June 2012 Partner Letter
Dear Partner,
When you look in the mirror, who do you see?
You’re probably thinking, “Richard, that’s obvious. I see myself!” I bet you’re thinking right now about your appearance—your height, your weight, your hair color, the look of your skin, and your other physical traits… But that’s not what I mean. I’m talking about the real you…the person you are on the inside…
Do you know who you are on the inside?
The answer to this question is crucial to where you go in life! Let me give you an example… Two people may be equally good-looking to the natural eye. But on the inside, one of them believes he is attractive, so he dresses well and acts with confidence… The other one, though, thinks of himself as inadequate, so he has no confidence when he is with other people. He expects to be rejected. And the way he thinks of himself turns into a self-fulfilling prophecy…
How you think about yourself is important to your victory in life… And when you place your faith in Jesus Christ as the One who redeemed you from sin, you have the privilege of seeing yourself in a new light! You see, if you are a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, then the thing that matters most about you is that you are a CHILD of GOD.
Your relationship with God—and your identity in Him—is the key to who you really are! It’s the key to what you receive from the Lord too…
Remember, the Bible says, As a person thinks in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7). The way you see yourself is the foundation to everything you do in life. In the long run, the direction of your life is ultimately determined not by circumstances or what you have or lack, but by who you believe you are.
It’s how we think of ourselves that determines what we do in life. We make our decisions based on how we think about ourselves and what we believe to be true. So… it is crucial for you to see yourself as God sees you, and to believe that you are exactly who He says you are…even if you don’t always feel like it!
Let me remind you of how God sees you and who you are once you have become a believer in Christ Jesus…
In Him, you are a CHILD OF GOD—a part of His family—and you are loved. Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God (1 John 3:1).
In Christ, you are REDEEMED—saved out of the kingdom of darkness and made a part of God’s kingdom of light. With His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12).
In Christ, you are FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
In Christ, you are SET FREE. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).
In Christ, you are RIGHTEOUS—able to stand before God, accepted by Him through the blood of Jesus. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).
In Him, you are VICTORIOUS over all the works of the devil. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death (Revelation 12:11).
You are a BRAND-NEW CREATION in Him—freed from the sins, mistakes, and hurts of the past. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).
You are HEALED because of the blood Jesus shed for you. [Jesus] Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed (1 Peter 2:24).
You have STRENGTH TO HANDLE ANYTHING in life through Him. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).
In Him, you are ABUNDANTLY PROVIDED FOR, having all your needs met. And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).
In Him, you are an HEIR OF EVERY GOOD THING He has for you. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise (Galatians 3:29).
Remember, once you receive Jesus into your life as Lord and Savior, ALL of these things are true about you… But you will be able to enjoy the reality of them ONLY as you BELIEVE in your heart that this is who you are…
The doctor’s report may say you’re sick, but God’s Word says, by His stripes you are healed. Your bank account may be low, but God’s Word says He wants you to prosper. But what you receive from God doesn’t depend only on what He says about you… It depends on whether you believe Him and are determined to pursue what He has for you, even in the face of challenges.
If you focus only on how your circumstances appear, you’ll believe the worst about the person you see in the mirror… If you focus only on the mistakes of the past, you’ll see a failure, rather than the victorious overcomer that you are IN CHRIST. If you think only about the things you lack, you’ll miss out on the good gifts that God has placed in you for His glory.
But God doesn’t want you to miss out on anything… He wants you to experience His abiding presence, His grace, and His power throughout your entire lifetime!
I’m not just giving you a nice little pep talk here… This is a powerful word from the Lord to help you overcome anything you may face in life. In a world filled with economic difficulties, diseases with no known cure, the breakdown of the family, and other terrible evils, YOU NEED the strength, wisdom, and ability that God has for you. You can draw on the Holy Spirit, who dwells within you and is your source of help in time of need.
The truth is, He has SO MUCH that He can make available to you as you obey His Word, live for Him, and use your faith to connect with His unlimited power! Through Jesus, He has given you everything you need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). And these things are written for you in the Bible so you can know, without a shadow of a doubt, what He wants for you to enjoy in this life.
You have the right, through your relationship with Jesus, to lay hold of everything the Bible says you can have… And you do that by your faith in Him and His Word. You believe it…you speak it…you act on it…you live for Him… And you stay persistent in your faith until your circumstances change. That’s how you receive the blessings God has for you.
Knowing who you are as a child of God and speaking it out by faith is a time-honored way to prepare yourself to receive miracles and answers to your prayers… In fact, the Bible is filled with examples of people speaking about who they are and what God was doing for them, long before they saw the fullness of God’s work in their lives. Abraham is a perfect example of this…
Now, you probably know that Abraham became the father of the nation of Israel. But he wasn’t always called Abraham. When he was born, he was given the name Abram, which means “high father”—a term of respect in that culture.
At first, Abram was an average Joe, nothing particularly special about him. But one day, God instructed him to move away from his hometown and travel a long distance to settle in a new land. Abram obeyed, and he entered into a closer relationship with God than he had ever had before. He started experiencing the goodness of God. He prospered and became successful. He began to become the respected patriarch that the name Abram said he would be.
There was only one thing he lacked—a child. He wanted an heir, and so did his wife, Sarah. But Sarah couldn’t get pregnant. Abram was a patriarch without a son, a father without a child. It must have been discouraging at times… Yet Abram continued to obey the Lord, trusting Him in faith, until one day God said to him, “I’m giving you a new name. From now on, you’re Abraham.”
The name Abraham means “father of many nations…the father of a multitude.” This man, who had no children, was to start calling himself not only a father, but a father with so many children that nations would be created from his descendants. Talk about a more-than-enough word from the unlimited God!
Do you know why God gave him a new name? I believe it’s because He wanted Abraham to think of himself as a father with a lot of children… Every time Abraham heard someone call him by his new name, he was reminded of what God had promised him—many children. Every time he heard his wife, Sarah, call him Abraham, he could remind himself that he was going to be a father, and she would be a mother—no matter what their natural circumstances were saying to them.
Twenty-five years went by, but Abraham and Sarah stayed in faith until they received what they had believed and spoken all those years. They gave birth to Isaac, who gave birth to Jacob, who had twelve sons whose descendants became the twelve tribes of Israel. Abraham became the father of nations because He believed God and didn’t give up until God’s promise to Him came to pass!
In other words, God’s Word spoke louder to Abraham and Sarah than what their bodies and minds were saying. God’s Word became bigger than their circumstances and the natural appearance of things. The truth of God on the inside of you is ALWAYS BIGGER than the way things appear to you on the outside!
When you know who God has made you to be in Christ, speak it out of your mouth. Declare the truth as often as you think about it. Remind yourself of it, so that when trouble comes, God’s Word will be second-nature to you… And it’ll be His truth that you act on, rather than what your circumstances are trying to say.
Keep building your faith by talking about the things God is doing for you! Share your testimony with your family, friends, coworkers, and with the Abundant Life Prayer Group. You see, the more you talk about what God is doing for you, the more real He becomes to you. Then, when a challenge arises, you’ll already have faith built up in your heart…and you’ll be more ready to reach out to God in faith for the answers you need.
As you send in your Prayer Response this month, share with me what God is doing for you through this healing ministry. And let me know your prayer requests… I want to agree in prayer with you for God’s perfect will for your situation. I believe He has the unlimited power to bring about good in the midst of any circumstances you’re facing. It’s our part to reach out to Him in faith, believing for His work in our lives, and standing firm in faith until we see results.
Remember, this ministry is always here for you… 24 hours a day, 7 days a week… We believe in doing all we can to help you be healthy and whole—spirit, soul, and body. That’s why I have a special offer for you this month… Lindsay’s faith-building message, “What’s In Your Box?” In this DVD, she talks about the dominion you have as a child of God over the circumstances that are trying to rise up in your life.
I’ll send you this DVD for any seed-faith gift, because I want to get it into your hands as soon as I can… And remember, when you plant a seed in this ministry, you’re not just getting a DVD… You’re preparing in faith for the harvest of abundant blessings God has for YOU!
Sowing your seed is an ACT OF YOUR FAITH IN THE LORD… Your seed speaks, just as your words speak… Don’t wait another minute to make a declaration of faith over your circumstances. Get your seed-faith gift ready, declare over it in faith that God is blessing you for your obedience to sow to Him, and send your gift and your Prayer Response to me as soon as you can get it in the mail.
I’m believing with you for EVERY HARVEST YOU NEED to grow quickly and productively for you… I pray that as you sow your seed in faith, you will begin to see God’s riches pouring out into your life in new, fresh, exciting, and abundant ways, in the mighty name of Jesus!
Thank you for your gifts, your prayers, and your faithful connection to this ministry. Lindsay and I love you, and we call you richly blessed in every area of your life—spirit, soul, and body. I am excited to hear from you very, very soon!
Your partner for miracles,
PS. Remember, BELIEVE who you are as a child of God… SPEAK about yourself the way God speaks about you… ACT in FAITH believing in Him… And don’t quit until your circumstances begin to line up with the truth in God’s Word. He has real answers for your every need! And when you send in your seed-faith gift this month, be sure to ask for the DVD “What’s In Your Box?” It will encourage you to take the dominion God gave you as His child. I’ll send it to you as soon as you let me know you want it.
To order your copy of “What’s In Your Box,” click here.
