Celebrate! Jesus Is Alive!
Bishop Jim Swilley
It stands to reason, doesn't it, that if the alive-and-present God Who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, He'll do the same thing in you that He did in Jesus, bringing you alive to Himself? When God lives and breathes in you(and He does, as surely as He did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With His Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ's! (Romans 8:11 - The Message)
JESUS IS ALIVE...CELEBRATE TODAY! Celebrate the fact that the real, living Jesus...
...the outspoken, passionate, confrontational, provocative, liberating, counter-culture, strong and brave and totally secure-within-Himself, fully integrated Jesus...
...the Word made flesh who became Jesus, the Christ...Jesus in the now...
...the One who embodies the "I Am," the God who defies definition and description...
...the manna or the "what is it?" that came down from heaven...
...the One whose humanity is every bit as beautiful and intriguing and wonderful as is His divinity...
...the God-man who cannot be bound or limited in any way by religion or philosophy or doctrines or dogma...
...the firstborn among many siblings in the family of God who live in the 21st century is alive!!
JESUS IS ALIVE...CELEBRATE TODAY!
Celebrate that, because He lives, you can be fully alive in your life! Allow your natural senses to be quickened by God so as to heighten your awareness of His beautiful creation surrounding you! Hear, by the Spirit, the trees of the field clapping their hands in adoration to the Most High, and declare with the Psalmist, "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord"! (Psalm 150:6).
Don't be afraid when you walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Know that He is with you, and that His rod (to protect) and His staff (to guide) will aid and equip you to walk out of that valley, to successfully climb the mountain of the Lord! Celebrate that He is alive in the earth!
JESUS IS ALIVE...CELEBRATE TODAY!
Listen for the word of the Lord to you, specifically. You cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds (present tense) out of the mouth of God, so make every effort to find your rhema word in the now. His words will create an eternally living fountain within you, producing an effect that will be obvious to all who come into contact with you, including the ones who have no spiritual sensitivity.
Even the heathen will sense that there is something different and life-giving about you! The living word in and to you will re-create you to be a living epistle written on their human hearts, and you will become a manifested confirmation to them that the Word works! Because He lives, the spirit of death is rebuked, so allow the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus to continually make you free from the law of sin and death!
Celebrate resurrection today, and celebrate that He is alive in you!




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Bishop Jim Swilley is the founder and senior pastor of Church In The Now, located in Conyers, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. For more information about Bishop Swilley, visit www.churchinthenow.org or his personal blog at www.bloginthenow.blogspot.com. *Bishop Swilley is a 2009 StreamingFaith.com Guest Columnist.

© Bishop Jim Swilley all rights reserved

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Tuesday, March 03, 2009

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Prayer Meets Its Power Elder Marquis Boone "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.  Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit." - James 5:13-18 (NKJV) What is prayer? Prayer is fundamentally a two-way communication between a believer and God. In the devotion scripture for today, James is urging us that in spite of our circumstances, regardless of the economic crisis, recession, and job layoffs that we are presently dealing with, we are to live our lives "facing" God in prayer. The Will of God can sometimes be challenging. Often times, we have a hard time discerning what the Will of God is for our lives. The only true way to find God's Will is by having a prayer life. We will notice at some point in our lives, we will face times in which we are discouraged and hopeless because our future seems so unclear and uncertain. Life may be falling apart as a result of our own wrong decisions or lack of prayer. Sometimes the Lord will allow suffering to help accomplish His Will which in turn gets our attention. James says "Is any of you suffering?" He ask this question because he want us to know that arguing is not going to help. Neither is being upset or walking around sad and depressed. James says to pray during these times because he understands that prayer has power. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. If we crave to encompass an effective and powerful prayer life, it is a necessity to cultivate an attitude of boldness. Elijah was bold and prayed earnestly because he knew that his prayer was about to meet its power. This is not the time to turn your back on God because there is still power in prayer. Prayer heals. Prayer delivers. Prayer breaks the bonds that hold us. Prayer guides. Prayer conquers the adversary. Prayer grants gladness in times of suffering. Prayer responds with results even when we don't expect them. Prayer comforts. Prayer establishes. So today I challenge you to let your prayer meet its power. .. .. .... Elder Marquis Boone is the Youth Pastor and Director of R.A.W. (Real Anointed Worshippers) at New Mercies Christian Church (Lilburn, GA), under the leadership of Senior Pastor Jesse Curney, III. He is also the founder of Dream Out Loud, LLC, an organization dedicated to providing young people with practical methods on how to give their dreams an active voice. For more information about Elder Boone, log onto www.dreamoutloudtoday.com or www.therawyouth.com *Elder Boone is a 2009 StreamingFaith.com Guest Columnist.

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Friday, January 09, 2009

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Awake and Asleep Jon Acuff I read an article in last month's Men's Journal about some coal miners that died in a tragic accident. While trapped miles under the earth, with their oxygen running out and death coming quickly, the men decided to write some notes to the people they loved. One note said: "It wasn't bad. I just went to sleep." That is a gift...if you are dying. That was a kindness, a man letting his family know that he did not suffer. I was overwhelmed by the selflessness of that action. With only a few short breaths left, that man did not focus on the pain he was in, but instead used his last energy to do everything he could to ease the pain of the people he loved. But if you are alive...if you still have years ahead of you, if you are still above ground, breathing and living, that note is note a gift. It is a curse. It is a note that I wrote to describe my own life for many, many years. "It wasn't bad. I just went to sleep." Things weren't horrible, I just went to sleep. I stopped caring about anyone but me. I stopped giving and focused on taking. I let go of risk and settled into a nice, safe, comfortable life. "It wasn't bad. I just went to sleep." I am tired of living that way. Tired of writing that note. Tired of being those words. I don't know if you're like me and it's easy for you to fall asleep. Easy to focus on the wrong things. Easy to miss the love and the life and the joy God keeps whispering in the corners of your day. Well, this year, I've got two words for you: Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. That is my prayer for 2009. That I would not sleep. That I would not live a life that is really not all that alive. That I would remember Revelation 16:15, "blessed is he who stays awake." What kind of note will you write this year? .. .. Jon Acuff writes the site www.stuffchristianslike.net, has a book coming out with Zondervan in 2010, lives in Atlanta and thinks it's weird to write his own bios.

It's Better Not To Know Better
Steven Furtick

My youngest son Graham lets me throw him up in the air so high that he almost goes through the ceiling. He loves it. He just turned 1 about a month ago.

His older brother Elijah used to let me do the same thing. He's 3 now, and he doesn't like it so much any more. It scares him. Didn't used to scare him, but my wife Holly says now that he's more aware of his surroundings, being thrown in the air freaks him out. I guess that's understandable.

Sometimes our awareness of our surroundings can take the naiveté out of our faith in God. When I first came to Christ, it was like I was letting Him throw me up in the air as high as He could (or would, more like it), and it never crossed my mind that this was dangerous.

It never crossed my mind that He might drop me.

If He prompted me to speak out for Him, I spoke up. If He urged me to give something to Him, I gave.  If He wanted me to give up something for Him, I gave it up.

Then came mortgage payments, adult responsibilities and the like. Now I'm more aware of my surroundings. And it's a little more unnerving to get thrown up in the air.

It didn't frighten me at all when I didn't know any better...and sometimes I think it's better not to know any better. As a child of God, and even more so as a leader, I don't ever want to become so aware of my surroundings that I stop innately trusting God because it's dangerous.

Not that we should stay in a state of perpetual childhood. It's good to grow up, to exercise wisdom, and to analyze the risks.

But when it comes time to jump, never let your awareness of your surroundings be the final factor when deciding how high to go and how much to trust.

As you finish this year strong, find confidence in the strength of the one who caught you the last time, and who is positioned to catch you again.

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Steven Furtick is Pastor of Elevation Church, located in Charlotte, North Carolina. Under his passionate leadership, Elevation Church was named one of the 10 fastest growing churches in America. A devoted husband and father of two, you can find Steven blogging at www.stevenfurtick.com

Currently listening: Reba and Dony McGuire: Suddenly

Teach Faith to Your Child
Dr. Frederick K.C. Price

Second Corinthians 4:18:

While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Here is a paraphrase of this verse that I think helps to make this verse more clear.  The word seen is not talking about visual perception.  And that is what we have a tendency to think of--what we see visually, or from the standpoint of our five senses.

What he is talking about is the difference between sensory perception and spiritual perception.  This is the way I paraphrase it:

"While we do not look at the things which are [perceived by the senses], but at the things which are not [perceived by the senses], for [or because], the things which are [perceived by the senses], are temporary [or subject to change].  But the things which are not [perceived by the senses], are eternal [and everlasting]."

If you are going to walk by faith, you cannot allow what you see in the sense realm to dictate the terms of your existence.  Remember again, we do not deny the things in the sense realm.  They are there, they are real, but they have nothing to do with our faith, unless we allow them to. 

The way that we allow them to, is by letting them tell us how to act, what to say, and what to do.  We should be letting God by His Word tell us that.  When we let God, by His Word tell us, then we are living our lives by faith.

The problem for many people is, when they found out about living by faith, their lives were already in motion.  They were already down the road of life, and they had already put into operation some things that they did not realize they were putting into operation, by what they were believing and by what they were saying with their mouths, over a lifetime.

Most people reading this, who are adults, when they found out about the principles of tithing, were already in financial deprivation.  Most of us were like that.  We had bills up to our eyeballs.  We had credit that was stringing us out.  We were already financially out of it.  We wanted to tithe, but we could not tithe and pay the bills. 

Naturally, since we cannot see God and He does not come down here and repossess anything, we figured we could miss paying God.  but we had better pay the creditors, because they will come and get the car.  They will foreclose on our house, so we had better pay them.  Now because we are already in a credit buying mode, it is very difficult for some people to get into a position where they can begin to tithe.

If a person was trained from childhood to tithe, there would be no problem.  I have a teenage son and he already knows about tithing.  If he does not do what he knows when he grows up, he will get his behind kicked by life.  But he had the advantage to learn about this as a child.  I did not.

When I found out about this I was already in debtor's prison, so to speak.  I was out on bail.  I had to play catch up.  Had all of us become Christians as children and if we had been taught as children, then we would not have to play catch up down the road.

We did not find out about divine healing, or about walking in faith, until we were already adults.  And we had been sewing seeds that had opened the door for the enemy to have a right to put things on us all of our lives without realizing it  So now we find out about faith; now we find out about with Jesus' stripes we were healed.

Now what do I do?  I get physically attacked with something, and so I attempt to use my faith on it, but do not get any instant results. 

The question in reference to faith is, "How do I operate now?"  He tells me, do not look at the things which are seen.  But I have pain.  The x-ray says I have this growth as big as a grapefruit.  What am I supposed to do?  God said not to look at it. 

Rather, you look at the Word of God.  You have to realize that God's Word is for God's people.  For God's people as babies--as little children.  That is the reason why the writer in Proverbs said, train up a child.  He did not say, "Train up an adult."  He said, train up a child in the way he should go... (Proverbs 22:6)."  When you do you will be sowing good seed that will produce a harvest for your children and your future generations to come.
  
For more information on faith, please reference Dr. Price's book, "How Faith Works." You may call us at (800) 927-3436 or visit our website: www.faithdome.org for a complete list of his products.

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Dr. Frederick K.C. Price is the founder and pastor of Crenshaw Christian Center West in Los Angeles and CCC East in Manhattan.  To obtain more information about his ministry, please call (800) 927-3436 or visit www.faithdome.org. Click here to browse and purchase MP3 sermons by Dr. Frederick K.C. Price!

Currently reading: 21 Nights By Prince

Has The Purpose Of Praise And Worship Been Lost?
Joann Rosario

Praise and worship music is a powerful force in today's Christian world.  The praise and worship format has become the standard practice in our local churches, and the music of praise and worship is beginning to dominate the Christian and Gospel music charts.  Many major churches are even inviting well-known artists to bring their worship services to a new level of excellence.

All of that is wonderful and exciting.  But has the true purpose of praise and worship been lost?

As Believers, we attend church services in order to connect with God in a corporate setting.  That forum is the perfect opportunity for us to receive direction about matters that affect us both individually and as the Body of Christ.  We are able to grow by further searching the things that we've learned there.  Believe it or not, praise and worship is a vital part of that exchange.

We must understand the importance of praise and worship so that we can view that segment of the service a little differently.  Praise and worship is a bridge built to carry the congregation from their earthly surroundings into the Presence of God.  During that important time in the service, the Holy Spirit is able to move among the people, preparing their hearts to receive the Word of God.

The Word has the ability to produce radical change in the lives of those who receive it. Due to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit many times you see people close their eyes and even cry.  God is reaching under all the hard layers and touching their hearts by the worship experience.

It's great to have an amazing band and singers. It's awesome to have the best choir in the city and the best worship leader in the region. Unfortunately, none of those things guarantee that God will come into the room during the praise and worship service.

God's Presence must be the primary focus of that time.

Let's take a look at the life of King David.  In I Samuel 16:18, the Bible says, David was skillful in playing and the Lord was with him.  David was a skillful musician. He was so excellent that he was brought before King Saul during a very important season.  We can never forget, however, that David's skillful playing was even more impressive because the Lord was with him. The Presence of God in His music and over His life is what really set David apart from everyone else.

As a worship leader, I know that musicians and singers often place a lot of importance on being excellent creatively, but tend to neglect the Presence of the Lord. It is important to excel in our gifts and talents. We should know all the latest worship songs and the correct chords to those songs. We should take care of our voices and give God our absolute best.

I encourage all worship leaders and musicians (as well as those who are not): let's be like David.  Let us seek to have the Lord present in our lives and during our worship services. Let's pray and ask the Holy Spirit to tell us what songs to sing. Ask God to open your ears to hear His direction during the praise and worship portion of your service.

Our hearts must be focused on Him and worship must become our lifestyle.  That attitude will open the way for God's Presence to take over.  That's when Praise and Worship will truly become a life-changing experience.

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Joann Rosario is the National Music Director for Maranatha World Revival Ministries.  Headquartered in Chicago, the church currently has 400 affiliated ministries in Latin, South and Central America, as well as Africa, Europe, Mexico and the United States.  Rosario is also a top-selling recording artist on the Verity/ZOMBA label. Click here to read a review of her newest album, Joyous Salvation, or click here to purchase it!

Currently listening: Sketches of Spain By Miles Davis Release date: 1997-09-23

The Power That Works Within Us
Dr. Betty R. Price

Romans 1:16 says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek."  You receive this power when you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.  We all have it.  If we are Christians and are born again, then we all have this power. 

Most Christians don't realize what they have with this power because so many don't know what the Word of God says regarding their rights in Christ.  But glory be to God that we are everything that the Word of God says that we are.  We just need to learn how to apply His Word to our lives. 

Ephesians 1:15-22 says,

Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and 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, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

This is the power that we have-that we may know what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe.  This is the power that raised Jesus from the dead, according to Romans 8:11, "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."  This Spirit can heal your body, or do whatever you need at any given time.  The power is available to you.

However, if we don't know that, then we can't ever use it-we go around powerless and that is the way too many Christian live. They live like they don't have anything, or like they don't amount to much, they live with low self esteem, they don't think about who they are in Jesus Christ. 

Ephesians 3:14, "For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man."  That is what the church is lacking-the power of the Holy Spirit.  After you have been born again and receive salvation through Jesus then you receive the Holy Spirit to help you live the overcoming and victorious life-He is our power source. 

Ephesians 3:16 goes on to say, "that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith."  The way Christ dwells in your heart through faith is by the Word of God.  You have to get the Word of God into your heart, so when the circumstances of life come against you you will react according to the Word and not the flesh.

Romans 10:17 says, "So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God."  The more Word you get inside of you the more power you are going to have.  That power is faith in the Holy Spirit.  You can't learn enough about faith.  It is the most important thing that you could ever learn because that is what pleases God. 

Hebrews 11:6 says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God."  So this power will be at work in you if your allow it.  You have to allow the power.  You have to receive the Holy Spirit, number one by faith.  When you receive Christ you automatically have the power Christ, but you still need the Holy Spirit to help you live this overcoming victorious life. 

It is an awesome life to live once you really know what you have, what you are and what you can do in Christ.  We are not powerless and we are not helpless.  God has provided it all in Jesus Christ, but it is up to us to individually get into the Word of God and learn who we are and what we have.  This is just not some book that we have lying around and read from time to time.  When you read the Bible you are reading life into your life!

This devotional was excerpted from Dr. Betty's teaching, "The Power That Works Within Us."  To obtain a complete listing of her products, please call Customer Service at (800) 927-3436 or visit our website: www.faithdome.org.

The Truth Shall Make You Free
Alan Riley

This week the great experiment in democracy called America celebrates it's 232nd birthday.  Now admittedly, this nation is far from perfect.  There's a lot of history in those 230 years to be ashamed of - slavery, discrimination, racism, and a continuing moral decline to name a few.  But, this unique idea of government of the people, by the people and for the people has for the most part worked.  The reason that it has worked is that the driving force behind this nation's founding was a firm belief in God and in the premise that God created us all equal and free (although it took way too long to really understand that "all men are created equal" really means everybody, not just those of a certain race, class or belief system).  Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1774, "The God Who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time."

There are limits to the freedoms that can be granted or guaranteed by a nation, a government, or a system of laws, because there are things that bind and enslave us that can only be loosed in the spiritual realm.  Only God can set you free from the bondage of sin.

Jesus said, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  He wasn't talking about an objective fact.  He was talking about himself.  "I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except by me."

This week we will celebrate the freedoms we enjoy as Americans.  Freedom to worship, freedom to pursue our dreams, freedom to speak our minds.  For these we are thankful. But, while those things help us to lead happy, productive and fulfilling lives, ultimately they are not of eternal consequence.

When we place our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, we know the truth and are set free from the bondage of sin.  No more are we slaves to addiction, to legalism, to our sinful nature, to the fear of death.  The Son has set us free and we are free indeed.

On the day you were born again, you were set free.  That was your "independence day"!


Rev. Alan Riley is the Director of Web Operations for Streaming Faith and serves as the Managing Editor of StreamingFaith.com.  He is an ordained Baptist Minister and a frequent contributor to the Streaming Faith Daily Devotional.  His personal blog can be found at www.alansblog.com.

Righteousness Peace and Joy
Gregory M. Dickow

"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit." Romans 14:17

What a liberating thought! The kingdom of God is not about what we're supposed to eat and drink! While I believe in a healthy lifestyle, and eating right, Christianity MUST NOT be reduced to a set of rules and regulations. Legalism has crippled many believers, keeping them from the joy and freedom found in the true gospel. But so many get bound in the religion of rules, striving constantly to obtain God's approval and a sense of spiritual attainment and achievement.

But Christianity is not about what we put into our lives. The apostle Paul is saying in this verse Christianity is not about what we put into our lives, but what God has already put in our lives.

It's not about rules and regulations. It's not about "do this" and "don't do that". When we reduce it to that, it is legalism. It brings us back under an old covenant where we now have to perfect ourselves in order to be pleasing to God.

But the new covenant is:
1. We are cleansed by the blood of Jesus,
2. Filled with the love and Spirit of God,
3. And all that God has for us is ALREADY INSIDE of us the moment that we're born again!

From that moment forward, life is not a life of attainment, acquisition and pursuit. It's not a life of attainment, for example: "I've got to get that. I've got to have that. I've got to pursue that." Rather, the Christian life is a life of acknowledgement of what is already yours in Christ Jesus.

According to Romans 14:17, the kingdom of God is: righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. But where is the kingdom of God? Do we have to wait until we die and go to heaven to have peace, joy, and righteousness?

The answer is a resounding NO! Jesus tells us in Luke 17:21, "The kingdom of God is within you."  And if the kingdom of God is WITHIN you, then so is RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE and JOY! They are all in you-RIGHT NOW!

But how can we get these forces working for us in a practical way?

Have you ever prayed and tried to use your faith and it didn't seem like it was working? Have you ever been discouraged, disappointed, disillusioned because it didn't seem things were happening?

We need our faith to work! The key to making your faith effective is found in Philemon, verse 6, "That your faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is IN YOU in Christ Jesus."

Notice what God doesn't say....He doesn't say, "Your faith becomes effectual by the obtaining of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus, by the acquiring of every good thing, or by pursuing every good thing."

He says YOUR faith produces results: by the acknowledging of every good thing that is already IN YOU in Christ Jesus.

You don't need to try to obtain wealth or try to obtain prosperity. You have prosperity in you! And the way to turn it into real results is through acknowledging it-recognizing that is already in you, proclaiming it out of your mouth, and thanking God for it!

This is where the vast majority of people have misunderstood Christianity. This is where we have got it all wrong. If we would spend our time acknowledging every good thing that is in us, we would have more results in our life much easier than we have ever experienced. His yoke is easy!

The kingdom of God is in you. Righteousness is in you. Joy is in you. Peace is in you. Love is in you. Wisdom is in you. All of the things of God are already in you in Christ Jesus because they all abide in the Holy Spirit, and He abides in you... if you are a believer.

The Holy Spirit possesses all the prosperity that you will ever need; all of the wisdom that you will ever need; and all of the healing that you will ever need. But, when you try to obtain these things some other way, and ignore this process of acknowledgement and thanksgiving, your faith becomes ineffective, and you fail to see results.

We've got to get this. We've got realize our faith becomes effective-we get results when we acknowledge what is already in us in Christ Jesus!