It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
Today's Wild Card author is:
and the book:
No Limits, No Boundaries: Praying Dynamic Change into Your Life, Family, and Finances
Whitaker House (October 6, 2009)
***Special thanks to Cathy Hickling of Whitaker House for sending me a review copy.***
MY THOUGHTS:
I haven't gotten around to reading this book yet. When I do I will review it. Thanks for your understanding.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tiz Huch serves as co-pastor with her husband Larry Huch of DFW New Beginnings in Irving, Texas. As an author and frequent speaker, Tiz focuses on living the abundant life, teaching specifically on marriage, family life, personal relationships, business, and finances.
Visit the author's website.
Product Details:
List Price: $12.99
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Whitaker House (October 6, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1603741194
ISBN-13: 978-1603741194
AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:
Life Is Fragile. Handle with Prayer.
Life is too fragile to simply leave in the hands of fate. I once saw a bumper sticker with the clever saying, “Life is fragile. Handle with prayer.” What good advice! Through the course of this book, your thoughts, your words, and your lifestyle are going to move to a higher level. You and I are going to take a journey that will change our lives forever.
As I have said, the basis of seeing God’s power moving in us, for us, and through us is knowing Him and His promises for us. When you know Him, are familiar with His nature, and understand what He desires for your life, it’s easy to trust Him, because it’s right here in the Book. When you read the promises of God, you see that God is a good, loving, generous, kind, big-hearted God. He’s not a hard taskmaster. He’s not a stingy God. He is a good God—all the time!
As you begin to understand and internalize this, you begin to see your future differently. You start seeing your future through the eyes of God, who has destined you to be successful in the plans He has for you. He’s not up there waiting for you to make a mistake and then kick you when you’re down. He is a good and loving Father who is in your corner, cheering and rooting for you. And He has the means and resources to ensure your success!
Prayer Gives Us Access to God’s Limitless Resources
When you know that God believes in you, it changes the way you feel about yourself and transforms the way you approach life. It turns impossibility thinking into possibility thinking, because we know that “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27). It also changes the way that we view our own potentials. Rather than thinking, Oh, I could never do that, or That’s beyond my abilities, we begin to realize that God Almighty lives within us. Because the Spirit of all truth dwells within us, we can live beyond the limitations of our own natural talents, abilities, creativity levels, and IQs. We have the opportunity every day to draw from the well that is within us and tap directly into the heart and mind of God Himself! The very God who spoke and formed the world lives within you and me. The moment we asked Him into our hearts and were born again, His Spirit took up residence and started living within us!
One of my favorite Scriptures is Ephesians 3:16–20. Paul was talking about being strengthened with might by God’s Spirit in our “inner man,” that we might know “the breadth, and length, and depth, and height” of our God, who “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (verses 16, 18, 20). So, we see here that God’s power is already alive and working within us and through us!
Romans 8:11 says that “the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in [us]” and “will also give life to [our] mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in [us]” (niv). Do you grasp the significance of that? The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead and brought Him back to life is living within us. That same Spirit can raise us up in whatever way we need and enable us to do whatever He has put within our hearts to do!
That same resurrection power can break every chain, every bondage, every spirit of limitation or containment, every addiction, every emotional problem, every sickness, every disease, and every form of oppression or attack that tries to hold you captive.
We read in Daniel 11:32, “The people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” “The people that do know their God”—that’s you and I. Those of us who know our God will be strong and do world-shaking exploits! It’s time that God’s people live in the full and complete power of the resurrection!
Pull up the bucket from the well. That’s where God is living. He’s not way out there in la-la land or some distant universe; He is living inside of you. You have the ability to call upon His help, His strength, His wisdom, His riches, His creativity, His intelligence, His passion, His anointing—whatever you need, it’s right there within you! Isn’t that exciting? The fact that God Almighty lives and reigns within you and me is pretty amazing. What an incredible honor!
Prayer Activates the Promises of God
The blessings we’re promised are not automatic, however. We have to ask for and activate God’s promises through prayer. The Bible assures us over and over that the Lord sees and knows about all of our needs—Matthew 6:8, for example, says, “Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” But we still have to ask in faith to move His hand.
This process is similar to what happens when you receive a new credit card. You are given the card with full authorization and backing, but you still need to make a phone call in order to activate it before using it to make any purchases. In like fashion, God has sent His Word with full authorization and backing, but we still have to make the call to activate it! We have to ask!
The Gospel of John confirms this idea. In John 14:12–14, Jesus said,
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. (nasb)
The Lord never intended for His children to live within the confines and limitations of this natural world. His plan has always been to empower and equip us with His supernatural blessings—to add His super to our natural. When we do our best, He will do the rest. But we have to ask!
Jesus Is Passing By—Seize Your Opportunity!
The tenth chapter of Mark includes the story of Bartimaeus, a blind beggar from Jericho. He sat by the roadside, day after day, appealing to the sympathies of passersby.
One day was different, however—Jesus came to Jericho. As He and His disciples were leaving the city, they passed by blind Bartimaeus, who shouted out, “Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me” (Mark 10:47).
Other people around Bartimaeus urged him to be quiet, and he shouted even louder, “Thou son of David, have mercy on me” (verse 48).
Because of the beggar’s persistence, Jesus called Bartimaeus to Him and inquired, “What do you want Me to do for you?” (See verse 51.)
Bartimaeus answered, “Lord, that I might receive my sight” (verse 51).
The Bible says that he immediately received his sight, and Jesus Himself explained why. He told Bartimaeus, “Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole” (verse 52, emphasis added).
Bartimaeus was healed because he seized his opportunity and cried out, “Jesus! Don’t pass me by! This is my moment. Heal my blind eyes!” The Bible records that Jesus heard his cry, stopped, saw his faith, granted his request, and healed him. How many other blind men did not cry out to Jesus and grab ahold of His promises by faith—and therefore missed out on their healing?
This account is an excellent example of how the spiritual realm operates. God knows our needs and sees our issues, but He can respond only to our faith and prayers. Let’s never be guilty of letting Jesus pass us by and thereby missing an opportunity for a miracle. Jesus is passing by—let’s seize our opportunity!
Are you ready to do as blind Bartimaeus and lay hold of the miracles that the Lord has for you? I know you are!
Let’s Begin Proclaiming God’s Promises
Let’s get ready to make some declarations together. When we boldly declare God’s promises out loud, three powerful things happen:
1) We let God hear and know that we absolutely believe His promises for our lives.
2) We let ourselves hear and know that we absolutely believe God’s promises for our lives.
3) We let Satan hear and know that we absolutely believe God’s promises for our lives.
By declaring God’s promises, we are putting God in His rightful place, putting Satan in his rightful place, and putting ourselves in our rightful places.
Ready? Speak this prayer out loud with me:
Father, I come to You through the name and the blood of Jesus. I thank You that You have called me to be more than a conqueror in every area of my life. I thank You that the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is alive and working within me, and therefore, that I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me. With You, Lord, nothing is impossible.
I declare that every spirit of darkness is broken off of my life and my family. Every generational curse is broken and reversed. Every bondage, chain, sickness, disease, or addiction is severed forevermore. The curse of poverty, insufficiency, and lack is bound from my finances from this moment on. Every spirit of limitation or containment is broken from my life and my future.
Now, Father, I release liberty, wholeness, happiness, and joy. I claim divine health over myself and my family. Thank You that the spirit of prosperity, increase, and abundance is being released into every area of my finances from this moment on. As for me and my house, there will be no limits and no boundaries! Thank You, Lord, for complete and total victory in my mind, my spirit, my body, my life, and my future, and that Your plans and purposes are being released within me, for me, and through me, in Jesus’ mighty name!
Now, give Him a big shout of praise and seal that prayer forevermore!
Prayer and Promise Principles
Knowing God and His promises for us is the basis of seeing His power move in us, for us, and through us.
The Spirit of truth dwells within us, empowering us to live above the levels of our own abilities, talents, and IQs.
Prayer gives us access to the limitless help, strength, and resources of our God.
Prayer turns impossibilities into possibilities. (See Matthew 19:26.)
God has destined you to be successful in every area of your life. He has the means and resources to ensure your success, and He has enabled you to access them through prayer.
Our heavenly Father knows what we need before we ask.
Boldly declaring the promises of God releases them into the realities of our lives.
Life is too fragile to simply leave in the hands of fate. I once saw a bumper sticker with the clever saying, “Life is fragile. Handle with prayer.” What good advice! Through the course of this book, your thoughts, your words, and your lifestyle are going to move to a higher level. You and I are going to take a journey that will change our lives forever.
As I have said, the basis of seeing God’s power moving in us, for us, and through us is knowing Him and His promises for us. When you know Him, are familiar with His nature, and understand what He desires for your life, it’s easy to trust Him, because it’s right here in the Book. When you read the promises of God, you see that God is a good, loving, generous, kind, big-hearted God. He’s not a hard taskmaster. He’s not a stingy God. He is a good God—all the time!
As you begin to understand and internalize this, you begin to see your future differently. You start seeing your future through the eyes of God, who has destined you to be successful in the plans He has for you. He’s not up there waiting for you to make a mistake and then kick you when you’re down. He is a good and loving Father who is in your corner, cheering and rooting for you. And He has the means and resources to ensure your success!
Prayer Gives Us Access to God’s Limitless Resources
When you know that God believes in you, it changes the way you feel about yourself and transforms the way you approach life. It turns impossibility thinking into possibility thinking, because we know that “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27). It also changes the way that we view our own potentials. Rather than thinking, Oh, I could never do that, or That’s beyond my abilities, we begin to realize that God Almighty lives within us. Because the Spirit of all truth dwells within us, we can live beyond the limitations of our own natural talents, abilities, creativity levels, and IQs. We have the opportunity every day to draw from the well that is within us and tap directly into the heart and mind of God Himself! The very God who spoke and formed the world lives within you and me. The moment we asked Him into our hearts and were born again, His Spirit took up residence and started living within us!
One of my favorite Scriptures is Ephesians 3:16–20. Paul was talking about being strengthened with might by God’s Spirit in our “inner man,” that we might know “the breadth, and length, and depth, and height” of our God, who “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (verses 16, 18, 20). So, we see here that God’s power is already alive and working within us and through us!
Romans 8:11 says that “the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in [us]” and “will also give life to [our] mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in [us]” (niv). Do you grasp the significance of that? The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead and brought Him back to life is living within us. That same Spirit can raise us up in whatever way we need and enable us to do whatever He has put within our hearts to do!
That same resurrection power can break every chain, every bondage, every spirit of limitation or containment, every addiction, every emotional problem, every sickness, every disease, and every form of oppression or attack that tries to hold you captive.
We read in Daniel 11:32, “The people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” “The people that do know their God”—that’s you and I. Those of us who know our God will be strong and do world-shaking exploits! It’s time that God’s people live in the full and complete power of the resurrection!
Pull up the bucket from the well. That’s where God is living. He’s not way out there in la-la land or some distant universe; He is living inside of you. You have the ability to call upon His help, His strength, His wisdom, His riches, His creativity, His intelligence, His passion, His anointing—whatever you need, it’s right there within you! Isn’t that exciting? The fact that God Almighty lives and reigns within you and me is pretty amazing. What an incredible honor!
Prayer Activates the Promises of God
The blessings we’re promised are not automatic, however. We have to ask for and activate God’s promises through prayer. The Bible assures us over and over that the Lord sees and knows about all of our needs—Matthew 6:8, for example, says, “Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” But we still have to ask in faith to move His hand.
This process is similar to what happens when you receive a new credit card. You are given the card with full authorization and backing, but you still need to make a phone call in order to activate it before using it to make any purchases. In like fashion, God has sent His Word with full authorization and backing, but we still have to make the call to activate it! We have to ask!
The Gospel of John confirms this idea. In John 14:12–14, Jesus said,
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. (nasb)
The Lord never intended for His children to live within the confines and limitations of this natural world. His plan has always been to empower and equip us with His supernatural blessings—to add His super to our natural. When we do our best, He will do the rest. But we have to ask!
Jesus Is Passing By—Seize Your Opportunity!
The tenth chapter of Mark includes the story of Bartimaeus, a blind beggar from Jericho. He sat by the roadside, day after day, appealing to the sympathies of passersby.
One day was different, however—Jesus came to Jericho. As He and His disciples were leaving the city, they passed by blind Bartimaeus, who shouted out, “Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me” (Mark 10:47).
Other people around Bartimaeus urged him to be quiet, and he shouted even louder, “Thou son of David, have mercy on me” (verse 48).
Because of the beggar’s persistence, Jesus called Bartimaeus to Him and inquired, “What do you want Me to do for you?” (See verse 51.)
Bartimaeus answered, “Lord, that I might receive my sight” (verse 51).
The Bible says that he immediately received his sight, and Jesus Himself explained why. He told Bartimaeus, “Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole” (verse 52, emphasis added).
Bartimaeus was healed because he seized his opportunity and cried out, “Jesus! Don’t pass me by! This is my moment. Heal my blind eyes!” The Bible records that Jesus heard his cry, stopped, saw his faith, granted his request, and healed him. How many other blind men did not cry out to Jesus and grab ahold of His promises by faith—and therefore missed out on their healing?
This account is an excellent example of how the spiritual realm operates. God knows our needs and sees our issues, but He can respond only to our faith and prayers. Let’s never be guilty of letting Jesus pass us by and thereby missing an opportunity for a miracle. Jesus is passing by—let’s seize our opportunity!
Are you ready to do as blind Bartimaeus and lay hold of the miracles that the Lord has for you? I know you are!
Let’s Begin Proclaiming God’s Promises
Let’s get ready to make some declarations together. When we boldly declare God’s promises out loud, three powerful things happen:
1) We let God hear and know that we absolutely believe His promises for our lives.
2) We let ourselves hear and know that we absolutely believe God’s promises for our lives.
3) We let Satan hear and know that we absolutely believe God’s promises for our lives.
By declaring God’s promises, we are putting God in His rightful place, putting Satan in his rightful place, and putting ourselves in our rightful places.
Ready? Speak this prayer out loud with me:
Father, I come to You through the name and the blood of Jesus. I thank You that You have called me to be more than a conqueror in every area of my life. I thank You that the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is alive and working within me, and therefore, that I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me. With You, Lord, nothing is impossible.
I declare that every spirit of darkness is broken off of my life and my family. Every generational curse is broken and reversed. Every bondage, chain, sickness, disease, or addiction is severed forevermore. The curse of poverty, insufficiency, and lack is bound from my finances from this moment on. Every spirit of limitation or containment is broken from my life and my future.
Now, Father, I release liberty, wholeness, happiness, and joy. I claim divine health over myself and my family. Thank You that the spirit of prosperity, increase, and abundance is being released into every area of my finances from this moment on. As for me and my house, there will be no limits and no boundaries! Thank You, Lord, for complete and total victory in my mind, my spirit, my body, my life, and my future, and that Your plans and purposes are being released within me, for me, and through me, in Jesus’ mighty name!
Now, give Him a big shout of praise and seal that prayer forevermore!
Prayer and Promise Principles
Knowing God and His promises for us is the basis of seeing His power move in us, for us, and through us.
The Spirit of truth dwells within us, empowering us to live above the levels of our own abilities, talents, and IQs.
Prayer gives us access to the limitless help, strength, and resources of our God.
Prayer turns impossibilities into possibilities. (See Matthew 19:26.)
God has destined you to be successful in every area of your life. He has the means and resources to ensure your success, and He has enabled you to access them through prayer.
Our heavenly Father knows what we need before we ask.
Boldly declaring the promises of God releases them into the realities of our lives.
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