First Means First!

First Means First!

Firstfruits is one of those FIRST words.  It doesn’t mean second fruits or left overs.  It means the first ones off the vine.  FIRST pickings.  This was a Wednesday night message that’s impacted our faith walk recently.  How?  By offering the Lord the FIRST part of our day.  

Someone in our Small Group asked us about how we pray as a husband and wife.  We thought on that and could honestly say we pray together but it was not first in our agenda.  Well, we made the adjustment to pray together FIRST thing in the morning and the change has been dramatic!  At 6:10am everything stops and we come together to pray before we start our day.  Following God’s ways always pay!

Charles Capps said something like, “You can’t build a fourth story on the ground floor.”  In other words, we have to build the ground floor first.  FIRST things FIRST.  What does that mean in our faith walk?  

Well, faith-based prayer, the kind that gets results every time, involves finding the scriptures that support what we are asking for.  FIRST, find out what God says about our situation.  And rest assured, the Bible covers everything we’ll have need of or desire!  So, FIRST we turn to God’s Word.  

If it’s healing we need, then we find at least three scriptures that speak to our hearts regarding God’s power (His ability) and His willingness to heal us.  III John 1:2 tells us, ^“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”  That’s God desire.  

Then, Exodus 23:25 tells us, “So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. “That’s God’s will!  Then another, I Peter 2:24, “Who 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.”  That’s God’s provision—already done for us on the cross.

Once we have the promises in the Word of God, we agree with them.  God works in a justice system.  We have an enemy, Satan.  He is the accuser (Revelation 12:10) of us all.  We have to give “witness” and provide evidence that we stand on God’s side—agree with what God says.  

This evidence is the scriptures that we claim for our freedom!!  It’s the FIRST thing we do—the foundation that all our faith is built on.  This is that sure foundation that’s built on the rock of God’s Word.  It will NOT fail!  

We all want to succeed in our faith walk.  Let’s put FIRST things FIRST!