God's Word

ONE WAY OR ANOTHER

Daniel 3:17-18
If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”

King Nebuchadnezzar threatened the lives of the three friends into worshiping the false idol. Their response was a resounding no!

“But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods…”.

We know God saves us. We know there is eternal life.
But if faced with trials such as the three friends encountered, how will we respond? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not love their lives even unto death.
Their love for God overcame their fear of death.
They knew God’s salvation would come…one way or another.

OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN,
How will I respond?
Only You know my heart.
One way or another,
I know You will save.
And this I know…

…for I know that You are able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that I ask or think, according to the power that works in me.
Ephesians 3:20

BUILD YOUR FAITH BY PRAYER AND FASTING

We can build a stronger faith by holding onto God's word.
Let's build our faith stronger by learning to pray and fast.

Matthew 17:19-21 (NKJV)
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said,
Why could we not cast it out?
20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

We can build our faith through prayer and fasting when we..
1. PRAY WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD’S WORD

When prayer is in agreement with God's word, the power of faith is released.

John 15:7 (ESV)
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. By abiding or holding on to God's word, we can strengthen our faith and receive whatever we ask for in prayer.
What does 'whatever we ask or wish for' mean?

1 John 5:14-15 (NIV)
14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

Knowing the scriptures gives you the boldness and confidence to pray.

We can build our faith through prayer and fasting when we.
2. PRAY WITH THE GUIDANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Most Christians today struggle with prayer, whether they should pray or not, or what to pray about. We are often unable to pray effectively because sometimes we think what we pray is the perfect answer for our request. However, when we pray with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we pray the perfect will of God.

Romans 8:26 (NIV)
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

Ephesians 6:18 (NKJV)
praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

1 Corinthians 14:14-15 (NLT)
14 For if I pray in tongues, my spirit is praying, but I don’t understand what I am saying.
15 Well then, what shall I do?
I will pray in the spirit, and I will also pray in words I understand. I will sing in the spirit, and I will also sing in words I understand.

By praying in the spirit, we can approach God with the right attitude and be empowered by the Holy Spirit to pray in accordance with God's perfect will.

We can build our faith through prayer and fasting when we
3. PRAY WITH THE CONFIDENCE WE HAVE IN CHRIST

There are times when we feel ashamed to pray to God. Perhaps, we think that we are not worthy because we fail to do things that please Him or maybe because of the sin we just committed. It's important to remember that we can always approach God because of Jesus' accomplishment on the cross.

Hebrews 4:14-16 (NLT)
14 So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe.
15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.
16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)
Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

The confidence we have in approaching God is not based on ourselves but rather on the finished work of Jesus.

We can build our faith through prayer and fasting when we.
4. PRAY WITH DREAMS AND VISIONS AND IMAGINATIONS

Our thoughts and imaginations are powerful tools in building our faith.
When praying, visualize the things you are asking God for, as faith is the guarantee of things that cannot be seen.

When God created the heavens and the earth, He pictured them first in His thoughts. Then He spoke them by faith into existence. Nothing was created that was not God’s perfect will. He never expressed dissatisfaction with anything He created, and in fact, He stated that it was all good.

Hebrews 11:3 (NLT)
By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.

(Beware, there are evil imaginations, visions, and dreams. That’s why we need to guard our hearts (minds) above all else. (Prov. 4:23))

Genesis 6:5 (NLT)
The LORD observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.

Romans 1:21 (NLT)
Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like.

I AM JOYFUL IN CHRIST

Do not things or situations in your life steal your joy. You apply God’s Word in your life

Joy is different from happiness. Happiness depends on circumstances while joy is found in God. This means our seasons may change from time to time, but joy can still be found in each of them—because God is with us at all times. Everyday, we have a reason to rejoice.

We may experience pain, illness, trials, tribulations, or even persecution, but we must always encourage ourselves to rejoice in the Lord. Praise Him, give thanks, and pray continually.

1 Peter 1:6–7 NLT
6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold.
So when your faith remains strong through many trials,
it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

Trials and testings are not new to us; in fact, they are part of our journey—and we cannot run from them. It may sound ironic, but trials are also blessings in disguise. Why? Because God uses difficult situations to purify us, mold us, strengthen us, and make us more like Him. Without them, our faith would not grow deeper and we will not experience more of His grace. That’s why we can still rejoice—because we know that God works all things for our good.

It may be tempting to give up and lose heart when you're suffering. But never stop declaring God’s Word—and do what it says: choose to REJOICE! Do not allow your current situation to steal your joy. In sickness and weakness, in hardship, in persecution—worship God and soak in His presence. Find your strength in Him, and be joyful in Christ.

Proverbs 15:15 TPT
Everything seems to go wrong when you feel weak and depressed. But when you choose to be cheerful, every day will bring you more and more joy and fullness.