The Power of United Purpose

And the LORD said, "Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them (Genesis 11:6). How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had surrendered them? (Deuteronomy 32:30)Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

Unity is a powerful force spiritually and naturally. People who unite in a common purpose far exceed the ability of a single individual. The devil knows this, so he works incessantly to stifle vision that unites purpose, and works to sow division between believers.

It’s time now for the body of Christ to rise up and fulfill its’ God planned destiny. In John 17, Jesus prayed that we would be one so the world would know Him.

Regardless of what church you attend, get behind the vision of your pastor and church leaders. Find ways to assist them in reaching your community for Jesus, and in helping disciple fellow believers.

The Father wants to use you today to bless, to encourage, and to inspire others to greater spiritual maturity. Recognize that we believers, like the individual parts of the human body, are dependant on one another. The health of the body is determined by the combined efforts of each part. If one part suffers, the other parts bear that pain too. And when one part is functioning properly, it aids in the function of every other part. If one part lags behind, the other parts have to work even harder!

Let’s give God out best today. Passionately express your heart to Him in private prayer. Lift the limits and expect answers! Allow the water of His Word to quench your spiritual thirst and to wash the effects of living in a fallen world off of you. Expect the Word to empower you today and to produce change in you.

Refuse to allow your thoughts and words to be used by the enemy to sow strife or division. Refuse to listen to words of gossip and dissention. Sow words of blessing, love, and encouragement. Look for ways to help others. Put the laws of sowing and reaping to work in your life and in the life of your church family.

Become unity minded. Become others minded. All things are possible to the group of individual who will unite under a common purpose. Let’s go after it with everything within us today!

Creating an Atmosphere for the Holy Spirit to Manifest

We as a body of believers can create an atmosphere where the Holy Spirit can feel welcomed and will manifest Himself. Notice Ephesians 2: 21-22: In whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Williams New Testament translation of Ephesians 2:21-22 reads: In union with Him the whole building is harmoniously fitted together and continues to grow into a temple, sacred through its union with the Lord; and you yourselves in union with Him, in fellowship with one another, are being built up into a dwelling for God through the Spirit.

The Greek word for temple in verse 21 above is naos, which refers to the Holy of Holies in the Old Testament temple. The Holy of Holies is where the Presence of God manifested! This verse reveals that we collectively form a naos, a Holy of Holies where God’s Presence can manifest.

We should see our church meetings as a place where we can go to experience the tangible Presence of a Holy God. We must understand that we have a part to play in the Father manifesting His Presence among us. If we are flippant or casual about this, He will not manifest as He desires. Here are three things that we can foster in our own lives to be the ones who help create an atmosphere together where the Holy Spirit will manifest.

First, we must walk in unity together. In the book of Acts, they we in one accord and the Holy Spirit demonstrated Himself in powerful ways. When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place (Acts 2:1). So continuing daily with one accord in the temple (Acts 2:46). Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul (Acts 4:32). And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon's Porch (Acts 5:12).

Part of walking in unity is watching what you say as well as how you say what you say to other believes. The Holy Spirit is grieved when we fail to speak encouraging words publicly and privately about one another. Refuse to be used by the enemy to foster strife. Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:29-32 – NLT).

Secondly, we must walk in love. Eagerly pursue and seek to acquire this love, make it your aim, your great quest; and earnestly desire and cultivate the spiritual endowments (gifts)... (1 Corinthians 14:1 – Amplified). Love enables us to tolerate the differences between us and to overlook each other’s faults. Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins; forgives and disregards the offenses of others (1 Peter 4:8 - Amplified).

Thirdly, we must walk in Holiness. I did not say perfection, but holiness. Holiness is a standard of seeking to be like Jesus in thought, word, and deed. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, "You must be holy because I am holy (1 Peter 1:15-16-NLT). Walking in holiness is judging yourself when you sin by confessing the sin, and asking the Father to help you overcome the weakness in you that causes you to yield to whatever particular sin.

As we walk in unity, in love, and in holiness, and as we hunger for Him from our hearts, the Holy Spirit will manifest the Presence of Jesus among us in a much more full way. Let’s go after Him! And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13).

A Hunger for His Presence

Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy (1 Corinthians 14:1). Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord's return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen (James 5:7- NLT) Ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain. The Lord will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, Grass in the field for everyone (Zechariah 10:1).

I want to bear my heart to you today. I have been baptized with the Holy Spirit now for thirty two years and eight months. When I was first Spirit-filled, there was a great outpouring of the Spirit on the denominational world. A genuine hunger for God was evident. The Charismatic movement was in full manifestation.

In the church I attended after being Spirit-baptized, the Holy Spirit would manifest time and time again in the services. Those oppressed by demons would cry out in the service due to the manifest presence of God! Many, many were born again and Spirit-filled. It’s the closest thing to revival that I’ve ever personally been a part of. I long for that again! As Kenneth Hagin said many years ago, Once you get a taste of the Spirit of God, nothing else can satisfy.

Now, thirty plus years later, it seems as though we’ve become sated and satisfied. The intense hunger is not what it once was (I’m speaking in generalities here). We’re saturated with teaching, with vibrant Christian music in every genre imaginable. Charismatic churches have sprung up everywhere! Christian programming is abundant on TV and radio, and now the internet is filled with religious content, if you want it! This is wonderful.

But, my heart craves the Presence! It craves the deep moving of the Holy Spirit that creates a Holy hush and a deep, penetrating conviction of heart. In the first Bible School I attended, scheduled between some of our classes we would have a devotional time of worship with someone then sharing a scripture. Many times, the Holy Spirit would settle upon us while we were worshipping, and, before you know it, the whole class was prostrate on the floor while the deep, penetrating Presence of a Holy God swept over us. The Holy hush of the moment deeply affect all us former hippies and drug addicts! God was working on us inside and talking to each of us personally in these moments about motives, attitudes, and habits of the flesh and mind. He was moving us towards Himself and creating change deep within.

The Father wants these corporate moments with us now where His Presence supersedes everything! Are we willing to change to foster this? The challenge I have is that I preach three services every single weekend because we’ve outgrown our facility. I have to be careful of the children’s workers who are in the back, and of time in general, especially on Sunday mornings. All the while, the Father wants to woo us into deep, heartfelt times of intimacy.

Let me suggest some things. If you attend Victory Fellowship, or really, regardless of where you attend church, begin now to cry out for more of God! Ask Him to create in you a hunger for Himself that eclipses everything else in life. Ask Him to breed in you dissatisfaction with everything in your life that has become a spiritual weight. Then, ask the Father to manifest His heavy, weighty, Holy Presence among us in our church services. The truth is, when He shows up in this way, nothing else matters.

If you’re attending a church that is not open to the moving of the Spirit, find one that is! If you attend Victory, cry out with me for an all encompassing move of God among us that cuts through the surface things and reaches the heart! As the beginning scripture says, Ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain. This is asking the Lord for a fresh moving of His Spirit!

Then, before you attend a church service, prepare your heart. Get up early enough, or get away enough before a service that you can wait in God’s Presence alone before you come to the church meeting. Ask Him to manifest. Tell Him that you personally long for Him. Ask Him to reveal Himself to each person. Then, wait quietly a while. Then, as you come into the service, expect Him to manifest Himself. I believe He will meet us all in our hunger! Let’s expect Him to do it!

Manifestations of the Holy Spirit

For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you (2 Corinthians 5:13).

We had a PastorTalk last night in our service where people ask spur of the moment questions and I answer them. I want to address more thoroughly a question that was asked about manifestations of the Spirit. From some of the response I’ve gotten via e-mail, I think that some have misunderstood my answer.

First of all, let me say plainly that I ENJOY MANIFESTATIONS OF THE SPIRIT WHEN THEY COME! I am open to the Holy Spirit showing up in our services. I answered the way I did because the way the question was asked brought to my immediate memory things that I had to deal with in order to bring correction. I tried to balance my answer by saying that I am definitely open to the Spirit of God manifesting in our services!

With the Baptism with the Holy Spirit comes a heightened awareness of the Holy Spirit and a stronger sensitivity to Him. Over the years, I’ve had the Holy Spirit manifest in me quite strongly, at times more than I felt that I could personally bear. I’ve had manifestations of the Spirit that made me “weak in the knees” and I felt as though I couldn’t stand; I’ve manifestations of the Spirit that prodded me to dance the way David did; I have manifestations of the Spirit when I laughed seemingly uncontrollably. We have had manifestations of the Spirit in our services where portions of the congregation were on the floor under the power of the Spirit. So again. Let me repeat, I’m open to the moving of the Holy Spirit.

Where we need to be careful is when we try to force a manifestation of the Spirit that just isn’t there. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to do what He wants to do, when He wants to do it, the way He wants to do it!

Let me also mention this. It’s important to keep priorities in order. God’s Word should be primary and first place in our lives and in our ministries. Then, with the Word as priority one, we should encourage and yield to the moving of the Spirit as He wills, not as we will! If the anointing is not there for the Spirit of God to manifest, just flow with God and His Word!

I lived in Tulsa for 8 years or so during the 1980’s and during that time I attended many of Kenneth Hagin’s meetings. He would frequently have manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the meetings. I noticed a pattern during that time. One night the Holy Spirit would manifest in a strong way, and the crowd would be stirred. The next night we would have another meeting and it would be standing room only! Everyone invited their friends to come and see the moving of the Holy Spirit. And guess what happened! The Holy Spirit would urge Kenneth Hagin to just preach the Word that night, and there would be little to no manifestation of the Spirit! I believe the Lord was seeking to emphasize at that time the importance of putting God’s Word first in our lives, and not seeking manifestations of the Spirit first. To do so is to encourage error!

We have those today who feel as though we not “having church” unless there are numerous manifestations of the Holy Spirit at every single meeting we have. In my view, that thinking is out of order and encourages excess and error. Our thinking should be, Lord, I’m at this meeting to receive from your through your Word. And I covet and desire manifestations of the Spirit as you will them. I open myself to you, to your Word, and to Your Spirit to move as He wills, not as I will.

Back in the 1950’s Kenneth Hagin was interviewed during the height of the healing revival that was strong at that time. Many ministries were advertising miracle services and great demonstrations of the Holy Spirit. He told a group of colleagues: “When all these other things are gone, I’ll be out there. Because the Word never fails. I build on the Word and they build on some kind of gift.*”

Let’s honor the Lord by putting His Word first, and trusting Him to provide manifestations of the Holy Spirit as He desires. Pray with me for a moving of the Holy Spirit among us.

Ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain. The Lord will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain…
(Zechariah 10:1)

* All Things are Possible by David Edwin Harrell, Jr. (Indiana University Press, 1975) p. 186

Praying without Presumption

Some people have the idea that we can just ask for anything we want, and, because God promises to answer prayer, we can get whatever we desire. While that could be true in a technical sense, it is very unwise. And this kind of attitude reeks with spiritual immaturity.

God has promised to answer our requests. I could cite here numerous scriptures to the affirmative. But we are called, not to do as we please, and just selfishly spout out requests to the Lord off the cuff, but to be branches of the vine. We are called to allow Him to live His life in us. We are extensions of Jesus and His ministry. Jesus came not to do His own will, but the will of the Father who sent Him.

Here’s a case in point. God wanted Israel to be a nation of kings and priests. But Israel wanted a king like other nations. God told Israel that a king would make life very hard for them and that He had a better way for them. But Israel persisted in their request, and God granted them a king even though it wasn’t His highest and best for them.

I’ve learned to be very careful as to what I ask for in prayer. It takes me longer to wait on God in prayer and find out how He wants me to pray and exercise my faith about a matter than it does to actually pray. The prayer of faith doesn’t take a lot of time to pray.

Don’t just run into personal prayer and ask for something off the top of your head. The major key to effective personal prayer is to spend the time necessary to feel the Father’s heart before you pray. Jesus said it best: If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done for you (John 15:7). Abiding, living, fellowshipping, and being intimate with Jesus is the key to prayer without being presumptuous.

David said it this way: Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4). When you put God first place in your life, He will place in you a desire to do what He wants you to do. You see, we’re not calling the shots, He is! And He knows what’s best for us.

I’m discussing here the “gray” areas of life that the Bible doesn’t have a specific answer to give. I know how to pray for healing or finances, or for some thing that is clearly revealed in scripture. But it’s the in between areas, like where you should work, or who you should marry, or whether or not to buy that house, or some other thing that is really up to you to make a decision. These things must be prayerfully pondered or you could end up with a result you weren’t looking for! That’s what happened to Israel.

Pray before you exercise your faith, and make sure that what you’re asking for in these gray areas of life are God’s highest and best for you!

Reaping Benefits from Tests and Challenges

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way (James 1:2-4 –The Message)

Tests and difficulties are part of life on this planet. None of us are immune from hardship. Walking by faith doesn’t promise freedom from life challenges. But it does promise that the Father will help your through every circumstance to victory!

Determine to get the most out of the hard places life brings you by keeping a good attitude and expecting the Father to give you wisdom and to bring you through the ordeal.

And you can really milk all you can get out of a test or trial by counting it all joy. Decide to walk in praise and thanksgiving when you feel like griping and complaining. Active praise and worship in the midst of a test will open your life to the power of God. He will begin to put in motion the answer as you stand in faith by praising God and giving thanks.

And then what Satan meant for evil, God will actually work out for your good. As the outward pressure reveals areas of personal weakness in you, acknowledge those weaknesses to the Father and ask Him to work them out of your life.

Some of the greatest workings of the Father in my personal life have been during seasons of great hardship where I really wanted to quit. I just set my jaw and praised God and gave thanks for Him working the situation out.

My personal freedom from perfectionism, workaholic tendencies, and deep seated feelings of rejection came out of one of the greatest trials of my life many years ago. Believe me, I don’t want to go through that time in my life again. But on the other hand, no amount of money could purchase the life change that going through that tough time produced in me!

If you’ve been whining and complaining about what’s happening in your life right now, I urge you to read the above verse again. Make a decision right now to adjust your attitude and being to stand in praise, worship, and thanksgiving for the victory the Father is providing you in this test! When you come out on the other side of this challenge, you’ll be strong, wiser, and more patient and Christ like. But only if you choose to count it all joy!

Christians and the Military

Today is Memorial Day and we as a nation are honoring those who have served our country in the military and have given the ultimate sacrifice. As we take a day to relax from work and spend time with family and friends, let’s also take some time today to pray for the families of those who have had family members killed while serving in the armed services. Let’s also take some time to pray for our President and national and local leaders. Their decisions largely determine our continued freedom as a nation.

Many Christians do not understand how to balance what the Ten Commandments say about murder with serving in the military and facing the need to kill an enemy endangering national security. As a result, many are pacifists and believe that national peace can be secured by diplomacy alone.

Let’s first of all look at some fundamental facts. Thou shalt not kill should actually be translated Thou shalt do no murder. The prohibition is against premeditated murder. Understand that the same God that said Thou shalt not murder also told the Israelites to go to battle and kill their enemy during the conquests of Canaan their promised land. And God told them that He would empower them in battle and help them defeat their enemy. This is the killing of an enemy to spare a nation from annihilation by an enemy set on their destruction and this kind of killing for the defense of a nation is allowed by God.

A strong national defense is a deterrent to an enemy that is set on a nation’s downfall. A strong national defense actually encourages peace because it sends a strong message to those seeking to undermine a nation’s security. Because of the wicked fallen human condition, a nation must defend itself against attack. As Paul said in Romans 12, we should seek, as much as lies within us, to live peaceably with all men. That’s not always the easiest thing to do in the light of the depravity and wickedness of man.

As you enjoy your peaceful holiday today, please pray for our nation. Our international enemies would love for our nation to fall into ruin. Many are seeking to steal the liberties that we as a people enjoy. We are hated by extremist that are actively seeking ways to destroy America. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Pray that our nation would continue to be a friend of Israel. Our national survival hinges on how we as a nation deal with Israel.

And remember the sacrifices made for your freedom. Peace through military strength will be necessary until the millennial reign of Christ when the nations will beat their swords into plowshares!

Build Your Faith in Your Authority in Christ

The Spiritual is wrestling is intense in our day! This is an hour to know who you are in Christ, to take your place of authority in Christ, and to command Satan to leave your family, community, and church alone in Jesus’ name!

I began speaking today on The Clash of Kingdoms. There is a wrestling match between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Darkness. As Christians, we are the only people group on earth that has authority to command Satan and his demonic forces to cease and desist! And the truth is that most Christians neither understand nor walk in their God given authority in Christ!

I’m going to leave you with some scripture that I encourage you to meditate on to build your faith in your authority in Christ Jesus. I’ve used these particular scriptures for years to keep my faith built up.

Luke 10:19
Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

1 Corinthians 2:6
However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.

Translations of the last phrase of 1 Corinthians 2:6 – who are coming to nothing:

Amplified
…who are being brought to nothing and are doomed to pass away.

Wuest
Who are in the process of being liquidated.

Young’s Literal Translation
…Of those becoming useless.

Moffat
…the dethroned powers that rule this world.

Colossians 1:13 - Amplified
The Father has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,

Colossians 2:15 - NLT
In this way, He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.

Colossians 2:15 - NKJV
Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

Colossians 2:15 - Amplified
God disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it [the cross].

Colossians 2:15 - Message
He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets.

Colossians 2:15- God’s Word
He stripped the rulers and authorities of their power and made a public spectacle of them as he celebrated his victory in Christ.

J.B. Phillips
And then, having drawn the sting of all the powers and authorities ranged against us, He exposed them, shattered, empty and defeated, in His own triumphant victory.

Ephesians 1:19-23 - NLT
I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power (20) that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. (21) Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. (22) God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.(23) And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.

Ephesians 2:6 - NLT
For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.

Build your faith today in your authority in Christ!

Take it By Force

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force (Matthew 11:12).

The fight is on until the end of the church age. It’s the forces of darkness verses the kingdom of light! We’re addressed as soldiers in a battle throughout the New Testament. We’re to fight the good fight (1 Timothy 6:12); the weapons of our warfare are not carnal(2 Corinthians 10: 3-5); as an enlisted soldier don’t be entangled with civilian affairs that weight you down (2 Timothy 2:4); we’re to put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:11).

The great news is that the battle is already won; the outcome is set. We win! Our fight is a faith fight. We fight to maintain faith and to look beyond what we can see and feel to the never changing Word of the living God! Walking in the Word gives us security, confidence, and boldness in the face of extreme opposition.

It’s faith and patience that inherits the promises of God. Stand in faith today for your marriage, your children, your health, your finances, or for circumstantial change. Don’t be moved when the going gets tough. Satan’s power has been limited by the blood of Jesus to the power of suggestion and feeling manipulation! Satan is a defeated foe! (Colossians 2:15; Colossians 1:13). The only thing he can do is to put a thought in your mind and a feeling in your body and try to coerce you to act on it.

So war a good warfare and walk by faith. Say only what the Word of God says about your current circumstances. Refuse to be moved by what you see and feel. If you do, the power of patience combined with your faith will secure victory over the current test! Walk in praise and thanksgiving as you believe you receive from the Father. The more pressure Satan brings, the more tenaciously you speak the Word aloud, and the more you praise and worship the Father!

You only lose if you quit. The last chapter is already written. Take by force what belongs to you in Christ. Refuse to cower down to wrong thoughts and feelings. Hold your head high as a son or daughter of the Most High! Expect God’s best today! You’re more than a conqueror!

While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18).

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (Romans 8:31-32).

Pray in the Spirit

We are in the middle of a clash of kingdoms! The kingdom of God verses the kingdom of darkness. Satan has a desire to curtail any influence that Jesus Christ and the Word of God has on human life. He seeks to make black look white and white look black; he seeks to make bad look good, and good look bad. He makes sin seem innocuous.

At the same time God is pushing His agenda to bring Jesus Christ back to earth. The Words spoken by the prophets will come to pass! God speaks – and then allows His Word to fulfill itself while He watches over it (Isaiah 55:11; Jeremiah 1:12)!

We live on earth while at the same time owning allegiance to the kingdom of heaven. The Father wants to use each one of us in carrying out His kingdom purposes on earth before the rapture of the church.

The most effective thing we can do is PRAY! Notice Ephesians 6:18: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.

Praying in the spirit or in other tongues is the most effective way to pray. When we pray in tongues we are uttering secret truths and hidden things not obvious to the understanding (1 Corinthians 14:2 - Amplified).When we pray in tongues or with groaning which cannot be uttered (Romans 8:26), we are praying the perfect will of God (Romans 8:27).

This kind of praying is vehemently resisted by Satan and his forces because it is so effective. So he stirs up controversy about praying in tongues; decries it in every way possible so that believers generally ignore its value. Then for those who do believe in the effectiveness of praying in the spirit, Satan seeks to keep them so busy and preoccupied with other things that they just don’t give time to it. All the while he pushed his dark agenda.

Let’s begin now to press into God and to take time every day to pray in the spirit. Don’t be moved by thoughts and feelings that seem to push you away. When fighting a spiritual battle, at times you sense great resistance; it seems like you’re doing nothing and getting nowhere when praying in the spirit. Don’t yield to this! Pray all the more! If you’ll persevere, the Spirit of God will anoint you to intercede and at times groan and travail in prayer (Isaiah 66:8).

Times are serious; more serious than ever in our lifetime. Set time aside today and everyday to be used by the Father to pray in the spirit. It’s time to give our Father the opportunity to show Himself strong!

Your Prayer Responsibility

We had a great time of prayer last night in our meeting. This is a day when we must give ourselves more fully to prayer. John Wesley said, It seems that God is limited by our prayer life – that He can do nothing for humanity unless someone asks Him. The reason for this becomes clear from scripture. God must work through the human today because He originally gave a human temporary custody of this planet.

God gave Adam dominion over the earth as His under-ruler. Satan obtained this dominion from Adam when Adam sinned. Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, All this authority I will give you, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish(Luke 4:5-6).

Satan obtained a legal right to rule on earth when Adam sinned. Jesus, as the representative New Creation man, gave the church back the original dominion that God gave Adam. And Jesus came and spoke to them saying, All Authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… (Matthew 28:18-19).

We exercise our God given authority over Satan and his forces through believing prayer. I quoted in our service last night from a book that I’ve had in my library for over 30 year entitled In His Presence by E.W. Kenyon. The following is a portion of that quote:

In His Presence by E.W.Kenyon, (Kenyon’s Gospel Publishing Society, Inc: 1969) pages 10-11.

Jesus did not exercise any authority or ability that is not latent in His Name today. Some day there is going to rise a people who will take Jesus’ place and bless humanity as Jesus blessed them in dear old Galilee. Did not Jesus say in Matthew 28:18-20: All authority has been given unto Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples, (not converts, but students of the Word) of all nations …and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of this age. He is with us in the Word, that living Word. He is with us in His Name. He is with us in the presence of the Holy Spirit. We join forces with Him in this prayer life. That “all authority” was given to Him as the head of the church, and it is for the church to use. The authority that is in His Name is in your lips. You let that authority loose. You give it liberty and it blesses men. He has made us sons. He has given us the Name. He has given us the Holy Spirit. He has restored all that Adam lost and more. We are Satan’s rulers. We are masters of demons and the laws that sin brought into being. Why did He redeem us? Why make us new creations? Why make us righteous? Why dwell in us? Why give us the Name? Why say that in Jesus’ Name we could cast out demons? What did He expect us to do after making us all this? Just to be good, neutral sons who never face the enemy; who simply read the Word but never act on it; who do not take our Redemption and New Creation seriously? Is He mocking us? Is His Word like dry clouds in a drought? Is Satan invincible? Must we yield to Satan’s dominion and Satan-ruled circumstances? Must we say that tanks, planes, and bombs are to rule the world? Or is God still living, and are we tied up with Him? I can feel God’s question there. He is saying to me, Have you taken these facts as seriously as your nations has taken the draft laws? Is my Redemption and New Creation as real as the taxes? Does it mean anything? We must face the issue. We are surrounded by demoniacal forces that are dominating the human on earth, and if the church hasn’t authority over these, then no one has. But the church has! And prayer is our method and mode of dominating these diabolical forces that are wrecking civilization.

Take your prayer place today! Join with me, and let’s believe God for many to come to Him!

Exercise Your Authority

This is not a day to compromise your walk with God. This is a day to exercise your authority in Christ and keep Satan and his minions in their place – under your feet!

The only group of people on earth that have the authority to put Satan in his place are believers! Jesus gave us authority to tread on “serpents and scorpions"(demonic forces) and over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). When Jesus was raised from the dead, and just before He ascended to heaven, He told His disciples, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…”

Jesus already had authority over Satan before He died and rose from the dead. The authority that He proclaimed there was the authority that He legally obtained over Satan as the representative man! As a man Jesus humbled Himself and lived as we do, facing our every challenge and temptation without sin. Then He submitted to becoming our spiritual death and becoming a sacrifice for our sin. He then submitted to death. In His resurrection, Jesus defeated Satan and took from him the keys of hell and of death. Keys represent authority. Jesus took from Satan His authority over the human race and gave that authority to the church.

Satan is called the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that works in the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2). John declares that the rest of the world around us is under Satan’s power and control (1 John 5:19 – Living). Satan still rules over the masses of the unsaved, and seeks to dominate world thought.

We are called to exercise authority over Satan. We are raised up together with Jesus, and are seated with Him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). Jesus is seated far above all principality, power, might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. God has put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1:21-23).

We must not sit back in a lukewarm position, holding authority yet refusing to exercise it. We must become and remain vigilant in faith, prayer, and action!

Let me encourage us all in a practical way to command Satan to take His hands off of our nation, our community, our families, our children, our bodies, our finances, and all that belongs to us. Let us cry out to the Father for a great moving of the Holy Spirit in convicting power over the unsaved in our communities. And let us stand for an increase in the proclamation of the word of God, that the Word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified (2 Thessalonians 3:2).

The Father is waiting today for you to exercise your Jesus given authority of Satan in your life and in your family. Let Him wait no longer!

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).

Let's Stand Together

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:10-12 NLT).

A thief is loose on the earth! He comes to steal and to kill and to destroy. He seek to hinder family and to mar human life. He is the author of tragedy and harm. His presence is malevolent and dark. In his dark, sinister way he seeks the destruction of all that is loving, kind, and good. He seeks to make truth into a lie, and lies into truth. He makes good look bad, and bad look good. He is a master of subterfuge and deception. Millions have fallen for his wicked ploy.

I am personally heartbroken over the death of Britney Hicks. She has been in our church for a number of years. This tragedy was not from God, but from the evil working of our diabolical enemy.

Let me rally us all to prayer, standing against the works of darkness, and binding the enemy from harming any more of our beloved ones. Pray over your family members by name, and hold over them the powerful blood of Jesus, with which we overcome the evil one. Pray for their protection daily, and remind the Lord that you trust the angels of God to keep them safe.

Father, in the name of Jesus, we pray for Britney’s mother Brenda, and her grandmother Dorothy Hicks, and all of their family. Lord, we ask you to strengthen each family member and minister your peace to them in the name of Jesus. We surround them with our faith and with our love. We believe you to be the very present help you promised you would be in our time of need. I also pray for all of Britney’s friends, that you would minister to them and help them in their grief. Draw each one to yourself and help to understand you and your love for them. Show yourself strong as we deal with this in Jesus’ name.

The Love Solution

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Romans 5:5).

Love is the solution to every relationship problem known to man. We’re to love God with our entire being. We’re to love others the way we love ourselves. Then Jesus added that we are to love others the way He loves us!

Romans 13:10 reads: Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. For every relational challenge I encounter I must see love as the cure.

Here’s the best part. The Father has already placed inside of us as believers the answers to our issues with others. This love that He has placed in our hearts must be nurtured until it is absorbed into all of our mental processes. The Father’s plan is that this love worm its way into every nook and cranny of our thought life; into our every response in each relationship. He wants it to totally replace our ingrained selfish patterns of thinking and response.

Our mind fights love’s control. The mind of the flesh is the enemy of God (Romans 8:7). Our natural mind automatically repels thoughts that come from our spirit to act and react in love. That’s the reason we must take much time to meditate in love until it is absorbed into our mental processes. Without this meditation, our mind will pull us away from love and force us to live a self-centered life.

We must see that this love is so powerful, so potentially life altering, that we give it room to change us. Every thought and action within us that has become an ingrained habit can be changed by yielding to love’s sway. There are no exceptions. Love is the most powerful force known to man.

Our goal must be to yield ourselves to this love moment by moment. Compare every thought, every word, and every action to this love. Change anything in you that disagrees with the love of God. This is our high calling, to be love men and love women. To be so totally absorbed in this love that it’s the first thing people notice about us!

John was known as the Apostle of love. I’ll leave you with his words on the subject from the Message Paraphrase:

My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love — so you can't know Him if you don't love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about — not that we once upon a time loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God. My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and His love becomes complete in us — perfect love! This is how we know we're living steadily and deeply in Him, and he in us: He's given us life from His life, from His very own Spirit. Also, we've seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent His Son as Savior of the world. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God's Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we've embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God. God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we're free of worry on Judgment Day — our standing in the world is identical with Christ's. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life — fear of death, fear of judgment — is one not yet fully formed in love. We, though, are going to love — love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first. If anyone boasts, "I love God," and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won't love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can't see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You've got to love both.

(I John 4: 7-21 - from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

By This All Will Know

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

If I strip away all the Christian speak that I use; if I remove all religious symbols from my person, my car, my home, my office, etc.; if I use no references to God, Jesus, the Bible, church, etc., would others know that I am a disciple of Jesus? Jesus said by this all men will know.

This love is to be the main advertisement for God in my life. It’s to make me attractive to others. I must ask myself, is love attracting others to the God who lives in me? If I say no, then there is still too much of me ruling me!

Until we make love the main thing, we’re not going to be effective in moving our culture towards God. His plan is that this love be the advertisement, the display that draws attention to Him.

Think about it this way. When I was born again, He deposited this love in me, actually poured it out inside of me, in my spirit. This love is designed to be to power supply for my spiritual life. If I renew my mind to it, if I think and meditate on it, it rises up from my spirit and begins its process of taking me over. Little by little, like honey, it oozes into every crack and crevice of my personality. It’s a slow process. Some parts of me are hard and unyielding to it, but it is so powerful, that even the hardest areas break under its force.

This love has nothing to do with feeling or emotion. Most often it moves me to act against reason and feeling. It urges me to do the loving thing when harsh words threaten me, when human impulse urges me to retaliate.

My mind sometimes rebels against this new boss that has moved into me. My mind often thinks it knows how best to protect me from the hurts others may bring. But this love stands up within me, telling my mind to sit down and be quiet.

It is constantly speaking. Father knows best. Love your enemies. Do good to those who mistreat you. Pray for those who use you for their advantage. Return good for evil. Do to others what you want them to do to you. Be kind. be gentle. Calm down and be patient. Overlook that fault you see in that person. Forgive and act as though that word was never spoken to you. Act toward that person as though they had never done you wrong. Don’t reveal that fault you see in this person to anyone else. Don’t brag about your skills or accomplishments.

Open yourself to this boss that’s moved inside of you. This love only wants your success. If you let it lead you today, it will lead you out of every relationship problem that arises. Love never fails. It’s a good boss. By this all will know…

How to Increase Your God Hunger

For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness (Psalm 107:9).

Hunger is a sign of physical heath. And spiritual health is strong when we’re hungry for God. As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow thereby (1 Peter 2:2).

Smith Wigglesworth said, Spiritual hunger is when nothing satisfies us so much as being near to God. As I’ve read about the life of Smith Wigglesworth, I’ve been stirred to fresh hunger for Jesus. In his book Ever Increasing Faith, he said, I’d rather have a man on my platform that is not Spirit Filled but hungry, than a man who is Spirit Filled and satisfied. Smith Wigglesworth’s passion for God is seen in a letter he wrote to a friend, Pleased to receive the news of much blessing in your ministry, especially in souls being saved and God keeping you in a very hungry and needy place. W. Hacking wrote a book about Smith’s life and summed up his work by saying, Wisdom, brokenness, purity, and spiritual hunger characterized his ministry.

If you’ve lost your hunger for God, you can get it back. Here are four things you can do. First, fast time stealers. Turn off the TV, the computer game, or whatever and take time to feed on the Word and to pray. The Lord ministered to me years ago during a time of personal disappointment that quenched my spiritual zeal. A guest speaker in our church said Your desires always follow your attention. When I heard that I knew that I must turn my attention to the Lord. I made myself listen to tapes and take notes word for word as my pastor preached just to force myself into the Word. I had no desire to do it, but I put my attention there every day. A couple of weeks later I woke up one morning with a desire to fellowship with my Father. Desire follows attention.

Secondly, feast on spiritual things. You desire what you give your time to. James 4:8 says draw near to God and He will draw near to you. We have to take the first step!

Thirdly, become desperate! Make lifestyle changes. If you want to see something you’ve never seen before, you must do something you’ve never done before. Make time in your day for God. Read your Bible and have a season of prayer during lunch. Take a walk in the evening and pray. Read the Word just before you go to sleep at night. Take time with the Lord throughout your day!

Fourthly, ask the Lord to make you hungry. I’ll leave you with these verses: No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day (John 6:44). And He said, Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father (John 6:65). The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you (Jeremiah 31:3). When You said, "Seek My face," My heart said to You, "Your face, Lord, I will seek” (Psalm 27:8).

Reaping Benefits from Tests and Challenges

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way (James 1:2-4 –The Message)

Tests and difficulties are part of life on this planet. None of us are immune from hardship. Walking by faith doesn’t promise freedom from life challenges. But it does promise that the Father will help your through every circumstance to victory!

Determine to get the most out of the hard places life brings you by keeping a good attitude and expecting the Father to give you wisdom and to bring you through the ordeal.

And you can really milk all you can get out of a test or trial by counting it all joy. Decide to walk in praise and thanksgiving when you feel like griping and complaining. Active praise and worship in the midst of a test will open your life to the power of God. He will begin to put in motion the answer as you stand in faith by praising God and giving thanks.

And then what Satan meant for evil, God will actually work out for your good. As the outward pressure reveals areas of personal weakness in you, acknowledge those weaknesses to the Father and ask Him to work them out of your life.

Some of the greatest workings of the Father in my personal life have been during seasons of great hardship where I really wanted to quit. I just set my jaw and praised God and gave thanks for Him working the situation out.

My personal freedom from perfectionism, workaholic tendencies, and deep seated feelings of rejection came out of one of the greatest trials of my life many years ago. Believe me, I don’t want to go through that time in my life again. But on the other hand, no amount of money could purchase the life change that going through that tough time produced in me!

If you’ve been whining and complaining about what’s happening in your life right now, I urge you to read the above verse again. Make a decision right now to adjust your attitude and being to stand in praise, worship, and thanksgiving for the victory the Father is providing you in this test! When you come out on the other side of this challenge, you’ll be strong, wiser, and more patient and Christ like. But only if you choose to count it all joy!

Hunger Motivates

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled (Matthew 5:6).

Some years ago the Lord spoke to my spirit and said, You are filled with what you are hungry for. Our hunger draws us. Hunger is a tremendous motivator. Susan and I were walking in downtown Raleigh some time ago, and I watched in shock as a man reached into a trash can on the street and retrieved some partially eaten food for himself.

You may have read accounts of single mothers who become prostitutes so they can earn money for their hungry children. Hunger motivates. I confess that there have been times that I’ve gotten so hungry (was just too busy to stop to eat) that my health conscious brain was tempting me to eat some McDonald’s fast food! For me that’s pretty radical. Hunger is a powerful force.

The word hunger here in Matthew 5:6 is in the present durative tense in the Greek. That means that the action continues on and on without ceasing. The hunger continues even after you’ve been fed. The longing is not satisfied.

In so many ways in life our appetite drives us. How we spend our time, what we value, what we spend our money on, what kind of occupation we are involved in all have to do with our appetite on various levels.

Since our spiritual life is really the hub of our existence and determines our life values, it would benefit us to remain spiritually hungry! The word here in Matthew 5:6 could be translated starving. Starving people are desperate people. To be starving spiritually would alter daily life! A starving person would do anything to eat. Are you starving spiritually? Are you desperate for God? If not, work on increasing your spiritual appetite.

Three things that hinder spiritual appetite are excessive entertainment, excessive activity, and anger and disappointment.

Globally people spend 1.8 trillion dollars annually on entertainment! Here in the US it has been estimated that we will spend 67 billion dollars a year on entertainment by 2010. So do you wonder why so many lack spiritual zeal? The many entertainment distractions inhibit hunger. Movies, video and computer games, all sorts of technology can just eat up your time. Don’t let it happen!

Excessive activity can also crowd out time for God. Recreation is important for high stress lifestyles. But too much can damage your spiritual life. Put recreation in its place. Going to the beach or to the lake, or involvement in a sports activity or working out has great benefit. A hobby is a great diversion from normal routine. But make sure these things don’t crowd out attending your local church or spending time in the word and in prayer each day. For me, I take care of my spiritual life first, and then I involve myself in some form of recreation to relax. Seek first the kingdom of God!

Anger and disappointment at God or yourself when life doesn’t go the way you thought it should or would go can quench spiritual hunger. An I don’t care attitude can do some real damage to you spiritually. I’ve been at the place where I was so disillusioned that my natural person just wanted to throw in the towel. That’s a dangerous place to be. And the enemy of your soul will take advantage of this kind of demeanor. It can totally quench your hunger for God.

Tomorrow I will talk about how to develop your God hunger if you’ve lost it. Don’t let the candy of the world quench your hunger for Jesus. You become what you’re hungry for.

Words

Even so the tongue also is a small member [of the human body] and boasts great things. Behold, how great a forest a little fire sets ablaze. And the tongue is a fire, the sum total of iniquity. The tongue is so constituted in our members that it defiles the entire body and sets on fire the round of existence and is constantly being set on fire by Gehenna [hell] ((James 3:5 – Wuest)

Thoughts are constantly bombarding our minds. But thoughts that are not put into word or action die unborn! Words are the most powerful force in our lives! Your tongue really is the strongest muscle in your body.

The round of existence mentioned in the above verse is referring to the whole of human activity from the time a person is born until the time they die. A rudder determines the course the ship takes in the ocean. A bit and bridle determine the direction of the horse. And what you do with your mouth determines the direction of your life. What are you speaking? Are you focused on life or death? Are you positive or negative? Do you speak every thought that comes into your mind?

Satan longs for you to put his negative mind interjections into words. Don’t play his game! I frequently have negative thoughts bombard my mind. But I just don’t speak them and they die! Instead, I say what God says out loud. That counteracts the thought and releases faith from my heart to the Father.

Faith must be put into words to be effective. You may think you are believing God. But take the next step and speak and act your faith. Faith must have corresponding actions to be effective according to James 2.

Words affect your demeanor and emotions. Words have the ability to move you. They can move you from doubt and fear to faith. Use words that register on your heart and that contain faith. Words really can move mountains. Use your words wisely today.

Condemnation Free

If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared (Psalm 130:3-4).

The greatest hindrance to faith is condemnation and inferiority. Satan is the accuser of the brethren. He is skilled at reminding you of what you’ve done and how you don’t qualify for the blessings of God.

In an issue of Believer’s Voice of Victory, Kenneth Copeland relates a conversation he had with Oral Roberts in the 1960’s. In the conversation, Oral made the comment that I’ve never made a mistake! He was commenting on how he keeps his faith strong and said that though he makes mistakes, he walks in the forgiveness God offers!

As far as God is concerned, you have never done wrong! That’s a reality that you need to meditate on to allow it to soak in! Don’t brood over wrongs you have done. If you miss it, confess your sin. Keep short accounts with the Father.

When you confess your sin, He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse the sin. And when God forgives, He forgets. Most of us are hard on ourselves when we do wrong. God and others forgive us long before we usually forgive ourselves. And that kind of condemnation will hinder your faith life.

Take plenty of time to meditate on the forgiveness the Father offers you. I’ll leave you with the scriptures I meditate on regularly to arm me against the accusations of Satan. Be free from condemnation and inferiority. Your Father thinks you’re perfect!

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world (1 John 2:1-2). Then He adds, "Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more (Hebrews 10:17). Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases (Psalm 103:3). As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:12). I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins (Isaiah 43:25). He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19).

No Longer Mad!

Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:18-20).

Every person you meet today is equally loved by the Father. He has no favorite children. We are His ambassadors to share the good news with them. The good news is that He’s not mad at them and doesn’t hate them. Though they are sinners, their sin debt has been canceled. All they need to do is to bow their knee in repentance acknowledging their sin. The blood of Jesus will then remove their personal sin debt, and they go free.

This is the truth that brought me into the family of God years ago. I had the idea that the Father was mad at me, and that all He did was brood over my sin when He thought of me. When I found out that He did not hold my sin against me, hope sprang up! I saw that if I acknowledged my wrong, forgiveness for all my past deeds was immediately available.

A guy said to me, did you know that God is not holding your sin against you, that He loves you? The only thing holding you back from His love is your lack of relationship with Jesus Christ. In Christ, your sin debt is cancelled, and you are free!

No one had ever put it to me in those terms. My sin debt is canceled. For a person consumed with guilt, that’s a big deal! Finding out that the Father had already dealt with the sin issue freed me to come to Him, confess my sin, and embrace His free offer of grace.

Don’t beat the unsaved person over the head with angry words and tones. They have enough condemnation to deal with. Show them the love of the Father. Be a good ambassador as you represent the Father today. Let others know that in Christ their sin debt is settled. The only thing that stands between them and God the Father is their lack of relationship with Jesus!

It’s a great thing to be forgiven all your past sins! Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit (Psalm 32:1-2). There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1-2).

Be a beacon of light to those you meet today! A free gift is theirs today for the taking!

Tulsa Trip

As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend
(Proverbs 27:17).

Susan and I have been in Tulsa since Wednesday attending a pastor's conference at Grace Church with Bob Yandian. We have both been refreshed by the Word from Jesse Duplantis, and from Pastor Bob Yandian. We've met some old friends that we haven't seen in over 20 years.

Tonight we just returned from a meal after service with Pastor Bob, Loretta and some other long standing staff members at Grace. Iron Sharpens iron. It's a joy to have friendships that can be rekindled after years of time.

I will always be indebted to Pastor Bob for seeing the embryo of ministry deep within me when I was in my early 20's and giving me an opportunity to spread my wings in ministry.

We also met with Rachel Hicks for lunch today. Rachel is attending ORU and for those who don't know her; she's such a sweet girl from our church. It was a delight for Susan and I to spend some time with her today.

This afternoon, Ron McIntosh took us on a tour of Victory Christian Center's new 36 million dollar facility. It's an breathtaking, vision-expanding experience!

Then before the evening conference session, we had dinner with a friend and his wife that we've known since the early 80's. Friendships are enriching.

Pastor Bob spoke tonight on experiencing the peace of God. After the meeting, Susan and I met the couple behind us, and to our amazement the lady was a fellow staff member from Grace that I worked with in the 1980's!Then I met a couple there from Ohio that the Lord used me keep their marriage together when I was counseling director at Grace over 20 years ago.

The only things of lasting value we take with us to heaven from this life are the relationships we foster. Take time to engage others around you in meaningful conversation. As the years take their toll, it's a pleasurable experience to be with old friends and reminisce about the adventures of life.

Faith and Love

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love (Galatians 5:6).

Love is the foundation of our walk with God. We may have faith to move mountains, but if we fail to walk in the love of God, our faith will not work! A race car with a flat tire is useless. An aircraft with a missing wing will not fly. And so faith must have the ingredient of love if it’s going to work.

Jesus gave us a new commandment, the love commandment that has in it all the other ten combined. Others know of our salvation experience by the demonstrations of love in our life.

Because this love is so vital, the Father has placed it in our spirits in the new birth. Now we must steward this love every day. Patience, kindness, self-less care for others, humility, no selfish ambition, not holding a grudge when wronged, actually paying no attention to an offence committed against us, believing the best of others, these are some of the characteristics of love. Without them, our faith is hindered.

Eagerly pursue and seek to acquire this love make it your aim, your great quest (1 Corinthians 14:1 Amplified). All that God does in my life rests on what I do with the love of God. Love covers a multitude of wrongs. It forgives and disregards the offences of others.

If answered prayer has been a challenge, or over a period of time, the results of faith have not been forthcoming, then check up on your love life. Make the adjustments necessary to bring love to the forefront of all you do. Make it your aim, your great quest!

Faith is the Evidence

NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things we hope for, being the proof of things we do not see and the conviction of their reality; faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses (Hebrews 11:1- Amplified)

Faith is for what I don’t have, and what I can’t see, but that God has promised me in the Word. Faith takes the place of what God promised me until it shows up in my life. It’s the title deed that what God promised belongs to me now even though I can’t see it!

Himself took my infirmities and bare my sicknesses is what my title deed for healing is based on. But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in Glory by Christ Jesus is what my title deed is based on for the need I have to be met.

If I have the title deed, then I own the property. If I believe I receive, then I own the thing I believe for. I may not see it yet, but it’s just as real as though I could see it. I’m to look mot at the things that are seen (the symptoms), but at the things unseen (the eternal Word of God). The things seen are temporary, the things unseen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18).

So if I’m walking by faith, and my faith takes the place of what I believe I receive, then I should be just as joyful and happy now as I would be if I could actually see what I’m believing for! Faith has the shout before the answer can be seen, or it’s not real faith.

Abraham could not see the child of promise, but still gave glory to God. He was fully persuaded that what God promised belonged to him. His faith was the title deed. (See Romans 4:17-20).

Standing in praise and thanksgiving is the best way to exercise your faith. Your faith is proof that what you believe for exists. Exercise your faith today by doing all you can to act as though you already had in manifestation what God has promised!

Fellowship and Change

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.
For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).

I’m looking forward to our Pullen Park picnic this coming Saturday. These events help create an atmosphere of unity in our church family. They help enable an atmosphere in our church body that attracts the manifestations of the Holy Spirit.

I also want to urge you to be involved in one of our Lifegroups. Personal relationships help the change to occur that the Father is seeking in all of us.

There is a strength that comes from fellowship with other members of the body of Christ. We have become a culture of lonely people. And loneliness breeds dysfunction and pain. A hurt animal will isolate himself. And those dealing with emotional struggles shy away from being with the family, and keep themselves from a prime ingredient necessary for change in their lives.

Truth, relationships, and time are the three necessary ingredients for change in human life. We need the truth of God’s Word confronting and challenging us; shedding light on areas of personal darkness. We also need truth with ourselves; being honest and real about things we deal with deep inside.

We also need relationships with others. God create us humans to thrive best within the context of loving relationships. Relationships can bring strength, encouragement, and healing to us. Genuine close relationships sharpen us. They keep us from isolating in our personal pain and difficulty, and help strengthen us when we face the challenges of life. Those who run from relationship are avoiding a path God has created to minister to them personally.

Lastly we need time to change. No change is overnight. Change is a process of confronting ourselves and allowing the Word to do its work in the context of close personal relationships.

Take advantage of the rich diversity found in the body of Christ. God has an ordained strength for your life in the fellowship you allow. If you’ve been hurt by close relationships, it’s going to take time for that to heal. And you’ve going to have to be willing to open yourself us and trust again.

It’s well worth the risk to open up to fellowship. And in some areas of life, the Word is hindered from producing its fruit until we get into close contact with spiritual family. I can’t encourage you enough to get involved in one of our
Lifegroups. You’ll find that others are dealing with the same issues that you are. You’ll find a new source of personal strength and ministry.

Faith for Answered Prayer

I was raised to believe that answered prayer was relative. You really couldn’t count on the Father to answer your prayers. Sometimes He may say yes, other times He would say no, and sometimes maybe. This idea sapped all the faith for an answer out of me. The best you could do was to hope if you got enough people praying long enough, maybe you could coerce God into answering.

When I made Jesus the Lord of my life, I was totally delighted and shocked to find that the Father longs to answer our prayers, and He wants to say yes every time! All we need to do is to look into the Word to find His will before we pray. His Word is His will!

All things whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive (Matthew 21:22). Whatever things you desire when you pray, believe you receive them, and you will have them (Mark 11:24). If you abide in Me and My Words abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done to you (John 15:7). In that day you will ask Me nothing. Whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Up until this time you’ve asked nothing in My name. Ask and you will receive that your joy may be full (John 16:23-24). Whatever we ask we receive from Him because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight (1 John 3:22). This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know He hears us, whatever we ask, we know we have the petitions that we have asked of Him (1 John 5:14-15).

These are the promises to answered prayer that I meditate on every day. I mean every day they revolve around inside me. I keep my faith built up in the fact that if I pray according to the Word, He hears me, and I’m promised the answer. This eliminates worry and fretting about things that arise in the course of life. This knowledge of His desire to answer prayer solves most problems. I’ve learned to take everything to Him in believing prayer. That keeps my mind free, my emotions calm, and my spirit in charge. And it keeps me dependent on Him to work in every area of life.

When we choose to live a lifestyle of prayer based on the Word, it brings a ray of sunshine into the darkest day, and brings great peace and joy into everyday life. How can we lose? How can we but shout for joy! How can we go under in the light of these awesome promises from the Father to care for and to provide! Our God is more than enough!

No More Obsessing

Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully (1 Peter 5:7 - Amplified).

We’re all changing from glory to glory by the Holy Spirit. That means we never really arrive in full spiritual maturity. We’ll be in process until the day we meet Jesus face to face.

I thought I had a pretty much conquered the worry habit. When I came to Jesus, I had a well developed habit of worrying about everything, and the Lord had helped me redirect my focus to faith and to believing I receive instead of allowing fear, doubt, and unbelief to rule.

Some months ago I was reading Happiness is a Choice by Frank Minirth and was confronted with an uncomfortable idea about myself. He mentioned that those who are leaders generally have a degree of obsessive compulsive tendencies. That’s what makes them good leaders. They push and get things done. I was taken back a bit when I read that, and the Father began to slowly speak to me about my obsessive tendencies. He revealed to me yet another layer of doubt, fear, and unbelief that I did not realize that I allowed in my life.

Since that time I’ve been challenged to another level of faith and obedience. I found that when things are not going as planned, I obsess. That is, I try to figure out what I need to do to work it out. In my mind I will come up with several scenarios that will work out. For instance, if I’m in between flights and my flight is late, I will obsess about all the scenarios of what could happen with my connecting flight.

A couple of years ago, I was in the Omo valley in Ethiopia, and we were beginning the journey home the next morning. This area is very mountainous and is prone to flooding. I was awakened early with the sound of pouring rain, a real gulley washer! As I obsessed about what could happen if it flooded and we got stuck (we had to cross several river beds on our journey), the Lord began to deal with me to trust Him instead of obsess over the varying possibilities.

Now, I have become constantly aware of the need to depend on the Father through the Word rather than try to figure every problem out alone. He’s turning my obsessing into trusting! I’m more rested and at ease. Sudden changes and challenges are not nearly as threatening. Peace is a constant friend. Life is more of an adventure with the Father taking the lead.

Worry on any level is an exercise in futility. It’s a complete waste of time! Instead of worrying or obsessing, pray the prayer of faith and believe you receive. Then spend time in praise and worship when the worry thoughts of doubt and fear attack. In His presence is fullness of joy, pleasures forevermore. The Father inhabits praise. His joy becomes an hourly strength!

We are in His grasp. Our days are arranged by the Father. Let Him rule you through the Word today! Keep yourself in His care!

Be Faithful

And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry (1 Timothy 1:12).

You can be taught a skill in life. Abilities can be acquired through study and diligence in a certain discipline. But nobody can teach you character. Character is something that only you can develop. Faithfulness is a character issue, and is a quality that can take you right into the perfect will of the Father for your life.

For me, I knew that God had called me into ministry. But He didn’t tell me what kind of ministry, or even how to pursue what He wanted. I learned that faithfulness is top priority with the Father. And to find His purposes for life and ministry, I learned to pursue being faithful above all else.

After graduating from Bible School, the Lord led me to be faithful in my local church. No one asked me to do anything. I just wanted to be a blessing, so I looked for an opportunity to help out weekly in my local church. To begin with, I helped prepare for weekly services by assisting the maintenance crew as they set up 1200 chairs twice a week. It was grueling work. There was no spotlight or pat on the back. I just had a heart wanting to be faithful to the Father in some way.

I was eventually hired as part of the church maintenance staff, and later on joined the pastoral team of the church assisting the pastor in counseling. The door opener was faithfulness. Eventually, that same faithfulness opened up the pastoral role the Father had called me to when He first placed ministry in my heart as a teenager.

At every level, the Father looks for faithfulness before promotion. Don’t try to make your own way. Prove your character by being a faithful person at whatever lever you are in life right now.

The faithful abound with blessings. Those that are faithful in the small tasks will most likely be faithful in the larger responsibilities. Seek to be faithful today. Tomorrows opportunities are opened by the faithful deeds and the faithful attitudes you sow today.

An Admonition to Praise

We had a great praise and worship night this past Wednesday as we dedicated the entire time to worship. While I was standing there, the Holy Spirit began to work inside of me. I began to know that the Father wants us to live a lifestyle of praise. In our praise, the enemy is bound and hindered (see Psalm 149), and the kingdom of God manifests(Psalm 22:3). The Father manifests Himself and His attributes as we praise and worship from our hearts.

It was in the midst of their praising God that Paul and Silas were delivered from prison chains in Acts 16. In 2 Chronicles 20, God told His people to place the worshippers in the front lines of battle and He would fight for them as they praised Him!

In the confrontations that we face with darkness in this last hour, the Father would be pleased for us to live in worship, to face every challenge and difficulty with cheerful, God honoring praise and worship. Praise is not just for a church service, but must become a part of our daily lifestyle. Praise should be the first response we have to duress and trouble.

The Holy Spirit began to give me a Word of Wisdom concerning future events as I stood there worshipping Wednesday night. So at the end of the meeting, I spoke what I heard from Him. I have no idea what will occur; just that something will happen that will be challenging. Our response should be to walk in faith and to praise our God!

Here is a transcription of what I said at the end of the Wednesday night meeting. When these things come to me, I really have no more to add. They don’t come from the mind, but from my spirit by the Holy Spirit, so I’m as clueless as anyone as to what could occur. It’s time to walk by faith, to pray, to worship, and to believe!

Wednesday night, April 30th, 2009:

In the days to come, the things that will occur, and the things that you will see and hear, will shock the world. For in the months – one, two, three – there will be happenings that will cause the beginning of things that I have foretold by My prophets. And many will wonder and say, “What will I do?” But those that do know their God will be strong and do exploits – for Me.

So you should never be in a place of concern. For I’ve called you to rest with Me. And I’ve called you to be those upon whom I have placed My Spirit and My protection from things. And so if you’ll rise up and worship and rise up and praise – I inhabit praise – I’ll cause the manifestation of Who I Am to hover around you and yours. And you will know My solace, you will know My protection, you will know My way. You’ll not be taken by surprise. Darkness will not overtake you, because I’ve called you to walk in light. The light will prevail, and My glory will shine.

For even in this time, and even in this hour, those who have been allured by the things of this life and have walked away from Me – I have begun to call them back. And I have placed something from Me deep within them. And I’m calling them, and they are hearing My call. This day I will call the prodigal back to Me. Those who thought there’s no help for them in God will know My aid and know My help, for I will forgive their transgressions, and I will draw them back. I will give them a spirit of repentance. And so don’t be those that judge. Don’t be those that are law-filled. But be those that are love-filled, and Word-filled, and Spirit-filled. And let me work in you, for I will work a work in your day which none can gainsay nor resist. I am the restorer of the breach, the restorer of the paths to dwell in. And I will use you to bring those in darkness to Me. So prepare yourself and be ready, for surely I come. Surely I mend. Surely I help. Surely I reveal Myself. Surely you’ll be ready. Praise God.