Faith - Family -Freedom - Devotional Pt1

Faith

Prayer Opening

As I begin our lesson let me clarify some things about Faith.

First, faith is a “gift of God” given to each one of us, a degree of faith designed for His purpose and service. In Romans 12:3, we are exhorted not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to, but to think soberly according to the “measure of faith” we are given. Therefore, what we see is that Faith is a gift to each one of us to “accomplish our purpose”. However, we cannot be high-minded because we have nothing that He has not given us and we do not “compare ourselves amongst ourselves” but rather learn from and build up each other in Faith.

Second, How do we receive Faith? Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God, (consistent hearing and understanding), Romans 10:17. When we hear the Anointed Word of God, faith is coming into our hearts and our minds by the leading of the Holy Spirit. God’s word is God-Breathed according to 2 Timothy 3:16, all scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, training, reproof, correction of error, and teaching in righteousness; that the man of God may be “proficient and completely equipped for every good work”. The word of God has power, (Colossians 1:6) which has come to you indeed, and is in the whole world and is still bearing fruit and still growing by “its own inherent Power”. Luke 1:37, for with God “nothing” is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without “power” or “impossible of fulfillment”. Hebrews 4:11, the word of God speaks; and is active, alive, and full of Power; making it operative, energizing, and effective; sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the soul and spirit, joints and marrow; exposing, sifting, analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.

Lastly, How does Faith work? What we hear from God is worked outward by obedience or in other words it is practiced by application. Proverbs 4:21, “Do not let the word depart from your eyes, keep them in your heart for they are life to those who find them”. Joshua 1:8, “Do not let this book of the Law depart from your mouth, but meditate in it day and night, you may observe and do according to all that is written, for then you make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success”. Psalm 1:1, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the path with sinners, nor sit in the seat of mockers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and he habitually meditates day and night; and he is like a tree planted by living water whose leaf does not whither but bears fruit in season and whatever he does it prospers and comes to maturity”. 1Peter 2:2, ”Desire the milk of the word, be thirsty for spiritual milk”. James 2:20-24, “So, if we say we have faith in God but do not obey or practice the truth, we are ‘deceiving ourselves’. Another way to say it, is we say one thing and yet we do another, and this is working in contrary or opposition to the truth. Increasing Faith comes by Repentance of disobedience, unbelief, and lack of prayer. Mark 9:23, “Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, Lord I Believe, help my unbelief”. Luke 17:5-10, “The apostles prayed Lord increase our Faith. The Lord said if you had faith as a grain of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, be uprooted and plant it in the sea and it would obey you”. Romans 10:9-10, “For with the heart man believes unto righteousness and ‘with the mouth confession is made unto salvation’, ‘whoever believes with all their heart’ and will not be ashamed, whoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved”. Matthew 12:34-40, Faith confession can be heard! Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Mark 16:20, “And they went out and God went with them ‘confirming the word”. Jeremiah 1:12, The Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am alert and active watching over My word to perform it”. Isaiah 55:11, “My word will not return void, ‘but it will accomplish that which I sent it”. Psalm 147:15, “He sends out His commands to the earth and ‘His word runs swiftly”. Most people have more faith in feelings and circumstances than in God’s ability to keep His word. The root of all fear is unbelief, all unbelief is sin, and all sin leads to rebellion and all rebellion leads to loss. I say this with love; and at the same time laying a foundation, because without this understanding you cannot protect your family fully and you cannot discern the truth from deception. This truth makes us free from every excuse or blame, from a lack of growth or wisdom, because we are encouraged to come into His presence and sit with Him as the teacher and Lord. Faith is believing what God says ‘even when you cannot see it or feel it’ by circumstance. Faith believes, because God said it!! Faith is not reasoning, planning, or doing; it is believing. Believing then leads to working and planning with God’s knowledge, not from our own understanding. Therefore, Faith is taking action in confidence, whether apparent or not. With the heart man believes and with his mouth he confesses, and confirms his belief. Faith hears what the word says, the heart believes what the word says, the mouth agrees by confession what the word says, and then the eye sees what the word says. Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of what is hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. (Blindfold a person and give them instructions to follow, show by example how they can hear while in the dark, and if they follow the voice of God they will make it to their destination).

Therefore brothers and sisters, I pray that you have made the choice to have Faith, one hundred percent confidence, in the favor, in the blessings, in the promises, and in the love that our Father God has for us; in the future and in the hope that He has for our lives. May God bless you and keep!

Faith - Family - Freedom - Devotional Pt2

Family

Now we will at our individual application of Faith for our Family and how these applications fan be used in prayer as a shield for us.

Here is an example of having Faith for your Family. Everyone around you may be lost and living a life of sin. You’re the brunt of humiliation, rejection, and disrespect. Your feelings have you angry, stressed out, distracted, and offended. You’re reliving your situation over and over when you are affirming it to friends and others. Emotionally and mentally you are exhausted, overwhelmed, and you are done. An to top it off, you don’t know how to Pray for them. You have lost your peace, joy, and you feel like the enemy is winning. So when you are in the dark, you never try to make the darkness leave you. You just simply turn on the light, go through the motions, because you know the darkness cannot overpower the light; no matter how small the light is (John 1:1).

Now here is are examples of you learning how to Pray for them, you standing in the gap (interceding) for them, and having Faith for them; shining your light.

Heavenly Father, thank you for what you said according to John 3:16; you Love my Family with everlasting unhindered unlimited love and it is not your will that any of them should perish, but they should come to repentance 2 Peter 3:9. LORD, your Word says you will give strength to those who are weak, and right now I need your strength. LORD, I stand at the throne of grace by the Blood of the Lamb Christ Jesus, boldly to request your help in this time of need. I am a partner in labor with you for have called me to intercede. Jesus came for this reason, it was to set them Free, Heal them, and Reconcile them to Christ Jesus. LORD, just as you forgave me for my sin, I forgive them! I rejected you when I was dead in my sin as they are. I offended others when they tried to tell me about you until the Holy Spirit opened my eyes. LORD, I ask you for mercy to be Renewed day by day for my family and that you help me to remain Faithful when it is hard because I am treated badly. Help me to remember the sacrifice and suffering you did for me, so that I don’t hold it to their account, 1Peter 4:12-19. LORD, you said in your Word that me and my house shall be saved, Acts 16:31. You said the Holy Spirit is for me and my children even unto generations, Acts 2:39. You said even the captives of the mighty shall be taken captive, but you will contend with those who contend with us; and great shall be the peace of our children; and I will save thy children. LORD, you said that all our children shall be taught of the LORD; Jeremiah 31:33-34, Isaiah 54:13, Psalms 112:2-3; their children will be mighty in the land, the generations of the upright will be blessed, wealth and riches shall be in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever! Father God, I know that you have heard and answered me, therefore I will be at peace knowing you have sent the Holy Spirit to draw them unto you!

Therefore brothers and sisters, no matter how hard or difficult or overwhelming it can be and how exhausting it can get; let us not tire or give up and turn away from interceding (standing in the gap) for our Family and others. For someone we don’t know, someone we know, and even someone that is family stood in the gap and interceded for us when we were lost. An most of all, let us Not forget the One whom sacrificed Himself, Jesus Christ, and let us Not forget how our Heavenly Father gave His Only Begotten Son so that we may be forgiven and have eternal life with Him! So then, we must remember that, that same sacrifice, mercy, and love extends to our Family and others; therefore we in the same way should do the same for them ourselves. Stay committed and dedicated knowing the Joy they too will have when they draw near to God!

Faith - Family - Freedom - Devotional Pt3

Freedom

Now we will look at how living a life of Freedom should be. An also, how we are to lead others to Freedom by example. Lastly, how being His child brings more than being set free; it brings His promises, His blessings, and His favor upon you and your family.

God has not given me a spirit of fear but of a sound mind, a mind of power and a mind of love; and this same mind that is in Christ Jesus is in me and my house. Isaiah 54:14, he who is bowed down shall speedily be released, he shall not go down to the pit, neither shall he lack bread. Isaiah 57:18, I have seen his willful ways and will heal him, I will lead him also and restore comfort unto him and to his mourners. Isaiah 29:22-24, therefore thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham our of idolatry concerning the house of Jacob. Jacob shall not then be ashamed, not then his face become pale with fear and disappointment because of his children’s degeneracy. For when he sees his children walking in the way of virtue, the work of my hands in his midst, they will revere my name, they will revere the Holy One of Jacob and fear the God of Israel. Those who err in Spirit shall come to understanding, and those who murmur discontentedly will accept instructions. Jeremiah 31:16, your children will return to their own territory, but I the LORD say to dry your tears, someday your children will come home from the enemy’s land. And there is hope in thine end saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own borders. LORD, I lay this burden down to you and worship you in word and deed, I will rejoice even in the dark because I hear your word to me.

We see now how we are to operate in Faith by believing God and practicing/applying our Faith in Him for ourselves and others and our Family as we have been set free, yes we are free indeed. By confessing His Word for them and for us, it becomes a shield for us and them; giving all of us much more than Freedom! I pray that you get my point. God is Never going to change!

We are not to be a stumbling block for others and our family. We are to bless and be a blessing. We are not to curse anyone nor be wicked to anyone especially as a Christian. Lets look at some examples of what not to do and how not to be. That kid is a liar! She is so lazy! He hates church! All she cares about is social media like facebook, instagram, and tiktok. An all he cares about is gaming, youtube, and snapchat. They think they’re so smart with their own ways. They should know better. They are just young and stupid. It never surprises me with what they do, this ignorant generation. A bunch of helpless selfish crybabies.

Again, we are to bless and be a blessing as believers. Your children and spouse should never suffer from any negativity, evil, or wickedness that would come from you; even if you were releasing it our of anger, sorrow, grief, or disappointment. We should never allow that to happen! Momma’s can plant those chaotic and destructive seeds when she says; My husband is a jerk, he is so selfish and self-centered! He is hateful, down right mean! He never does anything right, never thinks through! Always making mistakes, or always being clumsy by stumbling or stuttering and having accidents! It is the same way for Fathers. Being controlling, not showing proper respect in front of others and especially in front of the kids. Yelling and being abusive, not just physically. Doing things intentionally, like cutting her down so that she understands that what he says goes because he is the head of household. People always say that behind a great man is always an even greater woman. We say that BESIDE every great man is a great woman! For you are one flesh.

There is Power of life and death in our tongue (words). We really need to Repent and change our minds (our belief system) that causes us to think and act that way. An allow the Truth, the Way, and the Life; to create in us a new heart and humble mind. When we obey God and keep His words, nothing will cause us to stumble. It creates and gives us a compass of what love looks like and what it is not, it will direct us in every aspect of 1 Corinthians 13. If we do this one thing, we will be always pleasing and not be offended. If we are praying without ceasing and always thinking more highly of others and not of ourselves; then we will be truly walking and living in Freedom!

Therefore brothers and sisters, The Christian life is not empty words. It is a life of sacrifice and discipleship and full of love. Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the entire renewal of your mind. Practice Faith for yourself and your Family; continue to have Faith for your Family even when all seems lost. Remember that Freedom comes only through the Truth, the Way, and the Life - Jesus Christ! You can Not overcome your flesh, struggles, the world, trials, and tribulations without the strength from the Word and the light of the Truth. To ignore the Word is to walk by the flesh, of the world, and reason; and deciding to reject it means to live in rebellion and disobedience. The Word says that if you Love me, you will obey (book of John). My encouragement to you; is to Repent for treating God and His Word like it had no significance and that it is not important. Start reading and hearing by obedience, not going through the motions just because and/or because you don’t feel like. Lastly; Practice, Practice, Practice FAITH! Be determined to know the Word more than you have ever desired, so that you can dwell in the secret place of the most high with God!