Faith Matters Podcast

#637 - Power of the Decree; Day 2

That Settles It!I was in a very broken place prior to receiving the Lord as my personal Savior. The night I invited Him into my heart was a transformational turning point for me. I knew I was a different person, a new creation, and yet so much remained in upheaval.Then my life was forever changed when I heard Dr. Oral Roberts preach a powerful sermon in which he emphatically declared, “God said it. I believe it. That settles it!” Those faith-infused declarations entered my heart that day and produced a fiery passion for the life-giving Word of God that continues to burn in me today.Following this significant revelation, it became my practice to daily seek the Lord for insight concerning the life situations that I was facing. In prayer, I searched the Scriptures. I found that, consistently and faithfully, the Holy Spirit would reveal God’s will, perspective, and promises through His Word.Once I understood His will concerning something, I learned to commit myself to the truth of His Word and “settle it.” No matter what happened, I allowed the Word to be my plumb line. By faith, I commanded everything to come into alignment with the Word. And continuously, I began to witness answers to prayer, breakthroughs, and empowerments that yielded success in God-appointed endeavors. Faith grew in me as I determined to settle any issue in life according to His Word and its power to transform and create.Over the many years since, I have exercised scriptural decrees for life issues both large and small, watching God move faithfully in response to the command of His own Word. Decreeing His Word has brought peace, love, wisdom, healing, freedom, and prosperity. God’s Word is always true whether people believe it or not, but without faith, the Word will not be activated. Every blessing and promise in the Word belongs to every believer but many do not see these promises manifest in their lives because they fail to access them by faith.God desires all His people to live in His divine order and blessings. Decreeing His Word establishes His will and purpose in and through our lives. You and I were created to decree His Word.Remember the simple statement: God said it. I believe it. That settles it!Decree Divine Character: Through Jesus, God’s divine power has granted me everything that pertains to life and to godliness.

#636 - Power of the Decree; Day 1

God’s Word, Firm FoundationGod’s Word, the Bible, gives believers the most reliable foundation for prayer. When you declare prayers of a decree that come from the written Word of God, those prayers go forth to carry out the purpose for which the Word was sent.Regardless of how bad the circumstances may appear, God’s Word will produce a shift when decreed and declared in faith. Decreeing the Word releases life and power.The Gulf War was the first televised war in history. People could see computer-directed missiles being sent successfully to destroy their targets, which were hit with precision. Imagine the Word being sent like a “smart bomb” to target an area of concern that is in need of breakthrough and release. That is what happens when you decree something as directed by the Word of God. Your prayer hits its target perfectly.God’s Word is not only designed to blast enemies; it is also creative. Just think of the beginning of Genesis, where we read about the life-giving, creative Spirit of God speaking everything into being. The same light is in His Word, and as you proclaim His Word, you are releasing God’s Spirit to create. When you decree, you are not just communicating some concepts or action points through the words you speak; you are decreeing the infusion of divine life into the situations you are targeting. Decrees are so powerful!The elderly patriarch Abraham did not have any children when God first called him. Yet God spoke to him, changing his name from Abram to Abraham, which means “father of a multitude.” God was decreeing that Abraham was the father of a multitude when he had not yet produced even one child. He was decreeing it into being, in the same way, He called light into being in Genesis. In addition, every time Abraham spoke his own name, he was making a decree, calling himself a father of a multitude. And it came to pass.When you decree, you call things that are not as though they are.Decree Spiritual Strength:When I am weary, the Lord gives me strength, and when I lack vigor, He rejuvenates me. By waiting on the Lord, I renew my strength. I can then soar like an eagle and keep moving forward powerfully, without stopping. He sustains me always.

#631 - Faith Matters; Book of Signs - Ch 13 Resurrection

Faith Matters with Brian and Andi HaleThe Book of Signs, Ch. 13 ResurrectionTechnology can never give us a truly indestructible of imperishable body or enable us to live forever. For that, we need resurrection.Life on earth is fragile and uncertain, but we have a savior who died for our sins according to the Scriptures and was buried and raised on the third day according to Scriptures. And by the grace of God we await that wonderful day when we'll be raised incorruptible and given our new supernatural bodies, made by Christ.

#630 - Enemies of the Heart; Day 5

“Taking Your Desires to God”Scripture: James 4:1-3Each of the enemies of the heart is energized by the idea that somebody owes something. Guilt says, “I owe you.” Anger is fueled by the notion that you owe me. Greed is kept alive by the assumption that I owe me. This fourth heart issue is no differently. Jealousy. Jealousy says, “God owes me.”When we think about jealousy or envy, we immediately think of the things others have that we lack—looks, skills, opportunities, health, height, inheritance, etc. We assume our problem is with the person who possesses what we lack. But let’s face it; God could have fixed all of that for us. Whatever he gave your neighbor, he could have given you too. That’s why you may feel inside that he owes you.Jealousy can terrorize your life and wreak havoc in your relationships. The good news is, this behemoth, like the other three, has a vulnerability. And it’s something you might not expect: stop coveting what others have and start asking God for what he knows is best for you.As James says, our external conflicts are the direct result of an internal conflict that has worked its way to the surface. We want something but we don’t have it, so we get in fights with others. The desires James is referring to in this passage represent unquenchable thirsts—our thirsts for stuff, money, recognition, success, progress, intimacy, sex, fun, relationship, partnership.So what do we do with desires and appetites that can never be fully and finally satisfied? James says we take them to the one who created them in the first place. In other words, James is giving us permission to pour out our hearts in an unfiltered conversation with our Creator.Every concern you have, great and small, matters to the Father because you matter to the Father. Whether it pertains to your love life, your career, your marriage, your parents, your children, your finances, your education, or your appearance, bring it to him. And keep bringing it to him until you find the peace to get up off your knees and face the day, confident in the knowledge that he cares for you.Let me assure you, your heart will always be dear to his heart.What is your heart aching for? Spend some time in absolutely free, uninhibited conversation with God about what you feel you lack. Ask him to bless you in the way he knows is best—and to reveal his love to you along the wayWe hope you enjoyed Andy's 5-day YouVersion devo on "Enemies of the Heart." Dig deeper and find long-term healing and restoration by picking up a copy of Andy's book, Enemies of the Heart, from a retailer near you.

#629 - Enemies of the Heart; Day 4

“Watching Out for Greed”Scripture: Luke 12:13-21The third enemy of the heart? Greed. It’s when we feel that we deserve more and more worldly wealth and goods. Greed says, “I owe me.”Jesus said, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed.” Why? Because of the four heart conditions we’re considering, greed is the most subtle of all. Greed can take up residence in the heart and live there for years undetected. The unguarded heart is highly susceptible to this debilitating disease. It’s difficult to diagnose—especially to self-diagnose.Jesus went on to uncover the lie that fuels all greed: “Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” But doesn’t everybody know that? Do people really believe that their lives are equivalent to what they own? The answer is no and yes. No, not everybody knows that. And yes, there are people who believe that your life is pretty much the sum total of what you own. And many of us today are more prone to this belief than we might imagine.After telling a parable, Jesus gave his definition of a greedy person: someone who stores up things for himself or herself but isn’t rich toward God. Being “rich toward God” is Jesus-talk for being generous toward those in need. A greedy person is the man or woman who saves carefully but gives sparingly.Generous giving will break the grip of greed on your life. So whether or not you think you have extra, give and give generously. You’ve got to give to the point that it forces you to adjust your lifestyle. If you’re not willing to give to the point that it impacts your lifestyle, then according to Jesus, you’re greedy. If you’re consuming to the point of having little or nothing left to give, you’re greedy. If you’re consuming and saving to the point that there’s little or nothing left to give, you’re greedy.I know that’s strong. Actually, it’s harsh.But it’s true.Break the power of greed through the habit of generous giving. It’s a habit that changes everything.Assess your generosity in giving over the last twelve months. What does your charitable giving say about your heart? Pray about what it would look like for you to launch into a new level of generosity in the next twelve months.

#628 - Enemies of the Heart; Day 3

“Letting Go of Hurt and Anger”Scripture: Ephesians 4:25-32The second enemy of the heart is anger. We get angry when we don’t get what we want.Show me an angry person and I’ll show you a hurt person. And I guarantee you that person is hurt because something has been taken. Somebody owes them something.We all know people whose anger could be verbalized in one of the following ways: “You took my reputation.” “You stole my family.” “You took the best years of my life.” “You stole my first marriage.” “You robbed me of my teenage years.” “You robbed me of my purity.” “You owe me a raise.” “You owe me an opportunity to try.” “You owe me a second chance.” “You owe me affection.”The root of anger is the perception that something has been taken. Something is owed you. And now a debt-to-debtor relationship has been established.How about you? What debt is causing the anger you feel?How long are you going to allow the people who have hurt you to control your life? Another month? Another year? Another season of your life? How long?I’d like to propose that today should be the day when you quit holding on to the hurt!While it’s true that you can’t undo what’s been done, it’s equally true that you don’t have to let the past control your future. In Ephesians 4, we’re commanded to “get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger.” We do that by “forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”The remedy for anger is forgiveness. If we hold out waiting to be paid back for the wrongs done to us, we will be the ones who pay. If, on the other hand, we cancel the debts owed to us, we will be set free.Of the four monstrous forces we’re discussing in these devotionals, I believe this one—unresolved anger from intentional and unintentional hurt—is the most devastating. Yet in some ways it’s the easiest to overcome. You simply make up your mind to cancel the debt. You decide and declare, “You don’t owe me anymore.”Follow this four-step process today: (1) Identify who you’re angry with. (2) Determine what they owe you. (3) Cancel the debt by forgiving them. (4) Don’t let the anger build up again.