Encouragement

June 28, 2021

Wednesday

Joshua 1:6-9 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

To live in courage requires encouragement. In the time we live in, most people do not carry a happy countenance. We are too serious. We take ourselves too seriously. This makes it hard to be happy. If we could just get to the place that we are satisfied and content, we would be a lot happier. The common mindset is not having enough. There are constant challenges in the time we live in.  when those challenges come, we need to know how to respond to them properly. 

1 Samuel 30:1-6 Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, 2 and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. 3 So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. 4 Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. 5 And David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. 6 Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

This was a terrible day for David. His city was burned, and all the women and children were abducted. Then the very men he had trained and devoted himself to, turned on him with anger and wanted to kill him. Verse 6 says that he was “greatly distressed.” But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. What do you do when there is no one there to encourage you? You must learn to encourage yourself.  You must know where to go to get encouragement. There are times that people are in your life to encourage you.  But what do you do when they are not there? God is always there. He is never against you! He is never down on you! He will never condemn you, even if you deserve it! Conviction is not condemnation. There is a difference. Condemnation leaves you with no way out. Conviction points a way out.  The enemy feeds you lies to make the problem seem so big that there is no solution. It weighs heavy on you!  We are to be people of joy and peace!

Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

We must learn to live life one day at a time. Don’t bring problems that aren’t even there into today! The verse says, don’t worry about tomorrow! Your salvation is secure! What else is there to worry about? If you can have faith that your eternity is secure, why can’t you be secure in today and what will happen tomorrow? 

When we are experiencing oppression, it is demonic forces we are dealing with. It is not talked about enough in churches today. It comes on you so subtly that you start to believe that this is just the life you live. But that is a lie.  God provided a way that we can live above it. God wants us to have peace of heart and mind, and joy with it. We must learn how to strengthen and encourage ourselves in the Lord. If you’re going to be happy in life, you must ruthlessly remove hurry from your life. We must learn to be thankful! You can’t be thankful and depressed at the same time! Its impossible! There is always something to be thankful for. You must be thankful even when things are difficult. Daily you must go to the Lord and strengthen yourself. If you will do it daily, and do it first thing in the morning, no matter what that day brings you, you will be on top not the bottom. There will be days that things and people will come into your life in an overwhelming way. And if you don’t have the strength and the courage for it, it will take you down. Establish a relationship with the Encourager. 

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

Less fear requires more love.  If you increase the love, you’ll increase the fear. If you want to increase the love, you have to increase the fellowship. When you set aside time to be with God, you are fellowshipping with love. It is very simple! 

Worshiping the Creator

June 27, 2021

Sunday AM

Revelation 4:1-11 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.”

2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. 3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones, I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thundering’s, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

6 Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. 8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying:

“Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty,
Who was and is and is to come!”

9 Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:

11 “You are worthy, O Lord,
To receive glory and honor and power;
For You created all things,
And by Your will they exist and were created.”

In these 11 verses, the word “throne” is mentioned 14 times. Heaven has a throne and from that position, the whole universe is run. Everything centers around that one thing. Everything that exists, originates from that throne. God sits on that throne. The beasts surrounding the throne are there for one purpose. Heaven’s definition of worship and earth’s definition of worship are two different things. In the presence of God, there is one position, flat on your face.  People today are caught up in so many things. Our life is about living here for our future in Heaven. What’s going on in the center of your life? In heaven the center is worship. Worship helps us keep God in his proper place, and ourselves in the proper place. The reason people don’t worship God is because they are full of pride. It is a choice to live every day to worship God. Everyone on earth is always worshiping someone or something. The question is not will you worship, its who do you worship? You must make the decision to worship God. You cannot control what others do, but you can choose to worship God. There is nothing better you can do with your life. Put worship at the center of your life, and the very life and light that God is, will flow into you. Many people will worship God on the mountain top when everything is going great for them but fail to worship in the valley. Many people are waiting on God to do something for them, but God has already done something above and beyond for them! How much time did you spend on your face worshiping God this week? That is a locator for where you are in your walk with God. 

Romans 12:9-14 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 

He is giving us instructions for everyday living. We will focus on verse 11. “Fervent in spirit” in another translation is, “aglow in the spirit.”  Everything that is going on in our world right now, the good, bad, and the ugly, is after one thing. Who and what are people going to worship? 

Exodus 20:1-6 And God spoke all these words, saying:

2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.

4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

We are not to worship anything created. No boat, car, house, human, etc. We are to worship the Creator only. If you’re in church, but your mind is out on the lake, you are worshiping the wrong thing. Your mind and heart and everything should be on Him. Then, if you want to go and have fun on the lake later, that’s perfectly okay! As a matter of fact, if you’ll worship God beforehand, you’ll have a lot more fun anyway! Worship is always bowing. It does not necessarily mean physically, but more so with your attitude and in your heart. It’s the lesser acknowledging the Greater! It’s admitting need of Him! Honor Him and He will honor you!

Psalm 91:14-16 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”

Set your love upon God for all these benefits. Every day when you wake, you make this choice. Don’t wait until trouble comes. Set your love on Him every morning, and when trouble comes, you already have Him. It is simple! God will have no rivals! He wants to be your one and only! He wants all your thoughts and affection! There is no one on planet earth that wants you like God wants you. God brought us out and set us free from sin. Worship Him for what He has already done! 

Zaccheaus

June 23, 2021

Wednesday

Luke 19:1-10 Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. 7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.”

8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”

9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham;10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

The key verse here is verse 10. We have had teaching about this meaning we have triumphed over hell. We will never have to go there. But we will look at it from a different angle. 

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

Genesis 3:7-9 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

In Genesis 1 & 2 we see the creation and the making of man. Everything was perfect the way God made it. Then the snake comes along. We don’t know how long Adam was in the garden before the snake came. It didn’t happen the day after he married Eve. The bible says that Adam was put in the garden to dress it and keep it. Or tend and guard it.  God wouldn’t have told him to guard it if there were not some sort of enemy.  God knew about the enemy. He was not surprised. Adam was not deceived. Eve was. He made the decision and was held responsible. We don’t know how long Adam and Eve enjoyed fellowship and walking with God in the garden before the fall. So, in this perspective, Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost. What was lost was man’s walk with God in the garden. Man died spiritually there.  His walk with God was lost that day in the garden.  This is what Jesus came to save! There are people all over this world that have been saved and accepted the sacrifice that Jesus made. But because they haven’t had all of the Gospel preached to them, they don’t recognize that they’ve been given much more than a ticket out of hell. It’s not just about what we’ve been saved from, it’s about what we’ve been saved to! Now you can fellowship with God! You can come into His very presence. You don’t have to wait until you get to heaven. You can have Him now! You can enjoy what God intended from the very beginning! The entire Bible from Genesis to the maps is about getting back to Genesis 1 and 2.  Jesus came to restore that!

So, in light of this, when we look back to the story of Zacchaeus, Jesus found Him up in a tree.  And he’s got all these problems. He couldn’t have been a popular man. He was a rich chief tax collector. Tax collectors were employed by the Roman government to find ways to get people to pay their taxes. They were good at what they did, and Zacchaeus had risen to the top. How do we know he has problems? Because, after the meeting in his house, he starts confessing. We see that he has committed crooked transactions and felt the conviction. Jesus responds with, “today, this man has turned around and is on the right track.” What would happen if Jesus came to your house? After Jesus came to Zacchaeus’s house, a great turn around took place.  If Jesus walked through your wall at your house and said, “today, you and I need to sit down and have a talk.”  Do you think that your life from that moment wouldn’t change completely? Do you think you’d get some answers to some questions?  Of course, you would. The thing you have to see, is that Jesus made a way so that every single day you and I can sit down with Him and have that talk! Jesus came and restored a way!  Anytime you want to, you can sit down with Him face to face. Zacchaeus went to the top of the tree because he couldn’t see down on the ground. Haven’t we been talking about coming up to a higher perspective? Jesus is offering you what you are really searching for in life. 

John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—

Another Comforter was sent to us. Jesus had to leave and go to Heaven. But the other Helper will never leave us. The Holy Spirit lives within us forever. This is enough to be thankful and worship Him for the rest of your life. Hebrews says that we are not to neglect so great a salvation. We never have to go to Hell! You can have a relationship with Jesus Christ every single day! The Holy Spirit is here living inside of you to represent! He does not replace Jesus; He is here to enforce the Lordship of Jesus. He brought with Him Jesus’s mind, will, and everything within. He’s here to help you and guide you with the very mind of Christ who knows everything about you and your future!  He is the guide inside of you! You don’t have to walk through life alone with no direction! 

We all know there are things in our lives that need to change. We are like a tree. We have stuff above ground and stuff below ground that no one sees. If you will start sitting with Jesus daily, He will start talking to you. It’s amazing that He won’t talk to you about something when He knows you won’t listen. Here’s why:  If He starts talking to you about something that you won’t listen to, you cross over into disobedience. And disobedience opens the door to the devil. He won’t turn you over to the devil like that. It’s called mercy. It’s called love You’ve got this person that loves you like that, and you don’t have time for Him?  You realize when He found you, you were up in a tree and you had a lot of problems too? Until you come down from the tree and sit down with Jesus and deal with the problems, you’ll live and die with them. Sit with the Lord every single day! 

Awaken

June 20, 2021

Sunday

Joshua 1:1-2 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: 2 “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. 

Arise – To come up to a higher perspective; awaken

Sometimes we get stuck in life, and just go through the motions.  But God makes it so that there are seasons in life.  Every day is a brand-new day that you can get up and begin again. You have to be able to leave the past behind. Moses can get you out of Egypt, but he can’t take you into the promised land.  Joshua will get the Egypt out of you and take you into the promised land. This is a picture of today’s leaders in the church. There will be a group of people who inherit. The children of Israel had to possess the land, drive out their enemies and take their place.  There were squatters on their land. Today, there are squatters sitting on what belongs to God’s people that’s already been paid for by Jesus. There will be a people who rise up and go into that realm and take what belongs to them. Why not us? You have to put the past behind and be reshaped. Don’t get stuck in your ways. 

We have to become aware of what time we are living in. What time is it on God’s time clock? He does not go by the Gregorian calendar. The start of our year on earth is January 1st. God’s New Year is not like man’s New Years.  God’s first of the year is in September. There is evidence all in the Bible. There are events and places and times that are scheduled on God’s calendar. So, what time is it? Where are we at? It’s time to awaken. Without delay. It is time to move. Overcomers bury the past and arise to seize the new day.  Old things have passed away, all things have become new. You have a new Father, family, and future. The things holding you now, is the residue of your past. The things you are struggling with is the residue of the old life, and the old man.  The new you is not holding you back. That is why you have to be able to turn loose of the old. Forget who you used to be so that you can become who you are meant to be! Where you get in trouble, is when you become stubborn, and you can’t be corrected. People live in pain because they are too stubborn to let go. Let go of where you’ve been hurt. God loves you and will help you. He doesn’t want to wait for you to get to heaven for you to get to know Him. There is nothing more valuable to God than people. That means ALL people. 

You won’t be able to come up to a higher perspective if you are entangled in what’s going on down here in everyday life. We are not from here this is not our home, but we have to live here until the time has come. We are in a natural body, but we are supernatural people born from above. We are spiritually alive. We have to learn to operate from a higher place and not stay entangled in what’s going on down here all the time. You’ll never live in anything bigger than what you can see. God has something higher and better for you! 

John 16:13  However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 

The Holy Spirit will guide you to truth. He is always speaking! Just as the world is always speaking. Which one are you listening to? Come up to a higher viewpoint!  Then you can live above what is down here. He can guide you into God’s perfect plan for your life! He is always speaking! He always has something to say about everything! God doesn’t have questions, only answers. He does not have problems, only solutions! He doesn’t have truth, He is truth! He can show you things to come. If you are wrapped up in the cares of this world, fear can enter your heart. But if you are in contact with the One who knows all, you can know what’s going to happen. It’s easy to agree with that, but most people don’t live there. He is calling us up to a higher place. There are things in our future that God has planned for us that we will never walk in if we don’t come into agreement with Him. Let Him speak! How? Pray in other tongues! The more you let Him speak through you like that, the more you will know.  He wants to take you beyond! 

Revelation 22:6-7  Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. 7 “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

The key words here are “shortly,” and “quickly.” This is heavens perspective. 

Revelation 22:12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.

Revelation 22:20  He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

The Holy Spirit shows you things to come. He is showing us what is on God’s clock! His coming is not changing. It is a set date that only God knows. In His word He gives us things to look at that lets us know, we are getting closer. If you knew Jesus was coming in the next few days, how would you live? If we will live in an urgency that Jesus is coming soon, we would be in line with our Father’s business. What was important to Him, would become what is important to you.  

Matthew 24:3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

Luke 21:32-35 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! 34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

God wants us to see and know exactly the time and be ready. God’s people are not ready! When we awaken to who we are and what we are supposed to be doing, God can move through us to impact the world. This is why there is going to have to be a major outpouring of the spirit. There will be! Will you be ready? Will you be aware? Or will you be asleep caught up in what everyone else is doing and trying to be what everyone else is being. Don’t miss it! Don’t miss what God is trying His best to do.  We’ve got a guide inside that is telling us to get ready. 

Psalm 25:4 Show me Your ways, O Lord;
Teach me Your paths.

Every child is born with a desire in them given by God, and a path planned by God for their lives. As a parent, you can elevate yourself to a higher perspective and know what that path is for the child.  You point them in that direction and you keep them pointed there. This doesn’t just work for your kids. It will work for you too. The Holy Ghost is in you to show you the way you should go. God does not want us to hit and miss. He wants us to walk in all He has for us!  He wants everyone on His path for them! If you could just see where you could be and what you could have! It’s healing and blessing! Its better! 

Arise!

June 16, 2021

Wednesday

Joshua 1:1-2 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: 2 “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. 

Arise & Go! God is never neutral. He is always moving and progressing. He is never stuck. The children of Israel were stuck for 40 years.

Arise – to come up to a higher perspective

We all know we need to do that. But what does that look like? What does that mean?

When you wake in the middle of the night, what is the first thing you do? Check the nearest clock to see what time it is. Why? To know what time it is. Will you arise if you don’t know what time it is? If you’re going to come up to a higher perspective, you have to know what time it is.  You see things in the day that you don’t see at night. We have to stop looking at all that’s going on down here in the natural world. We have to start focusing on what’s going on in the heavens. People are caught up in busy down here, and when you are caught up in that, you see everything from the perspective that everyone else does down here. You think it’s normal, but it is not. If all you do is see things from this perspective on earth, all you’re going to have is what’s on earth. The children of Israel were in the wilderness for 40 years because they were caught up in all their murmuring, complaining, rebellion, and what they were doing down here on earth. Moses was always entertaining a higher perspective. If you’ll come up to a higher perspective, you will see things that the vast majority does not.  You’ll be able to see yourself, and what’s going on in life. The spiritual realm is just as real as what we see with our eyes.  There is a world system that is working 24/7 against you. You won’t overcome it if you’re not coming up to a higher perspective. You won’t overcome it, if you’re caught up in it. 

Luke 21:34 “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.

That Day might come upon you and you’re not even aware of it. It doesn’t mean you don’t love God; it does not mean you aren’t saved. It means you have allowed yourself to get caught up in the cares of this world to the degree that the Day is here, and you don’t even see it.  God can be present and wanting to do something and you’re not even aware of it.  Carousing means going where the world goes and doing what the world does in a constant manner. We live in this world, we have to do things like go to work, eat, sleep, go, etc. But you can do it too much. If you do it too much it affect you in a way you don’t realize.  We all have responsibilities. But you can get too weighted down with it. Everything has to be kept in its proper place or you won’t be able to operate and step up to that higher perspective.  You won’t be able to see the time you’re living in. 

The scriptures are very clear that certain things have to happen before the second coming of Jesus. But we are closer than we have ever been. As time progresses, things get darker and darker at a faster rate. Things aren’t going to slow down. You don’t want the Day to come on you unaware. 

John 13:1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

Jesus knew that His time had come. If Jesus knew it, you can know it. We’re going to depart soon. It’s a set day just like the day of Pentecost was set. Only God knows it. If we really knew the time, we would be living our lives so differently. But we are blind to it because we are so caught up in everything down here. We don’t recognize the affect that technology, social media, and news has had on us. 

Throughout John 13, Jesus explains that He will only be with them for a short time. Up until this point, they had 613 commandments. He simplifies everything and narrows it down to only one.  A new commandment. Love one another as He has loved us. 

Luke 13:34-35  A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

We live in a world now where people are more offended than ever. Demons have been released in the world like never before. The truth will always offend those that aren’t living it. The Gospel is very offensive. When you grow in love, you insulate yourself. You have to come up to a higher walk in your love life. We have to take divine love seriously! You can get to a place that you can face anything and come out on top! It should be natural for us to believe, trust, and love God.  It should be natural for a christian to love and forgive each other! To have God’s presence and walk in His glory, you have to be insulated in divine love! It keeps His presence and power in, and devils and division out.  It keeps the devil from getting a foothold and bringing sickness and premature death.  Your bible teaches this truth! When division comes into the body, sickness can come in and people can die prematurely.  When you are in fellowship with the body, healing come easier.  Healing is wherever God is!  If you can get where He is, you don’t have to beg Him to heal you.   To God, healing is just a normal as taking a breath or taking a drink of water! God’s remnant church is going to come to a place where we carry the glory of God, and people will run to it and as they get there, God will fix anything wrong in their lives. He will do it because He is God, and the people want Him. Whatever that is in you that don’t want God, you better deal with it! 

Acts 2:1-4 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

This was the last time that God Himself had complete control of the whole church and every member in it. Every member in it was filled to overflowing and speaking.  If you read on in this chapter, you see the miraculous. Why don’t we see these spiritual experiences today? Because people are under the influence of the spirit of this age more than they’re under the influence of the Spirit of God. Until you can face that, you’ll continue to live like the world and everyone else in it. What could happen if God had complete control of our church? These men walked with Jesus for 3 years. We have four men (Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John) giving an account of what they saw, heard, and experienced. There is no excuse for not having soul transformation. We have the same Holy Spirit in us.  The reason people don’t have spiritual experiences is because they don’t spend time in the Spirit.  You’re going to have to have the Holy Ghost to help you.  There is nothing impossible to Him. And He lives in you. You can’t drink from the wrong fountain and expect to have life. You are full of what you continually drink from. Drink from the Spirit and presence of God! 

It's Time!

June 13, 2021

Sunday AM

Joshua 1:1-9 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: 2 “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

The number one principal of overcomers is: Overcomers bury the past and arise to seize the new day. Every day the sun comes up and it is a new day! Yesterday is gone, you cannot change it. If you live in the past, your future will look just like your past.  We have to be able to bury yesterday! Every single day is a new opportunity. The old you is dead! There are all kinds of possibilities now! Get up with a higher perspective every single day! 

Arise – come up to a higher perspective; posture yourself; position yourself; a readiness

The unhappy person resents it when you try to cheer him up. Because that means he has to stop dwelling on himself and start paying attention to the universe. Unhappiness is the ultimate form of self-indulgence. You’re so unhappy because all you think about is you and your problems. God wants you to think about who you are in Him. You have to bury the past! God wants to do something new! He wants to do something greater in your life! It’s time to get moving! God wants to do some supernatural things for you! The children of Israel were stuck and rebellious for 40 years.  Then when the day came and Moses was dead, He instructed them to arise and go across the river. He wanted them to step into their future! He knew what could be if they would step up and take their place in Him.  God is waiting on us! It’s time! When God says arise, it requires something of us. The local church is the ark in these last days. People just need to get on the ark! It’s a new day, the promise land is right before you! Now, get up and take it! It requires a response! You have to engage! Put your foot on it! It’s called faith! Faith is an act! The devil is watching you too! You have to show Him your faith!  It’s time! Don’t die in the wilderness! Step into your promise land! 

Verse 8 is what you have to do! This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 

The number two principal of overcomers is: Overcomers read, meditate, and obey the word of God. Not one day should go by that you are not speaking where you are going. You should not be speaking where you have been. You have to speak into your future! Posture yourself for where you are going, not where you have been. God requires a response from us! Don’t allow negativity to come out of your mouth! You are strong in the Lord and in the power of His might! You have what you say! You are set free by the words that come out of your mouth! Say something GOOD!  The worst thing you can do is be lazy! It’s the number one thing that will steal your dreams and destiny. 

The founder of Dubai was asked about the future of his country. He replied, “ My grandfather rode a camel, my father rode a camel, I drive a Mercedes, my son drives a Land Rover, and my grandson drives a Land Rover, but my great-grandson is going to have to ride a camel again. Why? Hard times create strong men, strong men create easy times. Easy times create weak men, and weak men create difficult times. Many will not understand it, but you have to raise warriors, not parasites.”                                   - Sheek Rasheed

Get up, get your faith moving!  Speak the word of God and believe what He has to say about you! Human nature is lazy. You can’t allow it! People can be lazy, physically and financially, but also spiritually. When you get lazy physically, poverty comes on you. Your whole life will begin to break down. It’s the same spiritually.  All you have to do for the devil to come in and take over your life, is become lazy. 

Four different times in this passage, God told Joshua to be strong and courageous. You’ll never be strong, if you’re lazy! Be a warrior, not a parasite! Turn off the TV! Get off of Facebook!  All that is there is negativity! You want to drain your spirit? Sit in front of the TV for a few hours.  You can think about something good just like you can think about something bad. It is up to you! Control your mind by putting the right things in it. You’re not going to live in Gods best and have peace in your life if you’re listening to the news every day. Get in your Bible and renew your mind. Get your thoughts lined up with what God says!  This will work for ANYONE! You have to get to a place where you are tired of not having God’s presence. 

Proverbs 24:10 If you faint in the day of adversity,
Your strength is small.

If you fall apart in a crisis, you weren’t very strong to begin with. The reason people aren’t strong and courageous, is because they don’t do the things that make them strong and courageous.  The number one thing you can do is read, meditate, and obey the word of God. The word of God should be coming out of your mouth every single day. 

John 13:31-35 So, when he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. 32 If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately.33 Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you. 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Up until this point, they had 613 commandments. But Jesus says, now this is a new day. This is the ONE commandment. Into the 14th chapter, Jesus introduces the Holy Spirit, because Jesus knew His time had come. He was going to the cross very soon. 

John 16:12-13 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

Jesus is introducing a new day and a new commandment. Sometimes we want God to speak to us but, he won’t because we can’t understand in our present state. These are things you grow in. We’ve looked at principals and something that you can do. Anyone can read their Bible and speak it out of their mouth.  You have to get the bicycle rolling before you can give it direction. You have to posture yourself for where you are going. Hear this message and start! It is time! 

God's Agenda

June 6, 2021

Sunday AM

Jeremiah 3:15  Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.

God has an agenda. He’s got something on His mind and heart. Humans also have an agenda. God does not set aside His agenda for your agenda. God will send a leader with His heart and mind. He never designed the church to be “cookie-cutter.” Different churches have different functions and purposes. God’s plan is basically three things for every human on earth.

1-    Born Again

2-    Filled with the Spirit

3-    Matured

When you’re born again, you are set completely free. You never have to go to Hell, but that is not all of it! You are to use your freedom, to set other people free around you! Many people agree that number one is the will of God. But you lose a lot of people on number two. Don’t let incorrect teaching hold you back from what God has for you! Why? You’re going to need help. There were things you were set free from when you were born again, but there’s residue of what’s left over in the soul and flesh that will have to be dealt with! The process of sanctification is something you will be going through the rest of your life. It does not happen in an instant because you are in a flesh body. It has the motions of sin in it.  Number 1 & 2 can be accomplished in 10 minutes. Number 3 is a lifetime of learning and growing. You don’t just learn and grow on the passage of time. It takes work and attention. If you look back on the verse, it mentions being led with knowledge and understanding.  If you’re going to grow you have to be fed properly. Just like your physical body has to be fed with natural food, your spirit must be fed the right things also. Your spirit came from God, it has to be fed spiritual food! Your natural body will die if you don’t feed it. Your spirit won’t ever die, but it cannot and will not grow without a steady diet of the word of God.  It’s what you do in these basic areas that produce maturity so that you can receive from God, and then give out of what you receive. You’ll only be fulfilled in this life if you are receiving from God, and then giving out from that. We’re here to be a vessel. 

Knowledge – the revelation of truth and facts

Understanding – how to apply it

The knowledge of a thing is not the possession of a thing. You have to have revelation of it for yourself! Then application. 

Matthew 3:1-3 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’

The wilderness speaks of the barren fruitless place. Preaching will get you out of the world, teaching will get the world out of you.

Kingdom of Heaven – Originates – where the kingdom is from

Kingdom of God – Who runs it

They are one in the same. So, God has an agenda and so do we as humans. What has following your agenda produced in life? God’s agenda will only produce good things in your life. It’s very important that you make that distinction. What was John’s message? To repent.  They were living in a fruitless place. 

Luke 1:13-17  But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

These are God’s people, but their hearts have turned from God. John is going to turn them back to God. Before Jesus came the first time, the people were not ready. In fact, He was walking among them, and they didn’t even know who He was. Many religious people even accused Him of being a devil. Prior to His second coming, the church will be so far removed from what He originally intended, that there will have to be a move that will bring God’s people back to His heart. Deception is rampant in today’s church. When you speak of the Kingdom of God, it is a foreign concept to most. Where truth is absent, deception will be prevalent. A man with experience will never be at the mercy of a man with a theory. We believe that Jesus is coming again. Are you ready? Are you where you need to be?  We see the birth of the church in Acts. If you compare today’s church with that one, we are not ready. The first step to revival is, we have to refuse to accept things the way they are. 

Matthew 1:23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

When John was saying the kingdom of Heaven is at hand, and Jesus was born, God with us, means the Kingdom of Heaven is with us, because it was in Jesus. The Kingdom of God does not come from observation, it is within you when you are born again. It’s present right now! 

Matthew 2:23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.

Here’s revival walking on earth but it’s locked up in Nazareth. Nazareth represents unbelief. He had to come out of Nazareth before He could begin His ministry to the world. He wasn’t locked up in His unbelief, He was locked up in their unbelief! God sent an anointing with a message to these people to prepare them for this new thing that He had birthed in the earth. Revival is not coming, it is already here, living on the inside of God’s people! The Kingdom of God is within us, locked up in our unbelief and religious systems. It’s locked up in man’s agenda! We have to come out of our deception so that Jesus can come forth! Prepare ye the way of the Lord!  This means to return to God’s agenda! God will not lay aside His agenda to come and join with yours! 

Matthew 3:16-17 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

This is my beloved Son. This is what He really looks like. A clear-cut distinction between our beliefs and agenda, and what God is really like. This is the true image of God’s son from Heaven. This is what we are to look at to know what we are to be like! 

Matthew 4:23  Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 

If our Gospel is not demonstrated like this, it is not the Gospel of the Kingdom. If what we’re preaching, is not producing this, it is not the true Gospel of the Kingdom.  That is the true Kingdom. That is what God’s agenda looks like. He does not like people to suffer.  He does not like people going to hell, and He is not okay with people being sick either. Jesus paid the price so that people can be free from BOTH. Until the church refuses to accept things the way they are, it will not change. We have to open our Bibles and develop a prayer life for yourself! The church is here to point you in the right direction!  It is for ALL of us. God wants to use you to do great things! There has to be a return to God’s agenda, or you will live in fruitless religion.  

 Luke 2:51-52 Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Jesus was born and took on a human body just like we have. The revival and Kingdom of God was in Him. He had the very life of God inside of Him. God was among us. But Jesus laid aside His divinity and took on humanity. He had to grow and develop and mature just like we do. He had to increase in knowledge and spiritual things just like we do. Nazareth is God’s training and processing ground. It is where you grow and mature!  It’s also where you learn to be subject to those over you. Jesus had to learn all of these things. God is endeavoring to raise up a people to accomplish His agenda! You’re carrying the Kingdom of God in you, and you have things in you that can help people! But they will never come out when you’re living by your own agenda. 

The Bread part 2

May 16, 2021

Sunday AM

Luke 11:1-13 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.”

5 And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? 8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.

9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

The church is sadly lacking in bread. This is because God’s people are lacking.  We want to remedy that. We have to deal with the problem and have a solution to the problem. You can know what God will do or won’t do if you know Him. You don’t have to wonder about God. He is not mysterious. God has revealed himself by His word and through His spirit. There are attributes of God. He is unchanging. He is truth. He cannot lie, it is impossible. If you know that about Him, then you read something in your Bible that He says you can have, you can be confident that it is true. He cannot lie! We have to get to know Him for who He is and forget what religion has taught us.  It is impossible for Him to forsake you. Why? Because He forsook Jesus. He will never have to do that again to one of His own. He had to turn His back on Jesus. Jesus became sin and everything that broken humanity had become. God had to look away! He will never do that to you because He did it to the first born. 

If you are going to learn anything in life, it needs to be how to pray. That’s how you get heaven in your life. The disciples noticed that when Jesus prayed, He got results. Jesus prayed when things were very busy. We can learn from this. He was in constant communication with His father. What Jesus did on the earth, He did not do as God. He did it as a man.  He said it out of His own mouth, “I can of my own self do nothing. The Father that dwells in me does the work.”   Jesus Christ never healed anyone. Jesus Christ never raised one person from the dead. The Father in Jesus did those things. The same life that was in Jesus, is now in you. That same life that’s in you has the same potential it had in Jesus, in Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John. Why don’t we see that? It begins with you knowing and believing it. You have to move past just having knowledge. Knowledge doesn’t make it happen. It is the first step. 

Matthew 4:14-16 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles:
16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,
And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death
Light has dawned.”

When it talks about darkness here, it is referencing spiritual death. No one was ever born spiritually alive other than Adam and Jesus. Adam went from life to death.  Jesus was the only other person born with life and light in Him amidst all the darkness. You have that same life and light in you. When you called on the name of the Lord, the same thing that happened in Genesis when God said, “Let there be light,” happened in you. We have the nature of God in us! We have the same ability to do the very things that Jesus did! That’s why Jesus said, “He that believes in me, the works I do, he shall do to” The miracles of God are locked up inside people who don’t know who they are! That’s why we have the word and the Holy Ghost! We can know who we are! We can know who is on the inside of us! And we can know exactly what we can do. But you’re never going to get there, until you make the decision to refuse to accept things the way they are. Don’t accept a casual Christianity! Don’t accept a lukewarm walk! God wants to take you to a place you’ve never been before! But if you just sit back and casually go about it, you won’t ever reach it. Refuse to be a person to walk in blindness like the majority does! There are no limits to the life of God in you! You are the only limit. Greater is He that is in you than he that is trying to get in you. Do not let the enemy steal your walk with God! Jesus paid the most awesome price that’s ever been paid, so that you can be free! It’s up to you to enforce your redemptive right! It’s up to you to enforce that victory! Do you realize that Jesus died and left you an inheritance? Your generational curses have already been broken. They were all ended at the cross. You don’t have to live under any of that! It’s your choice, because Jesus made a way out! He carried them so that you wouldn’t have to! Jesus took them into hell and left them there! It’s the devil that comes from hell with them and tries to put them back on you. And if you know who you are, you can refuse to let that happen.  Anything can change with prayer! Prayer will get the job done! Don’t settle for anything less! God’s very nature is giving! He wants to give the bread! He yearns to! He wants to set every captive free! The most valuable thing to exist to God is a human being. ALL human beings. Humans are the only eternal being. They will live forever somewhere.  You may not have the bread, but you know who does! We have to turn from doing our own thing. Lay down our agenda and pick up Gods! When you read about people doing amazing things for God, you must see that they lived a sold-out life. God’s love can take you over! We will all get to the end of our lives, and maybe we have done good things. But were they God things? God has a purpose for your life! If you have the wrong things influencing you, you will build your life on the wrong things. You have to do what no one wants to do, to have what everyone wants to have. At some point you have to stop reading about the heroes and finished works and start to write your own story!  Of course those people have important and inspiring lives, but when are you going to have your own? God is no respecter of persons.  God will do anything in your life that you want Him to do. “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” In other words, when God becomes the delight and the thing you live for, you won’t ask Him for goofy stuff. You will want what He wants! You will start seeing things how they really are.  He will open your eyes to who you are! He does this because He loves you! He will reveal himself to you! You will value what He values. You will value eternal things over temporal things. If you give God your best, He can start giving you His best. You have as much of God as you want in your life. God wants to be with you at all times! 

Mark 1:21-24 Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught. 22 And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

23 Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”

They were ASTONISHED! They recognized He was different than the other preachers of His day. The demon spirit was threatened by the presence of God. It couldn’t remain there in silence, it had to manifest. This is what we have to contend for. If we don’t, we will never have it. Anytime these things are present in church it keeps a ceiling that is hard to surpass. We have to strive to be the best we can be! We have to be tenacious and give it everything we have. You have far more potential in you than you realize! You can do far more than you think you can! You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take! 

You can know things because you been with the one who knows everything! Just spend time with Him! He doesn’t have questions, He has answers! He doesn’t have problems, He has solutions. He knows everything past present and future! 

Acts 3:19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 

You’re saved! You can stand before God as a blameless individual! All because of the blood. Not because of what you’ve done or not done. You got it all by grace!  Bought and paid for by Jesus! He obtained eternal redemption for us! You need refreshing and refueling from time to time! You need your DAILY bread! He is only waiting for you to come and ask Him for your daily bread. 

The Bread

May 12, 2021

Wednesday

Luke 11:1-13 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
[Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.”

5 And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? 8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.

9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

If you had a friend, come to you and tell you of a need, and they ask you to meet it, simply asking, “I need bread, can you give me bread?” Many times, you will do your best to help but only because you’ve been put on the spot. We call this, “saving face.”  So, if a friend were to come to you, would you have bread to give them? You have a Father in Heaven who cares about you! He always wants to help. He is never “put on the spot.” Our perspective of our Father is way too small. He does not want you worrying about where you’re going to live or what you’re going to eat or how you will take care of your family. He wants you thinking about one thing only, seeking His kingdom and your part in it. If you’re focused on that, He will do His part and take care of your needs. He is big enough to do it all! In this passage of Luke 11 the focus is not on us. In Matthew 6-7 we have almost the same teaching. But He is emphasizing getting “bread” for yourself.  You can’t give to someone else what you don’t have. The greatest deficiency in the church today is a lack of “bread.” Bread is provision. Provision is whatever you need, spirit, soul, or body. If your child is sick and needs healing, can you deliver the bread? You either have it or you don’t! If we decide to accept what we see in the church today, we will never go past it. The first step to revival is refusing to accept things as they are. If you know you don’t have the “bread.” You know where to go get it! Establish a consistent daily prayer life. This is how you receive your bread! We as sons and daughters have access to Him. And as long as we have that, we have access to bread.  He does not HAVE healing. He IS healing. He does not HAVE love. He IS love! He doesn’t HAVE grace. He IS grace. He don’t HAVE peace. He IS peace! Everything that we need, He is that. In His presence is everything that He is. We are lacking the presence of God in our lives and our churches! 

Acts 3:19   Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 

You repented and were converted when you got born again and stepped from darkness to light. You moved from one kingdom to another. You now bare an image that comes from Heaven.  Your sins were blotted out. This is enough to worship God for the rest of your life! The word “times” in this verse is synonymous with seasons or sessions. The word “refreshing” is referring to a recovery of breath. So, you have sessions of recovering your breath and it comes from the face of the Lord. You stand face to face with the Lord and let Him breath spirit and life back into you! Everyone needs that recovery of breath! It’s the same picture as God breathing life into Adams lifeless body and he became a living being. The church has been out of breath for so long! They have had to try to imitate it with smoke and lights and a big show! They have tried to catch the imagination and soul of man by entertaining. There is no presence of God so they’ve had to counterfeit, produce, manufacture something. It’s gone on so long now without producing fruit! It is of man, how could it?  Anytime there’s a lack of presence, there is a lack of prayer. If you don’t have any bread, it’s because you don’t pray.  The disciples in Luke 11 saw that when Jesus went to pray, He came with bread and presence. And they wanted the same results. “Lord, teach us to pray!”  This is when He taught the model prayer that we see in that passage. The problem is, to get the results that Jesus got, you have to have a different perspective of your Father. People go to God begging Him to do something for them. That’s not God. You don’t have to talk God into doing things, He wants to do far more than you want Him to.  That hasn’t dawned on us yet. We still have more faith in His ability than His willingness. That’s because we don’t know Him very well. That’s why Jesus started like this, “Our Father.”  You have to get to know Him as your Father. You are never a bother to your God! Until you know your Father, you can’t trust, you can’t believe, you can’t have faith. It should be the most natural thing in the world for a Christian. The reason you don’t pray is because you think it won’t be answered or you think you won’t get results. All God has is yours! That is the picture of your Father! It gives Him great pleasure to give it all to you! 

The Greatest Commandment

May 9, 2021

Sunday AM

Matthew 22:34  But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

The greatest thing you can do in this life is love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and might. People usually build their lives on natural things and not spiritual things. We are taught to do that in society. We build our lives on careers and the things we possess.  It is not wrong to work hard. But the reality is that we get all those things, and we are still empty. There’s a reason the Bible calls it “the deceitfulness of riches.” It tricks you into believing it will give you happiness, fulfillment, and security. Of course, you feel more secure when you have an overflowing bank account, but millions can’t heal you or cure your diseases. It can’t fix your marriage.  It takes the love of God to do that. So, the number one thing you can do in life is be a person who loves God with all your heart, soul, mind, and might. Build your life on prayer.  A person who prays will have things in their life that a person who don’t pray won’t have access to.  A person who prays will be effective with dealing with problems in life. We all have challenges in life whether you’re christian or not. But if you are a person who prays, you are equipped to face these challenges head on. 

John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 

Without a prayer life, you won’t have the strength, faith, or life to fight the enemy. You will be ineffective. But if you’ll pray the life that is in the vine will flow into you. It will flow into you and when you speak it will be with authority, life & unction. You won’t rule and reign in life if you don’t build your life on prayer. Get up every morning and plug into the true vine. There are many vines you can plug into. Only God is the true vine. Do you want to bear much fruit? The fruit is love, peace, joy, and so on! Could you use any of that? Well, abide in Him and you’ll bring forth MUCH fruit. If you aren’t producing these things, it’s because you aren’t building your life on the right things! Without prayer you are powerless. You have a form of godliness, but no power. God wants every one of His children to carry His power. He doesn’t like it when the enemy runs over ANY of His children.  God has given us what we need so that does not take place! But you won’t be able to enjoy it if you don’t build your life on prayer.  

Prayer feels difficult because of our flesh and preoccupation on things that don’t really matter. Do you want to know how to measure your love for God? By your prayer life. If you’re a person who only prays in the midst of trouble, you don’t love God with all your heart. 

1.     God

2.     Neighbor

3.     Yourself

This is the divine order of love. Many people have this backwards.  If you have yourself as number one, you will have problems in life. Most of us don’t recognize it when were up there. You must come to the realization that you are not at the center of the galaxy. When you’re at the center of everything you are walking in pride and selfishness. When you start pursuing the love of God, you will start to love others like you never have before. It’s impossible to love God and not love people. This includes ALL people. Some people are easy to love. Every person has particular types of personalities that are hard to love. There are people you typically avoid and try not to think about. But when you start loving God, and His love comes into you, there will be a change in you. It will start affecting how you see, think, and feel about all people. We must strive to love people like He does. Aren’t you glad that God doesn’t have favorites? If you get His love working in you, you won’t either. You will start thinking of yourself less, and other people more. 

Genesis 2:10 Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads.

Picture a tree with four limbs on it. These four limbs are:

 1.     Prayer

2.     Word

3.     Fasting

4.     Worship

God gave us these things to help us develop and become the kind of person that can receive and give His love. If you dismiss worship and put it off, it will cost you a lot of time. It should be taken very seriously. God doesn’t like distant relatives. You can be a relative but not know that person because you don’t fellowship with them. God does not want to wait until you get to heaven for you to get to know Him. Until you get to know Him you will struggle with faith, healing, and everything He has promised through redemption. It’s not that He loves you more or less based on what you do or don’t do. His love was maxed out at the cross. Based on what you do or don’t do, you receive more of His love or you don’t. 

These are the needs of every child. And how well these needs are met affects how you receive and give love as adults. It is hard to give what you have never received.

1.     Acceptance – The need to be loved for who you are

2.     Affirmation – When someone tells you verbally that you are loved and you have value

3.     Affection – closeness or physical touch

4.     Appreciation – having the things you do be met with gratitude

5.     Encouragement – knowing someone is on your side and cheering for you

6.     Respect – knowing you are valued as a person of worth

7.     Security – stability and protection

8.     Support – knowing that there is someone you can turn to, no matter what

9.     Attention – having someone that is interested in you and what you do

10.  Comfort – having someone to listen and be with you when you are hurting

If you are lacking in any of these areas from your childhood, God can heal all time that was lost. God’s love can change every bit of it! You can be a person who gives love and receives love.  Don’t sit around for the rest of your life and blame mom and dad.  God’s love can change it all! 

Revelation 4:10-11 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:

11 “You are worthy, O Lord,
To receive glory and honor and power;
For You created all things,
And by Your will they exist and were created.”

We were created for God’s pleasure! What does the Almighty God want from us? What is it about you that gives Him pleasure? He created us so that we could give Him something He wanted! The self-sustaining, forever God who created everything, looks at you and wants you. That is hard to grasp when you haven’t experienced love. He wants to be with you! He wants to spend time with you! He wants to share Himself with you! He wants to make your life better! He wants to lift you out of everything that has ever held you in bondage and brought you a bad day! You and God can take on anything. He wants your fellowship! He doesn’t like you being a distant relative!  He wants you to know Him person to person. He wants you to hear His voice. We are breathing air because we give God pleasure by giving Him our time.