Faith Builders Devotional

Eph 6:10

10

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. NKJV Without Jesus, we would have no purpose or reason for being around. In total, human beings have a maximum of 120 years that they can exist on the earth. Many people think that if they just have money they will be happy. Or if they are just married, they will be happy. A couple kids will make them happy… Maybe if they have things, they will be happy. Well, it is not about any of that. The only way you can be truly happy is to have a living and active relationship with Yahweh through Jesus. As I get to know God, I have learned that His Word is invaluable to my spiritual life. My spiritual life directly affects my physical life (the life I am living right now). When talking about the Word of God Smith Wigglesworth said, “God’s Word is: Supernatural in origin Eternal in duration Inexpressible in valor Infinite in scope Regenerative in power Infallible in authority Universal in application Inspired in totality We should: Read it through Write it down Pray it in Work it out Pass it on.” I have learned that the better I know the Word of God, the better I know the God of the Word. As you know, the Bible was not originally written in English or Japanese. It was not written in French, German, Chinese, Korean, or even Latin. (Why someone would conduct a service in a language others cannot understand amazes me..) It was written in Hebrew (Old Testament) and Greek/Aramaic (New Testament). So when I want to understand the original intention of the words better I get out a Hebrew/Greek concordance (Strong’s is the most famous) and look up the original meanings. It is really simple, so anyone can do it. Here in Ephesians 6:10 we can find even more meaning if we understand the Greek. It says, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. In the original Greek, this term ‘Be Strong’ comes from the word endunamoo, which has the root of dunamis. Dunamis is the same word that we get the word dynamite. It means explosive power. “And in the power…”, you think that power is all the same. After telling us to be explosively strong in Him, the Word talks about “the Power of His Might”. The power we are talking about here is kratos, or literally from the Greek,” ruling power or authority”. This is the power a king has over his people, as he is authority over the country. You cannot take that away from him as he was born into that ruling power or authority. When you have been born into His Kingdom (God’s Kingdom), you come under His authority and represent His authority. Remember, we are ambassadors for Christ. Finally, Ephesians talks about the “power of His might”. “Might” here is the Greek word ischus. Ischus literally means, might or strength. I have heard some scholars call it “endowed power”. An initial read of this verse in the English just tells you that we have power and authority. But as you look at the original language, you see there is more to it than that. To get the deeper meaning you put this verse together with the original Greek in mind. I see it as In all and all, my dear family, be explosively powerful (working signs and wonders) as you operate in the ruling authority you have received from the Kingdom and are endowed with power from above. This is literally a powerful verse. I realize this is not just about being strong. This verse is talking about walking in the authority of the King because power without authority is like a robber with gun. Once he is disarmed, no one will listen to him. But if you are the child of the King, it doesn’t matter whether you are armed or not; because if people don’t listen to you, the full force of the Kingdom is going to be on them.

John 6:28-29

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Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"

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Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." NKJV As a believer, our role model is Jesus the Messiah. Of course, we can admire pastors, teachers, evangelists, song writers and such but we have to realize that these folks are just human like we are. Of course, Jesus became human as well. He has experienced every feeling, every temptation, every challenge that we have. Our God knows us and loves us so well. There is one guy that I really respect. Of all the men and women of God, from my studies, he is the man who walked closest with God in modern times. His name was Smith Wigglesworth. Smith was a man that when he would start praying in a room with others, the presence of God would come down and many would have to leave the room due to the power of God’s glory. He was a man who raised 5 people (that we know of) from the dead, prayed the prayer of faith over many and helped them get healing from cancer, growths, paralysis, nothing was too difficult. The secret of Smith Wigglesworth’s power was his faith. What is faith? Faith is believing that what you expect is going to come to pass. It is not just positive confession or some humanistic thing, it is perfectly defined by the Messiah in John 6:29, it is all about Jesus and believing and relying on Him in your life. Yesterday, I enjoyed some time with the Lord. I listened to some anointed messages and read. I read some quotes of Smith Wigglesworth. He said, “Before a man can bind the enemy, he must know there is nothing binding him.” He also said, “Purity is vital to faith.” The second statement hit me like huge wave. Why? Well, it seems that in our generation, we are so busy talking about God’s blessings that we sometimes forget to talk about God. Yes, it was good (and still is) to get free from that ‘Suffering Servant’ mentality that religious folk and cultural Christians try to get you to swallow. Telling you that God wants to keep you poor and sick is a lie that the enemy just loves to blind a new believer into believing. I want to vomit when I hear someone preaching that lie. They preach poverty and that is exactly what they have. However, being a believer is more than just being blessed. It is about demonstrating God’s power in your life. I love to hear messages on giving because I know giving is what got me where I am now. However, I don’t want to hear giving messages every Sunday. It makes church seem cheap. I remember visiting a church in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in 2003 and wondering, do these guys ever talk about anything other than giving? I asked the Lord, “What should they be talking about?” His response was holiness and purity because He is holy, and pure. Smith Wigglesworth’s quote that I read yesterday reminded me of that, “Purity is vital to faith.” God wants to move through you and I. He wants to take us to the next level. If we want to go, we need to be praying that we be pure and holy before Him. Have you got a bad habit that you know you need to break? When you get upset do you say things that you later regret? Do you look at people and think things that you know you should not be thinking? We all have, but it is time to change. If you want to walk in God’s ways and His power, you have to be holy before Him. Jesus said if we believe in Him, we’ll do greater miracles than He did (John 14:12) "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. ESV If you are having trouble changing your neighbourhood for God, then you probably need to change yourself first. God wants to do so much more though you and I. Don’t be happy with just the blessing, let’s seek to better know the Blesser and His ways.

Acts 12:11
11 When Peter came to himself, he said, "Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting."ESV
Faith without works is dead. Justly so, works without faith is dead. You can moan when you pray, you can shout at the top of your lungs, you can get up every morning to pray at the mountain, you can stay up all night in prayer, but if you have not got faith behind your prayers, then you cannot expect much to happen. Prayer is spending time with Yahweh.
When Peter was in prison for preaching the Gospel, many of his friends gathered at a friend’s house to pray all night. But what were they praying? Apparently, the only faith in the house was not from that prayer meeting. But one girl apparently was believing in faith for Peter’s release. Her name was Rhoda. An angel of Yahweh came and broke Peter out of prison. (Just what someone had been praying for). However, when he arrived at the door of the house, the servant girl answered. In Acts 12:14 it says,
Recognizing Peter's voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. ESV
Rhoda had evidently been believing in faith during this ‘prayer’ meeting. But clearly the others did not believe her. As a matter of fact they told her, "You are out of your mind." They were praying for Peter’s release, but wouldn’t believe it when it happened. What does that mean? They weren’t really believing what they were praying because they didn’t EXPECT it. Faith is expecting.
When you believe in faith, many times people will tell you, "You are out of your mind." You have got to learn to ignore people who don’t operate in faith. In this case, these guys had been praying all night, but they had no faith. Don’t be confused or in some cases, even deceived by people saying they’re Christians but filled with unbelief. Faith without action is useless, more so action without faith is just religion. There is sometimes more unbelief in churches than in the world. If your church is filled with unbelief, then you need to change churches.
Rhoda wasn’t hampered. Eventually, the people figured that that prayer was answered. Their prayer was unfruitful. What is praying? Praying is making time to talk to God. It is not just reciting some verse. It is communicating with the Maker. We may never know who prayed the prayer of faith that brought Peter out of jail, but we will know one girl that believed.
Are you believing God today for His best for you? Ignite the fuse to a powerful prayer time. Pray in faith, believe in faith, and live every day by faith.

Acts 24:14-15

14

But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets. Many people seem to think you just make a decision and then you are an instant Christian. There is a bit of truth in that. But being a believer is not just a one time fee and you’re in. If you compare it to joining a club, when you join a social club, you pay a one time membership entrance fee(called an initiation fee). However, it doesn’t stop there. After you have joined they have monthly dues. What are the dues? These are the monthly funds they use to keep the club operating that all the members are required to pay. I am sure whoever came up with the first club idea must have gotten it from the believer’s idea of tithing 10% of your income to support your local church. The huge difference is God wants us to give with a cheerful heart (because we want to give) not giving and being negative about it. (If you can’t give cheerfully I think it is better not to give). If you want to compare the Committed Christian’s life to that of joining a club it is quite easy to understand. Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead three days later. He made us right before God so we could get into the Kingdom ‘club’. There was no way we could pay the initiation fee on our own. We cannot be right before God on our own or by whatever good we do. However, as a believer the monthly dues are to pay. Of course, you should faithfully give your tithes each month, but this is not what I am talking about. When Jesus came back from the dead on the third day, it turned the world of that time upside down. This small group of mostly Israelis saw that Jesus came back from the dead and they talked about it. They not only talked about it, but they demonstrated His power through signs and wonders. Prison doors were blown open, earthquakes occurred, storms were calmed, the dead were raised, the sick were healed, the poor were encouraged but most importantly the Good News (Gospel) was preached… There is no denying that the Messiah changed the world. This small group grew to hundreds, thousands, millions, hundreds of millions, and now we have billions of people in the world professing to be believers. These believers weren’t called Christians at the time. In Acts, when Paul stands before the government officials, he said he was a part of ‘The Way’. Christians were called The Way before they were ever called Christians. It is interesting that they call them this. Why The Way? I believe they are called The Way because being a believer is not just a one-time initiation into the Kingdom ‘club’. There are dues to be paid each month, and every day for that matter. What are the dues? Being a committed Christian is a daily thing. It is your lifestyle. In other words, it’s the way you live. It is whether you are honoring God first with everything you have or not. What is your lifestyle? Do you go to a bar after work and drink like a fish and just show up for church on Sundays? Are you paying your taxes? Do foul words come out of your mouth only to be replaced by “Amens and Hallelujahs” on Sundays? Are you obeying the laws of the land? Do you treat other people (especially believers) with respect? Are you joyful and fun to be around? Jesus changed people for the good. People learned to live The Way and were never the same again. Others noticed the joy, power and authority when you live The Way of Jesus. When we all live The Way, that is when our neighborhoods, our cities and our nations change to God’s ways because of our witness. It is not that hard but each of us has a part to play. What is your lifestyle? Are you living The Way? If not, ask Him to help you. He’s says call to me and I will answer (Jeremiah 33:3).