dickbraswell

Word for Today:  April 24

Life at its BEST.

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10 

“Life” in this verse is the word “Zoe,” a Greek term that describes a quality of life, not a quantity, but a quality of life.  It is the word that describes the very same kind of life that God has.  Jesus is saying here, “I have come that you might have life and that life will be the same kind of life that I have and the same kind of life that God has… ”

This is the abundant life that Jesus has given to you and to me.  It is not simply “living and breathing” or “natural, physical” life, but it is the same quality of life that God has.  The same type of Life God has.  It is the “God Kind” of life.

Can you imagine God being worried?  Can you imagine God being afraid?  Can you imagine God being sick?  Can you imagine God being in a bad mood?  Or having a “bad hair day?”  Can you imagine God being poor?   Can you see God being depressed or stressed?  Or sad, or melancholy or “blue?”

God is not saving up for a rainy day.  God is not getting ready to go to the hospital.  God is not tired out or “wore” out… God is not planning on anything bad happening to Him.  He never has and He never will.  God is just fine.

If God is OK then you are OK.

Regardless

Word for Today:  April 23

God says you can  

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.  Phil 4:13

Does this do away with all the “I can’t” situations?  Does this negate all “impossibilities” in your life?  Does this erase all excuses for self-pity?  Does this do away with all defeat?  Would God have said this if He did not mean it?

Does this apply to you as well as to others?  Certainly He said it and He certainly meant it.  Then all our problems have no “reason” for remaining in our life.

How much longer do you intend on putting up with all that junk the devil has piled on you and your family?  Is there any reason for not doing that “impossible” thing now?

If we know to “do good” and “doeth it not” the Word says it is sin (James 4:17).  Any Believer who has the Truth and is willing to cast off everything that is contradicting it, can step right out of the impossible and into the possible.  But it requires ACTION.  It requires DOING.  It requires RISKING.  But it will WORK if the Believer will really believe.

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.   Mr 9:23 

IF we have knowledge of the Truth and apply that knowledge to our circumstances through the God Kind of faith then Victory will be insured.  Every time.  All the time.  Anytime.

No matter what

A Prophetic Message…. From the past

We are all a part of what God is doing.  You were conceived in your mother’s womb and you were brought forth in this hour that you might stand for God today in this crucial time.  You are not  a “nobody” you are a “somebody.”  A Somebody God has planned to occupy a place for Him. He planned this for you before He laid the foundation of the world.  He has ordained that you might be alive and well and a witness to the awesome Move of God that will usher in the Visible Kingdom of God at the end of this Age.

“Who knows but that you are come into the Kingdom for such a time as this?”   This was spoken by Mordicah to Queen Esther regarding her role in approaching the King and asking him to spare the Jews from annihilation.

Es 4:14  For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

And God has seared this phrase in my heart regarding this hour.  Who knows but that you and I have been brought into the Kingdom of God for such a time as this….?  A time when God will send a refreshing and a revival and a renewal that will impact the world with the Gospel of Christ.  Who knows but that this church has been established and kept and raised up to enhance and enlarge this great move of God that is shaking planet earth?

I believe He has.  And I am determined to do what He requires of me in order that the masses might be reached… hallelujah.  If only somehow the scales on our eyes could be lifted so that we might see into the realm of the Spirit… like it was in the days when the prophet Elisha prayed that his servant might see what was really happening around them when they were surrounded by the enemy… listen

17  And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

Saints, I am telling you the place around us is filled with horses and chariots of fire… angels and ministering spirits… heavenly beings sent to help us and encourage us and protect us so that we might be instrumental in producing the Will of God in earth and especially here on the Gulf Coast… during this great season of Outpouring.  Open your eyes and see.  Behold the armies of God and the chariots of fire…  We are not alone.  You are not alone.   God has sent us helpers and we will not fail in the Call on us and the Commission He has given us.

We will touch the world with the Word… and it will issue forth from this small pea patch place in order that the Greatness of Almighty God might be seen.  There will be no doubt since He is Expert in making a Lot out of a little.

Folks, we don’t have to worry about the sweet by and by… we are living in the sweet now and now.  God is arising and His enemies are being scattered.  Satan’s power has been broken and the captives are being set free.  This is the Holy Ghost Holocaust that will precede the holocaust of the Great Tribulation.  All across this world today, behind the scenes, behind closed doors, in little church buildings, in homes, in prayer groups, in open fields, believers are gathering together as the Body of Christ and they are worshipping and praising God and experiencing Him in fresh new ways and with fresh new power.

God is supernaturally preparing the Church for Something Special.  Some are telling me… “I just don’t understand what is going on… I don’t know what to think or what to do…”  God spoke to us several months back and reminded us that He was going to shake everything that could be shaken and move everything that could be moved and jolt everything that could be jolted.

And He also reminded us that this was being done so that those things remaining could become the bedrock and the foundation upon which He could build His End Time Church.  And I believe “this is that.”  There is a shaking.  But there is also a “coming together.”  Just like Ezekiel saw in his vision about the bones.  Bone is coming to bone.

There is a great connection taking place.  And life is coming out of the graveyard.  Where there has been death, there is now life.    Where there were “dead bodies” (dead churches) now they are living and breathing Holy Ghost air. The tomb has become a womb.  Hallelujah.  Churches that were once weak and anemic are now rising up and taking on new energy and new hope and new power.  Now don’t worry about what’s happening… just trust God.  Don’t try to “figure it out” because you can’t.  Just trust God.  What is happening is good.  It is necessary.   And it is a part of God’s Plan for this place.

Everything we are going through is for the glory of God.  It is designed to exalt Him and Reveal His Nature and His Character.  It is happening to show us that God is good.  That He does not do bad things.  And that He is not the cause of sickness and disease and He does not employ accidents and tragedies and catastrophes in order to “teach us something” or in order to “discipline us” because we have done something bad.

God is showing us new things.  He is revealing new facets of His Glory.  He is opening our understanding and moving us out of dead doctrines and lifeless traditions into a new and glorious place.  A place where we can enjoy church instead of enduring it.  A place where church is fun and exciting and refreshing.  A place where we are not duty bound and judged by our performance…. But where we understand His Grace and His Mercy and His Love.

God told His people through the prophet Joel that He was going to restore that which had been taken away… that  which the enemy had stolen.  He told them that they were going to eat in plenty and be satisfied and that they were going to praise the Name of the Lord.  Then, He said they were never going to be ashamed again.  Folks, this is restoration and it is a part of this Great Outpouring on this generation.

I believe that God is going to restore that which dead religion has taken away and that which lifeless traditions have wasted. He is going to bring His Church into a place where it will never be ashamed again.  We have had a “church” that was magnificent in its structure but powerless in its message.  With its tall steeples and stained glass windows and pipe organs and padded pews…. The robed choirs and orchestrated services… the highly trained but spiritually dead clergy…  these have created a hunger for something real.  Something genuine.  Something meaningful.  Something Supernatural.  And it’s happening in this hour.   And it’s good.  God is restoring life and health and strength to His Body.  We have experienced the “former rain” but now we are in the season for the “latter rain” and the latter rain is watering our soil and germinating the Seed of the Word and we are coming into a time of an abundant harvest.

Saints, knowing who we are and where we are and what God is doing, we must spearhead a crash program to proclaim the Full Gospel Message.  The day is far spent and the night is at hand.  Now with all this being said as a background, I want to us to realize and know what God is telling us to do.  Here is what we are to do as this local Body of Christ…

Isaiah 54

First, we are to sing and rejoice.  

 1 ¶  Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.

In the past we have been barren and fruitless. The days of barrenness are ending.   We are going to give birth to myriads of Spiritual Children.    It has been such a burden to see what little we have been able to accomplish regarding expanding the Kingdom of God.  The cry of my heart has been and still is for more “children” … that we might bring forth multitudes of “new babies” into the Kingdom.  That we might reach the lost.  That we might see multitudes brought into the Kingdom of God.  But God is saying to us that it is now time to rejoice and  break forth into singing;  we are to cry aloud because we who have been barren are going to have more “babies” than those who have been “married” a long time.

In other words, God is going to take us into the Delivery Room and we are going to have many children.  The days of reproach and desolation are over.  This day marks the beginning of a New Thing God will perform in our midst.

Hear me carefully.  Murmuring lips will be stopped.  Criticism will cease.  Griping and complaining will be no more.  Those who continuously find fault with what God is doing here (and everywhere else)…. will be left desolate.  They will not succeed if they rise up against what God is doing in this place in this hour.  I know as God speaks to my heart that He is not pleased with those who demean and put down what He is doing here at Lott Road Baptist Church.  And so I issue to you this word of warning…. Stop your criticism…. Refrain your tongue from backbiting… behave yourselves, Christians!   Stop your misbehaving!   Do not argue with what God is doing.

The time is coming, and I speak this prophetically… The time is coming when the Presence of God… and that time is even at the door… when the Overwhelming Presence of God will fall in the midst of His people and those of us who minister will have to stand in silence and refuse to open our mouths because the Presence of God  will be so real and so strong just as it was in the days when Solomon dedicated the Temple….  We will discover that God can and will do His work without a man or a minister or a preacher or a teacher…. He will do it sovereignly…. God can do His work without the arm of flesh.  He can do anything He wants to do because He is God and the devil can’t do anything about it.   God doesn’t need us.  We need God.

Secondly, we are to expand our vision…

2  Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;

I know that we are a small congregation.  I realize that we do not have ample assets.  It is true we are limited financially.  But in spite of this, we are being called to expand our vision. It is necessary that we prepare for the increase.  We must look beyond the four walls of this brick building to the needs of a hurting, dying world.  The world is our parish.  The fields are white and ready for harvest.  We are responsible for more than these seven acres on the side of Lott Road… we are commanded to take the Gospel to the Nations of the earth.

We are to “spare not” which means we are to spare nothing in our quest to obey God and fulfill His Call upon us.  Whatever it takes.  Whatever it takes.  Whatever it takes.  No sacrifice is too great or too costly.  No price is too high… God has called and we must go.  Sell our houses if necessary.  Sell our lands if necessary.  Empty our bank accounts if necessary.  Spend all we have if necessary.  No price is too high and no sacrifice is too great.

“But what about my retirement?”  “But what about my old age?”  “What about that house down by the lake I want to have?”  “What about that boat I want buy?”  “What about the new clothes I want to buy…?”  Well, are you planning living on earth forever?  Or do you have some plans for making it to heaven?   Where is your heart?  Jesus said that where your heart is, is where your treasure will be.  Just what is important to you?

Who said we need to retire anyway?  I had rather burn out than rust out, hadn’t you?  I am confessing that when I am  85 I’ll still be taking mountains for God.  How about you?

To expand our vision also means to expand our “tent”…    We are to lengthen our cords and strengthen our stakes.    I am telling you God is telling me to get ready for the increase.  The masses are coming.  I can hear the footsteps of a multitude as they rush in our direction and they will be looking for a place to serve and be served when they get here.

“Lengthen and strengthen” means don’t try to figure out how you are going fulfill God’s Call on your life, but rather launch out in faith and trust God.

Thirdly, we are not to give in to fear.

4  Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.

Usually the very first thing anybody will say when a challenge is given to their faith is,  “but I’m afraid…”      “I’m afraid we can’t make it financially…”  “I’m afraid we can’t do it; we don’t have enough people..”  “I’m afraid if we start we will fail…”  “I’m afraid of what people will say about me….”  “I’m afraid….”  Don’t ever tell me you are afraid.  Don’t ever say you are afraid.  Do away with fear.  Understand that God has not given you a spirit of fear but of love and power and a sound mind.  Fear is of the devil.  Fear is faith in reverse.  Fear activates the devil  just as faith activates the Word.  Fear has torment.  Fear will keep you from stepping out and simply trusting God.  Fear will rob you and beat you up and steal from you.  Fear will paralyze you and render you helpless.  Fear will open the door to all kinds of devils and demons.  Fear will hinder the harvest and restrain the move of the Holy Spirit.  Don’t be afraid.

We will never have to be ashamed if we follow God.  We will never be confused if we follow God.  We will never be immature if we sincerely follow God.   And we can forget our reproach if we follow God.  We will never be without a Helpmeet if we follow God.  This is what God is speaking to us.  We will not fail.

We will not be ashamed.

We will not be confused.

We will not be confounded.

We will forget our past failures and press on in faith and believe God.

And God will always be our Helpmeet….we will never be forgotten or forsaken.

If God be for us and with us who can be against us? 

5 For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.

This is God’s Message for this church.   In this awesome day of Great Spiritual Outpouring we must rise up into the fullness of what Jesus has for us in the future.   We have heard from prophets and teachers sent our way… we have heard through the prophetic gifts of the Holy Spirit… God has revealed His Will for this ministry… for this church.   He has spoken His Word to us and NOW we must:

Sing and rejoice…. We are going to have a bunch of babies!

Expand our vision to reach the world and our facilities to reach Mobile…

Resist fear in all its form…

Know that God is with us and for us…. Therefore we cannot fail!

From the Preface of my book, A Season of Glory

Every generation should have the blessing of witnessing a Spiritual Awakening.  I believe that I have been privileged to witness just such an awakening…

In the summer of 1962 I assumed the duty as Pastor of Lott Road Baptist Church in Eight Mile, Alabama.  As a fresh graduate of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, it was an exciting time for me, my wife and two children.  It was a time when we sensed that God had something very special for us as we began our ministry in this new field of service.  Lott Road was a small church founded under the leadership of a Blind Preacher nearly 15 years before we came.  As a matter of fact, we were  only the 3^rd pastor in the history of the young church.  The congregation was made up primarily of blue collar workers, local farmers, and retired families and they were all hungry for God and anxious for Revival and Renewal.  It was the most spiritual group of people we had come in contact with in the previous 5 years of our ministry.  And we, too, were ready for God to do something in our lives as well.

A band of men, some were deacons, but others were just great family men, would gather on the grounds of this young church every Saturday Night  and pray for a Move of the Holy Spirit on the congregation and the community.  They had been faithful in doing this several years before we arrived.  They specifically asked God to “pour out His Spirit” on Lott Road Baptist Church.   And when we arrived in 1962 it was evident that God was in the process of doing Something Great on this pea patch plot located eight miles from Eight Mile, Alabama.   When we were considering the call to come there, our very first visit to the church property was marked by an awesome Presence of God.  While we were yet in the car just surveying the grounds and buildings my wife and I were so overwhelmed by the Spirit of God we wept.

The first five years proved to be foundational.  The Lord added to the church and we witnessed many conversions.  There were seasons of great fellowship… there was a great spirit of unity among the Body.  Love among the members was phenomenal.   The ground was being prepared for a great season of Outpouring.  And the hunger for God was growing in the lives of many of the members.  And then….

Things begin to happen in other churches and other denominations in other parts of the country.  There was a Mighty Move of God beginning in some of the major denominations across the United States.  The Presbyterians.  The Episcopalians.  The Methodists.  The Baptists.  And the Catholics.  They were witnessing miraculous physical healings, they were calling home and community meetings for prayer and seeking God, there was a special anointing in preaching and teaching the Word, an exponential increase of people being converted … There were awesome times of deep spiritual worship and heartfelt praise…. and all this was accompanied by Glossilalia… speaking in tongues.  This phenomenon was openly received and welcomed by many ecclesiastical leaders in most major denominations.  It was a fresh breath of the Holy Spirit sweeping across the land.  And it was wonderful.

However, not every denomination was embracing this “new thing” and, invariably, opposition began to rise.  We were among some of the first in the Southern Baptist Convention to be “caught up” in this wonderful move of the Holy Spirit.  But if we were to continue riding this wave of revival, we were asked   by the local Baptist Association to relinquish our membership.  It was the impression of some that this “practice” of “speaking in tongues” was not in keeping with the “faith and practice” of Southern Baptists.  This resulted in a special called meeting of our Lott Road Congregation to determine if we were going to pursue the Charismatic Movement or curtail it and remain in good standing with the SBC.  The unanimous vote of that brave body of believers was that we would forge ahead and see what God had in store for us.  This proved to be The One Major Decision that laid the foundation for the future growth of Lott Road Baptist Church and the later emergence of Life Church Ministries, Inc.

In those formative years, God spoke to us very clearly through His Word and by His Word.  The sermons and messages and teachings that were born in this time of Transition and Transformation are what this book is all about.  The Revelation that God gave to us prophetically, through Tongues and Interpretation, through the spoken Prophetic Word and by His anointed servants that came our way proved to be an unerring direction for us to follow as we forged ahead in those unchartered waters.   God was answering the Baptist Prayers of those Baptist men when we came under the influence of the Holy Spirit Outpouring they had sincerely asked God for.

Many things changed.  And they changed in ways that man could not change them.    A new form of Church Government was set in place.  It was a ground-breaking move from our Congregational Form of Government to an Apostolic Form of Church government.  Our name was changed.  Our Music changed.  Praise became predominant.  Joy was spontaneous and worship became real.   We were enabled to pioneer many new and innovative things in the realm of worship, drama, and media presentations.

Since this demonstration of God’s Power and Presence was so dramatic, I thought it would be profitable to research our archives and find out just what we were preaching at this time of ministry transformation.  Fortunately, our services were tape recorded in those days and there was a spoken record of what God was telling us at the time a ministry was emerging.  The contents of this work are some of the transcribed messages that were preached from 1970 through 1979.  It was during this period that the major direction changes took place in the church.  It was also the period of time when prophetic fulfillment began to manifest as we began to expand the local ministry to other nations and were guided to formulate and develop a world vision.

GETTING GOD’S POWER

“But ye shall receive Power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you…”  Acts 1:8

INTRODUCTION

God wants you to have POWER in your LIFE.  He has fixed it so that you can have POWER in your LIFE.  He wants you to take His place and Function in His place on this earth every day of your life.  You know that you need GOD’S POWER in your life.  There are some things you want to do and you cannot do them without GOD’S POWER in operating in your LIFE.  You need:

(1) POWER over sin

(2) POWER over being timid

(3) POWER over being sick

(4) POWER over wrong attitudes

(5) POWER over the desires of the flesh and mind

(6) POWER over the curse of poverty

(7) POWER over your thought life

(8) POWER over fear and anxiety

(9) POWER over your hurt feelings and bruised spirit

(10) POWER over depression and worry.

(11) POWER over the devil and demons.

You know where you need POWER and why you need POWER.  You know what GOD’S POWER will do for you and in you.  You know that you can do nothing without His POWER.  You want His POWER and you want His POWER NOW!!  You are tired of waiting and procrastinating… you have tried other things and they have all failed.  You have read books and you have listened to tapes and you have prayed and you have gone to church… but you have never received God’s Power in your life.  It is now TIME for you to RECIEVE GOD’S POWER IN YOUR LIFE and LIVE DAILY IN IT!!

We want to discover: 1. What God’s Power is  2. How to receive God’s Power and 3. What God’s Power will do for you

1. WHAT GOD’S POWER IS

God’s Power is GOD’S ABILITY.  God’s Power is God’s MIGHT.  God’s Power is God’s AUTHORITY.  God’s Power is God’s GLORY.  God’s Power is God’s RIGHTEOUSNESS.  God’s Power is God’s HOLINESS.  God’s Power is God’s NATURE.  God’s Power is GOD-LIFE.

God’s Power is not of this world and does not operate by the laws of this world.  God’s power is a PRIMARY POWER and is more powerful than any other energy or force or power in the kosmos.  All other power is inferior to God’s Power.  Nothing is higher than God’s Power!!  We have great difficulty in comprehending God’s Power because the only frame of reference we have is in the natural world.  God’s Power can be understood only in the context of the Spiritual and the Supernatural.  Notice: (1) God’s CREATIVE POWER.  (2) God’s SUSTAINING POWER  (3) God’s REDEMPTIVE (saving) POWER.

God’s POWER comes out of His Nature.  He is has Power because He is GOD.  One of His attributes is OMNIPOTENCE… or the fact that He has ALL POWER.  He is our ALL-POWERFUL GOD!!  His POWER makes Him SUFFICIENT and ADEQUATE!!  His POWER can do all things… meet all needs (according to His riches in Glory!!)… supply every lack… conquer every foe… defeat every devil!!

God’s POWER is TRANSFERABLE!!  It can be passed on and transferred to others. The awesome thing about being Born Again is that God is willing to TRUST HIS CHILDREN with HIS POWER!!

How is God’s Power received?

2.  HOW TO RECEIVE GOD’S POWER

God’s Power is TRANSFERABLE.  When you were born naturally, you received, biologically, certain characteristics from your earthly parents.  You live with and in these traits every day until the day you die.  You even “favor” or “resemble” your earthly, physical parents because of the genetic structure of the human race.  When you were born naturally, you received everything you needed to function in natural life.  You got lungs to breathe with, legs to walk with, eyes to see with, hands to work with.  Everything you needed to function and live naturally were received biologically at the time you were born.

When you were BORN AGAIN you received, spiritually, the Character and Nature and Attributes of your HEAVENLY FATHER.  That is why Jesus said “Except a man be Born Again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God…” (John 3:3)  The word “see” means to “know” or “have knowledge of”.  It means to “perceive” or to “understand”.  Jesus was NOT talking about HEAVEN in this passage!!  He was talking about living and functioning in God’s Place and in God’s Kingdom on this earth before you go to heaven!!

You have RECEIVED the NATURE OF GOD if you are Born Again and, therefore, you have had GOD’S POWER transferred to you.  You receive God’s Power by getting BORN AGAIN.  If you are not LIVING IN GOD’S POWER it may be because you do not know how to!!  You can have God’s Power and yet not live in God’s Power.  Thousands of Believers are right there… maybe you are one of them!!  You can have God’s Power and yet not activate it and release it!!  This is where the Baptism in the Holy Spirit comes in!!

The Baptism in the Holy Ghost is essential in ACTIVATING and RELEASING God’s Power from within the Believer.  “Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?”  (Acts 19:2)  The Baptism in the Holy Spirit or the Infilling of the Holy Spirit is an EXPERIENCE apart from and in addition to being SAVED.  You can be saved and not filled with the Spirit.  You can have God’s Power in you and not have God’s Power working out of you.  This is the very reason for so many defeated and unhappy and unfruitful Christians.  The 2 Essentials for receiving God’s Power:  (1) the New Birth and (2) the Baptism in the Holy Ghost.  (You can know if you have or if you have not received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit!!)  If you do not know you have it, you can lose it and not know you lost it!!

3.   WHAT GOD’S POWER WILL DO FOR YOU

God’s Power will do for you what God will do for you!!  It will bring God on the scene and release His Power at the point of your need!!  God’s Power will:  (1) Deliver you from sin’s control and dominion  (2) Provide you with weapons for effective Spiritual warfare (II Cor. 10:4-5)  (3) Open the door to Revelation Knowledge and Spiritual Understanding  (4) Provide you with opportunities to operate in the Gifts of the Spirit (5) Fill you with Agape Love  (6) Give you power over the devil and demons  (7) Encourage you to operate in Faith and Total Trust  (8) Give you power over sickness and disease  (9) Release you from the curse of poverty and lack  (10) motivate you to Witness and bear Spiritual Fruit  (11) Enhance your Prayer Life and encourage you in Praise and Worship  (12) Cause you to see the world through the eyes of Jesus  (13) Make you a part of the end-time army God is raising up to hasten the return of Jesus!!

HALLELUJAH!!

Word for Today:  April 22

Sow the seed that matches the need.

Every need has a matching seed.  Find the seed that matches the need and sow it.  One unfailing principle of God’s Word is the principle of Sowing and Reaping.  You will never have a need if you practice sowing according to God’s Word.  You do not have a “need” problem… you have a sowing problem.  Seed does no good as long as you hold it.  It must be sown… put in circulation.

If you need joy… sow joy.  If you need healing… go pray for someone who is sick.  If you need encouragement, go to some discouraged individual and speak encouragement to them.  If you need finances… give into the Kingdom.  And be sure that the soil you choose to sow in is good ground.

Finally, prepare for the increase.  Plan Big.  Think Big.  Talk Big.  Expect Big.  Believe Big.  You are the key.  God allows you to set your own limits and fix your own boundaries.  You initiate and heaven shouts Amen!  You begin and Heaven confirms.  You loose on earth and God looses in Heaven.  You bind on earth and God binds in heaven.

You begin and God finishes

Overcoming Anxiety

Matthew 6: 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you…

Kingdom: A realm of Authority and Power.  Rulership.  Dominion.

Phil 4:6 Be anxious for nothing…  NKJV

Worry, fear, anxiety, stress, frustration, disappointment, disillusion… Emotional overload… Drama….  all these slander and contradict every promise in the Word of God.  They are outside the Will of God for you.

Notice Jesus is dealing with things that causes all the above.  The crux of the matter.  He’s talking about Survival.  Living.  And He knows the Worries and fears we face in life and our anxiety about the future…

• What will I have to eat and drink today?
• What will I have to wear tomorrow? And the days ahead?
• How can I survive at this present time? When I have nothing stored up?
• What will I do for shelter and protection?
• Who will take care of me?
• What if?……

So… we need some instruction about how to do this.  How we can overcome worry.  And fear.  And anxiety.  And have assurance that God will take care of us.

The answer is in the Word and, in fact, is in these words spoken by Jesus Himself.

1. Seek (look for) and Find the Kingdom of God.

But seek (zeteo: to look for with the purpose of finding) ye first the kingdom of God,

And Jesus says that this is the FIRST thing we should do.  It becomes our priority.  Our passion.  Our driving force.  Looking for the Kingdom.  Discovering where the Kingdom is.

In order to overcome anxiety…  (1) Look for the Kingdom.  (2) Find the Kingdom.  (3) Learn how the Kingdom works.  (4) And then, incorporate Kingdom Principles in everyday living.

And when we succeed in doing this, “All these things (basic living needs) shall be added unto you.” (Mat 6:33). 

When the Kingdom operates in you as God intends for it to, then the Will of God will be done for you.  When the Will of God is done for you…   you will be delivered from all worry, fear, anxiety and stress.

Now let’s find the Kingdom.  The Word tells us where it is.  Jesus tells us exactly where it is located.

1. Discover WHERE IT IS

The Kingdom of God is in YOU.

Luke 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within (entos: inside) you.  (that’s why it can’t be seen, or “observed” it is invisible because it inside every believer)

2 Cor 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.  

God has deposited a TREASURE inside of your human body.  That TREASURE is the Kingdom of God.

• Your Body has become GOD’S HEADQUARTERS. (His Office, and He’s always “in”)
• Your Mind becomes God’s Operating System.
• Your Spirit becomes the Controller and Director of your flesh.

According to the Word, all of Heaven’s Resources are INSIDE the BELIEVER.  Everything God has and all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Per 1:3) is already inside of the Believer in SEED FORM.  Heaven’s Storehouse is right inside of you… Remember “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”   Where is Christ?  In you.  Where is His Glory?  In you.   What does He possess and what has He given us?  (All things that pertain to life and godliness) They are in you.   They are in you NOW (regardless of outward circumstances or pre-existing problems.  The Answer to ALL THINGS is inside of you and me.

2. Learn HOW IT WORKS

The Kingdom of God works by and through FAITH… (and Not by facts)

It is Supernatural.  It is Eternal.  It functions by Faith and not by Facts. Facts are natural and temporal.  Faith is Supernatural and Eternal.  And it is Faith that pleases the Father (without faith you cannot please God) because GIVING to you is the very thing that pleases God.  (“It’s your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom…”  Lk 12:32) and getting what He has Given you is received only through FAITH.  Jesus prayed, “Thy Kingdom Come thy Will be done in earth as it is in heaven…” (Matt 6:10).  Faith become the door into the resources of the Kingdom of God.

3. The KINGDOM has KEYS

Mt 16:19   And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Keys are for binding and for loosing.  For shutting and for opening.  For stopping and for starting.  They are the scepter of authority for every Believer.

When Jesus conceptualized and prophesied the Church in Matthew 16: 18-19, He gave all the keys to it.  Search them out.  Find them.  Believe them.  Use them.

What you do with the Keys determines what HAPPENS to YOU on EARTH.

4. The KINGDOM is DESIGNED to OPERATE on EARTH.

It is NOT reserved for us just for when we get to heaven. It is on earth that we need the THINGS OF GOD… the POWER of GOD… the AUTHORITY of GOD… the ABILITY of GOD… the GIFTS of the HOLY SPIRIT… the KINGDOM works through the Church (the Body of Christ).  We are GOD’S FAMILY and we are called and commissioned to live heaven’s life here on earth in the very midst of a “crooked and perverse” generation…

5. WHATEVER you NEED can be FOUND in the KINGDOM

And the KINGDOM IS IN YOU.  We do not wait for blessings to “fall from heaven” on us.  “The Glory of the Lord is Risen upon you” (Isa 60) “THE KINGDOM of HEAVEN SUFFERETH VIOLENCE” (religion will pervert the truth and purity of it).  Religion and the organized church has done violence to the kingdom for years.  “AND THE VIOLENT (forceful, determined, strong) TAKE IT BY FORCE…” (Matt 11:12)

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Phil 4:19

Receive a Revelation of this Truth and you will be enabled to overcome every obstacle you will ever face and defeat every demon you ever encounter.

Word for Today:  April 21

Seize the opportunity you have TODAY.

Jesus was leaving Jericho headed for Jerusalem.  He was on His way to die and He would never again pass that way.  Blind Bartimaeus did not know that, but it was still the truth.  Who knows when our last opportunity will come?  Who can tell when our Day of Visitation will expire?

If all the blind and halt and lame had known that Jesus would never pass that way again, they would have lined the streets and pressed in and mobbed Jesus as they sought for their miracle.

I wonder how many have missed their miracle because they ignored a present day opportunity.  I believe that God has prepared this brief message just for you.   And He has purposed that you would read and heed it today.

Some need forgiveness.  Some need healing.  Some need deliverance from sin.  Some need the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.  Some need fellowship with other Believers.  Some need to get to a place where they can hear from God.  Some need a miracle to deliver them from a desperate situation.

Jesus is passing your way.   Right now. I want to believe He will pass your way again, but I have no guarantee of it.  Nor do you.  Don’t be like the hundreds that missed Jesus while He journeyed through their city.

 Seek ye the Lord while He may be found… call ye upon Him while He is near…  Isa 55:6

That is NOW

There will be times in your Christian Experience that IT SEEMS like NOTHING IS HAPPENING.  There are times of WAITING.  The Bible calls this PATIENCE!!  We live in a Quick-Fix, Fast Lane, Instant and Immediate world.  Everything is keyed to a Drive-Up syndrome.  Drive up fast food.  (Sudden Food in Liberia!)  Drive up Dry Cleaners.  Drive up Banking.  Drive up pawn shops.  Drive up Funeral Parlors.  Most of American life (and Christian life) is tied to the NOW.  In reality, the RIGHT NOW!  Perhaps this is one reason it is so hard to WAIT when we are dealing with Spiritual Things.

Jesus said in Mark 11 that if we “shall not doubt in our heart, but shall believe that those things which we say shall come to pass, we shall HAVE WHATSOEVER we SAY…”  He added:  “Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them…”  He also said:  “If  you ask anything in My Name, I will do it…”  (John 14:14).  How can we explain the FACT that some have asked and some have believed and some have agreed and some have not doubted, but YET the answer has not manifested.  They are still WAITING.  Some are not only waiting, they are WONDERING.  Many have turned to WISHING and HOPING and LONGING.  But IT SEEMS that NOTHING HAS HAPPENED and NOTHING IS HAPPENING.

Waiting is not bad.  Not if you understand what is taking place in the realm of the Spirit.  When we PRAY and BELIEVE, powerful spiritual forces are released.  These forces are invisible but they are REAL.  They work and they produce.  While we wait, we can win.  We do not have to get discouraged, or depressed or frustrated.  We can discover facets of God’s Grace and Tender Mercies that we never knew existed if we WAIT IN FAITH.  “You will reap in due season (there is an APPOINTED TIME set BY GOD for your answer!), if you faint (to relax or become exhausted) not…” (Gal 6:9)  While we wait, there are some things we can do to strengthen our Faith Position.  Waiting does not mean “doing nothing”.  “Resting” in God does not mean idleness or laziness.  While we wait, we intensify our Spiritual Warfare.  (Spiritual Warfare is the theme for the 90’s.  The Church is coming into a powerful AGRESSIVE POSTURE.  In the 90’s this Offensive will do great damage to the powers of darkness.  Forces that have long held multitudes in captivity will be BROKEN and there shall be GREAT LIGHT in the place of darkness).

(1)  God is Working

(2)  satan is warring

(3)  I am Waiting  (Developing patience: hupomone “cheerfulness, endurance, constancy”)  “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this that the trying (proving) of your faith worketh (accomplishes, finishes) patience…”  (James 1:2-3)

1. BE ASSURED OF GOD’S FAITHFULNESS. (Trustworthy)

God is faithful (trustworthy).  God will honor His Word.  God will always Perform what He Promises.  “God is faithful…”  the Magna Charta of the NT Church.  He will not fail you.  He will not forsake you.  He will SHOW UP and Deliver you… IN TIME!!  The Bible is a RECORD of God’s Faithfulness.  “In the fullness of time…”  There is a “time” set aside for every purpose and every answer.  Do not frustrate God’s Grace by getting impatient.  Impatience has birthed many Ishmaels.  Taking over before God gets through can be disastrous.  Let “patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect (teleos: complete, full grown) and entire (complete in every part, perfectly sound, whole), wanting nothing…”  (James 1:4)

There is a WAY of ESCAPE.   God is faithful and He will not allow you to be tempted more than you can stand.  But with every temptation, He will also make a Way of escape.  (I Cor 10:13) Nothing shall by any means hurt you.  No evil shall come near the place you dwell… BECAUSE GOD IS FAITHFUL.

2.  REHEARSE THE WORD  (“It is written…”)

Exercise it like you would exercise your muscles.  Use it.  Let it RISE up out of your Spirit.  Temper the Word with aggressiveness.  Be offensive and attack your hard situation with the Revelation God gives you in His Word.  “It is written…”  “God says…”  “The Word declares…”

3.  QUIT WORRYING (Follow after peace)

99% of the things you worry about NEVER HAPPEN.  Settle in your heart that EVERYTHING IS REALLY OK.  satan exaggerates and intensifies and magnifies the negative.  God is in Control.

4.  WORSHIP JESUS

Seek Jesus… not your answer!!  The more you worship Him the less you think about your problem.  Sing.  Pray.  Bow before Him.  Speak in Tongues.  Prophesy to yourself.  Worship God!!

Word for Today:  April 20

The Main Thing.

There is absolutely nothing as important as being Right with God.  Being Right with God means being Born Again.   It means living for God.  It means resisting and refusing to live in sin.  It means being ready to die and ready to live. It means not being satisfied to exist or merely survive.  It means being ready to meet Jesus and to greet Jesus.  It means not fearing death, being terrified of the graveyard, or dreading eternity.    It means living in obedience to the Word and it means being free from sin’s control and dominion.  It means being a Witness.  It means making a Positive Difference in the Word.  Nothing… absolutely nothing is as important as being Right with God.

The world is hell-bent on preventing you and me from getting Right with God and staying Right with God.   It (the world system) is controlled by the devil and demons and they are actively engaged in all kinds of deception in order to keep you and me from being Right with God.  If you are right with God, the Kingdom of Darkness is determined to get you back and keep you out of the Will of God.  They will spare nothing.  They will work day and night to get to you, to get to your family, to get to your mind, to get to your heart.  Jesus warned us that:

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:  John 10:10

Therefore, the One Thing we must be absolutely sure of is that we are Born Again and Right with God.    Nothing else really matters.  Jesus is not so much concerned about your church membership or your denominational affiliation. He is not so concerned about all your Spiritual Gifts.  Your Religious Credentials are worthless.  Your good works are just not enough.  Your performance doesn’t matter.

“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”

And being right with God is the Main Thing