dickbraswell

Word for Today:  April 3

A New Day and a New Place.

Let’s look at what God is saying to the Church today.

What God is saying is more important than what anybody else is saying.  What God is saying is more important than what the world is saying.   What God is saying is more important than the opinions of men.  When we hear what God is saying, we will know what God is doing.  When we know what God is doing, we can do it with Him.  We can work with Him and become His partner in the Work.

We are all aware that this is a very unique and special time.  There has never been a time like this before.  You know it.  You feel it.  You are aware of it.  There is an urgency in the air.  There is a stirring in our bones.  There is an unction within.  Even the world knows it.  Nature knows it.  All creation knows it.  The heavens know it.  We have “not passed this way before…”   There is excitement.  There is anticipation.  There is expectancy.  We must hear what the Spirit of God is saying to the Church.  We must know what God is doing so we can “go after Him…”

“When you see the Ark of the Covenant if the Lord you God and the priests bearing it, then shall ye remove from your place and GO AFTER IT…”  Jos 3:3.

The predictable format of Church as we have known it is over.

This is a New Day and this is a New Place.  We must Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.  It is a Fresh, Relevant and Contemporary Word from God.  We cannot play the role any longer.  Pretense and play church is over.  This is the Real Thing.  This is more than a seminar.  This is more than a Bible Study.  This is more than a Prayer Meeting.  This is more than a Revival Meeting.  This is more than a Camp Meeting.  This is an Encounter.  An Encounter with God.  A Divine Encounter.

And when this happens, things change.  Like lives.  Like marriages.  Like families.  Like attitudes.  Like habits.  Like ministries.  Like churches.  Like the world.

This is a NEW DAY

One of our mission excursions into the old Soviet Union back in the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s took us into the middle of Siberia… exactly 12 times zones removed from Mobile.

The small mining town of Angchero Sudchznsk was our mission destination.  If I remember correctly, there was no airport there and we traveled by bus from Kemerova, a city several hours removed from our destination. 

Our team consisted of about 8-10 individuals.   We were the first Americans ever to set foot in this formerly held Soviet region.  Our excitement was equally matched by those precious, persecuted and poor people who met us at the bus stop upon our arrival.    

One dear Babushka (grandmother) pulled me aside and in tears spoke through one of our translators… her remarkable story related how over 40 years in the past, in the time of severe persecution by the KGB, a prophecy was given to her small underground church… and that prophecy explained how some time in the future, a group of foreigners would come to her town and preach the Gospel during a season of peace and freedom.  She had lived long enough to witness the fulfillment of that Word from God… she could not contain her emotions as she held and hugged each member of our team.  

We were warned that, in some isolated regions of the Soviet Union, the KGB was still active, even though Communism had failed and the collapse was quite apparent in the large metropolitan areas.  So, I had made this known to our group and we were all a little on edge knowing that we might encounter some opposition from the KGB.

One day our team was being transported in the bus to a preaching site.  We noticed a suspicious black sedan following us.  Even when we changed our route, the black sedan stuck with us.  Our fear of arrest and detainment was heightened when the car sped around us and slowed to a stop blocking our progress.   Four men jumped out of the car carrying packages and indicated that they were going to board the bus.  We all began to pray and wait for the inevitable.  When the door opened, the men burst into our bus, opened the packages and gave ice cream to all our team members.  God is good!

When we gathered for our first meeting in the small Cultural Hall which was secured for the services, the room was filled.  I will never forget the love that filled that place.  We did not speak their language, did not really understand their culture and certainly did not dress as they did.  Everything we encountered was all but totally opposite to what we were normally used to.  The picture of their faces has been indelibly burned into my heart…

We tried to sing a few choruses.  We tried to teach them some new ones.  We were met with frustration as we were hindered from communicating effectively with them even though we had translators.  We were just not “getting through” to them.  Since I was on schedule to preach, it became apparent that any type of verbal communication with this wonderful crowd of spiritually hungry individuals would be all but impossible. So, sometimes it is better for the preacher not to preach.

I asked the team members to gather in a line on the floor at the foot of the stage.  Then I instructed the translators to inform the crowd to come in an orderly fashion to the front and start at one end of our “line” and pass, one by one, to the other end.  God began to flood over my entire being with an unexplainable river of pure love…. And the same thing happened to the team members.  Without a word said, or a song sung, or a sermon preached.  We did nothing but physically hug and impart the Love of God into each one who passed in front of us.  It took a long time for everyone to get through the line.  And God was doing supernatural things in the lives of those present.  Alcoholics were immediately and supernaturally delivered.  I mean some were so intoxicated they could hardly stand or walk.  They were instantly sobered and saved.  Family relationships were healed.  Numbers of them were saved.  Prayer was made for the sick and infirm.  Miracles happened.  We were fused into one entity by the measureless Love of Almighty God.

Sometimes it is better for the preacher not to preach

Word for Today:  April 1

The Resurrection of Jesus means:

A New Species of Men… and New Race of Men… a New Breed of Men… a New Creation of Men… has been brought forth to walk in great Power and Authority on the earth.

If any man be in Christ he is a New Creation.  2Cor 5:17

The Resurrection gave birth to a Race of Supermen.  Men and Women and Young People with God inside of them.  People who are literally infused with resurrection power and resurrection life.   Zoe life.  A Race who has power over devils and demons!!  A Race who lives in a different realm of life.  A Race filled with the Holy Ghost and Power.

The devil and all demon powers are dethroned and defeated.  At the fall of Adam, satan gained control and dominion over all the earth.  At the Resurrection of Jesus,  satan was factually and actually dethroned and defeated.   he is stripped of his power and his authority.

The Resurrection of Jesus was and is the final proof of satan’s downfall and defeat.  Sickness, sin, defeat, sorrow, death, sadness are forever conquered.  We (Believers) have been redeemed from satan’s dominion and we have legally become the masters of satan and his demons.  You have power over the devil because Jesus rose from the dead.  You can cast out devils. You can heal the sick.  You can call things that are not as though they are.  You can overcome poverty and distress and pain and need.  Because Jesus is alive… you are filled with Resurrection Life.

There will be no judgment for us like it was for Jesus.  God will not forsake us.   For us there will be no Cross… no crown of thorns… no separation from God… no suffering in hell… no guilt and no condemnation.

Jesus PAID IT ALL

Word for Today:  March 31

You can change things.

We are the only limitation God has.   It’s up to us.  Many are sitting around waiting for God to do something and God is waiting for us to do something.  God does not have to do anything else.  He has already done everything for you.

The only limitation in the life of any believer is the believer himself.    Some are praying and believing and fasting and seeking and worrying and weeping and repenting and trying to get what God has already given them.  He has made everything we will ever need available.  He has already blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.  (Eph 1:3)

Not many people are really satisfied with the way things are.  The good news is you can change those things you don’t like.  Most people who are in undesirable situations are saying “I can’t help it.”  But the “I can’t help it” excuse is really a cop out.  And it flies in the Face of God and slanders every promise in the Word.

This kind of information processing results in the “I can’t help it” mind set.  And it is really a MIND SET it is not a WORD SET.  You can change things.  The Word says you can.     When we find ourselves in situations and circumstances that contradict the Word and do not glorify God and enhance His Kingdom, we can change them.

The main reason some cannot change things is because they do not know how to change them.   If they do not know how, then they are among those the Bible speaks about when it says:

My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge…   Hos 4:6

And the Apostle Paul admonishes us to:

Not be ignorant, brethren…   1Thes 4:13

Get Smart

Word for Today:  March 30

God is Practical

We must come to the place of absolute faith in the Word of God.  The key word is ABSOLUTE.   There is a realm of believing that few have entered.  It is a place of surety.  It is a place of total confidence.  It is a place of resolve.  It is a place of determination.  It is relentless.  It is absolute.  It is immutable.  It is fixed.  It is changeless.  This is the God-Kind of faith.  This level of faith is essential for the perfect working of the perfect Word.    Since the Word is ABSOLUTE TRUTH we must approach Absolute Truth with ABSOLUTE FAITH.  Anything less than absolute faith is partial faith.  Partial faith is not a “finished faith” or a “completed faith.”  Jesus is the Author and Finisher (Completer) of our faith.

There is a practical application of the Word of God.  God does not tell us to do things that we cannot do…  He does not instruct us to keep things we cannot keep.  He does not command us to accomplish anything we cannot accomplish…  God is not only Spiritual… He is practical…  He fixes it so that Spiritual Principles will work in a real and practical world.  To work the Word is not impractical.  To make practical application of the Word is not being “super-spiritual.”  God has given us the Word so that we might apply the Word to real, physical, and natural life situations.

There is also a much broader dimension of the Word than most people realize.  The Word of God is not just the Bible.  The Bible is the written document that is the written Word of God but the Word of God existed before there was a written document called the Holy Bible.  John writes that “in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God…”   God’s Word transcends the Bible.   God’s Word was existent before there was a Bible.  How can we know what God said if it is not written down for us to read and know?  We know what God said by knowing what God would say.  We know what God would say by knowing the Nature and Character of God.  God speaks in agreement with His Character.  If we know His Character, we will know what He will say or did say…  We know His Character by Revelation.

Thankfully, He chose to Reveal Himself to us.

Word for Today:  March 29

Moses forsook Egypt.

By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.  Heb 11:27

Moses saw beyond the Natural and the Immediate and into the Spiritual and the Eternal.

He saw the Invisible and accomplished the Impossible.

He left what everybody thought was a “sure thing” because he saw beyond the facts and focused on the Promise of God.  Once He realized what God had in store, the world no longer held any attraction for him.  Money, power, rank, station, reputation, future…. all these were weighed against the “Invisible” things he saw by faith.

He knew the promises of God were much better than the wealth of the world.

He left the world, the world system and the things of flesh behind and he “endured” (kartereo: to be strong, steadfast, patient) because he saw the invisible.

Seeing the invisible is preceded by Forsaking and Enduring.  Faith has a flip-side.  It is not all just “believing with the heart” it is believing with a determination to do the Word.

Faith without works is dead… James 2:26

The “forsaking” precedes the “taking”

Word for Today: March 28

Hindrances to Faith

          Remember that Satan comes “immediately” to take away the Word-Seed before it has time to take root. 

And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.  Mark 4:15   

          It is easier for Satan to steal a seed or dig up a seed than it is for him to pull up a tree.  Satan is a thief and a robber.   Here are some real hindrances to great faith:

• Seeing no evidence.
• Having no feeling.
• Considering facts and turning to human rea­soning.
• Failures we have experienced in the past.
• Dead religion, cold churches, denomina­tional doc­trine,
• unbelieving preachers and teachers.
• Our fear of man, relatives, influential friends, and what people may say.
• Refusing the Gifts of the Spirit
• Ignorance.
• Unrenewed mind.
• Negative mouth.
• Doubt and wavering.
• Love of the world. 
• Impatience

          Strife, bitterness, unforgiveness, sarcasm, gossip, jealousy, envy, unkindness, anger, griping, self-pity, pride, hypocrisy, uncaring, no compassion, no love, greed, stinginess, egotism, no disci­pline, sense-ruled, appetite-ruled,  sight-ruled;   any of  the above will prevent our faith from developing.  They are hindrances to faith and they can only be dealt with and overcome by our deter­mination and prayerful effort. 

          The Revelation of Faith and the continual opera­tion of this revelation in the life of the Believer is essential if one is to Reign in Life. 

Word for Today:  March 19

I believe we have missed the point somewhere.

Religion has formed opinions and manufactured definitions of what church is.  I wonder if church is today what it was in the first century.  I wonder if we did today what they did in the first century… would we qualify as ministers…. Or churches… or Christian assemblies?   Would it be acceptable? Would it fit in our specified service times?  What would happen?

Perhaps we have become acclimated and accustomed to contemporary activity that we call “church” and maybe it is not church at all… at least not church in the sense of the New Testament definition.

Does God wonder what we are doing?  Maybe we should re-evaluate what we do on the Lord’s Day and what happens on Sunday and then compare it with Scripture and see if it is really church or not.

Much of what we call “church” is not church at all.  It may qualify as a “meeting” but it certainly is not “Church.”  Our first question after the services should be “did we have Church?  Or did we just have a meeting.”  Many services in many churches would go right on without the Holy Ghost showing up and many would never know the difference.

• Church is not church if nothing happens.
• Church is not church if shock waves are not sent through hell. (Remember the “gates of hell” thing?
• Church is not church if people in church can sleep right through it.
• Church is not church when everything is planned and orchestrated by professional religious personnel.
• Church is not church if there is no excitement. No movement.  No action.
• Church is not church if there is no rejoicing.
• Church is not church lives and situations are not changed.

Real Church is radical

Word for Today:  March 18

What are Storms?

Storms are circumstances and situations.   Storms are problems.  Storms are crises.  Storms are hindrances and delays and disappointments.  Storms are situations that plague us and harass us and attempt to destroy us.  Storms are sicknesses and physical attacks. Storms are Family conflicts and marriage troubles.  Storms are difficulties and impossibilities in the work place. Storms are addictions and habits that keep us in bondage.  Storms are demonic.

Where do Storms come from?  What causes them?

Storms are caused by the devil.  They are demonic attacks.  They are designed to do what the devil wants to do to you… to kill you, to steal your goods, and to completely destroy you.  Storms are planned and birthed in hell.  They are crafted for you personally by the devil and his demons.  They are intended to keep you as far away from God and God’s Purpose as possible.

What is the Purpose of Storms?

The purpose and intent of storms is to stop you before you get where God wants you to be.  Storms arise and winds blow in the process of ministry and spiritual growth.  When you determine to obey God and be a blessing to others is when you will find yourself in a storm with the devil attempt­ing to sink your boat.

The moment you decide to go to the Other Side with Jesus, satan will send a storm to stop you and capsize your boat.  You hear the voice of God… the challenge… the command… (This is point A) and you start out toward point B which is the place where God wants you.  And on the way…. You run into a STORM.

How do we Calm the Storm?

The Word spoken in faith and prayed in faith always creates a calm and produces peace.  When Jesus found Himself in a great storm, He “rebuked” the wind and “said” to the sea… (Mark 4:39)  There is a time to pray and there is a time to arise and speak the Word.

Faith-filled words will make the Natural submit to the Spiritual.  If “no-faith” which is what the dis­ciples had (“how is it that ye have no faith…?”) yields to the destructive power of storms then Faith (which is what Jesus had) makes the de­structive power of storms submit to the Power of God.

Talk to your storm

Word for Today: March 17

We are suffering loss because we have allowed suffering to happen.

Every defeat and every spiritual failure is the result of our laziness, our ignorance, our stupidity or our rebellion.

satan moves in when he is not resisted.  satan stays when we draw back and let him stay.   satan sets up housekeeping when we give place to him.  satan builds strongholds when we do not fight back.  satan cannot do what he is not allowed to do.

Our spiritual condition is precisely what we have allowed it to become.  We can fuss and cuss about the government about world conditions about immorality and crime and ungodliness… we can criticize and complain but what IS is what we as the Body of Christ have allowed to be.

God has equipped us and supplied us with every effective and offensive weapon to stop the devil and drive out demons and take back what hell has stolen… the problem is we have grown fat and lazy and we have crawled into our recliners and gone to sleep.

And while we slept the enemy came and invaded.  Now it is time to attack.  It is time to declare our independence from the powers of darkness… it is the hour to move into the territory of the devil… to charge the gates of hell and demand a refund.  With interest.

Just go ahead and do it.