The Trip to Southern Ethiopia Begins

This may be the last opportunity for me to blog until we're back from southern Ethiopia. It's 2:45 am on Saturday morning here in Addis. Jet lag woke me up early!
We travel all day long today to get to Yergecheffee, Ethiopia tonight. We really covet your prayers. It's amazing t o think that there no no distance in the spirit realm. We can minister to each other through prayer, and the Father sends the needed strength, wisdom, favor, protection , and blessing anywhere in the world to those you pray for!
I do a lot of praying in the spirit on these trips. That enables me to pray for things I don't know to pray for, and to pray accurately according to the real needs, not just according to my perception of the needs. And according to Romans 8: 26-28, praying in the spirit causes things to work out for our good and God's glory.
My shepherds heart misses all the people in our church right now. I'll be ministering on Sunday about God treating us the way a shepherd treat sheep. The shepherd's main concern is the well-being of the sheep. He takes them to the best food, the best place for fresh water, and is ever on guard for wolves that would come in the steal, kill, and destroy.
The shepherd puts the sheep's needs above his own. Jesus is the good shepherd. He gave His life for the sheep. And we under-shepherds are to emulate Jesus in how we take care of His sheep! We will give account one day for how we care for the Father's sheep!
This is a very needed message right now where we are going due to the leadership challenges we must deal with. Please pray with us for the Father to show Himself strong! These southern churches are a separate group from the 8 Victory Fellowship churches the Lord has raised up, and they have a different person who acts as overseer over the whole group of 200 + churches. This is where we will be on Sunday and Monday, and we're believing that the Lord will use us to strengthen these wonderful pastors. These pastors minister to 20,000 plus people when you combine all of their churches together. And they can have influence with tens of thousands as they reach out in teir villages. So we have the potential of a great impact in this area.
After this we have the church dedications, Beacon Institute of Ministry graduation, ministry in churches, and the Omo valley outreach ahead of us.
I will post again as soon as I find an Internet connection somewhere. Just keep checking in to see if I've posted. You should here from me in a few day. Thanks for being our prayer partners!

Friday in Addis

It's 2:00 pm here in Addis. Bruce McDonald, Larry Hunter, and I just had a meeting with Meberatu and made plans for the next few days. We will shop for supplies this afternoon for our long trip which begins tomorrow.
We travel all day on Saturday to Yergecheffe, where we will spend Saturday night. We will hold a pastors conference in a rented hall for the southern church pastors on Sunday and Monday. We will teach during these meetings to these hungry pastors, and we will take some time to deal with some serious leadership issues there.
Then on Monday afternoon we will drive to Sheshamane where we will hold a Bible school graduation on Tuesday, and will preach in our church there. Then on Wednesday, we drive to Sodo, and from there visit several of our Victory Fellowship churches through Friday. We will conduct several building dedication services and minister mainly to believers.
On Saturday, we begin a long drive to Woito, where we have a church among the Omo. We'll preach in our newly established church in Woito, and then on Sunday, we will drive past Jinka to an unreached tribe of Omo called the Mursi. This is where we have to be careful, and will mainly be making contact with these people for the first time. Our goal is to establish a new church there, and to do that, you first of all must make contact, and earn their trust. This is what we're doing this trip. We're taking a guard with us. Please pray with us for an opening with these unreached people. Pray that we will have favor and that they will open their hearts to us, and to the Lord.
On Monday, May 7th, we begin a two day journey back to Addis Ababa. We will probably minister again at the Woito church on the way back.
We now have 8 Victory Fellowship churches in Ethiopia.!Meberatu is doing a wonderful job of ministering to these pastors and facilitating outreach in the various cities.
Please believe with Meberatu for his wife Esther's healing. She's been in the hospital four days with a stomach problem and just came home on Thursday.
Thanks for your prayers. Things get intense beginning tomorrow!

We're in Addis!

Well, it took us over 30 hours, but we've finally arrived in Addis Ababa. It's now 5 AM here on Friday morning, and we're 7 hours ahead of you in the States, so it's 10 PM Thursday night your time. We've just checked into the hotel. We're exhausted but fine. After I clean up a bit, it will be time for some sleep! I'm particularly excited about brushing my teeth, since my tooth brush and I haven't met since Raleigh!
We will meet Meberatu today and make the final plans about all the ministry. Then we will go buy some essentials for the trip down south (bottled water and some food). We will lease a 4 wheel drive vehicle (probably a Land Rover) for our trip. We'll leave Saturday morning for Southern Ethiopia.
It's great to know when you're this far from home, that underneath you are the Everlasting Arms! I'll check in later today. My pillow is calling me!

Going in to all the World

And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned (Mark 16:15-16).

I’m sure some people wonder why we these missions trips when there are pressing needs right here in our own back yard. Well, there are principles involved in reaching out to people other than your own.

First of all, we’re commanded by Jesus to go into all the world. There are really on two kinds of people, the saved and the condemned. Those who are saved have heard the salvation message and have personally responded. Those who are condemned, have either never heard, or have heard and choose to do nothing with the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus told the disciple to go into Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth! We should impact our community, our State, our nation, and the World!

Another principle involved is the law of reciprocity. You receive in like kind what you give. As a church, when we sow into other ministries, we reap God sowing into us! When we help another country, we open ourselves up for the Father to minister to our nation. Give and it shall be given. That works personally and also as a church.

Please believe with me for the Father to ministry to the people as we speak the Word; for salvations, for healings, for deliverances, for people to be Spirit-Filled, and for the Word to take root in them. As we sow to the world, I’m expecting God to give us exceeding abundantly above all we could ask or think in our church in Garner. Thanks for allowing me to go. We have a great group of believers at Victory Fellowship.

We just arrived at Heathrow Airport in London. Larry and I are waiting for Bruce McDonald, and we’ll have some breakfast at Garfunkels Restaurant. Our flight leaves at 9 AM your time for Addis Ababa. My next post will be from Africa!

Off to Ethiopia

…Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations…

Larry Hunter and I will be leaving this afternoon for Ethiopia. This is my 2^nd missions trip in a month! We hadn’t planned it this way , but due to schedule conflicts in March and May, trips that were spread farther apart were pushed a bit closer together.

I took my first missions trip in June of 1993 and this is my 18^th trip! After I came to pastor here, Houston Miles with Evangel Fellowship International asked me to go to Siberia with him. That was in March of 1996, and somehow that was the catalyst for our church to be thrust into missions work. Since 1997, we’ve taken trips annually to India, Guatemala, and Africa.

This trip to Africa is one of my favorites. The people are wonderful, the land beautiful, and the need is great. What an honor for the Lord to use us in another country. Meberatu Gemenchu is Ethiopian and I ordained him into ministry under Victory Fellowship in December of 2005. Since that time, he has started seven churches under our Victory Fellowship name.

During this trip, we’ll dedicate three church building we’ve built there in the last few months. We will also conduct a Beacon Institute of Ministry graduation with 18 students receiving one year certificates. This is a big deal for them, since there is so little opportunity for spiritual, ministry related education. This is our first graduation for our school in Ethiopia. I hope to provide you with some pictures of the students and the event.

We will also conduct a pastor’s conference in Dilla, which is in southern Ethiopia. We work with over 200 churches there. And we will minister in a number of our churches along the way.

Perhaps the highlight of the trip will be when we travel next week to the Omo Valley (The Omo river runs through western Ethiopia), in the southwestern part of Ethiopia, not too far from Sudan. This is some of the most pristine area of Africa, still largely untouched by modern life. We‘re hopefully going establish a church in an unreached area. As I understand, the people still dress in animal skins, or nothing! It’s very remote, and we’ll be traveling in a four wheel drive vehicle, crossing (hopefully) dry river beds and traveling on gravel roads. Please pray for our safety as we travel. It’s hard to describe the what the roads are like in undeveloped areas, so when we come to mind, thank you for praying!

I’ll try to blog as much as is possible while I’m gone. In the remote area, we’ll only have a satellite phone for communication with the outside world. I’ll make contact as soon as I can, and will hopefully upload some great pictures for you to enjoy.

I’ll touch base with you during the travel time from Raleigh to Addis!

Love Confronts

Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful (Proverbs 27:5-6).

Many people think that if you walk in love, you’re always full of joy and acceptance of everybody and everything around you. Well, those who walk in love are full of joy, but they don’t necessarily accept everything! Love does have a sweet side, but the agape love placed in a believer’s heart by the Holy Spirit also has a confrontational side to it!

Peter had just announced by Holy Spirit revelation that Jesus was the Son of God. And Jesus commended him for his honest confession. But just a moment later Jesus looked at Peter and said get behind Me Satan!

Jesus loved the crowds by preaching truth and healing the sick. But when approached by questioning Pharisees, He called them hypocrites and white washed tombs full of dead men’s bones. Talk about a rebuke!

When we walk in love and led by the Spirit, there will be times that He will direct us to lovingly confront a situation that is bringing or may eventually bring harm. Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is challenge the person whose actions and choices are hurting others. The alcoholic or drug addicted husband and father who acts irresponsibly and harms the family in so many ways needs loving confrontation. The person sowing malicious remarks about others needs loving confrontation. The list is endless of life issues that need to be confronted rather than ignored.

One attribute of agape love found in 1 Corinthians 13:6 is that love does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in truth. One Bible expositor says about this verse that love happily stands on the side of truth. Love isn’t silent about unfair actions that hurt others.

Love is silent when persecuted personally. When someone’s actions are unkind and selfish, a loving person will take no account of the evil done to them, and will pay no attention to a suffered wrong (Amplified – 1 Corinthians 13:5).

The difference is when others are hurt by a person’s irresponsible or selfish behavior, love will confront. He who rebukes a man will find more favor afterward than he who flatters with the tongue (Proverbs 28:23).

This doesn’t mean that we assume a Gestapo personality. We certainly don’t need to take over the Holy Spirit’s job of dealing with us when we get off track! But there is a place for loving confrontation. Don’t run from this. When nudged by the Spirit of God, pray and obey in the tough situations that need to be dealt with. The outcome may save a person from ruin.

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.

Prayer Results

In yesterday’s blog, I discussed three principles to be used in praying for the unsaved. Today, I want to share from my own life an example of the effectiveness of praying this way.

While I was attending Bible School, I worked as night manager overseeing the crew that restocked a grocery store for the next day’s business. I began to pray for one of my workers. He would come to work under the influence of drugs and I knew his life would deteriorate if he didn’t change. I begin to pray for the Lord to draw him to Himself, and for a strong desire for spiritual things to come upon him. I prayed that he would think about his need for Jesus and for change in his life while he was reading the paper in the morning; when he woke up during his sleep during the day, and that he would have a desire for God and would feel out of place while he was in the bars that he frequented. I also commanded Satan to stop blinding his mind to the truth of God’s Word.

As weeks went by he began to ask me about the Bible school I attended and began to pepper me with all sorts of questions about the Bible and my relationship with Jesus. I related to him how Jesus set me free from drug use and filled my life with indescribable peace. I continued to pray for spiritual desire to rise in him, and for the Father to use me and others as laborers in his life.

One day, in the back room of the store right in front of the cardboard bailing machine, I led this young man to Jesus. The next week I brought him to church with me and he was filled with the Holy Spirit. He’s been with Jesus ever since that day back in 1980, and presently attends my former church there in Tulsa.

After this young man was saved, he told me something that got my attention and showed me the awesome power of prayer. He told me that before he was saved, he began to feel dissatisfied with his life. He said he would leave work after talking to me and would think about his need for Jesus while he read the newspaper in the morning. He told me that he would wake up from sleep during the day (we worked nights) and would think about his need for Jesus. Things I would tell him about the Bible and Jesus would filter through his mind regularly.

He also told me that while he was in the bars drinking, he began to feel out of place and felt as though he should leave. These thoughts throughout the day and during his visits to the bars happened week after week. And what he said coincided exactly with how I prayed!

The Lord has used this episode in September of 1980 to stir prayer passion in me year after year. Prayer for the unsaved is very effective if you’ll be specific and not quit! I encourage you to begin to pray regularly for your unsaved friends and family members. Use the three principles of John 6:44; 2 Corinthians 4:4; and Matthew 9:37-38 as you pray (see yesterday’s blog).Watch as the Lord works miracles in the lives of those around you.

How to Pray for Unbelievers

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

It’s the will of God that every person be born again. Sometimes I hear people pray, Lord save so and so. The truth is that the person they are praying for is already potentially saved. Jesus has gone to the cross and been raised from the dead. He is now seated at God’s right hand as their representative. So from heaven’s viewpoint, all has been accomplished to secure salvation for every human being.

Now it’s up to each individual to personally repent of sin, open their will to God, and confess Jesus Christ as their Savior from their personal sin. Instead of praying the generic prayer Lord save so and so, here’s a more specific and results producing way to pray. There are three specific areas to cover.

First, ask the Lord to draw the person to Himself, creating within them a desire for Him. This is based on John 6:44 where Jesus said that no man can come to Him unless the Father Himself draws Him. Any desire we have for God comes from God. This is the grace that precedes our salvation. The human heart is wicked and depraved and only the Holy Spirit can produce within us a desire for God.

Secondly, command Satan to remove the blinders from their minds. 2 Corinthians 4:4 reveals that the god of this world blinds the minds of unbelievers. That is, he clouds their thinking and keeps them from seeing their true spiritual condition. The gospel is hidden from their understanding. According to this verse, we have the authority to tell Satan to remove the blinders. Then the person will be open to see their need, and to understand the gospel when they hear it.

Lastly, ask the Lord for laborers to cross the person’s path every day. In Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus tells us to pray that the Father, the Lord of the harvest, would send laborers into the harvest field. Laborers can come from a variety of sources. Laborers can be bumper stickers, billboards, license plates, periodicals in a waiting room, radio broadcasts, TV programs, overheard conversations, or people who walk in wisdom that share the gospel with them personally.

Pray these three things every day for the person you want to see born again. Ask the Lord to create a desire in them for Himself, drawing them away from the influence of sin in the world. Command Satan to remove the blinders from their minds, and then remind him every day that his power over this person is broken. And then ask the Father every day to send gospel laborers across their path.

Conviction produces friction within! Don’t be surprised if the person becomes unsettled and irritable. That may appear for a while to get worse! Don’t stop praying. It a telltale sign that the Lord of the harvest is at work!

Replace Worry with Prayer

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 5:6-7).

Worry is always based on fear. Worry solves no problems. Worry is a waste of time! Someone has said worry is always based on a lie; deal with the lie and the fear will die. And of course the acronym for FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real. Satan is the master of counterfeit.

Worry is a sin! It’s the sin of unbelief. When we worry, we choose to believe the voice of circumstance over the voice of the Word. My worry breaks the Fathers heart. He told us not to worry about the things of life. He said that if He takes care of birds and flowers, which have a short life span, He will most certainly take care of us. Fear not little flock, for it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom (Luke 12:32).

The solution to the problem you face is already available. My former pastor Bob Yandian would say, If Jesus is the lamb slain from the foundation of the world, then the answer to your problem existed before the problem ever came into being!

Here’s how I deal with worry. Years ago, the Father gave me Philippians 4:6, J.B. Phillips translation, as the answer to my worry. Don’t worry over anything whatever. Tell God every detail of your need in sincere and thankful prayer.

Instead of worrying, I am to tell the Father the exact details of what bothers me, the good, the bad, the ugly, etc. Tell it all. I really pour out my heart.

But, I don’t stop there! Pouring out my heart is only half of the process. Then, I pray the prayer of faith. The prayer of faith is the key to overcoming worry! I tell Him exactly what I want him to do, and I ask him to do it based on His Word.

With the prayer of faith, I believe I receive the answer the moment I pray. Then I must speak and act like I believe I receive the answer to my prayer, even if the problem seems to get worse! Faith takes the place of what I don’t have until it manifests! If I’m walking by faith, then I have the title deed so to speak that guarantees that the answer is mine. And it’s only a matter of time before is shows up. The only thing between me and the answer is TIME! So I praise and thank the Father during that time until the manifestation come.

This works every time, and covers every problem. Worry evaporates when the prayer of faith is prayed! Don’t worry! Pray the prayer of faith over everything in your life!

Watch your Mouth!

Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart; He who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up a reproach against his friend (Psalm 15:1-3).

These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him…one who sows discord among brethren (Proverbs 6:16,19).

Gossip is to be avoided by those who want the fresh presence of God in their life. It’s one of those lists of things He calls an abomination.

Gossip not only hurts others, it also breaks our fellowship with God. Gossip is when we say things about others when they’re not present that we wouldn’t say if they were. It’s a noxious weed that needs to be pulled from our spiritual garden.

Over 30 years ago I was challenged by a friend when I first began my life with God. I was in a circle of people talking, and I mentioned something derogatory about a person not present. My friend tapped me on the shoulder and motioned for me to come aside with him. He told me quite sternly that I should never speak that way again as a believer. He told me that is displeased the Lord and hurt others when we gossip.

Initially I was taken back by his rebuke. I wanted to be angry and defensive, but deep down I knew he was right. That incident abruptly changed me and later I saw how much my friend cared for me by calling me on the carpet about my habit of gossiping.

Our words should bless and inspire, should build up and comfort. 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 (Isaiah 50:4).

If you’ve acquired the habit of gossip, break it today! Go over these scriptures and meditate on them. The word has the power to change you! When you talk, do not say harmful things, but say what people need — words that will help others become stronger. Then what you say will do good to those who listen to you (Ephesians 4:29 New Century Version).

Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Use your tongue today as an instrument of life!

Friendships

Make no friendship with an angry man, And with a furious man do not go, Lest you learn his ways And set a snare for your soul (Proverbs 22:24-25).

We learn by observation, association, and influence. And we tend to assume the habits of those with whom we have regular close fellowship.

In his book, Spiritual Leadership, Oswald Sanders made the statement that the person you are five years from now will be determined by the kind of books you read, and by the friends you entertain.

Paul mentioned this principle in 1 Corinthians 15:33 (Amplified), Do not be so deceived and misled! Evil companionships (communion, associations) corrupt and deprave good manners and morals and character.

None of us are immune from acquiring the habits and mannerisms of our close friends. The key is to find godly friends who can sharpen you!

On the other hand, Jesus was the friend of sinners. He ate with the hypocritical Pharisees, and with the most despised of his day. We should never isolate ourselves from others just to be godly. Rather, we should insulate ourselves on the inside from the effects of sin and unbelief by staying full of the Word by staying filled with the Spirit!

Lot vexed his righteous soul from day to day by hearing and seeing the deeds of the wicked Sodomites. It cost him everything but the clothes on his back! King Saul was enraged with a desire to harm David, but began to prophecy when he hung around the prophets of God! Never underestimate the power of associations!

Here’s the balance I’ve found in my life. I’ll fellowship with anyone. But I draw the line when I hear or see compromise with the world or the flesh. If someone I’m talking to says something off color or does something that is blatantly wrong, I won’t stand back silently. I will lovingly confront what I’ve seen or heard. And I’ll challenge the person about their behavior. If they continue, well, that fellowship time just ended! I hold a believer to a higher standard. Sinners are going to sin, that’s just what they do. And we need to carefully and lovingly use wisdom as we let our light shine.

We need the influence of godliness in our lives daily! I believe that’s the reason we’re encouraged to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together as believers. We need the atmosphere of faith, love, and holiness we find when we’re together. Make sure you attend services at your local church, and make sure you fellowship with folk regularly who will stir you up in God!

What kind of character will you have five years from now?

Unity

As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting (Acts 9:3-5).

The way we treat other members of the body of Christ is the way we treat Jesus Himself. This is quite a statement. If I’m angry and resentful towards a fellow believer, I’m that way towards Jesus! The way I treat my wife Susan is the way I’m treating Jesus!

If we want the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, we must treat other members of the body of Christ with the same respect we would give to Jesus Himself.

According to Jesus, when we see the stranger and give him shelter, when we go minister to the sick person, or the person in prison, we are ministering to Jesus Himself!

We create an environment that either attracts or detracts from the presence of God by what we do with our attitudes, words, and actions towards fellow believers.

Be careful today with how you treat others. It will directly affect your relationship with the Lord! If we say we love Jesus, and pay no attention to others needs, how can we really say we love Him?

Our age is quickly becoming numb and loveless. This is our time to shine! Treat others the way you want to be treated. Pray for those you come in contact with daily. Ask the Lord to make you a blessing to them. Ask Him what you can do to show care and compassion to them.

If I don’t care for the person I can see, there’s no way I can really love the God I can’t see.

Let’s be sensitive to others today; what we do to them, what attitudes we portray, and what we say to them or about them to others.

Spiritual Gifts

There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills (1 Corinthians 12:4-6; 1 Corinthians 12:11).

The Father wants spiritual gifts to manifest in us as the Holy Spirit desires. There are three Spiritual Gifts that reveal; the Word of Wisdom, the Word of Knowledge, and the Discerning of Spirits. There are three that do; The Gift of Faith, The Gifts of Healings, and the Working of Miracles. Then, there are three that say; The Gift of Prophecy, Divers kinds of tongues, and the Interpretation of Tongues.

These gifts are all demonstrations of the Father’s love for the world and of His desire that people be free from the bondage of sin.

Three things are necessary for these gifts to manifest. First, there must me unity. In the book of Acts the Holy Spirit manifest regularly in spiritual gifts and you’ll find that the church was in one accord. Don’t speak negatively about others, and be sure to forgive and give much grace and mercy to your brothers and sisters in Christ.

Secondly, we must walk in love. The kingdom of God works on the foundation of love, and you’ll find that spiritual gifts will manifest more frequently when we really show agape for one another. Eagerly pursue and seek to acquire this love, make it your aim, your great quest (1 Corinthians 14:1Amplified).

Lastly, we must desire these spiritual gifts. If we desire them, we’ll want to know more about them and how they manifest. And we’ll spend time praying for them to manifest as the Spirit wills. I recommend Concerning Spiritual Gifts by Kenneth Hagin, and Spiritual Gifts by Harold Horton (no relation :) ).

I encourage you to regularly ask the Father to manifest His love for humanity through spiritual gifts. And tell Him you’re open any time to be used by Him. Then expect the Holy Spirit to manifest these gifts as He wills.

Don’t Doubt!

For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them (Mark 11:23-24).

Faith brings results! If faith can move a mountain out of the way, it can move any obstacle that crosses our path too! Faith is a heart conviction based on God’s word. Pentecostals of yesteryear would say I’ve got the witness, meaning that they knew deep inside that this or that would work out. Oral Roberts used to say I know that I know that I know, speaking of a deep conviction of heart that would not be shaken by circumstances.

Jesus mentioned one thing in this verse to steer clear of, doubting in the heart. This phrase and does not doubt in his heart could be translated to make his heart two; to be with two hearts; to have two minds. It could also be translated to repeatedly spread out in order. This implies the process of arranging and rearranging of materials as a person wavers back and forth over varying possibilities.

When you’re cogitating mentally all the possibilities that your circumstances can produce, you can be sure you’re not in faith. Real heart faith never considers that it won’t receive. You can’t focus on the circumstances and stay in faith at the same time! Faith focuses on God and His promises!

Real faith produces such a bold conviction of heart based on God’s Word that there is no room for considering that the desired result will not happen. And that knowing produces words that affirm that belief.

If you’ve ever has a faith failure, that is, you’ve believed for something and it hasn’t happened, do an inventory and see if there hasn’t been some lack of true heart conviction about it, some doubt in the heart, some mulling over the varying possibilities of what could happen. Faith makes no room for failure.

Jesus mentioned saying three times in this verse. Heart faith must come out of your mouth! If you never say what you believe, it may be because you really don’t! Faith is not mute! Faith speaks!

For me, I’ve found that I must take plenty of time to meditate on the Word before this strong heart conviction arises. When it does, there is a solid knowing that I’ll be fine, even when the circumstances have not changed at all or have gotten worse! And Then I can speak with conviction, knowing that as I believe I receive the desired you will have them will sooner or later come.

This kind of faith also produces joy. Things may look bad, but you not looking at the things, the circumstances, you’re focusing on the promises of God’s Word. In fact joy is the confirmation that you’re really in faith. If you dread the future, doubt has you bound. Joy comes from knowing that God has acted and brought the answer, before there is any physical evidence.

Meditate in the Word today. Mull it over and over within. Soon a strong conviction of heart will rise up, and you’ll be able to tell the mountain where to go, and it will! But Don’t doubt!

The Inward Witness

The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the inner depths of his heart (Proverbs 20:27). For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God (Romans 8:14) The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God (Romans 8:16).

Everything God does for the believer starts within. He enlightens us in our spirit. Guidance doesn’t come from the outside, by circumstances, but from within, from an inner prompting in our spirit. Paul called that inner prompting the Spirit bearing witness with our spirit. So we can call it the inward witness.

Gideon put out a fleece to confirm the will of God. Putting out a fleece is when we say, Lord if you want me to do this, then show me this outward sign. Let me illustrate.

In 1981, after I graduated from Bible School, Susan and I took a trip to our hometown for a visit. I desperately wanted to be in ministry, and we had planned a meeting with her previous pastor. Here’s how I prayed, Lord if you want me to come and help him as his associate pastor, then have him ask me when we meet with him. I was actually asking the Lord to give me a sign that would show me his will.

We met with the pastor, and sure enough, he asked me if I wanted to be his associate. Thrilled, I said yes, believing this was God’s plan. But inside, I felt funny and awkward about it. I just didn’t feel completely right about it. But because it seemed as though my prayer was answered, I pursued. We moved to my hometown, and spend nine miserable months out of the will of God.

In asking for an outward sign, I did what Gideon did, I put out a fleece. I should have listened to the inward witness, but I chose to believe the outward sign instead. I learned a life lesson through this, and have never again put out a fleece to determine the will of God.

Don’t look for an outward sign in finding God’s will. Look within, to your own spirit, and to the inward witness. Ask yourself, how do I really feel deep inside about this matter. It may take some time to sort it out, but that inward witness, that sense that this seems really good or it may be a sense that I’m not so sure this is right, is the primary way God leads New Testament believers today. Gideon didn’t have the Holy Spirit within to bear witness with his spirit. He had to rely on outward things. Never ignore your deepest inner promptings.

Take time to get quiet so that you can sort out your deepest thoughts and desires. The inward witness will never lead you astray. I’ll leave you with one of my favorite scriptures that I apply to this inward witness.

Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed (Proverbs 16:3- Amplified).

God’s Medicine

My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh (Proverbs 4:20-22).

God’s will is that we walk in Divine health. Healing is a part of our salvation. Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases. The above verse gives the necessary ingredients we need in order to walk in health. We need an attentive ear, a steadfast look, and an enshrining heart.

Notice that the verse says attend to my Words, incline your ears to my sayings. That means that we must take the necessary time to feed on the Word concerning healing. Attending to the Word means making the Word top priority. The Word is like a seed we plant in the ground. A seed that is watered and cultivated will produce. Plant the seeds for healing daily by giving attention to the scriptures that promise healing.

Then this verse above says do not let them depart from your eyes. A steadfast look at the Word is necessary to receive healing. You can’t focus on your symptoms and on the Word at the same time. Hebrews 12 mentions our looking unto Jesus as the author and finisher of our faith. This word look in the Greek means to look away from everything else and to focus on Jesus. We do this by looking away from the symptoms and focusing on the Word.

Lastly, the above verse says keep them in the midst of your heart. For healing to come we must have an enshrining heart. We are to let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly. Meditate daily on the verses that promise healing. Meditating on the Word is like a farmer watering the seed he’s planted.

The Father watches over His Word. He sent His Word and healed us. The Word will accomplish healing in your body if you’ll give it strict attention. Take your focus off of your symptoms and keep your gaze on the Word. Read it, quote it, meditate it, and then act on it. Believe that you receive the health God’s Word promises. The Word is God’s Medicine!

The Power of Words

He who guards his mouth preserves his life, But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction (Proverbs 13:3).

Our words rule us. From the cradle to the grave, our life is largely a product of our words. Words set the boundaries, the landmarks in our lives. Words literally have the power of live and death.

When going through a tough place in life, words will make you or break you. The old adage sticks and stones may brake my bones, but words will never hurt me is a lie. Words can destroy you. When you speak of you failure, your weakness, your inability, those words set a dynamic in place. You can almost feel the energy drain from you when you speak those negative assertions.

On the other hand, when you verbalize your faith when you’re in a tough place, you can feel the strength of God rise up within you. Talk about the Father’s love, the Father’s care, the Father’s provision, the Father’s comfort, the Father’s strength, and you’ll find a new confidence buoy up within.

Jesus said that we’d give account for even the smallest words we speak. He understood the power of words. He calmed a raging storm with three words; Peace Be Still! He raised a man from death with three words; Lazarus, Come Forth! All things are now held together by the power of His Words.

Learn to use words to your advantage. Speak words that will motivate, inspire and challenge you. Let your words today be instruments of life, healing, blessing, grace, favor, strength, and inspiration to others. The most powerful force in your life today is your words.

Don’t let your lips be used to carry gossip and negative things. Let your words be a cut above. Regardless of where your life is right now, you can rise above it. Lack, weakness, and inability will flee if you release the Father’s blessing into your life with right words, positive assertions that come from your heart.

I should not have been successful in my life endeavors. I was raised in the wrong atmosphere, one of hesitation and doubt. But I learned a valuable life lesson at age eighteen: Words will take me where the Father wants my life to go.

I started my new life with a new mouth. I overcame insurmountable odds. The Father’s will overcame my human tendencies of self-doubt. My words, agreeing with God’s Word, produced in me the ability to do what the Father wanted for me.

Start where you are today. Never mind the past. Don’t relive it. Give voice to the Father’s will for your life by saying what He says about you. Let the weak say, I am strong. At first, it feels awkward to change your course in mid-stream, from negative to positive. Be keep at it. Confidently affirm God’s Word verbally every day, and one day you’ll wake up, and you’ll be surrounded with the product of your words. Death and life are produced by your words. Guard you mouth closely today.

Secret Truths and Hidden Things

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).

Praying in tongues every day will give you an ability to walk in the wisdom if God. Nothing else will give you the ability to tap into secret truths and hidden things not obvious to the understanding.

So many things are hidden from us: things about our future; answers to pressing problems; issues about our jobs and our finances; how to deal with testy relationships. I’ve found praying in the spirit to be a real key to practically hearing from heaven about everyday life and what to do.

The key is keeping at it. I pray in tongues everyday. And I seek to pray for at least an hour. The mind fights this because it doesn’t know what you’re saying and wants to be in control. The emotions many times are unaffected. But the results are always the same.

I usually don’t receive the wisdom when I’m praying. It comes later, like while I’m cutting the grass, running an errand, driving to an engagement, or when I’m awakened at night. Praying in the spirit tunes you into the spirit real; to the realm of your own spirit where God can get information through to you. It’s like you’re opening up a new avenue for information in your mind by praying in tongues. The path of information from your human spirit to your mind becomes accessible and clear.

Years ago after a season of praying in tongues, I was shaving, and not feeing spiritual at all. I suddenly had a desire to check the oil in my car. It was Monday morning and I never check my oil on Monday morning. The thought persisted, check your oil.

When I checked it, to my dismay I found a mixture of oil and water. I drove immediately to my mechanic who told me that my head gasket had burst. And then he told me something that surprised me. He said it had obviously just occurred. And because I had caught it in time, no damage had occurred to my engine. If I had waited, my engine would have been greatly damaged.

The Lord cared about that natural thing in my life and showed me what I did not know. It was hidden from me. But because I took time to pray about secret truths and hidden things, I was spared a greater expense.

I have hundreds of stories like this from over a thirty year period. It happens that I stumble upon secret truth and hidden things just about every week. Take time to pray in the spirit every day. Listen to that inward voice. Pay attention to those inward thoughts and desires that seem fleeting and small. It may that the Lord is revealing some secret truths and hidden things to you. It will save you time, heartache, and sometimes money. And you’ll be able to tap into a new source of wisdom from above. And life will become an adventure!

Feed My Sheep

I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking," says the Lord (Jeremiah 23:4).

People go to a church for many different reasons. Some go out of tradition, because their parents or relatives have attended that church for a long time. Others go because they feel obligated, their gnawing consciences urging them. Still others go because of the friends they meet there. In one church I pastored years ago, a lady told me that she went to a church all her life because her family had bought her a burial plot there. If she left, she’d lose her plot!

A church is a feeding station for believers. The real reason for the existence of a local church is for believers to be fed spiritually so they can go out and reach their community for Jesus.

A pastor’s primary job is to feed the sheep. Peter admonished pastors to feed the flock of God which is among you (1 Peter 5:2). At a pastors conference in Ephesus in Acts 20:28, Paul encouraged pastors to feed the church of God which He has purchased with His own blood.

The Kenneth Wuest translation of Ephesians 4:11 says it well as it mentions the ministry gifts and ends with the phrase pastors who are also teachers. A pastor who is really doing his job is teaching the Word to his people. The Word is central to spiritual growth and maturity. A steady diet of the Word produces stability in life.

Movements come and go, and certain things are emphasized at times in the body of Christ. I’ve been with Jesus now for over 30 years and at times I’ve seen so many different things emphasized at the expense of the Word. And I’ve seen it hinder and sometimes derail a person’s growth in God.

Kenneth Hagin was being interviewed in the 1950’s and made a comment about those who are building their ministries on spiritual gifts rather than on the Word. He said that long after these ministries were gone he would still be preaching. He said that he was building his ministry on preaching the Word, and not on the manifestation of spiritual gifts. His ministry spanned the globe and is still touching lives worldwide. The Word produces fruit.

Put God’s Word first in your life. Never place the moving of the Spirit before the Word of God. In looking for a church home, believers would be wise to ask the Lord to lead them to a church that teaches the Word and that is sensitive to the Holy Spirit.

According to Jeremiah in the verse above, the Word taught will produce freedom from fear, from depression and oppression, and will produce blessing in the life of the hearer. Put God’s Word first today!

Faith

And He said to her, Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace (Luke 8:48).

Faith receives what grace provides. This lady had a physical problem for twelve years. Crowds were pressing on Jesus from every side, but her believing touch pulled the power of God from Him into her body and she was healed. In a crowd that size, there had to be so many that needed that same healing power. But only she had the touch of faith.

Smith Wigglesworth, the noted English evangelist, said that when you’re believing God, it seems as though He will pass over a million people just to get to you. Need doesn’t move the hand of God. But faith pulls on His awesome power. Faith is the conduit that God’s power travels on into your life.

With God all things are possible. All things are possible to him who believes. Healing comes through faith. Not hoping that one day things will be better. But by believing that right now God has done and is doing what He promised.

Faith never looks to the future to receive what God has provided. Hope longs for the day of deliverance. Faith acts as though the work has already been done. It talks of the victory and gives thanks for the answer while symptoms rage.

Faith takes the place of what you are believing God for until it manifests. Faith is as happy and joyful before the results can be seen and felt as it is when the manifestation comes. It almost anti-climactic. Faith is as sure of the results as it would be if they were already manifested.

Believing you receive is the key to results. Give yourself a faith check-up today. Are you believing and acting as though you had the healing right now. Or are you looking to some unknown date in the future for the manifestation. Faith sees it now. Hope looks in the distance. Faith is excited and joyful, full of praises now. Hope longs for the day of deliverance.

Add faith to your foundation of hope and you’ll be like the woman in the crowd. As you stand in faith, praising, thanking, speaking, and acting as though you had what you asked for, you are drawing God's healing power into your body. And healing will be yours.

Jesus Died Twice

And they made His grave with the wicked, but with the rich at His death(s). (Isaiah 53:9) The Hebrew word for death in this verse is plural, and should be rendered “deaths.” Jesus died twice on the cross.

I watched The Passion of the Christ movie again yesterday. Jesus’ physical sufferings and death, as gruesome and as horrible as they were, did not touch our sin problem. His physical death was only a means to an end. Jesus had to endure our spiritual death for us to be redeemed from sin.

Jesus cried out on the cross as the Father turned away. Jesus literally became our spiritual death. Yes, Jesus died spiritually. He had to in order to bear our sin penalty. The Father made Him who knew no personal sin of His own to become our sin.

Sin is deeper than the physical body. Sin is a nature called spiritual death. Spiritual death is spiritual separation from God. If sin was only a physical condition, then perhaps Jesus physical sufferings could suffice to cleanse it. But because sin is a spiritual condition, then Jesus must bear our sins spiritually, which means He must die spiritually, just like you and me before the New Birth.

Jesus’ Spirit became separated from the Father on the cross. That’s spiritual death. Then He died physically. When Jesus’ Spirit left His body He then went to hell to spiritually pay our sin debt.

When God’s justice was satisfied that Jesus legally paid our sin penalty, Jesus was literally born again in hell. His Spirit became alive unto God once again. He became the first human to ever experience the New Birth. He became the head of a brand new race of men. The New Creation man! That’s the reason Colossians 1 says that Jesus is the firstborn from the dead. He was not only resurrected from physical death. But before the resurrection, He was raised from spiritual death when the Spirit of God came upon Him there in the dark regions of the damned after He paid our sin penalty.

There is no greater love than this.

Wasted on Jesus

Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat. And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil (Luke 7:36-38).

The streets in eastern countries of Jesus’ day were filed with dust and animal dung. It was an act of great respect and honor to a guest to clean their feet when they entered your house. A household servant usually took care of this for the homeowner. This was a cultural norm.

The Pharisees paid no attention to Jesus' personal need when he entered their home. Even the customary kindness was ignored. Seeing the disrespect shown to Jesus, this lady began to weep. Washing His feel with her tears, she began to wipe His feet off with her hair. The Pharisees didn’t even offer a towel.

A lady usually kept her hair wrapped on top of her head. Her hair was her glory and self-respect. This lady gave up her personal pride to minister to her Lord. She gave what personally meant a lot to her. It was an act of utter personal humiliation for a lady to let her hair down in public.

In an act of great honor to Jesus she cleansed His dirty feet with her person. She wasted herself on Him. She no longer cared what others thought of her. Jesus was more important.

After cleansing Jesus’ feet she emptied the box of perfume on His feet and kissed them. This box of perfume cost one year’s salary for the average person in Jesus’ day.

The carnal religiously motivated minds of the Pharisees thought she wasted so much that day. Giving up her personal dignity and wasting one year’s salary was ridiculous to them. This lady gave Jesus the most costly possessions she owned. He had forgiven her sin and removed her shame. She gave to Him her grateful heart.

Are we willing to give up our personal pride in honor of Jesus today? Are we willing to give Him what to us is of great personal value? All He asks for is our personal obedience. This lady went the extra mile to show her love. Let’s follow her example!

The Seed

The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground (Mark 4:26).

The parable of the sower in Mark 4 is constantly at work in our lives. The kingdom of God is like a seed. A seed contains the life germ. If the seed is planted in the right kind of soil, if it receives moisture and warmth. If the weeds are kept at bay, then the seed will produce a strong plant that will bear fruit. And the plant will keep on bearing fruit as long as it continues to receive moisture, sunshine, and nurture from the soil.

Jesus spoke of four kinds of soil. Wayside, where the word is heard but rejected. Stony, where the word is heard but no deep application to life. Thorny, where outside interference hinders the development of the seed. Good Ground, where the word produces an effect.

We determine the fruit that is manifest in our lives by the implanted word of God. We are to receive with meekness the implanted Word. If we turn a deaf ear and don’t apply it, the seed dies. If we get upset and quit when tough times come, it fails to produce. If we allow ourselves to become too busy to tend to it, then its growth is choked by outward things.

But if we listen, meditate, and act, then the Word produces fruit. The fruit is already programmed into the seed! All we do is nurture it with our time and attention, and then wait and be patient. Fruit will come.

Nurture the seed of the Word in your life today by confessing it, meditating on it, and by acting on it. Healing, blessing, refreshing, answered prayer, wisdom, strength, power over the adversary, joy, patience, love, self-control, peace, are all in the seed. Some of us today will receive a thirty percent harvest, because that’s the effort we put in. Others of us will receive a sixty percent harvest because that’s how much effort we put in. A few of us will receive a one hundred percent harvest; the most benefit that can be obtained from the Word.

We determine today what kind of soil we will be for the Word. Purpose to be the good ground! And let’s go for one hundred percent effectiveness! He is watching over His Word in you today! Let the Word be fruitful and multiply!

Spiritual Food

Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts. (Jeremiah 15:16)

What food is to the physical body, the Word of God is to our spirit. Food gives us physical nourishment. The Word nourishes us spiritually. Jeremiah had a meal of the Word. Job desired the Word more than a feast! Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. (Job 23:12)

Peter tells us that we are to desire the Word like a baby desires a bottle of milk! As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby (1 Peter 2:2).

Jesus said that food alone would not nourish us. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).

Malnutrition is the results of lack of nourishment, and there are certain physical signs that follow. There are also spiritual signs of malnourishment. Doubt, fear, irritability, impatience, rage, selfishness, lack of peace, etc. The only cure is The Word!

Occasionally through the years as we sat at the dinner table one of our children would tell Susan and me that they weren’t hungry. I would get up from the table, go to their room and find the candy wrappers in their trash can! A lack of hunger for the Word may mean we’ve fed ourselves with the candy of the world and have filled ourselves with that which will not satisfy nor nourish spiritually.

Hunger is a sign of health, both spiritually and physically. Keep yourself hungry and well fed!

Take Heed to Yourself!

Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He has purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28).

Paul gave this admonition at a pastor’s conference he held in Ephesus. Before we’re able to minister to others, we must first of all allow the Lord to minister to us. Sometimes you do more by doing less.

American culture rewards achievement. We’re highly productive sometimes at the expense of our personal fellowship with God and with our spouses and children.

This take heed to yourself portion of this scripture is really speaking to me this week! I’m still dealing with a full schedule while pushing away jet-lag symptoms! We all need time to recoup from super-busy times. Burnout results from not take necessary personal rest.

Each day of our lives should contain time with God, spouse, kids, work, and recreation and leisure. The recreation and leisure are as equally important as the other things we give attention to. Balance is the ingredient for a God blessed life, a sound mind, even emotions, and a healthy body.

The flight attendant always tells you to put the oxygen mask on yourself first in any emergency, before you try to help anyone else. We can’t help others unless we first take care of our personal needs.

Join me for some rest at some point today. Add the leisure into your schedule and take heed to yourself!

Consecration

And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done" (Luke 22: 41-42).

In the Garden, Jesus prayed the prayer of consecration before He went to the cross. His flesh, like ours, was looking for another way to redeem us other than the way of pain and suffering.

The prayer of consecration is when you pray like He did, not my will, but Yours be done. We should pray the prayer of consecration frequently. We never get so spiritually mature that we don’t need this kind of prayer.

The prayer of consecration opens us up to the full will of God. It opens our spirits and minds to be willing to do anything that the Lord wants us to do. We should never get so settled and satisfied in life that we don’t take time to seek God for His absolute best.

If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword"; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken (Isaiah 1:19-20).

Only the willing and obedient can have God’s best in life. Take time today to consecrate yourself to do the will of God. God’s will is the best place for any of us to live. It’s the place of blessing, peace, contentment, and joy. Open your heart to go anywhere and do anything He asks. The Father’s plan for your life is the only one He can bless!

Idolatry

Little children, keep yourselves from idols (false gods) — [from anything and everything that would occupy the place in your heart due to God, from any sort of substitute for Him that would take first place in your life] (1 John 5:21 – Amplified).

In India idols dot the landscape. Everywhere you turn, someone has erected an idol of one the thousands of Hindu gods. And they are worshipped constantly. Fruit, flowers, and incense are used in sacrifice to appease the god and to bring a person protection from its wrath.

One of the Ten Commandments is you shall have no other gods before Me. We Christians find blatant, open idolatry repulsive. But sometimes we are guilty of idolatry ourselves.

An idol is not only an image like I’ve pictured from Hinduism, but an idol is also anything used by us to meet a need that only God can meet. John urged the church to flee from idolatry, not because they were outwardly worshipping idols, but because they were allowing other things to meet a need that only God can meet.

Someone has said that idolatry is meeting a legitimate need in an illegitimate way. We all need rest, emotional release, and comfort. During times of duress and challenge, our human nature longs for a respite from the pressure. The human mind looks for avenues of solace from weariness and mental and emotional pain.

Idols in our culture could be compulsive spending, gambling, overeating, religious hyper-activity (using ministry as an emotional escape), fornication, adultery, pornography, work, or just busyness so that we’re rarely alone with our own thoughts. This list is endless.

Jesus wants to meet every need in our lives, and wants to be the one we turn to during times of difficulty, tiredness, or challenge. He has promised that we can experience times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord! In the Father’s presence is fullness of joy, pleasures forevermore.

The promise but my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus covers more than just our finances. It applies to every area of life. Expose your every need to His supply today!

God’s Overwhelming Love

The Lord is gracious and compassionate; slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. The Lord watches over all who love him…( Psalm 145:8-9,14-20 NIV).

To think that God cares so much about me is still amazing. Bring raised in church, I saw God as rigid, demanding, critical, aloof, austere, judgmental, harsh, and angry. With the Flintstone’s club in hand, I thought that God was ready at any time to deal to me the fatal blow. After all, I deserved it.

And then I found out that He wasn’t mad at me because of my sin; that He had made full provision for my sins to be cleansed. All I needed to do was to bow my knee and give Jesus the strings of my heart.

Instead of tolerating me, He loved me. And not because He had to, but because He wanted to. And to top it off, He didn’t just love me, He really liked me!

My life began to open up when I found that the Father really, really cared for me. I found that I could tell Him everything about everything in me. He knew it already. He just wanted me to yield the control of my thoughts, desires, and inner drives to Him. He would care for me and help me. All I needed to do was to be transparent, yield, and believe that He was helping me.

The Father wants to be your close companion today. Yield control to Him. Father knows best, even when at the moment you don’t feel that He does. You past, your present, and your future as His great concern. Yield to Him your heart life today. He longs to care for you. He is so pleased when you walk by faith!