Growth Daily Verses

[Albert Finch]

Scripture of The Day - REASONING

Genesis 3:11 - "And He said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?"

By taking the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they found a source of the knowledge of right and wrong outside of God. This can be identified as the principle of reasoning.

They no longer needed the wisdom of God; They could govern themselves according to their sense of right and wrong. This is why God questioned them "who told you?"

They replaced obedience with reasoning.

 

[Albert Finch]

Scripture Of The Day - Extreme Christianity

Acts 26:24,25 -- Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, "Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you MAD! But He (Paul) said, "I am not MAD, most noble Festus, but speak the word of truth and reason."

The words 'beside yourself' mean to rave as a maniac, and it's the idea of incessant craving. Festus accused Paul of being crazy.

Modern culture is not drawn to Christianity because the little they are exposed to is not extreme enough for them.

What the world really wants to see is a Christian who is totally enthralled with who Jesus is. Our spiritual learning shouldn't be just systematic theology books but a distinguishable crazy love that goes public.

AFFIRMATION:

I won't give up, let up, or shut up, until I get others to get up, rise up, and take up all who Christ wants them to be.

2 Corinthians 5:13 -- If I'm in my right mind, it's for your sake, but for God, I'm out of my mind.

One of the great men of God of the sixteenth century, Francis Xavier, charged the apathetic European students of his day to "give up your small ambitions and come and preach the gospel of Christ."


INTO ACTION:

How can you express "crazy love" for Jesus today?

Using your imagination, what are you willing to do to advance the Kingdom of God that involves stretching, risking and pushing your limits?

 

[Albert Finch]

Scripture of The Day - CONFESSION UNTO FAITH

Romans 10:9 - "If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

Confession without any faith in the heart is powerless; it's useless.

What if I don't believe in my heart? Should I still confess the Word of God?

Yes, because with my lips, I can make confessions unto faith. In other words, as I say God's word over and over again, faith can be built in my heart where before there wasn't any faith.

I can speak God's Word so much that it will eventually affect my heart, and I will begin believing it.

Romans 10:17 - "So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing, by the Word of God."

 

[Albert Finch]

Scripture of the Day - SERVICE WITH PURPOSE AFFIRMS IDENTITY

Luke 1:26,28 - "And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee named Nazareth. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail thou art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women."

When God chose to bring the Messiah through the virgin Mary, He sent Gabriel the angel to bring the message. When the apostle Paul was about to suffer shipwreck, an angel of the Lord told him what would happen. On numerous occasions throughout scripture angels did what God could have done easily Himself.

But why didn't God do those things Himself?

For the same reason He doesn't preach the gospel: He has chosen to let His creation enjoy the privilege of service in His kingdom. Service with purpose affirms identity.
A Godly self-esteem is derived from doing "those things that please Him". And true service is an overflow of worship. We always become like the one we worship. How could He want anything more for us than that?

 

[Albert Finch]

Scripture of The Day - TAKING RESPONSIBILITY

Genesis 3:1 - "Now the serpent was more subtle and crafty than any living creature of the field which the Lord God had made. And he (Satan) said to the woman, Can it really be that God has said, 'You shall not eat from every tree of the garden'"?

OBSERVATION:

It is my responsibility to see that my thinking, believing and speaking are right. If I don't take that responsibility, the devil is going to think my thoughts for me. He'll actually have me believing what he wants me to believe, and he'll eventually have me confessing what he wants me to confess; framing my world with the wrong words and letting him have dominion over me.

Revelation 12:17 - "So then the dragon was furious (enraged) at the woman, and he went away to wage war on the remainder of her descendants - on those who obey God's commandments and who have the testimony of Jesus Christ."

 

[Albert Finch]

Scripture of The Day - EMPOWERED BY THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST

2 Corinthians 5:17 - "If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."

Everything, even our intelligence and physical appearance, is now subject to change for the better. Old failures, prejudices, and attitudes are destined to go.
New faith and hope should be growing within us daily.

HOW DO I ATTAIN SUCH A WONDERFUL NEW BEGINNING?


AFFIRMATIONS:

I receive the spirit of Christ into my heart to empower me with His love and I study the words of Christ to direct me.

Whatever I find in me that is not like Jesus, -- I crucify.

 

[Brock]

John 16:19-23 New Living Translation (NLT)
19 Jesus realized they wanted to ask him about it, so he said, “Are you asking yourselves what I meant? I said in a little while you won’t see me, but a little while after that you will see me again. 20 I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. 21 It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world. 22 So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy.23 At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name.

 

[Albert Finch]

Scripture of The Day - GOD IS MY DEFENCE

Romans 8:33 -- "Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies."

Mark 15:3 -- "And the chief priest accused Him of many things, but He answered nothing."

Why didn't Jesus defend Himself?
The reason: to remain under His Father's judgment and thus His protection.

When we refuse to defend ourselves we are hidden under the hand of God's grace and judgment. There is no safer place.
In contrast, those who defend themselves come under the jurisdiction of their accusers and their judgment, and thus they forfeit divine intervention.


The moment I justify and defend myself I yield to my accuser as judge. I forfeit my spiritual right of protection, for He (my accuser) rises above me in the realm of the spirit as I answer His criticism. His influence is elevated by my self-defense. By attempting to prove my innocence, I am at the mercy of my accuser.

1 Peter 2:23 -- "He (Jesus) did not retaliate when He was insulted. When He suffered, He did not threaten to get even. He left His case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly."

 

[Albert Finch]

Scripture Of The Day - LIVING IN THE FUTURE

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 -"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."
If we live according to the crisis of the moment, we will never step into the future. As long as we focus on the circumstances that are at hand, we will never be able to walk into the greater weight of glory that is trying to come forth from our lives. However, as we focus on God's purpose for our life (our calling in Christ), those glimpses of the future, it will work an even greater weight of glory in us. Stop living in past glories!

"Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?" - Isaiah 43:19

Whenever God would say to one of His prophets, "Behold," He was telling them to see into the future! In the above Scripture, He was saying, "See" I am going to do something new. Then He asks, "...shall you not know it?"

See the future and live like you are there, not like you are still bound by your circumstances.
All of the fathers of the faith in Hebrews 11 lived their lives by the future that they saw in the now.
Hebrews 11:1 - "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Notice it says "now faith is."
When you live in the now like you are in the future, it becomes the "substance" of what you are seeing. Your faith doesn't become tangible until you act like it is the truth in the here and now! In other words, THERE IS NO "EVIDENCE" UNTIL YOU LIVE LIKE IT.

 

[Albert Finch]

Scripture of the Day - SPEAKING BY FAITH

2 Corinthians 4:13 - "We have the same spirit of faith as he (the psalmist) who wrote, 'I have believed and therefore have spoken.' We too believe, and therefore we speak.'"

To speak by faith is simply to speak words that agree with the word of God instead of the circumstances around you. It's speaking from your spirit instead of from your mind.
The Bible tells us that God uses words to "call those things which be not as though they were." (Romans 4:17)
Hebrews 4:12 - For the Word of God is living and powerful..........

For one who has faith in the Word of God, there is nothing impossible. There are no impossibilities when there is faith..........and there are no exceptions.......
Our faith in God's word is not just an abiding faith; it is active -- it is aggressive by nature.
It has focus and purpose.

AFFIRMATIONS:

I speak the end result of what God's word tells me about my situation as opposed to the way it appears to the senses.

I stop "telling it like it is" and start speaking and believing the promises of God.

I put the power of God's word to work for me.

Proverbs 18:21 - "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof."

 

[Albert Finch]

Scripture of the Day - Moving In Overcoming Faith

Luke 13:20,21 - "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."
Matthew 13:33 - "He spoke another parable to them, 'The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened.'"

Much like light that exposes, or salt that preserves, leaven influences its surroundings in a subtle but overpowering way. So it is with the infiltrating power of the Kingdom of God.
Without a revelation of what God intends to do with His church (God's PURPOSE for our life), we cannot move in overcoming faith.
When the main goal of our faith is to keep us safe from the devil, our faith becomes inferior to what God expects. Jesus had in mind more for us than survival. We are destined to overcome and advance the Kingdom of God.
Every conversion plunders hell. Every miracle destroys the works of the devil. Every God encounter is an "invasion of the almighty" into our desperate condition. This is our joy.

Revelation 12:11 - "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death."

 

[Albert Finch]

Scripture Of The Day - THE INCOMPREHENSIBLE BECOMES POSSIBLE

Joshua 1:9 - "Have not I commanded you? Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

By far the greatest gift ever received by us is the Holy Spirit Himself. Those who discover the value of His presence enter realms of intimacy with God never previously considered possible. Out of this vital relationship arises a ministry of power that formerly was only a dream. The incomprehensible becomes possible because He is with us.

"I will be with you" is a promise made by God to all His servants. It comes when God has required something of us that is humanly impossible.

God doesn't have to try to do supernatural things. He is supernatural. If he is invited to a situation, we should expect nothing but a supernatural invasion.

John 14:12 - "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father."

 

[Albert Finch]

Scripture of The Day - MESSENGERS

Genesis 28:12 - "And he had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it."

The word translated "angel" in the text is the Hebrew word "Mal'ak" (mal-awk'), which means to despatch as a deputy; a messenger; specifically, of God, ie. an angel (also a prophet, priest or teacher).
The point is the messengers that are to ascend and descend upon this ladder are not just angelic beings, but God's messengers, which WE ARE CALLED TO BE.

 

[Albert Finch]

Scripture of The Day - STIR UP THE GIFT

2 Timothy 1:4,6,7 - "Greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears.....I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you....For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

There are times when you know what God has called you to do, but you just don't feel you have the inner resources you need to do it. Somehow you've simply run dry.

The word of God tells you how to handle those situations through a clear command: "stir up the gift inside you."

Everything you need is already in you. Jesus put it there......faith is there....power is there.....Love is there.

AFFIRMATION:

In the name of Jesus, I stir up the gift that's within me by faith. I'm stirring up my faith. I'm not going to wait until I feel stirred up. I'm stepping out by faith and expecting my feelings to follow! I'm stirring up the love of God that's in me. I'm stirring myself up in the Spirit of the living God!

 

[Albert Finch]

Scripture Of The Day - Stepping Out Onto The Water

"He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus." - Matthew 14:29

If you are waiting for the perfect conditions to step out in faith it probably won't happen. Just believe and do not doubt. When the waves and fire come, speak to them and tell them you have the authority to do what God has called you to do.

When we step out in faith it is important that we don't over-think what we are about to do. We must just step, trusting that our foot will meet the water because the invitation came from Jesus to do it. Peter stepped out because Jesus said, "Come." When he was on the water he started considering his circumstances, and that is when he began to sink.

The grace of God is that He meets us in the place of the storm. He doesn't let us sink. We have a promise in Isaiah 43:2 which says, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze."

 

[Albert Finch]

Scripture Of The Day - Passivity In The Body Of Christ
Christians are taught from childhood that pastors (and priests) are the religious specialists. they are the qualified ones who handle the "spiritual" things of God, while everyone else is called to secular work. Because clergy are viewed as the religious specialists, the rest of the church see themselves as passive recipients.

The problem is that, regardless of what our theologies tell us about the purpose of clergy, the actual effect of the clergy profession is to make the body of Christ lame. This happens not because clergy intended it (they usually intend the opposite) but because the objective nature of the profession inevitably turns the laity into passive receivers. In short, clergy and nonclergy alike are responsible for the ailments of the present-day church.
We need a new worldview regarding the meaning of the body of Christ. A new model for understanding the ekklesia. A new framework for thinking about the church.

 

[Albert Finch]

Scripture of The Day - ACTIVE FAITH

Hebrews 4:12 - "For the Word of God is living and powerful..."

For one who has faith in the Word of God, there is nothing impossible. There are no impossibilities when there is faith..........and there are no exceptions.......

Our faith in God's word is not just an abiding faith; it is active -- it is aggressive by nature.
It has focus and purpose.
Faith grabs hold of the reality of the kingdom and forcefully and violently brings it into a collision with this natural one.
An inferior kingdom cannot stand.


Matthew 11:12 - "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force."

Romans 10:17 - "So then faith comes by hearing and hearing, by the Word of God."

 

[Albert Finch]

Scripture Of The Day - Passivity In The Body Of Christ
Christians are taught from childhood that pastors (and priests) are the religious specialists. they are the qualified ones who handle the "spiritual" things of God, while everyone else is called to secular work. Because clergy are viewed as the religious specialists, the rest of the church see themselves as passive recipients.

The problem is that, regardless of what our theologies tell us about the purpose of clergy, the actual effect of the clergy profession is to make the body of Christ lame. This happens not because clergy intended it (they usually intend the opposite) but because the objective nature of the profession inevitably turns the laity into passive receivers. In short, clergy and nonclergy alike are responsible for the ailments of the present-day church.
We need a new worldview regarding the meaning of the body of Christ. A new model for understanding the ekklesia. A new framework for thinking about the church.

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Jeremiah 5:31 - "The prophets prophesy falsely and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so."

 

[Albert Finch]

Scripture of the Day - BEING A FAITHFUL AND WISE SERVANT

Matthew 24:45 - "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household?"

The word tells us that God shows Himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are "perfect" toward Him (2 Chronicles 16:9). "Perfect" doesn't mean that we have to do everything just right and live without making a mistake. It means "devoted" -- a heart consecrated, dedicated, loyal and faithful to God.
Who is faithful? The one who spends his time doing what God as called him to do -- or as Jesus put it, the one who takes up his cross and follows him. The one who denies his fleshly desires and spends his life on the things God desires him to do.

AFFIRMATIONS:

Today I decide to be a faithful and wise servant.

I find out what is stealing my time from the Lord.

I take up Jesus' thoughts today.

I dedicate myself to discover and fulfill His purpose for my life.

 

[Albert Finch]

Scripture Of The Day - Interceding For The Backslidden

"And have compassion on some, who are doubting" - Jude 22

Jude wants us to elicit an emotional response from his readers. He wants us to graphically see and understand the seriousness of believers who have backslidden into a life of sin and disobedience. He wants us to "feel" for these critically ill spiritual patients.

Because Jude uses the word "compassion." he is telling us that the spiritual condition of a backslidden believer is just as real and serious as the plight of a starving child, a dying man, or a destitute family.

When genuine compassion begins to flow from your heart, you cannot sit idly by and simply feel sorry about a persons situation. Real compassion says, "I have to get up and do something about this."

INTO ACTION

If you will allow the love of God flow through you, it won't be long until compassion for these erring believers begins to flow from you to them. Then you will be compelled to see them from their bondage.

If you know people who fit this description, it's time to let the supernatural compassion of Jesus Christ begin to flow out of your heart toward them. By releasing a flow of this powerful force toward them, you could set in motion the very deliverance these individuals need from the power of darkness that binds their souls and keeps them in deception.