faith Archives : Page 3 of 3 : Living Success

Ask & Be Joyful

Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It is often said that if you don’t ask you don’t know or if you don’t ask you won’t get. That is so true whether you are asking a friend, a stranger or God.

Jesus says in John 16:23b -24 (NKJV), “… Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”

So, now let me ask you, what is it that will make you happy or cause you to rejoice in God? What would light up your world? Maybe I can ask you a different way: What is it that you deeply long for?

Have you asked God for it? Or have you failed to ask God for it? Maybe you do ask but not consistently or persistently. Or have you decided not to bother God with your request because you don’t believe God will give you?

This scripture really speaks to me and hopefully to you. Whatever you ask God – your Heavenly Father – in the name of Jesus (using His authority as the great I AM), God will do it. It is as simple as that.

Ask and you will receive that your joy would be full and complete. God – the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit – all want you be happy, all want you to be full of joy.

Sometimes we can often complicate matters with our “logical” thinking. But we should take God’s word as truth and go to Him asking with the heart attitude of a child. To ask implies that you have an expectation to receive – just like any little child. The instruction is very clear – ASK. The result is guaranteed – YOU WILL RECEIVE. The why is evident – THAT YOU WILL BE JOYFUL.

Look at it another way. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked this question to Bartemeus (Mark 9) and now He’s asking you. Bartemeus asked Jesus for the one think that would make his life better, fuller, happier – to be able to see. What about you? What’s that one thing or those few changes that you need Jesus to do?

Think about it. Then ASK and keep on asking until you receive. Then rejoice in Him.

So, what are you asking God for?

Ask & Be Joyful Read More »

Believe God

Spiritual Success

I have often heard people say, “I believe God,” or “I’m believing God for a breakthrough.” The question is: Do we really believe God?

In Mark 9:17-29 when Jesus delivered the man’s son from the deaf and dumb spirit, Jesus said, “If you can believe all things are possible to him who believes.” It sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? Yet it is a hard saying for most of us. This father, as much as he wanted his son to be well, as much as he believed Jesus could help him, still had some lingering doubts (Mark 9:22, 24). The doubts were so probing that he asked Jesus to help him overcome his unbelief.

As we read the conversation Jesus had with Martha prior to calling Lazarus back to life, He focuses on believing (John 11:17-41). Although Jesus asked Martha if she believed He was the Resurrection and the Life and that all who believe in Him will never die, her response wasn’t direct. Her positive answer was qualified,“Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world” (John 11:27 NKJV). Somewhere there was a hint of unbelief in Martha. As they went to the tomb and Jesus requested the stone to be rolled away, Martha raises an objection to this (John 11:39). Martha still didn’t realize that Jesus intended for Lazarus to come alive then and that He was the Resurrection and the Life through whom all men will live now and eternally. Jesus again reiterated the need to believe, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”

When we believe God all things – everything – will be possible for us. When we believe God, we will see His glory in our lives. Our faith in God is directly related to the success and triumphs in our lives. The extent to which we believe God determines the miracle we receive. If you believe God and His ability to heal you, to give you success in all you do, to provide for you, to help you do anything, then indeed nothing will be impossible for you.

Jesus is challenging us to believe Him and not the negative things we see happening in our lives. Unbelief lurks when we put our focus on the problem and not on God and His power to save, to heal, to deliver, to provide and to make the seemingly impossible possible. Unbelief comes if our focus is off base – when we focus on the problem and become overwhelmed, when we take the ill advice of well-meaning others that is against God’s will or when our negative self talk bombard us. Whatever you focus on the most, you believe the most and you receive also. So it benefits us to purposely focus on God, His promises (the Word) and His power to make all “impossibilities” happen.

At all times, let’s BELIEVE GOD.

Believe God Read More »

Be an Agent of Positive Change

The Real You, Thinking Success

In the previous post, Change Comes, Embrace It, I spoke of how we often don’t like change and one way we can handle changes when they come. Today, I am talking about change but from the perspective of you being the change agent.

We hear stories of good and great things that people do and we think ourselves, “That’s great but I couldn’t do that.” Who told you so? The response we’d typically here is, “No one, I just know that’s not me”. The truth is we often believe the lies of the enemy that makes us stay where we are wishing things could change but never thinking we can be the ones to make the change.

Everyday we see people and groups who boldly proclaim their rights that bring about change – and often it is negative. Why are Christians not as bold to proclaim Christ and bring about positive change instead? It goes back to our negative self-talk or how we view of ourselves. We claim to have “valid” reasons for not stepping out to make a change or difference in the community around us. Sometimes we are more concerned about what others will say about us more than what God thinks of us.

But we need to rearrange our thinking or thought habits. We need to align our thoughts to what God says about us. Moses thought he could not speak well and represent Israel before pharaoh but God saw him as a leader and deliverer (Exodus 4). Gideon saw himself at the least in his family but God saw him as a might man of valor (Judges 6). David was also considered the least amongst his siblings but God saw him as a king and a man after His own heart (1 Samuel 16). God took the least among men and used them to bring about positive change in the lives of many.

So what about you? How do you see yourself? Please, erase from your mind the negative thoughts you have of yourself. Begin to look at yourself through the eyes of God your heavenly Father. Search the scriptures and remind yourself that:

You are a child of the Most High God
You have been made righteous through Christ
You are an overcomer
You can do great things because you know God
You have been chosen to be fruitful

Right where you are you can bring change – in your home, your community, your church and beyond. The key to starting positive change is in you knowing confidently that you can with Christ being your help and strength. It starts by being Christ-confident and not self-confident. It continues with thinking and speaking positive change to actively making positive change. You know where you are at. You see the challenges in your world – the children who need food and love, the teens who are longing for belonging, the young families needing guidance to stay together and be strong. The problems you see around you that burden you are often the ones that God wants you to solve. He wants you to be an agent of change right where you are.

Don’t doubt what you can do but believe you can with Christ helping you all the way. Trust in Him who can do work through you to bring change.

What change can you start making today?

Be an Agent of Positive Change Read More »