Faith-Lift Friday: Faith Works by Love

Encourage others and yourself! Share a scripture, quote, devotional, lyrics, or anything that has blessed you and strengthened you in your faith. Don't forget to sign Mr. Linky.
Join us at Sheryl's blog and start sharing your Faith-Lift's for Friday!!

For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. ~ Galatians 5:6 (KJV).

Faith works by love. I believe that every thing in the Bible, every promise, every condition, hinges on the love of God.

It hinges on believing that God loves you. Recently I read a question from someone that read "Is it a sin to love yourself before others?" You cannot truly love yourself or others without believing that God loves you.

And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. ~ Mark 12:31.

This verse tells us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. If we don't love ourselves, we can't love others because we will treat them the same way we treat ourselves. And if we don't love others, we don't love God.

How can we truly love ourselves if we don't believe God loves us? We can only see our true worth when we believe what God says about us. It is only when we believe that the Creator of the Universe, the Great Alpha and Omega, can love someone like us—faults and all--that we can see how much we are worth.

We don't obey God before we believe He loves us. It is a byproduct of believing it. We aren't blessed because we are good enough or because we confess Scriptures every day. It isn't even because we pray enough or go to church enough. No, we are blessed because we believe that God loves us.

When we believe that, we step into our new identity. We put on our coat of many colors, our coat of promise. It represents who we are—children of the Most High God.

It is then that we take on our new identity and become the person God created us to be. We cannot move forward in our destinies, our work for the Lord, until we learn how to be loved by God, until we take a leap of faith and believe that God loves us.

Take the book of John and read one chapter every day. Keep reading it until it seeps into your spirit. Find Scriptures on the love God has for you and read them every day. When you go by the mirror every morning and evening, tell your reflection "God loves me."

Do these exercises every day until you really believe that God loves you. Then watch those long-standing problems in your life disappear.

~ Annagail Lynes

Copyright © - Annagail Lynes

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This says it all... have faith, memorize His Word & Believe what He says about you.
God Bless, HL

Faith-Lift Friday: Stay Still

Here's another Inner Fullfillment devotional I need to share! Thank you Annagail once again for stricking a nerve and waking us up to what we need to understand!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STAY STILL

...I have struggled in the past with anxiety issues. I still do from time to time. If I dwelled on the negative thoughts too long, they sent me into a full-blown panic attack. I have experienced panic attacks less frequently since I learned to stay still.

Conventional wisdom tells us when things are going wrong in our lives, when we are going through crisis, we should work harder, read more of the Bible, confess more Scriptures, do more good works.

No, the time for reading, confessing and doing is before the trial. See trials are similar to growing crops. We have to plant the seed, water it and give it sunlight before it grows up. Once it is here, that's not the time to plant, water or give it sunlight. In fact, if we didn't do all those things before, we wouldn't have any crops at all. Instead, when it grows up, it is time to harvest.

The same is true for trials. When we are in the middle of the trial, that is not the time to start reading the Word or confessing Scripture. It is the time to maintain our reading and confessing.

We should be reading the Word and confessing Scriptures before the trial to prepare us for the hard times.

It is a time to rest, to stay still, to believe that God will do what He promised in His Word.

Rest? What does that mean? Most of us in this work hard, play hard society have no idea what it means to rest. We think it means to sleep, but rest is so much more than that.

My Webster's Collegiate Dictionary has ten definitions for rest. My favorites are freedom from activity; quiet; tranquillity; peace of mind or spirit; to repose without anxiety; to trust; rely; depend.

We say we believe God. We say we believe His Word and all the promises in it, but do we really?

Do we believe Him enough to say "God, You said You shall supply all my needs according to Your riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Lord, I'm just going to rest in that promise, knowing you are going to come through for me"? Even when we are facing money issues? Unemployment? Demotion? An empty bank account?

Do we believe Him enough to trust in Him? Rely on Him? Depend on Him when we are in a crisis? For most of us, the answer is no.

Where has our belief in our circumstances gotten us? Where has our belief in the bad reports of this world gotten us? We received what we believed.

If that is true, wouldn't the opposite be true too? If we believe God's Word and put our faith in what God has said, wouldn't we receive what we believe too?

What do we have to lose? If it doesn't work for us, we are still in the same position as we were before. We are no worse and no better.

But what if it does work as God said it would? Then we could be living the life God intended for us to live.

Stay still in adverse circumstances. Believe God. Rely solely on Him and His Word because He keeps us in perfect peace when our minds are stayed on Him.

- Annagail Lynes

Copyright © - Annagail Lynes

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I share this with as the Faith-Lift Friday because I truly feel we all need the reminder to have Faith that God will see us through our trials & truly believe in Him and what He can do.

We need to prepare ourselves and read (bathe ourselves in) His Word, so that when the trial comes we can stay consistent in our readings and prayers. During the trial, stay consistent in reading the Word, don’t lag behind getting sucked into what Satan would want you to focus on. During a trail we need to focus on our beliefs and REALLY believe what God says He can do! I pray that I can remember to rest from the flesh, and walk in the journey of a great harvest while refreshing myself in our heavenly Father when the trials, depression, anxieties, and temptations come.

If you'd like to start receiving the Inner Fulfillment devotions: click here to subscribe!

Faith-Lift Friday: Having Faith in Freedom from your Past

For my Faith-lift today, I have to share my devotional for today 8/10/07 from the In Touch magazine... it just fits my day so well.

Thank You Father, for reminding me to accept your forgiveness. I will praise You in the hard times, and lift myself up to you, asking for Your forgiveness, strength, and guidance. I know and have faith that You will see me through. Thank You so, for seeing me through, walking by my side, holding my hand, and guiding me through every moment of happiness, joy, sadness, you name it - You were there; thank You! In Jesus' name, amen.

Freedom From the Past

Read: Matthew 11:28-30 (New American Standard Bible)
28"(A)Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
29"Take My yoke upon you and (B)learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and (C)YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.
30"For (D)My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Take the time to read the devotional: http://www.intouch.org/site/c.dhKHIXPKIuE/b.2383055/k.29A5/Early_Light_Devotional__In_Touch_Ministries/apps/nl/newsletter.asp

"Are you haunted by your past? Lay down the chains of regret, and experience the freedom of complete forgiveness."


Quote:
In Touch Devotionals (Early Light) from the In Touch Magazine—these devotionals are derived from Dr. Stanley’s sermons and contain principles from Dr. Stanley’s books. Therefore, because of copyright infringement concerns with the book publisher, we cannot grant permission to reprint the magazine devotionals. You can always direct people to links of the devotionals through e-mail or on a Web site by copying the URL or link on that page. As a matter of fact, we encourage this behavior. Please remember that our mission statement is to lead people worldwide into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and to strengthen the local church and if you feel that a devotional will help someone, please send the link to them. Another option is to direct others to sign up for the In Touch Magazine. It is free—whether in print, online, or the daily devotional podcasts. Here’s the link to sign up for our free magazine: http://www.intouch.org/site/c.dhKHIXPKIuE/b.2284587/k.CC7F/Magazine.htm.

Have faith and take your freedom from the past that our heavenly Father wants to grant you!

God Bless, HL

Identity Crisis

I receive this devotion via the In Touch Magazine & thought I should share...

Please take the moment to read this devotional here at this link:

Identity Crisis

READ 1 Peter 2:9-10

Today's passage calls believers "a chosen race," "a royal priesthood," and "God's own possession." And our purpose is to "proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called [us] out of darkness into His marvelous light."

Devotional Archives Subscribe to Magazine

So, take this to heart & memory, don't go by your feelings all of the time. Satan will use them against us. Try your best to see yourself as God see's you! Isn't it wonderful to know that we are His children! Trust & Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you & change your perception of yourself!

God Bless, HL

Due to privacy and copyright issues I cannot publish the devotional ... therefore see the link in the second line or you can find through the devotional archives link and look up date of August 3, 2007. I hope you enjoyed.