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A Promise Was Given

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

I am standing here today because a promise was given in Romans 10:13, and I have stood on that promise: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  Some people get in such deep theological discussions such as:  I just wonder who is foreordained to be saved and who is foreordained to be lost?  The Bible says in 2 Peter 3:9, that God is “. . . not willing that any should perish . . .” so there is no reason to go any further with that.  God is “. . . not willing that any should perish . . .” People are willing to perish, but God is not willing for them to perish.  It is not the will of God that some be saved and others be lost.  John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  According to this verse God loves the whole world and the promise of God is salvation for “whosoever believes.”  You can trust God’s Word.

Advertisers make great promises but cannot always deliver on them.  For this reason you cannot believe every commercial.  If you think you can believe everything that you see on television then I have some property in Florida I would like to sell you.  It is a little under water right now, but it will get better.  Of course, I do not really have any property for sale, but the point is that you have to consider the source.  You can trust the promises of God for everything from salvation to provision because God is faithful.  The Word simply says in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

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Positioned for Blessings

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

In 2 Kings 4 there is a story about a woman who provided a room for the Prophet Elisha.  She furnished it with a candlestick, bed, and a desk.  You hear this sometimes referred to as a “prophet’s chamber.”  The room was a place for the prophet to stay when he came through the land.  The Word of God says that she perceived that he was a holy man and that she wanted to help him.  By providing Elisha with a room the woman positioned herself to receive a blessing.  The idea that we can position ourselves for the blessing of God is a truth that is becoming stronger in my heart every day. You do not have enough money to buy the blessings of God, but we position ourselves by our giving, by our faith, and by our obedience to God to receive God’s best.

For this reason, Elisha had it in his heart to bless her.  One day Elisha sent his servant to find out if there was anything that the woman needed.  Do you need me to speak to the king for you?  What kind of a favor do you need?  She did not express any specific needs to him, but the prophet found out that she did not have any children.  Then the prophet of God said in 2 Kings 4:16, “About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son.  And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.”

At that point in her life, the idea of having children seemed preposterous to her.  It is another one of those stories like Zachariah and Elizabeth or Abraham and Sarah, couples who were unable to have children.  Her husband was old and when she said, “. . . do not lie . . .” she was not making fun of the prophet of God.  She just said, “Prophet of God, you do not understand how impossible this is.”  But the Bible said in verse 17, “. . . the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.” 

Your Bible is a book of promises.  When I was a boy in Sunday school we used to sing “Every promise in the Book is mine; every chapter, every verse, every line.”  It was a song that appealed for us to have a simple childlike faith.  Somewhere along the way, someone may have told you, “You cannot believe like that.”  I want to tell you that every promise in the Book is yours – every chapter, every verse and every line.  And if you will believe it and if you will obey it, it shall come to pass.

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Character Not Perfection

(The following is an excerpt from Bob Nichols’ book, “How to Change Your Destiny.”)

What God is calling for is character, not perfection.  When I think of the name, Billy Graham, I think about integrity and purity. You have to admire the man.  He has never had a scandal.  He has kept his life clean. The man goes out of his way to operate in integrity and moral purity and God has honored him because of that. Even if you have the strongest resolve, Satan will still try to get you to sin. I am telling you, sin always has the same M.O. – no new wrinkles.  It is the same old, dirty, brown sack.  Satan just puts a new ribbon on it and says, this is new and improved. Satan says, “You can compromise and God will forgive you so it does not make any difference.”  Do not believe it!  Character is what you do when no one’s looking.

I am going to hit something else here, it is impossible to sit and watch immoral movies and stay the person that God called you to be. It is impossible! It would not hurt us to get back to the Ten Commandments, not to be saved, but to stay on the track. They spell things out plain and simple: Thou shalt no other gods before me.  You are not to covet anything that someone else has. Thou shalt not steal. I do not have to steal, God will give to me everything I need. Thou shall not bear false witness.  God wants us to tell the truth the first time even if does not seem to matter.  Tell the truth. If you cannot do something and tell the truth, do not do it. It is just so good to live clean and put your head on the pillow at night and say, “Praise be unto God, here comes another good night’s rest.”  Everything is okay. There is nothing between your soul and your Savior.  No wonder the man, Jabez, said, if I am ever going to break out of this negative mold that I was born into, keep me from evil and the grief that it brings.

No single circumstance in your life has to determine your future.  You do not have to become what anyone else says about you.  Go with what God says about you.  Before you were born God called you valuable and precious and wrote out a bright future for you. You are not a mistake going somewhere to happen. God placed you on this earth on purpose and He has a good plan for your life.  Where and when you were born, the parents God gave you, your personality, and everything else about you was orchestrated by God for a purpose.  You can be like Jabez and overcome negative circumstances through prayer.  Change your destiny today through faith in God.

Prayer

Lord, the prayer Jabez prayed to You, is my prayer today.  Lord, bless me indeed, enlarge my coast, keep your hand on me, keep me from evil and from causing pain to others. I will not listen to the lies anymore.  I can be what You have called me to be.  I can do what You have called me to do.  I know You will keep me, because I desire with all my heart to be kept by You.  Jesus, be the Lord of my life.  Take my life and make me a blessing to others.  In Jesus’ Name, amen.

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God’s Word is the Foundation

“Build your faith on the Word, not testimonies alone.”

It is wonderful to hear a testimony about God coming through in someone’s life. However, while that testimony can certainly be encouraging it really doesn’t have the power to change YOUR life. Only God’s Word can do that.

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 10:17

  And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

Acts 20:32

Building a house is wonderful example of how important a foundation is. Without it the house has nothing to stabilize it. The foundation of a home also shows you how big it will be. So it is with the Word of God. When you plant it in your heart you are building the foundation for your life. You are laying the ground work for your testimony of God’s faithfulness!

So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them [obeying them] will be like a [a]sensible (prudent, practical, wise) man who built his house upon the rock. 25 And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.26 And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a stupid (foolish) man who built his house upon the sand.27 And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great and complete was the fall of it.

Matthew 7:24-27 (AMP)

Victory Action

While testimonies are good, I build my faith primarily by studying and applying God’s Word.

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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.

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How Do You See Yourself

“Are you a grasshopper or a grape eater?”

And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs.  And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.  And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. Numbers 13:23, 30-31, 33

God’s promise was Israel’s title deed to the land as well as His guarantee that they would defeat their enemies. God’s promise was all Israel needed, but the nation doubted God’s Word and began to walk by sight instead of by faith. They could easily see the prosperity that would come with the promised land. One cluster of grapes had to be carried by two men! But when they began to listen to the rumors about the people in their way their faith in God’s promise waned. Their perspective changed. They began to compare themselves and their natural power to others. But God told them to go in HIS power. His power is more than enough! Stop seeing yourself as alone in the fight. Remember, God is on your side!

Philippians 4:13 (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition)

13 I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who [a]infuses inner strength into me; I am [b]self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].

Victory Action

God has promised that I can “possess” my land by faith.  I choose to see myself as God sees me, victorious.

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Faith Works By Love

“Love is the fuel that activates faith.”

6For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. Galatians 5:6
2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 
I Corinthians 13:2

The Bible says that God is love. Therefore, if we have God in our heart and life we should be walking in love! Love is powerful!

So now I live with the confidence that there is nothing in the universe with the power to separate us from God’s love. I’m convinced that his love will triumph over death, life’s troubles, fallen angels, or dark rulers in the heavens. There is nothing in our present or future circumstances that can weaken his love. Romans 8:38 (TPT)

We cannot pick and choose what we want to believe from God’s Word and disregard the rest. It’s all connected, and it all centers around love. Faith and love are intricately connected. Don’t think that you can walk in true, God-designed love without walking in faith, neither can you walk in faith without walking in love. Love is the fuel on which your faith burns!

Victory Action

I will put the Word of God in my heart regarding love. I will determine to walk in that love no matter the circumstance. I will confess that my faith works and it works by love!

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Faith Moves Mountains

“If you do not like the mountain, move it.”

 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.  Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Mark 11:22-24

There are two things in this passage of scripture that Jesus said would move the mountain. First, faith. Second, words. The faith is in your heart and the words are in your mouth. Faith comes when you spend time in God’s Word and in prayer. 

Faith, then, is birthed in a heart that responds to God’s anointed utterance of the Anointed One.  - Romans 10:17 (Passion)
But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [[a]make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit; Jude 20 (AMPC)
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 18:21 (NIV)
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. Luke 6:45 (KJV)

The mountain can be anything that is standing between you and God’s plan for your life. If sickness is trying to take hold in your body then use the scriptures on healing to move that mountain. If fear is griping your heart then take the scriptures on hope and faith and move that mountain! The Word of God is powerful! It is the truth about your life and part of the whole armor in Ephesians 6 that will take you through to victory.

 Victory Action

I will speak in faith to any obstacle in my path, and watch that mountain move!

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Satan is the Thief

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy”

Don’t call my God a thief or one who does things that are not right.  I think I have the grace to handle it, but I hope no one gets in my face anytime soon and tells me that sickness is a wonderful blessing from God.  You ought to live with it for a while before you call hand to hand combat with what comes from the very pit of the enemy a gift. 

We must have the foundational understanding that life, health, blessing, forgiveness and salvation are gifts of God.  Someone might imply to you that an automobile accident or incurable disease is a disguised blessing from God. Before you go down that road put yourself there and see how it feels when you can’t sleep or do anything that you did at one time and tell me that sickness is a blessing. 

Having preached this all of my life and ministry, today I am more solid in my belief than I have ever have been.  I do not accept the works of the devil as being the works of God.  You say, “But God brought good out of it.”  Sure, God can bring good out of anything but I have news for you, God was not the originator and God didn’t send it. It would go against the very nature of a loving Father to bring harm to his children. Our God is not a child abuser. 

I have spent countless hours with oppressed people, depressed people, abused men and women, people who have lived their entire lives with someone’s finger in their face saying you can’t do it, you are no good, you don’t measure up. Until one day, like a hunting dog that has lost what it takes to hunt, they loose hold of who they are in Christ and the truth that they are loved by a good God. I thank God for the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I thank God for the understanding that there are two forces at work in my life. Satan who comes to steal, kill and destroy. And God, whose very nature is to bless his children. Father God, who is the giver of all good things, the God who loves you and me.