KEYS TO LIVE A VICTORIOUS LIFE Pt. 2
by Revivalist Todd Bentley
In Part One of this teaching, we discussed the first three keys of how to grow deeper in our relationship with God: We learned that He wants us to use our words wisely to manifest His will in our lives. By continuously centering our thoughts on God, avoiding negative talk, and selecting our friendships wisely, we will move to a new level of knowing Him. God doesn't want us to be confused by wrong thoughts or relationships; His desire is for us to flourish in all that He has to offer. Likewise, in point four of this teaching, we discover how God promises to respond to our giving. In fact, He invites us to expect great things when we live in Him. In point five, we will learn how God wants us to live a full life in his favor.
- GIVING
- FAVOR
Giving is a characteristic of God
"For God so loved . . . that He gave . . . " (Jn.3:16).
God promises to respond to our giving.
"Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you" (Lk. 6:38).
"'Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,' Says the LORD of hosts, 'If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,' Says the LORD of hosts" (Mal. 3:10, 11).
God always reacts to faith. Jesus marveled at faith. It impresses all of heaven!
Sow with great expectation
God treasures the giver. He sees His own nature in you and honors it with the promise of prosperity.
At a conference in our local town of Abbotsford, BC, my husband sowed a seed in expectation, wrapping his faith around the seed when an altar call was made for supernatural debt and mortgage cancellation. Within a few days we found out that our $11,000 worth of government debt had been canceled, which could have only happened by the hand of God! God is attracted to us when we sow in expectation because there is power in expectation.
Now is the time for believers to do what they have never done in order to get what they never had.
Sow bountifully to receive bountifully
Growing up, I remember my father knew that it was vital to plant different seeds in the different seasons. Like a wise farmer, we really need to know the seasons we are in according to God's calendar-"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven" (Ecc. 3:1).
When you release what is in your hand, God will release back what is in His hand. Seeds need to be planted in the right season to reap the blessing of God in the proper season.
In July 2007, I had the privilege of ministering in India where I saw the people respond in unusual ways by sowing uncommon seeds, in faith, for their needs to be met. For example, some gave out of their poverty and some sowed lands. But we saw everyone give, and within a few days we heard many testimonies of debt cancellation. One testimony involved a large sum of money that was given to a housewife from her husband's employer. Such financial miracles are not common in India as debts are always passed to the children's children, but when they responded with their seed, God responded in very special ways.
Another type of sowing and reaping is the gift of hospitality; sowing into peoples lives by taking care of men and women of God.
In April 2007, we were in Toronto, Ontario, staying with some friends of ours. The pastor and his wife provided accommodation for us for several days, giving us their best room with all the necessities, feeding and taking care of us.
One day while we rested, we were strongly reminded of 2 Kings 4:8-17 in which Elisha had stayed with a Shunammite woman and her husband many times. The woman had taken time to cook for and serve Elisha and Gehazi, his servant. One day she said to her husband that she wanted to make a room for this man of God and furnish it so that each time he was in the area he would have a place to rest. Because of their hospitality, Elisha felt it was important to bless them in return and in talking with the servant, Elisha found out that she was barren. Then he said, "About this time next year you shall embrace a son" (v. 16). And she did!
Then, after being impressed by the Shunammite woman's story, and upon the leading of the Holy Spirit, as we were leaving we asked the couple if there were any pressing needs in their lives. They told us that since they were still childless after seventeen years of marriage, they were praying for a child. Believing that God would grant them that request, we prayed with them. Just recently, we found out that a baby was finally conceived. Glory to Jesus! This couple had made room for us in their home, they honored the servants of God by giving of their time and material possessions, and in return God honored them with the gift of their baby, the desire of their hearts.
One day of favor is worth a lifetime of labor
Here are four truths about what favor is. One, favor is the divine way, not the substitute. Two, favor is an attitude of goodness towards you, not an exchange or payment for something you have done. Three, favor is the secret hidden and unspoken dream of every human living today and can turn tragedy into triumph within moments. Four, you cannot work hard enough or long enough to get everything you deserve and to be debt- free.
Actually, the sum total of these four truths has affected me to the point that I believe we are in a season for pressing in for financial blessing and financial breakthrough. As well, I believe that we are in a season of great soul harvest and therefore, God wants to prosper us, fill us, and make us debt free so we can do kingdom work.
So, let's discover how to be in the right position for receiving God's favor as I share what happened to some friends of ours.
The Lord had given them the idea to see us because they were battling some injustices that had affected their lives and they felt they needed to talk everything through with us. However, they did not have our address; and after the wife's best efforts to contact us failed, they lost all hope in ever reaching us. So they made a final decision to go to a small town and live a quiet life.
However, several years later, divinely, God allowed us to make a connection. They shared their story-how they were robbed of all their belongings and how they lost their home as well as all they had earned-and how anger, bitterness and revenge had consumed their hearts.
So we spent many hours counseling them together and then later, my husband, Mahendra, began to visit the husband regularly to encourage him. He spoke to him about forgiveness, how to walk in humility, and how to walk in the opposite spirit to what he had been walking in.
Consequently, they both started to attend church with us and to decree God's words of blessing from Deuteronomy 6:10, 11 and Isaiah 61. The Lord responded by giving this brother many assuring dreams of prosperity and many angelic encounters. Then, influenced by God's supernatural intervention, the couple began to sow seeds of favor into a ministry and to expect blessings. Daily they meditated upon God's Word and prayed.
One day the owner of their townhouse complex (who is not a believer), came to our friend and said, "I have been observing your life of honesty and faithfulness and have decided to sell one of the townhouse complexes to you at a reduced price." This brother told the owner that he did not have a deposit to put down. But the owner said he would take care of it, fully furnishing the home for him as a show-home and he promised to rent it from him for one year, giving him a full one-year's rent in advance. In one day, God's favor turned his life around for good! Now they are making a great noise in our city for Jesus!
Our Lord said that He has come to give us a life of fullness! When God's favor comes into your life, a "nobody" becomes a somebody. An example of this is found in the story of Esther. The King chose her to be his queen-a nobody became a somebody in a single day (Esth. 2:16).
I believe that God is not a "respecter of persons" and what He has done for these precious ones He can do for you. When we remember the words spoken in Romans 8:31-37, especially verse 37, "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us,"it will spiritually nourish our bones and keep us spiritually fit. And just like an athlete who prepares himself for a race, we, too, need to prepare ourselves for the spiritual race... "to run the race that is set before us."
So my encouragement for you is this:
Expect from Him who is able to do more than you could think or imagine according to His great power.
As you meditate upon these keys, here is my prayer for you:
"Lord, I thank you for your goodness and faithfulness and the great blessings that follow us because of our obedience to your word. Thank you for these testimonies. I pray that those reading this message will be greatly encouraged to apply these five keys in their lives and that they will experience great blessings as a result. Lord, may they prosper in all that they do, physically, financially and spiritually. Touch them by the power of your word and make them a blessing for others. In Jesus' name. AMEN."
Todd Bentley
Visitor Comments (0)
