We are going chapter by chapter through this fantastic book. Each we we talk about how to know when the Spirit of God is leading us and share our personal experiences with each other. Every born again believer can be led by God's Holy Spirit. We just need to learn what that looks, sounds, and feels like. 

** quotes or excerpts taken from Ricky Leonard’s Book “You Can Know The Will of God.”
 
 Proverbs 4:7 (NKJV) says “Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.”

Jeremiah 29:11 (AMPC) “For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.”
 
1. Basic things every Christian can do to be in God’s will:
          a. You must be born again

John 3:16-18
2 Peter 3:9

   We should and we will do good works because the love of God lives in us and we desire to do these things. We are not under any compulsion or condemnation – if we do not do them God loves and accepts us anyway. We are not justified by what we do or don’t do – God Himself has justified us and it is through His righteousness we are made right with God. Our only job is to believe.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, (trust, belief), and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV).**

          b. You must be baptized in water Luke 3:21 – Jesus baptized

Mark 16:16

The word here which has been translated baptism in Mark 16:16 is the Greek word baptizo (βαπτιζο) which means to “dip under” or “make fully wet.”    The Apostle Paul equated this with Jesus burial. Romans 6:3-4 (NKJV) “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” You cannot bury a body by sprinkling dirt on the coffin! Bury = submerge. Water baptism is our way of identifying with our Lords total commitment to serving God.**

          c. You must be baptized in the Holy Spirit Luke 3:16

   There are five places in the book of Acts where it says people were filled with the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:1-4; Acts 8:15-18; Acts 9:17 (see I Cor. 14:18); Acts 10:44-46; Acts 19:1-6. In all five of those accounts, it says the evidence was that they all spoke with and or prophesied with other tongues.
   Acts 2:38-39 (NKJV), tells us that this gift of God was for those and for all in the future. The Bible does state that no one can come to Christ except the Spirit of God draw him, and that we are born of the Spirit, so all believers have the spirit of God when born-again. But to have something or be filled to overflowing with the same are two different things.**

2. God’s will for you isn’t a secret, you can find out what it is

Jeremiah 29:11
Are you prosperous? Do you have living hope? Do you know your future? God has these answers for you.

          a. It is important to follow God’s plan, not your own plan
Proverbs 19:21
Mark 3:33-35

          b. Do not trust circumstances to lead you into God’s will – only be led by what he tells or shows you to do.
Romans 8:26-28 (read in amp) - many misread this passage in vs 28 to imply God is in control no matter what you are doing... but if you read the verses before it, you will see that it is the people who are submitted to God's will, who are obeying his leading, who are called according to his purpose, that God is working everything out for. 

John 16:13

          c. The Will of God is the word of God, the Word of God is the Will of God.
Matthew 4:4
Proverbs 15:22
Romans 8:5-9

3. Ask Him and he will show you what the plan is.
​Jeremiah 33:3
Matthew 3:11
Ephesians 1:9
Matthew 7:7-8

   If you are serious about finding the will of God for your life, then you might need to put some things on hold for a while. You will need quality time alone to pray, listen, and take notes. Look at the apostle Paul’s own version of settling the will of God for his life and ministry. “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood. Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.” Galatians 1:15-17 (KJV). **
 
As long as you are on the earth, God still has work for you to do.
Philippians 1:22-25

Romans 10:9-10  With the mouth confession is made to: Is made to what? The Lordship of Jesus.
You are confessing out your mouth Jesus is your Lord!  You are confessing that Jesus is Lord of your life, and by doing that we let Jesus dominate our daily life.

The Lordship of Jesus
 
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”                             Romans 10:9-10
 
With the mouth confession is made to: Is made to what? The Lordship of Jesus.
You are confessing out your mouth Jesus is your Lord!  You are confessing that Jesus is Lord of your life, and by doing that we let Jesus dominate our daily life.
What we want, or what I want is for the Lord to dominate my life in every way. It seems that I have neglected to make him Lord over my life in every area.
What areas are there to make Jesus Lord over?

1. What we see with our eyes.
2. What we speak with our mouths.
3. What we do with our activities.

(This is the area that I received recent revelation in.  )

1. Make Jesus Lord over my appetite.
2. Make Jesus Lord over my flesh.

It is by our confession that His Lordship is established.
“You will also decree a thing, and it will be established for you; And light will shine on your ways.”                                       Job 22:28
 
With our confession of the Lordship of Jesus, we are confessing our faith. It is a confession of our Salvation. It’s not just for our sake only, it is for/to let satan know who has ruled us. It is for the world around us.
“Few people have joy until they make a public confession. Public confession is the break with the world. It’s a change of Lordships. Public confession defines our position. Confessing the Lordship of Jesus put us under His supervision care and protection.”
I have a new favorite word: Promulgate.
Promulgation: is the formal proclamation or the declaration that a new statutory or administrative law is enacted after its final approval. In some jurisdictions, this additional step is necessary before the law can take effect.
By our confession we are enacting the new birth, the new life, God’s life in our life.
Hebrews 8:7 Jesus paid the price for a new and better way to the Father.
When we make our confession we establish a better way is taking effect in our lives.
We are making a proclamation that old things, the old covenant is passed away.  
The new statutes are the new life in Christ. The New testament is like a legal document that is established through the blood of Jesus. When we make our declarations, we are making it a reality for ourselves. FAITH’S CONFESSIONS CREATE REALITIES.
Hebrews 9:12 Only once.
John 15:5,7
2 Corinthians 5:21
It is His righteousness that we are declaring.
1 Corinthians 1:30
We are putting a law or decree into effect, that Christ (the anointed) has redeemed me with His blood and declaring to the devil that it is ILLEGAL for him to oppress me, keep me in sickness, to keep me in poverty. Through faith in His blood and the confession of our mouth, it is a legal, binding, new law or covenant.
 
 

The 37 miracles of Jesus which were written down in the New Testament serve a specific purpose; none were performed randomly, for amusement, or for show. Each was accompanied by a message and either met a serious human need or confirmed Christ's identity and authority as the Son of God. ​

​he Miracles of Jesus

During his earthly ministry, Jesus Christ touched and transformed countless lives. The four gospels record 37 miracles of Jesus. These accounts represent only a small number of the multitudes of people who were made whole by our Savior. The closing verse of John's Gospel explains:
"And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were recorded one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written." John 21:25
 
The 37 miracles of Jesus which were written down in the New Testament serve a specific purpose; none were performed randomly, for amusement, or for show. Each was accompanied by a message and either met a serious human need or confirmed Christ's identity and authority as the Son of God. At times, Jesus refused to perform miracles because they did not fall into one of these two categories:
“When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer.” Luke 23:8–9 ESV
 
In the New Testament, three words refer to miracles:

• Power (dynamis), which means "mighty deed"
• Sign (sēmeion), which refers to a miracle that figuratively represents something else, such as the kingdom of God
• Wonder (teras), which indicates something extraordinary; a “Wow” moment.

 
THE FIRST MIRACLE:
When Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding feast at Cana, he performed his first "miraculous sign," as John called it. This miracle, showing Jesus' supernatural control over the elements like water, revealed his glory as the Son of God, and marked the beginning of his public ministry.
 
Below you will find a list of the miracles of Jesus depicted in the New Testament, along with corresponding Bible passages. These supernatural acts of love and power drew people to Jesus, revealed his divine nature, opened hearts to the message of salvation, and caused many to glorify God. These signs and wonders demonstrated Christ's absolute power and authority over nature and his limitless compassion, proving that he was the promised Messiah.
 
As much as possible, these miracles of Jesus are presented in chronological order.
  

You are under pressure, but you can take it!

So, what do you think of when you hear “tribulation”? The great tribulation? Great persecution? Beheading?
John 16:33

The dictionary definition of tribulation: An experience that is hard to bear. Distress or suffering resulting from cruel and unjust treatment or misfortune. Synonyms: trouble, worry, anxiety, burden.

Tribulation (from the Greek translation) 2347 thlípsis – properly, pressure (what constricts or rubs together), used of a narrow place that "hems someone in" tribulation, especially internal pressure that causes someone to feel confined (restricted, "without options").

Pressure, between a rock and a hard place. To feel like you are without options.

I just wanted to point out to you that the kind of tribulations that Jesus was talking about is pressure.
1 Peter 5:7-9

Vs. 9 in KJV says “Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” (Other translations replace afflictions with “sufferings”).

“Afflictions” Under God, 3804 /páthēma ("strong feeling") is redemptive, preparing us to know the Lord better now and forever in glory (cf. Ro 8:18; Phil 3:10; 1 Pet 5:1). 3804 (páthēma) is not inherently negative; indeed, it is only negative when experienced outside of (apart from) faith. See 3958 (pasxō).

Jesus places the emphasis on overcoming! That is the reason he came in to the world, to overcome.

What you think about all the time becomes what you say out your mouth. So, if what you are thinking about is a worry, then that anxiety will build up on the inside and then it will make its way out of your mouth.
Romans 14:23

Whatever is not in faith is sin. The opposite of faith is fear. Whatever is in fear is sin. Anxiety, etc. In just about every book in the bible, we are commanded to fear not. I think it is important. While we are in pressure it's important to not allow fear or worry to rule our thoughts. Instead, remain in faith, confident in the Lord.

Take the time to meditate a particular scripture and speak that out of your mouth to counteract the worry that is plaguing you.

Joshua 1:8
Philippians 4:4-8
Ephesians 6:10-20
​
And then having done all that you know the Word says to do, you make your stand and let your faith and the Word go to work for you.

The next thing to do is to praise and praise and stay in praise.

What do we do when we have done all? We stand!
 
By Mary Leonard
 
​

​“Take up” in this passage means to take up, raise up, pick up, carry off, or lead away. These actions both imply an effort on your part to rise up, and an effort to press forward.

“Withstand” in this passage means “to set against, withstand, resist, oppose” which tells me that in order to stand firm on your ground, you are going to have to fight. Taking a passive stance is NOT an option.

So where do you start?
John 1:1-4                                       1 John 1:1-4

The bible tells us that in the beginning was the word (John 1:1) and in him (the word) was life, and that life was the light of men (John 1:4). It also tells us that we have heard, seen with our eyes, and touched with our hands is the power of God through Jesus Christ (1 John 1:1-2). The power of God to bring light and life to us is in the word of God. And when we believed on Jesus Christ as Lord and became Christians, we experienced the power of God to bring light and life to us through the Word (or through Jesus).
So, we start with the Word of God.

Seek the will of God with your whole heart. Call out to him and he will answer you and show you a vision of your future.
Jeremiah 33:2-3                              Psalm 61:1-4

Once you know the Will of God for you, stand on that Word. Remember the will of God is the word of God.

• Job, who said, “…I have esteemed the words of his [God’s] mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12);
• David, who wrote, “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart” (Psalms 40:8);
• Jeremiah, who said, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts” (Jeremiah 15:16);
• Jesus Christ, who declared, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17).

When God speaks, He keeps his promises. He is faithful to a thousand generations to keep that promise to you (Deut 7:9). He spoke and worlds came into being, so why wouldn’t it be the same that when he speaks to us our destiny our whole world will change because of his word? (Psalm 33:9) He character trait of faithfulness is so absolute, that in order to be unfaithful to his word he would have to cease being himself! (2 Tim 2:13)
Hebrews 10:32-39

After they were enlightened of the truth, they faced opposition and struggled. So if you feel that you are doing everything right and still it seems as if everything is working against you, that’s when you have need of endurance. Don’t throw away your confidence when things look bleak or become a struggle! (Hebr 10:35)

God is faithful. He faithfulness doesn’t diminish because we expected something to happen in a certain amount of time, or in a certain way, and it didn’t happen the way we thought it should. He is still faithful. Don’t give up. Fight with determination, make an effort to pick up and put your armor on, and stand.

Footnotes:

• Make sure you are, in fact, pursuing the will of God. (If it’s God’s will it will be compatible with the teachings of the Bible, and if it’s specific to your life it will be confirmed to you on multiple occasions so that you know for sure it’s from God.) How? Just ask Him.
• Make sure you are humbled and submitted to the Lord. Nothing will divert your destiny as quickly as a hard heart and determination to do what you want despite the Lord’s leading. (James 4:1-10)
• Sin has no place in a Christian’s life. You are free from sin, so don’t walk in it any longer (Rom 6:1-2).
• Unforgiveness has no place in a Christian’s life. Do your best, as much as it depends on you, to be at peace with everyone (Rom 12:8).
• Pride has no place in a Christian’s life. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God so that he can exalt you in His timing (1 Pet 5:6).

Other than these 5 “potholes” any other apparent deviation in your life from the will of God is just an attack of the enemy. That means it’s time to stand. Stand therefore. When everything looks black: stand. When it seems in the natural as if there is no way for the will of God to come to pass: stand.

Ephesians 6:13-18
1 Peter 1:3-7

Standing when it doesn’t make natural sense to keep standing, is standing in confidence in God. And the bible tells us that standing in this way causes our faith to be found genuine: a faith which is more valuable than gold.

By Sarah Leonard
 
 

Hebrews 11:1-6
We know that Faith doesn’t create something out of nothing, it just brings invisible things into visible reality. In other words, we are already made promises by God, and our faith brings those promises into visible reality. Faith is expressed through our actions and words. As vs. 4 says, Cain’s action of faith still “speaks.” Vs. 6 tells us that Noah’s action “condemned the world” or in other words his actions “spoke.”
The writer of Hebrews mentions three times in this passage the words-faith connection. Specifically, in Vs 3, God framed the universe with words. Since God’s words are that powerful, and we are created in his image and likeness (Gen 1:27), and we have the power of God living on the inside of us (Rom 8:11), then our words also have that kind of CREATIVE POWER.
Isaiah 55:10-11
Look at the imagery God gives for words coming from his mouth – rain falls, is absorbed, and it makes seed grow, and produce a harvest. Just like you can’t put rain drops absorbed into the soil back into the clouds, you can’t put your words back into your mouth once you’ve spoken them. So, are you speaking words that will water the ground, and make your seeds sprout? Are you speaking life?
Mark 5:6-13
Jesus Spoke – demons left. Notice how Jesus gave the demons permission to enter the pigs? Satan has no power over us except what we give him permission to do. Just as Jesus spoke with authority to them and they had to obey, we need to exercise that same authority over the works of darkness in our lives. Don’t give him permission, tell him to get out and he has to obey. Jesus took that authority and exercised it with his words.
Mark 5: 22-34
Look at Vs. 28. Depending on the translation it says “she thought” or “she said.” The Greek word is ἔλεγεν (elegen) which translates “she said and kept saying/answering/commanding” (it’s an imperfect indicative active verb form, for those who like grammar stuff). The point is, she determined what she was going to do, and then she repeated over and over to herself “if I do this, I will be healed.” And Jesus answered her in vs. 34 “your faith has made you well.” See words and faith at work together here bringing about a massive transformation in her future and her destiny. She framed her world with her words!
Mark 5:35-42
Look back at vs. 23. Jairus said “heal her so she can live.” He was speaking the future that he wanted. Then look at vs. 35 & 36. Messengers came with bad news, and Jairus could have agreed with them and repeated what they said. But Jesus, before Jairus could speak, said “don’t be afraid, just have faith.” Jesus wanted to keep Jairus in faith for his original statement “she can live.” Vs 40 Jesus put all the doubters OUT. Why? Because their words of doubt could have impacted Jairus faith negatively. When you’ve got doubters around you, just put their doubting words out of your head. Say NO, get out! I am standing in faith, and this thing WILL come to pass. Believe and keep on believing. Like the woman in vs. 28, say and keep on saying.
In Mark chapter 5 we have three examples of how words and faith work together.
Now think about your life. What dreams has God placed in your heart? Time to start speaking positive. Don’t just speak things like “I don’t have this mountain in my yard anymore.” Speak things that build a better future, like “My yard is a beautiful flower garden where everything grows.” Begin to frame your world. Speak out the dream God has placed in your heart and watch it come into reality. Speak thankful things and you’ll frame a new attitude/perspective in your mind. Repeat the scriptures to yourself daily and you’ll create a spiritual mindset in yourself. As you continue to repeat the word of God, your faith/confidence grows.
 
Make declarations over yourself and your family. These are some of those I declare over myself:
I am successful at everything I do because God is with me.
I am excellent at my job and I make my company succeed because of my contribution.
I have the mind of Christ and I can remember things.
I am creative and I have God inspired ideas and inventions.
I am generous and am always looking for ways to give to others.
I am bold and courageous; I am not afraid to share the gospel with others.
I sow good seeds into good soil, and the seeds I’ve sown always produce a harvest.
I always overwhelmingly triumph because of Christ.
My family is healthy and safe because they are protected by God.
My family seeks first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.
My family is loving to each other and they put each other’s needs above their own.
 
 By Sarah Leonard

The hand of the Lord is something that the church needs to witness in this day and age.

When you see “The hand of the Lord”:
1)  It speaks of God’s power expressed in judgement.
2)  It speaks of God’s power expressed in blessing.

There will be judgement on somebody and blessing on the other. The church should be expecting God’s Hand to avenge them of their adversary: Satan.

God’s Mighty Hand works on the behalf of His people: not only in the Old Testament but also in the New Testament.
Deuteronomy 5:15
Joshua 4:24
Psalm 89:13
Psalm 98:1
Psalm 118:15-16
Isaiah 59:1
1 Peter 5:6
Acts 4:26-33
Acts 11:19-21 “And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned to the Lord.”
Acts 13:6-12 (NLT)
6 Afterward they traveled from town to town across the entire island until finally they reached Paphos, where they met a Jewish sorcerer, a false prophet named Bar-Jesus. 7 He had attached himself to the governor, Sergius Paulus, who was an intelligent man. The governor invited Barnabas and Saul to visit him, for he wanted to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas, the sorcerer (as his name means in Greek), interfered and urged the governor to pay no attention to what Barnabas and Saul said. He was trying to keep the governor from believing. 9 Saul, also known as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he looked the sorcerer in the eye. 10 Then he said, “You son of the devil, full of every sort of deceit and fraud, and enemy of all that is good! Will you never stop perverting the true ways of the Lord? 11 Watch now, for the Lord has laid his hand of punishment upon you, and you will be struck blind. You will not see the sunlight for some time.” Instantly mist and darkness came over the man’s eyes, and he began groping around begging for someone to take his hand and lead him. 12 When the governor saw what had happened, he became a believer, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.
 
John 10:29
“My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.”
John 10:28-29 (MSG) 
“I give them real and eternal life. They are protected from the Destroyer for good. No one can steal them from out of my hand. The Father who put them under my care is so much greater than the Destroyer and Thief. No one could ever get them away from him. I and the Father are one heart and mind.”

The hand of the Lord is something that the church needs to witness in this day and age.

The Lord said to Jerry Savelle, “My people are letting their adversary get away with too much and they’re not making him pay for what he’s put them through.”

When you see “The hand of the Lord”:
1)  It speaks of God’s power expressed in judgement.
2)  It speaks of God’s power expressed in blessing.
 
There will be judgement on somebody and blessing on the other.

The church should be expecting God’s Hand to avenge them of their adversary: Satan.
 
The judgement came on the church’s adversary. The judgement of God came on the root of the problem, the devil. And multitudes were added to the church. When the Hand of the Lord is manifested, satan is about to be penalized. The church and believers will be compensated.

Luke 18: 1-8
This passage is an example of the church asking God to cause the devil to pay for what he’s stolen from us.
“Avenge me of my adversary.” Jesus said “Hear what the judge says” Hear means Pay attention to! Lend an ear to! Jesus said it would be avenged speedily.

Look at the AMPC Luke 18:1-8

The woman knew that she had rights and had a right to ask for justice.
Avenge me of my adversary in the Greek implies that she was not asking for a legal solution only but also an immediate cease of actions from her adversary and to be compensated of the damages caused.
The definition of avenger is: a person who exacts punishment or inflicts harm in return for an injury or wrong.
Remember that God is limited to do here only what we in faith ask Him to do.

Proverbs 6:30 A thief caught must pay seven-fold!
Psalm 126:4 NLT
Restore our fortunes, Lord,
    as streams renew the desert.
​
That is God the Avenger!
By Mary Leonard

Moses was dead. The Lord commanded for Joshua to arise and start speaking the Word.

Joshua 1:1-9
  
Joshua was instructed to implement non-stop speaking (declaring) of truth as he prepared to possess what God had already given through promise.

God told Joshua that the Word should not depart from his mouth—not only his heart, his peh—his mouth!  Joshua’s mouth must continually be speaking or murmuring the word of the Torah—divine instruction!  For then would his way be prosperous, and then he would have success! (Jerusalemchanneltv)
 
The Hebrew word used here for “meditate” is hagah, which means literally, “to utter— to murmur, mutter, to make a sound. So Joshua was instructed to speak the Word 24/7!
​
Mark 11:22-24
 
“Shall not doubt but shall believe,” this is the key. God is faithful to His Word. His Word is His son. God is faithful to His Son. When you believe what you say and do not doubt, you release your faith, the power of heaven and things get accomplished.
You release your faith by speaking!
 
In Genesis 1 God created the world by speaking and releasing His faith through the spoken Word. He created our world by 10 commands.
 
We are made in His image, with mouths and voice and minds to think with. We release our faith through the spoken word.
 
Hebrews 11:1
 
Faith is substance.We understand things by Faith. How do we get Faith?
 
Romans 10:17
 
By hearing; hearing the rhema of God.
 
Romans 10:8-10
 
According to vs 8 The Word of Faith is in our mouth.
We live by Faith. We believe in Salvation by Faith.
 
Psalm 81:10 TPT! (A rhyme)
I am your only God, the living God.
Wasn’t I the one who broke the strongholds over you
and raised you up out of bondage?
Open your mouth with a mighty decree;
I will fulfill it now, you’ll see!
The words that you speak, so shall it be!
 
When you meditate God’s Word, that is what will come out of your heart.
 
God has given you dreams and visions to declare to bring them to pass.
 
This decade is a decade of declarations. An emphatic statement. A formal or explicit statement or announcement.
What we are doing is stating a claim against our adversary and stating that something that was written is ours.
 
In the Jewish year 5780, 80 is the Jewish letter Pey, which is mouth. The eighties is the decade of declaring!
Hence, declaring God’s Word and proclaiming His gospel. In order for God’s plan to come to pass, we must declare, preach!
 
Romans 10:14-16
 
How shall they hear without a preacher?

​by Mary Leonard
​

           “When you look at your ideal future and you think “How in the world can this ever happen?” then you’ve
          got the right dream. See, God wants the credit. He wants your total dependency on him.” -Terri Savelle Foy

If you don’t know what that dream for your future is yet, then ask God to reveal it to you. Spend some time along with him. Pray in tongues. Listen carefully. Don’t get discouraged if you pray one time and don’t get an answer. Keep seeking His presence, his voice, his leading in your life.

Isaiah 55:1-7

Then once you know the impossible thing for which He has called you to believe, it’s time to put on your battle armor, stand in faith, and never, ever give up. You WILL see that impossible thing come to pass in your life.

Isaiah 55:8-13
​
FAITH CHANGES YOUR ATTITUDE

James 1:2-8 

How can you rejoice when everything is going wrong? When you are standing in Faith, you are so excited about the future that you know weathering this storm will make you stronger and you’ll still come out the other side a WINNER. We rejoice because we WIN. We don’t barely make it through, war torn, ragged, bleeding and broken. “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us!” (Romans 8:37) If you feel tossed around and unstable, bothered, insecure, troubled, weighed down, then you aren’t in faith…yet. If you are confident and sure that God will keep his promises, then all the wind could blow around you and you will be like an unmovable mountain instead of a pliable wave.

 “Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.” Romans 12:12 nlt
​
Because we have faith in God, we can have confident hope, be patient even when everything is going wrong, and when we begin to get discouraged, we pray.

​Romans 5:13

See how Joy and Peace follow our trust?

1 Corinthians 13:2                                           
Galatians 5:6

Our Faith is perfected in Love. Notice how these four attributes (Love, Joy, Peace, Patience) are all fruits of the spirit? The NLT version says “The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives” (Gal 5:22). You see as we are led by the direction of the Holy Spirit, he leads us to live a life that pleases God. But we know that “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebr 11:6). So then we know that the Holy Spirit cultivates FAITH within us as we follow his leading, and that FAITH in God produces the byproducts of positively affecting our attitude in the short term, and our character in the long term.

Galatians 5:22-25
 
FAITH CHANGES HOW YOU PRAY

FOR ALL THAT IS GOOD IN HEAVEN, can’t you see how the way you word and say your prayers would be changed if you actually believed that what you were praying for IS DEFINITELY GOING TO HAPPEN? But then, so as to not be too black & white with this, I will sort it into two types of prayers.

          1.Seeking for God’s will, leading, or direction. Essentially, looking for an answer to a question, a which way do I go or how do you want me to handle this type of prayer. You may not know which job to apply to, when is the right time to approach your boss for a raise or to request time off, which ministry to help with, or what, outside of a career or parenthood, is your calling in life, and so you need to pray. This is what I believe the scripture is talking about in
James 4:13-16

          2.Praying anything according to God’s will. I.E. it’s in the Bible, or He has already specifically revealed to you what his plan for your future is, you just haven’t yet seen it come to pass. The Bible is very clear about God’s will regarding people’s salvation, healing, financial provision, long life, protection from harm, and living righteously, miracles, having control of the weather or nature. When find two or three bible verses that agree with your prayer, write them down and pray them.
1 John 5:14                                                         
John 14:13

So then, lets pray in confidence that God loves us, wants to answer our prayers and is definitely able to bring them to pass. Pray in Faith. Don’t pray according to your circumstances, what you think might be possible, or how you think it should be worked out. Pray big, impossible amazing prayers, then sit back and watch the creator of the universe bring it all to pass and get the glory for it!
 
FAITH CHANGES THE WAY YOU SEE THE FUTURE

Galatians 6:7-10

If you know without doubt that your harvest was planted, seeds will grow, and you will have a harvest, wouldn’t that change the way you look at the future? Instead of going day to day just hoping for something nice to fall in your lap, isn’t it better to fully expect God to perform his promise to you just like a farmer expects a seed to grow and produce a harvest? 

Luke 1:37
Matthew 19:26
Isaiah 43:18-21

“But forget all that, it is nothing compared to what I am going to do” That is his attitude towards our future! What you’ve seen him do in the past is NOTHING compared to how awesome he wants to show himself to you in the future. Your destiny is wide open, all you’ve got to do is dream some impossible things and trust the Lord, the I AM, to bring it to pass for you.

FAITH GIVES YOU CONFIDENCE TO ACT

1 John 5:4

So now we have great attitudes, we are praying with confidence, we have a big plan for the future, so it’s time to get to work.

If you believe it, you’ll do it. Or as James said “Faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.”

James 2:14-18
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When you really believe something is going to happen, your behavior changes as a result. Because we truly believe Jesus is the son of God, died in our place, and rose from the dead, we have had our whole lives changed. So lets put that same kind of faith into our future, take steps out onto the path, be led by the spirit, be confident, be full of the fruit of the spirit, and get to work. ​

By Sarah Leonard