Faith In God Ministries

WATER INTO WINE

The first miracle Jesus performed during His ministry on earth happened when He was attending a wedding where the host ran out of wine. We all know that Jesus filled the need by supernaturally turning water into wine. But before He made the wine, Jesus asked the host in need of the wine to do “something” -- to fill six water jars with water.

To better understand the problem the host was faced with, we must consider that in those days water was always brought from the wells in Jerusalem or local wells in villages. As a result of this and the hot climate, water was unsafe to drink because of the growth of bacteria in it, and therefore water was mainly used for washing but almost never drunk alone. While the people were unaware of the causes of disease (in bacteria) they were well aware of the problems with the water in a society where life expectancy was no more than 40 or so anyway.

So, you see, even though Mary told the host to, “Do whatever He tells you to do,” for him to obey Jesus’ request, the host had to weigh the logical reasons that made no sense for him to comply against his absolute trust and confidence in what Jesus’ was asking him to do. We all know how the story ends with Jesus miraculously turning the water that no doubt smelled and tasted terribly into the finest wine served during the entire banquet. Isn’t that just like our Jesus?

The good news is that Jesus can turn your water into wine, too! You can give Him the ugliest, dirtiest, and nastiest thing that He wants from you and then He can turn it into the best thing anyone has ever witnessed – YES HE CAN!

Remember, when Jesus went to the cross, He transformed our:
• Guilt into forgiveness
• Sickness & Disease into Healing
• Sin into His righteousness
• Certain death into an eternal, abundant life
• Curse into a blessing
• Poverty into abundant wealth
• Shame into sharing His glory
• Rejection into His acceptance with the Father
• Separation from God into being joined as one to the Lord
• Old Man into a New Man

But the thing is, in order for all this to happen, we must trust Jesus and, BY FAITH, give it all to Him – even when it doesn’t seem to make any logical sense at all!

THE POWER OF EXERCISING YOUR AUTHORITY

“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
(Luke 10:19)

Jesus has given us authority. But what good is any authority if it is not used correctly? One of the biggest responsibilities we have as Believers is to rightly utilize our God-given authority over “the power of the enemy” that arises against us. In many instances, this area has been neglected and we allow ourselves to be caught up in a situation waiting for God to do something after He has clearly commanded us to use this authority that He has already given us.

The problems we face in life can be considered mountains or obstacles that stand in our way, and Jesus taught us to SPEAK to these mountains. “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have Faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also IF YOU SAY TO THIS MOUNTAIN, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ IT WILL BE DONE” (Matthew 21:21).

So often, as Believers we pray ABOUT the “problem mountains” we face but we never take authority OVER them. Therefore, we must refuse to accept them and need to get in the practice of resisting the incoming attack of the devil by speaking to it whenever it first shows up and commanding it to go in Jesus’ name (James 4:7).

If you want “problem mountains” to leave, you have to SPEAK TO THEM! Jesus never taught us to pray ABOUT problems; He told us to SPEAK to them! “If you have Faith as a mustard seed, YOU CAN SAY to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and IT WOULD OBEY YOU” (Luke 17:6). In other words, when we don’t exert our authority over “problem mountains” and speak to them, we are being disobedient to what Jesus told us to do!

If you recall, Adam and Eve didn’t speak to the serpent (which was Satan) commanding him to leave, and it ended up costing them everything. But when Jesus faced Satan in the wilderness, we read that the devil took Jesus up on AN EXCEEDINGLY HIGH MOUNTAIN, and after tempting Him, Jesus SPOKE to Satan and commanded Him, “Away with you, Satan!”, and THE DEVIL LEFT Him! (Matthew 4:8-11)

Remember, the “problem mountains” you are facing cannot be treated nicely. They all come from Satan, and they all have to be resisted by speaking to them in Jesus’ name and commanding them to go right back to the very pit of hell where they came from!

The Apostle Paul put it this way: “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. And since we have the same Spirit of Faith, according to what is written – ‘I believed and therefore I spoke’ – we also believe and THEREFORE SPEAK, knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-14)

If you trust that God is not a man that He should lie (Numbers 23:19) and believe in His Word, SPEAK to the “problem mountains” you are facing and keep saying and telling yourself what the Word of God says about that “problem mountain”. The more you SAY it, the more you are going to believe it, plus it is going to help you deal with all the doubt and unbelief that is going to come from Satan.

Remember, Faith is finding out about what God said about the situation you are facing and CHOOSING to believe what He said, and it keeps thanking God for what His Word says. Your Faith has a voice, and should NEVER stop speaking God’s Word!

The GOOD NEWS of salvation through Jesus Christ is that “whoever believes in Him should NOT PERISH”. The BAD NEWS is that whoever does not believe in Him WILL PERISH!

God does not desire that anyone should PERISH but that all should come to repentance. But, the choice is only ours to make, and God awaits your decision. Make it a good one!

THE POWER OF RE-JOICING!

“REJOICE in the Lord always. Again, I will say, ‘REJOICE’!”
(Philippians 4:4)

The word “Rejoice” in this text is translated from the Greek word CHAIRO, which means “to be exceedingly glad and cheerful.” In English, we define “Rejoice” as:
• Being delighted
• Having pleasurable satisfaction
• Experiencing gladness in a high degree
• Feeling or showing great happiness about something
• Being ecstatic and expressing joy or triumph

To Re-Joice would imply “returning, restoring or turning back again to a former state of “Joy”. So, in the context of Paul’s admonishment in Philippians 4:4, how can you do that?

For starters, you begin by studying and meditating on God’s promises. When you do that and gain insight into what God is saying to you (and about you), JOY COMES! It comes because you begin to have a deeper and clearer knowledge and understanding of God. Joy will come because realize you can go boldly before Him in prayer on the basis of THE WORD, and be confident your prayers will be answered!

In verses 5-8, Paul continues to give us the recipe for “Re-Joicing”:
“Let all men know and perceive and recognize your unselfishness, your considerateness, and your forbearing spirit...Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer, petitions, definite requests, and with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. And God’s peace shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus! For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things and FIX YOUR MINDS ON THEM!

It is also written in Proverbs 15:23 that “a man has joy in making an apt answer, and A WORD SPOKEN AT THE RIGHT MOMENT—how good it is!” When you start answering the troubles you are facing with the promises of God, they will release JOY in you and send the demons running in 7 different directions (James 4:7). Satan can’t stand the Lord’s JOY in you!

So, “stir up” the JOY OF THE LORD in you. Pray the Word and really think about it is saying. Replace wrong thoughts with God’s thoughts, and enjoy winning!

THE POWER OF GOD’S FORGIVENESS

What emotions do you feel when you hear the word sin? Perhaps you have experienced embarrassment, discomfort, guilt, shame, regret, fear and unworthiness stemming from a past mistake or experience. All of these feelings fall under the category of “condemnation”. These past sins or experiences could have happened 10 years ago or 10 minutes ago. But anytime we miss the mark, and we all do from time to time, the enemy will try his best to bring condemnation on us and the negative consequences that come with it.

So, what are we to do? Well, instead of rehearsing and nursing the mistake over and over in your mind, do these 3 things:

1. Do what it says in Philippians 3:13 and TAKE YOUR THOUGHTS CAPTIVE! When a condemning thought from your past crosses your mind, stop it dead in its tracks by speaking out loud. Believe in your heart and say, “No. I don’t live in the past. Jesus has made all things new and given me a prosperous, guilt-free future. I am living fully in the present, and I look forward to what God is doing in my life right now!”

2. Start acting like the “New Creation” that you have become in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). Living in condemnation because you just can’t seem to accept your new status is self-focused. But receiving your new-found forgiveness is God-focused. So, turn your focus back on God, forgive yourself because Jesus has forgiven you, and start living in victory!

3. Remind yourself that it is God that has made you worthy (Romans 5:8). When God looks at you, He doesn’t see your past. Do you know what He sees? He sees the worthy blood of Jesus covering you. He sees you perfect in every way, ready to complete every good work He created you to do in this world. You don’t have to struggle to prove yourself to Him. As far as He is concerned, you are a proven success.

So, the next time you catch yourself struggling to make up to God for something you have done wrong, or you find yourself working to win His approval or the approval of others, stop and rest in His love for you because you already measure up. Remind yourself of how much God loves you, and focus on your part: To please the Lord with your life by living like you believe it!