Word of Faith

 

“But, if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”  -Romans 10:9-10

 

Apostle Paul shares that “the word of faith” is what you proclaim (v 8b) by speaking out the faith of your heart.  The word of faith you give is this, “Jesus is Lord” and “God raised him from the dead” (v 9-10).  Nothing more, nothing less; confessing Christ is to confess more than just those truths we are comfortable with.  When your thoughts of Jesus are limited to thinking he was a nice guy with good teachings on lifestyle you have not exercised faith, nor experienced salvation.  Your life changes when by faith you know He is indeed the Son of God, Jesus, whom God raised from the dead and confess the same.  God’s desire is that you do not perish (2 Peter 3:9), he desires that you be saved — saved from pride that destines one to be eternally without God (in hell), the Lord desires to save you to an eternal life with Him, in heaven, if you express the Word of Faith.

 

How do we express the Word of Faith?  

By mouth—you tell other people the story of your faith in Christ Jesus as your Lord, as Savior.

By faith—you earnestly believe within your heart, soul; your conscience that Jesus is not only real, but that

               God raised him to life after three days in the grave.

The Word of faith is not a name it and claim it proposition.  The Word of faith is obedience to our sovereign God.  A wholly, unquestionable belief within your conscience that Jesus is Lord, whom God raised form the dead, and in turn verbally express, “confess”, that to others.  The Word of Faith is to Believe and Confess Christ Jesus as Lord, the Risen Savior.

Owen <><

 

Owen.LifeSpring@gmail.com

Unexpected Story Ending

Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.  Matthew 1:19

Things in life can seem completely wrong, or confusing, or both.  Such life experiences are definitely something we want nothing to do with—we want the situation divorced from us.  Does your life story have few chapters that need to be quietly torn out?

Joseph responded like any of us may have in such a situation.  But, what he or we do not take into account is where this story is going, in spite of how bad the first chapter appears.  Once we find out more, or as in Joseph case, an angel visits and enlightens him about who is in Mary’s womb, well, he has a change of heart.

Yes, with the heart we believe and by our mouth we confess the Lord Jesus is the promised Messiah, Christ, our Savior (see Romans 10:9-10).  The angel said to Joseph, that Mary, “will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). 

What seemed completely wrong, what tore away at Joseph’s heart and challenged his religion was, as the story unfolded, merely God doing things his way, not ours, and most importantly filling Joseph's heart and changing his religion to faith.  The same is for you this Christmas.

God bless and fill you with joy,

Owen       

Prayer Accesses the Kingdom of Light

The abundance or lack of God’s power being manifest in your life is determined by how you do or do not pray.  It is whether you pray only when you are in need or just at special times—or all the time. 

Prayerlessness limits God from giving you answers, wisdom and spiritual growth; and restricts His pouring out miracles and blessings and joy and  ... and … … ...

Colossians 1:10-12

“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”

I pray for you, that Lord may pour all the goodness of His Spirit upon you. 

Merry Christmas,

Owen

                                                                                 1 Thessalonians 5:17

God’s Peace & Favor

Suddenly there appeared with the angel

a multitude of the heavenly host praising God

and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."

Luke 2:13-14 NASU

As simple shepherds were astonished by an angel’s “good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (v10), they also experienced the heavenly splendor of the Lord’s light of glory shinning, in fact, “God’s glory blazed around” them! (The Message v9)  Oh! What a moment to have been with the shepherds as the news of our Savior had just been born in the city of King David, Bethlehem. Oh! … Then, SUDDENLY!!  As if the good news wasn’t enough, more bright and radiant joy of God’s glory engulfed them as a mighty army of God’s messengers, a heavenly host, an angelic choir, appeared.  The angels glorious sound brought the news of God gift, their message was:

Peace, God’s peace, God’s prosperity of eternal life is among—is given to all—who receive, who make room for Jesus in their hearts, their very soul.  … They are the people with whom God is well pleased; they are favored by God through a finite faith in an infinite Jesus.  Through faith in Christ have pleased the Lord; thus, God pours out His mercy and grace as a crown of righteousness and glory, revealing their eternal adoption as sons and daughters of God.

Hallelujah! 

Praise the Lord Jesus—Messiah, Savior, Master—Christ!

          

My prayer is that you have God’s glory around you, His peace and favor,

Owen <><

Room For Jesus

Mary laid Jesus “in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

Luke 2:7

There was no room for Jesus in His creation.

In kindness an inn keeper had shared the only place he had, and there, in a barn the King of kings humbly slept with lambs.  There in the barn Mary had delivered a baby, ... yet more...

He was the Anointed One—the Messiah, the Christ—the power of eternal life. 

Jesus is an awesome gift to us all, he is the source of peace and good will to whosoever will make room to receive the most precious gift of all: Jesus Christ as Lord. 

Sometimes we need to make room for Christ - need to make room?   We can talk.

1^st email me and we will go from there:  Owen.LifeSpring@gmail.com        

Blessings,

Owen

A Sovereign Purpose & Anointing

Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. … All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

1 Corinthians 12:1 and 11

To efficiently work within God’s call and imparted gifts upon our life, it serves us well to remember that it is the Lord who summons and anoints.  Our place is to receive, surrender, and thereby serve and minister as He has set forth.  Servanthood is carried out for the purpose of God, not by our eagerness nor plans to engage in something to help God work things out. 

We serve the Holy One in a personal relationship, and therein His plans are specific for each of us, and that is our personal hallmark, our unique and powerful individualism; and such is what the Lord has given to each of us.  We will prosper when in His will (Jer 29:11, Ps 33:11, 40:5) and doing those things that are beyond our comprehension (Isa 55:8) and capability—yet we become fully capable when we remain humble, prayerful, and obedient to His will.  Indeed, God does not call the qualified, but qualifies the called.     

The Lord is sovereign, He administers His Spirit to anoint with gifts to work in spiritual realms (e.g., 1 Cor 12:8-10), with gifts of service and ministry (e.g., 1 Cor 12:28, Eph 4:11), and we have natural gifts (athleticism, musical and artistic talent, mathematical minds, etc.).  All working together for the benefit of not only mankind, but the purposeful and good will of the Lord God Almighty.  Indeed, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men”  (I Cor 12:4-6).

God’s gifts are not manifest, neither is His call invoked by your own efforts, accomplishments, nor zealous practice of disciplines.  His gifting and His call is breathed upon us from within His sovereign grace—it is not a matter of our effort, but from the intentional unction that wells up from the everlasting spring of His Spirit (Zech 4:6).

Blessings,

Owen <><