|
According to the
benefit . . .
But Hezekiah did not
make return [to the Lord] according to the benefit done to him, for his
heart became proud [at such a spectacular response to his prayer]; therefore
there was wrath upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 32:25
(AMP)
How do we handle the many faceted blessings
of God who loved us while we were lost and estranged from Him?
But God shows and clearly proves His [own]
love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah,
the Anointed One) died for us. Romans 5:8 (Amp)
Do we “return {to the Lord] according to
the benefit done to” us? In other words: Do we give Him our all or just
a portion of our love, passion, attention, energy and substance? Can we
honestly say? ,
I have been crucified with Christ [in
Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ
(the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by
faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son
of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Galatians 2:20 (Amp)
Do we honor those He has given us to be
His under shepherds? Do we return to them according to the benefit done
to us?
Obey your spiritual leaders and submit
to them [continually recognizing their authority over you], for they are
constantly keeping watch over your souls and guarding your spiritual welfare,
as men who will have to render an account [of their trust]. [Do your part
to] let them do this with gladness and not with sighing and groaning, for
that would not be profitable to you [either]. Hebrews 13:17 (Amp)
Make Return . . .
Whenever we receive
the benefit done to us through our pastors, we should return to them according
to the benefit done. Too often, money is sent to television evangelists,
favorite programs and ministries, and yet, the local pastor who prays,
weeps and cares for the sheep is ignored. This should never be the case.
Let him who receives instruction in the
Word [of God] share all good things with his teacher [contributing to his
support]. Galatians 6:6 (Amp)
If we have sown [the seed of] spiritual
good among you, [is it too] much if we reap from your material benefits?
1 Cor. 9:11 (Amp)
To consider ourselves more highly than
we should, to get puffed up and prideful about our accomplishments and
achievements, even our self-sought spirituality, forgetting the working
of God and God’s servants in our lives, is a sure road to destruction.
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty
spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18 (Amp)
Hezekiah showed himself to be a fool by
not taking note of the Lord’s spectacular response to his prayer and humbly
proclaiming the greatness of God. Beloved, you and I must keep watch over,
and guard, our hearts lest we find ourselves in the same situation as Hezekiah.
God will not be mocked.
Let us always rejoice and be glad in our
God who answers our prayers spectacularly and also remember that God is
merciful when we recognize our selves to have an attitude of neglect or
self-sufficiency, humble ourselves, repent and receive forgiveness as Hezekiah
did.
But Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride
of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath
of the Lord came not upon them . . . 2 Chron. 32:26 (Amp)
With
Authority and Power
And they
were all amazed and said to one another, What kind of talk is this? For
with authority and power He commands the foul spirits and they come out!
Luke 4:36 (AMP)
Beloved, it is time for the glorious church to arise
and shine. It is time that we, as spokesmen for God, begin to talk the
kind of talk that will bring the authority and power of the Kingdom of
God to bear on the affairs of this world.
Luke 4:31-37 tells of a man who was possessed
by an unclean spirit. When Jesus came near him the spirit, and those with
him, said, “Let us alone . . . have you come to destroy us? I know who
you are – the Holy One of God!” Rest assured, when the Anointed One of
God, Jesus, is on the scene, demons know it.
Jesus rebuked the devil and said, “Be silent
and come out of him!” and he came out! Why should we, then, be amazed when
the demonic forces working in the sons of disobedience become agitated
in our presence (Ephesians 2:2)? Is not Christ, the Anointed One and His
anointing, in us?
Don’t you know that you are the very residence
of the Spirit of Holiness and resurrection power?:
Do you not discern and understand
that you [the whole church at Corinth] are God’s temple (His sanctuary),
and that God’s Spirit has His permanent dwelling in you [to be at home
in you, collectively as a church and also individually]? 1 Corinthians
3:16 (AMP)
Do you not know that your body is the temple (the
very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have
received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own, 1 Corinthians 6:19
(AMP)
A War is Raging . . .
The “Greater One” lives
within you!:
Little children, you are of God
[you belong to Him] and have [already] defeated and overcome them [the
agents of the antichrist], because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier)
than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4 (AMP)
When He comes on the scene, demons cry out
and those that are being used by them become extremely agitated.
Don’t get confused. There is a war raging between
the forces of light and the forces of darkness. It is not a war between
mortal human beings. They are simply the agents through which light or
darkness are manifest in the land :
For we are not wrestling with
flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against
the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are]
the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of
wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere. Ephesians 6:12
(AMP)
Our war (wrestling) is not with people, but
with the demonic personalities that would seek to steal, kill and destroy
those they control.
Use the authority that Christ has given you and
deliver the captives. Let the anointing within you open the prison doors
and set those locked in free.
Even the devil himself is no match for
the greater One within you.
When you speak, let the people say, “What kind
of talk is this? For with authority and power He commands the foul
spirits and they come out! ”
Abiding in the Shadow
. . .
He Who dwells in the secret place of the Most
High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose
power no foe can withstand].
Psalm 91 (AMP) begins with a declaration of stability
and security for all those who dwell “in the secret place.”
Where is the “secret place?” How do we find our
way into it? How do we “dwell” there?
The “secret place” is held secret from those who
reject the Lord, His church, and are unwilling to reverence and obey His
Word. The key to entering the “secret place” and finding protection “under
the shadow of the Almighty” is that of learning the ways of God and yielding
to them in willing obedience.
This precious, holy and powerful place is open
to all who “will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God;
on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!” He is an ever
present help to those who recognize their own weakness and are willing
to cast all their care upon Him. It is for this one that it is written,
“For [then] He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the
deadly pestilence. [Then] He will cover you with His pinions, and under
His wings shall you trust and find refuge; His truth and His faithfulness
are a shield and a buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror of the
night, nor of the arrow (the evil plots and slanders of the wicked) that
flies by day, Nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor of the
destruction and sudden death that surprise and lay waste at noonday. A
thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but
it shall not come near you. Only a spectator shall you be [yourself inaccessible
in the secret place of the Most High] as you witness the reward of the
wicked.
Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and
the Most High your dwelling place, There shall no evil befall you, nor
any plague or calamity come near your tent. For He will give His angels
[especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in
all your ways [of obedience and service]. They shall bear you up on their
hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the
lion and adder; the young lion and the serpent shall you trample underfoot.”
That one who is in communion with the Lord, His
Church, His Spirit and His Word will continually abide in the “secret place”
of deliverance from all his enemies and promotion over those who would
hinder his ways. Yes, the “secret place” is the “in Christ” place.
He Knows My Name . . .
Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live
in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself
without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you
bear fruit unless you abide in Me. John 15:4 (Amp)
The King James version uses, “Abide in Me and
I in you.” It is the communion of union that brings life and fruitfulness
to the believers life. In this abiding is the power of protection and provision
released.
If you live in Me [abide vitally united
to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts,
ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. John 15:7 (Amp)
We find our way into the “secret place” as we
determine to remain in the constant communion of the union that took place
at our moment of salvation; the intertwining of Spirit and spirit that
makes all things new in order to create a new creature in Christ.
We dwell in the “secret place” by virtue of being
in Christ as a branch, attached to the Vine with the bond of love. Our
heart and attention is riveted upon Him:
Behold, as the eyes of servants look to
the hand of their master, and as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her
mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, . . . Psalm 123:2 (Amp)
Because of this love relationship, the Lord responds
by covering us “under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can
withstand].” As we read in the last part of this beautiful, comforting,
strengthening, encouraging Psalm:
Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore
will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows and understands
My name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness—trusts
and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never]. He shall
call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will
deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him
My salvation.
That one who abides in that “secret place” develops
an intimate knowledge of the Name of God. The Lord says that one “knows
and understands My name.” This is the knowledge that reveals the character
and nature of the Almighty to those that are in the “secret place.” Knowing
Him in this way leaves no place for words that are contrary to what He
says, thoughts that are contrary to what He thinks, nor a life outside
of His life. There, we are hidden. - Selah
2005, The Time To Thrive
. . .
According to the Oxford University Press
dictionary, to “thrive” is “to grow or develop well or vigorously; to prosper
or flourish.” 2005 is the God appointed time to thrive.
The Lord spoke through several of His prophets
in 2003 and during this past year and said that 2005 would be the year
of overflow. One definition of “overflow” is “the excess not able to be
accommodated by a space.” It also means to “be excessively full or crowded.”
As you can see, the plan of God in this
hour is to bring about a year of exceeding, abundance as was spoken of
in the book of Ephesians:
Now to Him Who, by (in
consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is
able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above
all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers,
desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]— Ephes. 3:20 (Amp) which are before,
Philip. 3:13 (KJV)
This word “superabundantly,” translated
“exceedingly” in the King James Version of the
Bible is a powerful combination of “super,” meaning
“above, over, beyond; to a great or extreme degree; extra large of its
kind,” and “abundantly,” which means, “existing or available in large quantities;
plentiful.” So, what we are being told is that this year will not only
be, over and beyond what would be considered plentiful, but will exceed
it to such a degree that our imagination cannot even grasp its measure.
God has purposed to bless us in such lavish manner that we have no frame
of reference to comprehend its magnitude.
By faith we appropriate what only God can
comprehend and bring to pass. His answer to the call of faith is causing
us to flourish beyond our capacity to contain the result which comes pressed
down, shaken together, and overflowing.
2005 is our time to thrive.
You Won’t Strive In 2005 . . .
To “strive” is to “make great efforts” or
to “fight vigorously against.” You won’t have to strive in 2005. The work
of faith, the sowing of your life and resources, has been done in the years
gone by. What you have sown in the past is what you will reap in the harvest
of this year. 2005 is the year of harvest.
Every farmer who sows seed knows that he
must wait for the harvest. He cannot make the seed increase. He must let
it mature and bring forth after its kind, some 30 fold, some 60, and some
100 times more. All he needs to do is harvest what has developed from the
seed sown. This is the miracle of harvest.
As you continue in obedience to the Word
of God and the work of the Holy Spirit your harvest will increase. Your
harvest is on the other side of obedience. “God reserves and keeps for
us the appointed weeks of the harvest” (Jeremiah 5:24).
You will not strive in 2005. Your time
of fighting vigorously against the powers of darkness is at an end. The
victories won in prayer are manifesting during this year. The imaginations
of your mind have been brought into captivity to the knowledge of Christ.
Your enemy has been routed and flees seven ways before you.
Nothing God has spoken to your heart will
be withheld from you. In Habakkuk 2:3 we have read, “For the vision is
yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie:
though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not
tarry.”
We have waited in faith and now is the
time appointed; now is the time when “it shall speak.” This is the promised
hour when “it will surely come, it will not tarry.”
Why, you may ask, is this year so different?
It is the time of the former and latter rains, the overflowing of the banks
of the river of the Spirit. It is the time of reaping of even that which
we have not sown. It is 2005, the appointed time to thrive.
I Will Bless You -
If God said it, He meant
it!
In blessing
I will bless you and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants like
the stars of the heavens and like the sand on the seashore. And your Seed
(Heir) will possess the gate of His enemies, Genesis 22:17 (Amp)
You may not think that this
blessing, spoken to Abraham, has anything to do with you, but it does.
So
then, those who are people of faith are blessed and made happy and favored
by God [as partners in fellowship] with the believing and trusting Abraham.
Galatians 3:9 (Amp)
Believers are “partners
in fellowship,” or “partners in faith,” with Abraham. In Christ we are
heirs of the covenant promises given to Abraham, the father of faith. We
are “in Christ” and therefore we will possess the gate of the enemies of
God.
Abraham was told to look
at the stars of heaven and count them, if he could.
And He brought
him outside [his tent into the starlight] and said, Look now toward the
heavens and count the stars—if you are able to number them. Then He said
to him, So shall your descendants be. Genesis 15:5 (Amp)
When God promises to multiply,
He is not talking about anything small. He thinks BIG! He wants you and
I to begin to think outside the box of our past experience and begin to
count the stars. Soon we will realize that it is impossible to count them.
They are a multitude. God said that He would make each of us a multitude.
In fact we are to be a “multitude of nations.”
. . . his seed shall become a multitude of nations. Genesis 48:19 (KJV
Every Member a Multitude -
The plan of God is that
each one of us become a “multitude of nations.” This will satisfy the heart
of God because He would that none be lost and that His house be full. The
book of Revelation shows us a picture of heaven with an innumerable host
before the throne of God.
After this
I looked and a vast host appeared which no one could count, [gathered out]
of every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages. These stood
before the throne and before the Lamb; they were attired in white robes,
with palm branches in their hands. Rev. 7:9 (Amp)
The only way that there will
be an innumerable host in heaven is for an innumerable host to be saved
on earth. There is no second chance, the time is now. It is time that we
look to our covenant promise and appropriate it by the resulting action
of real faith (Faith without corresponding action is dead).
First, we must pray for
the harvest promise.
Ask of Me,
and I will give You the nations as Your inheritance, and the uttermost
parts of the earth as Your possession. Psalm 2:8 (Amp)
Then, we must put action to our
prayer of faith and go to the lost. Jesus said,
. . . Go into all
the world and preach and publish openly the good news (the Gospel) to every
creature [of the whole human race]. He who believes . . . and is baptized
will be saved
. . . And these attesting signs
will accompany those who believe: in My name they will drive out demons;
they will speak in new languages; They will pick up serpents; and [even]
if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay their
hands on the sick, and they will get well. Mark 16:15-18 (Amp)
You are a Multitude. - Selah
April Already?
How can it be? Time is moving
so swiftly.
Sharon and I trust that you are
doing well and that you are pressing in to all that God has for you this
year.
This is a year of destiny for many
but all will not enter in to what God has prepared unless they be willing
to go through to victory.
Going through is the secret.
To have victory there must needs be battle. Battle speaks of the
good fight of faith [1 Tim 6:12; 2 Tim 4:7] and the good warfare
of those mighty in the Spirit. [2 Cor 10:4; 1 Tim 1:18]
There are Good things in the
plan and purpose of God concerning us. 1 Peter 1:7 says it this way,
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that
perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and
honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
Great victory and great reward is
ahead for those who will not faint in the battle.
Remember ...
the words of God by the Psalmist,
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand;
but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold
and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which
is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall
thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give
his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways [Psalm 91:7-11].
He will keep you in all your ways!
Not only will He keep you but he
will also manifest Himself as your all sufficient Provider: Who goeth a
warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth
not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the
milk of the flock? [1 Cor 9:7]
Keep your eyes on the Resurrection,
Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, while He brings you through
on your way to - your destiny! - your Victory in 2003!
Arise
and Shine ...
Arise & Shine! Your Light has
come. The glory of the Lord has risen upon you in great manifestation!
This is the hour of the Church. All will see Her glory and draw near to
Her. Arise, shine;
for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For,
behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,and gross darkness the people:
but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of
thy rising.
[Isaiah 60:1-3]
You are a member, in particular,of
the Body of Christ. This makes you unique on the face of the earth.
You are a different class of creation. You are a child of the Most
High God. Old things have passed away and all things become new as concerns
you. You are a new creature in Christ. Now you are more than a conqueror
and an over-comer in the sight of God.
All of this did not only come to
pass so that you could be saved. God was, in Christ, creating a whole new
race of people that would go forth into the world and do exploits
for Him. A people that would plunder hell and populate heaven by proclaiming
the glorious gospel.
1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a
chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation,a peculiar
people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you
out of darkness into his marvelous light:
Arise And Go ...
We now have a purpose, a cause,
that is greater than any other on terra firma. We are the Ambassadors of
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our calling is to reconcile fallen humanity
to its Creator. This will only be accomplished as we each take our place
in the local church.
1 Tim. 3:15 But if I tarry
long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in
the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and
ground of the truth. Once we find our place of calling in the church God
will begin to send us out to do exploits for Him. We will go forth with
our own supply of the Spirit and the anointing of the house mingled in
supernatural power. We will go as the Armor-bearers of God. He will
take us into the fray at His side. We will win every battle. Great will
be our success. Let God plant you in the local church. Allow Him
to call you into its communion. Yield to the leadership and flow with the
vision that God has given. As you do you will realize the great freedom
that your soul desires, the wonderful sense of belonging that
moving in unity brings.
Psalm 122:1 ... I was glad when
they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.
Psalm 133:1 ... Behold, how good
and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
I Beheld Satan Fall
...
Luke 10:18 (KJV) And he said
unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
This powerful prophetic statement
that came from the lips of Jesus, who cannot lie, decreed that He had seen
the fall of Satan at His coming resurrection. Glory! The accuser is cast
down.
Rev. 12:10 (KJV) And I heard
a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and
the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of
our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Many, today, think that Satan is
still in heaven accusing them to God. Beloved, nothing could be further
from the Bible taught truth. When our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, rose
from the dead and sprinkled His precious blood on the mercy seat, Satan’s
right to stand in heaven was finished. War broke out and Satan and his
followers were driven out and down to the earth.
Rev. 12:7-9 (KJV) And there
was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and
the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their
place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that
old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world:
he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Now, Satan cannot accuse you to
God. He can only go about the earth and it’s atmosphere accusing one person
to another. Once we grasp this wonderful truth, we can boldly stand against
his age old devices of division and strife. We can stand against the wiles
of the devil, wielding the sword of the Spirit victoriously (Eph. 6:11
KJV).
You and I can begin to live as more
than conquerors.
I Beheld the Bride Ascend ...
Isaiah 62:5 (KJV) ... and as the
bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.
As God spoke to Jerusalem, so He
speaks to the Church, the Bride to be, the help meet of the Lamb and rejoices
over her.
Jeremiah 33:11 (KJV) The voice
of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the
voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the Lord of
hosts: for the Lord is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them
that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord....
The Lamb and the Bride rejoice as
one, praise as one, and speak as one as they bring and give glory to God
Almighty.
Rev. 22:17 (KJV) And the Spirit
and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him
that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life
freely.
Together they beckon to all who
hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Joel 2:16 (KJV) Gather the
people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children,
and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber,
and the bride out of her closet.
Jesus is coming to His Bride before
He comes for Her. It is in the midst of the holy convocation of young and
old together. His Spirit is being poured out upon all flesh and the glory
of God is seen in those who are His own. She is becoming all glorious within,
without spot or wrinkle; Washed with the water of the Word, anointed with
precious oil of holy anointing. She is ascending in integrity, character,
honor, and glory, to ever be with Him. |
|
