Missions Trip begins Tomorrow

Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. (20) Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:19-20 – NLT).

After I minister in our 11:00 am service tomorrow, I’ll be leaving for India, where Bruce McDonald and I will hold a Pastor’s conference and conduct evangelistic meetings in small villages.

I’ll be meeting Bruce in London, and we will go together to India. We covet your prayers for safe travel; for the Spirit of God to minister refreshing and encouragement to the pastors; and for many to be born again during the nightly crusades.

In the past, there has been some opposition to the gospel in the city where we will minister. Please pray with us that the Lord will open a door for the Word of God to be preached boldly through us there.

I’ll be in touch as much as possible. If I can get twitter to work there I’ll send brief updates and you’ll see them on the left side of my blog.

I can’t emphasize enough the importance of prayer as we minister. We’ve been delivered from some tough circumstances on past trips as the result of your praying. Thanks in advance for beseeching God for us!

Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we ask you to pray for us. Pray that the Lord's message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you. Pray, too, that we will be rescued from wicked and evil people, for not everyone is a believer (2 Thessalonians 3:1-2- NLT).

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God's mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike (Ephesians 6:18-19-NLT).

Make Each Moment Count

Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil. Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is. (Ephesians 5:16-17-Amplified)

There will never be another day like today. Today, we have 86,400 seconds to spend either for the glory of God and the advancement of the kingdom of God, or for the amusement and satisfaction of the flesh.

Let’s make every moment count today. Use your voice for prayer and encouragement; your hands for the aid and help of others; your mind to think on things that are true, honest just, pure, lovely, virtuous, and praiseworthy; your emotions to feel God’ s heart of compassion for those around you that are suffering the wages of sin; your ears to be a listening friend to one who is beset by challenges and problems; your eyes to behold the glory of God through His Word and in creation and to look away from unchaste and the impure.

Today, you are God’s voice, His hands of help, His look of compassion. He can only do His work in your sphere of influence through you. I am speaking in familiar human terms because of your natural limitations. For as you yielded your bodily members [and faculties] as servants to impurity and ever increasing lawlessness, so now yield your bodily members [and faculties] once for all as servants to righteousness (right being and doing) [which leads] to sanctification (Romans 6:19- Amplified).

Allow your moments to used in the service of the King today. The Lord God has given Me The tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak A word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear To hear as the learned (Isaiah 50:4).

I’ll leave you with a John Wesley Quote:

Do all you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.

Overcoming Past Conditioning

We are called to represent Jesus. He has called us “salt” and “light.” Salt purifies, flavors, and protects. Without light, life would cease to exist. Paul tells us on Colossians 3:17(NLT): And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

We are all affected and infected by past conditioning. We normally act and react out of modeling and influencing from our younger years. The challenge we all face is the challenge of renewing our minds so that our actions, responses, and attitudes no longer reflect past conditioning, but reflect Jesus!

One of my past conditionings was that of thoughts and feelings of rejection in most of my relationships. I frequently had thoughts and feeling that I just did not “measure up” to others in various social settings. This was deeply ingrained in me from childhood.

As an adult and later as a minister, I found that my thoughts and emotions told me things that simply were not true in many of my social activities. As a pastor, my mind would tell me that a particular person or group of people in my church didn’t like me. Let me explain a little more deeply.

Back in the late 80’s I pioneered a church in a small town, and preached both morning and night on Sundays. Mondays became an emotionally “blue” day for me as week after week my mind and my emotions were filled with strong thoughts and feelings of rejection. I felt that no one like me or cared at all about me. In fact, they were against me.

But by the midweek service, people would come back to church and all seemed well until I got up on Thursday morning, and I felt the same things that I felt on Mondays. My mind and emotions were hijacking me and seeking to recreate rejection issues from my childhood. That’s all that my mind and emotions knew about relationships. Don’t trust other people; people will harm you; don’t get too close; you better watch out, they will hurt you in some way were constant thoughts that filled me with angst.

To overcome this rejection problem, I sieged my thoughts and emotions. I outsmarted them. When my mind and feelings told me that someone didn’t like me, I called them or I went to see them. As I carried on a conversation with them, I found that not even one of the people my mind and emotions were telling me were rejecting me actually were. My thoughts and emotions were sabotaging my current relationships.

I found that I could no longer trust my thoughts and my feelings as I related to others. Here’s what I did. The Lord led me to scripture after scripture that showed me how I was to act, think, and feel toward others. The initial scripture that the Holy Spirit used to help me was 1 Corinthians 4:3, Phillips Translation: It matters very little to me what you or any man thinks of me. I don’t even value my opinion of myself…

I saw that the only opinion that I could trust and that really matters was God’s opinion of me! So I began to read scripture that dealt with attitudes, actions, and words in relationships. I began to change. Eventually, the constant bombardment of rejection thinking and feeling was replaced by thoughts and feelings of being loved and accepted by the Father, and of believing the best of others. What a relief it was to relate to others without this big rejection monster from the past pushing me away!

Week after week, I sieged my rejection thoughts and feelings. I refused to act on them. Instead, I would choose to believe the best of every person and totally ignore thoughts and feels that told me I was being rejected. This was difficult at first, but as I practiced believing the best, my thoughts and feelings slowly began to line up with reality!

This is a long post, but if you’ll take it to heart, it could change your life if you deal with these kinds of issues. Here are the scriptures that I used to change my thinking and to be set free from a sense of rejection:

Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7- Amplified).

[Let your] love be sincere (a real thing); hate what is evil [loathe all ungodliness, turn in horror from wickedness], but hold fast to that which is good. Love one another with brotherly affection [as members of one family], giving precedence and showing honor to one another. Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord. Rejoice and exult in hope; be steadfast and patient in suffering and tribulation; be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of God's people [sharing in the necessities of the saints]; pursue the practice of hospitality. Bless those who persecute you [who are cruel in their attitude toward you]; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice [sharing others' joy], and weep with those who weep [sharing others' grief]. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty (snobbish, high-minded, exclusive), but readily adjust yourself to [people, things] and give yourselves to humble tasks. Never overestimate yourself or be wise in your own conceits. Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is honest and proper and noble [aiming to be above reproach] in the sight of everyone. If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Romans 12: 9-18- Amplified).

I therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to and beg you to walk (lead a life) worthy of the [divine] calling to which you have been called [with behavior that is a credit to the summons to God's service, Living as becomes you] with complete lowliness of mind (humility) and meekness (unselfishness, gentleness, mildness), with patience, bearing with one another and making allowances because you love one another. Be eager and strive earnestly to guard and keep the harmony and oneness of [and produced by] the Spirit in the binding power of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3- Amplified)

Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth, but only such [speech] as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace (God's favor) to those who hear it. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [do not offend or vex or sadden Him], by Whom you were sealed (marked, branded as God's own, secured) for the day of redemption (of final deliverance through Christ from evil and the consequences of sin). Let all bitterness and indignation and wrath (passion, rage, bad temper) and resentment (anger, animosity) and quarreling (brawling, clamor, contention) and slander (evil-speaking, abusive or blasphemous language) be banished from you, with all malice (spite, ill will, or baseness of any kind). And become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:29-32 - Amplified).

Fill up and complete my joy by living in harmony and being of the same mind and one in purpose, having the same love, being in full accord and of one harmonious mind and intention. Do nothing from factional motives [through contentiousness, strife, selfishness, or for unworthy ends] or prompted by conceit and empty arrogance. Instead, in the true spirit of humility (lowliness of mind) let each regard the others as better than and superior to himself [thinking more highly of one another than you do of yourselves]. Let each of you esteem and look upon and be concerned for not [merely] his own interests, but also each for the interests of others. (Philippians 2:2-4- Amplified).

But now put away and rid yourselves [completely] of all these things: anger, rage, bad feeling toward others, curses and slander, and foulmouthed abuse and shameful utterances from your lips! Do not lie to one another, for you have stripped off the old (unregenerate) self with its evil practices, And have clothed yourselves with the new [spiritual self], which is [ever in the process of being] renewed and remolded into [fuller and more perfect knowledge upon] knowledge after the image (the likeness) of Him Who created it. [In this new creation all distinctions vanish.] There is no room for and there can be neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, [nor difference between nations whether alien] barbarians or Scythians [who are the most savage of all], nor slave or free man; but Christ is all and in all [everything and everywhere, to all men, without distinction of person]. Clothe yourselves therefore, as God's own chosen ones (His own picked representatives), [who are] purified and holy and well-beloved [by God Himself, by putting on behavior marked by] tenderhearted pity and mercy, kind feeling, a lowly opinion of yourselves, gentle ways, [and] patience [which is tireless and long-suffering, and has the power to endure whatever comes, with good temper]. Be gentle and forbearing with one another and, if one has a difference (a grievance or complaint) against another, readily pardoning each other; even as the Lord has [freely] forgiven you, so must you also [forgive]. And above all these [put on] love and enfold yourselves with the bond of perfectness [which binds everything together completely in ideal harmony]. (Colossians 3: 8-14-Amplified).

Rest from the Inside Out

So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God's rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. (Hebrews 4:9-11- NLT) For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, to whom He said, "This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest," and, "This is the refreshing"… (Isaiah 28:11-12).

The Father’s desire is that we relinquish control of our lives to Him. God designed us for our spirit to rule our lives. His voice was to be the guiding principle of human behavior. His strength was to rise up in the human from the inside out. His plans and wisdom were to motivate, inspire, encourage, and impassion.

Adam’s sin changed all that God planned. Now, we strive to live on our own, out of sync with the Creator, and wearing ourselves out in the process. Human strength only goes so far and lasts only so long. Human wisdom cannot meet the needs of the hour.

The Father’s best for us is to lean on Him, trusting His ability, His wisdom, His guidance. He wants us to rest. Resting means that we cease the struggle and the striving to do and to be. Oh yes, we’re active, but in a deferring sort of way.

When a believer is baptized in the Holy Spirit, one of God’s purposes with this experience is to once again lead us from the inside out. He wants to unseat and dethrone the mind, emotions, and will that so want to rule all we think and do. From the inside, He wants to once again guide, empower, motivate, inspire, encourage and impassion us!

Praying in tongues does so much more than we realize. Praying in the spirit enables the Father by the Holy Spirit to pray His will through a human vessel. So too the Holy Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance. And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the Holy Spirit [what His intent is], because the Spirit intercedes and pleads before God in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God's will. (Romans 8:26-27- Amplified).

God created man to rule the earth under His Lordship. Now, through the Spirit baptized believer praying in tongues, the Father can once again rule and guide.

Praying in the Spirit or in other tongues also provides rest for the believer. Instead of striving to be and do, as we pray in the spirit, we literally become branches of the vine. He pours His life through us, bringing refreshing, rest, and needed ability and strength. Others are affected as we simply learn to flow with His internal leading.

Take advantage of the tremendous Helper that lives inside of you. You are never alone, and you never lack needed rest, strength, and wisdom. All you need to do is tap into by praying in other tongues and then walking out the desires He places in you during that time of intimate personal conversation with the Father. Live from the inside out!

Love Your Enemies

But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don't try to get them back. Do to others as you would like them to do to you. If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! (Luke 6:27-33 – NLT)

This kind of love should make us stick out in the crowd. Drinking buddies, drug addicts, and ruthless criminals will care for their own. They watch their buddies’ back. Those with no claim on God treat their friends with care.

But we are called to higher living. We’re to love those who treat us with contempt and disdain. We’re to find tangible ways to show care for those who show their dislike for us. When is the last time you’ve done that? We’re to speak kindly and graciously to those who bite us with stinging sarcasm and bitter words.

A test from the Lord today will be how I deal with those who don’t want to be in my presence; who say disparaging things about me. Do I pray for them? Do I look for tangible way to express care? Or do I write them off as hardened and hopeless?

Jesus proved His care for us when we insulted Him by our words and actions. He loved us while we were still dead in our sins. After Judas had betrayed Jesus for some silver coins, Jesus gave him a morsel of food from His own hand, which in that culture was a serious act of kindness and care for a friend. Jesus prayed for those who crucified Him while He hung on the cross in pain. Before Peter denied Jesus, Jesus told him to bless his brothers in the faith after he had repented of his sin against Jesus.

The loved of God is placed in us by the Holy Spirit. Jesus has given us the ability to love as He did. We can love our enemies. We can sow acts of kindness to those who do us wrong. We must will to love. This has nothing to do with feelings. Loving the unlovely has to do with obedience.

Look for opportunities to love your enemies today!

Wisdom

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7) Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding (Proverbs 3:13).

A head full of knowledge without wisdom is useless. Wisdom mixed with knowledge brings success. Wisdom is the ability to use knowledge correctly.

The vantage point of wisdom is seeing all of creation in the light of the moral laws of God and cooperating with them. Wisdom means being skillful and successful in one's relationships and responsibilities ... observing and following the Creator's principles of order in the moral universe (Dr. Roy Zuck)(1).

Warren Weirsbe reveals: Biblical wisdom has little if any relationship to a person's IQ or education, because it is a matter of moral and spiritual understanding. It has to do with character and values; it means looking at the world through the grid of God's truth. (2)

Notice the benefits of wisdom as mentioned in Proverbs 3:14-18: For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, and all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. Length of days is in her right hand, in her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who retain her.

The above verse in Proverbs tells us that if we walk in wisdom we’ll have length of days, riches, honor, pleasantness, peace, life, and happiness.

Jesus said that if we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, that all the things we need for life will be given to us (Matthew 6:33). That is walking in wisdom!

Now here is the great news. Jesus is our wisdom in life. Notice 1 Corinthians 1:30: But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God — and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. You don’t have to grunt and strain for wisdom. If you’re in Christ, you have it! All you need to do is to open yourself to receive the wisdom that is already there.

Of course James tells to ask if we lack wisdom, and if we ask without wavering in unbelief, we’ll receive the needed wisdom for the moment.

Let’s stop saying, well, I just don’t know what to do about this or that. Let’s let our confession be that God is granting us His wisdom in every endeavor of life. He is enabling us to see the end from the beginning!

(1)From The Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament © 2001-2004 by Warren W. Wiersbe. All rights reserved.
(2)Ibid.

Hardness of Heart

Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:12-13).

A couple of years ago, while on a missions trip to Ethiopia, I saw first hand what can happen when a precious brother in Christ goes astray. A man who walked with us, prayed with us, loved God with us, is now seeking to prevent God’s purposes from coming to pass. This wonderful brother defied conscience, allowing personal pride, selfishness, and greed to weaken his conscience, eventually becoming hard-hearted and harming the very people he once led. He led authorities to refuse us permission to hold an evangelistic crusade where hundreds were waiting to hear the gospel. He has begun to threaten physically the very people who once mentored him.

In 1 Timothy 1:19-20, Paul mentions Hymenaeus and Alexander who betrayed conscience and forsook God’s best. In Acts 5 we read of Annanias and Sapphira who died because of their sin against the Holy Spirit.

When we see a precious saint of God go astray, we may think that we are immune, and may wonder how this could happen. A wise believer will always remain aware that he could likewise harden his heart.

A conscience repeatedly violated opens a door in your life to the enemy and gradually shuts God out. It happens at a slow pace, and the end of a seared conscience is spiritual ruin.

It’s the little foxes that spoil the vines(Song of Solomon 2:15). Keep your heart. Watch the small things that creep into life and are not dealt with. Expose every thought, attitude and action to the One who knows all and sees all. Keep short accounts with God. Remain in constant communion.

I fear for my brother who allowed himself to get into this state of utter rebellion. I pray for God’s mercy on his life. He, that being often reproved hardens his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy (Proverbs 29:1). It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31).

Let us ever be aware of our human frailty, and our need to remain humble before God. May the Father’s hand remain upon us, as He the Divine potter ever molds us into the likeness of our Savior.

Living a Life of Faith

In a world values the temporal over the eternal, it’s important that we keep our faith strong. We live a life of faith, and not one of sight! We’re not living by our feelings or the way things seem to be, we living as if the promises of God were absolutely true!

That means that every day I’m expecting the best that God has for my life. I’m expecting His strength the overcome my weakness, His bigness to overwhelm my smallness, His prosperity to absorb my poverty, His riches in glory to assume the obligation of my need, His health and healing to meet every challenge I face with sickness. Jesus is my all in all. He is the fullness that I am seeking.

Take some time today to remind yourself and the Lord of what He has said about you. Let your own ears hear your own mouth my declare God’s word about your life. The Father will use your own words will lift you up!

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV) Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (John 20:29).

God Has Promised to Supply!

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my temple. If you do, says the Lord Almighty, I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in. Try it! Let me prove it to you! Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insect and disease. Your grapes will not shrivel before they are ripe, says the Lord Almighty. Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight, says the Lord Almighty (Malachi 3:10-12- NLT). Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing (Psalm 34:8-10).

As the world changes in preparation for Jesus’ return, it’s so comforting to know that God always keeps His word! If He’s said it, He’ll do it! He has promised that we would never lack provision in any way. We’ll have food, clothing, shelter, and all the essentials of life until Jesus comes back!

Make sure that you don’t allow the news stories of the day or week to pre-empt your faith in the promises of God! If inflation goes through the roof, God is our supply! Don’t say or think any other way. Don’t go to the break room at work and participate in the “what are we gonna do” conversations about lack, want, and need. Your Father is watching over you and your family. He is making a way for you!

This is a time to act on the Word! Make sure that you tithe and that you give to others. Keep the principles of God’s kingdom in mind every day. We are chosen, generation, a royal priesthood, and purchased people! God’s kingdom rules apply to us!

Two Kinds of Patience

That you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises (Hebrews 6:12). But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing (James 1:4)

There are two different kinds of patience mentioned in the above verses. In Hebrews 6:12, the Greek word for patience is makrothumia. In James 1:4, the Greek word for patience is hupomeno. Let’s apply them to our lives for just a moment.

Makrothumia comes from two Greek words. Makros means long and thumos means heated or passionate. Put the two words together and makrothumia means long temperedness, or someone has defined it as the ability to burn a long time!

Makrothumia is patience towards people. It’s the ability to walk in peace when you’re moved by a situation. Patience gives you the ability to endure tough places. When events don’t change quickly and you’re tempted to become agitated and angry, makrothumia enables you to bear the waiting time. When others don’t treat you the way you think they should, makrothumia enables you to believe the best of them and hold yourself in check so you don’t do or say something harmful.

Hupomeno comes from the Greek words hupo, which means under and meno, which means to remain. Hupomeno means the ability to hold your head up and remain confident when going through a hard place.

James tells us that tests and life challenges produce in us the ability to stick it out and not cave in when the going gets tough. A person operating in hupomeno is able to smile while going through personally painful experiences.

Hupomeno enables you to see the end from the beginning. Jesus, for the joy that was set before Him endured the agony of the cross. Hupomeno enabled Jesus to look beyond His present pain and see how His sacrifice would free humanity from the chains of sin. And when we walk in hupomeno, we’re able to shout and remain upbeat and joy filled when the journey of life is grueling and looks impossible!

We need both kinds of patience today. The Father by the Holy Spirit has placed in us the ability to last a long time and not become enraged with anger when people and circumstances don’t treat us kindly.

The Father has also given us by the Holy Spirit the ability to remain joyful and confident when a situation seems unending and impossible. Let’s allow patience to have its perfect work in us today. If we do, our faith will bring to us the fulfillment of the promises of God of healing; of provision; of deliverance from the hard place; and we will move another step closer to being perfect and complete, lacking nothing! Let’s keep on growing today!

The Promise of Healing

Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases (Psalm 103:1-3)

Healing is always the will of God for the believer. Right after God delivered Israel from the bondage of Egypt, He revealed Himself as the Physician of His people in Exodus 15:26: If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put (allow) none of the diseases on you which I have brought (allowed) on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you. The phrase I will put in this verse is in the permissive sense, not in the causative sense. It should read I will allow.

This promise of healing is not just for the Old Testament saints, but for us today. We have a better covenant established on better promises. The good new is that the same faith that saves us is the same faith that brings God’s healing power into our bodies. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:10) So you could also say it this way: For with the heart one believes unto healing, and with the mouth confession is made unto health.

Believing for healing is as simple as believing for forgiveness of sin. First, you see the will of God through the Word to save and to heal. Then you believe it in your heart, and begin to say only what God says about your forgiveness and healing. You must look beyond the feelings you have to be forgiven and to be healed. Pray, ask, believe you receive healing or forgiveness, and then stand you ground in faith until the feelings of forgiveness and the actual healing manifests in your body. Believing and speaking the Word will draw God’s healing power into your body!

Diligently hearkening to the Word for healing is refusing to believe or speak anything contrary to the Word about your body. To do this, you must mediate regularly on God’s promises to heal. You must be diligent in the Word. He sent His Word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions (Psalm 107:20).

I’ll leave you today with God’s medicine for your health. Take it according to the prescription in Exodus 15:26.

So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you (Exodus 23:25). And the Lord will take away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known, but will lay them on all those who hate you (Deuteronomy 7:15). Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses) and carried our sorrows (pains); Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:4-5) That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses (Matthew 8:17) Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness — by whose stripes you were healed (1 Peter 2:24).

Stumbling Blocks into Stepping Stones

But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive (Genesis 50:20).

When facing a severe trial of long duration, it’s important to keep perspective. Joseph spent many years bearing the repercussions of his brother’s misdeeds. Though he spent years of suffering shame and mockery in prison, the end result for Joseph was blessing, honor, and favor.

Tests and difficulties are part of living on a fallen planet. Our faith in God’s Word will navigate us through every test if we’ll let it! Satan attacks us, sometimes using others, sometimes using circumstances, and at other times using our own mistakes to ridicule and seek to discourage us.

But we must face each difficulty knowing that we are conquerors! God has destined us to win! We are victors! We can’t be defeated if we refuse to lie down and quit! The promises of God are YES and AMEN in every circumstance. He will never leave us or forsake us! If God be for us, who can be against us!

If we keep the right perspective, tests will only bring out the best in us. Tests will cause the dross to rise to the surface. Tempered steel is the strongest because the heat drew out the impurities that weakened it. Notice what Peter said: That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:7).

Years ago, I found myself in the middle of one of the most difficult periods of my life. Nothing was going the way I thought it would. It seemed as though I would fail. At times, death seemed appealing as a sweet escape. Really, it was a very hard place. But the Holy Spirit kept reminding me of the promises of God when I wanted to just quit. He wouldn’t let me! Day after day, week after week, month after month, this particular test droned on.

At my lowest points, I found my God to be faithful. Knowing what He planned for me, the Father just would not let quit in the middle of my journey. He urged me to act on His Word and keep on going. He sees the end from the beginning. Sometimes we allow the pain of present circumstance to cloud the vision of where we’re headed.

Now looking back, I can see that some of the greatest things God did in me were a result of the pressure I went through. Character changes occurred in me as the pressure squeezed flaws to the surface of my life and forced me to face them.

The enemy sought to destroy me through circumstance, but God turned it all around and used it for my good. Joseph was able to lead Egypt out of a dark period because of the work of preparation during the testing years.

See your present circumstance, not as a stumbling block, but as a stepping stone into God’s greater purposes for you. If you’ll do this in every test and trial, God will turn what was meant by the enemy as evil into opportunity to help you grow!

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Romans 8:18). Keep your chin up today!

The Gospel Preached in Hell

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, (19) by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, (20) who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water (1 Peter 3:18-20). For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit (1 Peter 4:6).

Many people don’t realize that the gospel was preached in Hell to the Old Testament saints. But it’s true.

To understand this, a basic fundamental has to be understood about Old Testament saints that died prior to Calvary. Animal sacrifice under Old Covenant Law only covered sin. Old Testament (OT) saints were not born again in the sense that we are; they had hearts of stone. Old Testament animal sacrifices merely atoned or covered sin; they did not cleanse the individual from sin. OT sacrifice offered a promissory note of salvation, but not actual salvation. Nothing sinful can enter the presence of our Holy God. So the dilemma for the OT saint is where do they go when they die? Technically, they are still sinners with a promise of new life one day; when the Messiah comes. So what happens when they die?

In Luke 16: 19-31 Jesus sheds light on the problem of where OT saints went at death. Go read the whole passage sometime, but right now here are the pertinent scriptures: So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. (23) And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom (Luke 16:22-23). And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us (Luke 16:26).

Before Calvary, hell was divided into two compartments; the righteous side, called Abraham’s Bosom, or as Jesus mentioned it to the thief on the cross, paradise; and the unrighteous side where those who didn’t trust God through law and sacrifice went. It was similar to hell now, in that the flames were there. A great chasm divided the two areas of hell. One area was pleasant, the other was horrible. In the above verses, the rich man, not trusting God through OT animal sacrifice, went to the unrighteous side. Lazarus, trusting animal sacrifice, went to Abraham’s Bosom (or lap) or Paradise.

When Jesus died, he went to hell (see Matthew 12:40; Romans 10:6-7; Ephesians 4:8-10). There, He paid the legal penalty for the sins of mankind. When God was satisfied that our sin debt was legally paid for by the Son, Jesus was BORN AGAIN in hell! (See Colossians 1: 15, and 1 Timothy 3:16).

Then, He did what 1 Peter 3:18, and 1 Peter 4:6 mention. He preached to the spirits in prison! The OT saints who were awaiting the Messiah’s appearance there in Abraham’s Bosom were paid a visit by the eternal Son! Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, Elijah, and the rest of the OT saints were there! Jesus preached the gospel to these OT saints! They were BORN AGAIN! And then Jesus whisked them out of that prison. They were resurrected with Him, and then went on up to heaven! Notice these verses in Matthew 27: 50-53:

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. (51) Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, (52) and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; (53) and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

So yes, the gospel was preached in hell and the captives were released that day. There is probably an archive in hell of the visit that day of the ETERNAL SON. Hell still trembles at His NAME!

The Father's Love

For the Father Himself tenderly loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came out from the Father (John 16:27 - Amplified).

The formative years of my life left me with the idea that somehow God just put up with me because that was His job. He had to love me. But I didn’t really think He liked me very much. Maybe a better way to put was that I thought He tolerated me.

After I was Spirit-Baptized I of course had a greater desire to pray than ever before. But I found myself hitting a wall at times with strong thoughts and feels of being rejected by the Father. What I read in the word and what I actually experienced were two different things.

Here’s what I found in the Word about God’s love for me. I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me (John 17:23). Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love (Ephesians 1:4-The Message). The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works (Psalm 145:8-9). The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; the Lord raises those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous (Psalm 146:8). The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him (Psalm 103: 8-11).

My mind and emotions were sabotaging my fellowship with my Father! So I read the above scriptures over and over and spoke them aloud as an affirmation of what I believed. When I prayed, I ignored my fickle feelings and my wrong thinking, and over and over I mentioned out loud to Him what I believed about what He thought about me.

Every now and then my emotions would allow me to feel God’s love. When they did, it was wonderful. When they didn’t, I walked by faith and thanked Him for His love. Over a period of time my thoughts and emotions changed, and began to line up with my spirit and with what the Word says about His care and love for me.

Take time to meditate on the Word about the Father’s love for you. It will open to you a new realm of fellowship with Him. Your prayer life will deepen in intimacy with Him, and you’ll become settled and secure in the Father’s embrace.

The Boomerang Effect

Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days (Ecclesiastes 11:1).

The idea in the above verse is that the waves will bring back to you what you throw out into the water.

Reciprocity is an action that produces in return an action of the same kind. It’s a law in the kingdom of God. In one sense our lives are filled with sowing and reaping. Our tomorrow is found in seed form in what we do today. My actions today are the foundation for tomorrow’s living. It’s like throwing a boomerang from the different venues of life. What I throw always come back. You could call reciprocity the boomerang effect.

Not only is this a law of the kingdom of God, it’s an eternal promise attached to the earth. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease (Genesis 8:22).

This principle is not just about finances, but it applies to all of life. Notice what Jesus said in Luke 6:37-38: Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.

The actions, words, attitudes, and kindness that I show today will come back to me. The way I treat others is the way I will be treated. If that is true, I should see every action and word as a seed that will produce a harvest in my life. So what kind of harvest do I want? Plant the seed for it today!

This also includes our material and financial lives. Notice 2 Corinthians 9:6: But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

And again we find this principle in Galatians 6:7, where it also refers to the Galatian believers giving to those who minister the Word to them: Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

Yet Paul broadens this concept to include a believer’s whole life, including his spiritual life in Galatians 6:8:-9: For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

See yourself as a seed planter today. Only throw the bread on the water that you want to see again! This is a law. A law works all the time. It’s sometimes slow and methodical, but it is always working behind the scenes.

This principle of receiving what you sow, this boomerang effect, is working right now in you. If you’ve sown some bad seed, cry out in repentance for the mercy of God to cleanse you from the wrong. Mercy is when you don’t receive what you deserve! And sometimes God’s mercy will root up a negative seed we’re planted!

Expect the bread you’ve thrown on the water to come back. Sow seeds of kindness, love and mercy into others today. The day will come that you’ll need these in your own life. Let’s sow seed today that we’ll be glad to reap tomorrow.

El Shaddai

El Shaddai is one of the names for God in the Old Testament. It means The Almighty God, the All Sufficient One, or the God Who is More Than Enough.

The etymology of the word Shaddai in antiquity gives a slight reference to a mother feeding her child at her breast, meaning that the mother is everything the child needs to sustain life. The word Shaddai is also used of mountains and linked with El, the self-existent one, it refers to the all powerful God who created the mountains and rules over all. He is the One from Whom everything is derived.

Our God is the God Who is more than enough! He is the creator and sustainer of all that exists. Jesus upholds all things by the power of His word. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist (Colossians 1:16-17).

In the light of our God being El-Shaddai, our problems are so small! The Being that created and sustains all that exists is my very own Father! He is All-Sufficient to help me in my difficulties today. He is more than enough! He’s the God of plenty! Someone said that God is El-Shaddai, not El-Cheapo! He’s big enough, strong enough, wise enough, and loving enough to help us through the tough issues that life brings!

All we need to do is to release our faith in Him and believe we receive the best that He has for every circumstance we encounter. El-Shaddai promised that mountains would move at the command of faith spoken words. He promised to answer faith based praying. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive (Matthew 21:22). El-Shaddai is back of this promise. Let His more than enough power work on your behalf today.

Trust in El-Shaddai with all you heart today. Don’t lean on your own ability alone. In all your ways today, acknowledge that El-Shaddai is working on your behalf. He is providing the needed wisdom, insight, healing, finances, and solutions to your current circumstances. He’s the Almighty God, the All Sufficient One. He’s more than enough!

No Sin History

I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins (Isaiah 43:25).

Psychologists tell us that one of the main de-motivators of human personality is guilt and condemnation. Many people carry the weight of failure due to past deeds. Guilt will keep a person in the downward spiral of hopeless addictions as they seek the numb the pain of past failures. Addictions of all sorts: alcoholism, drugs, sex, food, and even in work may find their origin in the covering of and hiding from the emotional pain of failure.

God’s remedy for guilt is the forgiveness and cleansing found in the blood of Jesus! As Isaiah says: Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool (Isaiah 1:18).

I was freed from my chains of personal failure when I learned that God does not even remember confessed sin. He has no record of it!

Years ago I was reading a book by Dr. Roy Hick entitles He Who Laughs Lasts and Lasts…In the book, Dr. Hicks mentions Einstein’s theory of relativity. Part of that theory is the belief that if a person could travel at the speed of light, time would cease. He would enter into the eternal.

The Bible says that God is light (1 John 1:5). God lives in the realm of the eternal. Past, present, and future are all “now” to God. It’s a hard concept for our finite minds to grasp, but it is true. God lives in the eternal “now.” The panorama of history is constantly before Him. He sees everything that was, is, and will be as “now.” Jesus is the lamb slain from the foundation of the world (before it was created). The Apostle John was shown The Revelation which shows the future. How? All this is or will be exits in the eternal where God dwells. And God showed John what will be because it already exists in the realm of the eternal.

So when God says that He will not remember our sins, it a big deal! That means that confessed sin is not even history, because history can be remembered! Confessed sin is not found in the mind of God. It is blotted out as if it had never been committed. And that is a miracle!

God can do what we can’t. Our past deeds live in our memory, but He has the ability to completely remove confessed sins from His mind, and from recorded history! So when you sin as a believer, don’t brood and whine over it, repent and confess it! Then it will be completely removed from the history of your life and you can walk free from guilt!

This is all by faith. We are usually the last one to forgive ourselves when we sin.
For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God (1 John 3:20-21). We often feel the pain of self-inflicted guilt long after God forgives us. The key to being released from this inner condemnation is walking by faith in what God says about you, and choosing to believe what God says and refuse to be affected by the feelings of failure. If God says He forgives and forgets, then you choose to forgive yourself and forget it too!

Regardless of how many times you fail, get up! Confess the sin in repentance, and walk on. Remember, For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again… (Proverbs 24:16). Forget what God has forgotten and be released from the chains of the past!

Cleansed from Sin

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).

In the Old Testament, under the Old Covenant, sin was not cleansed, it was covered. The life of an animal was sacrificed and its blood was poured on the Mercy Seat, which was the lid of the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies in the temple. The presence of God dwelt in this man made place, and the animal blood provided a covering of “life” for the sins of the Israelites.

For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul (Leviticus 17:11). The word atonement means a covering. Sins were not removed, they were only covered, and the blood had to be re-applied to the Mercy Seat every year on the Day of Atonement. The life represented in the blood covered the sins of Israel so that they could fellowship with a Holy God. When He looked at the Ark of the Covenant with its contents of the Ten Commandments, He saw the blood that covered Israel’s failure to obey His commandments and judgment was abated.

Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world according to John the Baptist. When Jesus spilled His blood on Calvary, died and was resurrected, He took His blood into heaven and placed it before God as an eternal cleansing for our sins. Jesus Death and resurrection doesn’t just forgive us and cover sin, His death and resurrection literally removes our sin! Our sins are remitted, not covered!

Notice Hebrews 9:24-26: For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another — He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

Our sins have been judged and removed from us when we are Born Again! We are justified. It is Just-As-If-I’d-Never-Sinned! The sin is expunged and forever removed, not covered to be remembered year after year! Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more (Hebrews 10:17). And now, when you miss the mark and sin as a believer, sin is cleansed when you confess it (1 John 1:9).

When thoughts of your past deeds come to mind today, remind yourself and the Lord that you are totally forgiven; that your sins have been removed; and thank Him for never remembering them again! The accuser of the brethren wants you to live in the past and brood over your failures. God has made a way through the blood of Jesus for you to completely forget the things which are behind, and reach forward to the things ahead! Act like a person who has never sinned today!

The Prayer Habit

…Steadfastly maintain the habit of prayer (Romans 12:12-J.B. Phillips).

The Father wants us to develop our intimacy in prayer with Him. He wants prayer to become a habit. The prayer habit will be one habit that can transform the atmosphere of your life.

E.W. Kenyon in his book In His Presence says: Prayer should be as natural as breathing and as enjoyable as eating. Prayer should be as unconscious as our communication with one another. He goes on the say: You can’t spend any length of time in prayer without being affected by it. The quietness, the unshaken faith, the deep unsounded peace that pervades the Godhead, will overflow into the prayer’s life.

Many people find prayer a great challenge. The flesh struggles with relating to a God you can’t see. But God is the Father of spirits. He relates to our spiritual nature, not to our mentality and emotions. Here are some tips to help develop the prayer habit.

First, you must know that the Father sees you as righteous. Our sin debt has been completely paid by Jesus, and God sees us as pure as Jesus before Him! It’s as though we have never sinned!

Secondly, you must know that The Father loves you as much as He does His own Son. In John 17:23, Jesus prays that he Father will reveal to us the fact that You have loved them as you have loved Me! You must know that you are endeared to the heart of the Father, and that He wants your companionship and fellowship.

Then you must begin to develop you fellowship with Him based on your right standing with Him according to the Word; not according to your feelings. Take some time to get alone and just tell Him that you love Him and tell Him how glad you are to be saved from sin and redeemed from hell.

Remind Him of what His word says about you, and of what His word says about answered prayer. Talk to Him in specific terms about every single concern you have in life, and ask Him specifically to help you. Share your heart life with Him. Bear to Him your thoughts and feelings and ask for His aid.

Take time too to pray in the spirit, in other tongues. Your spirit, in communion with the Holy Spirit will pray God’s perfect will in all areas of your life.

Start slowly. You may pray to begin with for ten or fifteen minutes. That’s just fine. If you keep it up every day, you’ll find the need to pray longer. You’ll find it easier and easier to express your heart and you’ll begin to want to take more time.

Life will become a partnership between you and the Father. You’ll begin to talk over every problem, every challenge, and every circumstance good and bad with Him. And before long, you will have developed and unconscious communion with Him that will erase fear and worry from your life.

Prayer will become and unconscious act of communion throughout your day. Daunting impossibilities will turn into opportunities for your Father to show Himself strong in your life. You’ll begin to fulfill Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Attitude Determines Altitude

The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph's authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper (Genesis 39:23).

Joseph’s life is an example of the attitude we should have when things go awry in our lives. As a teenager, God gave him a vision of himself as a leader. This vision changed how Joseph saw himself, and affected everything he did. Because he saw himself as an over-comer, he rose above every problem he encountered.

Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him and sold Joseph to some slave traders. The traders sold him to the household of an Egyptian leader to be their slave. Because Joseph didn’t see himself as a slave, he became the ruler of the leader’s household.

Joseph was thrown into prison after being wrongfully accused of attempted rape. But Joseph’s attitude caused him to rise above the prison chains. He became one of the leaders among the prisoners and helped the guards greatly.

Finally, after correctly interpreting the Pharaoh of Egypt’s dream, Joseph was appointed as Prime Minister of Egypt. No one but Pharaoh had greater power than Joseph. And Joseph’s teenage dream of his family bowing before was literally fulfilled when he was thirty years of age.

Joseph is a great example to us of the power of our attitude to regulate us during hard times. Attitude determines altitude someone has said. You never rise above attitude. What you think about yourself deep inside determines how you respond to life’s circumstances.

Joseph saw himself as a winner and his attitude brought him through being rejected by his siblings; through being sold as a slave; through false accusation; and through being wrongfully imprisoned.

What attitude do you have right now in the midst of your current circumstance? You never rise above what you think about yourself. I’ll leave you with these scriptures to help you with attitude adjustments that we all must make at times:

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) Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Romans 8:37). Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place (2 Corinthians 2:14). For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Romans 8:18) Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations. Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience. But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be people perfectly and fully developed with no defects, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4- Amplified).

Throne Room Strength

He gives power to the tired and worn out, and strength to the weak. Even the youths shall be exhausted, and the young men will all give up. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:29-31- Living)

Like a place of shelter in a storm, the throne of God is a place for you and me to go and be refreshed and strengthened after facing the pressures of the day.

We have an open invitation to come boldly to the throne of grace so that we can receive mercy, grace, and help for our needs (Hebrews 4:16).

When you go to this throne room of the Father with your needs and lay them before Him, He then places in you strength and ability to obey Him, and peace that soothes and heals. Like a platoon of soldiers guarding a city, the peace of God will push worry and fear away from you and enable you to walk in the rest of God.

Make sure you take time to visit the throne room today. Strength, rest, peace, love, joy, insight, and healing abide there. You’ll come away with a spring in your step ready for whatever comes your way today. You’ll have an expectation of God’s best in everything you do. And you’ll spread that Throne Room atmosphere to others!

Don’t allow the enemy to get you so busy that you don’t visit the Throne Room. He’s intimidated that you may get smart enough to go there more and more frequently. And the more frequently you go, the more the quiet strength of God will be upon you, and the less and less you’ll be weighted down with the pressures and challenges of life.

No longer will you be intimidated by circumstances that rise up. You’ll have the spirit of a conqueror, facing each challenge today like David faced Goliath. Take plenty of time today to visit with the Father in the Throne Room. It will show on you!

Loving Imperfect People

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).

The Holy Spirit spoke to me during our worship time last night and said, You should be as committed to one another as I am to you. We are members one of another according to 1 Corinthians 12. We should endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace according to Ephesians 4:3.

The Father is absolutely committed to us! He drew us while we were still in sin. He has given us the Holy Spirit as our helper and guide. He has promised that He will never leave us nor will He forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He has declared that nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8: 38-39). He has dedicated Himself to our care as our Shepherd. When we mess up, the Father does not forsake us. He woos us back to Himself by the Holy Spirit and has made promises that if will repent and confess our sins, He will forgive us and help us!

Do we do this with each other in the family of God? Church should be a safe place; a place where you are encouraged when you are down, challenged when you get spiritually lethargic, and loved unconditionally.

The Father is calling you to love your brother and sister in Christ even when they do things that ruffle you feathers. If you attend small groups or if you volunteer in a local church regularly, you are going to find our quickly that no one is perfect. You’re going to see faults, missteps, failures, and flesh! And others are going to see that you don’t do it right yourself all the time. We all are imperfect people in the process of changing.

That’s where love comes in. Love covers a multitude of sin. It forgives and disregards the offences of others. Too many times in America we have a consumer mentality when it comes to church life. If you don’t please me or if you do something I don’t like, I’ll just leave and go somewhere else. This kind of attitude stunts spiritual growth and reeks of spiritual dysfunction!

Here’s what I’ve found out about how God deals with my life. He often places me with people who don’t do life the way I do it. They don’t think the way I do. They mess us frequently. And so do I! And then He challenges me to love them just where they are. I’ve learned that every relationship I have is a test. How I relate to others proves what is in me. It shows my utter need for God and His love. Relationships show me what I’m really like. They bring to the surface my personal weaknesses! They help me to learn that without Jesus I can do nothing!

How I handle disappointments and differences with others determines in a large way my spiritual growth and maturity. Can I challenge you today to assess how you’re doing relationally in your local church? Do you accept others, flaws and all, without criticalness? Can you deal with your disappointment in others with isolating yourself from fellowship, or with inwardly critiquing their every move? Can you refrain from judging for the sake of love?

Perhaps John said it best in 1 John 4: 20-21:
If someone says, "I love God," but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don't love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters.

Life

You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day. Your thoughts — how rare, how beautiful! God, I'll never comprehend them! (Psalm 139:15-17)

I was born on Tuesday, October 7, 1958. At 8:20 AM, I breathed my first breath of life. I was born a basic barbarian with a nature of sin in my spirit and with a mind empty and clueless about life.

As a child I absorbed my surroundings. The influences of my father and mother set patterns in my life. Some were good, others were hurtful, and in later years had to be broken. My young mind gained concepts of self, of how to relate to others, and thankfully I was taught that there is an unseen God that reveals Himself through His word, and that we should worship Him and honor Him with all we do.

My mother taught me to read the Bible, to pray, and to respect others and their property. My father taught me the value of honesty, integrity, and of being truthful always. He taught me to work hard, to spend my money wisely, and to tithe. Mom and Dad taught me by example the golden rule: do unto others what you would have them do to you.

As I aged I learned that I am responsible for all my actions and the choices they produce. In a large measure, God gives us what we draw to ourselves as a result of our choices. Some influences I had no control over when I was young, but I learned that I must choose to resist and change the ones that produce hurtful effects in me and towards others through me.

Near age 18, I fully committed my life to Jesus, being restored to fellowship with Him, and then receiving the baptism with the Holy Spirit. The principle purpose of my life changed from self-centeredness to seeking to live to please the One who redeemed my life from hell now and later.

At age 18, the Father called me to preach His Word. Since then the passion of my life has been to obey Him. Though I fail Him often, I ask Him for His grace to help my weaknesses, and His power to enable me to fulfill His will.

He created me as an eternal human spirit. One day, He will call me to Himself to live with Him in heaven, either in the rapture of the church or through the doorway of physical death. My goal in life is to be pleasing to Him, and to hear Him speak over me the words, well done, good and faithful servant.

Prayer and God’s Will

In pursing the call of God on your life, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of developing a consistent prayer life. I mentioned yesterday the importance of praying in the spirit. Let me talk about that a bit more today.

In his book The Charismatic Ministry, Gordon Lindsay states: Those who preach become the favorite targets of Satan, and unless bulwarks are built against him, he will attack them at their weakest point…Consistent prayer builds bulwarks (defensive walls) around the believer against the works of darkness. The enemy’s sword is blunted. His secret plans for mischief are overruled. The cunning traps he sets are un-sprung…A praying man may pass by many dangers and never be aware of them. (1)

We need to remind ourselves constantly that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood. The forces are darkness consistently oppose spiritual growth and obedience to the will of God. And prayer invades the spiritual realm, bringing from the Father the power, strength, ability, protection, wisdom, insight, and blessing we need for the day.

Praying in the spirit is bitterly opposed by the enemy because it enhances spiritual perception, and enables you to hear God more clearly. Notice 1 Corinthians 2:11a: For who could really understand a man’s inmost thoughts except the spirit of man himself. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 14:14 (Amplified): For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit [by the Holy Spirit within me] prays, but my mind is unproductive [it bears no fruit and helps nobody].

Put these two scriptures together and you can see that when you pray in tongues, you’re praying about things in your life of which only the real you, your human spirit, alone is aware. And because the Holy Spirit dwells in your human spirit, He enables you to pray the will of God into manifestation in your life.

Ideas, unction, desire, and purpose grow in you as you spend time pursuing God and praying in the spirit. Satan’s schemes are stopped, and God’s will is entered into as you pray and obey.

We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose (Romans 8:28- Amplified).

Take time today to pray in other tongues. Allow the Spirit of God freedom to help you pray God’s plan into manifestation in your life!

(1)Gordon Lindsay, The Charismatic Ministry ( Dallas, Texas: Christ for the Nations, 1979) p. 19

Pursuing God's Life Plan for You

And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the Holy Spirit [what His intent is], because the Spirit intercedes and pleads before God in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God's will. We are assured and know that (God being a partner in their labo)r all things work together and are fitting into a plan for good to and for those who love God and are called according to His design and purpose (Romans 8:27-28- Amplified)

When you decide to pursue the purpose of God for your life, you’ll run into opposition. You family will misunderstand you. Jesus’ family and friends in His hometown didn’t understand what He was about until after He had accomplished His mission.

Your own thoughts will seek to discourage you from what you know the Father is saying to you, because sometimes it doesn’t seem practical.

And then the enemy is persistent in bringing up accusations about your past, who you are, what you’ve done, why you think you’re qualified to do anything for God. Sometimes these subtle attacks against your thoughts are relentless and ruthless.

The best antidote for all of this is just getting into the presence of God in prayer, particularly praying in the spirit, praying in tongues. You see, the plan of God is a spiritual thing in your life, and when you decide to pursue it, that pursuit in and of itself will attract spiritual opposition that will manifest in a thousand different ways.

Praying in tongues enables you to pray about things that are beyond your own intellect; things about your future; things that have to do with your obedience to the will of God for your life. For one who speaks in an unknown tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands or catches his meaning, because in the Holy Spirit he utters secret truths and hidden things not obvious to the understanding (1 Corinthians 14:2- Amplified).

Take time every day to pray in the spirit. I suggest an hour a day. If you do, you’ll find that over time your life will lean towards a particular pattern. Things will begin to happen that will pull you towards the will of God for your life. Your life and the providence of God will meet, and you’ll eventually begin to sense a direction form the Lord. As you wait on the Lord and pray in the spirit, at times you’ll be amazed at what opens up to you, and how things change within you.

It will seem at times that you’ve entered into a stream or river; and the current of that river is taking you down a certain path. Peace, exquisite joy, and a certain knowing will rise up within you and you’ll know that you are moving towards your God ordained life purpose. It’s an exciting journey that never ends. Get started today!

The Call

Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; Vanity of vanities, all is vanity (Ecclesiastes1:2).

It was February of 1977 and I had been attending college and working in a grocery store. Six months prior to this I had received the Baptism with the Holy Spirit and my entire life had changed.

While I was working at about 2:00 O’clock in the afternoon I heard the words deep within me, vanity of vanities, all is vanity. These words kept repeating over and over again as I continued to work the rest of the afternoon.

Upon arriving at home (I was 18) I asked my mother if she had ever heard these words before. And she told me that of course she had; they were from the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible. After dinner, I retired to my room and read the entire book of Ecclesiastes.

There I saw what this strange phrase meant. Solomon was decrying all of the work and labor he had given himself to as empty, useless, and vain in the context of eternity. And God used this phrase to call me into the ministry.

Up until this time, my goal in life was to go into business and make a lot of money. The desire to for this vanished, and an intensity to pursue God rose up within me. I enrolled in Bible School the following fall, and the rest is history.

The call of God is a very personal thing. No one should consider entering ministry without a supernatural call! This was a defining moment in my life. I would draw upon the strength of God’s word to me on that day in February of 1977 again and again throughout my life as the Satan would seek to discourage me from fulfilling God’s purposes for my life.

When you find your life’s call, it seems as though demonic forces seek you out to push you away from what the Father has for you. That’s the reason when you’re called to ministry, there must be a defining moment when you know that God has spoken to you. Then, you must do what Jesus said and set your hand to the plow and never look back!

God uses all of us in so many different ways. Not everyone has to full time ministry. But all of us are called to make a difference in the world, and to use our energy and talents for the glory of God.

Just as the human body cannot function without every organ fulfilling its God designed function, so every member of the body of Christ has a part to play in fulfilling the great commission that Jesus gave the church. Some are called to finance the kingdom of God, and are blessed by the Father to earn money so they can give liberally. Other are called to assist those God has called to full time ministry. No member of Christ’s body should be static.

The Father needs us all! And as we pursue Him, He will place a deep desire within each of us to do a particular thing. When you find out what He desires for your life, pursue it with passion!

Develop Your Own Faith

When I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also (2 Timothy 1:5).

Faith can be inherited, as it was the case of Timothy. His grandmother and mother were believers, and he followed them into the kingdom of God.

While inherited faith can be a blessing, it can also be a hindrance. We can lean on others so much that we don’t develop the faith to stand on our own.

Lot was Abraham’s nephew, and lot was exceedingly blessed as long as he hung around Abraham. The land couldn’t contain them both. As soon as lot separated from Abraham, his blessing ceased. He ended up losing everything but the shirt on his back.

I’ve watched children who were raised in a strong Christian home seem to lose their faith when they left home. They didn’t realize the blessing that they had in life was because of the faith of their parents. They never developed a faith on their own apart from their parents.

I’ve seen Bible school graduates who sensed the call of God on their lives get involved in a large growing church. They didn’t realize that the blessing they had was because of the association with the man of God whose faith was carrying them. When they left to “go it alone” in starting a church in another town, they floundered. They found that they had been riding on the pastor’s faith.

My mother prayed me into the kingdom of God, and had an unusually close relationship with the Holy Spirit. She would know things about my future before I knew them. As a young man, I began to realize that I can’t “ride her coattails” to heaven. I had to purposely ask her to share no insights with me that she had received from the Lord, and to let me develop on my own.

As a pastor I’ve see people who seem to be robust in their faith and confidence in God. Yet when they leave our church, they lose the faith they thought they had.

Don’t allow your faith to only be an episode in your life. Make sure that you develop your own confidence in God, and that what you have is more than a derivative of faith that you received from another person. That way, if God calls you on to do something your own, you’ll be fully prepared and ready for the assignment.

The Love Way

The kingdom of God operates on the foundation of love. An amazing thing happens at the New Birth. God drops a deposit of who He is inside of us! 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).

The Father’s goal for us is that we allow this love to grow inside of us until it consumes us. At first, there are seeds of selfishness deeply imbedded in our thinking and in our actions. But as we consciously yield to this love nature and allow it to rule us, little by little, selfish acts are replaced by deeds and words of love. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35). This love is the main indicator that the world will see that shows them that we are different.

Without love dominating us, the flesh remains in control. And the flesh brings death. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death (1 John 3:14). No believer can be strong in God without developing this love nature. Love frees us from the control that the flesh has had on us. Yielding to love will slowly release you from the mental, emotional, and relational habits of the past that have marred your life.

Love will keep you from being dominated by feelings and emotions. You’ll be able to respond to others in love instead of react to them in the flesh. Love is an action and many times has no feels attached to it. Notice that Jesus said: But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you (Matthew 5:44).

The Father wants us to believe that the love way is the best way. It’s the way of total victory and fulfillment in life. Love never fails. Notice what John said: And we have known and believed the love that God has for us (1 John 4:16a). Love is better than strife, better than selfishness, better than getting even with the person that hurts you or does you wrong. Love is better than force. Learn to believe that the way of love supersedes every other way of living. Until you do, life will be a series of struggles and failures with few victories. Love synchs you with the power of the kingdom of God, and shields you from Satan’s attacks.

I’ll leave you with love’s attributes today. Let them sink deeply into your thought life so they can rule you today.

Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut, Doesn't have a swelled head, doesn't force itself on others, isn't always "me first," doesn't fly off the handle, doesn't keep score of the sins of others, doesn't revel when others grovel, takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, puts up with anything, trusts God always, always looks for the best, never looks back, but keeps going to the end (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 – The Message Paraphrase).