Rise Up and Declare: The Lord Is With You
Yes—rise up in the power of the Lord and boldly declare that the Lord is with you. This was the testimony spoken over Mary: she received the angel’s message, and he said to her,
“The Lord is with you… you have found favour with God.”
That same favour is not limited to Mary. Today, you are invited to stand in that favour before the Lord and to expect that His favour will spread into every aspect of your life:
- Favour that opens doors
- Favour that brings you into places you’ve never been
- Favour that impacts people around you
I pray that in my own life and in yours, we will see the Lord do great things—bringing healing, breakthrough and transformation in people’s lives around us. Not because we take perfect steps, not because we have everything together, but because:
- He is everything.
- He has everything.
- He loves His children and is ready to do great things in their lives today.
So we pray:
“Father, with all my weakness and with everything within me, I yield to You, Lord Jesus.
With my family and the people I work with, we yield to You today.
Have Your way. Move in us and move through us by Your power
to transform lives and change destinies to Your glory.
In every place You have positioned us, may our lives bring You glory and praise.
We are a testimony.
We are not poor—we are rich in Christ.
We have abundance.
We are blessed, and there is an overflow in our lives and through our lives to God’s glory.
Amen.”
Faith Pleases God
You are encouraged today to understand—deeply and practically—that faith pleases God.
In Hebrews 11:6, God says it clearly, and He means it:
“Without faith it is impossible to please God.”
This means:
- When you take steps in faith, you please God.
- When you move in faith, even imperfectly, you delight His heart.
Faith is not an optional extra—it is the very environment in which God’s power and pleasure are revealed.
To help us understand this, we look at a powerful and familiar example from Scripture.
The Woman With the Issue of Blood: When Faith Touches Jesus
In Luke 8:43–48, we read about a woman whose life had been marked by constant suffering:
“There was a woman who had a discharge of blood for twelve years,
and though she had spent all her living on physicians,
she could not be healed by anyone.”
For twelve years she had been bleeding.
For twelve years she had been seeking help.
She had spent all her money on physicians and experts. Still, no one could heal her.
The message is not that doctors are evil, but this:
Your ultimate healing is not in the hands of physicians or any human being.
Your healing is in the hands of God.
In Jesus Christ, God has provided His healing power.
The Bible continues:
“She came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His garment,
and immediately her discharge of blood ceased.”
Immediately.
Not hours later, not gradually over weeks—immediately.
I pray that as you take steps of faith today, you will also experience immediate results where God wills it:
- Immediate shifts in your heart
- Immediate breakthroughs in situations
- Immediate evidence of His touch
Step out and do what God has put in your heart.
Yes, some things are challenging. The preacher himself admits:
“I know that I have some steps of faith to take.
My family has some steps of faith to take.
We have not arrived—but we are arriving by taking steps, one after the other, in faith,
trusting that He is faithful and that He stands by His Word.”
You are being challenged to do the same:
- Trust Him.
- Take steps that may not make sense naturally.
- Move in obedience, even when it’s uncomfortable.
Not Every Touch Releases Power
The scene around Jesus was crowded. Many people were pressing in on Him:
Jesus said, “Who was it that touched Me?”
When all denied it, Peter said,
“Master, the crowds surround You and are pressing in on You.”
But Jesus said, “Someone touched Me,
for I perceive that power has gone out from Me.”
Notice this carefully:
- Many people touched Jesus.
- Many people pressed against Him.
- But not every touch released power.
Only one touch drew power from Him—the touch of faith.
It is possible to:
- Be around Jesus
- Be in the crowd
- Be in church
- Sing songs
- Read the Bible
…and still not experience transformation—because something is missing: faith.
The woman realized she couldn’t stay hidden anymore:
“When the woman saw that she was not hidden,
she came trembling, and falling down before Him,
declared in the presence of all the people
why she had touched Him and how she had been immediately healed.”
She gave her testimony. She explained both:
- Why she touched Him
- How she had been immediately healed
Her action, her story, and her healing all came together around one central reality: faith.
“Daughter, Your Faith Has Made You Well”
Jesus’ response is powerful and precise:
“And He said to her,
‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.’”
What made her well?
- Not just the physical act of touching His garment.
- Not just her presence in the crowd.
- Not just her desperate need.
It was her faith.
What caused power to flow from Jesus to her?
Her faith.
This is a sobering reminder:
- It is not just because you sing.
- It is not just because you read the Word.
- It is not just because you come to church.
- It is not just because you have a genuine need.
You can have a real need and still not see change, even as a child of God, if faith is not active.
“Without faith, nothing happens.”
Switch On Your Faith
That is why this call is so important:
You need faith.
You must touch in faith.
You must sing in faith.
You must pray in faith.
You must step out in faith.
You must do everything in faith.
When you do:
- You will experience the miracle-working power of God.
- You will see the immediate confirmation of His Word.
- You will step into the arena of the extraordinary.
So today, take this to heart:
Switch on your faith and step into the arena.
Step into:
- The arena where God’s power moves.
- The arena where His promises are activated.
- The arena where your actions are aligned with belief, not just habit.
“Switch on your faith, my sister. Switch on.”
And as you do, join in this simple declaration of gratitude:
Thank You, Jesus, for the miracles.
Hallelujah.
Amen.