Fear destroys hope and hopelessness brings depression and despair. Without hope there is no faith and without faith, grace is not activated and grace is the power of God that you need to defeat the problems in life.
God’s Word is full of hope while the words of the enemy are full of fear. The words that we allow into our heart through
the gateway of the soul will determine our destiny.
Although it seems insignificant, the small conversations, the background music, the idle talk between friends, and what we watch on television affects the seed sown in our heart. The good seed of the Good News and the positive Word of God will produce a harvest in our heart that will change our thinking and our words and cause our faith to flourish. Our faith-filled words will command victory and deliverance. On the other hand, the negative words of the enemy sown into our heart through the gateway of the soul will produce a harvest of fear and failure. While every seed produces, we must choose the harvest we want.
Several years ago, a friend purchased a thriving business. Although he was a Christian, he surrounded himself with negativity and received counsel from non-Christians who only believed what they saw. While his business started well, within a short time he began to speak failure, and what he spoke eventually became a reality. While it takes more than just positive words to make a business a success, it takes little more than negative words of doubt and unbelief to make it a failure.
The Word of God teaches the biblical principle of sowing and reaping – what you sow is what you harvest (Gal. 6:7), and the principle of giving and receiving – what you give is what you receive (Luke 6:38). When we hear the Word of God, it brings hope and when we add obedience to hope, we activate the principles of giving and receiving, and seedtime and harvest.
The enemy deals with fear and the purpose of fear is to paralyze you and cause you to not activate God’s principles. In other words, instead of giving, you keep, which allows you to have seed, but no harvest. A farmer with seed only survives one sowing season and then everything is gone. A farmer who sows his seed reaps a harvest that he can eat and have enough to sow in the next sowing season. Although we know that God provides seed, He doesn’t provide seed for everyone. He only provides seed to the ones who will sow it (2 Cor. 9:10).
My question to you today is this: Are you surrounding yourself with the positive Word of God and allowing faith to develop that causes you to sow and reap a harvest or are you allowing the negative fear-based words of the world to make you a keeper, thus sealing your ultimate destruction?
God’s Word puts it this way: “I place before you life and death. Choose life.”
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Dr. Larry Ollison is founder and Senior Pastor of Walk on the Water Faith Church and founder of Larry Ollison Ministries. With over forty years in the ministry, he is a very popular speaker nationally and internationally and ministers the Word of Faith through radio, television, Internet, and daily e-mail devotionals. As the author of twelve books (including The Power of Grace, The Practical Handbook for Christian Living, Breaking the Cycle of Offense, Life is in the Blood, and recently released The Paradise of God), he is in frequent demand for radio/TV interviews, book signings, and magazine publications.
Dr. Ollison was raised a Southern Baptist. While majoring in theology at Southwest Baptist University, he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. For many years he traveled extensively speaking at Full Gospel Business Men's meetings and conventions. He later earned an M.A. in Theology and a Ph.D. and Th.D. from Life Christian University.
Currently President of International Convention of Faith Ministries (ICFM), Dr. Ollison is also Vice-President of Spirit FM Christian Radio Network, Missouri State Director of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), and a Trustee on the boards of several international ministries. He is also the host of The Cutting Edge Radio Broadcast and authors The Cutting Edge Daily Devotional.
As the owner of a marine dealership, his extensive business background brings a unique flavor to his teaching. He founded and served as chairman of the Missouri State Marine Board, President of the Marine Dealers’ Association, Vice-President of a bank holding company, along with holding several directorships in various corporations.
Dr. Ollison's strongest areas of teaching are the blood of Jesus, faith, relationships, the Hebrew language, the Holy Spirit, the end times, and heaven. During ministry, he operates freely in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. His use of humor and his ability to make a theological concept simple makes it enjoyable and easy for everyone to understand. Countless testimonies have been received from people who say their lives have been changed after experiencing Dr. Ollison's unique ministry.
Dr. Ollison is a pastor, pilot, teacher, and author. His number one goal is to meet the needs of the people through the teaching of faith in God's Word. He and his wife, Loretta, have two children and six grandchildren.