If this is the first page on this site that you've visited I want to welcome you!

Please take a minute to review the Home page as this will give you an overview of what this site contains. In addition to the Living in the Overflow study, there are also several Christian articles, Bible verses by topic, and recommended websites, books and CD's which have been life changing for me. I have also included practical tips, articles, and free forms to help you get organized and simplify every day life. I hope this site will be a blessing to you.

Kind Regards,

Christy (Your Host)

The Foundation of Love and Grace

We see in various verses that love is the greatest commandment and the foundation for all promises in the Bible. It's when we walk in love that God reveals Himself to us because He is Love.

I Corinthians 13:13

And so faith, hope, love abide [faith--conviction and belief respecting man's relation to God and divine things; hope--joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love--true affection for God and man, growing out of God's love for and in us], these three; but the greatest of these is love.

I John:7-8

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is (springs) from God; and he who loves [his fellowmen] is begotten (born) of God and is coming [progressively] to know and understand God [to perceive and recognize and get a better and clearer knowledge of Him]. He who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love.

John 14:21

The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.]

A sign of God's love is His grace and mercy. God had mercy on us when we were yet sinners and put into action an intricate redemption plan to purchase our freedom. We receive help from God because of His grace (unmerited favor) in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16) It's because of God's grace that we can receive our inheritance as joint-heirs with Christ.

Romans 5:2

Through Him also we have [our] access (entrance, introduction) by faith into this grace (state of God's favor) in which we [firmly and safely] stand. And let us rejoice and exult in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God.

Romans 11:6

But if it is by grace (His unmerited favor and graciousness), it is no longer conditioned on works or anything men have done. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace [it would be meaningless].

Romans 4:16

Therefore, [inheriting] the promise is the outcome of faith and depends [entirely] on faith, in order that it might be given as an act of grace (unmerited favor), to make it stable and valid and guaranteed to all his descendants-not only the devotees and adherents of the Law, but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, who is [thus] the father of us all.

A good way to grasp the full meaning of grace is through an example. Picture yourself sitting on the floor. There is nothing to support your back so you have to lean on your arms. Your arms are doing the work of holding you up. Now, picture yourself in a sturdy chair with a back and arms. You have confidence that the chair will support you so you lean back and relax. You don't have to "work" anymore because the chair is doing the work for you.

This is an example of God's grace. We don't have to struggle to help ourselves because God's grace is there to support us. It is given freely to those who call upon Him. We trust that He will supply our needs and relax in knowing that He will take care of every situation.

Another interesting thing about this example is that because you're arms are not working to take care of your basic necessities (in this case to support your weight), you can raise them up towards heaven. God is our source and our provider. He never intended for us to work for our provisions. He wanted us to lean on Him for support and simply raise our hands towards heaven to receive His grace (and all of the promises that come with it) by faith.

Do You Have Your Title Deed to God's Promises?

Faith Sees Results!

A title deed is proof of ownership. Did you know that we have a title deed to God's promises?

Hebrews 11:1 says:

Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things (we) hope for, being the proof of things (we) do not see and the conviction of their reality (faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses.)

This means that your faith and confidence in what God promised in His Word is the title deed to the result that you are believing for. It's what promises that you can have what God said in His Word and gives you the authority to take it as yours.

For example, let's say I bought a car from a dealer today. Even though I am leaving the car there so that they can change the oil, the car is rightfully mine. I own it. I have the title deed to the car even though it's sitting in a dealership lot. It's bought and paid for. I just haven't driven it home yet.

It's the same with healing, prosperity and all of the other promises of God. God actually took an oath and swore on Himself (because there was no one higher than Him) to prove that it is impossible for God to prove false or deceive us. What He promised is our covenant right and it will come to pass if we stand, unwavering in our faith.

Hebrews 6:13-14

For when God made [His] promise to Abraham, He swore by Himself, since He had no one greater by who to swear, Saying, Blessing, I certainly will bless you and multiplying I will multiply you.

Hebrews 6:17-18

Accordingly God also, in His desire to show more convincingly and beyond doubt to those who were to inherit the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose and plan, intervened (mediated) with an oath. This was so that, by two unchangeable things [His promise and His oath] in which it is impossible for God ever to prove false or deceive us, we who have fled [to Him] for refuge might have mighty indwelling strength and strong encouragement to grasp and hold fast the hope appointed for us and set before [us].

Our faith in God's Word is our assurance or title deed that guarantees that the promises are ours because of what Jesus did on the cross. Just because the natural circumstances or your physical body hasn't caught up with the promise yet doesn't mean that you don't have it. God promised it therefore it is yours. You just need to stay in faith, speak God's truth in the situation, take your authority when necessary and believe that you will see it physically manifest.

Why is Faith So Important?

God designed His kingdom to function under certain principles. Faith is a key element in God's system just like love. In fact, they work hand in hand. Once we learn about God's great love for us, we can then start to believe that He will do what He promised. This is why we are told to have childlike faith. When a child has complete trust in his parent, he has no doubt that they are going to go get ice cream this afternoon because that's what the parent promised. The child doesn't waver and wonder if it will really happen. The child doesn't consider other options and think "what if my dad doesn't come through for me." When a child knows that he knows that he is loved, he has unwavering, confident trust and expectation.

We need to have that same confident trust (faith) in God. He loved us so much that He sent His only Son to suffer and die for us. That one verse alone should build your faith. But it gets better. The Bible is full of promises that our Father guarantees. But, we can only attain those promises by functioning under His kingdom principles. We have to accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord. We have to confess our sins. We have to walk in love. We have to let go and let God. We have to believe even when the circumstances don't look good. We have to speak God's Word about our situation. Faith is so important that God even told us that it was not possible to please Him without it. This is because faith is a key element in being able to receive all that God has planned for us.

Hebrews 11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].

Hebrews 10:38

But the just shall live by faith...

The Faith and Love Connection

Faith can only work with love. To get a visual of this, picture a door. Faith and love are the hinges that the door hangs on. We can't go far without that foundation. Without both hinges, the door is not going to swing open. If we look closely at the door we see a big lock. The only key that can unlock the door is Jesus.

Now that the door is unlocked we need to push it open. How do we do that? We open the door by acting on our faith.

James 2:17

So also faith, if it does not have works (deeds and actions of obedience to back it up), by itself is destitute of power (inoperative, dead).

Some people mistakenly think that this is telling us that we need to do good works. This comes from the premise that we have to earn our salvation and God's forgiveness. The fact is that we could never donate enough money, volunteer enough hours, say enough Hail Mary's or do enough penance that can do more than what Jesus did on the cross. It's through Him that we get back in relationship with God and have access to God's promises. The "work" we are to do are acts of obedience. (James 1:22, 25)

What acts of obedience? It's putting into action what God told us to do in His Word. The Bible tells us that the just live by faith. Why demonstrate our faith in action? This is how we receive all of God's promises. It's because of God's grace through our faith. This means we need to be actively developing and using our faith. We are to seek God will all of our heart and put Him first in our lives. We are to speak to mountains in our lives and tell them to move. We are to speak to non-existent things and bring them into existence. We are to say what God says about us and about our situation. We are to walk in love with all men. We are to owe no man nothing but to love him. We are to be slow to anger. The list goes on and on. Those are actions that demonstrate our belief that God will do what He said if we do our part which is to obey.

In John 6:27-29 we see further reference to doing the works of God. Jesus is telling them to stop toiling and working so hard for natural things that are temporal and will spoil. He tells them to do works that produce eternal results. They ask what they are to do. Jesus tells them:

John 6:29

Jesus replied, This is the work (service) that God asks of you: that you BELIEVE in the One Whom He has sent [that you cleave to, trust, rely on, and have faith in His Messenger].

Faith is backing your beliefs with action. If you believe that God said to speak to the mountain, then speak to it. If you believe that God said that you were healed, then act like it. Once the Word of God gets deep in your heart and becomes revelation, you need to step out and act on it.

With all that said, there are a few key points to keep in mind. First, let's go back to the example of the door. It wasn't our faith or our actions that put the promises on the other side of the door in our earlier example. God put them there because of His grace. We access the promises BECAUSE OF God's grace THROUGH our faith that believes the promises are there. We cannot DO anything to earn God's promises and blessings. We can only receive them freely by grace through our faith.

Romans 11:6

But if it is by grace (His unmerited favor and graciousness), it is no longer conditioned on works or anything men have done. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace [it would be meaningless].

Romans 4:16

Therefore, [inheriting] the promise is the outcome of faith and depends [entirely] on faith, in order that it might be given as an act of grace (unmerited favor), to make it stable and valid and guaranteed to all his descendants-not only the devotees and adherents of the Law, but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, who is [thus] the father of us all.

Second, faith is like a muscle and it takes time to build it. You do this by reading, hearing and speaking the Word which builds your faith. (Romans 10:17) Start acting on your faith by believing for a good parking space, a new pair of shoes or healing from a cold. Once your faith is stronger, you can believe for bigger things like a new car, healing from a serious illness, or miraculous debt cancellation for your mortgage. Remember, God is only limited by what you believe. Nothing is impossible with Him (Luke 1:37, Mark 10:27) therefore take the lid off what you believe God can do.

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Angel Faith Bookmarks

This adorable set of bookmarks lets you express your faith in the sweetest way. Adorable angels from The Morehead Collection grace the front of each below a Scriptural quote. Click the picture for more details. (When I checked on April 6, 2010 these were half off!)

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Seeing Is Not True Believing

Are you limited by the "I'll believe it when I see it" mentality? I purposely said limited because if God is going to do the impossible in your life, you need to believe past what you can see. Having faith in what you see is belief based on experience. True, Biblical faith is believing when you can't see it.

II Corinthians 5:7

For we walk by faith [we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervor;thus we walk] not by sight or appearance.

II Corinthians 4:18

Since we consider and look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal (brief and fleeting), but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting.

In order to function in God's system, we need to change what we base our beliefs on. Many things that we see right now are temporary. That means that they are subject to change. Why would we want to put our faith and trust in something that is probably going to change? That isn't a very steady foundation. This is why God tells us to put our faith in the unseen because that is eternal. The unseen are the promises in the Bible that we don't see with our physical eyes yet. However, we know that they will manifest at some time because God's Word is eternal and what He said will come to pass. We need to soak in God's Word so that they become revelation knowledge to us. This unwavering faith will cause us to say "I walk by faith and not by sight" and will allow us to receive all the blessings that God has in store for us!

Hope is the blueprint to your future!

Did you ever notice that no one hopes that something bad will happen? Hope is always associated with good.

We hope to get a good grade on a test or hope that we get the job promotion. We hope that we have money to pay off the mortgage or hope to be healed. The Bible brings hope to people because it is the good news that tells us the good things God has done for us. This is why Romans 15:13 tells us that God is the author of hope.

Now I'm sure you've heard people say they are "hoping and a praying" that something will happen. Unfortunately, in these cases, hope is defined as a wish that may or may not come true. It isn't based on any facts or a guarantee. The true meaning of hope is favorable and confident expectation. It is . . .

Anticipation

Excitement

Assurance

Confirmation

A Guaranteed Outcome

A Done Deal

So, how can you be confident that something will happen?

Hebrews 10:23 tells us to hold fast to our hope because God is reliable and faithful to His Word. We learn in I Corinthians 1:9 and 10:13 that God can be depended on and is trustworthy. That means what God said in His Word He will do.

Have you ever stopped to absorb all of the wonderful promises in the Bible? For example . . .

*God has guaranteed that we will have victory. I Corinthians 15:57, II Corinthians 2:14

*God will supply to the full ALL of our needs. Philippians 4:19

*God wants us to be prosperous and abundantly supplied in every area of our life. II Corinthians 8:9

*We have strength for ALL things through Christ. Philippians 4:13

*God planned for us to live the good life which he arranged ahead of time for us. Ephesians 2:10, John 10:10

*We are saved by God's gift of grace alone. We don't have to earn our way to heaven. Ephesians 2:8, Galatians 2:16

*Because of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection, we are considered sons of God, Abraham's seed, and joint heirs with Christ. Galatians 3:13-14, 26-29, Galatians 4:1-7

*We are a new creation in Christ. II Corinthians 5:17

For a list of more promises, click here to go to our Bible verses by topic page.

Did You Know That God Took An Oath?

One of the most interesting things I learned is in Hebrews 6. When God made His promise to Abraham, He had to swear on Himself since there was no one greater to swear by. (verses 13) In verse 18 we find that it is impossible for God to lie or change because of His promise and His oath. God ABSOLUTELY CANNOT LIE. In Isaiah 55:11 we were also told that God's Word cannot return to Him void. All of these verses give us confidence that what God said He would do must come to pass if we do our part.

Earlier in this study we referred to Hebrews 11:1 where it talks about faith being the assurance or confirmation of things we hope for. Hope is the predecessor to faith. Hope is the inner image that believes things can change or something can happen.

Before we can have faith, we must get a picture of what we want. However, we cannot hope for something that is not in God's Word. We need to find the promise in the Bible that assures us of what is ours in Christ. We then read that verse daily. Meditate on it. Look up the definitions for each word. We start confessing that promise as ours with our words. This will build a true, Biblical hope in us that confidently expects the promise to manifest in the natural realm. We may not see it right now but that's ok. We know that the just shall life by faith. We don't have to see it to believe it. We believe it because God said it and we trust Him that we will see it in due time. This confident expectation becomes faith. This is when we know that we know that God said it and therefore I believe it. Hope moves into faith when the promise goes from "could be" to "it is" in your heart. Faith is the substance of things hoped for. Faith comes out of hope. It's a tangible result. There is substance. Hope and knowledge of God's promises produces faith. Faith in God's love for us moves mountains. Faith in God's love for us heals the sick. It's not our works of faith but the faith we have in God's love for us and His ability to mainfest His presence among us that brings change.

Of course, it's important to again note that all of this starts with the Word.

No Word, No Hope.

No Hope, No Faith.

No Faith, No Results.

In order to have confident expectation, you have to know what God has promised. The only way to do this is to spend time in God's Word. As you build up your knowledge of God's promises, your hope and faith will begin to rise.

Words/Confessions

Do My Words Really Matter?

We all know that you can't plant flower seeds and expect to see corn growing in July. You can only reap what you sow. The Kingdom of God is based on this same principle of seedtime and harvest. God created the world by using words to speak things into existence. God created us in His image so that we could also live by the same system. Our words are seeds and they will produce a harvest...However it's up to us to determine what kind of harvest we get.

Proverbs 18:21 says that life and death are in the power of the tongue and we will eat its fruit. Our words have power therefore it's important that we closely watch what we say. If you speak words that line up with the Word of God, you will see things happen in your life that line up with the Word of God. If you speak negative words or words of death, those things that you say will also come to pass. When we speak, things happen. Whether good or bad. We may not be able to see it in the physical realm immediately, but they are working in the spiritual realm. God says in Isaiah 55:11 that when His Words are spoken they will come to pass.

Isaiah 55:11

"So shall My Word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void (without producing any effect, useless), but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."

How does God's Word return to Him?

God's Word returns to him when we speak it out loud. And when we speak there are ministering angels who have an assignment to make it happen. The angels are perched and ready to go. However if you don't speak the Word, their hands are tied. When you are going through a challenge and you are telling people about your situation, the angels are sitting up in heaven rooting you on saying "Come on. Say it. Just say God's Word. Don't talk about the problem. Talk about the solution. Speak God's Word so I can make it come to pass for you." Then, once we start speaking the life found in the Word of God about the situation, the angels jump into action to see it through.

You see, God has already done everything He is going to do on this earth. It's now up to us to stand on His Word and speak it into existence by faith. God already knows about our situation. The problem is that we often spend more time telling God about our situation than telling the situation about our God. Mark 11:23-24 says to "speak" to the mountain and tell it to move. It's up to us to speak to the mountains in our lives and tell them to move in the Name of Jesus. We can't do it by our own power but we can use the power in the Name of Jesus to bring forth the change we need. Of course, in order for this to work you have to first know God and have unwavering faith that what He said He will do will come to pass. If we refer back to Mark 11:23-24 we'll see that he says speak (or say) twice and believe (have faith) once. Faith also plays a critical role in whether or not we see what we say.

So how do I build up my faith so that I have confidence that God will stand by His Word to perform it when I speak it?

You build your faith by reading, studying and meditating on the Word of God. Find verses in the Bible that fit your need and then study them closely. Think about what each word means. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you insights about what that verse means. Think on that verse constantly until it comes alive to you. Then, once that you know that you know that God's Word is true or have what we call revelation knowledge on that verse, you will be ready to stand up on that verse and claim what is rightfully yours.

Does this guarantee I'll see results immediately?

Sometimes you'll see results immediately but in other situations it may take awhile. For example, let's say I want to lose 50 pounds. The first day I only eat salad and I exercise. Now I have made a decision to lose weight and I am acting on it, however it may take some time for me to actually see the pounds start to disappear. Similarly, we can make a decision and even step out in faith and begin acting on it but it may take some time for things to change. Another example would be of a big cruise ship. When they turn the wheel, they have made a definite change in direction. However, it takes a little time to move the ship because it is so big. Sometimes there are situations in our life that are so big or have become such a part of us for so long that it takes some time to turn things around.

How fast you see results will also depend on how strong your faith is. I have been excited to learn that there is no time in God. This means that God did not intend for us to wait to see results. However, our faith has to be strong enough to tap into the fullness of that. For example, God can heal a broken bone instantaneously. However, your faith may not be strong enough yet to believe that. You may not be able to believe for healing that same day but you can believe that it will be healed in a week. Great! Start there. Faith is a muscle and you have to work it out. Start on small things..like having faith for a good parking spot or a new pair of shoes. Then, as your faith grows, start believing for bigger things like a new house or car. The important key is that you want to start developing your faith now so that when the storms of life blow through, you have a strong foundation of faith in God's Word to stand on.

Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater...

It takes more than a tire to move a car. You need an engine, gas, steering wheel, etc. All of these parts work together in synergy to move the car. Similarly, there are things that must be in place in order for us to start seeing what we are believing for.

Unfortunately, some people will confess the Word once or twice and then give up and say it didn't work when they don't see results immediately. Don't blame God because you tried to move the car with only one tire. The Kingdom of God has its own way of functioning. Learn how to live by God's system so that you can enjoy the benefits. Following are a few key items that we need to have in place so that we can see results in our prayers.

* An intimate relationship with God. This happens by spending time with him every day and reading His Word.

* A strong foundation (i.e. faith) in who God is and what God has promised to us.

* Revelation knowledge of who we are in Christ and about the scriptures we are standing on

* Knowledge of our covenant with God

* A pure and contrite heart

* A demonstrated love walk

* Bringing our petitions before God in prayer

* Daily Word based confessions

* An attitude of gratitude where we thank God for the answer to our prayer even before we see complete manifestation.

Lastly, don't undo all of your hard work.

Picture a cloud. Every time you speak the Word, you put a drop of water in the cloud. Once the cloud fills up with your prayers, confessions and thankful praise, it will rain down the manifestation of what you are believing for. This can be an encouraging picture to refer back to if you get discouraged because you haven't seen the manifestation of your prayers just yet. You just keep filling the cloud with good words and some day it will rain down with your solution.

The catch is that when you say something negative like "I feel horrible today" you poke a hole in your cloud and lose ground. The good news is that you can declare out loud that you repent for saying any words that did not line up with God's Word and you renounce them right now and declare that they have no effect on your life. This will reverse the negative and re-inforce the positive. Keep speaking life and watch the great things happen in your life!

Supporting Verses: Proverbs 15:23, Proverbs 18:21, Isaiah 55:11, Isaiah 57:19, Matthew 12:34-37, Matthew 17:20, Mark 11:23-24, Luke 6:45, Romans 4:17

The Believer's Rest

Winning the Good Fight of Faith

I've always enjoyed taking a nap on a warm summer afternoon when the fresh breeze is blowing through the windows. There's something so peaceful about that to me. This past Sunday I was sitting in my tattered rocking chair by our big front window enjoying one of those afternoons. I started focusing in on how peaceful it was. No stress. Just deep breaths of fresh air. Isn't that how life with God should be?

I then started thinking about Hebrews 4:9-10.

9So then, there is still awaiting a full and complete Sabbath-rest reserved for the [true] people of God; 10For he who has once entered [God's] rest also has ceased from [the weariness and pain] of human labors, just as God rested from those labors peculiarly His own.

This rest comes when we have fought the good fight of faith. What are we fighting? We are fighting human reasonings that contradict God's Word. The thoughts that tell us "I'll believe it when I see it" rather than "I walk by faith and not by sight."

It's fighting the reasoning that says "You've been struggling with headaches for 10 years. You're never going to see your healing manifest" and replacing it with "By His stripes I was healed 2000 years ago and I receive my healing now in Jesus Name."

How do we know when we have won the fight?

We know we have won the good fight of faith when our thoughts line up with the Word. We know we have won when we have revelation knowledge about the promises of God. We know that we have won when circumstances don't move us. We know that we have won when we set aside our human labors to succeed on our own and trust God to provide for us. We know that we have won when we have a peace deep in our hearts that says "I know everything is going to be ok."

It's when we win that war do we enter into God's rest. It's at that point when we can breathe deeply the fresh air of life and enjoy that comforting peace every single day. I believe that is the good life..a life of abundance and overflow... mentioned in John 10:10. Have you found that ultimate resting place in God?

John 10:10

10The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).

More articles are going to be added to this section soon. In the meantime, please feel free to check out the other sections which are available. Thank you for your patience as we continue to add more content to this site!