Miracle-Grow

Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. —Acts 6:8

Stephen was a man, a deacon in the church, but something separated him from the other Christians. He was full of faith and power. Because Stephen was full of faith, we can determine that Stephen was full of the Word, because “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17 nkjv). The results of him being full of faith were that he did—notice, not God did, but he did—great wonders and miracles among the people. Why did he do wonders and miracles? Because God chose him to do them? Because God decided to use him in wonders and miracles? Because Stephen was specially called by God? No! Because he was full of faith and power! Every born-again believer has “the measure of faith” (Romans 12:3). Every believer has the opportunity to allow their measure to grow and increase. You decide how much Word you hear and how much Word you act on. The same spiritual position of being full of faith is available to you. You, too, can be a person full of faith and power. You, too, can be a person who does great wonders and miracles among the people. There is a need for miracles in the world today. Sickness, disease, fear, and demons are running loose. God needs people full of faith and power like never before in the earth today. Will you be a Stephen? Will you be full of faith and power? Will you do great wonders and miracles?

Pastor Tom Kehres

Pleasing God

But without faith it is impossible to please [God]. —Hebrews 11:6

You can go to church to please God, pray to please Him, and give money to charity to please Him, but without faith, it is impossible to please God. If faith is the way to please God, then it is essential to study and live by faith so that we may be God-pleasers. When God gave you the measure of faith (Romans 12:3), He gave you the ability to please Him. As you hear the Word and study the Word and act on the Word, your faith will grow. As your faith grows, your ability to please God will grow with it. Once again, you will determine how much you please God by how much you develop your faith. Faith is pleasing to God because it is pleasing to God for you to live a victorious lifestyle. The freer you become through faith, the more God is pleased with your life. You are His child, the love of His life. He desires that you live on top, full of joy, full of faith. Faith is “the victory that overcomes the world” (1 John 5:4, emphasis added). God desires that you live as a world-overcomer. The more faith you have, the greater the victory you have, and the more pleasing to God you become. If faith is pleasing to God, then doubt, worry, and fear would be displeasing to God. Faith is having God’s Word in your heart and in your mouth. Fear and doubt is having something other than God’s Word in your heart and in your mouth. Am I walking by faith? Am I pleasing to God today? Just check what is coming out of your mouth, and you will know if you are in faith or in fear. Your words will tell on you if you have been hearing the wrong things. I will walk by faith! I will hear the Word! I will live in victory! I am pleasing to God!

Pastor Tom Kehres

Desire the Word!

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby. —1 Peter 2:2

When you were born again, you became a spiritual baby in the things of God. Peter compares a born-again Christian to a human baby. The human baby is helpless. He cannot feed himself, change himself, or care for himself. He just cries when he is hungry so that someone will bring him a bottle of milk. Without milk, the child will never grow or be nourished and strong. Can you imagine a nineteen-year-old crying and screaming because he needs a bottle of milk? Doesn’t that sound ridiculous? Yet we have Christians all over the world who have been born again for many years, and they are still spiritual babies in the things of God. They have never desired or received the spiritual nourishment they need to grow thereby. They expect someone else to feed them and to change them when they get in a mess. The only thing they are lacking is the sincere milk of the Word. The Word is your spiritual food, your spiritual vitamins. As you hear and study the Word, the Spirit of God will take it and make it alive in your life. You will grow thereby to a place of sonship and maturity in God. Soon you will taste and see that the Lord (or the Word) is gracious (1 Peter 2:3). The Word will start to get in your mouth and will dispel the things that do not belong in your mouth. Words of doubt will leave, words of worry will go, and praise and thanksgiving will take their place. What is happening? You are growing thereby. Desire the Word! Read it even when you do not desire it. You will still grow thereby.

Pastor Tom Kehres

Faith Grows

We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly. —2 Thessalonians 1:3

Paul was in a rejoicing mood. He was excited and thanking God because the faith of the Thessalonians was growing exceedingly. Faith was given to you so that it would be used and so that it would grow. One way faith increases is by constantly hearing the Word of God. The more Word you hear, the more your faith will grow. A little Word will produce little faith, no Word will keep faith from operating, but a lot of Word will produce great faith. Who determines how much faith you have? Is it God? Does He give one person little faith and another great faith? No, “God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34). He did not give great faith to one and a little faith to another—He gave the measure of faith to all (Romans 12:3). Now, that measure will grow at the rate that you hear the preached Word. You can choose to be a faith giant or choose to live as a natural Christian. If you choose to be a person who hears the Word and lives by faith, soon many of the troubles and problems you used to struggle with will no longer hold you back. The Word will become more real than what you see in the natural. Peace will start to rule your heart, and praise will begin to fill your mouth. What is happening? The Word of God (God and His Word are one) will begin to be the Lord of every area in your life. Worry and negative talk are a sign that your Word level is getting low. Go back to the Word, the promises, the recordings and online teachings, and fill up your spiritual tank again. Speak the Word at every opportunity and stay hungry and hot for the things of God. You will find that a life of great faith will be the result.

Pastor Tom Kehres