SALUTATIONS: Hey Fam! Hopefully, you took every opportunity presented this week to spend in gratitude for the simplest pleasures, such as your ability to breathe. Friends, did you know miracles don't establish or sustain faith if you refuse to believe? So, let's discover how to build faith in Jesus. Let's get into it.
As a reminder, the Announcements, Healthy
Living Tips, and other information that used to succeed the Reflections and Power
in Prayer are now exclusively on my blogs (visit my
Lnk.bio below). So, at your leisure, be sure to check that out. Also,
your suggestions for improvement are always welcome, so feel free to provide
feedback anytime. Your continued support is always appreciated. Keep spreading
God's Gospel, and feel free to share the Scripture of the Week with the hashtag SOW. Enjoy! **Disclaimer: Production and distribution days
of the SOW are subject to change without warning**
PRAISE REPORTS: If
you have been unemployed, underemployed, or underpaid for quite some time, yet
are still able to pay your bills, eat regularly, and go somewhere or buy
something for yourself or someone else on occasion, give God some glory! We
often ignore the provision because it's presented as EBT (food stamps/public
assistance), twenty dollars instead of two thousand dollars, or purified water
vs. Evian. Yahweh promised He would supply all of our needs, not our
desires. Do some inventory and acknowledge the Lord's consistent provisions in
your life, even if they're minimal. If you have a specific praise report, please share it
because we "overcame [the adversary] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of [our] testimony" (Revelation 12:11, KJV). **NOTE: All praise reports are shared
referencing your name unless anonymity is specified**
PRAYER REQUESTS: Let us pray for reconciliation in broken
marriages, dysfunctional families, bruised relationships, and Yahweh's lost
children. Refrain from confessing the problem caused by the enemy; ALWAYS
pray for the desired result, NOT the unfavorable outcome (refer to the
book The Tongue – A Creative
Force by Charles Capps; you can download your FREE copy here https://rb.gy/niy4go). If
you or someone you know needs prayer, let me know, and your request
will be added to the following SOW. **NOTE: All prayer requests are shared referencing your name
and need unless anonymity is specified**
BE ENCOURAGED: NEVER lose sight of God amidst adversity… Ponder
this: "Faith is building on what
you know is here so you can reach what you know is there." (Cullen Hightower). I'm no theological scholar. Even
if I were a pastor or an expert on God's Word, I would still advise
you NEVER to take someone else's word as solid truth; "Study to show thyself approved" (2 Timothy 2:15, KJV), and CHALLENGE EVERYTHING by comparing it to the Word of
God. If what you see, hear, or read does NOT fall in line with the Word of
God, then it is NOT true... The rest of this day isn't promised, let
alone tomorrow, so why not strengthen your faith TODAY? Feed
your body healthy nutrition, and be cautious of what things you allow your
eyes, ears, and spirit to be exposed to (e.g., media, books, TV, music, etc.)
so that YOU can start anew and become a better you NOW rather than later. Let's
hold each other accountable.
OPENING PRAYER: Yahweh,
please let your presence set the tone for how this lesson will flow and how we
will grow from it. Clear our minds and open our eyes, ears, and hearts so that
we may be decreased in self and increased in you. Fill us with your presence
through the Holy Spirit to see as we look, listen as
we hear, and come into alignment with your Word and will. Help us to receive, believe
in, and apply your Truth so that we may be transformed by
your intended message from this fellowship and become better as a result of it.
In the name of Yeshua, we thank you, Amen!
KEY PASSAGE(S) – ROMANS 10:17; 1 JOHN 5:5; ROMANS 10:9; 2 CORINTHIANS
5:7: "17 So faith comes
from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ; 5 Who
is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the
Son of God?; 9 that if you confess with
your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your
heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 7 for we
walk by faith, not by sight."
**Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture
quotations originate from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) ® Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977,
1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. All Scripture
quotations were retrieved from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage regardless of the translation quoted.**
REFLECTIONS: In Hebrews chapter 11, we see that every prominent biblical figure is highlighted as doing things in faith. In verse 6 (NLT), we are warned that "it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him."
We don't even have to turn to the dictionary to define faith because the Bible does that for us in Hebrews 11:1 (KJV), which says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." We are all given a measure of faith (read Romans 12:3 here https://rb.gy/w4yzr0), but to develop it, we must know its origins. Contrary to popular belief, faith doesn't come through supernatural experiences. However, spiritual encounters can enhance your faith and trust in the Lord. Yet, it will not provide the building blocks of foundational faith.
Many believe that a modern-day miracle will give them the confidence in God they lack. Miracles only boost (source of encouragement leading to improvement) or enhance (further improve the quality) the faith you already possess; they won't establish trust in the Lord. An advantage is that it contains the ability to improve your faith, but it's not the Source. Thus, after witnessing a miracle, whatever trust developed would be fleeting if its sole reliance was on the fate of miraculous occurrences.
Let me give you Bible. God led the Israelites during the day and night. He provided manna and quail when they were hungry and water when they were thirsty, and He protected them from the plagues bestowed upon the Egyptians (read Exodus 14:21-22; 16:13-15; 17:5-6; and 12:23, KJV, https://rb.gy/rqa0io). Yet, miracle after miracle, their faith would only strengthen for a time before they thirsted for the subsequent supernatural encounter. The inexplicable divine manifestations did not provide sustainable faith in Yahweh. If they, who the Lord physically led, were incapable of establishing a rock-solid trust in the Source of provision, why would we be presumptuous enough to think we're an exception?
So, how do we establish (achieve permanent acceptance) our hope in the Lord? "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17); we institute our trust in the Lord by listening to and paying attention to the word of God - studying (the devotion of time and attention to acquiring knowledge) to show ourselves approved (read 2 Timothy 2:15, KJV, https://rb.gy/2itrdd). The key of how to build faith in Jesus is as simple as spending time in the Word; praying for wisdom and discernment, listening to sermons, dissecting the messages and fact-checking against the Bible, and applying its principles. Then, you will gain a more substantial measure of faith.
POWER IN PRAYER: Abba, Friend and Creator, your grace is sufficient. We thank you for all the provisions, from clean water to functioning organs and limbs, to sound minds, to breath in our lungs. We thank you. We praise your holy name for being the strength in our weakness and the light in the darkness. Thank you for giving us the direction and clarity for the purpose to which you have called us. We thank you in advance for reconciliation in broken marriages, dysfunctional families, and bruised relationships and for reconciling the lost back to you. We thank you for the peace that passes our human logic to be courageous enough to take the steps along the path you have placed before us. We appreciate your continued protection from hurt, harm, danger, and all evil. We thank you for the transformation that has occurred and is currently in motion in our lives and the lives of our loved ones. We thank you for our divine appointments; may we be obedient to your calling and exemplary in our thoughts, words, and actions. May what we do, think and say always be acceptable in your sight Father. Continue to lead us in our dealings so we may see ourselves, our circumstances, and others through your lens to be gracefully responsive, not impulsively reactive. Please help us to keep our focus on you and to prioritize tasks according to their importance. Meet us where we are, Abba, and help us to live a life transformed by your Word and will. As your angels and Holy Spirit do your bidding on Earth and Heaven, protect them and us with your recourse as you bind, loose, and cast out the demonic spirits of distraction, destruction, retaliation, revenge, and backlash. We ask and thank you for all these things in the matchless name of Yeshua. Amen!
As always, be mindful of the things you feed your body
physically and figuratively. Be safe, be blessed, and prioritize your health
and well-being! #SOW
Respectfully,
Tylesha "Tye"
Allen
Author | Mobile Notary | Founder of FMBS Inc.
· Mobile: (951) 790-2127
· Address: Los Angeles, CA
· Lnk.Bio: https://lnk.bio/stronglyresilientizshe
· Email: tyeallen99@yahoo.com
· Change begins within; work on becoming a better You, now not later.
· "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put
confidence in man." (Psalm 118:8)
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