dickbraswell

Word for Today:  October 21

It matters.

It really matters what and how you believe.  You can’t just believe anything and everything and live.  If you do not Believer Right you move into the realm of death.  If you do not Believe Right you will constantly be defeated and overcome by demon forces.

Jesus said to Martha at the tomb of Lazarus:

I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me though he were dead, yet shall he live;  and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.  Believeth thou this?  John 11:25-26.

Do you Believe?  What do you believe?  How do you believe?  In whom do you believe?  Be sure you believe right.  Ignorance is no excuse.  False doctrine and flawed teaching is no excuse.  Religious tradition and denominational doctrines are no excuse.  Believing right is believing:

• That the Bible is the Word of God.
• That Jesus is the Son of God.
• That Jesus Died on the Cross for the sins of the word.
• That Jesus went into hell and defeated the devil.
• That Jesus rose from the dead in the fullness of His Resurrection Power.
• That He is Alive.  Now.  And forever.
• That He has empowered His Church to do His Work on earth.
• That He is returning to claim His own and establish His Eternal Earthly Kingdom.

Believing this really matters.

It will determine where you will spend eternity

Word for Today:  October 20

Right Choices

Right Choices are choices and decisions that are based on the Word of God.  They have TRUTH as their foundation.  They agree with God and with God’s Word.  They line up with the plan and purpose of God for your life.  Right Choices guarantee God’s cooperation with you in every life situation.  They make you partners with God…  Right Choices will bring God’s Power into play in fulfilling your dreams and visions and goals.  When you decide right you make a spiritual connection with God and no power in heaven or earth will defeat or stand against you…   All of heaven’s resources become available to you when you Choose Life…  And they are guaranteed and secured by the Faithfulness and Integrity of Almighty God.

Wrong Choices

Wrong Choices are choices and decisions that are based on the logic and reason of the World System.  They are arrived at by feeling and sight and emotion.  They are always “reasonable”.  Their foundation is Fact and their power is limited to what man and his mind can do.  They lock one into the natural and never allow him to break into the supernatural.  Wrong choices will release satan to attack and buffet.   This is humanism in raw form.  Wrong choices invite demons to possess and oppress.  Everything that is based on decisions made in natural reasoning and sense knowledge is subject to failure.  They all have the seed of Death in them and death will ultimately prevail.  All wrong choices issue forth from human reasoning, natural facts, sense knowledge and an unrenewed mind.

Right choices bring God’s very best into your life.  Wrong choices empower satan to steal, kill and destroy; to bring confusion and devastation and sickness and disease and failure.  Your present condition is the direct result of choices you made in the past.  If you do not like what is happening to you it is because you made some wrong choices in the past.  Don’t complain and gripe… decide to change your choices…  Decide to choose Life.

God plainly told the Israelites to choose life and as a result they would live.  Not only would they live, but so would their seed.  And they would all live a long time.  This is an Old Testament promise.  The New Testament covenant we have that is ratified by the Blood of Jesus is a stronger, better and more binding covenant. The Old was secured by the blood of bulls and goats.  The New is guaranteed by the Blood of the Sinless Son of God.

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:  Deut 30:19

Choose Life

Word for Today:  October 19

Your choice to live and not die must be made in the present.

It cannot be made in the past and it cannot be made in the future… it must be made in the present.    Once you choose you set the entire course of your life.  Your life begins to flow in the direction of your choice.  When you choose to live things pertaining to life begin to happen all around you.  When you choose to give in and give up, you begin to die and things of death begin to happen all around you.

Your choosing life will affect your family and your future.  It will save or destroy.  It will bring health or cause disease.  Your choice to live will change circumstances and situations.

As you choose daily to live and not die you determine your daily Spiritual and Physical Welfare.  You will win when you choose life.  You will lose when you choose death.  These are choices you make on a daily and hourly basis.  People who are constantly sad, frustrated, depressed, despondent, anxious, hurt, angry and impatient are experiencing all these negative forces simply because they refused to choose life.

Have you wondered how some people seem to always be happy and full of joy?  Have you wished that you could be the same way?  You can, too.

Because it is up to you.

It is a matter of choice.

Your Choice

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:  Deut 30:19

Word for Today:  October 18

Practically every situation on the world scene today is indicative of death, decay and defeat.

Fear prevails.  War threatens.  Terror rules.  Starvation and deprivation are the norm for two-thirds of the earth’s population.  There is NO HOPE in the natural.  Even at life’s best, death is only a heart-beat… a single breath away.  Cemeteries and funeral homes and hospitals and morgues are a constant reminder of the relentless pursuit of death.  Death is the counterpart of life in the world system and it is constantly overtaking the living.

But there is a way to live and keep from dying.

The Bible says that we can Choose Life and Refuse death.

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you Life and Death blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may LIVE…   (Deut 30:19).

To choose Life and refuse Death is to Choose God and refuse the devil.

For He (God) is thy life and the length of thy days… (Verse 20).

Now, since people had rather live than die how can they do it?  Had you rather live than die?  Then it’s up to you.

Most think they can do nothing about life and nothing about death, but the Bible says that you have the privilege of Choosing which one you want…  The Bible says that we have a choice in the matter.  As a matter of fact, it gives us a simple multiple choice test.  Then, God is so anxious for you to get it right, He tells you which answer to choose!

When you choose to live you also choose for your seed to live.  When you choose to die you also choose for your seed to die.

God has bestowed awesome power in you.  He has given you the power and authority to choose.  What you choose and accept is what will come to pass.  What you refuse and resist is what will go away.  This is a Divine Principle set forth in the Word.

What choice will you make today?

Word for Today:  October 17

It is important to know Who you are, What you have, What you can do and Why you can do it.

The devil constantly tempts us to doubt.  he wants us to doubt who we are (he tried to get Jesus to doubt Who He was) or to wonder who we are or to be ignorant of who we are.

As long as we are not sure of our position in Christ, our Authority and our Faith will not work.  We cannot receive and achieve if we are confused, conflicted or uncertain about what God says concerning who we are, what we have, what we can do and why we can do it.

God has raised up strong Word Churches and anointed preachers in order to instruct His people about their privileges, their powers and their Rights which are revealed in the Word.

Anointed Leaders are set in the Body as master craftsmen to build us up in the Word.  We are “God’s Building” and they are Holy Ghost Craftsmen equipped with the Proper Building Materials to make us strong in the Lord and in the Power of His might.

They are Called and Sent by God for our instruction, our enlightenment and our inspiration.  They are God-appointed “explainers” and “exhorters” to inform us and give us insight and revelation regarding what God says concerning:

• Who we are
• What we have
• What we can do and
• Why we can do it

Knowing this gives us a winning advantage over every attack of the enemy.

Word for Today:  October 16

In the past our concept of God has often been limited and incorrect.

We have been led to believe that God is mad and mean.  We have often lived in great fear and anxiety because we were told that God was going to get even…  He has been presented as a God of Judgment and a God of revenge and great wrath.

At the same time we were told how unworthy and sinful we were and, as a result, we lived under continual condemnation.  The main message from the pulpit was fear oriented and it continually emphasized how hot hell is and how endless eternity is.   Thank God, times have changed…  Our level of Revelation has greatly increased and we have discovered the true nature of God.

• God is a Giver. God is a Giver because He is a Lover.

• God us a Lover because He is a Father.

• God does not Kill, murder, take away, hinder, hurt, test, try, make sick, give cancer, cause poverty, or “get even.”

• God is Good. He loves, gives, multiplies, heals, delivers, makes free, provides riches, fixes, helps, strengthens, provides, protects…  and on and on we could go.  And we could never exhaust the wealth of blessings God has for those who love Him.

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1Co 2:9

It’s the devil that kills, steals, destroys, hinders, hurts, binds, subtracts, crushes, takes your money, your happiness, your joy, and your peace.

A simple test to find out where all the stuff than happens to you comes from.  I offer this simple yet accurate criteria:

If it is Good it’s God, if it’s Bad it is the devil…

The devil can’t do good things and God doesn’t do bad things.

Therefore:

If it’s GOOD it is God.

If it’s BAD it is the devil.

Theology 101

Word for Today:  October 15

The present-day New Testament church cannot be successfully governed by carnal, uncalled, unanointed leadership. It is not and never was the Will of God for the Church to be a democratic institution.

As difficult to understand as it is in our American culture, proper New Testament church government is not democratic in principle.  We need to understand that the leadership of the local church MUST be unfettered.  They must never be controlled, influenced or manipulated by those who are not spiritually minded.

The early church, which is described in the Book of Acts, had a unique and innovative method of government.  It was not governed by democratic principles as most denominational churches are in this present day.  It was Apostolic in nature.

Decisions and actions undertaken by the church must be made and implemented by those whom God has placed in positions of leadership. The Apostle.  The Prophet.  The Pastor.  The Teacher.  The Evangelist. Ruling Elders… those with a Call from Heaven on their lives who are demonstrating the anointing of the Holy Ghost in their lives and ministry. And those who are privileged to occupy such honored positions need to be accountable to one another and respected for their varied ministries.

God will lead, the Word will Guide and success will be guaranteed.

Word for Today:  October 14

A Miracle of the First Order

One of the greatest illustrations of God’s Power being released through praying in the Spirit happened to me back in the late 70’s when I was invited to teach in a leadership conference being held in Santiago, Chile, South America.

My assignment was to teach on the infilling of the Holy Spirit to a group of Methodist leaders who had come from many districts in Chile to attend the conference.  Included were some of the most influential and professional individuals of their districts.  When my interpreter (from English to Spanish) failed to show up, I was faced with an insurmountable difficulty.  It was impossible (in the natural) to communicate with the class of about 30 who had chosen to learn about the Holy Spirit and His present-day work in the Church.  As I waited it became apparent that this was going to be a monumental failure and a total, embarrassing fiasco.

In utter frustration, I began to forcefully pray out loud in the Spirit.  Needless to say those in the meeting were somewhat startled.  But suddenly the room was filled with the Power of God.  Everyone stood to their feet.  It was apparent that God was doing Something supernatural.  Then the interpretation that came forth was miraculous.  Those in the class heard and understood what I was speaking in my Prayer Language in their native language, Spanish.   Joy flooded our meeting those present began to praise and worship God in their own personal Spiritual Language.

They later told me (through the interpreter who finally arrived) that they received instruction on how to receive the Infilling of the Holy Spirit.

And they all did.

It was a Miracle of the First Order

Word for Today:  October 13

Preaching.

When a preacher preaches under the anointing of the Holy Ghost the forces of heaven are released into the earth.  This kind of ministry does not come through training, education, experience or talent… it comes through the Calling.

Those who are the Called are set apart as instruments God uses to release His Power into the place and the point of every human need.

What is preached is important.  We who are the Called are not called to communicate natural things in natural energy through natural knowledge.

We are called to preach and to preach with the unction of the Holy Ghost the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ… the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.  The Full Gospel.  Everything and all things that God has revealed to us in the Word… The Whole Counsel of God.   The Good News.

The preaching of the Cross… is the Power of God…  1Cor 1:18

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how  shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall  they hear without a preacher?  Rom 10:14

Pray for your preacher

Word for Today:  October 12

Unity.

When the Body of Christ is functioning in Unity, the Power of God is Released into the earth.

There is unimaginable power in Agreement.  One of the greatest and most powerful tactics of the enemy is to divide the Body of Christ and in dividing, he can conquer.  When we are together… in unity…. we will all say the same thing with the same mind and heart and when we do the forces of darkness are crippled.  Defeated.

Demons cannot operate and the devil cannot destroy when we are One.  This unity must be one that crosses all lines.  Racial lines. Cultural lines.  Economic lines.  Family lines.

Whatever the walls of division are…. They must be destroyed if His Power is to be experienced in us and released into the earth.

What can you do today to build a bridge instead of a wall?