http://new.walkingbyfaith.tv/journal en duane@reslife.org Copyright 2012 2012-01-23T17:01:39+00:00 http://www.walkingbyfaith.tv/site/god_is_up_to_something/ http://www.walkingbyfaith.tv/site/god_is_up_to_something/#When:16:01:39Z Wow! Our current TV series,”Get Back,” is really resonating with viewers!  Just last week, we received calls from over 100 viewers who saw the program and decided to receive God’s gift of salvation. Lots more viewers were encouraged and inspired to whole-heartedly pursue God. I’d say that God is up to something! Each message of this five-week series is based on a lesson from the life of Elisha, a prophet who had a double portion of God’s anointing.  Elisha wasn’t a man who just sat back and waited for good things to happen to him. No. He went for it! And, as a result, his life was filled with miracles. One of the lessons his life exemplifies is that victory doesn’t come in one moment…instead, it comes after many small victories that prepare you for success and help you build momentum. Like Elisha, you and I can press into God and start preparing for a miracle! What will it take? Watch this week’s program and find out! Encouragement 2012-01-23T16:01:39+00:00 http://www.walkingbyfaith.tv/site/get_back_-_regaining_your_spiritual_momentum/ http://www.walkingbyfaith.tv/site/get_back_-_regaining_your_spiritual_momentum/#When:13:36:22Z Hello and welcome to Walking By Faith! We have just begun a new TV series on regaining your spiritual momentum. I believe God will use these messages to help you get back to where you belong spiritually! In the first message, we look at a somewhat obscure miracle found in 2 Kings 6:1-7 where a young man loses an iron axe head in the Jordan river. The prophet Elisha tells the man to “go back to the place where you lost it.” Then God does the supernatural and, through Elisha, literally makes the axe head swim to shore! I don’t want to tell the whole account here, but as you watch the program, realize that the axe head can be likened to the power of God in our lives, the sharpness we need to live in the victory Christ purchased for us. It represents His grace and His supernatural ability operating in your life. If you seem to have lost the axe head, don’t keep on swinging away, hoping that no one will notice. You’ll only tire yourself out. God wants you to recover everything that has been lost so you can regain spiritual momentum, and this series is going to help you do just that! Encouragement 2012-01-16T13:36:22+00:00 http://www.walkingbyfaith.tv/site/hope_for_a_better_marriage/ http://www.walkingbyfaith.tv/site/hope_for_a_better_marriage/#When:16:16:05Z Here at Walking By Faith, we are just finishing a 4-week series on marriage. As it concludes, I want to share a few thoughts. God designed marriage to be “for keeps.”  He said, “Therefore, shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). It wasn’t by accident that He used the word “cleave.” It means to “stick together like glue.” His plan is for one man and one woman to be together – to be adhered together as if by glue (not Velcro) - for one lifetime. This requires that the man and the woman commit themselves to each other for their entire lives. It sounds perfect, don’t you think? But your marriage, like every other, is made up of two imperfect people, and imperfect people do not make perfect marriages. Still, whether your marriage needs a little “tweaking” or seems beyond repair, there is hope that it can be better. In fact, hope can be to your marriage what a transfusion is to someone who has lost a great deal of blood! Remember this: all things are possible with God. In Ephesians 1:18-20, as Paul prayed for the believers, he prayed that they would know “…what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.” Think about it: we serve a God who was able to resurrect His Son from the dead. And He makes that same resurrection power available to you – and your marriage! “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV). If your marriage is not good, it can be. If it is already good, it can be even better. Check out our article, Hope for Your Marriage, and stir up some fresh hope today! Marriage 2012-01-09T16:16:05+00:00 http://www.walkingbyfaith.tv/site/2012_your_best_year/ http://www.walkingbyfaith.tv/site/2012_your_best_year/#When:03:01:30Z HAPPY NEW YEAR from all of us here at Walking By Faith. We are believing God for great things in 2012, and we are praying for each of our friends, partners and viewers that this would be your best year so far! Like always at the beginning of a new year, I have been hearing a lot of talk about New Year’s resolutions. How about you? Have you made any? Here’s one list that I came across: 1) Get physically fit. 2) Break bad habits. 3) Enjoy life more. 4) Spend more time with family. 5) Improve financial condition. 6) Do something significant. 7) Become a more spiritual person. That just about covers it all…or does it? You see, people make New Year’s resolutions because they want something new and better than they’ve had in the previous year. Certainly each of the items in this list, if followed through, could help make that happen. While I certainly believe that 2012 can be your best year ever, it is not going to happen simply because you make a list. However, it will happen if you choose to make your relationship with God your #1 priority. In Matthew 6:33, Jesus urges us to “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” and He promises that when we do, “all these things will be added” to us. In other words, when you put God first, the new year can be the best year you’ve ever experienced in your family, in your relationships, at your job, in your habits…in all things. So I encourage you to make just one resolution this year: to make 2012 your best year spiritually. How do you do that? By getting closer to God than ever before. When you do, 2012 be your best year in ALL ways! God bless you…and Happy New Year! 2011-12-31T03:01:30+00:00 http://www.walkingbyfaith.tv/site/merry_christmas/ http://www.walkingbyfaith.tv/site/merry_christmas/#When:19:01:49Z From the hilltops to the valleys, in the city and in the country, wonderful memories from Christmases gone by warm even the coldest of hearts giving each of us opportunities to share “good tidings of great joy.” God’s desire was spoken long before the first Christmas. As it was written by the prophet Isaiah: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel.” God revealed His heart to us when He chose that name, which is translated, “God with us.” He gave the whole world the very first Christmas present, the gift of His Son, the gift of His presence. This Christmas, I want to remind you to ”...keep seeking those things which are above, where Christ is…set your mind on things above, not on things here on earth” (Colossians 3:1-2). I hope you enjoy this wonderful time of year by celebrating the best gift of all with your family and friends. But please don’t let yourself get so caught up in all the “doings” of the season that you miss the presence of the Lord. May you enjoy His presence more and more throughout the coming year. Merry Christmas from all of us at Walking By Faith! 2011-12-21T19:01:49+00:00 http://www.walkingbyfaith.tv/site/a_thought_on_marriage/ http://www.walkingbyfaith.tv/site/a_thought_on_marriage/#When:00:42:00Z I believe God intends marriage to be a little bit of heaven on earth. That’s the kind of marriage Jeanie and I have, but I know from divorce statistics that many couples are experiencing just the opposite. You probably don’t have to think very hard to come up with two or three couples you know who are contemplating divorce because their marriage seems beyond help or because they have “fallen in love with someone else.” I want to go on record as saying that I am glad there isn’t anything or anyone who is beyond help in God’s eyes. He is able to turn seemingly impossible situations around because nothing is impossible for Him. We just need to humble ourselves and place those situations in His capable hands. That said, one of the most important things you and I can do to prevent affairs and marriage failure is to commit and keep on committing ourselves to God and His plan for marriage. His Word tells us, “Be faithful to your own wife and give your love to her alone” (Proverbs 5:15). That’s about as plain as it can be. You will be assured of a much stronger marriage when you and your spouse walk closely with the Lord. As you welcome Him into your relationship and put Him first in everything – you can have an affair-proof marriage.  Let’s see if we can turn those divorce statistics around! Marriage 2011-12-12T00:42:00+00:00 http://www.walkingbyfaith.tv/site/thanks_giving/ http://www.walkingbyfaith.tv/site/thanks_giving/#When:13:09:56Z I really enjoy this time of year, and I especially like the reminder to pause and give thanks to God on the day we Americans call Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, in many homes, there won’t be much thanks given. Oh, one person in the house may pray one prayer over one meal. But really, between watching parades and football, entertaining and now even early “Black Friday” shopping, many people will hardly give God a thought, much less thanks. That doesn’t have to be the case in your home. You don’t have to just eat turkey and watch football. You can take time to recognize that all you are and all you have come from God. Here’s my “top four list” of What I’m Thankful For: 1) God’s grace to me. I’m thankful for all He does for me even though I do not deserve it. Aren’t you glad He gives us what we need, not what we deserve? 2) God’s plan for my life. He has a plan and a purpose for me…and for you. Our lives are not accidents, and He can take even our mistakes and turn them around for our good and His glory. 3) The home God is preparing for me in heaven. You ane I were created to live forever, and because of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, we can live with Him here on the earth and forever with Him in heaven. By the way, only a fool would live knowing that death is inevitable and not do something to prepare for it. Afterall, the mortality rate for humans is 100%! 4) That God is still working in me and changing me. The Bible tells us that He takes us from faith to faith…and from glory to glory…into the image of Jesus! So, this Thanksgiving (and every day, for that matter), won’t you join me in taking some time to praise and thank God? Every day can be a great day to renew your heart of service and giving to Him. And there’s no better time than now to tell others what God has done for you. Happy Thanks Giving! 2011-11-21T13:09:56+00:00 http://www.walkingbyfaith.tv/site/not_the_great_omission/ http://www.walkingbyfaith.tv/site/not_the_great_omission/#When:14:56:07Z Thanks for stopping by our site today! Today, I want to write about the important mission of reaching our world with the message of Jesus Christ. After Jesus’ death on the cross, He was buried and then resurrected on the third day. Before He ascended into heaven, He appeared to his disciples in Galilee and gave them these instructions: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). This section of Scripture is known as the Great Commission, but sadly, many have taken it as the Great Suggestion…and to them it has become the Great Omission. As Jesus’ last recorded words to his disciples, it should hold great significance to every follower of Christ. It is the foundation for evangelism and missions work. Because Jesus’ instructions were to go to all nations - and because He said He would be with us until the very end of the age - Christians of all generations have embraced this command. God wants each of us to put our faith into action, reaching others with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What will you do? I hope you will take a bit of time to watch Reaching Your World and let God speak to your heart about what He’d have you do. Also on this particular program, you’ll learn how your gifts to Walking By Faith from now through the end of the year will be matched to make DOUBLE THE DIFFERENCE in reaching people in 170 nations with the Gospel. Thank you and God bless you! 2011-11-07T14:56:07+00:00 http://www.walkingbyfaith.tv/site/it_does_matter/ http://www.walkingbyfaith.tv/site/it_does_matter/#When:14:08:00Z Awhile back, my wife Jeanie and I were talking about what probably is the devil’s most often used lie – “it doesn’t really matter.”  If you think about it, that was part of the deceitful trap the devil set for Eve in the very beginning. What’s worse is, many are still being deceived by it today.  How many times has the devil whispered to you something like this: “It doesn’t really matter if you pray…if you go to church…if you choose to forgive…if you tithe…if you do the right thing…”?  However, in Malachi 3:14, we see that God was not at all pleased when people said, “It is useless to serve God; what profit is it that we have kept His ordinance…”  It is good for us to remember that our daily choices DO matter - especially when it comes to Satan-proofing our lives and homes! Psalm 58:11 tells, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely He is God who judges in the earth.” Let’s continually submit to God, resist the devil by refusing to listen to his lies, and serve God wholeheartedly! Encouragement 2011-10-25T14:08:00+00:00 http://www.walkingbyfaith.tv/site/say_what_god_says/ http://www.walkingbyfaith.tv/site/say_what_god_says/#When:13:42:30Z I’m quite confident that you are seeking God’s best – not the devil’s worst - for your life and for your home. If so, Mark 11:22-23 should be important to you: Jesus said, “Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.” Jesus is saying that there needs to be a connection between your mouth and your heart. When you declare the Word of God with your mouth and believe it in your heart, He said you will have what you say. This is why it is so important that to keep yourself in agreement with God’s Word. Instead of talking about how big our problems are, let’s realize and talk about how BIG God is! When it comes to Satan-proofing your life and home, keep on putting the Word of God in your heart and speaking it with your mouth.  When your heart and what you say agrees with God, then Jesus said, you will have whatever you say!   Faith 2011-10-18T13:42:30+00:00