BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

A few months ago, my grandson Jeremy Pearsons was preaching to our ministry staff about victorious faith, when he made a statement that went off in me like a rocket. He said, “Do you know what you’re seeing when you watch two championship teams play for a title? You’re watching masters of the basics.” Man, I thought, that’s the absolute truth! Whether it’s baseball players competing in the World Series, football players fighting it out in the Super Bowl, or golfers playing in a PGA championship tournament, the champions are always those who’ve focused on mastering the fundamentals of their game. They’re the kind of athletes who say to their buddies when practice is over, “You guys go on back to the house if you want. I’m going to stay out here and practice another two or three hours.” That’s the attitude we as believers must have when it comes to the faith life! We want to go at it like champions. We want to be so determined to walk in the victory Jesus provided, that we do whatever it takes: We go over and over the same faith-building scriptures. We turn off the unbelieving mess on TV, and tune in to the Believer’s Voice of Victory Network® or drag out our old faith tapes. We say, “I’m going to immerse myself in God’s WORD. Whether I feel like it or not, I’m going to keep practicing and mastering the basics of how to walk by faith!” Why are faith basics so important? Because everything in the Christian life depends on them. We can’t get anywhere as believers without faith! • We can’t get saved without it because, as Ephesians 2:8 says, “By grace are ye saved through faith.” • We can’t live the Christian life without it because, as Hebrews 10:38 says, “The just shall live by faith.” • We can’t walk with God without it because, as 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “We walk by faith, not by sight.” • We can’t win spiritual battles without it because, as 1 Timothy 6:12 says, it’s a “good fight of faith.” • We can’t please God without it because, as Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” • We can’t receive the fulfillment of God’s promises in our lives without it because, as Romans 4:16 says, “It is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed.” According to that last scripture, it’s by faith we receive God’s grace. So, where there’s no faith, there’s no grace. That’s the reason you can’t please God without faith. When it comes to His relationship with man, grace is what God is all about! What exactly is grace? This is the working definition God gave me: Grace is His overwhelming desire to treat mankind as if sin had never happened. In other words, it’s His desire to restore us to the way things were in the Garden of Eden. Eden reflected God’s original plan for mankind. It included everything good and nothing that was bad. It was a place where man could enjoy unhindered fellowship with God and walk in the fullness of His BLESSING. A place full of joy and love where God and His family could be together and have a wonderful time. * * * * * article continues on p. 6 * * * * * Points to Get You There: 1) Everything in the Christian life depends on faith, and faith operates on the foundation of love. Galatians 5:6 2) God proved how much He loves you when He sent Jesus to die for your sins. 1 John 4:9 3) All the wrath God had over sin was put on Jesus the moment He went to the cross. Isaiah 54:8 4) God swore an oath never to be angry with you. Isaiah 54:9 5) God doesn’t want you to remind Him of your sins; He wants you to remind yourself of His WORD so He can BLESS you. Isaiah 43:25 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BVOV : 5

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