Wednesday Morning Dubai Update

Dave, John and I are sitting just outside our gate in the Dubai airport awaiting our final flight to Ethiopia. It's now 6:45 AM Dubai time (9:45 PM Eastern). We've been traveling for over 59 hours now, and we can certainly feel it!

We just refreshed ourselves with some Starbucks treats for breakfast before boarding. We been in this airport since 11:30 last night. We found a really great restaurant last night here called "The Hub" that served international cuisine. We ate in the typical Middle Eastern way, sitting on couches! The food was delicious. Starbucks reminds us of home!

We leave hear at 8:30 AM and will arrive in Addis at 3:30 AM your time on Wednesday. When we arrive we will clear customs, pick up our luggage, and begin our long journey. Bruce will meet us at the airport. I suspect that we will have to find a place to stay tonight on the road to our destination. It will be dark before we make it.

Our pastor's conference begins on Thursday morning, and I suspect that we may get up early on Thursday and drive right to the conference.

I may be out of touch for a few days. Just keep checking my blog. I'll post as soon as I have internet connection. If my Blackberry works I will use Twitter to communicate. You'll see my Twitter posts on the left side of this blog.

We're expecting Jesus to do some wonderful things while we're in Ethiopia. Thanks for praying with us to that end!

The Life Changing Word

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life (John 6:63).

The Word contains God’s very life and nature. Feeding on the Word is not like reading Shakespeare or classic literature. These contain no power to change. But God’s Word is the power of God unto salvation for spirit, soul, and body (Romans 1:16-17).

Time in the Word is time spent in the presence of the Father. And just as you take your car into the mechanics shop for a tune up, so the Word tunes us up spiritually. It rids us of the habits and attitudes that hold us back. It makes adjustments in all areas of life; our home, our business life, our private world, and has to power to break engrained habits of conduct.

The Word provides spiritual nutrition so that we grow into the likeness of Christ. The Word is spirit food. Keep your spirit richly fed with this manna from heaven.

One Word of caution though. Just reading the Word with no purpose to change or act will do no good. Spiritual growth will be stifled, and personal progress will not be realized. It becomes self-evident over a period of time whether or not we are submitting ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus through the Lordship of the Word.

Notice again James 1:22-25 (NIV): Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it — he will be blessed in what he does.

The author of Hebrews likewise gives us this warning: Hebrews 5:12-14 (NIV).
In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Be sure to feed on the Word daily with the attitude of acting on what you read. Be determined to change any action, word, attitude, motive, or conduct that disagrees with the Word. Keep a sensitive ear to the Holy Spirit by consciously asking yourself what the Word says about what you’re doing throughout the day.

If you’ll practice this for 21 to 28 days, you’ll begin to form a habit of walking intimately with your Father. This time next year, you’ll not be the same person!

Trip Update from London

It's currently 11:25 AM (6:25 AM your time EST) here in London where we just landed. We've had breakfast and are now at our gate. We leave for Dubai shortly.

We're in anticipation of God doing some great things in the lives of the pastors as we minister. I'm believing for many to be born again during our evangelistic campaigns!

Thanks to all you wonderful praying folk! We can tell you're with us! Thanks!

Trip Update Monday Afternoon

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).

Dave, John and I are now ticketed through to Ethiopia and will leave tonight at 8:35 for London. Thanks for praying with us for things to work out.

We will meet Bruce on Wednesday upon our noon arrival and will immediately travel as far as we can before sundown.

God gave us great favor today at the ticket counter. There was a definite time that the hindrances stopped! Again, thanks for praying!

Delayed by one day

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 (Amplified- Romans 8:28).

Dave, John and I are currently in the Atlanta airport waiting to hear word from our travel agent affirming that we can get on the BA flight tonight from Atlanta to London.

Bad weather in Atlanta delayed our Raleigh-Atlanta flight and caused us to miss our original flight. Red tape at British Air has hindered plans, so we're believing that all will be worked out soon and we'll be on our way tonight...delayed by exactly one day.

We believe we will meet Bruce in Addis on Wednesday and begin our long SUV ride immediately upon arrival. Agree with us for travel favor with all the airlines as we rebook. I'll post again when I know more!

Missions Trip Begins Today!

And then he told them, "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won't hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed." When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God's right hand. And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs (Mark 16:15-20).

Today, after I minister in our two Sunday services at Victory, I leave on a 17 day trip to Ethiopia. The ministry team will consist of two church members, John Kazda and Dave Ford, and Bruce McDonald and me.

We will arrive in Ethiopia on Tuesday after taking flights through London, England and Dubai, UAE. We will minister throughout Southern Ethiopia where we have 16 churches under the name of Victory Fellowship. We will also minister to pastors in another group of churches that has 80 or so churches involved. In both of these places we will conduct both pastor's conferences and evangelistic crusades.

Then we will head to the remote areas of Southwestern Ethiopia where we will minister the the people of the Omo valley where we have 2 churches.

We will rent an SUV when we arrive and will have traveled over 1200 miles round trip upon completion of our journey. I ask you to agree with us in prayer for safety while we travel. Pray that the Lord will touch the hearts of these pastors as we minister, and that many will be born again in our crusades, and that the Holy Spirit will minister healing and wholeness.

I'll post blogs as I am able while away. Internet access is scarce in Southern Ethiopia. From my Blackberry I will also seek to send "tweets" from my Twitter account. They will appear on the left of my blog. I will also try to upload pictures. All of this of course will depend on the availability of phone and internet service.

So keep checking this blog and I'll keep you updated as much as possible during the next 17 days! God Bless!

No Fear

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but He has given us a spirit of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7 – Amplified).

A fear based life is an unsettled life. What’s going to happen in my future, in my home, in my travels, in my body, in my finances? A faith based life expects God to act in every circumstance and situation that life brings.

A fear based life is based on feelings and circumstances. A faith based life is a life that is lived by the Word! What God says settles everything to the faith based life. A calmness, a rest, a hope, a security, and great joy accompany the faith based life. Depression, gloom, irritability, dread, hopelessness, and tiredness accompany the fear based life.

Make the switch today to be a person who lives by faith and not by fear based sight! Each day will become an adventure as you and the Father go through the day talking with one another, strategizing with His Word about the details of what you’re doing. Faith based living does not consult with the flesh, circumstances or opinion. Thus says the Lord rules the faith based life.

Fear attracts satanic activity, and draws a person into difficulty. The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe (Proverbs 29:25). Job ascribed his troubles to his fear that opened the door for the enemy to attack him. For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me (Job 3:25).

Don’t allow fear to rule your life. Fill yourself with the Word. Ask yourself what the Word says about every area of life. Refuse fear and the emotional baggage it brings. Lift your hands, praise God, and declare the Lordship of His Word over your life! Speak the Word and run fear out of your life today!

The Lord My Shepherd

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Psalm 23).

The Father sees us as sheep, and He has the role of a shepherd in our lives. Here are some practical truths about sheep and shepherds that apply to our relationship with the Lord.

A shepherd knows his sheep by name and the sheep train themselves to know the shepherd’s voice. Sheep are helpless to defend themselves against enemies, and easily wander into danger.

The Father makes us to lie down in green pastures. A good shepherd will give his sheep the best food, and will lead them for miles to the greenest, most lush pastures. Good food means a healthy flock. Life is sustained by water, and the shepherd always looks for an abundant source near the grazing field. The Father is Jehovah Jireh to us. He provides us with everything we need to live in blessing. He’s always looking for the best supply for all of our needs!

The Father restores our souls. A shepherd looks after each sheep, and seeks to make it feel secure and cared for. The Father wants to minister to us and heal the emotional wounds that life brings. The Father as our shepherd restores our soul. He leads us to partake of the engrafted Word that will renew our minds and release pain from our emotions (James 1:21). He will lead us away from the activities of the flesh that rob us of peace and inward rest, and urges us to spend time with Him so that He can brush away our fears with His comforting Word.

The Lord our shepherd is with us in times of danger. The valley of the shadow of death is a gulley on the side of a mountain that the shepherd and sheep must pass through to get back home. Animals of prey watch from the surrounding hills for sheep that stray. The shepherd has a rod to defend the sheep from the prey. On the other end of the rod is a hooked end that the shepherd uses to grab the sheep by the neck when they are about to leave the fold. Sheep feel secure from danger as long as they know the shepherd is nearby to defend them.

The Father prepares a table before us in front of our enemies. A shepherd will look for a flat place in a field where the sheep can lay down, eat lush grass, and rest. As the sheep eat and rest, the shepherd is ever watching for the prey that seeks to harm his sheep. The sheep eat and rest in security as long as they can look up and see their shepherd.

The Father anoints our head with oil. A Shepherd will anoint his sheep on a hot, dry day. Oil soothes the parched skin and brings refreshment in arid eastern countries. Wounds from brier scratches or snakes bites are cared for by being dressed with oil. The Father ever seeks to bring healing, health and restoration to our parched lives.
Our cup runs over. It’s one thing to have a full supply, It’s another to have so much that your cup runs over! That’s what our shepherd desires for us as His sheep. He wants us to have more than enough!

His goodness and mercy are extended to us every day of our lives. His mercies are new every morning! Blessing chases us every day! Allow the Lord to be your shepherd today. Listen for His voice. Watch for the guidance He brings through His Word to you. Expect Him to nurture you and care for you spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically. He is a good shepherd!

Praise is Powerful

But You are holy, O You Who dwell in the holy place where the praises of Israel are offered (Psalm 22:3 – Amplified).

Believers have several weapons at their disposal as they fight the good fight of faith. They have the Word of God, the name of Jesus, the blood of Jesus, and praise and worship!

The Father watches over His Word to make it good as the Sword of the Spirit comes out of our mouth from our hearts in faith (Jeremiah 1:12). Demonic forces tremble when the command of faith is given in the Name of Jesus (Philippians 2: 9-11)! And we overcome Satan’s forces by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11).

But of all the weapons in our arsenal, perhaps praise is the strongest. When praise is offered, God Almighty shows up in the atmosphere! The weightiness of God, the power of who He is manifests when praise is uttered. The power of God’s kingdom is aroused when our praise and worship are expressed.

In Acts 16, Paul and Silas were praising and worship so loudly that the other prisoners heard them as they were held in chains in the dark prison. Instead of the atmosphere of the prison invading them, they decided to invade that atmosphere of darkness with the presence of God! And their chains fell off, the prison doors were opened, and they were set free! God responded to their praise, shaking the ground under their feet, and shaking the unbelief around them that threatened their lives!

During battle, the Israelites were instructed to put Judah (praise) in the forefront of the combat. They would sing, for the Lord is good, and His mercy endures forever! Israel’s enemies would be defeated time after time by an unseen host of angels as Israel fought with the weapons of a new type of spiritual warfare, praise and worship!

God has not changed. He still responds to praise by pouring out the weightiness of His presence, causing unseen enemies to flee. Don’t cower down to circumstances today. Pull out that weapon of praise, and allow the Lord to fight your battles. The battle is the Lord’s. The victory is ours to enjoy!

The Meditations of My Heart

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer (Psalm 19:14).

The Hebrew word for meditation here is higgayown and means to meditate, mutter, roar, speak, study, talk, or to utter. The Hebrew word gives reference to a murmuring sound.

The Father wants us to think and ponder things that will cause us to flow with His purposes to bless us with the best He has in this life. The words be acceptable in the above text are from the Hebrew word ratsown and means to delight or to satisfy. It delights the Father when our inward meditations agree with Him! And here’s why.

We are already blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). All things that pertain to life and godliness already belong to us by faith. That is, all things necessary to sustain us both spiritually and materially have already been provided! (2 Peter 1:3-4). When our meditations, our self talk, the things that we really believe that make us what we are agree with the Father, it delights Him because we receive in life exactly what we believe! And when we agree with Him it gives Him permission to bless us.

All lack of agreement with the Father produces unmet need. He wants to help us in every area of life, but He’s hindered when we fail to agree with Him internally.

Proverbs tells us to keep our hearts with all diligence, because the things that we have in life flow out of it (Proverbs 4:23). We receive in life exactly what we believe in our hearts (our inward thoughts, our self-talk) about ourselves. Jesus said all things are possible to him who believes. He said as you have believed, so be it done to you, and He said according to your faith let it be done to you (Mark 9:23; Matthew 8:13; Matthew 9:29).

When our inward belief system agrees with the Father, the impossible becomes possible, the limits are removed, and we change! Our needs are met, the chains are removed, and we grow into the person we were created to be when we choose to meditate and think on the word!

Begin today to make His word your constant meditation. You’ll then be challenged by the Father to change wrong beliefs, and your life and circumstances will change from glory to glory!

You are an Ambassador

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20).

An ambassador is a representative. An ambassador lives by the laws, values, and customs of his home country. His job is to represent his home country well, and to foster the relationship between his home country and the country where he’s working.

The Father could have just called us to glory after salvation, but He’s left us here on a mission. We are to represent the kingdom of heaven everywhere we go, in everything we do.

When you live as the Father’s special representative, it will attract questions from others. Jesus said that we believers are salt and light. Salt protects, enhances, and flavors. Without us, the world would be completely overcome with corruption. We protect the earth from total rebellion. We believers add hope to life on earth. We are to be change agents for the kingdom of God. The light within us exposes darkness.

If we live in Christ, with godly attitudes, values, words and actions, others will begin to notice and ask us questions. And we’re to sanctify the Lord God in our hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks us a reason for the hope that is in us, with meekness and fear (respect) (1 Peter 3:15). Being an ambassador for Jesus is simply telling others what he’s done for you and showing them that He can do the same for them.

We’re not called to prove the Bible is the word of God, We’re not called to prove that our doctrine is the correct. We’re not called to show others how much we know about the Bible. We’re called to be ambassadors, and to be ready to tell others that the same Jesus that set us free can set them free too!

Notice the words of the Apostle John: That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3). In witnessing, we’re simply to tell others what He did for us!

Look for opportunities today to be a witness, an ambassador. First of all, witness by your example of godly living. When others see the hope in you by the way you live, they will ask questions. Then, ask the Father to open up opportunities to share Jesus with others. Don’t quote scripture and be religious. Share your own experience in your own words. Invite them to come to a Lifegroup with you. Invite them to a service at your church. Tell them that what you have is not religion, but it’s a moment by moment relationship with Jesus that invades all you think, do, and say. Exercise your faith today and ask for opening in conversation with others to share the reason for the hope that is in you!

The Battlefield of the Mind

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth (Colossians 3:1-2).

Spiritual battles are won or lost in the battlefield of the mind. Spiritual warfare is not out in the atmosphere somewhere. It’s between your ears! Satan knows that whatever rules your thoughts will eventually manifest in your life. Things that you meditate on get down into your underlying thoughts, into your spirit, and from there they rule your life.

We are encouraged to think on things above because thoughts rule conduct. We’re to imitate God. The only way to do that is to think like God. We have the mind of Christ. He’s given us the ability to think like Him!

Most believers allow their thoughts to meander all over the place. Throughout the day by thought association, events, people, smells, and a thousand things we come in contact with tag thoughts from the past in a millisecond. These thoughts mushroom if not controlled and can stir up the old man and can create much doubt and fear. Don’t let the ticker tape parade in your mind continue!

I learned years ago that thoughts must be purposely challenged and redirected. The mind has a mind of its own! It will lead you where you don’t want to go if you allow it to be in charge. Take the reigns of your mind today by forcing yourself to turn away from the negatives that creep into your thoughts.

The only way thoughts can be changed is for them to be replaced. Years ago I wrote Philippians 4:8 on a note card and kept it with me. Ever so often I would pull it our and read true, honest, just, pure, lovely, virtuous, praiseworthy. If my current thought life did not agree with these words, then I made myself think on a scripture. I would choose a scripture a day and write it down, seeking to memorize it. Then, when I found my thoughts racing down the wrong path, I would bring them to a halt by forcing myself to think on a scripture.

It works! And instead of my natural mind and my fickle emotions ruling me, I learned that the Holy Spirit through my spirit could rule me. When He’s in charge love, joy, and peace rule your life.

You begin to live in sync with heaven, and every day becomes an adventure with the Father. Yes, tests and trials still come, but with every challenge you have an inward content knowing that all things work together for good to them who love God, and are living in His purposes! Keep your mind and you’ll win every battle!

Today, don’t just seek things above as the beginning verse states, but force your thoughts to think things above! This will clean your life up, keep the enemy away, and draw you close to the Father and Jesus moment by moment!

Help for Haiti

The terrible earthquake in Haiti has the attention of the whole world this week. This is a natural disaster almost beyond comprehension. We’ve placed links on our website to Global Aid Network, which is the humanitarian relief arm of the ministry of Campus crusade for Christ, and Samaritan’s purse, Franklin’s Graham’s ministry that is heavily involved in relief efforts worldwide. I encourage you to send your support to these agencies. Just go to www.vfgarner.com, and click on the Haiti ad at the top of the website.

Several months ago, Campus Crusade for Christ’s ministry sent a huge container of pre-packaged food and shoes to Haiti and placed it in a warehouse in the event of a disaster happening there! So food is already there being served through their ministry!

What has happened in Haiti is just a preview of even more terrible disasters that are to come to the earth as we get closer to the tribulation time. Let’s pray now for those affected tragedies to be drawn to Jesus by the love they see in His people. I’ll leave you with the scriptures that warn of terrible earthquakes such as this one that will be frequent in our day. Jesus is coming soon! Stay ready and let the Father use you to share His love with others!

Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world (Matthew 24:7-NLT).I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood. (13) Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth like green figs falling from a tree shaken by a strong wind. (14) The sky was rolled up like a scroll, and all of the mountains and islands were moved from their places. (15) Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. (16) And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.(17) For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?" (Revelation 6:12-17).
And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth [there will be] distress (trouble and anguish) of nations in bewilderment and perplexity [without resources, left wanting, embarrassed, in doubt, not knowing which way to turn] at the roaring ( the echo) of the tossing of the sea, (26) Men swooning away or expiring with fear and dread and apprehension and expectation of the things that are coming on the world; for the [very] powers of the heavens will be shaken and caused to totter. (27) And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with great (transcendent and overwhelming) power and [all His kingly] glory (majesty and splendor) (Luke 21:25-27-Amplified).

The Father, the Holy Spirit, and the Word

Acting on the Word brings God into the details of your daily life. Then said the Lord to me, You have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over My word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12- Amplified). Acting on the Word causes God to watch over your actions! He pays attentions and gets involved when you act like His Word is important to you!

The Holy Spirit is attracted to the Word. He’s called the Spirit of Truth (John 14:17). When we show our love for Jesus by walking in obedience to the Word, the Holy Spirit is pleased!

The Holy Spirit takes the Word that we feed on in our personal times and reminds us of what we’ve heard. His major ambition is to help us act, think, respond, love, speak, and live like Jesus does. As He is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17). Be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1).

That’s why it’s so important to adhere to the Word. Where the Word is esteemed, the Holy Spirit manifests to bring it to pass. He sent His Word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions (Psalm 107:20). For healing to manifest, it’s important to say what God says and as much as possible act like you’re healed by believing you receive. This brings the Holy Spirit into the situation with your body. He is the one who materializes the healing that Jesus purchased for us 2000 years ago. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you (Romans 8:11).

Acting on the Word brings you into realm of the limitless God who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all you can ask or think!

Take time today to meditate on the Word. Speak the Word. Intertwine the Word into your work, your family, and your leisure. Become conscious of what the Word says about what you’re involved in today. If you do, and act and speak in line with the Word, then the Holy Spirit will aid you with His ability, and the Father will watch over you and do amazing things. Magnify the Word!

Free from Deception

In our postmodern culture, we have the same personal ideology as the culture in Israel during the time of the Judges. Every person did what was right in his own eyes.

As Christians, we’re admonished not to be of the world (Romans 12:2). That is, we’re not to be swayed by the attitudes and actions of unbelievers. And instead of doing what we feel like doing any given moment, we’re to obey the Word! Our blessing in God is in obedience! What some folk don’t realize is that if we refuse to obey the Word, we’re turning a deaf ear to the Spirit of God!

We’re entering into the time period just prior to the time of tribulation spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 24, Luke 21, and found in Revelation 6-19. It’s a time of great challenge and difficulty. To navigate successfully through this time, it’s important for us to be people of the Word!

Notice 1 Timothy 4:1-2 (Amplified): But the Holy Spirit distinctly and expressly declares that in latter times some will turn away from the faith, giving attention to deluding and seducing spirits and doctrines that demons teach, through the hypocrisy and pretensions of liars whose consciences are seared (cauterized).

Then also notice 2 Timothy 4: 3-4 (God’s Word translation): A time will come when people will not listen to accurate teachings. Instead, they will follow their own desires and surround themselves with teachers who tell them what they want to hear. People will refuse to listen to the truth and turn to myths.

Demonic forces are working today to separate people from truth. They seek to twist truth to turn people from the path of right living. Here’s the way to stay with the Spirit of God, and to stay safely in the protection and care that the Father has for you during this time. It’s real simple! Obey the Word!

The verses above reveal that doctrines of demons will urge people to turn away from the faith, and only hear what pleases them. So, when I hear the truth of the Word, but the Word disagrees with what I feel like doing or want to do at the moment, and I ignore the Word and act on my feelings, I actually open myself up to demonic deception!

As a pastor, I’ve had the unfortunate experience of having people sit in front of me in my office and tell me that adultery for them is OK; that fornication, for them for the moment, is OK; that lying, in this situation and for the moment, is OK; and the list goes on and on!

Here’s the bottom line: Any believer that decides to ignore the Word and do what he or she knows is wrong, defies conscience and opens themselves up to demonic deception! Don’t do that!

If God says love your neighbor as yourself, then love your neighbor as yourself! If God says, be angry and do not sin, then be angry and do not sin. If God says, don’t gossip and say bad things about your fellow worker, then don’t gossip and say bad things about your fellow worker. If God says, don’t lust, then turn your eyes away!

The Father’s protection, favor, and care in this hour will be with those who choose to love Him by obeying His Word! Don’t compromise the Father’s care in this time with loose living which is doing what is right in your own eyes. Defy your own thoughts and feelings and obey the Word! That’s where you will find the blessing, protection, and favor of the Father today!

Enter Your Closet

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly (Matthew 6:6).

The Father wants us to share our heart with Him. He wants to be our burden bearer. Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you(1 Peter 5:7). Heart fellowship was the reason He created us. It’s the reason He redeemed us.

Jesus said that when we pray, we’re to go into our most private room. He called it a closet. This is a place of intimacy. The Greek word here could be translated bedchamber. This is a place where a husband and wife share intimate moments. Life comes from that sharing.

The Father wants to be intimate with us. He wants us to share our secret thoughts with Him. Life will come out of those moments.

I want to encourage you to take time to develop intimacy with the Father in your closet, your bedchamber. Find a place that is undisturbed, and just begin to talk to Him about the concerns of your life.

I’m going to leave you today with Psalm 139: 1-18. The Father has used this passage to reveal to me how tenderly He thinks of me. Allow it to minister to you:

Psalm 139:1-18 (God’s Word Translation)
O Lord, you have examined me, and you know me. You alone know when I sit down and when I get up. You read my thoughts from far away. You watch me when I travel and when I rest. You are familiar with all my ways. Even before there is a single word on my tongue, you know all about it, Lord. You are all around me—in front of me and in back of me. You lay your hand on me. Such knowledge is beyond my grasp. It is so high I cannot reach it. Where can I go to get away from your Spirit? Where can I run to get away from you? If I go up to heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in hell, you are there. If I climb upward on the rays of the morning sun or land on the most distant shore of the sea where the sun sets, even there your hand would guide me and your right hand would hold on to me. If I say, "Let the darkness hide me and let the light around me turn into night," even the darkness is not too dark for you. Night is as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you. You alone created my inner being. You knitted me together inside my mother. I will give thanks to you because I have been so amazingly and miraculously made. Your works are miraculous, and my soul is fully aware of this. My bones were not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, when I was being skillfully woven in an underground workshop. Your eyes saw me when I was only a fetus. Every day of my life was recorded in your book before one of them had taken place. How precious are your thoughts concerning me, O God! How vast in number they are! If I try to count them, there would be more of them than there are grains of sand. When I wake up, I am still with you.

The Blessing of Abraham

But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When He was hung on the cross, He took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing He promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith (Galatians 3:13-14) And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God's promise to Abraham belongs to you (Galatians 3:29).

As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog, all that God promised Abraham belongs to us in Christ. Now is the time to solidify your faith in what Jesus has provided for you. Now is the time to be consecrated completely to Jesus without compromise!

Deuteronomy 28 to me is the best place in scripture for you to see what God promised to Abraham clearly and concisely written. Remember that God cut a covenant with Abraham, and that in Christ you also are in included in that Abrahamic Covenant!

Historically, where people groups entered into covenant, they had representatives present for each party. Jesus is our representative in the covenant! Then each party involved in the covenant detailed the blessings the other party would receive from them resulting from the covenant relationship. Lastly, each party would pronounce the curses that would come to the other if they defaulted on the covenant.

Here’s God’s pronouncement of the blessings of our covenant with Him. Take these scriptures and meditate on them daily. God has promised to bless you. Expect His blessings each day of 2010. I’m only posting the blessings and not the curses! If you want to walk in the flesh in 2010, you may want to check out Deuteronomy 28:15-65 to see how that will work for you!

The Blessing of Abraham
Deuteronomy 28:1-14 -NLT
If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. (2) You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God: (3) Your towns and your fields will be blessed. (4) Your children and your crops will be blessed. The offspring of your herds and flocks will be blessed. (5) Your fruit baskets and breadboards will be blessed. (6) Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be blessed. (7) "The Lord will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven! (8) "The Lord will guarantee a blessing on everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. (9) "If you obey the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways, the Lord will establish you as his holy people as he swore he would do. (10) Then all the nations of the world will see that you are a people claimed by the Lord, and they will stand in awe of you.(11) "The Lord will give you prosperity in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, blessing you with many children, numerous livestock, and abundant crops. (12) The Lord will send rain at the proper time from his rich treasury in the heavens and will bless all the work you do. You will lend to many nations, but you will never need to borrow from them. (13) If you listen to these commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom. (14) You must not turn away from any of the commands I am giving you today, nor follow after other gods and worship them.

Living in the Land of Goshen!

This post is longer than normal! I want to give you some encouragement today that the Lord is going to take care of you as dedicated believer during these tumultuous times of change. We’re in the time period just prior to the tribulation, a seven year period of incredible hardship that is coming to this planet.

Regardless of the challenges ahead of us before Jesus takes us to heaven in the rapture, we can be confident that the Father will shield, defend, protect, and provide for us all of our days! Let me give you the basis for my confidence in the Father to help us.

Our Father is a covenant God! He has covenanted His care for us. He has obligated Himself to watch over us. Hebrews 8:6 tells us that we have a better covenant with God in the New Covenant than the Old Testament saints enjoyed. Our covenant with God has been placed in force by the shed blood of Jesus Christ when He died for us!

Galatians 3 tells us that Christ became a curse for us, so that the blessings God promised Abraham would also belong to the New Covenant believer (Galatians 3:13-14)! In fact, Galatians 3:26-29 goers so far as to tell us that we actually become sons of Abraham by faith in Jesus Christ. And as Abraham’s sons, all of God’s promises to Abraham belong to us!

Now let me take you back to God’s dealings with Israel during Joseph’s and Moses’ time. In Genesis 12:1-3, God cut a covenant with Abraham and promised that He would bless Abraham and His descendants, and that God would bless the world through Abraham.

God knew that His promises to Abraham would be tested during a severe famine in Joseph’s time. At age seventeen, Joseph had a dream and saw his family bowing in obeisance before him. Joseph unwisely told his eleven brothers about his dream. They kidnapped him and sold him to a caravan of slave traders. Thirteen years later, Joseph became prime minister of Egypt, second in command over all the land under Pharaoh.

A severe famine hit the Middle East in Joseph’s day and God gave Joseph a plan that would save thousands of people from starvation. In addition, Joseph’s family, Abraham’s descendants, were moved to the land of Goshen in Egypt where they were amply provided for by Joseph during the seven year famine (Genesis 45:5-10).

In Moses’ day, hundreds of years after the Israelites moved to Egypt, the Israelites had basically become slaves under Egyptian leadership that knew nothing of Joseph. God saw the plight Israel was in, and remembered His covenant with Moses. That covenant moved God to action (Exodus 2:23-25).

Moses was directed by God to approach the Egyptian leadership with ten plaques against their pagan gods if the Pharaoh would not release Israel from slavery in Egypt. The Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to let Israel go free, and the plagues began.

And here is the heart of the entire story. God supernaturally provided for and protected Israel throughout the entire duration of each of these ten plagues that came on Egypt Listen to the language in the following verses, and keep in mind that if we are heir of God’s promised to Abraham, then we today must be provided the same care by our Father God! We have a better covenant!

If you refuse, then I will send swarms of flies on you, your officials, your people, and all the houses. The Egyptian homes will be filled with flies, and the ground will be covered with them. But this time I will spare the region of Goshen, where my people live. No flies will be found there. Then you will know that I am the Lord and that I am present even in the heart of your land. I will make a clear distinction between my people and your people. This miraculous sign will happen tomorrow (Exodus 8:21-23- NLT)

Go back to Pharaoh," the Lord commanded Moses. "Tell him, 'This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so they can worship me. If you continue to hold them and refuse to let them go, the hand of the Lord will strike all your livestock—your horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep, and goats—with a deadly plague. But the Lord will again make a distinction between the livestock of the Israelites and that of the Egyptians. Not a single one of Israel's animals will die! The Lord has already set the time for the plague to begin. He has declared that he will strike the land tomorrow.'"And the Lord did just as he had said. The next morning all the livestock of the Egyptians died, but the Israelites didn't lose a single animal (Exodus 9:1-6 –NLT)

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Lift your hand toward the sky so hail may fall on the people, the livestock, and all the plants throughout the land of Egypt."So Moses lifted his staff toward the sky, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed toward the earth. The Lord sent a tremendous hailstorm against all the land of Egypt. Never in all the history of Egypt had there been a storm like that, with such devastating hail and continuous lightning. It left all of Egypt in ruins. The hail struck down everything in the open field—people, animals, and plants alike. Even the trees were destroyed. The only place without hail was the region of Goshen, where the people of Israel lived (Exodus 9:22-26-NLT).

Moses had announced to Pharaoh, "This is what the Lord says: At midnight tonight I will pass through the heart of Egypt. All the firstborn sons will die in every family in Egypt, from the oldest son of Pharaoh, who sits on his throne, to the oldest son of his lowliest servant girl who grinds the flour. Even the firstborn of all the livestock will die. Then a loud wail will rise throughout the land of Egypt, a wail like no one has heard before or will ever hear again. But among the Israelites it will be so peaceful that not even a dog will bark. Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites (Exodus 11:4-7 -NLT).

Summary: If God in His sovereignty provided for Israel during a drought, and during these ten plagues, and if we have a superior covenant with God as New Testament believers than they did, then is not God obligated to provide for us during times of severe worldwide turmoil? Yes He is! Today, see yourself as living in the spiritual land of Goshen. Expect you Covenant Father God to take care of you. You’re a son and daughter of Abraham!

I’ll continue tomorrow!

Finding Intimacy

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created (Revelation 4:11).

The Father created us for His pleasure. He created man so that He could have someone with which He could enjoy rich fellowship. We are created to bring Him pleasure. He has brought us into relationship with Him through the New Birth. And once the relationship is established, He longs for intimate fellowship with you.

Sometimes there are roadblocks to personal fellowship. A person raised in a harsh family environment where their thought and opinions were not welcomed or valued will at first struggle to have an intimate fellowship wit the Lord. Some people are just naturally inclined to hold themselves back, and not share their heart with others.

This deeper level of communication with the Lord must be developed. It takes time to break habits of holding yourself back. The first key to having deep, rich fellowship with the Lord is knowing that He loves you, accepts you, and forgives and cleanses you from sin.

You are righteous in His presence. When you confess your sin, it is as though you have never done wrong! As a righteous person in Christ, you have the same standing before the Father that Jesus has! The Father unconditionally loves and accepts you! Because He does, He has an open ear to listen to you and understands everything you think and feel.

The next step to rich fellowship with the Father is to force yourself to go there! Go to a private place and begin to share your heart secrets with Him. Tell Him everything; the good, the bad, and the ugly. Hold nothing from Him. At first, this is uncomfortable if your experiences have caused you to hold yourself back from others. But you’ll find that the moment you get real with the Father, His love and joy will rise up in you by the Holy Spirit. This is the beginning of your close communion and fellowship with Him.

As a new believer and a young man in my late teens, I would go to my room and read my Bible for a period of time. Then, I would begin to pray, and I found myself for the first expressing to the Father my deepest heart thoughts.

At first I was afraid that He would be upset with me as I was so honest. I shared motives, thoughts, fears, questions, longings, and wrong desires. I found that when I did this, the Father did not judge me, yet He held me to the standard of the Word. And by the Holy Spirit He would speak to me and comfort me. He would encourage me to trust Him to change me.

In time, it became easier and easier to bear my heart to Him. He became a place of refuge when I felt emotional pain, or when the pressures of life seemed too much to bear. He is the kindest, most understanding person you will ever know.

The Father is a refuge from the storms life brings. In His shadow you will find protection from the harshness of life. If you’ll give Him your heart life and open yourself up to Him, He will become an ever present strength and will sustain your mind and emotions in every challenge life brings. He will be the vine and you will be the branch. His life will pour into you as you unreservedly give Him your heart.

Come with me on this journey of intimacy with the Father. He’s longing for your fellowship today. Let the walls down!

Maintaining Fellowship

Fellowship is the mother of faith. Faith grows in the climate of rich, deep fellowship with the Father. Faith shrivels when fellowship is compromised.

Relationship is a result of birth or covenant, but fellowship is only by choice.
Fellowship is a sharing together, a communion. It’s two people coming together with a mutual interest and a part to play in that interest.

Fellowship must be fostered on purpose. I’ve found that many believers lack the rich fellowship with the Father that produces strong faith. Our upbringing and home life in our younger years has a lot to do with how we process our relationship and fellowship with the Lord. If in our home life, we were not welcomed to bear our hearts, but felt forced to keep our opinions to ourselves, then fellowship from the heart will be a challenge to overcome even in our relationship with the Father.

When we sin, our fellowship is broken. The joy that strengthens us leaves. Peace is replaced by a troubled uneasiness. For fellowship to be renewed, sin must be confessed. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). To confess means to same the same thing. It means to agree with. When I confess my sin, I agree with God that the thing I did that broke fellowship was wrong. I change my mind or repent of the activity and make a choice not to do it again.

The weakness of my flesh may take me there again, but a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again (Proverbs 24:16). Confess the sin the moment you commit it, and then renounce it before the Father, and tell Him that you believe you receive the inner strength to overcome this thing. Thank Him in faith for removing this thing from your life. Confess sin the moment it occurs is the key to remaining in constant fellowship with the Father.

Notice that if you do one thing; confess your sin, that the Father does four things in return! He will be faithful to you, just or fair to you, He will forgive your sin, and will cleanse you from unrighteousness. Cleansing from unrighteousness means that if you’ll confess what you know you did wrong, there is an automatic cleansing from those sins committed in ignorance, or because you didn’t know that particular thing was wrong. This is important for the new believer who may not understand the will of God in all of life’s causes. James 4:17 reads:Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Once sin is confessed, joy and peace return, and fellowship is fully restored. Be careful today to remain in constant fellowship with the Father. Don’t let a moment go by without deep, rich fellowship with Him. Tomorrow, I’ll discuss how to begin a close fellowship with the Father if your personal predisposition is to hold back.

Words are the Overflow of Your Heart

For out of the fullness (the overflow, the superabundance) of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34 - Amplified)

The Lord led me on Wednesday night to begin a series of teachings on the importance of our words and how they impact life. I mentioned this in Thursday’s blog and used an analogy of how the Lord wants us to cooperate with spiritual law much like we do the natural laws of physics. But I don’t want to give the impression that words are just a mechanical way of releasing faith to get what you want from God. That's not the way it is!

Words are an audible impression of heart content. The power of the words we speak comes from the content of what’s in our heart, in our minds and emotions. The power of our words comes from what we really believe within.

Words are like the water running over the rim of a reservoir. They spring up from what’s inside. By the time we come to Jesus, we are already full of past life experiences that have produced certain thoughts, feelings and actions. It’s wrong thinking, wrong believing, and wrong speaking, that defeat us. Jesus wants us to allow Him into the contents of our inner life,that is, into our thoughts, motives, and emotions.

Jesus knows what is in us from our past. He knows what affects us and urges us to do what we do. And He can help us sort it out! He wants us to invite Him in to our thought life, our emotional life, and He wants to talk to us about why we do what we do.

Our inner life, our soul (mind, emotions, and will) is a mismatched assortment of outright lies from the enemy, judgments towards others, judgments against ourselves, and wrong thinking passed down from our families and life experiences!

Our soul (mind, emotions, and will), could be compared to a messy closet that has so many things thrown around and piled on each other, that we just can’t see where to begin! Right words, right confession of what we believe starts by allowing Jesus entrance into our inner world of thinking and feeling.

Confession of God’s word that produces spiritual and natural fruit begins by first of all allowing Jesus to sort through the contents of our heart! Invite Him today to search you though and through. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.(24) Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life (Psalm 139:23-24 -NLT). Our iniquities, our secret heart and its sins [which we would so like to conceal even from ourselves], You have set in the [revealing] light of Your countenance (Psalm 90:8 – Amplified) May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer (Psalm 19:14 - NLT)

Take some time beginning today to get alone with Jesus. Find a quite place where you won’t be interrupted, turn the lights low, and begin to tell ask Jesus to reveal to what needs changing in you. He is a very gentle person. He loves you more than anyone you’ve ever known.

He knows everything about you. He knows what motivates you. Nothing is hidden from His sight. Invite His holy presence into your inner world of thinking and feeling. Be willing to be gut level honest. Through the Holy Spirit in your spirit, Jesus will speak to you and deal with you. He will free you from wrong thinking, wrong believing, and from wrong feelings that rule you. He will help you change and organize the contents of your heart life. Then, your words will overflow from a heart filled with Him. And your life will begin a dramatic transformation.

The Power of Words!

The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences (Proverbs 18:21).

Your words are a powerful spiritual force in your life! Let me explain their importance by looking a moment at the natural laws that we’ve harnessed since the advent of the industrial age.

We’ve learned to harness the laws of motion, and we’ve changed forever how we travel. We’ve found that the laws of lift and thrust override the law of gravity. As a result, I’ll travel almost 10,000 miles to Ethiopia at the end of the month in about 36 hours, including layover time. We’ve put men on the moon, we have vehicles on Mars checking out the terrain. We have unmanned space vehicles that are now courting the edge of our solar system and sending back to us on earth amazing data.

We’ve harnessed the laws of quantum physics, and now enjoy the benefit of micro-chips that enable a plethora of modern conveniences, from mobile phones to laptop computers to iPods to computer games. We e-mail, send text and instant messages and communicate worldwide at the speed of light!

We know about natural laws and use them to our benefit. Jesus wants us to understand that there are also spiritual laws that govern spiritual things, and that harness tremendous spiritual power. I know this sounds a bit mechanical, but there is a real spiritual realm that we must learn to navigate if we’re going to overcome the fiery darts that Satan shoots at us daily! And there are law that govern the spiritual realm that we must understand.

In Romans 8:2 Paul speaks of the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus that frees us from the law of sin and death. Understand this law frees you from the bondages that come to us as a result of Adam’s sin. Galatians 3 tells us that Jesus has redeemed us from the curse of the broken law, providing us freedom from spiritual death, poverty, sickness.

There is the law of love, by which the kingdom of God operates. Learning to live a lifestyle of love will place your life into the flow of the Holy Spirit producing great freeing power in spirit, soul, and body.

There are also spiritual laws that have to do with your words. The power of speech has been given to mankind alone in creation. Words have creative ability. They have the power to carry faith. Faith is the element in the life of believers that takes what Jesus has provided for us that exists in the spiritual realm and manifests it in the natural world in which we live.

Words are faith containers. Notice 2 Corinthians 4:13: And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed and therefore I spoke," we also believe and therefore speak. Jesus said in many different ways in the Gospels, as you have believed, so be it done to you, or according to your faith let it be to you. Jesus works with the spiritual laws of faith to manifest His promises in our lives. So if you want to know where your faith is in any area of life, just ask yourself, what have I been saying about that? What we say is really what we believe. You see, faith comes from our heart, our spirit. And the words that we really believe and speak also come from our hearts. In fact, the Word declares, "The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart." And that message is the very message about faith that we preach (Romans 10:8 – NLT). Again, what in our heart comes out of our mouth. What we say is our faith speaking.

Notice Jesus’ word in Matthew 12: 34-37 (Amplified): You offspring of vipers(He’s speaking to religious hypocrites here)! How can you speak good things when you are evil (wicked)? For out of the fullness (the overflow, the superabundance) of the heart the mouth speaks.(35) The good man from his inner good treasure flings forth good things, and the evil man out of his inner evil storehouse flings forth evil things. (36) But I tell you, on the day of judgment men will have to give account for every idle (inoperative, nonworking) word they speak. (37) For by your words you will be justified and acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned and sentenced.

Begin today to fill your heart with faith by meditating in God’s word. The up from the reservoir of your heart will overflow words that show what you believe.

We’ll go further into this tomorrow!

3 Things to Pursue in 2010 (part 3-Holiness)

Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold (Matthew 24:12 –NLT). Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead (1 Tim 4:1-2 –NLT). Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God (2 Corinthians 7:1 –NLT).

Amorality is a great scourge on the earth today. It is symptomatic of conditions on earth during the rule of the person known as “anti-Christ” during the tribulation period (see Daniel 11:36-38). Amorality means having no moral standard. In an amoral culture, anything is acceptable. We are now living in such a culture. These are pre-tribulation days.

God revealed Himself often in scripture by fire, which signifies purity. God descended upon Mount Sinai in fire (Exodus 19:18). He led the Israelites at night by a pillar of fire (Exodus 13:22). Ezekiel saw God as a consuming fire from head to foot (Ezekiel 1:26-28). John had a vision of Jesus on the Isle of Patmos and His eyes were like a flame of fire (Revelation 1:14). We are baptized by the Lord Jesus with the Holy Spirit and fire (Luke 3:16). Divided tongues of fire sat upon the heads of the one hundred and twenty disciples in the upper room as they were baptized with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:3).

Jesus by the Holy Spirit brings the fire of purity into our lives when we are born again. This purifying effect is magnified by the baptism with the Holy Spirit. Jesus goal is to cleanse our lives from the defilement of sin.

God’s goal for every believer is Holy, set-apart from the world living. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, "You must be holy because I am holy" (1 Peter 1:15-16 –NLT).

You and I will not live holy lives without a direct choice of will to do so. Our media age is steeped in the lusts of the flesh. We must cry out to Jesus to create in us His holiness, and for Him to breathe His fire of purity within us continually. Notice 1 Peter 4:1-2 Amplified: So, since Christ suffered in the flesh for us, for you, arm yourselves with the same thought and purpose [patiently to suffer rather than fail to please God]. For whoever has suffered in the flesh [having the mind of Christ] is done with [intentional] sin [has stopped pleasing himself and the world, and pleases God], So that he can no longer spend the rest of his natural life living by [his] human appetites and desires, but [he lives] for what God wills.

Make a choice today to walk in holiness before God. Remember that He forgives, cleanses, and forgets all past sin when we confess it, and by His grace empowers us to live above flesh desires moment by moment.

Determine today to have clean eyes and clean thoughts. Choose to turn away from every appearance of impurity and trust the grace of God to help you.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things (Philippians 4:8). Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious — the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse (The Message Paraphrase).

Light shines brightest in darkness. Let choose to walk in the light of holiness with the Lord Jesus in 2010. This year, may the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to You, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer (Psalm 19:14 –NLT).

3 Things to Pursue in 2010 (part 2) - Love

But when the Son of Man returns, how many will He find on the earth who have faith? (Luke 18:8 – NLT) Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold (Matthew 24:12 –NLT). Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead (1 Tim 4:1-2 –NLT). Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God (2 Corinthians 7:1 –NLT).

Yesterday I mentioned the importance of faith in our daily lives in 2010. Today, I want to talk about the importance of pursuing love in 2010. In these days prior to the rapture, the tribulation, and the second coming of Christ, self-centered living will come to the forefront in the world.

Notice the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:12 (various translations): And the love of the great body of people will grow cold because of the multiplied lawlessness and iniquity (Amplified); For many others, the overwhelming spread of evil will do them in — nothing left of their love but a mound of ashes (The Message Paraphrase); Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold (NIV); There will be more and more evil in the world, so most people will stop showing their love for each other (New Century Version).

Jesus also mentions an attitude of offence that will be prevalent before His second coming and I believe this is already beginning: And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another (Matthew 24:10 - NKJV); And then, going from bad to worse, it will be dog-eat-dog, everyone at each other's throat, everyone hating each other (Matthew 24:10 – The Message Paraphrase).

When we’re born again, Jesus places an ability to love the way He loves in our human spirit. 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). He has commanded us to love the way He does (John 13:34-35). Love is to be the guiding factor in every word, thought, and action of life. Ask yourself constantly, What would love do?

Notice the call to love from 1 Corinthians 14:1 (Amplified):Eagerly pursue and seek to acquire this love [make it your aim, your great quest]…

Before I walked with Jesus, I had hardened myself to others. I was hypercritical, cynical, and uncaring about others. After I had received the baptism with the Holy Spirit, the Lord emphasized to me the importance of living a lifestyle of love. I read 1 Corinthians 13 over and over again. I adopted 1 Corinthians 13:5 (Amplified) as my love gauge, my personal love thermometer: It takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].

During that same time period of just coming to know Jesus intimately over 30 years ago, the Lord impressed Psalm 119:165 upon me. I knew that I must make this verse a passion of my life. It reads: Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them (KJV). I’ve made up my mind that regardless of what others do, I will not be offended. I’ve passed up some great opportunities for offense over the years!

Love enables us to overlook the petty faults, failures, and idiosyncrasies of others. Love acts as though others have done no wrong. It a tall order to walk in love, but Jesus has commanded it, and we must obey!

Notice 1 Peter 4:8 (Amplified): 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].

Make a decision today that in 2010 ,you going to walk in love; that you’re not going to make mental lists of the wrongs done toward you; that you’re going to treat others as though they had done no wrong. Make a decision today that in 2010, you will refuse to take offense at anyone over anything! Make a decision today that in 2010, you’re going to love others fervently, and you’re going to forgive and disregard their offenses! This love has nothing to do with feelings.

It’s a choice to honor Jesus and to obey His command of love, probably with no feelings in most instances! Be a lover in 2010!

3 Things to Pursue in 2010 (part 1)

But when the Son of Man returns, how many will He find on the earth who have faith? (Luke 18:8 – NLT) Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold (Matthew 24:12 –NLT). Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead (1 Tim 4:1-2 –NLT). Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God (2 Corinthians 7:1 –NLT).

I believe that we are living in the time period just before the rapture of the church, the 7 year tribulation, and the second coming of Christ. The Lord impressed upon me that we should pursue faith, love, and holiness in 2010.

In the above verse from Luke 18, Jesus questioned whether or not He would find faith on the earth when He returned. This gives the inference that there will be times that circumstances will challenge the walk of faith. During 2010, see to it that you keep your faith built up by meditating on scripture. Walking by faith is simply choosing to believe the Word of God rather than your own thoughts or feelings, or rather than the circumstances around you.

Walking by faith means choosing to believe that right now God has answered or is answering your requests in prayer. Faith never looks to the future to receive from the Lord. Faith believes that God has answered right now! Faith is past or present tense, never future tense. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1- NKJV). Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it – New Century Version).

I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours (Mark 11:24 –NLT). Faith takes the place of what God promised, and you don’t yet physically have, until it manifests physically.

Make a choice today and for the rest of 2010 to be a person who walks by faith and not by feelings. Learn to live above negative thoughts and emotions by choosing to believe and speak what God says in the face of opposing circumstances.

Be like the Joshua and Caleb, the only two of the twelve spies sent into Canaan by Moses who believed that Israel could defeat the giants they saw there (see Numbers 13). The crowd of ten spies saw themselves only in the light of their circumstances. They focused of the size of the giants that made them look like grasshoppers in comparison instead of focusing by faith on how big God is! They focused on themselves and their surroundings instead of on God and His faithfulness! Joshua and Caleb chose to see the size of the giants, their opposing circumstances, in the light of the bigness of their great God!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take (Proverbs 3:5-6 –NLT). So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever (2 Corinthians 4:18- NLT).

We’ll talk about pursuing love tomorrow.

Called to Fellowship

God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord (1 Corinthians 1:9).

We have relationship by birth and fellowship by will. Being birthed into your family does not mean that the family members fellowship together. Fellowship is on purpose. We are called to fellowship with the Lord Jesus. Too many have the relationship with the Lord, but lack the sweet, intimate fellowship that He so longs to have with all of His children.

Fellowship is a heart sharing. It’s two people with commons goals and interests connecting at the heart level. Fellowship is the mother of faith. Strong faith comes from deep, intimate fellowship. Weak faith comes from a lack of personal intimacy with the Lord.

Intimate fellowship with the Lord is possible because through the New Birth, He has made us righteous! Righteousness is the ability to stand before God as though sin, fear, condemnation, or inferiority had ever been a part of your life! Righteousness produces boldness (Proverbs 28:1). The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever (Isaiah 32:17). Once you renew your mind and know that your Father loves you even when you fail, you’ll be able to enter into fellowship with Him.

Fellowship produces light in your life. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light (Psalm 36:9). It gives you the ability to see clearly the issues in your life and around you. The will of God becomes clear and focused.

Fellowship produces joy. For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full (John 15:11). You will show me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). Joy makes Christianity attractive. It brings with it evangelism.

E.W. Kenyon says that fellowship in its fullness is the joy life with the throttle wide open on a downgrade.*

Fellowship produces freedom from deception. Truth becomes clear and error apparent when fellowship is strong (see 1 John 2:20, 27). Rich fellowship will keep you clear of the false doctrine spoken by the clever wrong motives.

Fellowship produces strong faith. As we enter the dangerous time period before us that precedes the tribulation, fellowship will be our anchor in the storm. We’ll know how to act in every circumstance. The Father will guide us through the turbulent waters and protect us as we dwell in the shadow of the Almighty!

If you lack fervent joy, if the Word seems dry and lifeless, if you seem gullible to every new wind of doctrine blowing by, if it seems that your faith is weak, check up on your fellowship with the Father. He longs for you to share your heart life with Him. In tomorrow’s post, I’ll talk about how to find rich, deep fellowship with the Father.

* In His Presence by E.W.Kenyon (1969,Kenyon Gospel Publishing Society, Inc), p.89.

Be a Doer of the Word

Being a doer of the Word causes the Father to begin to work in your life. You see, He watches over His Word to bring it to pass. All of heaven is back of His Word. When you take the Word seriously, it gives the Father permission to work on your behalf.

All spiritual failure can be traced back to neglect of the Word. To hear and not practice is like looking at yourself in the mirror and forgetting the image of what you saw. The Word gives you the image of how the Father really sees you. This perfect law of liberty will cut the cords of the past and set a course for your future that lines up with the Father’s will. But you must act.

For us to turn a deaf ear to what the Father has spoken by failure to act is to thumb our nose at the cross and resurrection of Jesus. Doing the Word makes the New Covenant real in your life. Being a doer of the Word clears the fog from the un-renewed mind and shines light on the pathway of life.

To refuse to act on the Word is to walk in darkness. The Father must back away when we choose to hear and not obey. Blessings are promised to those who act on the Word. If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land (Isaiah 1:19). Failure to act brings the curse as the Father is forced by our inaction to back away. But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword"; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken (Isaiah 1:20).

The following is a very sobering scripture. It shows the results if we stubbornly choose to cling to our own thoughts and ways and neglect to act on the Word.
Be the person who is blessed by the Father today by choosing to act on the Word at all times!

Because I have called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded, because you disdained all my counsel, and would have none of my rebuke, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, when your terror comes like a storm, and your destruction comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.
Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, they would have none of my counsel and despised my every rebuke. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies. For the turning away of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will dwell safely, And will be secure, without fear of evil (Proverbs 1:24-33).

Act on the Word

Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall (Matthew 7:24-27).

In the coming year, it will be more important than ever to be a doer of the Word. Tests, trials, calamity, turmoil, and social unrest will continue to increase. Those who navigate these turbulent waters will act on the Word in the face of adversity.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away (Matthew 24:35). So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:11). The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever (Isaiah 40:8). Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven (Psalm 119:89).

The Word brings a calm, a certainty, a boldness, a courage, and a hope to every encounter of life. Acting on the Word in the midst of adversity removes the spirit of fear and worry, and releases the ability of God in the circumstance you face.

A person who has decided ahead of time to be a doer of the Word will be able to win life’s fight! Acting on the Word makes you a conqueror. Acting on the Word brings with it the attitude that you and God cannot be defeated.

Acting on the Word brings stability to the emotions during hard places. Instead of the yo-yo of ups and downs, the person who acts on the Word lives above emotional unrest. The person who acts on the Word speaks the Word and ignores emotions that seek to pull them down into sense realm living!

Being a doer of the Word will has a calming effect on the mind. You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You (Isaiah 26:3). The Father has given us a spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). When the negative report comes, the person who acts on the Word immediately balances the report with what the Word says about them and then speaks the Word out loud to defeat the negative thoughts.

If you have not yet done so, choose today to be a doer of the Word. Choose the Word as your final authority and consultant in every experience of life. If you do, you’ll be building your life on a foundation of rock and not shifting sand. Neglecting the Word, refusing to act on it, brings calamity and harm. It opens the door to the adversary to steal, kill and destroy. Acting on the Word brings God into the situation and assures your success. Act on the Word this year!