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Pastor Dave Martin
The Just Live by Faith
“Then the Lord answered me and said:
‘Write the vision
And make it plain on tablets,
That he may run who reads it.
For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry.’”
Greatness is inside each of us. The great God who created us in His image also gave us the greatness in Him. We must understand that while the person of Jesus prepares you for Heaven, the principles of Jesus prepare you for Earth. The secret to success is in the Bible. We need to learn the keys that will lead us to the future God has in store for us.
In the world, there will be trials and tribulations. But God’s Word encourages us to be of good cheer. We can lighten up and keep going because Jesus has already overcome the world. He has conquered the enemy. Declare this: “The rest of my life will be the best of my life. The rest of my year will be the best of my year.”
Victorious Secrets: Seek God’s Wisdom
Not everything that happens in our lives is the will of God. We must understand that our decisions shape our destiny and that there are rewards for obedience and penalties for disobedience. Some of us leave our lives to fate that we forget that God has provided us with His wisdom so we can make better choices. And if you seek wisdom, you can better navigate the rest of this year. If you have wisdom, your godly and wise decisions will shape your destiny.
One person said, “You can’t go back and start over again, but you can start from now and make a brand new end.” You can start now and create a brand new end. And that is why we need to keep learning. Remember Hosea 4:6:
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.”
Sometimes, the difference between where you are and where you want to be is just what you know. The Bible says that we must get wisdom. Proverbs 1:5 reminds us that a wise person will increase in learning. Proverbs 3 tells us that wisdom is valuable than silver, more profitable than gold, and more precious than rubies. Nothing you could wish for is as valuable as wisdom. We should strive to learn something new every single day. If you want tomorrow to be different, you’ve got to increase what you know. We must get wisdom even in the little things.
Words That Would Lead to Victory
The First Word: Forget
Would you like God to get involved in helping you forget? Sometimes, we have a hard time forgetting things, but God will help us forget all our troubles.
In Joseph’s story in the Bible, he didn’t forget his family. But he chose to forget the pain they had caused. He didn’t remember the pain because his blessing was so prominent in the present that it shrunk the size of yesterday’s pain.
Do you want God to bless you so much in your present that you forget about all the pain of yesterday? Forgetting is not the inability to recall. Forgetting means that something has been put in the memory that made it all come together. What the devil meant for evil, God meant for good (Genesis 50:20).
The only way to starve yesterday is through silence. When you talk, it fuels. When your words energize, your words dominate your conversation. Words are powerful. God created the whole world with words. The only way you’ll make the rest of this year better than the first part of this year is to forget what happened, forget the offenses of others, and starve them through silence. Your words are powerful. The Bible tells us life and death are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). You eat the fruit of what you say. You can speak life. You can speak death. You can speak positively. You can speak negatively. For many of us, we have to practice speaking life into our circumstances. Life and death are in the power of the tongue. The Bible says your words are powerful.
Forgiving doesn’t mean mindlessly trusting in someone. When you’re young, you trust; when you’re mature, you test. It’s important to forgive and let go of past hurts. There is a need to test one’s character before building or rebuilding relationships. If someone has hurt you in the past, you need to release the burden of seeking revenge and let God deal with those who wronged you. With God’s grace, we can forget the past and move forward. We must focus on the future and choose to be no longer weighed down by the past. Embrace new beginnings. Let go of regrets. Choose to move forward with a forgiving heart. You can create a bright future filled with hope and purpose with God’s favor.
The Second Word: Remember
Deuteronomy 8:2 says:
“And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.”
Furthermore, Deuteronomy 8:18 also says:
“And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
Remembering God’s goodness is a powerful source of strength, hope, and gratitude. Reflecting on the countless moments of grace, provision, and protection in our lives fills our hearts with a profound sense of awe and appreciation. It reminds us of His unwavering love, faithfulness, and care, even during our most challenging times. Each memory becomes a testimony of His guiding hand, leading us through wilderness moments and providing rivers in the dry wastelands of our lives. Remembering God’s goodness gives us confidence in His promises and reassures us that He will continue to be with us, leading us forward into the future. It inspires us to trust in His plans, knowing that the same God who has brought us through past trials will faithfully carry us through whatever lies ahead. With gratitude in our hearts, we embrace each day with the assurance that His goodness endures forever and His presence will never leave our side.
The Third Word: Appreciation
Whatever you recognize, you become thankful for. And whatever you’re thankful for increases in your life. The key is to recognize all the things God does, even the little things. You can always say, “Thank You, Lord, for favor.”
Appreciate everything. Appreciate the rest of the year. Appreciate every day. Be thankful for waking up in the morning, and having breath in your body. Honor God with your tithe. When you realize that you won’t have anything if it wasn’t for God, it would be easy for you to give back to Him. Tithing is not a money test. It’s a trust test.
When you tithe, you tell God, “I trust you.” And when you do this, He will open up the windows of Heaven and pour out blessings that there won’t be enough room to hold it. Tithing keeps the windows of Heaven open over your life so that God can pour out blessings on you.
You can give God an offering after giving your tithe, but your offering determines what comes out the window. You can tithe for a long time, but your blessing comes through your seed. So you honor God with the tithe; above that, your offering determines your increase. So you open up the windows of Heaven. Now God can pour blessings on you that you don’t have enough room to receive.
The tithe belongs to God. But our offering comes out of our appreciation for Him. When we learn about and develop a spirit of generosity, we will discover He enables us to give. We give by faith. Faith is a muscle. If you want a muscle to grow, what do you do? You exercise it . You got to stretch it; you got to work it out. We serve a big God. And to Him, all things are possible. We can think big.
When you give, hear His voice, be obedient to His voice, and do it with expectation, expecting that He will do what He said He will do. God says that He will bring a harvest. Let Him speak to your heart.
The Fourth Word: Teach
Everybody needs a mentor and a protege. You can learn and impart many things to others. A good way for you to remember is by teaching. When you know something, you can share it with others. You can teach respect. You can teach about God’s faithfulness. As you learn, others can do the same from you.
The Fifth Word: Write
Write down some scriptures that you need to remember. Write them on an index card or put them in the reminders in your phone. Set an alert where you will be reminded of the Scriptures throughout the day.
Remember, write the vision. Write down all the blessings. Keep a little journal, even in your phone, where you just type in the blessings that God does and gives. When you look back, you will realize just how good God has been to you.
Write down your goals. Remember where you’re headed. And as you look at your list, pray.
The Sixth Word: Prayer
Remember and write down important scriptures, blessings, and goals for the rest of the year. Pray for others, such as your church and pastor, as it will strengthen the connection and reduce criticism. When you reflect and pray, you will have a deeper relationship with God. There is power in prayer and significance in expressing gratitude.
Go beyond your personal prayer time. Commit to the church’s prayer meeting. There is always power when you talk to God in prayer. The people who pray make a difference. It changes your perspective and your situation. It allows you to focus on God.
The Seventh Word: Obedience
If you want to be at the right place at the right time, just obey. The moment you obey, there will be a parade of miracles that will come into your life. Sow a seed of obedience now and reap it at the God-ordained time.
Obedience is the only thing that God requires of us. He doesn’t care about all the good works and the deeds. He’s not impressed by our sacrifice. He wants something other than our money. He owns everything, but the economy of Heaven is obedience. Obedience is everything.
Hebrews 11:6 says that God rewards those who diligently seek Him. Start walking in obedience, and you will see the hand of God magnified in your life, the blessings of God multiplied. Just start doing the things that you know to do. God’s already been telling you to do, and watch what happens. Follow the will of God. It’s amazing what happens when you obey.
The smallest act of obedience is the hinge on the door that authorizes God to do miracles in your life. Little hinges open up big doors. Small acts of obedience open up big doors for God to get involved in your life. The key to experiencing God’s favor lies not in our striving but in surrendering to His will and making Him the center of our lives. With each act of obedience, no matter how small, we open up vast opportunities for divine intervention.
Let us journey forward confidently, knowing that as we trust God, He will lead us to places beyond our imagination, and the best is yet to come. Watch the full sermon here:
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