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Overcoming Faith

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Jesus said it, we will have trouble in this world, trials and tribulations, we will face difficulty and yet in the same breath he tells us to be of good cheer! Why? Because He has overcome the world (and He invites us to share in His victory)! But how?

How can we be under the weather and at the same time overcomers? How can we face difficulty without allowing it to rule our lives? How can we suffer loss and still have peace? How can we be angry and sin not? How can we be glad in the midst of suffering? How do we rise above it all and overcome the world and all that it throws at us on a daily basis?

Our answer is found in 1 John 5:4, “This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.”

That’s it! FAITH! It’s through our faith that we overcome the world! Through faith we receive God’s promises of victory and joy! Yes we face difficulty but we do so in light of eternity! We have God’s precious promises that give us the ability to live supernaturally (above the natural). When we face loss, depression, discouragement, defeat, sickness, suffering and the like it’s natural to fall victim to those things which leave us feeling pitiful and in the dumps! But by God’s grace He invites us to rise above those negative emotions through faith. He invites us to live “above” the natural where we walk in His peace, overflow with joy and experience His promises being fulfilled in our lives. Some of you have been struggling for far too long, carrying weights that God has invited you to let go of months ago and yet you’re still carrying them. The struggle seems to be unbearable not only for you but for those closest to you as they don’t understand and feel helpless.

I hope you can hear the voice of the Lord today! Jesus says, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Yes, you will have trouble but it doesn’t have to be as hard as it’s been, Jesus says when you come to me it becomes easy.” Because it’s in His presence that suffering cannot compare to the glory that is revealed! When we walk closely with the Lord we are filled with faith and it’s through that faith that we overcome the world! Rise up in faith today! You are an overcomer so overcome!

Blessings,

John

PS I would be remiss if I didn’t share with you the regular encouragement I send out each week. If you would like to be encouraged regularly then subscribe to receive my devotionals via email @ http://www.johnsilkauskasministries.com/about/

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Stay in Faith!

“The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:17

We are the just, the righteous, the church, we are “the called out ones!” And we are called to live by faith! Life is all about seasons, some seasons it’s easy to live by faith others it’s rather difficult. But regardless of the season we may be in God wants us to stay in faith! More and more in recent years I’ve been able to easily sense when I’m “in faith” and when I’m not. When I find myself easily agitated, discontent, lacking peace or joy, sometimes feeling a lesser sense of purpose or simply feeling empty I know that in that moment I’m not in faith.

The best thing about this though is that I recognize it and simply get back to living in faith. How you might ask? By choosing to! Faith in the greek simply means, “firm persuasion, a conviction based upon hearing.” I come back to faith by remembering the things that God has already spoken to me. I remember His word, I think on His character, I thank Him for His faithfulness and my heart is stirred to believe! I choose to believe, I choose to live by faith!

If it’s impossible to please God without faith then I dare to believe that our greatest worship is simply to trust God. When we trust God it removes anxiety from our hearts and the areas of life in which we are ‘wanting’ begin to fade. See when the Lord is David’s shepherd David’s cup is overflowing. When our hearts are resting in God’s care for us and filled with thanksgiving rather than anxiety and complaints we are blessed and we are indeed living by faith.

You may be in a difficult season right now, you may find it hard to trust and give thanks nevertheless I speak to your faith even now and I say, “Rise up and believe!” For God is too good for us to complain, He is too faithful for us to be anxious and He is too powerful for us to live defeated lives. We are called to live by faith!

So, here are the things that help me stay in faith:

-A daily diet of God’s Word

-Times of prayer

-Worship

-Community

-Thanksgiving

-Reflecting on God’s faithfulness

-Remembering the things that God has already spoken to my heart

Let’s stay in faith!

Blessings,

John

PS I would be remiss if I didn’t share with you the regular encouragement I send out each week. If you would like to be encouraged regularly then subscribe to receive my devotionals via email @ http://www.johnsilkauskasministries.com/about/

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It’s Time To Act!

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James 1:22

All throughout Scripture God uses action verbs in order to get us to take action (Love one another, serve one another, go into all the world and make disciples and so many more). And here in the book of James it’s clearly worded that God wants us to DO what the word says. What’s interesting about this is James says that those who only hear the word and don’t put it into practice deceive themselves! The word deceive means, “To believe a lie.” This implies that many who hear the word are actually deceived and are believing a lie as James later states that they forget who they are and they never truly benefit from all that God wants to do in their lives. I wonder how many of us have been there before? Where we thought we were really living what we heard and believed only to be humbled and discover we were just going through the motions, not actually doing what we heard, deceiving ourselves the whole time. I wonder how many of us are there now?

In Matthew 7:24-27 Jesus says that if we hear his words but don’t practice them the storms of life will come and bring destruction in our lives! However if we hear his words and we do put them into practice, not only will we be blessed and have a strong foundation but the storms won’t be able to take us out! There are so many blessings, rewards and benefits to hearing God’s Word and actually putting it into practice!

And so today I ask you, “Are you putting the things you hear into practice?” I’m not asking if you’re studying scripture or going to church and bible study regularly, I’m asking if you’re doing the things that God has already spoken to you?

God, help us to love, go, do and serve. Keep us in the truth as we practice what we hear. Grant us great grace to do all that you’ve put on our hearts to do and help us be faithful in Jesus name, amen!

Blessings,

John

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The Lord Reigns!

Psalm 99:1-5 “The LORD reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake. Great is the LORD in Zion; he is exalted over all the nations. Let them praise your great and awesome name– he is holy. The King is mighty, he loves justice– you have established equity; in Jacob you have done what is just and right. Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy.”

The Lord reigns and He is going to shake everything that can be shaken! People may say that we live in uncertain times and although this is true from a world perspective this is not the case for those who call themselves believers. See although everything around us may be shaking our God reigns and He promises us that all these things must come to pass. For even now He is shaking the government, the economy, the social structures of our day. And just as we’ve seen unusual patterns in the weather we will see unusual things happening all over the earth in what seems like unprecedented ways. And yet God is saying “Be encouraged, for I am doing this shaking, I am causing people to not put their trust in any other thing for it is only I who you can count on. I am the Lord your God! I promise to go with you even to the ends of the earth. Be not afraid nor shaken for I am in all this and even this will be for my glory.”

I feel like the Lord has been taking His time raising us up, teaching us over weeks, months and years (even decades). And although at many times we have not seen the purpose in things, soon we will see that it has all been working for our good and that God has been preparing us for such a time as this! So don’t be afraid or unsettled rather rest in God’s love for you! And as you rest know that He is preparing you for what He has in store for you this next season. The instructions are simple: rest, remember all that the Lord has done, set your eyes on God, stay in faith, use the gifts He has given to you and be faithful in all that He has called you to. As we do these things we will indeed see God’s great reward! So let us exalt His name together! Let us rest in His love and be encouraged by the truth that no matter what we see around us, the Lord reigns!

Blessings,

John

PS I would be remiss if I didn’t share with you the regular encouragement I send out each week. If you would like to be encouraged regularly then subscribe to receive my devotionals via email @ http://www.johnsilkauskasministries.com/about/

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Get Ready for a Move of God!

We are about to see an unprecedented move of God in the earth! He is pouring out His Spirit and many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord! God has prepared us to receive all that He has for us, soon we will see the lost found, the sick healed, and amazing miracles all over the place! The Church is rising up and becoming all that God has foreseen it would be. Scriptures that come to mind are:

-Look at the nations and watch– and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told. Habakkuk 1:5

-For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2:14

-Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. Isaiah 26:8

I see the body of Christ becoming one beautiful unified bride! I see believer’s hearts fully surrendering to the Lord and seeking only that His name would be glorified in the earth! I see people encountering the Lord in powerful ways, I see change and transformation in people’s hearts and lives and the by product of this will look like marriages being healed, families coming together and the Church fulfilling the great commission both near and far, yes locally and around the world!

Oh how we are living in exciting times! “See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.” Isaiah 40:10 He is coming! His Spirit is being poured out around the world, yes the Lord is stirring faith in the hearts of His children and we will be as one! One with Him and one with each other! The word of the Lord is, “Get ready!”

And may God get all the glory!

-John

PS I would be remiss if I didn’t share with you the regular encouragement I send out each week. If you would like to be encouraged regularly then subscribe to receive my devotionals via email @ http://www.johnsilkauskasministries.com/about/