dickbraswell

The following are events that, I believe will take place on earth just before Jesus comes again…:

1.  Powerful empires on the earth will be shaken by internal strife, scandal, and division.  

Our own government as well as many the most powerful political figures in this nation will not escape this shaking.  It will not only be a shaking, but it will be shocking.   Kingdoms thought to be unshakable will stagger and reel under the mighty Hand of God.

Great destruction and mass hysteria will come, and many will be tempted to give up and fall away.  Nation will literally rise up against nation.  BUT… out of this conflict will come a great Spiritual Awakening that will surpass all Revivals in recorded history.   Sleeping Christians will be jolted awake.  LIFE will come forth out of death and influence every living creature on planet earth.

 2.  Millions of people will be saved, even more who have backslidden will be reclaimed…

This awesome event will happen instantly.  Overnight.  Everywhere.  All over the earth.  Downtown street curbs will become holy altars upon which sinners will kneel and pray and seek the Face of Almighty God. 

3.  Great Wealth and Riches will be brought into the Re-Born Church

(The true Body of Christ that will be walking in obedience) and it will become the richest and most powerful Institution on earth.  Financially enabled to saturate the earth with the Gospel of the Kingdom.

4.   Every False Prophet and every false doctrine will be openly exposed to

the world.  

Every spirit of deception will be identified and revealed.   Fake churches will be exposed. There will be no place for the false and counterfeit to hide.  Every secret thing shall be uncovered.  Hearts will be uncovered.  Motives will be revealed.  The truth about them will be known and announced.  

5.  Great Supernatural manifestations of God will occur

Signs,   wonders and miracles will take place not only in the Church, but on the streets and in the shopping malls and in the workplace.  Healings, and deliverances.  As well as signs in the heavens and on the earth.

6.  Millions of new converts and reclaimed backsliders will come Home

Churches that are full of the Glory of God and this will cause overnight growth explosions… There will be great open-air meetings to minister to the throngs because no church will be large enough to take care of the crowds.  

7.  Men and women, Young People and even little children will Minister in the Power of God. 

Those who have been rejected by organized religion will be exalted by the Spirit of God and used to communicate the Gospel of Jesus in Great Power and Anointing. 

8.  Business leaders and businesses and private enterprises which     

 support the Re-Born Church will become the economic giants of the   

 day. 

Wall Street will be shocked.   The economists of the world will be dumbfounded.  The wealth of the earth will be redistributed… and shall be laid up for the Righteous.  The silver and the gold belong to God. 

Haggai 2:8  The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.

9.  All modern technology will be used to preach the Word to all the world…

All the creative geniuses being released into humanity will be focused on the Spiritual instead of the natural.  The exponential explosion of technical discovery and wisdom… all this for the Kingdom of God.  Satellite communications… radio…television… computers… and even newer and more exotic technology that is yet to be developed will revolutionize the preaching and spreading of the Gospel of the Kingdom.

10.  The entire world will hear and know about Jesus.

Nations and kingdoms will be born into the Kingdom “in a day” just like the Bible says.   The Name of Jesus will be spoken on the lips of all mankind.  What a Day!  What an hour!  What a demonstration of the Glory of God! 

This is the approaching Shaking.   This is the prelude to the Revival of the last days.  This is That was spoken by the Prophet Joel.  All the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.  This is the END TIME REVIVAL. 

Word for Today:  October 31

Jesus as a Perfect Man

ALL the miracles that Jesus performed while He was on earth were performed by a Human Being Full of the Holy Ghost and Power.  What He did… we can do.  (John 14:12)  What He accomplished as a Man, we can accomplish as men and women full of the Holy Ghost and living in that anointing.

He spoke to storms and they stopped.  He spit and made mud from it, put it on blind eyes and they were opened.  He confronted demon powers and they feared and trembled and begged for mercy.  He touched crippled and broken bodies and they were made whole.   He spoke healing to the sick and diseased and they were healed.  He received sinners and had mercy on the guilty.  He loved the unlovable and had compassion on the masses.  He raised the dead… cleansed lepers… resisted the devil… opened graves… interrupted funerals and restored the dead to their families…   He made wine out of water… friends out of enemies… peace out of confusion and torment… joy out of sadness and Heaven out of hell…  And then He told us that:

greater works than these shall ye do; because I go unto my Father… John 14:12.

Jesus is our Example.  Jesus is our Pattern.  Jesus is the guarantee that we can overcome the devil and take dominion over the powers of darkness.

What He did… He has enabled us to do

Word for Today:  October 29

Jesus’ self-emptying.

(Jesus) Who existing in the Form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made Himself of no reputation (Kenoo) and took upon Him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross…  Phil. 2:6-8

Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and shall call His name Immanuel…  Isa. 7:13

The Kenosis of Jesus is a Foundation Truth that many have failed to grasp.  Kenosis or “self-emptying” simply declares that Jesus willingly “emptied” Himself of His God Characteristics and condescended to the stature and state of a man… a human being… born of a woman… and came to earth to live and die as part of God’s Plan to Redeem Man from Adam’s failure.

Jesus laid down and left in heaven certain characteristics and privileges He exercised as God.  He willingly emptied Himself of His God Form… His God Power… His God Knowledge… His Eternal Life.  He became subject to sickness, disease, death, failure, sin and any and all human liabilities and limitations imposed by Adam’s sin and failure.  The Scripture tells us that:

He was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin… (Heb. 4:15)

Jesus willingly and obediently subjected Himself to the possibility of sin and the possibility of failure when He put off His God Characteristics and took on Himself the form and limitations of humanity.

But He was Victor over temptation.  He was Victor over sin.  He was Victor over every human weakness.  He was Victor over all…

Even death and the grave

Word for Today:  October 28

_{Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.   Joshua 1:1-2}

_{Notice what God tells Joshua: “Take possession of what I have given you.”  Every place… I have given unto you…  It is there for you.  I have saved it for you and provided it for you.  It is a land of abundance.  It is a land of plenty.  It is a land of rest and success.  It is a place of healing and health.  It is a land of safety and security.  It is a land of deliverance and protection.”}

_{God has purchased awesome possessions for you through the Blood of His Son, Jesus.  The victory has been won and the prize has been captured.  It is for you and it is for me.} 

_{However, you will never have these possessions until you go over and take them.  They will never benefit you until you make up your mind to get up, go over and take possess them.  By action, by force and by faith.}

_{The devil is “squatting” on what is legally yours.  he will stay there and laugh at you until you get up and go over and take it back.  he will homestead on it until you get mad enough, brave enough, faith-filled enough to go in and kick him out.  Get up and go over.}

_{And take it back} 

Jer. 12:5   If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?

If we have run with the footmen and grown weary… how will we be able to contend with the horsemen when they come?  If we are tired and weary now when things are relatively easy, what will we do when hard times come? 

Ps. 34:19   Many are the afflictions  (hurts, troubles, adversities, sadnesses) of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth (rescues, recovers) him out of them all.

The “many afflictions” that are with us simply identify us as “the righteous.”  If we are “the righteous” then we can expect “many afflictions.” And we are promised total deliverance from them ALL… not by what we do but by what God does.

Afflictions will come.

Trials will come.

Temptations will come.

Troubles will come.

Pain will come. 

Sadnesses will come.

Adversities will come.

When they do, what will you do?

We have set our course.   We have made our declaration.  We will press toward the mark for the prize.  We will go for the gold.  We will not settle for anything less.  This is the hour, and this is the season.  God is bringing forth His very best… His elite…  His first string… His champions.  We have been in training.  We have sat under great teaching.  We have heard great preaching.  We have been exposed to the best God has to prepare us for what is about to come forth.   We have been around for a while.  We are not novices.  God has moved us into the Mainstream.  He has provided us with Revelation.  He has brought us Out that He might bring us In.  We are part and parcel of His Divine Purpose and Plan. 

Now, times will change.  Things will change.  Pressures will build.  Situations will happen.  And when they do, what will you do?  If you are wearied by the footmen, what will you do when the horsemen come? 

There will be times in your Christian Life when you wonder what is happening.  Things will get spooky.  Situations will get out of control.  The more you try to reel in the problem, the more tangled your line gets.  In the process, you will get tired and weary and impatient.  You will begin to wonder if it is really worth it all.  Discouragement will move in and satan will begin to make you tempting offers and alternatives.  Pursuing God is not an easy thing.  The way into Life is Narrow and Straight and only a few will find it according to Jesus.  Sometimes, the way to get relief seems to be just to quit.  To forget it.  To retreat.  To back down.  It is always easier to cop out than to cope.  The greatest temptation any Believer faces is the temptation to quit or back off when afflictions arise.   The grass may look greener on the other side of the fence.  The pressures and stresses of maintaining your Victory Stand may build to the point of breaking.  Situations and circumstances may develop that will press you beyond measure and push you “over the edge”.  How are believers to handle such situations?  What are we to do when we are pressed beyond measure?  Where can we go to get some “relief?”  Is there a way out when we are at the breaking point?  What are our alternatives?

Here are your options.

1. You can Quit.  You really can.  It is possible.  It is an option you have.

John 6:66   From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

John 6:67   Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

John 6:68   Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

Jesus wondered if his own disciples were going to quit.  It looked like they were going to do what everyone else was doing… they were going to leave.  Back out.  Go back.  Just because following Jesus became a challenge.  A hard thing.  A dividing thing.  A costly thing.  “Are you leaving, too?”  “Will you also go away?”  “Are you going to follow the crowd?”  I’ve wondered at times how many will quit?  How many will stay behind?  How many will dig in and refuse to go ahead?  We have faced some formidable obstacles… some costly ones… some demanding ones.  This is an issue we need to face today.  We are nearing the Promised Land… we are close to entering in.  This is when the pressures build, and the temptations come.  Will you quit?  Will you throw in the towel?  Will you take a dive?

This is not hard to do, and it is always a temptation especially when things really get tough.  When the demands of Jesus become costly.  To quit is  the easiest thing to do and it offers the least resistance.  Anybody can quit.  You can quit.  We can quit.  Many have and others will.  What about you?  Has satan “got your number?”  What will it take to make you quit?  How much more “can you stand?”  Do you have your price?  What will it take for you to sell out?  Are you at your breaking point?  Is quitting a real temptation for you this morning?  Some who are listening are right at the “giving up” and “quitting” stage.  I know it.  I feel it.  I sense it. 

I have learned over the years that the best way to overcome the temptation to quit is to do something radical.  Something weird.  Something unusual.  Something that is not natural.  I like to make bold confessions… especially when I do not feel like doing it.  It seems foolish and impractical, but it is the Thing To Do.  And there is Scriptural evidence to support such an act.  David did it.  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did it.  Moses did it.  Joshua did it.  So, I can do it.  And you can do it.  Let’s do it now.

Let’s take a vote.  Let’s make a declaration.  Let’s take a stand.  Let’s announce to hell.  Let’s resolve….  I WILL NOT QUIT.  I WILL NOT QUIT NOW.  I WILL NOT QUIT NEXT WEEK, NEXT MONTH, NEXT YEAR.  I WILL NEVER QUIT.  I AM HERE TO STAY…. NO MATTER WHAT.

Now, it’s settled.  It’s settled on earth, in hell and in heaven.  It’s settled in your heart.  In your home.  In your business.  In your church.  I WILL NOT QUIT.  Now or Ever… I WILL NOT QUIT. 

2. You can compromise.

To compromise is to settle for something less than God’s Best.  To compromise is to waver in your commitment to God.  It is to be half-hearted.  It is to be mediocre.  It is to be lukewarm.  It is to be less than what God wants and less than what God demands.  To compromise is to look for and settle for the easy way out.  The comfortable way out.  The way of “least resistance.”  To compromise is to refuse to come out of your “comfort zone.”  To compromise is to hit the snooze button when God says, “get up.”  To compromise is to make a deal with the devil.  To cut some slack with hell.  To listen to the voice that says:  “don’t take this God stuff too seriously… after all, it’s going to blow over… it will pass away… it won’t last.  Don’t get involved in all this emotional hype.  It can’t last…”

To compromise is to fail the test.  To compromise is to cheat.  To compromise is to consider self more than God. 

satan is probably saying to you right now…”if you will back off, I will back off!”  “If you will ease up, i will ease up…”  “If  you will slow down, i will slow down.”  You can back down and ease up and let off.  You can stop and get stuck where you are.  You can be still and placid.  You can retreat and give up ground that you have fought for and won.  Compromise is an alternative.  A real alternative.  A tempting alternative.  But a disastrous alternative.  You can slip back and fall back and go back.  To compromise is to backslide.  To compromise is to stay put.  To compromise is to be comfortable.  To compromise is to be satisfied.  To compromise is to cool off.  To simmer down.  To change what you believe  because of what is happening around you.

3.  You can feel sorry for yourself and give in to self-pity.

You can become introverted… introspective.  You can be so caught up in your own problem that that is all you think about.  You become blind to the needs of others.  You become insensitive to the call of God and the Move of God.  You can become more concerned about YOU than you are concerned about OTHERS.  This is self-pity and it is a sin.  It is selfishness.  It is wrong and it is abusive.  Abusive to others.  Abusive to God.  Abusive to your testimony.  Abusive to your church.

Looking inward can make you compare yourself with others.  Then it can make you mad at others because they are not having it as hard as you are.   It will make you Jealous of others.  It can cause you to be hurt with others.  It will rob you of your joy and contribute to your misery.  It will consume you and cripple you if you do not deal with it. 

It can even make you mad with God.  You will begin to wonder about the wicked getting blessed and others getting blessed (that are not working as hard as you are or doing as much as you) and you can get mad with God.   Really mad.  Upset.  Disgusted.  Then you will get mean and ornery and hateful.  You will begin to feed on the sympathy that others give you.  Next comes the grumbling, the griping, and the criticizing.    All because you got into self pity.  It will shut off the love flow.  It will stifle your compassion.  It will make you miserable and everybody around you miserable.  It will affect your home, your job, your relationships. 

This is an option you have… but it is not a good one. 

4.  OR… you can turn your problems into Opportunities to trust God.

You can make your “situations” a test track for the Word of God.  You can stand and sing and shout and refuse to accept defeat.  You can endure and count it all joy when you come into temptations and trials.  You can see every impossible situation as an opportunity to defeat the devil.   You do not have to quit.  There are other things you can do.  There are other things you should do. 

Ok… so you have decided not to quit.  You have decided not to compromise.  You have decided not to feel sorry for yourself.  You have decided to turn your problems into Opportunities to trust God… NOW:  HOW do you do it?

FIRST…. Understand that you are not the only Believer facing a tough situation.  You are not by yourself.   There are literally thousands of other saints who have not bowed their knee to Baal in the thick of the battle.  The very fact that you are tempted to Quit is a good sign…  If nothing is happening to you then you are doing nothing for the Kingdom.  If the devil is not moving, then you are not moving.  If demons are not stirring, then you are not stirring.  If you are not in conflict with the powers of darkness, then you are headed the wrong way.

Ps. 34:19   Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.

1Cor. 10:13   There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

SECOND… never expect your Faith Walk to be easy.  You have not chosen an easy way of life.   To live by the Word is the most disciplined life a man or woman can know.  All the forces of darkness are set in array against you… demon powers have zeroed in on you because you have become a threat to them…. REJOICE and be EXCEEDINGLY GLAD.  SHOUT.  SING.  DANCE.  RUN.  LEAP.  

THIRD… Review your Contract with God.  If you will, you will see that there is no provision for quitting in it.  When you got saved, you made a Life Commitment to God with no strings attached.  There were no “what ifs” or “just in cases” or other conditional clauses in the Contract.  God did His part.  Jesus did His part.  The Holy Ghost did His part.  The Salvation Contract calls for you to do your part.  You are expected to ENDURE.  You are required to STAND and not WAVER.  You are bound by your Contract with God not to QUIT no matter what.  “He that endureth unto the end shall be saved…”  “Do not grow weary and faint in your minds…”  “Having done all, Stand!…”  “He that dwelleth in the Secret Place of the Most High shall abide under the Shadow of the Almighty…”

FOURTH… Remember your victories in the past.  See how God delivered you from the “hand of the lion and the hand of the bear…”  That is what David did as he faced the Uncircumcised Heathen Giant.  Remember and recall and relive the many victories in your past Christian Life. 

I remember:

(1) How God instantly healed my critically ill daughter on the way to the hospital.

(2) How God stood with us and delivered us in the midst of controversy over the Baptism of the Holy Ghost as a Baptist Preacher

(3) How God provided for us and fed us and paid our bills during the early years of our ministry.  25.00 a week salary.  Part time jobs and preaching and carrying a full academic load in college.

(4) How God met our need in every building project in spite of vicious and relentless attacks of the enemy against our integrity and honesty.  How we Won every Battle and came out stronger and bigger and better.

(5) How in over 60 years of ministering in Mobile we have weathered the storm and stood the test and won the victory.  In spite of criticism and scandalizing and gossip and lies and threats and intimidation’s.. WE ARE STILL HERE and WE ARE BIGGER AND WE ARE BETTER AND WE ARE STRONGER.

We have endured dishonest building contractors and thieving con men.  We have maintained our honesty and refused to bow to criticism.  We have lived down lies and resisted the devil and watched him flee.  We have held our head high we have bowed our knee to no man and we have refused to compromise our convictions.  WE WON.  WE ARE STILL WINNING.  The WORD will always WIN.  If you are considering Quitting… STOP right now and REMEMBER YOUR PAST VICTORIES.  

STAND UP AND TESTIFY… NOW.

FIFTH… You need to REPENT for even considering quitting.  It is a sin and an affront to your faith to even think about going back.

2Pet. 2:20   For if after they have escaped the pollution of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

2Pet. 2:21   For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

2Pet. 2:22   But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

You do not have the RIGHT to quit.   You cannot legally cancel your commitment to God.  You are bound by your Promise.  If you have quit, REPENT and come back.  If you are considering quitting REPENT and stop considering it.  Quitters are losers.  Quitters are Apostates.  Quitters are Backsliders.  Quitters are those who “fall away”.

SIXTH… Rededicate your efforts to Keep on Keeping on.

Renew your mind so that you can think right in the middle of your tight situation.  If you allow your situation to dictate how you think and how you feel you will fail and you will quit.  If you allow your mind to be renewed by the Word of God so that you will think like God thinks then you will not quit.  God did not Quit.  Jesus did not Quit.  The Holy Ghost did not Quit.  The Word did not Quit.  Aren’t you glad they didn’t.  Be a non-conformist.  Be a radical.  Be different.  Don’t yield to the pressures and allow them to make you back down.  Make your boldest confession in the midst of your darkest trial.  You do not have to be like everybody else.  Say this with me right now:  “Jesus, forgive me for even considering quitting.  I repent of the sin of turning back and slowing down and backing down and giving up.  I vow this day to never quit.  I will stand and I will not yield to the pressures of satanic powers.  I decide today to keep on keeping on… no matter what.  I will not be moved.  Hallelujah.”  Be as persistent as the 3 Hebrew Children:  “I will not bow I will not bend… go ahead and heat the furnace and throw us in… God will deliver us out of the fire and out of your hand, devil.”  Be as unwavering as David when he faced his giant (we all have our giants to face, amen?)  “Thou comest to me with a sword and with a spear and with a shield: but I come to thee in the Name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied… (your situations have defied the Lord God Most High.) This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand and I will smite thee and take thine head from thee and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines THIS DAY unto the fowls of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth that ALL MAY KNOW there is a GOD IN ISRAEL… for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands…”  (I Samuel 17:45-47) 

“Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude (your situations) for the battle is not yours, but God’s…”  (II Chron. 20:15) 

“No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shall condemn…”  (Isa. 54:17)

FINALLY… Rejoice and praise God for the Victory even before it comes!!  Sing and shout.  Leap and dance.  Run and jump.  Rejoice and praise God right where you are before you see any signs of relief.  Get you some banners and flags.  Paint you some posters.  Hang out some ribbons.  Advertise your victory before you get it.  Buy you a billboard!! Let God see that you are committed to winning and overcoming.  You can never embarrass God with your Faith.  Persist.  Press through.  Stretch.  See your victory in the eyes of your spirit.  See it so real that you can shout about it.  Sincere, heart-felt praise always precedes victory!!  I command you right now in the Name of Jesus to REFUSE DEFEAT and to CHOOSE VICTORY. “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)

Let’s take our oath of allegiance:   

“I solemnly promise to go on with God.  I promise to actively pursue God and His Divine Purpose for me.  I vow before heaven and earth and hell that I will never retreat.  I will never back up.  I will never slow up.  I will never give up.  I will protect, defend and support to the death  (if necessary) this End Time Move of God.  I will remain faithful to the end… so help me God.”  

Word for Today:  October 26

_{God is with you.     What more can you ask?}

 _{If God be for us, who can be against us?  Rom 8:31}

_{The Lord is on my side; I will not fear…” Psa 118:6} 

_{If God is with us what can we fear?  Is anything too hard for God?  Is any devil bigger than God?  Is any sickness impossible for God?  Is any financial situation too bad for God to fix?  Is any marriage out of range for God?  NO!  God is with you.  God will not leave you.  God will not forsake you.  God is in you and He is more than enough!} 

_{No enemy can stand in your way.     No need to fear or be timid.  God says that no man (demon, devil, situation, circumstance, etc.) can stand before you (if they cannot stand, then they have to bow!)  all the days of your life.  How long?  All the days of your life! When you are young and when you are old.  When you are strong and when you are weak.  When you feel bad and when you feel good.} 

_{Nothing and nobody can stand in your way.  When you are in pursuit of God and God’s will for you… nothing can stop you.  When you choose to live and refuse to die, when you choose Truth and refuse the lie… you connect with God and nothing can stand before you.} 

_{Hell has to move over}

Word for Today: October 24

The Bottom Line

The sum total of your life is the result of what you have chosen and what you have refused.  And your future will be determined by what you choose and what you refuse.

You are not a “Victim of circumstances” you are a “victim” (or a victor) of the choices you have made and the temptations you have refused.

Everything you are today is the result of choices you have made.  Everything you have today is the result of what you decided to choose and what you decided to refuse.

• Your problems are not the result of your environment.
• Your problems are not the result of your family.
• Your problems are not the result of your ancestry.
• Your problems are not the result of your race.
• Your problems are not the result of your economic situation.
• Your problems are not the result of your lack of education.

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

Your problems and “circumstances” are the result of what you decided to choose and what you decided to refuse.   Choose life and blessing.  Refuse death and cursing.

The choice is yours to make

Word for Today:  October 23

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh… Gal 5:16.

Right living is a decision.  People choose the way they live.  They can determine what they do, what they say and what they yield to.  The devil has no power to make anyone sin.  Sin and sinful living are the results of decisions and choices that are made.

No temptation is irresistible.  No trial is too much or too great or without a way of escape for the Believer. (1Cor 10:13)  The bottom line is the quality of life you are now living is the direct result of decisions you have made.

For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  For to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace…     Rom 8:5-6

In this hour of compromise and moral failure, decide to live right.  Decide to resist the wrong and embrace that which is good, honorable and right.

It takes no courage to get drunk or smoke dope or pop pills or shoot up.  It takes no talent to be mean, ugly and violent.  But it takes old fashioned backbone and intestinal fortitude to resist the temptations of the flesh and to stand for God and what’s right.

If you want to live and not die… choose to live and choose to live right.   Walk in holiness, purity, honor and integrity.  Determine to present your body to God as a living sacrifice.  (Rom 212:1)   Refuse to hang out with so those who tempt you and lure you do stuff you know is not in the will of God.

Walk in the Spirit.

And you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh

John 10:

¹⁰The 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.

            There are only two kinds of people on earth.  And I do not mean Men and Women.  They are either people who are Alive and those who are Dead.  You can be Dead before you are dead.  If you are Alive you know it.  If you are

Dead you know it.  The devil is the merchant of death.  Jesus came that we might be Alive. 

            The ultimate purpose and mission of the devil is to kill and destroy.  The devil deals in death and destruction.  Jesus gives LIFE and deals in RESTORATION.  All problems and attacks are designed by satan to kill us and destroy us.  The devil wants death and destruction to take us over.  Jesus wants Life and Restoration to take us over.   How did Jesus deal with death?  The Bible says He conquered death, hell and the grave.  If He conquered them, they are still conquered.   Jesus never has to re-do what He has already done.  His work is complete and perfect.  He has “finished” it (as we heard last week: Jesus did not say “to be continued” on the Cross, He said “it is finished.”)  We need to deal with death just like Jesus dealt with it.

Notice the story of Lazarus.

Lazarus = “whom God helps”

  Every Attack is an OPPORTUNITY.   

John 11:4   When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

            Jesus “heard” the bad report.  Faith comes by hearing and doubt also comes by hearing.  Unbelief can be stimulated by hearing.  Distress can come by hearing.  Fear can be initiated by hearing.  What are you hearing?  Whatever you are hearing will either build your faith are add to your unbelief.  Jesus determined to be NOT MOVED by what He heard. 

            Then, Jesus declared with His mouth what the situation was going to be.  He took the opportunity to Prophesy what the situation was going to be because he knew the will of God in the matter.   Jesus “heard” and then He “said.”  What He heard did not alter what He said.  He refused to give in to the sense realm by believing what the opinions of men were. 

            “It’s not over.  It’s not final.  It’s not what it’s going to be.  God is working.  I am waiting.  I am believing.  I am standing.  I am speaking.  I am prophesying.  What I say is in agreement with God and because of this, the devil (and all his works) will have to move aside.” 

            Sickness is an opportunity. Adversity is an opportunity.  Every impossibility is an opportunity.  Your fiery trial is an opportunity.  Our fiery trial is an opportunity.  An opportunity for us to exercise our faith.  An opportunity for us to get into the Word and find out what God is saying.  An opportunity to turn tragedy into testimony.  God is the Master at giving us Beauty for ashes.  (Isa 61:3).  When we see our “death” situation in this light, we will be encouraged to say the same thing Jesus said: “This thing is not unto death…. it is an opportunity for God to show Himself strong in my behalf and to give me a powerful testimony of His Faithfulness.”

            We are all faced with “Lazarus” attacks.  What we do, how we act in the midst of such situations will demonstrate just how deep we are in God.   We can say what others are saying.  We can agree with what the Facts are.  We can accept the “inevitable” or we can Prophesy to the situation.  God has called you into His Kingdom and given you the power to create with your mouth the things that are in the will of God.  Speak the Word!

            Our fiery trial… our grave yard tribulation… our Red Sea and our Furnace heated 7 times its capacity… our den of Lions and our Goliath…  all these are only opportunities for God to get Glory and for us to experience a miracle.  Jesus knew that impossibilities are opportunities for God to Show Himself Strong in behalf of those who would DARE to BELIEVE!

When under pressure:  Don’t Change your Plans.  

John 11:6   When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.

            The devil wants us to change directions… especially if we are in the will of God.  If we are on the way to where God wants us, then satan and all the forces of darkness are aligned to make us change our plans.  Remember how satan tried to stop Jesus on the Sea of Galilee with the great storm before He made it to the other side?  Here, Jesus was in the Flow of God and was not willing to change His direction just because He received bad news.  Jesus stayed.  Sometimes it is hard to Stay.  When we hear of pressing needs and powerful attacks, we are tempted to run ahead of God.  Remember… the Battle is the Lord’s and the Victory is ours. 

            Satan is the author of all bad news.  Bad news is demonic.  Bad news is a fiery dart of the enemy.  Bad news is satan’s attempt to get you to change your plans and alter your direction.  Bad news tends to make us worry.  Worry is fear.  Fear has torment.  Fear is not out of a “sound mind” but rather the product of a double mind.  When we are receivers of bad news, keep we must keep our eyes on our objective… we cannot allow discouragement, worry, fear or distractions to make us change our plans about Who we believe and What we believe.   

            Job was a man who was a servant of the Most High God.  He had some bad news brought to him… over and over again.  On the very heels of one messenger, another would come until it seemed that Job could not stand any more.  And yet “in all of this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly…”  It was the devil attempting to change the course of Jobs life.  Learn from the Life of Jesus…. do not allow demonic pressure to change your faith position. 

            How many times do we want Jesus to “hurry up?”  Our need presses us to prompt Jesus to hurry to our rescue.  However, God has a time.  And His time is the RIGHT TIME.  Things are happening in the realm of the spirit that we cannot see and if we could, we would not understand.  God is working.  satan is fighting.  We are waiting.  While we wait, He is working in our behalf.  If He is not hurrying, He has a reason.  Jesus needed to remain where He was in order that God would get all the glory for the miracle of Lazarus’ resurrection. 

            Remember, when you are in the Will of God, you do not have to change your plans when satan attacks and emergencies arise.   Hold steady.  Do not panic.  Do not change your plans because of demonic emergencies. 

Nothing is FINAL when Jesus is Present. 

John 11:14   Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

            Nothing can be more final than death.  When you are dead…. you are dead!  It’s over!  It’s finished!  It’s done!  UNLESS Jesus is there!  Listen:

             1Cor. 15:26   The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

So many times our attitude is like that of Thomas:  “Let us also go, that we may die with him…”   (Verse 16).  Nothing is FIXED in the world system.   Not even death!  Jesus is the Great Changer.   He changes things.  When it seems totally final and nothing more can be done… when death looms and defeat is at hand and all hope is gone… Nothing is FINAL when Jesus is present.  If He can raise Lazarus from the dead, He is more than Able to resurrect our dead hopes and dreams.  

            Both Mary and Martha fell into the trap of the “IF Syndrome.” 

John 11:21   Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

John 11:32   Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

            You cannot afford to live in the land of IF.  “If I had just done this… ”  “If I had just said this…”  “If I had tried harder…”  “If ” moves you into the place of legalism.  IF is not Grace.  IF is works.  IF will short  circuit the Will of God.  It does not matter what we are, what we have done,  or what our need may be… all we need is JESUS.  He will erase all our “Ifs”  and deliver us from our negative thinking. 

Don’t Yield to Religious Thinking. 

John 11:24   Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

            Every time you are faced with an impossibility, Religion will attempt to rise up and “explain” the situation.  Religion attempts to make the Word of God agree with the death situation you are experiencing instead of making the death situation agree with the Word of God.   Religion is dead doctrine.  Religion is self-righteous pride and arrogance.  Religion is form and tradition and legalistic law.  Religion is a heavy burden.  Religion works with the devil to keep you in death.  Religion is deception.  Christianity is not Religion… it is LIFE.    Read Matthew 23 to see what Jesus said concerning Religion. 

            Religion will help the devil kill and destroy you.  Pious platitudes that look way into the future for pie in the sky bye and bye will not help you in the NOW.  Most of what we were taught about God had nothing to do with the present.  It was either History or Prophecy.  God is a God of the NOW.  And Jesus is a Jesus of TODAY.  HALLELUJAH.           

Don’t Be Moved by the Opinions of Men. 

John 11:37   And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?

            What people think has nothing to do with what the Word Says.  All the opinions of men will not heal the sick or raise the dead.  What you say and what you think is worthless unless your WORDS and your THOUGHTS line up with the WORD OF GOD.   Most who are so quick to advise and counsel know little or nothing of the Power of God.  The ones looking on, seeing the grave and the grieving family, began to murmur.  Skeptics always murmur.  Doubters and Unbelievers are always looking for REASONS.  God is not a rea­soning God and He does not operate REASONABLE… He is a FAITH GOD and He operates in the SUPERNATURAL.  

Attempt the Impossible.  

John 11:39   Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

            Jesus “went too far.”  When you begin to ROLLAWAY STONES from IM­POSSIBLE SITUATIONS, satan and all his helpers will accuse of GOING TOO FAR.  “You can’t be serious.”  “You really don’t mean that.”  “Do you realize what you are doing?”  “What will people say?”  “What will my relatives think?”  DO IT.  If you never ATTEMPT the IMPOSSIBLE you will never get a MIRACLE.  When you refuse to ROLL AWAY THE STONE you accept DEFEAT and LIMIT GOD and STOP ALL MIRACLES from happening.  What stone will you roll away today?  What stinking corpse of impossibility will you UNCOVER and present to GOD?  YOU WILL NEVER get a RESURRECTION if you REFUSE TO ROLL AWAY THE STONE.  This is your INITIAL ACT OF FAITH and it is this ACT that Moves Heaven in your behalf.

Pray Right.  

John 11:41   Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.

            Refuse to Pray in doubt and unbelief.  “If it is Thy will” praying will never get a miracle or experience a resurrection.   If you do not know how to Pray the Word, you better never roll away the stone.  Jesus knew (1) What God’s Will was  (2) How to Pray in God’s Will  (3) How to Pray in Great Faith.  He was SURE of HIS POSITION in GOD.  He KNEW WHO HE WAS and what GOD had promised to do for Him.  He did not beg.  He did not plead.  He did not an­guish.  HE THANKED GOD.  

Speak Faith Boldly.

John 11:43   And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

            I get great comfort from this verse.  If Jesus “cried with a loud voice” I guess it’s OK for me to preach with a loud voice.   He boldly and specifi­cally spoke out and called for a miracle.  He “got what He said!”  Remember Mark 11:23?  “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall SAY unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall HAVE WHATSOEVER HE SAITH…”   Roll away the stone and SPEAK TO YOUR IMPOSSIBILITY.   

 Get Free.  

John 11:44   And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

            Get free and stay free.  Do not get entangled again with the yoke of bondage that kept you bound.  Tear off the grave clothes and let the NEW LIFE come forth.  Refuse to stay in the grave yard dressed like the dead.  Get Up.  Get Out. Get Free.  Stay Free.

Word for Today:  October 22

The Power of death and the Power of life is in your tongue.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue… Prov 18

It matters how you talk.  Choose to “speak the Word only” and speak only what the Word declares.    Confess what God says and not what you feel or how you feel or what others think.

• Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth… Pro 6:2
• The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life… Pro 10:11
• A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth… Pro 12:14
• A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth…. he that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life… Pro 13:3
• A wholesome tongue is a tree of life… Pro 15:4
• A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth… Pro 15:23
• A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul. Pro 18:7
• A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue…  Pro 18:20-21.

Words kill or words give life.  Words bring success or words cause failure.  Words initiate healing.  Words make things start or cause things to stop.  Words are carriers.  They bring in and they carry out.

What you say is important.  Your words will imprison you or set you free.

What you say is what you get