dickbraswell

Word for Today:  November 2

Agape is the God-kind of love.

It is characteristic of God and it is totally self-less.  It is a deliberate assent of the will… it is released by choice.  This kind of love is the underlying characteristic of God and it is this kind of love that is imputed to every believer at the time of Regeneration.  Paul said (in 1 Corinthians 13) that Love (Agape) is more important than:

• Speaking in Tongues
• the Gift of Prophecy
• Understanding (revelation)
• Mountain-moving Faith
• Giving to the poor
• Dying a Martyr

Love is an affection and not an emotion.  Love is a choice.  Love is a decision you make.  Love is deliberate.  Love is active.  Love moves from Word to deed.

• Love is not impatient but, instead, longsuffering.
• Love is not envious of others.
• Love is not self-centered, proud, haughty or puffed up.
• Love is not conceited.
• Love is not rude or crude.
• Love is not touchy or fretful or resentful.
• Love takes no account of the evil done to it.
• Love does not rejoice at the failures of others.
• Love believes the best of every person.
• Love bears up under anything that comes.
• Love endures every hardship without weakening. (1Cor 13 Amp)

The opposite of love is not hate… it is selfishness.  The most important product of the Christian faith is Love.  It has more significance and substance than anything that anyone can do, say or profess.  It is the primary characteristic of our faith and our salvation.  The incredible thing is we can all do this.  We can all choose to love.   It is not restricted to some high level of Christian achievement or some special gift from God.  The God-Kind of love is imputed into every believer and every believer has the privilege of giving it away.  And this One Thing will change everything.

Love never fails

We are living in the days of final preparation.  In heaven, in hell and on earth, tremendous activity is erupting as all of creation anticipates the culmination of man’s history.

If the Holy Spirit were to pull the scales from our eyes, we believers would be both joyful and horrified at what we would see.  We would cry out “What is going on?  Why is everyone rushing about so determined, so intense?  What’s in the wind?  What is about to happen?”

If the veil separating the physical and the spiritual could be lifted for a moment, what a sight we would behold!  Everywhere we looked, we would see preparations taking place.  God is busily PREPARING.  The ANGELS are busily PREPARING.  Hell is busy PREPARING.   During the six days of creation God PREPARED.  And now, at the CLOSE of this AGE, He is diligently preparing for the END.

What’s next?  The Bible is very plain about the events that will take place at the close of this age.  If we know the Word, we will know what is going to happen.  If we know the Will of God, we will know what to expect and when to expect it.  God never intended for His children to be ignorant of His End-Time plan.  God never intended for His children to be caught by surprise.  God wants you to know what is going to happen and approximately when it is going to happen.  Now, if you do not care, you will not know.  If you are lazy and carnally minded, you will not know.  If you are caught up in the world system, you will not know.  If you are bound up in religious bondage and dead doctrine, you will not know.  However, you can know, and you will know if you open your heart to the Holy Spirit right now!!

            First, we are living in the End-Time.  There is no doubt about this.  Look at what the Bible says concerning events that will be taking place at the time Jesus comes again.   From what I can determine from the Bible, there is not ONE PROPHECY left to be fulfilled before Jesus Comes Again.  His appearance is IMMINENT.  His Return is At Hand!! 

            The NEXT EVENT will be Jesus coming in the clouds to take His Church  out of the earth. “For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up (harpadzo) together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air:  and so shall we ever be with the Lord…”  1 Thes 4: 16-17.

            “Then shall two be in the field, the one shall be taken, and the other left.  Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken and the other left.  Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come…”  Mat 24:40-42

            This is referred to as the Rapture of the Church.  It is a “catching away” or a “snatching away” of all true Believers from the earth at a time when it is least expected by the world.  It will be worldwide, and it will be sudden.   It will be blessed for those who are saved, and it will be tragic for those who are lost.  According to the Bible,  the Saved who have died and gone to be with Jesus will be reunited with their bodies and they shall “rise first” and then those of us who are alive and remain shall be taken up together with them in the air.  Suddenly, all the TRUE  Christians will be gone from the earth.  Suddenly, all Christian influence will be removed from the earth.  Suddenly, all the church buildings and facilities of True Believers will be vacant and empty.  Godly men and Godly women and Godly young people will ALL BE GONE.  Mothers will leave unbelieving children.  Daddies will leave unbelieving children.  Brothers will leave unbelieving brothers.  Sisters will leave unbelieving sisters.  Families will be divided.  Friends will be separated.  Only those who are READY will be taken.  Those who are living in disobedience, in rebellion, in open sin… those who are lukewarm and lazy will be left.  Those whose lamps are not trimmed and whose lights are not burning will be left.  The True Christians will all be gone.  No one left on earth but the lost, the backslidden, the unbelieving, the skeptic… “the lawless and disobedient, the ungodly, the sinner, the unholy, the profane, murderers, manslayers, whoremongers, those that defile themselves with mankind, kidnappers, liars and perjurers…” (1 Tim 1:9-10)  All goodness will be gone.  All love will be gone.  All kindness will be gone.  All compassion will be gone.  All mercy will be gone. 

The TRUE CHURCH will be GONE, and the world will be left to the powers of hell and destruction.  There will be no restraining force against evil and wickedness.  Antichrist will emerge and begin to rule, and millions will be tortured, persecuted, abused, murdered.  There will be another holocaust… but this one will be world-wide, and it will cause blood to run in every street in every city in every nation on the earth.  Demon forces will be loosed on earth and suffering will be supernatural.  These events are plainly detailed in the Book of Revelation, Chapters 6 through 18.  After the Rapture, there will be NO ESCAPE.  The suffering and torment that will be experienced by those who are left behind is indescribable.  Men will cry for the mountains to fall on them and for the earth to swallow them up… they will scream for death, but death will not come.  “…and the kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and the chief captains and the mighty men and every bondman and every free man hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of his wrath is come and who shall be able to stand?…”  Rev 6: 15-17. 

            This is called the Time of Tribulation.  And it will last for a period of 7 years.  The first 3 1/2 years will witness the rise of the antichrist.  The last 3 1/2 years will perfect his rule and reign.  The entire 7 years,  the antichrist will reign, and the earth will be ruled by demon forces.  There will be a continual series of Judgments… 7 seal judgments, 7 vial judgments and 7 trumpet judgments… Millions will die as this 7-year period of Tribulation ends with the Battle of all battles… the Battle of Armageddon.  “And another angel came out of the temple, which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.  And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, thrust in thy sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.  And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.  And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.”   (184 miles)  Rev 14:17-20.  See also Rev 19: 11-21. 

            While these events are taking place on earth during the 7 years of Tribulation, those of us who were Caught Up at the Rapture will be in heaven with Jesus.  We will be preparing for the Millennium.  We will be getting ready to return to earth with Jesus and to rule with Him for 1000 years.  There are two events that will take place in heaven while antichrist is ruling on earth.

            First, we will go with Jesus to the Judgment Seat of Christ.  It is here that all Believers will be rewarded according to their faithfulness while they lived on earth.  We must each stand individually before Jesus and answer to Him in regard to our conduct on earth.  “For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels and then He shall reward every man according to his works…”  Mat 16:27  “…for we shall all stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ.  For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.  So, then every one of us shall give account of himself to God…”  Rom 14: 10-12  “For we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad…”  2 Cor 4:10.  “And behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be…” Rev  22: 12.

            It is here that we will be rewarded and receive our crowns which will be laid at Jesus’ feet.  It may be a time of great rejoicing and it could be a time of great regret.  We will be judged and rewarded according to our works.  We are not saved by our works, but we will be rewarded according to our works.  The rewards we receive and the crowns we are given will be cast at the feet of Jesus as we honor Him and worship Him.  It will be all that we have to GIVE to Him.

            Next, we will accompany Jesus and all the Saints of all the ages to the Marriage Feast or Marriage Supper of the Lamb.  “Let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready.  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.  And He saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.  And He saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God…”  Rev 19: 7-9. 

Now, the choice is YOURS TODAY.  Which will it be, Tribulation or Triumph?  Suffering or the Marriage Supper?  If you could miss the wrath of God that will be poured out without mixture… surely you would.  If you could instead be guaranteed a place at the Marriage Supper, I know you would accept.  I am sent by God to make you an offer.  I am His messenger (angel) to give you that invitation.  What will it be?  What will you do?  God extends to you a request for your presence…

Will you accept? _____Yes _____No

Word for Today:  November 1

I have discovered that there are three main problem areas in the lives of Believers.

These problem areas, if left alone and not controlled, will prevent any Christian from living and walking in victory.   The problem areas are:

• The Flesh… which needs to be crucified and kept crucified.
• The Mind… which needs to be renewed and kept renewed.
• The Tongue… which needs to be controlled all the time.

The flesh is constantly warring against the spirit.  I do not need to tell you this.  You experience it every day.  It rebels against the spirit.   It is at odds with God.  It hates the Word.  It resists the Holy Ghost.  It likes to run loose.  It demands attention.  Uncontrolled, it causes misery, guilt, condemnation, and failure.  The Bible tells us how to have victory over the flesh.

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

The way to overcome flesh is to walk in the Spirit.  It is our flesh that is constantly giving us trouble.  It is my flesh that causes me the most grief.  Flesh is not sinful in itself.  It was created by God.  It is when we allow flesh to be controlled by a carnal mind and an uncontrolled will that we are tempted to sin… and most often yield to it.

To walk in the Spirit is a choice we make and it means to have our total life (spirit, soul and body) controlled by the Holy Ghost.  Focus today on Walking, Talking and Living in the Spirit…

And your flesh will be no problem

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