PASTOR DARRYL BAKER

James 1:25
But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out – he will be blessed in what he does.

Do you desire to be blessed in what you do? You can, but the key is looking into God’s perfect law of liberty (His Word), and you fix you attention on it, taking the time to hear it preached, and if you live out what you hear you will be blessed. What a powerful promise from God. God’s Word is filled with the life of God. The life of God is all that God is, and all that He has.

You must make giving your attention to God’s truth a priority. That means His Word is what you are looking to, so that you may learn how to live out this new life God has already placed in the new man on the inside of you. If you are fixing your attention on the Word, you are doing so because you desire to adapt your life to that Word. Many may hear the Word preached, but not with a focus to do what they hear, but instead to just fulfill in their minds a religious duty to God.

When your hearts desire is to become one with God’s Truth, then you are not a forgetful hearer. You desire to look like the Word of God. A doer of the Word is one whose desire is to let Jesus live through them, for He is the Word who was made flesh. A true doer of God’s Word make it their lifestyle, not picking and choosing what they may or may not want to do. As they do so, they will live a blessed life, the life God has planned for them.

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Hebrews 4:14
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

When Jesus ascended into heaven, He fulfilled all that was needed for us to be victorious here on earth. One of the major keys to walking in victory is holding fast to a faith filled confession. Consistently confessing who you are, what you have, and what you can do in Christ. To hold fast to your confession means to keep saying the same thing.

As 2 Corinthians 5:7 tells us we are to walk by faith and not by sight. The walk of faith is known as the great confession. Walking by faith we continually speak in line with God’s Word. 2 Corinthians 4:13 tells us that faith believes, and faith speaks. So, to live a life of faith we must address what we are consistently speaking. Faith is also present tense, so to hold on to a confession of faith, we are thanking God for what is already ours.

The key to changing your confession is in what you are feeding on. Scripture tells us that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. So feed on God’s Word, hold fast to a confession of faith, consistently declaring and thanking God for what is already yours through what Christ has done for us, and you can watch your life change for the better as you speak in line with the Word of God.

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Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust the LORD with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths smooth.

Listen carefully to what I am about to share with you if you want to truly understand faith in God and how faith actually works. When you look at how many define faith you will get a lot of different answers. But I will never forget listening to a great man of faith Dr. Lester Sumrall, how he after learning directly through the Word from the Lord what faith is and then proved it defines faith as. Faith is simply trusting in God. When asked about faith he responded, “How far can you trust God”. As simple as that may sound you need to understand what he is saying for I at first did not.

This is how faith or trust in God works. When you truly with all your heart trust God, then you begin believing, which means you are now acting upon what God has said through words and actions. When this happens then God’s supernatural ability goes into operation to fulfill what you have believed by actions for. When we talk about developing faith what we are truly saying is we are developing trust in God. The reason faith or trust comes by hearing the Word is because as you take time to go hear God’s Word by yourself or in church, if you are truly listening trust is being developed as you get to know God. Many who are weak in faith are simply weak in trust because they don’t take time to hear God’s Word, which reveals Himself to us.

When you get to know someone through relationship you develop a trust that then leads to acting on what they say. It’s the same with God. When you get to know Him as revealed in the scriptures above you won’t lean on your understanding, which is walking by sight, but instead by confession and actions you will acknowledge God in all your ways and He will bring forth what He has promised. If we focus on developing trust in God, the rest will follow. But to do that we must with all our heart desire to know Him and make that our priority. For all who do trust will result in believing, and that will result in the hand of God working in and through our life. Your level of trust (faith) in God is based on how much you want to know Him, and then how much time you give to hear from His Word what He will reveal of Himself to you.

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Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

Galatians 6:9
And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

We have a promise from God if we do not give up in doing what is good, staying planted in God’s house where He placed us, living by faith, walking close to our God, giving to the work of God, etc; we “WILL REAP” the benefit of what God has for us. If we allow things to lead us away from what is good in the sight of God, we will miss out. There are three key things that will help us to not grow weary.

Acts 20:24 – But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

1. Don’t allow things to so easily shake you, being overtaken by your flesh. Stop allowing your emotions to govern you. Choose to be governed by your spirit man instead.

Philippians 2:14 – Do everything without complaining or arguing.

2. A second area to address is our attitude. When you have a bad attitude, you tend to complain or argue. As your attitude goes, so goes your life.

Isaiah 1:19 – If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land.

3. The third area to address is your willingness. If you willingly go to God’s house, give to God’s work, serve your God, etc, you will reap the best God has for you. When we approach life with a willing mindset, it makes a huge difference in our lives.

Address these three areas in your life and it will help you to not grow weary in doing good, and you will reap what God has for you.

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Hebrews 2:18
For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.

Because Jesus was tempted in all things and yet free from sin, He can now come to aid us in overcoming every temptation. There is nothing He cannot deliver us from. We simply follow in His example that He gave us in the wilderness. Every time Jesus was tempted by the devil, He quoted the Word of God. Jesus is the Word made flesh, and it is the Word that helps us to overcome temptation.

When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, He defeated each temptation by quoting scripture. As the devil would tempt Him in an area, Jesus countered that temptation with the Word as He would declare what was written in the scriptures. If we will feed on the Word, we will have the ammunition to face and defeat the temptations that come. As scripture tells us when we hide God’s Word in our heart, we will not sin against Him.

The Word is an offensive weapon, the sword of the Spirit. As we declare the Word to our enemy just as Jesus did, we therefore resist the temptation, and he will flee from you. When temptations come to try and defeat you or mislead you declare what is written, and through the help of the living Word Jesus Himself, you can overcome temptation.

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Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

Hebrews 2:14
Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, …

Through the blood Jesus shed for us we have no reason to fear the devil. He has been rendered powerless to all who know their rightful place in Christ. In Ephesians chapter one we are told that God’s mighty power was seen when Jesus was raised from the dead, for He was seated far above all the powers of darkness and every name that is named. It goes on to tell us that all things were placed under His feet, to which He was made the head of His body.

We are the body of Christ. All these powers of darkness were placed under our feet, for the very next chapter tells us that we have been raised up together and seated with Christ at the right hand of God, far above all the powers of darkness. God’s right hand is the place of ultimate authority. For any believer to be afraid of the devil or his works they do not understand their rightful place in Christ.

Do not fear the devil nor his works. Rise up to your rightful place as a child of God, and through the name of Jesus and the Word of God, use your authority against this enemy who has been rendered powerless. The only power satan can use against you is by deceiving you or seducing you to be under his control. Walk in your rightful place and keep him under your feet where he belongs, using your God-given authority through the name of Jesus. The name above every name!

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Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

Psalms 78:41-42
41 Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember His power: The day when He redeemed them from the enemy,

Our God is not limited, but we can limit His ability to work in our life. The above verses refer to the children of Israel who were delivered out of Egypt, but they did not walk in all God had awaiting them. They limited God by not remembering what He had done for them. The word limited in this verse means to set a boundary through a lack of thanksgiving. They were not giving thanks to God for having delivered them, thus they did not remember what God had done.

If you want to take the limits off of God and His ability to work in your life, you need to cultivate a lifestyle of thanksgiving. Ephesians 5:20 tells us to give thanks to God for all He has done. So, no matter what we deal with or go through in life, we are to thank God for all He has already done for us through Christ Jesus. When we are complaining we are magnifying the problem, but when we give thanks for what God has done for us, we are remembering and magnifying our God.

Colossians 2:7 says you will abound in faith through thanksgiving. Psalms 69:30 tells us we magnify our God through thanksgiving. Psalms 95:2 says we become more aware of His presence through giving thanks. As you abound in faith, magnify God and become more aware of His presence, you take the limits off of your God. Hebrews 13:15 says we are to continually offer up the sacrifice of praise, giving thanks to God. Make the choice daily to give thanks to God for all He has done. In doing so, you will not limit God’s ability to work in your life.

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Hebrews 2:9
But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

Jesus tasted death for all who put their trust in Him so that we can be delivered from death, and what came as a result of death. Death is separation from God, and separation from the God-kind of life He wants us to live. Because Jesus tasted death for us, we can now walk in the abundant life He has provided. A key to receiving this abundant life has to do with what we feed on and then speak over our lives.

Proverbs 18:21 tells us that death and life are in the power of the tongue. Jesus said man does not live by bread alone but by every Word of God. Jesus also said the Words He spoke are Spirit and they are “life.” Scripture teaches us that out of the abundance of the heart our mouth speaks. So, we now have the choice to continue to taste death by feeding on worldly things and therefore speaking death, or we can feed on God’s Word and taste life by speaking His Word.

Jesus Himself said He only spoke the Words He heard from the Father. Any believer who feeds on worldly things is going to fill their hearts with words of defeat not words of victory. Even James chapter 3 tells us our very own words are what determines the direction our life goes. If you want to live the abundant life God has for you, you must start feeding on the Word of God, recognizing and then speaking in line with what His Word reveals about us who are now born of God, which produces life. The choice of death or life is up to you.

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Psalms 133:1-3
1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in this unity!
2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there the LORD commanded the blessing— Life forevermore.

The word for unity in verse one refers to a group of people who are like many parts that make up a unit, all moving and working together to go the same direction. For example, the children of Israel once delivered from Egypt would not walk in unity as a whole in God’s plan for them. Not doing so they all, except for Joshua and Caleb, missed out on the blessing of God’s promise land He had waiting for them.

When a group of believers walk together unified in their cause two things result. First it is like the oil that was used to anoint Aaron the priest. The oil represented the Holy Spirit. When we walk in unity, we are walking in the anointing of God which empowers us. It is also like the dew descending on Zion (the church body), bringing God’s blessing. So how do we walk in unity with the body where God has connected us?

You must get your focus off of you, and get your focus on God, and the vision God has given to the body of Christ. You must honor the leadership God has given you to fulfill that vision. The children of Israel did not do so with Moses. They rebelled against him and God, and were focused on what they wanted. If we unite as one with our eyes on God and the vision God has given us, we can experience the anointing of God, and His blessing upon the church.

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Matthew 24:4
And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.”

Dr. Lester Sumrall was truly a great man of God, and the Lord used him in many ways. One of the areas the Lord gave him great insight was in dealing with demons. I will never forget Dr. Sumrall teaching on one of the key ways satan deceives believers is by using other people to do so, and they often don’t even realize he is using them because they are deceived. How can we guard against being deceived by others whom satan will use? Here are some key things to look for.

Anyone not submitted to spiritual authority, including leadership. Satan hates authority, so he can easily use those who are not submitted to deceive others. Also going to someone who thinks they know more then your pastor. A God ordained pastor has been anointed by God to guide you through the scriptures, and those trying to take the place of your pastor do not have that anointing. If you are looking for someone to tell you what you want to hear, you are very open to deception.

For example, the children of Israel listened to the 10 spies with an evil report and ignored what God had said confirmed by Joshua and Caleb. Aaron did not obey Moses and chose to go with the crowd to make a golden calf. The majority are rarely right. The Corinthians listened to the counsel of others and turned on the apostle Paul who was their spiritual father. Realize satan primarily uses people who are not anointed or not properly submitted to leadership to lead believers astray. As Jesus warned, “Take heed that no one deceives you.”

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Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas