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Guard Your Heart

(Excerpt from Pastor’s book, ‘How to Get a Grip on God’s Promises”)

We can see that the Shunammite woman was watching her words.  She only spoke words of faith and peace.  The words she spoke laid the groundwork for the miraculous resurrection of her son.  In verse 26 when Elisha saw this woman coming he told his servant to go meet her and ask, “…Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child?   Her answer remained the same, “it is well.”

Do you know what the prophet of God was really asking?  The margin of my Bible said he was asking, “is peace thine?”  Now you might be saying, why is that so important?  The prophet was testing her grip on the promise.  There is no room for doubt in this situation.  If this woman was going to see the full manifestation of her miracle she needed to stand strong on the Word of God. In the Strong’s Concordance the word shalom has several meanings.  In addition to “peace” it could also mean “safety, health, and prosperity.”  Remember she answered the prophet of God, “. . . It is well.” She did not blurt out, “Well prophet of God, my son is dead.”  Her faith response was essentially, “peace is mine.”

Do you know what she was saying?  Prophet of God, I do not want to talk about my situation right now, but let me just tell you what I have inside of me.  I have peace, safety, and health.  Listen to this woman speaking her faith with a dead son at home.  You think you have problems?  This woman is saying, prophet of God, I have a grip on the promise of God and I am not letting go!

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Believing Prayer Brings The Answer

(Below is an excerpt from Pastor’s book, “How To Triumph in Troubled Times”)

I will never forget one situation many years ago when I was a young associate in my father-in-law’s church.  An evangelist, a novice, came in and stole the hearts of the people.  For the first time, I heard my father-in-law, the pastor, who was a very, very strong man, say, “Son, the pressure is just on me.  I am going to take two weeks off and you are in charge.” I thought “Oh, Jesus, what am I going to do?”  Here was a man of great experience whom I had never seen lose a battle, but something about this situation had really pressed him hard.  I picked up my Bible and a legal pad and I went to the church and spent the night in prayer. When the sun came up the next morning there was something in my spirit that said everything is going to be all right.  There were a few folks that were affected by it, but God spared the church because a rookie preacher got on his face before God and prayed with his prayer language.  I am here to tell you when everything comes against you, get on your face before God.  Remember to bring a pen and a notebook because when you talk to God, eventually God is going to talk to you.

Sometimes prayer is just flushing out all negativism and unbelief that keeps pressing you down.  That is why sometimes you need to spend some extra time in prayer.  This world will fill you up to the brim with its negative ways, but as you pray, it flushes that unbelief out.  It flushes that frustration and hopelessness out.  When we are emptied, then thank God, He can fill us up.  God fills us with hope, faith and love.  God fills us with that blessed assurance that everything is going to be all right.  There is a way when you pray.

The biggest challenge to most church people is to stop telling their problems to everybody else and get on their face and talk to God.  Stay on your face until God empties you of your problem and fills you with the answer.  You have heard what everyone else has to say; now you need to hear what God has to say.  Some of you have a notebook full of prophecies, but not one of those things is going to work until you let God empty you of your problems and fill you with the answer.

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Finding Life

(Below is an excerpt from Pastor’s book, “How to Find Life in Dead Situations”)

If you live long enough, you will face moments of adversity.  Adversity will actually strengthen your faith in God if you face it God’s way.  Faith does not ask if God is able to bring life to a dead situation.  Faith asks, “How is God going to do it this time?”  You can get a grip on the promises of God and find life in a dead situation. Now we have a decision to make!  Are you going to be like the one who just shuffled off with the same unbelief remaining unchanged?  Or will you be the one that will apply the Word of God to your life see victory?

Do you have some dead situations in your life that need to be revived?  Do not approach a dead situation carelessly.  Get a Word from God and face it head on.  Do not try to force God to break His silence; just cooperate in faith with His promises.  Never forget that Jesus really loves and He really cares, and only believe.  It all starts and finishes with faith and knowing that all the glory must go to God.

Prayer

God, give me the strength to face the dead situations in my life.  I do not know what to do, but my eyes are on You.  I am waiting to hear what You have to say.  I will get a grip on Your promise.  With God all things are possible.  It doesn’t matter how many days have passed, when you speak, power is released.  And God, if you tell me to let it go, I will trust you to bring me through on the high side of victory.  Be glorified in my life and in the situation I am facing, in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

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Choose To Walk In Love

(Below is an excerpt from Pastor’s book, “How to Triumph in Troubled Times”)

Many believers do not do the right thing.  Let’s go a little further: many preachers do not do the right thing.  They have a choice!  Am I going to be bitter or better?  The moment I choose sides and say, “I choose to be bitter about that,” then I get out of the arena of God’s blessing.  I feel sorry for people that do not do the right thing or play by the rules, but that is their problem, not mine.  I have a choice to make and I am going to do the right thing.  I have made up my mind.  Doing the right thing does not always win the first twenty-four hours, the first twenty-four days, or even the first twenty-four months, but it does win.  Love always wins.

I have lived long enough to appreciate people that are honest.  I am going to be that kind of person if God will just continue to show me how.  I want to do what is right. I want to operate my life God’s way. I do not want to be an opportunist, using others as a means to accomplish my earthly assignment. I do not have to be that kind of person. I can walk in love in a world of hatred. I will not fret or worry because Jesus said, “. . . see that ye be not troubled ” (Matthew 24:6). You always have the opportunist type of person around.  There will always be a Judas in the wings.  There will always be someone who is taking advantage of situations, but you will be blessed if you do it God’s way and keep a good spirit.  You can trust in the Lord.  God will bring you out and make a way for you.  It is the way I have lived for many years.  Whether you understand or not do what is right.  It is a faith walk.  You do not walk by the way things appear right now.  Habakkuk said, “…the just shall live, by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4).

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Take God at His Word

“Faith is believing that God means what He said.”

 7If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

John 15:7

 3Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

Jeremiah 33:3

The Bible tells us that God doesn’t lie. When He speaks, He does so with integrity and power to bring things to pass. When God said, “light be” – light starting being! Creative power began to flow throughout the cosmos and it hasn’t stopped! That is faith! God never told the light to stop – so even in this moment stars and planets are still being created. Look into scripture. Those things that God said in the Bible are meant for you! They are sitting there ready to applied and bring forth fruit in your life. When you truly believe what God has said in His Word you will experience God’s power working in your life! Choose to believe God!

 Victory Action

I choose to act according to my belief that God’s Word lives in me and that He meant what He said.

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Faith to Fight

“No battle, no spoil.”

22And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.  25And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.

2 Chronicles 20:22, 25

No one really looks forward to a battle. We would rather float through life on a cloud unencumbered by the struggles of life. Unfortunately, that is not the way it works. Sometimes you have to fight. But we fight to win! When we use the weapons that God has given us we will be victorious in the battle. Praising God in the middle of a fight turns our attention to Him. We get our eyes off of the circumstances and begin to rehearse how good, strong and loving our God is. He never fails. God is faithful! He rewards those who stand in faith on His Word. To the victor belongs the spoils!

Victory Action

While I am battling the enemy, I will continually praise the Lord.  When I praise Him in the midst of battles, He not only wins for me, but He gives me the spoils.

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Fight the Good Fight

“If you have no fight, you will have no faith.”

12Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

1 Timothy 6:12

6Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:  7That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

1 Peter 1:6-7

Heat is a refining element. When heat is applied to gold it causes it to melt and the impurities, which are lighter than the gold, rise to the top. During the refining process this dross is removed. After it is removed the gold is purer and will harden enough to be formed into a brick. This process is very similar to what happens to our faith when we are challenged by circumstances. Just like a muscle our faith becomes stronger when it is exercised. Trials will come. The good news is that Jesus has already won the victory for us! We just need to use our faith!

Victory Action

In the midst of battles, I will choose to give God thanks for the opportunity to build my faith as an overcomer.

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Timing is Everything

“Confess divine health when you are healthy.”

18There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.

Proverbs 12:18

  20My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.  21Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.  22For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

Proverbs 4:20-22

Confession of God’s Word is like building a brick wall. Each time you confess that you are healed by the stripes of Jesus it strengthens your faith in God’s ability to keep you healthy regardless of the circumstances. Build your faith wall before the attack comes. The Bible says that the shield of faith will quench all the fiery darts of the enemy. But if you have to go find your shield after the darts have already started…well…a few are going to get through. Then it will be harder for you to stand in faith against the attack of sickness. There is power in YOUR words when your words are GOD’S words!

Victory Action

Attacks are from the enemy.  I will speak God’s Word daily concerning my health, storing up strength against the attacks of the enemy.

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Multiplied Seed

Many years ago, there was a women who went to our church here in Fort Worth. Her deceased husband had left her a small pension from his work in the railroad which included a few benefits. She was a dedicated member of the church, a consistent tither, and a generous giver. One day she came into the church and handed me an offering of several thousand dollars, something that she had never done before.

“This is my entire savings account pastor.” She told me. I had an idea of how much she made with her pension. She would have had to been saving for a couple years in order to have gathered a seed of this size. I would never encourage anyone to give away their savings; unless someone is directed by God, I would think this type of giving is foolhardy.

“Now sister, this is just too much! You don’t need to give this.” I told her, but she was not moved. She looked me square in the eyes and said, “Bob Nichols, you take this offering. You have been teaching about giving and I want to give this as a significant seed.” See, this is the posturing of people who are operating by faith in their giving. They aren’t moved by what anyone says to them. So I took the offering, believing for her to receive a harvest.

A couple weeks she told me that a friend of her husband had come over and asked her if she had heard about a obscure part of the pension that she would have to sign up for in order to benefit. She had not and after she signed up, she received double the amount of money per month than she had been receiving and she also was given more benefits! When you sow a seed in faith the result is a harvest of multiplication!

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The Time is Now

“Build your faith before the storm.”

Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:  He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.  But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great. Luke 6:47-49

You know the time to buy supplies for the upcoming storm is not after the storm hits. If you wait, you probably won’t get your supplies and you might get hurt trying. Farmers don’t wait to plant their crops while it is storming. They plant when the weather is good. That way they receive the benefit of the rain. The seed in the barn will not benefit from rain – only that which is planted will.

The Word of God is the seed that we need to plant in our hearts. We plant the seed by reading, studying and listening to the scriptures. This is how we build our faith daily. This is how we build our lives on the rock – a firm foundation. This is how you survive the storms of life!

Victory Action

I will build my faith before the storm by daily putting the Word of God in my heart! I will observe and obey it. I will listen and obey what God is leading me to do daily.