belief – Page 4 – ThrivingBranch

Change Your Focus, Change Your Life

April 10, 2016April 10, 20163 Comments

There are many things in today’s culture that try to grab our focus. There are all sorts of things that aim to seize our attention and hold it. Anything from TV commercials, news broadcasts, music performances and talking heads of all sorts. They are all after one thing… you.

Whatever you put your attention on grows. What you focus on, you actually give power to. Did you know that? It sounds like new age philosophy, but it is actually in your Bible. The Holy Spirit, as the divine master teacher, taught this principle long before any new age wannabe – and the Holy Spirit actually taught it correctly – on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ. This is what we will be studying today.

Justified Freely: The Gift of Jesus to You

March 20, 2016March 20, 2016Leave a Comment

Once someone said to me: “James, I just don’t understand God.” I responded “in what way?” Because there are some aspects of God which we will never understand while still under the confines of our human brain. However there are some aspects of God which we are not only made to understand, but it is vital that we do so,. This man replied, “I don’t understand how God can still love me when I sin.”

At this point I realized that this man was struggling with something that all of us at one point have wrestled with, and many believers are still battling with this very same thought. Many still do not understand that marvelous work which Jesus Christ has done for them. Even in the church, there are a great number of people who profess Christ with their mouth, and claim to have received the gift, but they have not even started to unwrap it. So in this study today, we will be examining the gift of justification which Jesus Christ has freely given to each and every one of us, and how seeing this truth, can bring peace to any lingering doubt about where you stand in Christ today.

Jesus is Your Right to God’s Promises

February 21, 2016February 21, 2016Leave a Comment

If you have been a believer for some time, you have probably heard about the wonderful promises of God… and even if you have not believed for very long (or at all) you probably still know that such promises exist at-least – or have some level of awareness of them. It’s impossible to keep a secret on such an amazing truth as the promises of God. Promises of blessing of every kind. Starting first and foremost with salvation, and touch absolutely every area of life from health, wholeness, healing, provision, wisdom, peace and every thing named or unnamed… regardless of what it is, there is a promise from God about it.

However simply knowing that such promises exist, does very little good if we do not believe that they are for us, or know how to receive them. You may be surprised to learn that there is a growing number of believers who think that the promises either aren’t for them, or that it’s wrong to receive them. You see, the enemy knows that the promises of God are too big to keep secret, so instead he just keeps people in confusion about them. So that’s why in this study today, we will be taking a look at how Jesus is our legal right to the promises of God, and how we can receive them without any doubt.

Embrace Grace and Be at Rest

January 24, 2016November 25, 2015Leave a Comment

In the world today, things are very high-strung. People are very busy going from this thing to that thing. Always in a hurry, and always desperately seeking, but never finding true peace; true inner rest and tranquility. Now the world has many different avenues by which people try to find peace. There are many rituals and tools, and things that people pursue to chase after this inward rest.

The Bible though has another method, one which is opposite to our natural human thinking. We tend to have this idea that in order to really rest that we must shut-off our mind, empty ourselves and relax.. usually in front of the television or with music. But are those activities truly “restful”? What we will be exploring today in scripture is true Biblical rest; what it is, and how to receive it.

Trust in Jesus and See Miracles

August 2, 2015December 9, 20201 Comment

This is a foundational study today. Now please do not be put-off by the word “foundational”. Because there are many people who when they hear this word they think that it is going to be boring or that God does not have anything for them to learn here; but we are doing this today because as believers in Christ, we are supposed to be living the supernatural life, yet many of us are still in bondage; but Jesus Christ has paid to get us out of bondage and into freedom.

God is a miracle-working, almighty covenant-keeping God, and it is when we trust in Him and release to Him fully that we begin to see these things in our lives. So in this study, we are going to be exploring this truth and how to obtain victory and live the abundant life which Jesus has come to give us.

Speak the Holy Spirit’s Words for Good Success

July 19, 2015September 1, 2019Leave a Comment

Last week we studied how God will always lead us to righteousness, and how as believers today, we serve in newness of the Spirit and not the Old Covenant of the Law. We also saw that the first area that the Holy Spirit affects when He fills us, is our tongue, because when our tongue is under control, our entire body can be under control as well. There is indeed great power in our words and what we speak.

Today we will be continuing this study by taking an in-depth look at the power and benefit that comes from speaking the words of the Holy Spirit. How letting Him control our tongue can bring life and healing to not only our physical bodies, but to every area of our lives.

Imperfect Faith Does Not Disqualify You, Law Does

October 20, 2013December 22, 2019Leave a Comment

Have you ever thought that you needed to believe better in order to get something from God? Many believers (including myself in earlier years) have this idea that before we can receive from God we must believe perfectly – even though this idea is not what the Bible teaches.

For a long time now, the enemy has used this artificial faith/belief barrier to keep people from receiving all of what Jesus Christ has paid for us to have. So today we will be exposing this deceitful lie of the enemy in the light of God’s grace, so that you can see there is nothing standing between you and God today, not even your own faith.

Gods’ Room

February 14, 2012January 21, 2015Leave a Comment

Where does God live? When asked this question, many believers will say “in Heaven”, while many children fresh out of Sunday School will answer “in my heart”. While this may be a very pleasant thing to think, the scriptures have something different to say regarding this question, and the answer lends itself to explain why many are not experiencing the richly fulfilling relationship with Christ that they so desperately need.