dickbraswell

My dad was a remarkable man.  Born into a tenant farmer’s family with 11 brothers and sisters, he had only an eighth grade education because he had to help on the farm. He was a visionary and an engineer at the core of his being.  In 1948, he acquired a US patent on a device he invented while working as a pump mechanic in a large chemical plant.  With no formal education, he designed an ingenious flexible coupling that would self-adjust when applied to the shafts of a pump and a power source.  However, it never benefited him or our family since it was pirated by a large and deep-pocketed tool manufacturing company. 

But his greatness was not just as a designer and side-line engineer, he was also an artist, skilled (with no instruction) at painting oil landscapes of beautiful forests and mountains (he had never seen a mountain) and rippling brooks and rivers.  He was a musician.  He was a poet who composed beautiful love poems for my Mom and also a song writer… again, a love song for my mother entitled “Wonderful You.”

He was a golfer and took me at an early age to the links and taught me good sportsmanship and how to have class even if we were not in the high-class income bracket.  I never heard him utter a curse word.  I never saw him lose his temper, I never heard him say an unkind word to my mom, I never saw him drink or act unruly or show any signs of hatred toward anyone. 

Here are some of the things he did for me:

 HE:

• Loved my mom… totally and completely
• I never saw him throw a temper tantrum
• Never drank
• I never heard him swear or utter a curse word
• Never worried
• Never abused my mom in word or deed
• Was never pessimistic
• Took me to church
• Bought me bikes
• Taught me to be honest and not to lie
• Showed me how to be kind and loving
• Demonstrated compassion for others… took his Christmas bonus and bought presents for children in a poor family in my hometown
• Sacrificed to give me all things I needed (not necessarily what I wanted)
• Built things for me
• Showed me how to do stuff
• Took me fishing
• Played golf with me
• Carried us on trips  and camping vacations
• Taught me family love and respect
• Was faithful to Mom and me
• Worked tirelessly to make us comfortable and secure
• Demonstrated the Love of God for all to see

Some of the most memorable times during my early childhood were our visits Dad’s parents  (Pap Paw’s and Mam Maw’s) small house on the outskirts of Hattiesburg.  Some of his brothers and my cousins would meet there and have a gig… they all played some kind of musical instrument… the violin, the guitar, mandolin, piano and accordion and those who could not play one, did the singing.  The small house literally vibrated with song, melody and family unity like I have never experienced anywhere in all my years.   

Dad loved me and he loved my mom.  He was a true “family man” and sacrificed incredibly to see that we were secure, and well-cared for. 

At my ordination in 1958, he asked to speak a word to those gathered.  He walked to the front with his Bible in hand and quoted “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased” and tearfully walked back to his seat.

I will forever remember that moment. 

Thank you Dad

Word for Today:  June 18

Jesus changed things.

He came from heaven and into this world for the express purpose of changing things.  He took the bad and made it good.  He took the weak and made it strong.  He took the dead and brought them to life.

Jesus went about changing things.  He always made them better.  He made it possible for you and me to change things.  He gives us power to alter situations and change circumstances and make things better.

It’s the devil who makes things bad.  demons make life miserable.  However, YOU can change your situation, your circumstances, your bad things into good things.

Maybe today you are living in situations that need to be changed.  You want them changed and you feel trapped because you “think” you can do nothing about it.   Some have been convinced by the devil that they can do nothing about certain situations… “They are hopeless…” They are “impossible”…”You’ll never overcome this…”  “You might as well quit because you can’t win…” these are insinuations the devil makes when you find yourself in a fix.

Others would confess “I can’t help it” or “there is nothing I can do about it…” or “it is out of my hands…”  It is imperative that you know God has given every Believer Authority and Power to change situations and circumstances.

Jesus said: Ye shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make you free John 8:32

This means that the Truth you know and act on shall deliver you (give you the power) to change things.

If you don’t like what’s happening…. change it

Word for Today:  June 16

There is a Stream flowing.

It is a Stream of Power.  It is a Stream of Salvation.  It is a Stream of Healing.  It is a Stream of Deliverance.  It is a Stream of Victory.

Jesus talked about this Stream.  It is the Anointing.  He commanded His followers to go to Jerusalem (the place they were to receive the Stream) and to wait there Until.  Until they were caught up in the Stream and equipped to release the Anointing of the Holy Ghost into the earth.

That is the Stream that is flowing in this hour.  It is a powerful and relentless Stream of Holy Ghost Power.  Jesus said that out of our “Bellies would flow Rivers of Living Water…”  That is the Stream.  The Anointing.  The Power.

We are the River Beds and through us the Stream is to flow.  Not through angels.  Not through God.  Not through the Holy Ghost.  But through us.  You and me.  The Church.  The Body of Christ.

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. John 4:14

When you are a River Flowing, people will find you.  Because they are thirsty.  This land is thirsty.  This age is thirsty.  When you are the River, those who are thirsty will find you and ask for a drink.  It is important that we keep the River Flowing.

The Bible warns us not to quench the Spirit.  Not to stop the flow.  Not to cool off the fire.  Not to hinder the stream.  We are to be Filled with the Spirit.  Continually Filled.  Filled to overflowing.   Filled until there is no space left in us for anything but God.

This River of Living Water is the Greatest Power in the Universe.

And it is in every Believer.  And it is there now.  Today.  Right where you are.

At this very moment

Word for Today:  June 15

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32

What does “free” mean?  It means free.  It means to be set loose.  It means to be released from bondage.  It means to be unshackled.  Jesus said the truth would make us free.

If we are free, it is the truth that made us free.  If we are bound it is the Lie that has put us in bondage.

Now what is the lie?  The Lie is anything that contradicts the Word of God.  It is anything that comes from the devil because the Bible says that he is the father of lies.

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. Joh 8:44

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Joh 8:32

To paraphrase what Jesus says in this verse:

“You shall know the Truth of God’s Word and the Truth of God’s Word that you act on in faith will deliver you from your bondage”

That is exactly where God wants us to be.  He wants us to be totally free from all satanic, demonic, emotional and psychological bondage.  He wants us to be delivered from every habit and every burden and every demonic oppression the devil has put on us.

Exposure to the Truth will change us.  And when we are exposed to the Truth and the Truth becomes revelation to us, we can change bad things into good things.

When we begin to take in the Truth, we begin to get better.  Better in our body.  Better in our mind.  Better in our talking.  Better in our expectations.  Better in our relationships.  Better in our patience.  Better in our temperament.

Better in every life experience

Word for Today:  June 13

What is the Will of God?

What is His Plan?  What has He purposed for me?

Jesus prayed for the will of God to be done on earth as it (the will of God) is being done in heaven.  The will of God is the same thing that a last will and testament is here on earth.

The Will is what God has provided for His Children.  It is what He has left for His heirs.  The Will of God is the Word of God… the composite of Truth that provides revelation and knowledge to those who belong to Him.

The level of “all things possible” living must come from a revelation of His Will… which is His Word.  What it is.  What is says.  What it promises.  How it works.  Why it works.

Understanding the Will of God opens the door for one to Believe God and to Believe Him for what He has promised in His Word.

I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.   Jer 29:11 (The Message)

God has plans for you.  Big plans.  Exciting plans.

He plans to give you the future you hope for.

This is HIS Will

Word for Today:  June 12

Every Believer is endued with God’s Power.

They may not act like it, look like it or talk like it… but they do.   According to God’s Word… His power resides in every Believer.

One reason many do not function in this power is because they do not know where it is.  If they do not know where it is they cannot function in it.   If they cannot function in it they cannot use it.  If they cannot use it they will be buffeted and whipped by the devil.  And the things that need changing will not be changed.

God’s Power is not exclusively in Heaven.

All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth… is what Jesus said in Matt 28:18.

Now, where does He dwell?  Christ in YOU the hope of Glory!   Col 1:27

We have been taught that we are to pray for God’s Power to FALL on us.  For God to “send the Power…”  For the “Fire of God” to fall and come down from heaven.  We were led to believe that we could do nothing unless the Power “fell” on us.

For years I prayed for a Revival to come from Heaven.  Our whole concept of God’s Power has been warped and steeped in error.  No wonder we can’t operate in God’s Power… we don’t even know what it is, where it is, how to get it or how to release it.

Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the (wonder-working, miraculous) power that worketh in us…  Eph 3:20

God’s Power does not “come down” or “fall on us”…. God’s Power emanates from our RE-Born human spirit that is Born Again in the Image of God and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  God’s power is IN US.  It is not only in heaven and it is not floating in space or gathering in the skies to fall on us when we “pray through…”

Arise, shine, for thy light is come and the Glory of the Lord is RISEN UPON THEE… Isa 60:1

Is He supposed to rise up out of the ground?  Of course not.   Then what is He supposed to “arise” out of?

He is to rise out of the Re-created, Re-born human spirit… and when He does His enemies (and yours, too) will be scattered.

Let God arise and His enemies be scattered…  Psa 68:1

Word for Today:  June 11

Eternal means forever.

Eternal means without end.  Timeless.  It is very hard (nearly impossible) for anyone to comprehend the meaning of Eternity.  We are creatures captured and held hostage in a span of time.  We live in submission to time.  We are controlled by time.  Time is our enemy.

We are destined to die because we are subject to time.   Seconds.  Minutes. Hours. Days. Weeks. Years. Decades. Centuries. Millennia.   All these become the defining term for the passing of time.

Everything in the human experience is related to Time.  Everything we know about has a Beginning and is rushing madly toward an End.  Such is Life.  Stuff gets old because of time.  We get old because of time.  We are so immersed in “time consciousness” that it is all but impossible for us to become “eternal conscious.”

I am challenging you now to think Eternal.  Think Bigger and larger and greater than you have every thought.  Let your Imagination soar to new heights as you consider the Vastness… the Expanse… the Unsearchable and Indefinable scope and size of Creation.

Every Mortal Being, saved or lost, is Eternal.  Not the body, but the mind (soul) and the Spirit.  Where the body is “mortal,” the mind (soul) and the spirit of man is “immortal.”  They will last forever.

If one is Born Again, that person will Live forever.  If one is not Born Again and dies in his sin, that person will Die forever.

Life is a dress rehearsal for Eternity

Word for Today:  June 10

What is the Will of God?

What is His Plan?  What has He purposed for me?

Jesus prayed for the will of God to be done on earth as it (the will of God) is being done in heaven.  The will of God is the same thing that a last will and testament is here on earth.

The Will is what God has provided for His Children.  It is what He has left for His heirs.  The Will of God is the Word of God… the composite of Truth that provides revelation and knowledge to those who belong to Him.

The level of “all things possible” living must come from a revelation of His Will… which is His Word.  What it is.  What is says.  What it promises.  How it works.  Why it works.

Understanding the Will of God opens the door for one to Believe God and to Believe Him for what He has promised in His Word.

I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.   Jer 29:11 (The Message)

God has plans for you.  Big plans.  Exciting plans.

He plans to give you the future you hope for.

1Cor. 12:7   But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

1Cor. 12:8   For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

1Cor. 12:9   To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

1Cor. 12:10   To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

1Cor. 12:11   But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

What The Gifts of the Spirit are and how they are to Work:

            God our Father has accepted us and endued us with Authority to become the sons of God with Power to represent Him in the world as He would represent Himself.  There is nothing more explicit in Scripture than the plan of God for divine-human sons endued with Power to represent God in the earth.

            The Spiritual Tools of God are the Gifts of the Holy Spirit which He wants exercised in full by all of His Children.  Everything in existence partakes of the same nature, powers, attributes and characteristics that belong to its particular species.   Men who are Born of God Spiritually partake of the same nature, powers, attributes, and characteristics that belong to God who is our Heavenly Father.

            We are not to be ignorant of these gifts.  Listen to what Paul says:

1Cor. 12:1   Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.

Notice:

            1.  The Gifts of the Holy Spirit were manifest in the OT with the exception of the gift of tongues and interpretation of tongues. 

            Interpretation of Dreams and Visions  (Dan 1:17; Gen 37:5-11)

            Faith (Heb 11:1-40; Rom 4:1-25)

            Wisdom and Knowledge (1Ki 3:12; 4:29-34; 2Sam 14:20)

            Healings (Gen 20:7,17; Ex 15:26; Ps 105;37; 107:20)

            Miracles (Ex 4:12; 17:6; Num 16:30; 1Ki 17; 2Ki 8)

            Prophecy (Acts 3:21; Lk 1:70; 2Pet 1:21; Heb 1:1,2)

            Discernment (2Ki 5:25-27; 6:12; 2Sam 14:20)

The Gifts of the Spirit are not “new.”  They have been exercised of old in greater power than we see manifest in the church today.

            2.  The purpose of the Gifts of the Spirit is to enable all believers to do the works of Jesus and to continue the work that He began both to do and to teach (Acts 1:1-2; 15-15; 1Cor 1:7; Rom 12:3-8; 1Cor 12:4-31; 14:1-40; Heb 2:3-4).  They were given to confirm the Gospel and to demonstrate the power of God among men….”These signs shall follow them that believe…”

            3.  The Gifts of the Spirit are available to every Believer for service and worship and to be used for specific purposes in the public meetings of Believers.  (Local assembly).

            4.  In 1Cor 12:4-11 we are told that the gifts are for “every man” and for “all” and that “to one is given…. to another…. to another…. ” etc.  The gifts of the Spirit are signs of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and are perfectly normal in the New Testament Church.

            5.  Gifts of the Spirit are for children of God whether they are baptized in the Holy Spirit or not.  They were active in the lives of believers in the OT.   Many believers who never “spoke in tongues” have done great things for God… however, no doubt, they could have done even greater works had they been baptized in the Holy Ghost.  A believer without the Gifts of the Spirit is like a man who has a job to do and no tools to work with.

            6.  Gifts can be abused and misused.  Solomon was in a backslidden state when he exercised the wonderful gifts of wisdom and knowledge to further his own rebellion against God (Ecc 1:12-18; 2;4-11).  Moses misused his gift of miracles when he smote the rock instead of speaking to it (Num 20:7-13; Deut 32:48-52).  Paul states that one may have the gifts of the Spirit and still not have love and they would profit nothing (1Cor 13:1-3).

            7.  The Gifts of the Spirit, as permanent abilities, can be exercised by the recipient at his will at any time and in any place.  Man is free to use these gifts as he sees fit for the glory of God.  They are given by God to us to be so used.  God leads and guides and urges in their use.  Paul commanded Timothy to “neglect not” and to “stir up the gift” that was in him, proving that he could let it remain dormant or he could use it at his own will (1Tim 4:14; 2Tim 1:6).

            8.  The Gifts should be exercised when any known personal or public need is manifest.  The gifts are for personal edification (1Cor 12:7; 14:4) and for public edification and profit and to build up the body of Christ.  (1Cor 12:4-31; 14:2-3; 5, 12, 17, 26, 31; Eph 4:7-11).  When there are sick to be healed, demons to cast out, miracles that need to be performed, the church to be edified and instructed in the things of God, sin to be rebuked, or any human need to be met, it is appropriate for the Gifts of the Spirit to be exercised.

            9.  The Gifts are needed today.  The church must have them to cope with satanic powers and defeat the works of the devil in the lives of individuals.  Each Child of God needs them in order to be able to meet the needs of his own personal life and fulfill his responsibilities in the Church. 

            10.  Believers can have Gifts and not know how to use them.  This is the purpose Paul had in instructing the church in the use of the Gifts.  It should be the desire of every believer, not only to have the gifts, but to know how to use them.

            11.  The Gifts of the Spirit are to be manifest throughout this age.  Just like all other blessings of the Gospel, the gifts are to continue through this age.  Tongues, prophecy, knowledge, and other gifts were to cease “when that which is perfect is come.”  (1Cor 13:8-13).  We still have knowledge and prophecies and all these gifts, so the Perfect (Complete) has not yet come.  Most who teach that the Gifts ceased in 64AD still have some semblance of “knowledge” so it is clear from the Scriptures that the other gifts have not been done away with. 

Classification and Definition of the Gifts of the Spirit:

            The Gifts of the Spirit fall into three natural divisions:

            1.  The Gifts of Revelation

                        (1) The Word of Wisdom

                        (2)  The Word of Knowledge

                        (3)  The Discerning of Spirits

            2.  The Gifts of Inspiration

                        (1)  Prophecy

                        (2)  Tongues

                        (3)  Interpretation of Tongues

            3.  The Gifts of Power

                        (1)  Faith

                        (2)  Healing

                        (3)  Working of Miracles

            The Gifts of the Spirit, as supernatural manifestations, are to enable the church to act in the place of God and do what He would do if He were here on earth doing the work Personally.

They are desperately needed in the Body of Christ today

Word for Today:  June 9

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

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 unless GOD’S POWER is operating in your LIFE.  You need:

• POWER over sin
• POWER over being timid
• POWER over being sick
• POWER over wrong attitudes
• POWER over the desires of the flesh and mind
• POWER over the curse of poverty and lack
• POWER over your thought life
• POWER over fear and anxiety
• POWER over your hurt feelings and bruised spirit
• POWER over depression and worry
• 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 need His Power and you want His Power to work in you and for you.

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 the full measure of God’s Power in your life.

It’s yours for the asking.

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.  Mt 21:22

For the promise (of God’s Power) is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.  Acts 2:39