dickbraswell

Word for Today:  September 16

Understanding.

When you were Born Again you received the Character, 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 we die and go to heaven.

If you are Born Again 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 understand 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.

God’s Power will do for you exactly what God will do for you.

The awesome power of God is in you.  And this Power is activated and released by your Faith.

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us…   Eph 3:20

When you determine to activate that power by your faith, you bring God to the scene of your need.  The Word becomes flesh.  The Kingdom of God comes.

And hell has to move over

TRUE STORY

In 1982, God sent a prophet to our small rural church and it was prophesied that we were to begin searching for a new location…. The one we had occupied since the church was established had become inadequate to accommodate the people and park the cars that were now coming.

We were in the vortex of the Great Charismatic Revival.  Our Christian School was bulging at the seams as well.  So, we began to challenge our folks to see the invisible… “did you see our new campus when you drove up this morning?  Did you see our new auditorium?  Did see our huge gymnasium and our new classroom building?  Did you notice the paved parking lot that will take care of our parking problem?” “Did you see all those people rushing in to find a seat?”  “Did you see all those new students enrolling where they can read the Bible, Pray and worship God?”  The people caught the vision.

After a few weeks, a Spirit-Filled real estate lady took me to a new location approximately 7 miles south of where we were.  It was an open field, of several acres, where a corn crop had recently been harvested.    We made an offer to purchase (even though we had no money at the time) and it was accepted.  Now we had an impossible challenge. 

We borrowed a large flat-bed trailer, towed it to the new site, got our worship team together and I preached to a crowd of folks standing in a muddy corn field.  And I said, “did you see our new campus when you drove up this morning?  Did you see our new auditorium?  Did see our huge gymnasium and our new classroom building?  Did you notice the paved parking lot that will take care of our parking problem?” “Did you see all those people rushing in to find a seat?”  “Did you see all those new students enrolling where they can read the Bible, Pray and worship God?”  

One year later, on that site, we moved into a new 1000 seat auditorium. 

Three years later, on that site,  we moved into the new Faith Academy Classrooms and Gymnasium.

Today the Church and School campus encompasses approximately 100 acres and is debt free.

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE GOD

Word for Today:  September 10

Something Big is about to happen.

There are indications everywhere.  There is a witness in the heart of every turned-on believer.  You feel it.  God is moving.  The earth is responding.  The world is waiting.  The church is expecting.  This is the hour.  Something Big is about to happen.

God is trying to get our attention.  Nature is convulsing.  The world is tettering on the edge of the unspeakable with rumors of nuclear horror.  Nations are confused.   Leaders are groping for answers.  We have never been in a place such as this before.

In the midst of cataclysmic conditions, something good is happening.  There is a drawing toward God.  The Holy Ghost is reaching into the hearts of men (all kinds of men) and drawing… attracting… pulling them toward God.  It is relentless.  It is miraculous.  There is Hunger.  And this Hunger is indicative of the Divine Plan and Purpose of God in this hour.

You feel the drawing.  It (your relationship with Jesus) is not like it used to be.  It is changing.  There is a dissatisfaction that is driving you to seek His Face and to be conformed more and more into His Image.

The things of the world are becoming less and less important to you.   The very reason for our existence is coming into focus.

All things are coming together.  The signs are everywhere.  The world is waiting.  Nature is groaning.  Believers are expecting.    (Rom 8:19)

Something Big is on the way

Word for Today: September 9

They may be in the Far Country.

But they Remember.  Just like the prodigal son… they remember how good it was to be in Father’s House.  What they have tasted they can never forget.  And they will return.   You know some of them.  They may a part of your family.

As this universal Pull of the Holy Ghost covers the earth… they will come home.  Again.

What they want the world cannot satisfy.  The flesh is too shallow.  The pleasure is too temporal.  The peace is too fleeting.  There is unrest.  There is dissatisfaction.  There is turmoil in the soul.  There is unhappiness and stress and anxiety.

The backslider will come home.  The wayward will return.  The prodigal will “come to himself” and return to Father’s House.

And we will celebrate

Word for Today:  September 7

Something is about to happen.  It’s got to.

There are indications everywhere.  There is a witness in the heart of every turned-on believer.  You feel it.  God is moving.  The earth is responding.  The world is waiting.  The church is looking.  This is the hour.  Something is about to happen.  Something Big.

The Holy Ghost is reaching into the hearts of men (all kinds of men) and drawing… attracting… pulling them toward a confrontation.   A spiritual happening.  It is relentless.  It is miraculous.  There is Hunger.  And this Hunger is indicative of the Divine Plan and Purpose of God in this hour.

You can feel the drawing.  It (your relationship with Jesus) is changing.  It is deepening.  There is an inner dissatisfaction that is driving you to seek His Face and to be conformed more and more into His Image.

The things of the world are becoming less and less important to you.   The reason for your existence is coming into focus.  Your purpose for “being” is that in this time of His Visitation, you may Know God and Glorify God.

All things are coming together.  The signs are everywhere.  The world is waiting.  Nature is groaning.  Believers are expecting.    Rom 8:19

You are changing.

A Spiritual Reformation is at hand

Word for Today:  September 5

Emotions, feelings or the Word.

Religion has taught us that we can experience the power of God only occasionally.  We have been taught that sometimes God just lets bit a little of heaven come down and bless us.  We have prayed and stayed and fasted and repented and preached and prophesied and spoken in tongues in order to get the power to come down… the fire to fall… revival to happen.

We have been led to believe that every once in a while God will give us a little dab of glory just to keep us going.  We have been taught that the Christian experience is a series of peaks and valleys… ups and downs… drought and abundance…. times when we are hot and times when we are cold.

Where did this come from?  It came from our emotions and our feelings.  It came from our soulish man.  It is not the way it is in the Spirit!

God is the same.  Jesus is the same.  The Holy Ghost is the same.  The Word is the same.  His Eternal Purpose is the same.  When we walk in agreement with His Purpose, we are the same!  There is no “variableness” in Him or in us when we fulfill our part in His plan.

We can live in the Anointing

Word for Today:  September 3

The approaching Renaissance.

We are on a collision course for a Moral and Spiritual Renaissance.  And this is good.  Finally, it seems that many are realizing that there is a deadly sickness among us.  An infectious sickness that will ultimately bring about the destruction of our nation if it is not treated and cured.

Many are ready to do something.  Many are coming to the conclusion that our only hope is Revival.  I believe that this is you and me.  Us.  The Church.  The believers in our city.  In our Nation.

We must never be overwhelmed by the magnitude of the problem.  This sickness is “not unto death” but I believe an excellent opportunity for God to be Glorified.  This was the case when Lazarus died (John 11).  He did die, but Jesus turned the tragedy into triumph.  I am confident the same Jesus can and will turn our moral tragedy into a great Triumph.

Never underestimate the power of the minority.  Martin Luther King, Jr. proved this point.  (“I have a dream…”)

Gideon and his 300 proved this point.

The Nation of Israel continues to prove this point.

We may be in the minority, but we have God.  And God has us.

That turns the table and changes the equation

Word for Today:  September 2

Be a healer

I’m not talking about laying hands on the sick.  I’m talking about healing relationships.  Healing divisions.  Healing differences.    Building bridges and not walls.  Take down the fences and open the gates.

Our past religious traditions have built enough walls, we are called to tear them down and build bridges in their place.

According to the Word, believers are living stones.  We are to be collectively built up into a Spiritual House (not houses, plural) but a House (singular).

Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house…   1Pet 2:5

In the past we have been divided, and put in piles…. separate piles.  Different piles.  Race piles, culture piles.  Diverse piles.  God wants us to be One Pile not many piles.

• We have had Baptist piles
• Methodist piles
• Catholic piles
• Presbyterian piles
• Pentecostal piles
• Episcopalian piles
• White piles
• Black piles
• Hispanic piles
• Asian piles
• Native American piles
• Rich piles
• Poor piles
• Educated piles
• Uneducated piles

God is calling us to One Pile so that He can build a Spiritual House… and that is what happens when we make a determined effort to heal broken and bruised relationships.

Be a Healer