Years ago, I decided I was going to walk by the Word of God. I told God that, as far as I was concerned, His Word was final and I’d confess it the rest of my life no matter what. That was the most important decision I’ve ever made.

Not too long after that, I decided that no matter what happened, whether I felt like it or not, I’d walk in love. Because the Bible clearly says “faith worketh by love.” It won’t work any other way.

Those two decisions—to operate by faith in the Word of God and to walk in love—are the two most important decisions I’ve ever made in my life.

Recently, though, God pointed out to me that there was something I’d been leaving out. The force of joy. He told me I have no right to walk by faith and love and just leave joy dormant in my spirit. It’s too important. As He taught me about it, I soon came to realize that joy is an essential part of a life of victory. Without it, I might have an occasional triumph now and then, but I wouldn’t be able to sustain them. They’d quickly slip away.

You see, joy is what gives you the strength (Nehemiah 8:10) to hold steady when the circumstances get rough. Joy gives you the ability to laugh in the devil’s face when he starts trying to knock you off your faith. It gives you a kind of staying power that will make you a winner again and again.

So make a commitment to God that you’re going to walk, not only in faith and in love but in joy as well. Make it a point to rejoice in the Lord always...and there won’t be anything the devil can do or say to steal your victory from you!

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 84:1-7

The more you fellowship with God around His Word, the more you’ll know the “power outflowing from His resurrection.” You’ll develop joy. You’ll develop faith. You’ll start developing God’s own characteristics...just by fellowshiping with Him. You’ll begin to understand who you really are in Jesus.

I remember one day I was reading the story of the woman with the issue of blood who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and was healed.

I’d read the story many times and pictured myself as almost everyone in the story, just experiencing how it would feel to be someone in the crowd or even the one who was healed.

Suddenly God spoke to my spirit and said, Read that again and this time picture yourself as the one wearing the garment.

I was stunned. “Lord,” I said, “how can I do that? I can’t take Your place!”

That’s just what’s wrong with the Body of Christ, He told me. That’s the reason the world doesn’t know anything about Jesus. You identify with everyone except Me. But I sent you to be My witnesses, to imitate Me, to stand in My place...not everyone else’s!

So, I read that story again. This time I pictured myself in the role of the one with the Anointing of the Holy Ghost. Instead of crawling up to touch the hem of His garment, I was the one wearing the garment, freely giving what God had given me. After all, the Bible does say, “Clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Do you know who scares the devil most of all? Believers who’ve found out they can do that. Believers who, instead of begging for a little touch from Jesus, are letting His very life flow out to others.

Come on, give the devil a scare. Fellowship with your Father around the Word and start discovering who you really are today.

Scripture Reading:
Luke 8:40-48

God isn’t against your having money. He’s against money having you. He’s against your making it your priority and putting your trust in it instead of in Him.

Why? Because He knows money makes a lousy god. Its power is limited. It will only buy so much. It will only go so far.

If you need healing from an incurable disease, money won’t help you at all. If your family is falling apart, money won’t mend it. But if you’ll seek God first, His prosperity will reach into every area of your life.

God is so generous that He desires you to have the best on this earth, just as you desire the best for your children. His plan is for you to have all of your needs met according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Get in on that plan by keeping your priorities straight. Seek Him first and His righteousness.

Make pleasing God your No. 1 priority. Set your eyes on Him above all else and all these things will be added to you.

Scripture Reading:
Mark 10:17-27

Have you ever been in the position in the past where every time you opened the Bible you received a river of revelation? Does it seem lately that the river’s run dry? If so, I strongly suggest that you backtrack to the last revelation God gave you. Back up and see if you acted on it, if you did what God showed you to do. If you didn’t, start again, digging in to that revelation and then putting it into action in your life. You’ll soon find new revelations are beginning to flow.

You see, revelation is most prolific when you are acting on the Word. I’ve discovered that for myself again and again. The more I act on the Word, the more I see into it. That’s why James 1:22 tells us to not only hear God’s Word but to do it!

It may seem that the things God has revealed to you are very insignificant. They may not even make good sense to your natural mind. But do them anyway! If you had insight into the spirit realm, you’d see they’re far more important than you think.

Open God’s Word anew today. Come before Him with expectancy of a fresh revelation of the Scripture and commit to Him to follow it up with actions of obedience. Be a doer of God’s revelations and not a hearer only and your river will never run dry.

Scripture Reading:
James 1:22-27