faith

How On Earth Do You Stand Steadfast When Your World is Crashing In?

How On Earth Do You Stand Steadfast When Your World is Crashing In?

Discover strength to make it through your storm stronger than you started!

You can overcome the storms of lifeWithin the last week I’ve had a number friends and family share with me that they are hanging on by a thread and going through some very difficult trials. Some lost loved ones, another has a family member with a terminal cancer diagnosis, and also another is struggling mentally with panic attacks and anxiety.

It just so happens that last night at mid week service, my pastor shared a very encouraging message on standing steadfast during trials. So I thought I would try to summarize and share as encouragement…

For starters, he pointed out that there are some things that will never be developed in us without going through the struggles of life. After the storm, you will know and be able to say … ‘if it hadn’t been for the Lord’.  Your confidence and trust in the Lord will increase and you’ll know it wasn’t your own doing that brought you through.

No doubt about it, when there’s a knock on the door at the midnight hour you need more than your own strength or theory of who God is. You need God – with no trepidation and fear. You need to KNOW God. And you need to know God did not bring you this far to leave you now. God is your very present help in time of trouble.

Bear in mind also, if your heart is still beating you are a target for the devil. But what the devil meant for bad, God can turn to good! God’s grace is sufficient for you during your trials. 

Like my pastor often says, ‘Life is life for everyone’.

In 1 Peter 4:12 it tells you not to think it strange concerning the fiery trial as though some strange thing happened to you, but rejoice. James 1:2 says to count it all joy (throw a party my pastor likes to say) when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

Some key references to help you through the storm:

Temptation is common, but God is faithful and will provide a way of escape.  (1 Corinthians 10:13)
Many are the afflictions of the righteous but God delivers them out of them all. (Psalm 34:19)
The waters will not overflow us and the fire will not burn us because the Lord is our God and He is with us. (Isaiah 43:2-3)
When I am weak, then I am strong through Him. (2 Corinthians 12:10)
Cast All your cares upon Him, for He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

Are you with me? You must remember that you are not staying in the trial, but going through. To overcome your trials the word of God must abide in you.  We are told in 1 Peter 5:9 to resist the devil steadfast in our faith (get more scripture happy). Standing steadfast is speaking only what the word of God says.

It’s no secret that, many of our struggles are attacks from the enemy. But we have help to overcome. The sword of the spirit is the spoken word of God and an offensive weapon. We have the ability to speak and chose our words, so chose them wisely. Imitate Jesus when He was tempted and say ‘it is written’, ‘it is written’, ‘it is written’ and speak what is written in the word of God over your situation.

Don’t abandon ship during the storm, because we are told in 1 Peter 5:10 that after we have suffered a while, the God of all grace, who has called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, will make us perfect, established, strengthened, and settled. God’s grace is sufficient to bring us through the storm better developed than ever before.

May God strengthen and develop you as you overcome trials through your faith in Him!

God bless you,
Brenda

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Prosperity Never Comes From Simply Wishing

Prosperity Never Comes From Simply Wishing 

Discover The Next Step to Your Prosperity

“I wish I would, I wish I might, have a million dollars by tonight.” Repeat this saying 1,000 times during the day and you’ll have one million dollars by tonight.

** NOT **  Yet, as crazy as this example sounds, a lot of people are simply repeating wishful affirmations over and over and expecting results!

I’m here today to clear this up and tell you prosperity never comes by merely wishing or longing for it. Just keeping your mind focused on prosperity and thinking about it will never bring it to you. This is only the first step.

Step One:

Of course you have to start with step one.  You must first have an expectant mind and a vision of what you are expecting to prosper in. You need to stand in faith believing for it. You must cling to your prosperity thought and dream with a daily focus.

We are told in Habakkuk 2:2 to listen to what the Lord tells us and then write the vision and make it plain so that we can run with it.

Step Two:

This leads us to the next step in reaching prosperity. You must take action with practical, common-sense methods that all successful people employ in their work. You need to back up your dream and belief with orderly, business like, industrious action. We see in Habakkuk 2:2 it says write the vision so that we can RUN with it. Run requires flinging your energy and your heart into whatever area you believe to prosper in. You must DO everything to the finish.

In Habakkuk 2:4 it tells us that the just shall live by his faith. Faith does not only believe, but it also requires action that backs up what we believe. My favorite definition of faith is believing and obeying the Word of God.

You might wish and dream of abundance and prosperity all your life, but die in the poor house if you don’t back up your wish with action. The law of prosperity is scientific. It will not produce successful results if you don’t obey the law. So create a fully persuaded belief system and practice what you believe and let prosperity begin to flood your life.

May you experience growing prosperity in your life as you take your vision and run with it!

Be blessed to be a blessing,
Brenda

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Abundance Tapping Faith in Action

Abundance Tapping Faith in Action

The Windows of Heaven Opened Above Me and Dropped Down a Bed!

I was blessed BIG Time this week and I want to share to encourage you.

I’ve been working on my faith and looking at where I’m letting doubts and unbelief hinder my progress. What am I doing or saying that makes me keep hitting a wall and only making it to a certain level of prosperity?

I’m standing in belief, confessing, tithing, and taking action in the natural. But I realized I have a problem with my “receiver”. I have great faith to believe to receive for others. And I say I do for myself. But then I noticed deep down I feel a sense of unworthiness to really be blessed personally.

Last week, guest minister Rev. Mark Hankins, shared with our church an encouraging message to meditate and get into The Word and see who we are Christ. So I’ve been bombarding myself day and night with the Word of God via books, CD’s, and recordings of myself confessing the Word. 

And here’s my story this week … Look what the Lord has done!

Monday as I was cleaning up some (okay, well a lot) of paperwork off my counter, I came across an ad for a mattress. I thought ‘that would be awesome to have a nice bed’. My current bed is a small twin that used to be my daughters and is worn out. I have it layered with blankets and a foam piece so I can’t feel the springs. I toss and turn all night and every morning I wake up with a sore back. It’s embarrassing to say, but I’ve been accepting this for many years.

Tuesday I woke up and had an overwhelming sense that I was close to my breakthrough in the financial realm. I started thinking about what it would be like and how I would buy myself a new bed. I pictured a fluffy mattress and I could see & feel myself sleeping on it. I could feel what it would be like waking up in the morning refreshed and ready for the day.

At that point something changed inside me. It seemed so real I started to cry with tears of joy and started thanking God for the bed. Then I realized I was thanking God for something I didn’t even have in the natural yet – only by faith. But it was so real it was as if I actually had it.

I knew I was getting closer to tapping into a deeper measure of faith. Even though I didn’t have a new bed in the natural, I was fully persuaded in my spirit.

So Tuesday I cut out the picture of that bed and posted it above my computer. I was going to use it to start my vision board.

Wednesday evening at church a greeter greeted me with some encouraging words. It reminded me of what happened the day before and I shared quickly that I just had a recent breakthrough in the financial area and was able to see myself getting a new bed. After service, the greeter and her husband said we want to take you shopping tomorrow to buy a new bed!!!!!!!!

Thursday at noon, 3 days after seeing the ad, I had a brand new bed. Not used or even a cheap one. They insisted on the top of the line, pillow top, fluffy mattress. And sleeping on it last night made me feel like a princess and for the first time in years when I woke up my back did not hurt!!

I’m in tears of thanksgiving as I write this…that my God cares about me personally. Not just my daughters, family, and friends. But God loves me!

I’ve learned I have to work on my receiver and quit saying no to God and start saying Yes God. I can believe all I want – but if I’m not willing to receive when the blessings come…then I’m just plain stupid!

Everything in me wanted to tell that couple not to spend their hard earned money on me. I know what they did was a huge, huge sacrifice! A step of faith for them. Yet, I knew I needed to learn to receive when God provides. I never expected they would offer to buy me a bed and I didn’t share my situation in anyway expecting them or anyone to.

Actually I had God in a box and saw myself reaching a certain level of income and then being able to go buy the bed myself sometime within the next year. I guess I need to also get God out of a box and let Him be God and do things His way in His timing!  :0)

There is so much about this experience I could go into depth about. But I just wanted to share the quick version with you. I am so unbelievably thankful!!

I’ve never owned a new bed before. This truly feels like a gift from Heaven. And other than from a few close family members, I’ve never received such a generous, cheerful, self-less, act of love and kindness from someone.

Galatians 5:7 says whatsoever a man sows he shall reap.

This couple and their family has a great harvest coming for their obedience to the Word of God and the generous act of giving they sowed in my life. May the favor of God be on them and bless the works of their hands and may everything they do prosper and the blessings of God pour on them in such abundance it is more than they can contain!

Lisa & Russell, I call you and your family blessed in Jesus Name! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! :0)

I encourage you all to get the Word of God in you until you are fully persuaded and live the life God intends you to live! The hour is short.

Be blessed to be a blessing,
Brenda

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How Does My Faith Affect My Prosperity? Discover Abundance Tapping Faith

How Does My Faith Affect My Prosperity?

Discover Abundance Tapping Faith

Having little faith equals having little prosperity in your life. It is important that you learn how to take daily steps to increase your faith.

Faith opens the door to unlimited creative power, resources, success and abundance. No one can advance further in life than the level of their faith in God, themselves, and in their missions in life. Faith leads to every great achievement. A lack of faith simply equals a lack of prosperity because it prevents you from reaching your desired outcome.

Our faith is not just empty fantasy, but a positive substance. It is a real creative force. It is a force that produces.

Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Faith leads to every great achievement. Faith does not think or guess. It knows and sees the way out. The person supported by faith persists and achieves what they go after. It is through faith that the greatest discoveries and inventions are made.

The lack of faith in your life toward God, yourself, or your purpose is a hindering factor in being prosperous and successful. As human beings it seems to be such a difficult task to discover the great possibilities within ourselves and establish the faith needed to inspire and pursue our ambitions.

How do we increase our faith and unlock that enormous power within us?

In Romans 10:17 we are told that faith comes by hearing, and hearing the Word of God. Notice it tells us that faith comes by not just hearing once but hearing over and over. Also take note that it requires hearing the Word of God.  We can have a measure of faith in a lot of areas, but without a growing faith in God’s Word, we limit ourselves.

Faith is emphasized more than almost any other thing throughout the Bible. The miraculous power of faith to achieve and to accomplish is constantly being emphasized. Christ said many times, “According to thy faith be it unto you.” He emphasized the two words ‘faith’ and ‘belief’ more than all others. These seemed to be the magic words that tapped into a tremendous force more powerful than plugging into electricity.

God made you for success, not failure. He wants you to prosper. So encourage yourself daily with positive affirmations and find out what God’s Word has to say about who you are. Increasing your faith daily keeps the doubts away. Use great faith to prosper and be the magnificent success God intended you to be! :0)

May you experience growing prosperity in your life as your faith increases daily!

Be blessed,
Brenda

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What Gives Us the Right to Enter God’s Presence?

What Gives Us the Right to Enter God’s Presence?

We enjoyed guest ministers, Mark and Trina Hankins, last night at our church. They’ll actually be ministering to us three nights in a row.

They taught on what seems to be a taboo message that freaks people out a little. And frankly, I think the only reason that is, is because it’s not talked about enough. The blood of Jesus.

Mark Hankins taught on the things connected and associated with the power that is available in the blood that Jesus paid on the cross. His main reference was in Hebrews 10:19-22 and how because of the blood we can boldly access the throne of God.

We have boldness to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus. Hebrews 10:19

The price Jesus paid covers more than forgiveness & our salvation. The blood also pays for freedom from a sin consciousness and freedom from the curse (such as poverty, sickness, and depression). Our faith in the blood is the currency that pays for these freedoms.

What Christ did is perfect and the blood alone has done everything. Perfect.

But our access to it (which is by faith) can be imperfect.

In the Old Testament only the high priest was able to enter the throne room and he did it in fear. We now have a better covenant and not only have access to the Holiest, but we are told to go boldly.

Our conscious (inner voice, reminding us of past sins) can shut down our heart and keep us from entering into the presence of God. Our heart needs to be open to fully move into His presence.

It’s the blood of Jesus and the Holy Spirit working together that opens up our heart and has a magnetic like pull to take us into the presence of God.

Hebrews 10:22 tells us to draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.

Have unshakeable assurance that God, our Father, is eager to see us. When we show up He is happy to see us.  :0) He wants to fellowship with us!

God wants us to draw near to him, but we have to do the “drawing near”. Mark Hankins reminded us that God has not moved. We are the ones who have drawn back.

We are to go boldly to the throne of God to obtain mercy and grace for help in time of need (Heb 4:16). If we don’t get bold and go, we’ll continue to carry our own burdens. And we have to be bold; because the devil is doing everything he can to distract us!

Like any will, that is only available to the inheritors after a death, God’s will in the New Testament became available after the death of Jesus.

The apostle Paul says that as believers we have a massive inheritance! Everything He gave to Jesus is ours. Equal possession with equal position.

If the enemy can hinder us to take our position, he can take our possession.

You have to take your position to take your possession and prosper. Open your heart to the fellowship of the Father. And don’t be satisfied with an intellectual relationship.

God is our Father. He wants and desires us to come to Him. He wants to fellowship and have a close relationship with us. And because of the price Jesus paid we have the right to be in the presence of God.

How do we know if we have been in His presence? If we have joy.

You cannot access His presence without being changed and come out with joy. In His presence is the fullness of joy!

I pray that we all may purpose to spend more time in His life changing presence!

God bless you,
Brenda

P.S. The Mark Hankins Ministry is online at www.MarkHankins.org.  A large selection of Mark Hankins Resources can also be found on Amazon.  My mom is a big fan of Trina Hankins music ministry.

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How to Reverse Poverty – 3 Effective Tips You Can Use to Attract Prosperity

How to Reverse Poverty – 3 Effective Tips You Can Use to Attract Prosperity

Stop Repelling Your Prosperity and Start Attracting It!

Living in a poverty-stricken condition is very painful to say the least. Life is just plain hard when lack is what you dwell in. Not being able to pay your bills and provide for the needs of your family and yourself hurts. Lacking health, energy, and a creative mind is a state of poverty that keeps you from fully living life.

How do you end this poverty-stricken condition? The following effective tips will help guide you into a prosperous and abundant life.

1.)  Connect to the great universal infinite supply.

Acknowledge God as the creator and source of all supply. Prosperity is attracted when we are conscious that God is our partner, our Shepherd, and in Him we do not want. In Him there is no lack. Ephesians 3:19 tells us that to know the love of Christ, we can be filled with all the fullness of God.

2.)  Substitute poverty thinking with a prosperous mindset.

Poverty must be conquered from the inside out. Abundance cannot get to those who are repelling it with fearful thoughts of worry and doubt. Opposite thoughts and beliefs repel each other. Trying to overcome illness when you believe you’ll always be sick won’t bring health. Trying to become prosperous and successful, while thinking, talking, and predicting poverty won’t bring prosperity.  We attract prosperity by first having a prosperous mental attitude.

3.)  Tap into the abundant stream of plenty with great expectation.

There is an unlimited supply of plenty available. The measure in which prosperity flows into your life is based on your level of belief. When you tap into this stream with magnetizing faith you flood your life with abundance. The supply is there and there is no limitation. The stream of plenty flows toward faith and confidence in a big way. The trouble is many pinch or cut off the inflow of prosperity with mental limitations from doubts, fears, anxiety, and thoughts of lack.

Psalm 115:14-15 says, “The Lord shall increase you more and more, you and your children. You are blessed of the Lord which made heaven and earth.”

Poverty is a painful condition that no one wants to be in. However, you can end it and attract prosperity. The never ending supply stream of plenty is flowing right past your door daily. It rests with you to connect with the flow to receive all the good things made available for you. Put the above tips into practice. Acknowledge God as your source. Continue to keep a prosperous mindset and attract prosperity in a big way with magnetizing faith.

May you experience growing prosperity in your life as you stay connected with God!

Be blessed,
Brenda

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