New Life For The Nations

 I am hearing the Word of the Lord saying, “There is new life for New Life”.  In the bigger scheme of things you have not been forgotten nor have you been forsaken.  Continue to take up the Word and let it be a mighty weapon in your mouth.  The spirit yes the spirit of discouragement that has wanted you to throw in the towel and quit is broken over this place.  There is a new resolve coming to the lives of My people who have chosen to settle into this place to settle in the gifts I have given you.  A resolve that has said, “We will rise and our voices will be heard.” I have given you the Word of Salvation to this region and beyond. Take up this mantel and go in the anointing I have given you as My body of believers.  Stand firm in what you have been given. For this is your time to show forth my Glory.

       Jesus, Who is the Word (John 1:1, 14), has given us His written Word, the Bible. The written Word was given to men by inspiration of God, and it is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness (II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:21). The Word is made alive by the Holy Spirit of God causing it to be filled with divine energy and ability.   “So shall my Word that goes forth out of my mouth:it shall not return unto me void, but shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11). Jesus said in John 6:63, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” God’s Word, our sword of the Spirit, is able to cut down the strongholds of Satan.

     What are you speaking?  Are you speaking defeat or life  Take up the Word and let it be a mighty weapon in your mouth.  “Words kill, words give life;they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.”  Proverbs 18:21

   In 1983 country music artist Ann Murray came out with a song title “A Little Good News”.  The jest of the song was talking about all the bad things happening in the world. Everyday seem to be the same-more bad news.  There are days we may feel like the line in the song that says “We sure could use a little good news today.”

      People are searching for “good news”.  Something that will bring them hope where there is so much bad news.        Our hope as a Christian is not hope in some “thing, event, blessing, promise”, but in SomeOne.  That SomeOne is Jesus! A relationship with Him that is lived out every day in our lives.  We are the carriers of the “good news”.  The good news is that there is hope in spite of all the bad stories that are reported on the news and through social media outlets.  

      Remembering this song, ”My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus Christ my righteousness.  I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus Name. On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand.”  

      If you’ve been feeling hopeless, I want to encourage you to turn up your hope.  Let hope arise in you. Began to meditate on the promises of the Word. Quit looking at the circumstances and turn your focus back to the promises  of His Word.  

     My prayer for.  May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing (through the experience of your faith) that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope.

Romans 15:13

Jesus said, “Remove the stone.” The sister of the dead man, Martha, said, “Master, by this time there’s a stench. He’s been dead four days!” Jesus looked her in the eye. “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” Then, to the others, “Go ahead, take away the stone.”John 11:38-42

      The dreams you had, the hope you had, the thing you were believing for has died.  It is easy to become indifferent when what we have been believing for isn’t happening or doesn’t happen in our time frame.  Those things may have become a stench to you. Stench not only means a bad smell but also means; a bad effect, an unpleasant event or situation.

       When the dreams have died, when hope seems lost, when the vision has become dim.  When we not dare not dream again, to hope again. We need someone to step into our lives and speak a life giving word to us. To tell us to believe again.  To let faith arise again.

Then he shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with and his face was bound about with a  napkin. Jesus saith unto them, “unwrap him and let him loose”. That was a turnaround for many of the Jews who were with Mary. They saw what Jesus did, and believed in him.  John 11:43-48

      The stone that has been set up to keep your dream in the grave let it be loosed today. That which has bound your dream from speaking is begin loosed to speak again.  Let your Lazarus come forth. See that dream unwrap for the glory of God.

John chapter 11 opens up talking about Lazarus being sick. In verse 3 we read his sisters sent a message to Jesus. “Lord our brother Lazarus; the one you love is very sick. Please come”. Jesus responded, “This sickness will not end in death for Lazarus, but will bring glory and praise to God. This will reveal the greatness of the Son of God by what takes place.”  I believe Jesus was responding from what he heard his spirit saying. When facing a situation in life it is so important to just say what we know Holy Spirit is saying. Speak only the Word which is truth.  After two days, he said to his disciples, “Lazarus has died. And I am glad for your sakes that I wasn’t there. You’re about to be given new grounds for believing. Now let’s go to him.”

The disciples had been with Jesus had seen miracle after miracle. Even people raised from the dead. But they were about to be given new ground for believing.  We read Lazarus had been dead for four days. Those who Jesus had raised from the dead had just died. Jesus was about to do something that would give them an opportunity to expand their capacity to believe.

As long as we are breathing we are always going to be given new grounds for believing. There is always going to be circumstances that will require us to believe the report of the Word.  In those moments of life we are given the opportunity to trust the One who says to us “I Am” right there with you. There is not a step you will not take that “I Am” not holding your hand.

Circumstances come and go in our life. But that which remains is the same is the Word. Everyday is an opportunity for new grounds for believing.  As we do we learn something new about God and to grow in our relationship with Him because of it.

“FACING FEAR-TRUSTING GOD”

      I have heard it said that there are three hundred and sixty five references to fear in the Bible.  It is not

a matter that you will never have an opportunity to fear but learning how to overcome in the face of fear.

      Over the years I have come up with a lot of excuses of why I could not be obedient with whatever God may have been asking of me.  Then I realised that my excuses was only the voice of fear. Fear can disguise itself in many ways. Fear can lead us to hide, to run away, or to freeze in our shoes.

      We know from the Scripture that fear is a spirit and not from God.  “For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”  2 Timothy 1:7  

      We overcome fear with the spirit of power……

      We overcome fear with spirit of love……

      We overcome fear with a sound mind……

     It is not a matter of having enough faith to overcome fear.  You already have enough faith to move mountains. It is not a matter of waiting until all your feelings of fear is gone to believe.  We will have many, many opportunities in life to fear. It is a matter of trusting God. As you go believing that God is with you fear will flee. Yes fear is a liar. Fear tries to get you to doubt what God has said and is saying.

      I want to encourage you today to step out even if means “doing it afraid.”

     As Christians we still will face situations in life like we did before we got saved.  Life will still have discouragements and disappointments. We can become discouraged and bogged down in life’s cares.  Everyone has felt like giving up at some point or another.  

     When we look through Scripture we read many reasons for hope during the times that we feel pressured, for the times when life just seems burdensome.  

    Here are a just a few Scriptures for those times we feel discouraged

Romans 15:4 “Whatever was written beforehand is meant to instruct us in how to live. The Scriptures impart to us encouragement and inspiration so that we can live in hope and endure all things”.

PSALMS 55:22 :Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall”

1 PETER 5:7. “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you”

MATTHEW 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]

Thou crownest the year with Thy goodness, and Thy paths drip with fatness. Psalms 65:11

      Our word for the New Year – “Seeing God’s goodness  in a Big way!”

      I believe this is the finest hour for the Church.  We are going to see God do awesome things this year as goodness overflows through his Sons and Daughters. “Do you believe”   

      We are blessed and we are ready to bless. God has given freely and fully to us; life, grace, hope, abundance, and the overflow of good things in our lives.  We are blessed to have a life of overflow!  Overflow is ours.  We can live in it and see it.

      Yes there have been and will be season of trials but it will pass away.  Some of you have been through some severe warfare this past year. You have not been forgotten.  This is a time of refreshing for you. You are entering into the overflow. God is releasing you into a new place for there is always more in God.

        Prayer to pray for this year:  “God,  you sent your Son to die that I might have life.  Your son, Jesus, has declared that the reason for His coming was so I might have abundant life.  I come into agreement with this and the prophetic word of seeing your goodness in a big way this year.  I declare that 2019 will be the best year of my life. I walk in the overflow in every area of my life. I declare that there will be no shortage of health, wealth or wisdom. I now receive supernatural revelation, wisdom, favor, health,  for this year. I am blessed to be a blessing. I walk in the overflow of your goodness in 2019.”

A brief History of Christmas

“And she will bring forth a son and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matt. 1:21(NKJV)

            As widespread as Christmas celebration has become, very little of its history is known by most people.  It must be understood that its celebration is not a clear cut, never changing activity since the year Jesus was born.  The exact day and year of His birth has never been determined. At the time of His birth the calendars were different and more than one existed at a time

            Keep in mind that there is no mention of a recognized holy day to celebrate Jesus’ birth in the Bible.  The only event Scripture tell us to remember is observed is Communion in regard to His death for us. Christmas is a celebration instituted by man, not God.  It has been recognized by the church since its first recorded celebration by the church in Rome in 336. The term Christmas became common from church masses called Christ-mass noted from 1038 A.D. and 1131 A. D.  About this time in the 10th century Nativity scenes began to be displayed.  It is commonly believed to be from the influence of Saint Frances of Assisi. The Council of Tours in 567 included it in church celebration as a feast named “The Twelve Days of Christmas” running from Christmas to Epiphany.

            One of the most interesting things about Christmas is that the first opposition to its public celebration was from the church after the reformation in the sixteenth century.  During the Puritan rule of England Christmas was outlawed from 1647 to 1660 due to the drunkenness and misbehavior associated with it. Christmas as we see it today arose in the 1800s from the influence of Charles Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol” and Clemet Moore’s “The Night before Christmas.”  It became a National holiday on June 28, 1880 in the U.S. Although it has been celebrated by many nation’s for hundreds of years, it wasn’t always a national holiday. It was not a holiday in Scotland until 1958 due to its nature of celebration. From man’s view of the holiday, can it really be said, “Jesus is the reason for the season?”

            Today the world doesn’t want to get rid of the holiday; it just wants CHRISTMAS removed.  As a believer it isn’t important whether or not you celebrate Christmas, the holiday, but it is important that you celebrate Christ, your Savior, not just on one day but every day of the year.  Jesus, the CHRIST, is more important than Christmas, the holiday.  

The God of the universe calls Himself I AM.  We read in Exodus 3:14, “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM”.

Jesus completed the statement that was given to Moses. Seven times in the Gospel of John He uses the expression, “I am”.  Each ‘I am’ is a description Jesus gave of Himself.  The Seven ‘I AM’ saying’s help us better understand the nature of Jesus.

1. Bread “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger.” John 6:35
2.  Light “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12
3.  Gate “I am the gate; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” John 10:9
4.  Good Shepherd “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for His sheep.” John 10:11
5.  Resurrection and Life “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies.” John 11:25
6. Way, Truth, Life “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” John 14:6
7.  True vine “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.” John 15:1  

The nature of Jesus is further illustrated in John 8:58 Jesus said,  “Truly, Truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am”, which means that Jesus existed before His human life on earth.

    Jesus the “I am of our lives”.  In Him we find what we need.

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.  Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” Psalm 100:4(NKJV)

“Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing.”  Psalm 107:22 (NKJV)

“,,,,giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.” Colossians 1:12 (NJKV)

            Do you realize how many dozen times the Bible talks about giving thanks or being thankful?  Being Thanksgiving season reminds us that we should be thankful. If you were asked “for what are you thankful” what would you say?  There are many good things we could list. But, where on the list would they be? What would be first and what would be last? Where on the list would be, “I am thankful for what God has done for me.”

            Do you realize that “thanksgiving” is the entrance into His gates, and then we enter His courts with praise?  If you aren’t thankful first your praise will be hindered? We must remember to be thankful no matter what our conditions might be.  Even though circumstances around you may be “down and dirty” you should remember that in Christ Jesus you are never “under the circumstances”.

            No matter what is going on in the world around you, you are not of this world.  Remember, you are in the world not of the world. Our Lord told us, “In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world”. One of the most important things to becoming a world overcomer is believing that Jesus told you that you are one.  It is not how you “feel” but how you “believe”.  It is amazing what being thankful will see you through.