A STUDY ON EXPERIENCE OF A FRESH EXPLOSION OF FAITH
(By Beth Moore) "A Taste of Believing God"
This is Chapter IV
I can do all things through Christ:
Philippians 4:13: (NKJV)
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
I recognize and believe that there is only one true and living God who exists as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I recognize that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us. I believe that He came to destroy the works of the devil and that He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public display of them having triumphed over them.
I have been created in the image and likeness of God. I have been given dominion over all the earth and over every living thing. I will be and do all that God has destined for me because I am His handiwork created in Christ Jesus for good works.
I have been delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the Kingdom of God's dear Son therefore; Satan has no power over me.
God has redeemed me from the control of darkness and He has seated me in heavenly places with Christ, far above all rule, and authority and dominion. In obedience, I will take up my authority, speak God's Word, and rest in the power of His Word.
For I will present my body as a living sacrifice to God – holy, devoted, and consecrated to please Him, which is a part of my spiritual worship to Him. I will not be conformed to this world's way of thinking, but I will continually be transformed by the renewing of my mind. For I have the mind of Christ.
I have been made to be a kingdom and priest to serve my God and to reign and rule on the earth.
Therefore, I will rise up in the authority of who I am in Christ Jesus and I will exercise that authority in my sphere of influence. I also take authority over every demonic assignment against my life. I push back the enemy in the name of Jesus. For the word says if I resist the devil he will flee from me.
I am a child of the Most High God and I declare that because of God's unlimited resources, I will be empowered with inner strength through his Spirit; Christ will make his home in my heart as I trust in him; and my roots will go down deep into God's love and keep me strong.
"For I declare that His mighty power is at work within me, to accomplish infinitely more than I might ask or think. So, I choose to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. I put no confidence in the flesh, for the weapons of my warfare are not carnal or of my flesh, but divinely powerful to the pulling down of strongholds."
In this chapter Beth talks about three of my favorite guys, Joshua, Abraham, and David. These guys made the Hebrew 11 hall of faith. Quoting her now, "I was surprised and somehow refreshed to think that a measure of their challenge to walk by faith was likely found in continuing to believe what God said about them in spite of fears and failures." Can we say that about our lives today? Isn't it encouraging to realize we're not alone in our struggles? This is one of the reasons I wanted to do a study on this book, because of my struggle now. I realize I am not alone, and desire to connect with others who feel this pain too, so we can encourage one another in God's Word. Joshua's life helps us understand and accept our fourth statement of faith: I can do all things through Christ. Through the might of the living God, Joshua did what he knew he could not do. Like us, he was told in advance he'd be able. We might call it preassurance rather than reassurance.
Let's look with Beth on this preassurance in Joshua 1:1-9:
2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.
3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I swore unto their fathers to give them.
7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest.
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
I shared this one because I just love Joshua's life as a strong person, but then if it were not for God, he couldn't have done what he did, amen. We need God to help us do all things in our lives too, so we can be like Joshua, not super-man, but a strong person in the Lord. And, we must remember what the Word said,
Zechariah 4:6 (KJV)
"Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. Yes, it is by the Spirit of God; Joshua couldn't do it by himself, but through God."
On page 46, Jesus told His disciples not to be afraid in the storm, the reason wasn't the removal of their frightful circumstances but the presence of their Savior. "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid" (Matthew 14:27). I enjoyed this to, "Remember, faith is never the denial of reality but it a belief in a greater reality. In other words, the truth may be that terrifying or terribly discouraging circumstances surround you. The reason you don't have to buckle to fear and discouragement is the presence of God in the middle of your circumstances. Great! Call upon Him to step His One and Only shoes onto your territory and take over like the commander of the Lord's army (Joshua 5:15). Hear Him say to you the words He said to Joshua: "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy." That place, that circumstance, is holy because God stand on it with you. You don't have to fill His shoes, Dear One. Take off your sandals and walk barefoot in His wake.
Beloved, whether or not you want to admit it, God gifted you out of His glorious grace and for His name's sake. Christ has spoken over your life as His present-day disciple: "This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples" (John 15:8). Perhaps, like me, you have grievously failed God in the past. Perhaps, like me, your prior confidence was unknowingly in your own ability and determination to stay on track." I typed that because I do get off track sometimes, I feel so many time I have fail God. Isn't it strange that we all feel that way! I agree. Beth said, "we don't have to sin grievously to feel that we've failed. So true my friends. We don't have to sin grievously to feel like we've failed. Sometimes all it takes is feeling like we've proved ineffective and untalented too many times to try again. I have been encouraged to hold on to God's unchanging hand, because I can do all things through Christ Jesus my Lord as I have faith in Him, and in His Word. This week I have listen to the DVD of the whole Bible, and it has blessed my spirit so much. God's Word help me to accomplish God's plans for my life as Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."
Questions:
1. How can you be mighty in your generation?
2. Why do we so often balk at the task?
3. How can we overcome the feeling of failing God?
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