in life
that arise, or do we need Jesus to arise again (go back to the cross for a do
over)?
We have authority!God has
given us the power to trample over the enemy, but the only way we’ll learn how
to use what we’ve been given is to open the Word of God and read it. Enclosed
in the Bible are all the promises we’ll need for any situation or “storm” that
arises. It's where we learn about the favor shield, the blessings gifts, the surrounding of mercy on our lives, and the steps to take for every circumstance.
So Are We in this World
As children of God, we also have authority to
use given to us by Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s
our choice to use what is “enclosed” in the Promise Book. When we
don’t use all of what was promised, something is missing in our battle over the
enemy.We end up feeling defeated or
actually are, and who wants that?
God’s
divine grace, favor and power is given to believers for use in this lifetime
for godliness, wisdom, knowledge and understanding to do exactly as Jesus did
on this earth. In 2 Peter 1:2-4, Peter refers to it as “precious
promises” so that we can partake of the Divine nature to escape the evil of
this world. That’s right, children of
God have a Divine nature living inside them and the power that goes with it
when used correctly.
Putting it in terms we can understand … as Jesus is, so are we to
be in this world. You
and I are little “power rangers” so to speak, when we operate under the Might
of the Holy Spirit.
“We are meeting the needs of God's people and reviving them
spiritually, emotionally, physically and financially with the Word of God! For
...as [Jesus] is, so are we in this world ( from 1 John 4:17)."
– Pastors Tony and Cynthia Brazelton.
The power of the Holy Spirit is essential in every believer’s life
if we are to carry out the works of Christ and win souls to the Lord. It’s
something we should cry out for daily so we can be used as vessels for Him.
It’s not only the first disciples, apostles, pastors and Christian
leaders like the Brazelton's that can call on the power of God in the name of
Jesus to combat evil …so can we. It’s time to let the devil know
that we are a POWERful force and that no weapon formed against us will prosper.
“No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgement You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the
servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from
Me, says the Lord.” (Isaiah 54:17 NKJV)
This Week's Challenge:
Using Our Favor Power Tools
In faith applying the same promise principle
against the enemy, I commanded something as simple as my phone to work in the
name of Jesus and guess what? It did. Why would God care
about my phone? He knows that it is used for encouraging communication in spreading good
news of the gospel.
Ourchallenge this weekis to search out
the endued power promises of God through the Holy Spirit and use them as Jesus
did. We have the power in Jesus’ name to bring about a change. We
need to let Him speak through us.
What enemy is coming against you? It
doesn’t have to be a physical storm or tornado, but can be those small things
that just aggravate the stuffing out of you.
Memorize these five power tool scriptures and learn how to use them each and every
time the enemy comes against you.
Here are 5 Power Tools to Defeat the Enemy
1 - Power over the enemy …
“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents
and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any
means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19 NKJV)
2 - Power Promise from Heaven …
“Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but
wait in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on High.”
(Luke 24:49 NKJV)
3 - Power for a Purpose …
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has
come upon you (when you ask Christ into your heart to forgive you of your sins);
and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and
to the end of the earth (basically anywhere).” (Acts 1:8 NKJV emphasis mine)
4 - Power to Increase our Faith …
“… that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men,
but in the power of God.” (to have faith in God’s power, not faith in what man
can do) (1 Corinthians 2:5 NKJV)
5 - Power to Keep Calm in Difficult Situations …
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear,
but of power
and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV)
By faith Jesus is right there watching the
same thing as you are (like He did with the first Disciples during their faith
storm when unbelief tried to defeat them).You can take authority over the evil that is coming against you by faith,
because God has already given you (as a believer and child of the Living God) the power to do so.
Don't give into fear. There is safety and victory with Jesus through any "storm" life hands you! Ask yourself, how would Jesus command the
situation? Then do as He did.
Learn to speak as the Lord did by staying in
continual communication with God. His
promises will manifest. They have to because the power of God is
“endued”, already enclosed in our favor gift pack of salvation! Read
it for yourself, it’s in His letter – the Holy Bible.
Maybe you don’t know the Living God that I know, but would like to
have this kind of favor in your life also. Click on the above tab “Tell Me About Jesus” for more information on
becoming a child of the Savior.
Content and Image Copyright from Favored1 unless otherwise noted. Do not copy. Excerpt
from Enclosed is the Power Promise, May 27, 2016, Daily Favor Blog.
Scripture reference taken from
the New King James Bible Version provided byBible Gateway.
Image credit: Google Images Creative
Common License if not specified.
Disclaimer Notes: Results may
vary due to lack of belief.
Labels: Believer's Authority, Enclosed is the Power Promise,
Promises of God, Speak to the Storm, Christian Living, Victory, Daily Favor
Blog, Favored1, What Would Jesus Do, R.C. Sproul, 5 Favor Power Tools for Taking Back Authority over Your Life, Yolanda Adams, Channel 6 Action News, Jim Gardner, Cecily Tynan.
“Thank you for your communication and support of our products.Enclosed you will find what was promised.”
While sorting through the mail (May 16th) I
found a letter from a company that my husband contacted concerning a product
that wasn’t what it should have been.As
a matter of fact, part of the product was missing.
This was the first time I saw the letter and for some
reason it didn’t make it to the recycle bin.There were only a few sentences, but the word
“promised” really stood out in my mind.That phrase is what I drew on later in the week.
Welcome new friends this week from:
See if your city/state/country made the list.
New on DFB – Indonesia; Japan; Jordan;
Uster, Zürich, Switzerland; Favona, Auckland Region, New Zealand; Lima, Lima
Region, Peru; Tanzania; Thailand; Uganda.
USA– Willow Springs, MO; Farmer, Ramseur & Randleman, NC; Fargo, ND; Washington
Township, Gloucester County & Williamstown, NJ; San Leanna TX; Pasco WA.
I am so happy for your visit and hope that you come back
each week to participate in the weekly challenges.God has been faithful and we expect His favor
to abound in the lives of those who chose to Journey with Jesus on Daily Favor
Blog.
You are welcome to leave comments or prayer requests below.All are private. I would love to hear from
you and how Daily Favor has worked in your life.Contact me by leaving a message in the box at
the bottom of this week’s post.
All week long I’ve had trouble getting online due to electrical
storms.On Monday Hubby was out in all
this (trying to get a clip for his BiPap machine that had broken) when he called
to tell me to turn off the computer. In my spirit I had already heard “shut it
down.”
The skies grew dark as if it were night; the wind whipped
the branches back and forth pushing them to their limits.All of a sudden the heavens opened as if a
floodgate from a river had been unlatched.
Walking past the window I couldn’t see outside because the water was
like a sheet of frosted Plexiglas blurring my sight.
In the middle of one of the thunderstorms I watched the
birds and squirrels as they continued their fine dining in one of our “elegant”
backyard feeding stations … this particular feeder is an upside down metal garbage can
underneath a makeshift roof.Not the prettiest
thing to look at but it’s really functional and keeps the seed dry during wet
weather.
I noticed that the squirrel remained in the same spot all
that time.At first I wasn’t even sure
if it were alive. The cardinals were chasing one another, and the squirrel
continued to eat as I watched a thick bolt of lightning strike the ground
across the street from our house.We
were in the middle of the storm and they weren’t afraid!
What Exactly Did Jesus Do?
I know it may seem strange but thoughts about how Jesus
handled weather conditions began to direct my actions.While walking with Jesus on a daily basis the
disciples saw some pretty heavy stuff, and a bit of it took place in unusual locations.
During those life lessons Jesus expected them to carry
out what they had seen and learned.One
of those teachings took place in the midst of a terrible storm that many believe
was a hurricane.
The day had already been filled with “how to” classes and
Jesus had retired to bed when his fearful students fell smack into another
test.Only this time they failed it.
“On the same day, when evening had come, Jesus said to
them: Let us cross over to the other side.Now when they had left the multitude, they took Jesus along in the boat
as He was, and other little boats were also with Him.
And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the
boat, so that it was already filling.But Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a pillow.And they awoke Him and said to Him: Teacher,
do You not care that we are perishing?”
Can’t you picture the look on Jesus’ face about
then?He had been teaching all day and
went to bed like normal (for His life).
Why in the world would His followers need to wake Him for anything after
they had been in class getting directions for these kinds of situations?
“Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea,
Peace, be still! And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.” (Here comes
the reprimand …)But He said to them: Why
are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? (Have you still no
faith?)
And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another: Who
can this be that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” (Mark 4:35-41 NKJV
emphasis mine)
Supernatural Life Lessons
Something continually on my heart is that I don’t want to
disappoint my journey leader, especially when it comes to my faith falling
short just when He expects it to be strong.
I’ve been talking to storms of all sorts by faith for
about twenty years now.One of the first
times was during a fire that surrounded our house.My pups and I were trapped inside, but God
showed me what to do and say by taking authority over it in the name of
Jesus.I haven’t forgotten that lesson.
Faith Walk in Power
Two hours later my husband called again to warn me of the
latest weather reports about tornados in the surrounding areas.I heard the sirens blowing and remembered the
commands Jesus gave while the disciples looked on in amazement.
If we truly walk with Jesus we are to do as
and command as He did.Jesus spoke to
the storm and commanded it to be calmed, but even after all they witnessed the
disciples faith wasn’t where it should have been.Their teacher was with them and they were
still afraid.What does that say about
us if we do the same on our faith walk with Jesus?
As children of the KING we have authority to act and
command as Jesus did.Do you recall how
He was disappointed that they disciples didn’t speak to the storm?
Before Jesus went to the cross He openly told the
disciples that they had authority and power to destroy the hand of satan over a
situation.The power was given through
the Holy Spirit and He is the one who acts when we give voice to the authority
we’ve been given.
The Holy Spirit power was given to Christians at the time
of salvation as part of the promise package of favor to God’s children.I merely acted on that promise.Think of it as if Jesus spoke to you and
said, “I give you power over the works of the enemy, now use it correctly.”
Power over the enemy …
“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents
and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any
means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19 NKJV)
Power Promise from Heaven …
“Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but
wait in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on High.”
(Luke 24:49 NKJV)
Power for a Purpose …
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has
come upon you (when you ask Christ into your heart to forgive you of your
sins); and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and
Samaria and to the end of the earth (basically anywhere).” (Acts 1:8 NKJV
emphasis mine)
Power to Increase our Faith …
“… that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men,
but in the power of God.” (to have faith in God’s power, not faith in what man
can do) (1 Corinthians 2:5 NKJV)
Power to Keep Calm in Difficult Situations …
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power
and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7 NJV)
This is where most of us fail.We don’t really understand the promises of
God that we receive through the Holy Spirit.What Timothy was trying to tell us is that we have been given a spirit
of power, along with the spirit of love and discernment to know how to respond
when the spirit of fear from the enemy arises.
So why aren’t we using this favor power promise from God
in all situations?Shouldn’t it be the
first thing that pops into our thinking during storms, or do we need Jesus to
arise again (go back to the cross for a do over)?
Peace Be Still
Holding Jewel in my arms to take her to the “potty” I
heard the storm roaring louder, and commanded it to go declaring it had no
right to come near our property.I shouted,
“Get out … Go!Go!You cannot come here.Peace, be still!”
By 3:45 PM the winds calmed and there was a slow rain
still falling.
It was 3:50 PM when the traffic picked up again in the
bordering streets as I heard the thunder rolling off in the distance.Storms of this kind (along with others) kept
trying to come back, over and over.With
each one I remembered that letter I found at the beginning of the week … “Enclosed you will find what was promised.”
God has given us the power to trample over the enemy, but
the only way we’ll learn how to use what we’ve been given is to open the Word
of God and read it. Enclosed in the Bible are all the promises we’ll need for
any situation.It’s where we learn about
the favor shield, the blessings gifts, the surrounding of mercy on our lives
and the steps to take for every circumstance.
We Have Authority
The letter was addressed to my husband, but because I
fall under the authority given to me through marriage the promised gift was
also meant for me.As children of God,
we also have authority to use given to us by Jesus through the power of the
Holy Spirit.It’s our choice to use what
is “enclosed” in the Promise Book.When
we don’t use all of what was promised, something is missing in our battle over
the enemy.
The
multiplication of God’s divine grace, favor and power is given to believers for
use in this lifetime for godliness, wisdom, knowledge and understanding to do
exactly as Jesus did on this earth. Peter
refers to is as “precious promises” so that we can partake of the Divine nature
to escape the evil of this world. (2 Peter 1:2-4)In terms we can understand … as Jesus is, so
are we to be in this world.
“We are meeting the needs of God's people and reviving
them spiritually, emotionally, physically and financially with the Word of God!
For ...as [Jesus] is, so are we in this world (1 John
4:17)."
– Pastors Tony and
Cynthia Brazelton.
The
power of the Holy Spirit is essential in every believer’s life if we are to
carry out the works of Christ and win souls to the Lord. It’s something we
should cry out for daily so we can be used as vessels for Him.
It’s
not only the first disciples, apostles, pastors and Christian leaders like the
Brazeltons that can call on the power of God in the name of Jesus to combat
evil …so can we.It’s time to let the devil
know that we are a POWERful force and that no weapon formed against us will
prosper.
This Week’s Challenge:
Use the Promise of God’s Power
When I was preparing this for publication once
more I called on the power of God over a situation.
The devil really didn’t want me getting this
message out on Daily Favor Blog and was trying to get me frustrated. No it wasn’t over a physical storm or anything like that.
As I was checking for an item in the cupboard I dropped
my phone and it broke.Picking it up to
reassemble the pieces I couldn’t get it to work.All I could think of was the topic I was
trying to convey in my post this week.
When I sat down at the computer to continue working, out
loud I asked the Lord, “Does this principle
apply to phones as well?”Of course
you know what I heard …”Yep!”(Does God really say yep?)
Applying the same promise principle against the enemy I
commanded my phone in the name of Jesus to work and guess what?It did.Why would God care about my phone? He knows that it is used for
communication in spreading good news of the gospel.
Ourchallenge this weekis to search out the endued power promises of God through the Holy
Spirit and use them as Jesus did.We
have the power in Jesus’ name to bring about a change.We need to let Him speak through us.
What enemy is coming against you?It doesn’t have to be as big as a storm or tornado
watch like I was experiencing, but can be those small things that just aggravate
the stuffing out of you.
By faith Jesus is right there watching the same thing as
you are (like He did with the first disciples). How would Jesus command the
situation? Learn to speak as He did by
staying in continual communication with the Lord and His promises will manifest.They have to because the power of God is “endued”,
already enclosed in our gift pack of salvation!Read it for yourself, it’s in His letter.
Maybe you don’t know the Living God that I
know, but would like to have this kind of favor in your life also.Click on the above tab “Tell Me” for more
information on becoming a child of the Savior.
Content and Image Copyright from Favored1. Do not copy.
Scripture
reference was taken from the New King James Bible Version provided by Bible Gateway. Image credit: Google Images or Dreamstime Creative Common License if not specified. Image: Peace Be StillTornado Sirens1 John 4:17b As He Is Photo by Harriet Sleigh Disclaimer Notes: Results may vary due to lack of belief. Enclosed is the Power Promise, Promises of God, Speak to the Storm, Christian Living, Connecting to Favor, Victory, Daily Favor Blog, Favored1, What Would Jesus Do, Tornado Watch, R.C. Sproul.
