Discipleship: Discover Your Identity In Christ

Shift your focus to where God is growing you and away from where the enemy is distracting you. His Word and His presence are always great focus points.

DAY 117

Faith - 5 of 7
Reading: 1 Thess 5:1-11
Memorizing: Prov 18:21

SPEAK LIFE!

Faith in God’s Word is established by reason of use. Think of it as a baby that has to grow his muscles. The muscles are there from the beginning, but need to develop. You have the potential of walking in the same faith Jesus walked in, but you need to develop your faith muscles. You don’t need to get more faith, you have to develop your faith. Growing in knowing your Father’s heart is the best way to do it. You do that by staying in the Word, and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal your Father’s love to you.

Faith consists of BELIEVING, SPEAKING and ACTING. It is like three legs of a chair. Without one of them, the chair is not doing what it is supposed to do.

Mark 11:23-24 says, “For assuredly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea’, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”

Here we see BELIEF, SAY and ACT in one scripture. We see the word “says” three times in these two verses. You have to speak to your mountain. Sometimes you become the mountain, which is in the way of your miracles. Here is a question for you. What do you say when you speak to yourself? Are you willing to look at yourself the way Jesus is, and are you willing to look at other people the same way Jesus is. The devil wants us to look and talk about our problems, but as a child of God standing in His authority, we talk about Jesus, that our Redeemer lives, that nothing is impossible for Him. Hallelujah!!

Speaking aloud, with authority to your “mountain”, is necessary to make it disappear. Your mountain can be anything that stands between you and the promises of God for your life, and anything that brings fear or threatens your life. It can be a challenge in your marriage, at your workplace or in your finances, etc. The Bible says that you will receive whatever you proclaim/ask for. This does not mean that we can name and claim everything we can think of, but it does mean that we can claim everything Jesus already paid for on the cross, such as healing, provision, strength, etc.

Prov 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit”. We should be very careful with our words. Our words are creative and what we say will have an effect on our lives, and the lives of others, whether good or bad. As believers, we should say what God says in His Word, and if we cannot say that, we should rather say nothing at all. Therefore, use your words wisely, because your words are like seed. Seed is never neutral and will produce a harvest. We should purpose to sow good seed. You primarily sow with your words, actions, and attitude.

Test: Put your faith to the test this week, and fast from speaking any negative words. Correct every negative word you might say with a scripture verse, which should line up with what God is saying. (Make sure you write everything down as a record)

Heavenly Father, I choose to look at myself and my circumstances the way You do. Help me Holy Spirit to discipline myself to see myself the way You see me. I say to my mountain, move in Jesus’ name. I say to the storms in my life, be quiet in Jesus’ name. I take my eyes off my problems and fix them on Jesus. I declare today that my Redeemer lives and all is well. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

DAY 115

Faith - 3 of 7
Reading: Matt 6:1-34
Memorizing: Matt 6:33-34

FAITH DOES NOT WORRY

I want to mention again, that if we understand how much the Father loves us, we never have to ask Him to increase our faith, because we will never worry about tomorrow, we will always believe that our loving heavenly Father has already made provision for us, in everything we might need. God our Father is a SUPPLY God, not a DEMAND God. Phil 4:19 Amp says, “And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
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We are valuable to Him, and as a good Father, He does not want us to worry. Matt 6:24-35 says “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
Therefore do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

This scripture asks a question we should ask ourselves all the time as we walk in faith. Are you not more valuable than the birds of the air and the lilies in the field? Is your Father in heaven not madly in love with you, and does He not know exactly what you need today? A faith life is a “Let go and Let God” life. It is taking my hands off the things I’m trusting God for, so that He can put His hands on those things. Did not Jesus already pay for everything on the cross?

If you answer “Yes” to the above questions, then “Let go”. Rest in God, trust Him and He will take care of you.

For this reason my life should be a walk of praise and thanksgiving, because I delight myself in what is already mine. My children never doubted my ability to provide for them as their earthly father, because they never had to question my love for them.

Many people struggle to truly comprehend the Father’s love for them, because of things that might have happened to them during their childhood. A poor example, of an earthly father, distorts our view of our heavenly Father. Restoration and healing in this area are crucial to enable us to become giants in faith.

But how do we know, that we understand our Father’s love for us? Probably the most important piece of evidence would be how we respond toward our heavenly Father when we fail, make a mistake, or even fall into sin. If we let guilt and condemnation consume us in that situation or isolate ourselves from God, the chances are that we do not know how much the Father loves us. We are supposed to run toward our Father, even when we’ve made a mistake, because we believe that His love for us is unconditional and that we are forgiven.

Heavenly Father, I believe today what Your Word says about me, that You value me and want to take care of me. I surrender my worries, concerns and anxieties and choose to wholeheartedly trust You. I am letting go. You can take over and bring complete salvation in every area of my life. I am entering Your rest now and put my faith in what Your Word says. In Jesus’ name. Amen

DAY 114

Faith - 2 of 7
Reading: Heb 11:20-40
Memorizing: Gal 5:6

FAITH WORKS THROUGH LOVE

Gal 5:6 Amp says, “For [if we are] in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love.”
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We cannot grow our faith muscles, if we do not first grow in our understanding of how much our Heavenly Father loves us. Looking for more faith, without seeking to grow in knowing the Father’s love for us is senseless. This scripture says it is knowing God’s love for you which energizes faith, expresses faith and makes faith work in our lives.

A man of faith, E.W Kenyon once said, if you have a deep understanding of your Fathers love for you, you do not have to ask Him to increase your faith, because you will believe Him. My children have faith that I will take care of them, not because we signed a contract or I made some promises, but because they know that I love them unconditionally.

When faith increases, as we better understand our Father’s love for us, we can demonstrate it boldly by letting the Father’s love work through us. The universal language of the Kingdom of Jesus is love. His command was love God and love your neighbor, and in John 13:34-35 Jesus says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

The proof that we are His disciples is through knowing and showing the Father’s love to people. Without knowing this love and becoming a dispenser of this love, we are actually bankrupt.
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1 Cor 13:2 Amp says, “IF I [can] speak in the tongues of men and [even] of angels, but have not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such as is inspired by God's love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), and understand all the secret truths and mysteries and possess all knowledge, and if I have [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but have not love (God's love in me) I am nothing (a useless nobody).”
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We can do the most amazing things and build the biggest churches, but if we do not love, we are just useless nobodies. This is a strong word, but it confirms that love, God’s love, is the key to our faith walk.

When we understand our Father’s love, faith can receive the things Jesus paid for on the cross.

Think of it this way:
Jesus carried our sicknesses (Isa. 53:4–5).
Jesus carried our weaknesses (Isa. 53:4–5).
Jesus paid in full for our sins (Eph. 1:7).
Jesus restored our provision as He restored our inheritance (Eph. 1:11).
In Him all the promises of the Word are ours (2 Cor. 1:20).
We are now blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places (Eph. 1:3).
We are standing in His authority to obtain victory in every area of our lives (Luke 10:19).

With this in mind, it means that there is nothing else He has to do for us. We just have to receive all He has done on the cross. Faith is the hand of our hearts which we stretch out to take hold of these things. It means that God my Father does not need to heal me today, because healing became mine two thousand years ago when Jesus died on the cross; I can just declare that I am healed. He does not need to provide for me today, because I am already provided for. He does not need to bless me today, because He already blessed me, when Jesus was crucified on my behalf. It is the receiving part that is activated, when we grow in knowing our Father’s love for us.

Jesus never asked the Father to heal someone in the Bible. He commanded that person to be healed because He walked in love and authority. This is why the Apostle Paul said that he presses on to lay hold of the things for which Jesus laid hold of him.

Phi 3:12 says, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me”.

Our focus should be to let the Holy Spirit reveal more of the Father’s love to us, because then I will trust Him with all my heart and will believe without any doubt or unbelief, in His ability and willingness to do what He has promised me.

Every time you open your Bible, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to your heart the unconditional love your Heavenly Father has for you.

Thank You Abba Father, for Your love for me, which is unconditional, unmerited, and undeserved. I open my heart today and ask You Holy Spirit to reveal the deep secrets of the Fathers’ love to me, so that I will be able to receive all that heaven has in store for me. I am reaching out with the hand of my heart, my faith, because I believe that my Father is able and willing to do what He has promised me, in Jesus’ name. Amen.