Articles

Romans 8:15–16

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

I love it when I’m in Israel and I hear little children running around in playgrounds, calling out, “Abba! Abba!”, and jumping into their daddies’ embraces. To the Jews, Abba is the most intimate way in which you can address your father.

It’s a beautiful picture of the truth that through Jesus, you have received the Spirit of sonship by whom you cry out “Abba, Father.” Did you notice that the Holy Spirit refused to translate the original Aramaic word “Abba” into English?

In Abba’s arms, a child is most secure, protected, and loved. No enemy can pull a child out of his or her Abba’s strong arms.

That’s the image God wants us to have when we pray to Him and call Him “Abba.” Of course, you can call Him “Daddy” or “Papa,” or whatever term helps you to see God as a warm, loving, and caring Father.

Unless you can see Him as your Abba Father, you will continue to have a “spirit of bondage again to fear” (Rom. 8:15), referring to the Old Testament fear of God. It’s a slavish fear of judgment and punishment that brings you into bondage and makes you afraid of God.

But God doesn’t want you to fear Him. He wants you to have a Spirit of sonship! Too many believers are living with an orphan, fatherless spirit. If you are entangled with all kinds of fears, guilt, and worries today, what you need is a good heavenly dose of the Father’s love for you!

Something amazing happens in your spirit when you see God as your Father. If my daughter, Jessica, has a nightmare, all she has to do is cry out, “Daddy!” and Daddy is there!

Jessica doesn’t have to go, “O Father that liveth and inhabiteth the next room, I plead with thee to come to me at this time of peril, that thou mayest rescue me from this nightmare!” All she has to do is to cry out, “Daddy!” and I’m there.

Similarly, in your moments of weakness you don’t have to approach God with perfect prayers. You just cry out, “Daddy!” and your heavenly Father runs to you!

You are not coming before a judge. You are coming before your Father, your Daddy God, who embraces and loves you just the way you are.

Take time to come to your Abba Father today. Believe that He loves you unconditionally today. See Him welcoming you with a smile on His face and with outstretched arms. Run into His embrace, bask in His perfect love for you, and let it melt away every worry, fear, and insecurity.

When you believe and receive your Father’s love for you, it will put unshakable peace and strength in your heart!

Jerry Savelle

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. (Psalm 27:13-14 NKJV)

No matter how you may feel or what your emotions may tell you during difficult times, God has a great future for you. Not only does He have a great future for you, He’s also got the plan to get you there.

Through the prophet Jeremiah, God said, “For I know the plans I have for you … plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV). Your part in the process is to believe.

Believing that you will see the manifestation of God’s goodness is essential to your staying strong in faith and walking into the bright future He has planned for you.

What you believe determines how strong or how faint you will become. If you allow discouragement and hopelessness to take hold, you will grow weak and faint. But believing in the goodness of God will increase your strength.

Don’t allow negative situations and emotions to alter what you believe, to consume your vision. If you believe your situation is hopeless, you will forget the goodness of God and plunge right into the pit of despair.

But if you believe to see His goodness, He will strengthen your heart as you walk in the fullness of His plan and purpose for your life.

Confession: I believe that I am going to see the goodness of God manifest in my life. I put my hope in Him and my trust in His love and faithfulness to me. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.

Kenneth Copeland

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
2 Corinthians 6:17

We're surrounded by a world which is ruled for the most part by Satan. How can we avoid getting caught up in it? How can we stand apart?

You'll find the answer in John 17:17. There Jesus was speaking to the Father about all those who would believe on Him. "Sanctify them through thy truth," He says. "Thy word is truth." Sanctify means "to separate unto." So Jesus was saying, "Separate them by the Word." The Word separates!

When you initially believed the Word of God, you were born again. You were separated spiritually from the kingdom of darkness and separated to the kingdom of Light. Now that's where a lot of people stop. They let the Word of God do its initial separating work and then go right on living like everyone else. Spiritually, they're still separated from death. But physically and mentally, they're up to their necks in it. They're poor. They're sick. They're worried. They're confused. They're upset. In other words, they're just like everyone else in the world.

But if you'll give the Word of God first place in your life, it will continue to separate you from the poverty and the anxiety and the sickness and the hatred and the darkness of your old habitat.

There's something else that the Word of God will do for you too. It will not only separate you from the things of this world, it will separate you unto the things of God.

You can't simply separate yourself from any old destructive habit without separating yourself to something else. You can't turn away from the things of the world unless you turn unto something stronger. I'm telling you, you can scream and squall and kick the altar bench and everything else trying to get rid of the sin in your life. You can cry, "Dear God, take this sin away from me." But all the begging in the world won't separate you from your sin. It's the Word that does it!

Make a decision to give the Word first place in your life. Make it a quality decision, a decision from which there is no retreat. Lock in to the Word and let the Word do its work. Let it separate you from the things of the world and to the things of God.

Scripture Reading:
2 Corinthians 6:14-18

Joseph Prince

Psalm 132:13–16

For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place: “This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her poor with bread. I will also clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.”

My dear reader, I want to announce to you today that God has moved mountains. He is no more on Mount Sinai, which only breeds fear and insecurity in your relationship with Him and drives you deeper into destructive behaviors with no hope of freedom.

Because of the cross of Jesus, where God’s wrath for all our sins was poured out, He has moved to Mount Zion, the mountain of grace, the place of reconciliation, relationship, and closeness with His people. On this mountain you find yourself running to God to experience intimacy with Him that gives you strength and changes you from the inside out.

In the Psalms alone, you will find many scriptures about how God loves and has chosen Zion, and will bless those on Zion. Reread today’s scripture, for example, and then consider

Psalm 125:1 KJV:

They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.

It is Mount Zion, and not Mount Sinai, that cannot be removed. It remains forever! What does this mean?

If you establish your life on Mount Zion, you will enjoy true liberty and stability. Build your life on the mountain of grace and you will be like the man who built his house on the rock—unshakable and rock-solid in the face of adversities and life’s storms. If your blessings and breakthroughs come from Mount Zion, they will last!

My friend, because of Jesus’ finished work on Calvary, God has moved to Mount Zion. And today, Mount Zion—the place of His grace—is where He wants both your feet firmly planted.

He loves you more deeply than you realize. He values, treasures, and loves you. It is time to let go of your own works and allow the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ to completely revolutionize your life from the inside out.

When Christ in His glorious grace is of full effect in your life, that breakthrough you have been believing for shall come to pass swiftly in the name of Jesus. That destructive addiction you have been battling for years will come crumbling down and no longer have a grip on your life.

And I am believing with you that that health condition you have been trying to beat shall be no more. I pray for you to receive supernatural healing right now in your body.

I declare that by His stripes, you are completely healed in the name of Jesus. I am standing in faith with you that cancer and all terminal diseases have no hold over your body. I speak health, healing, longevity, and wholeness in Jesus’ mighty name. May your youth be renewed like the eagle’s, and may you be satisfied with the promise of long life and good days in Jesus’ name. Amen and Amen!

As I was writing this, God’s spirit of faith to believe with you for your healing and health just arose in me. We have a miracle-working God and He can go above and beyond anything the doctors might have said about your condition, so let’s lean in to His love, His grace, and His peace. May His healing power be of full effect in your body, in Jesus’ name!

I can’t wait to hear from you about what God has done.

Kenneth Copeland

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Matthew 4:4

The Word of God is to your spirit as bread is to your body. When your body feeds on physical food, it produces a physical power called strength. When your spirit feeds on the spiritual food of the Word, it produces spiritual power called faith. And just as you can't eat one meal and then feed on the memory of it for several weeks, you can't just remember what the Word says and stay strong in faith. You have to read it. Even if you've read it a hundred times, you need to read it again.

Try this: Close your eyes and see yourself slicing a lemon. Now stick that lemon slice between your teeth and when I say, "Three," bite down on it so hard that the juice squirts into your mouth. One. Two. Three. Bite!

Chances are, you have such a vivid memory of what it's like to bite on a lemon that your mouth is watering right now. But let me ask you this, "Have you received any nourishment from that memory?" No.

Remembering the Word of God isn't enough. You must continually feed on what it says. Get it out and read it. Go to church and hear it preached.

One day, you'll read a familiar verse...a verse you've read thousands of times before...and suddenly God will give you the greatest revelation you've ever had. A completely fresh revelation from that old familiar verse! And it's likely to be exactly what you needed to know about your current situation.

Yes, you can feed on the Word that is on deposit in your spirit. But remember this: You can't get continued results if you don't spend time in prayer and in the Word of God allowing the Spirit to nourish you daily.

Don't try to live on the memory of your last spiritual meal. Replenish the force of faith within you. Feast on the Word of God today.

Scripture Reading:
John 6:48-58

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