As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.”  Mark 4:35 (NLT)  You create your future with the words you speak.   Mark chapter 4 highlights this powerful principle. Jesus had climbed into a boat and told His disciples to take Him to the other side of a lake. As they crossed, a massive storm blew in and threatened to sink the boat. The disciples panicked and woke Jesus, who commanded the wind and waves to stop, and the storm instantly died down.  Look at what started this fascinating story, though. Jesus stated, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” He was declaring the future in faith. Notice that He didn’t say, “Let’s try crossing and hopefully …

Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.  Matthew 8:26 (NLT)  When storms rise up against you, what should you do? Jesus showed us by example—get up and speak to them!   Matthew chapter 8 shares Jesus doing this with phenomenal results. He had instructed His disciples to cross to the other side of a lake, and then He laid down in the boat to sleep. A big storm suddenly whipped up as they were halfway across, and the disciples freaked out. In a panic, they woke up Jesus and shouted, “We’re going to drown!” Then Jesus got up and spoke to the storm, and the wind …

God wanted his people throughout the world to know the glorious riches of this mystery—which is Christ living in you, giving you the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27 (GW)  Religious Christianity strips away the glory of what God wants to do in believers’ lives. It teaches people that they need to obey certain rules, follow specific dress codes or behave in particular ways to please God. Let’s talk about this for a minute. How does someone bring glory to God? It happens when they rise up and pursue His purposes for their life. ‍God wants to see the gifts and abilities He has placed within you used to their fullest potential. That is what brings glory to God—not all the religious stuff that keeps people trapped …

“And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize—a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion].”  Matthew 11:12 (AMPC) Today’s verse says that people will fight for something they value.  That tells me that as believers, we must develop a fighting spirit within us. Now, that doesn’t mean we pick fights or walk around with a scowl on our faces, looking to argue with someone. After all, we want to enjoy peace and laughter in our lives!  But at the same time, I’ve learned that we can’t be naïve about how to handle conflict that comes against …

Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet.  Ephesians 6:13 (MSG)  Many believers sit around letting life simply happen or passively trusting God to do everything. They mistakenly think that trusting God means they don’t have to fight for anything. It’s like the person who told me they had lost their job but were confident God would send a cheque to their mailbox.   God certainly cares about your circumstances and can coordinate supernatural finances to flow. However, Deuteronomy 28:8 says the Lord blesses whatever you set your hand to. But if you’re not …