Beth Moore - Believing God Day by Day: Growing Your Faith All Year Long

DEDICATION

To my beloved church family at Houstons First Baptist ChurchI am nearly overcome with emotion as I attempt to find words to express my gratitude and love for you. You have been everything that constitutes a true church home to me for more than twenty years. You have loved and supported me and given me a safe place to make mistakes so I could grow. You have been my constant during a time of such change in my ministry life. A place of normalcy and stability, you have been my harbor.

With deepest affection I dedicate this particular book to you because you are a church that has an undeniable history of believing God. We have seen some miracles together, havent we? Not bad for a bunch of Baptists. God is good and patient. I wouldnt trade you for the world. Thanks for everything.

You are My witnessesthe LORDS
declarationand My servant whom I have
chosen, so that you may know and believe
Me and understand that I am He.
Isaiah 43:10

INTRODUCTION

God thrust the Sword of the Spirit in my feeble hands some twenty years ago when He sent me into a young adult Sunday school class as the teacher. Apply that last word loosely. Actually, I was an idiot.

I got a brand new Bible for the journey and I meant to keep it that way. I neglected it. Fumbled it. Dropped it. Opened it. Yawned over it. Whined over it. Cried over it. Begged God to help me with it.

Then slowly but surely, one discovery at a time, I fell head over heels in love with it and with its brilliant Author. I dug my fingernails into it and vowed never to let go. I may have a whole junkyard of broken vows somewhere but, to the glory of God, that one is not in the heap.

While strengthening my grip on the Sword of the Spirit, God began wedging the Shield of Faith in my other hand so that Id learn to use them the way He intended: in tandem. Mind you, I thought I had plenty of faith. After all, how much faith does a church going, church-serving soul need?

I would soon learn the answer: a whole lot more than I had. As forcefully as God has ever spoken to my heart, He said, You believe in Me, Beth. Now I want you to believe Me. The words believe Me arose out of Isaiah 43:10 like a dead man leaping to his feet. You are my witnesses, declares the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me (NIV).

Believe me. Believe me. BELIEVE ME. Those two words have echoed unceasingly in my mind ever since.

For reasons known only to a forgiving God, Ive spilled quarts of ink through books and Bible studies in attempts to share a passion to love God and know Him. I will continue to express these holy obsessions in one way or another as long as God wills. The book you hold in your hand is my attempt to articulate my own personal journey toward obedience in believing God, while encouraging you to join me in the blessed experience.

I am convinced that Christ is always the initiator of matters concerning faith. So if Im on target, youve neither stumbled onto this book nor accidentally found it in your hands. Christ is initiating a fresh anointing of faith in your life, Dear One. He wants to put a fresh belief in our systems! We have been assigned to this world during vital days on the kingdom calendar. Yet too often we have dropped our shield, making us more vulnerable to defeat. God is calling His church to draw the Sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) and lift high the Shield of Faith.

Do it, Dear One. No more business as usual. From here to eternity, stay a verb and wake a few nouns. Live by faith. Live out loud. And never stop believing Godday by day.

With much love,
Beth

JANUARY

JANUARY 1

In every situation take the
shield of faith and the sword
of the Spirit, which is Gods word.
Ephesians 6:1617

This book is about developing an action verb faith. Its about getting out there where we can feel the wind of Gods Spirit blowing in our faces. Its about learning that we dont have to put down the Sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) to raise up the Shield of Faith.

The way I see it, thats why God gave us two hands. If we want to live abundantly, we must pick up both. To pick up the Sword of the Spirit without the Shield of Faith is to shrivel and dry up in the desert of legalism. To pick up the Shield of Faith without the Sword of the Spirit is to try walking on quicksand.

JANUARY 2

This book of instruction must not
depart from your mouth for then you will
prosper and succeed in whatever you do.
Joshua 1:8

Is it working? Your belief system? Is it really working? Gods intention all along has been for His children to succeed. So I ask you, is your Christian life feeling successful? Are you achieving and experiencing what Scripture says you would?

God stated unapologetically that conditions exist under which you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do. But the only way we are going to impact our generation is to prove that our faith in Christ is real and that it works.

For countless Christians, Im convinced its real. My concern is whether or not we have the fruit to suggest it works.

JANUARY 3

Watch out, brothers, so that there wont be
in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that
departs from the living God.
Hebrews 3:12

Why isnt our present practice of Christianity working? Why dont we see more of Gods promises fulfilled?

Its the same reason why the practices of the Israelites in the wilderness didnt work and why they never reached the land theyd been promised. Like them, we can be dramatically delivered from bondage, leave our Egypts, and yet never make it to our Promised Lands. We, too, can find ourselves lodged in a desolate wilderness between the two. Scripture supplies the one-word explanation: So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief (Heb. 3:19).

JANUARY 4

The doubter is like the surging sea, driven
and tossed by the wind. That person should
not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
James 1:67

Firsts have great importance in Scripture. Do you know the first recorded words that ever came from the serpents mouth? Did God really say (Gen. 3:1). He used the spade of deceit to sow doubt.

Satan, posing as the serpent, couldnt keep Eve from believing in God, so he did the next best thing. He baited her, tempting Eve not to believe God or trust His motives. Her walk was crippled, her doubt was contagious, and the couple lost the land that God had placed under their feet. When Eve dropped her shield of faith, every other piece of her spiritual armor became vulnerable.

JANUARY 5

He did not commit sin, and no deceit
was found in His mouth . [He] committed
Himself to the One who judges justly.
1 Peter 2:2223

Over and over in Scripture, when God was about to move in the lives of His people or instruct them to reposition themselves, He began with a reminder of who He was. A thumbs-up of sorts.

God knew that the most powerful driving force the children of Israel would havethe power that would press them toward their earthly destinywas their certainty that the One who went before them was who He said He was.