Blessing Flow From Faith and Confidence In God!

We have been talking about the things that can block the presence of God in your life.    There are seven things specific that I have found in my life that can block the river of God from flowing in your inner most being.

First we talked about condemnation, and how we must forgive ourselves, and then we talked about guilt and how we must love ourselves in spite of our mistakes and short comings.    Today we are going to look at how FEAR can block the flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

First of all not all fear is bad.    When we have the fear of the LORD this actually helps us line our lives up with the truth, that is a healthy dose of fear.  But when fear gets out of control in our lives not only does it block the flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives, but it cripples us and hinders our faith so that we are unable to step out and do the will of God.

Job 28:28 
And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

Fear causes us to lack confidence and the number one thing that hinders the flow of God in our lives is the LACK OF CONFIDENCE.
 Now look at these Scriptures, some of you are going to get a key revelation here that frees up the flow of God in your life.

Ephesians 3:12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in him.

Look at the above verse.  The result of our faith will be boldness and confidence, and this helps us to have access to the throne of God, and the presence of God.

See the verse again.  We have boldness ad access WITH CONFIDENCE through faith in him.

Fear hinders our confidence.   I operate in all the gifts of the Spirit, preach, teach, pray intercessory prayer, sing worship, play instruments, prophecy, and I can tell you that when my confidence is shaken that impacts the flow of the Holy Spirit in my life more than anything else.

Now look at Hebrews 10:19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,

We have CONFIDENCE to do what?   To enter the most HOLY PLACE.  This is where we come into contact with the very presence of God.   Lack of confidence will hinder you from entering into God's presence, and fear opens the door to our lack of confidence in life.

Now look at Hebrews 10:35  So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

Are you just struggling to get by?   What will be RICHLY rewarded?   YOUR CONFIDENCE!

Unless you get a confidence in God.  Confidence in His Word.  Confidence in His love and provision, you are always going to struggle to make ends meet.   What does that mean?  It means that when your provisions are gone and you are running in the negative, and there is no end in sight in the natural you don't lose your CONFIDENCE in God.    You keep praising, your keep believing, your keep fear from controlling your life.   We don't give because we afraid we can't pay our bills.  That mentality will keep you in the slums for your entire life.  You see, I have CONFIDENCE in God, and so must  you have confidence in God!

Hebrews 3:6 But Christ is faithful as the Son over God's house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.

Now don't miss this one right here.  What does it mean we are HIS HOUSE?  It means you are the temple of the Holy Ghost.  And where does the presence of God reside?  In his temple.   Yes, the river of God and presence of God can dwell inside of you day by day.    And Christ is what?  A faithful SON over God's house.   Christ is going to be faithful to you, to protect you, to help you, to prosper you if you are the temple of the Holy Ghost!   And what are the conditions?  It says we are his house, IF INDEED we hold FIRMLY to our CONFIDENCE and the HOPE in which we glory.  Without confidence and hope you are going to struggle with feeling the presence of God in your LIFE!  And without his presence, we miss his blessings!

As long as you are uncertain of what to do, what to say, where to go, how to live, where to work, where to live, who to date,  it LEAVES ROOM FOR FEAR to get out of control.   And fear out of control will lead to anxiety, panic, worry, anger, depression, and eventually defeat.

Fear will cause your 'survival instinct' to kick in.   When we go into 'survival mode' it is hard to walk in faith and confidence towards God, and without that faith, it is impossible to please him.

After the children of Israel had crossed the Red Sea.  They had went 3 days into the wilderness and had not found any water to drink.   Now they had their herds, their children, their elderly.   Do you know what happens to a child when they have went three days without water?   They are close to death, very close.   They complained and grumbled because their 'survival instincts' kicked in.    You would think that going three days without water would be a good reason to grumble.   Who could blame them for being upset and angry?    Yet, God was upset with them because they grumbled and complained.  No matter how bad you have it in life, it is never OK with God that you grumble and complain, there are NO EXCUSES for not being and living in FAITH and confidence  towards God.    

There are those of you today, you have been in survival mode for so long.  You go from fear to fear, from worry to worry, from anxiety to anxiety, from drama to drama.    This is what happens when fear, grumbling and complaining get out of control and takes over your life.  You live only to survive!   Is that all you want out of life?  Just to survive?   If you want to just survive than live in fear, anxiety, worry, drama, and complaints.     But if you want to live, put survival mode behind you and walk in the confidence of FAITH.  

If you were three days in the wilderness following God and you could find no water to drink what would you do?  Would you go into default 'survival mode' and, worry, complain, fear, anger and stress like the children of Israel did?   Or would you trust God and walk in the confidence and faith that God will supply your needs, not just to survive, but to lead you to a land flowing with milk and honey.  After all God promised them milk and honey, yet they couldn't even find water.  Is that where you are right now.   Has God promised you blessings, and you can't even pay your bills?  Has God promised you prosperity and you can't even buy the things you need?   What are you going to do then?  Are you going to stay in faith and confidence knowing that God is not a man that He should lie and that he will do as He promised?  Or are you going to give way to fear?   The children of Israel gave way to fear,  Instead of having faith and confidence that God would supply milk and honey they got angry and violent and accused God of mistreating them.

What must we do?   We must decide to live for the blessing and refuse to yield to 'survival mode'   if you complain and gripe when you don't have provisions you will spend your life just barely getting by...but if you have faith and confidence in God, even in the midst of your lack,  you will eventually find the blessing and prosperity of God.

How to BE Rid of GUILT!

Yesterday we began talking about the seven things that can block the flow of the Holy Spirit in your life.   Number one was condemnation.   We cannot allow the things we are ashamed of in the past to rule our hearts and minds today.   If you did not read that article, you can find it here...http://www.praiseag.blogspot.com/2015/10/7-things-that-will-block-flow-of-spirit.html

Today we are going to be talking about the second thing that will block the flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives,   Jesus said, "He who believes in me, out of his inner most being will flow rivers of living water."   When we allow things to pollute our inner being, the river of God cannot flow in our lives and we feel alienated from God and his presence.    Guilt will block the flow of the Spirit of God in  your life and will make it harder for you to experience the presence of God.

We are told in the Book of Hebrews to draw near to God with confidence, but also that our guilty conscience can hinder us from drawing near with sureness of faith, and we know that without faith it is impossible to please God.   You see it is easy to KNOW that God CAN help you, but our lack of confidence is often in ourselves, not in God.   We don't think that we are worthy, and we fear that we have done so much wrong that we need to be punished.  These types of guilt are so weighty and this will cause you to doubt that God's love can reach you.     Jesus came to deliver us from this kind of guilt, God does not intend for you to carry the guilt of your sins any longer.

Hebrews 16:17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
(God has forgotten your past mistakes)

18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
(You don't have to punish yourself, or think that God needs to punish you, he paid the price once and for all)

19 ¶ Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
(when we are free from guilt and shame, we have the boldness to fellowship with the Spirit of God
20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
(Jesus paid ALL the price, your guilt was ripped from you the moment He took your punishment on the cross, God no longer calls you guilty, so why let your feelings and emotions and thoughts punish you?)

21 And having an high priest over the house of God;
(Jesus is your high priest, you come near to God through him, not of your own efforts or accomplishments, the ONLY WORK you can do is to believe in JESUS)

22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
(When you are free of guilt and shame you can draw near to God with confidence, but if you hold  your guilt to yourself, you will feel a block of condemnation between you and the Father.)  You must forgive yourself, and accept God's blessing upon your life in SPITE of your past.  there is someone today you are tying to prove yourself worthy to God, to make up for your past.   You cannot make up for your past, you must allow the blood of Jesus to atone for it.  Believe in his blood to cleanse you, you must believe his goodness, out weighs your sins.    You must believe his forgiveness is final.

23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Sometimes when we have tried to forgive  ourselves, and we cannot  help but to waver and feel condemned it is because we have unconfessed sin in our lives right now.   Most of the time other people can see this sin in our lives but we have excused it and self justified our behavior.  If you pardon your own sin, and excuse your own sins than God cannot justify you or pardon you.   Only as we confess we have sinned and turned from us are we justified and pardoned before God.   A lot of people are walking around in self-justification, and this kind of human righteousness will block the presence of God from your life.    Many times people have sin in their lives that they are living in everyday and they don't realize it as sin.  They see it in the Bible, and have heard people preach against it, but they have rejected those words and made excuses.  God PARDONS our sins when we repent of them.   He does not excuse our sins and overlook it because of our circumstances.   The only way to be healed of this is to begin to fast and pray and ask God to open your eyes to  the sins that you have hidden from yourself.   Most often where you have had conflict with others and they have tried to 'tell you' that you are living in sin is the thing that you are holding to yourself and making excuses for.  

24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
You need other Christians in your life.   What does it mean to provoke.  None of us like to be provoked...yet when we are around other Christians we are held to a certain amount of accountability that helps us walk in the light instead of the darkness.   The very reason that many will not go to church is because they don't want to be challenged, provoked, convicted to grow in God, because this is often an uncomfortable and painful process.

25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
We see that Paul has linked coming into the presence of God and getting over your past through the forgiveness of God with not forsaking assembling together with other Christians.   When we recoil from the Body of Christ, we look ourselves up in a tomb, how can we love our brother if we refuse to walk with our brother.  

When we blame ourselves and live in guilt and shame, we alienate ourselves from God.   Jesus made provision and that is the only way to fix it, you cannot 'make up' for your past.

What do you blame yourself for?  What are you ashamed of?   Whatever it is your must release it and let it go as the blood of Jesus has cleansed you of your sins.    Have you asked God to forgive you?  Are you doing your best to do better?   Sometimes the greatest guilt is when we know to do better, but we are trapped in a pattern of not doing as good as we know to do.

God knew that when we came to Him we would have to find a way to deal with our guilt.  Guilt can drive you to hate yourself.   Condemnation is the end result of guilt.  Condemnation fills us full of shame, and brings utter disappointment in ourselves.    When we have condemned ourselves we have judge our own behavior and found it lacking.   But no matter how many times we have failed, we must love ourselves just like we are, warts and all.   We must learn to accept ourselves just like we are, because Christ died for us.  

You must get to the place where you can say, "It's OK to be me, because Jesus loved me enough to die for me, and he cares for me enough to mold me into an even better creation.  And He has the love and patience to help me become a better me through the blood of the Lamb."

I feel like I am talking to some people today that you have a lot of guilt in your life.  You can't seem to get over the mistakes you have made, and others are holding these mistakes over your life too.  The hardest and bravest thing you will ever do is to forgive yourself.   One of the toughest things in life is giving yourself grace.   Sometimes the guilt of what we have done in the past goes so deep it is rooted in the  most intimate and hurtful place in our hearts.   I have talked with many people and counselled them that they must love and forgive themselves.  That they will never be able to embrace the love and forgiveness of God until they release themselves from the mistakes of their past and their own short comings.   I have had a few people say to me, "I can't do that.  I can't let it go.  I've done too much wrong, I've hurt too many people to just let it go and free myself of the guilt of it."  But the truth is Jesus died for your sins.  Not just the pretty sins, or the ones  that didn't hurt others, HE DIED FOR ALL YOUR SINS.   All your guilt.  All your shame.  All your past MISTAKES.  Not just a few.   You cannot carry the weight of those sins and those mistakes any longer.   They will cloud up your inner man and keep the Spirit of God from flowing freely through your life.

Are  you ready to forgive yourself today?   Jesus has already forgiven you, and he took your shame, guilt and mistakes upon himself, so that you could be free.   Don't let what Jesus did for you be treated as nothing.   He wanted to let you go free, so now you must free yourself, by forgiving yourself and moving on and learning from your mistakes.

Let's pray.  Father, thank you for sending Jesus, to take my mistakes, my guilt, my shame upon himself upon that tree where he died.   And he knowingly took my punishment and took all my guilt and shame and nailed it to the cross, crucifying it there, it is gone, it is finished, I am free, I pardon myself because  of the blood of Jesus, I AM FREE today, IN Jesus name. amen.

7 Things that Will Block the Flow of the Spirit of God in Your Life.

John 7:38 He that believes on me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.

Have you ever sang the song, "I've got a river of life flowing out of me, makes the lame to walk and the blind to see...

There is a river flowing inside of you if you have received the Spirit of God into your life.  There are things that can block the flow of the Spirit in your life.   If that flow inside of you is blocked it will make you feel like you are CUT OFF from the presence of God.

What are some of the things that can block the flow of the spirit in your life?

Condemnation!
Condemnation is the result of you NOT FORGIVING yourself.   The more we hold against ourselves the greater the gulf we feel between us and our creator!   And this condemnation that we hold against ourselves feels like it is coming from God because it blocks off the flow of the Spirit of God in our lives.   It may block the flow of the spirit but that does not mean it comes from God.    Think of it this way.  When you see a stream flowing with water, everything in that water flows downstream.  But what if debris blocks the stream and keeps the water from flowing?   Does that water stop flowing because the water isn't there?   Is it the fault of the person downstream that they are no longer receiving water?  Is it because they don't deserve water?   Is it because God is mad at them, is that why the water quit flowing?  The answers to all those questions is no.   Plain and simple the water quit flowing because something blocked the stream, and they only way the water will flow again is if the stream is cleared out.    Condemnation will block the flow of the Spirit of God in your life so that the river of God does not flow to you.   It will make you feel dry, and alienated from God, but once you remove the blockage, in this case condemnation, the water begins to flow again.

It is OK.  Go ahead and say to yourself.   I forgive myself.   I give myself grace.  I forgive myself of all the mistakes of my youth.  I forgive myself of all the times I got it wrong and disappointed others.  I forgive myself!  NO breathe in and take a few Scriptures as a dose of medicine to heal that wounded spirit of yours.

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Romans 8:34  Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

John 8:11 And she said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go your way. From now on sin no more.”]

John 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Right now, don't hesitate, go ahead and release yourself from condemnation!    

If Jesus doesn't condemn me, than why do I condemn myself?

Go ahead and release that condemnation from your life.  Forgive yourself and move on with God!

Condemnation is one of the things that can block the flow of the Spirit, there are six more things that can block the flow of the Spirit of God, as you remove these things from your life, you are going to find that the presence of God begins to flow more freely inside you like a mighty river that causes you to proper in all that you do.  

You Can Change the World Around You!

Is it possible to change the world around you?  There is a lot of teaching that God wants to eliminate everything negative from your inner man, from your life, from your circumstances.  This is not the teaching of Jesus, this is Christian Science.    Christian Science teaching says to remove anything negative from you to the point that when bad things happen you don't even acknowledge that anything bad is there.

This has slipped into the teaching of Christianity, and people still today are walking around in denial, thinking that eliminating all negative thoughts from their life will cause them to rise up and prosper somehow.

Look through the old testament in the book of Psalms.  David was a man after God's own heart.  He always acknowledge he was going through problems and issues, but in faith he would end his Psalm with a statement of faith that God would deliver  him in spite of his problems and circumstances.  We don't see anywhere in the Bible where he denied that Saul was trying to kill him, or that he confessed over and over that he was going to be King.    He didn't use the power of his mind, by rejecting negative thoughts or speech,  to overcome in life, he used the power of his faith.  

In the new testament Paul says:

2 Corinthians 6:3Giving no offense in anything, that the ministry be not blamed:

4But in all things presenting ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,

5In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fastings;

6By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by love unfeigned,

7By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,

8By honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true;

9As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;

10As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

Does Paul deny that being an Apostle brings on many hardships and challenges?  No he acknowledges the hardships, but he also concludes that in spite of the hardships they are rejoicing, and possessing all things.  

You see when bad times come the enemy wants to throw your life into a downward spiral of fears, depressions and anger, so that these things consume you.   What does faith, hope, love, grace, and the promises of God do?  It helps us find a place of peace, and rest in the midst of our troubles, so that we don't get so out of balance in life that the negative IS ALL THAT we see.

I have a daughter that is multi-handicapped.   It would be wrong to go through life never acknowledging the struggles, or the issues, or the fact that she is disabled.   There are times when a good cry, or the comforting words of a good friend was just what I needed at the time to help me deal with the issues.   Yet, no matter what we face, I know that God has his hand upon her, and I see her getting better each day.   If I don't keep my mind on God's love, God's provision, the hope of His Word and faith in His provision the circumstances would throw me completely into depression, frustrations, and anger.  Why is it important that fears, depressions, angers, frustrations and the like not completely rule your inner man?

It is because they Holy Spirit flows like a river through your soul.  

John 7:38  He that believes on me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.

When we are consumed by anger, fears, depressions and frustrations ( and others dark things like these)  this will block the flow of the HOLY SPIRIT in our lives!   Have you ever felt like you were cut off or blocked from the flow of the Spirit because the Spirit of God was not flowing inside of you?   This is because worries, angers, fears, jealousy, (and things like this) are blocking the flow of God from your life.

We must bring our inner being back to a place of peace and rest and then the Holy Spirit can flow through us and help us ABIDE in that place of peace and rest, to maintain that rest in God.

How do I come to a place of peace and rest?  I do so by focusing on faith, hope, love, grace (and the things of the Spirit)

You don't have to live in the darkness of depressions, anxieties, fears, angers, frustrations and inner restlessness...you can walk in the light by focusing your inner being on good things the Bible says:

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

You will change the world on the inside of you, before you change the world on the outside of you.   You must find a place of peace and rest through Christ Jesus before the Holy Spirit can flow inside of you.  When you allow depression, fears, angers, jealousy, frustrations (and things like this) to rule inside your heart and mind you block the flow of God from your life then everything changes, not for the better, but for the worse.  

The Secret of Finding the Good Life!

Fear, anxiety, worry, stress are all tools of the enemy to get you out of balance.   When you are out of balance your emotions are out of control.  Your mind is out of control.  Your nerves are out of control.  Once we get out of balance and we lose control we lose our peace.   We eventually become physically sick or develop a disorder if we stay out of balance long enough.  

Often it is the extreme things that happen to us in life that knock us off course and cause us to get all out of balance inside.   Please hear what I am about to say:

TOO OFTEN PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO GET THEIR MATERIAL AND OUTWARD LIFE TOGETHER WHILE THEIR INNER LIFE IS STILL A TOTAL WRECK!

You see, as long as you are a wreck on the inside you are going to find it impossible to get your life together in the material and physical realm.  

Most of the time when people are contacting me for a word, or for spiritual help the question they have is about their material well being, their relationships, their home, their material and physical things.  

The truth is that we will never find the answer for these physical and material things until after we find balance, and peace in our inner man, such as our emotions, our mind and our nerves.   Jesus didn't talk a whole lot about how to get rich, or to be important, land a good job or meet the right person to marry, but he spent a lot of time trying to teach us how to find peace on the inside.   

We deceive ourselves when we think that things OUTSIDE of us can bring us joy and peace when our insides are completely out of whack.  

What must we do?

We have to BY FAITH let go of the material things and the physical outward things and focus on the inward things.   Americans are wealthy by the world standards.    We tend to think of ourselves in the terms of the outward things.  Material wealth, physical beauty, relationships and educational pursuits are some of the things we value the most as a society.  But when it all boils down these things make little difference in our lives when we have no emotional stability, or mental health or inward peace and joy.   In America we tend to value the outward things so much that we neglect the inner things.   Wisdom, peace, joy, soundness of mind, inner satisfaction are all things that are under valued in our society if they do not lead to outward successes.   This causes us to be a nation full of things, yet devoid of true joy and peace.  

So how do we obtain balance in our inner man?   This can only be achieved by the infilling of the Holy Spirit.  

Romans 4:17 For the kingdom of God is not food and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Let go of everything that you desire and go after the Holy Spirit.   This will restore balance to your inner man and replace the inner turmoil with peace, and then you will be able to get the material and physical areas of your life in order as well.  

Matthew 6: 25Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor yet for your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing?

26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they?

27Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28And why take you thought for clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30Therefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, How shall we be clothed?

32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things.

33But seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34Take therefore no thought for tomorrow: for tomorrow shall take thought of the things for itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Seeking first the Kingdom of God is about righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.    Seek the infilling of the Holy Ghost in your life first and foremost on a daily basis, when you have this, you have everything. 

What is the Key to Walking in the Anointing. Learn more...

The name Christ means 'anointed'  When we say Jesus Christ that means Jesus the anointed.    The first believers in Jesus were called Christians in Antioch.   Christian would mean anointed ones.   If that same spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in you, it will quicken your mortal body!  It is the anointing from God that makes the difference.   To say, "Let Christ dwell in you," is saying, "Let the anointing dwell in you."   Most people do not understand the anointing, but as Christians the anointing of God should dwell within us.

Romans 13:11 And this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.  12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.  13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and wantonness, not in strife and envying.  14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.

Verse 14 says to put on the Lord Jesus Christ!  The anointing comes upon your life like a cloak.  When I feel God wants me to preach, I begin looking for a message.  As I look for it, the anointing to hear a message and preach that message comes to me.    We all have a different measure of anointing.  We may not all preach from the pulpit, but nearly every believer in some way can bring forth a message from God.   When I feel God wants me to operate in the spirit of prophecy I begin asking God for words of prophecy, as I begin to ask for this anointing, words of prophecy come to me.   If you do not seek for the  anointing, it will not come to you.   Not all of us will stand in front of crowds like Kim Clement and prophecy words from the Lord, but most Christians can receive prophetic words from the Lord about their own life and direction and perhaps the people around them.   We all have a measure of the anointing, but unless we seek God for that measure it lays dormant in our lives.   When I looked for a message to preach, I received one.   When I look for a word of prophecy the Lord gives me prophetic words to say.   It is the same with healing, words of knowledge, words of wisdom.   When I look for a healing anointing, it comes to me, when I search for knowledge and words of wisdom God gives them to me according to the anointing upon my life.  And make no mistake about it, YOU have an anointing.  It may not be as powerful of an anointing as Joyce Meyers, but God has not left you an orphan, you have an anointing.

   When I begin my morning by looking for these anointings and I look for people through out the day to minister to, that is when the anointing to do these things come upon me.  This is how we put on Christ.   I put on the anointing by yielding my life to the anointing, by preparing my mind to look for people through out the day to minister to.   So that it is no longer I who live but it is Christ (the anointing of God) who lives through me!  Is it the minister that should live this way?  No. Not just the minister, but the CHRISTIAN that should put on Christ, (put on the anointing).  You belong to Christ Jesus, so put on Christ and walk in the level of anointing that has been given to you!

This is a Word for someone today.  The ministry is not about doing a work for God, but instead it is about putting on Christ,  putting on the anointing and allowing God to do a work through you!

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

We clothe ourselves in the anointing when we seek God for the ability to minister to others, and we walk and live by the spirit as we go about our day with the mind of Christ, looking every day for an opportunity to minister to others as we go through our day.   This is not just for ministers to do, but for the ordinary CHRISTian.   For we are commanded to walk in the Spirit, and not in the lust of our flesh.  We are told to have the mind of Christ.   And Jesus carried the anointing daily looking for people through out the day he could minister too.   Let that same mind by in you which was in Christ Jesus.   If we walk in the Spirit this way we will not give way to the lust and desires of our flesh through out the day.   In fact we will walk with the anointing and the spirit will be upon us all through out the day.  This makes it harder for frustration to take us, harder for depression to take us, harder for jealousy, anger and all the works of the flesh to rule and reign in our lives.  Why is it harder for the flesh to rule us?  Because when we walk in the spirit we have our minds on the things of the spirit and not on the things of the flesh. 

When I wake up each morning and PUT ON CHRIST I am asking God for words of knowledge, words of prophecy, the gift of healings, words of wisdom, so that I will have these anointings to share with people through the day.  Then all through out my day I look for people to minister too, Christ (the anointing) lives through me this way.     By preparing myself with the mindset of Christ looking for as many people to minister to through out my day the anointing of God clothes me and I begin to do the will of the Father.

There is someone today and you have been looking for the key to the anointing and the power of God.  I have given you the key in this devotion today.  

No Longer Living with Shame and Condemnation!

The worse kind of condemnation and shame is the kind that comes and you have NO IDEA WHY it is there, it is just THERE, and no matter what you do it stays.  The enemy wants you to spend your life in shame and condemnation that leads to anger and fear.     There are three things that will remain after all else has passed.  Those three things are FAITH, HOPE and LOVE.   The enemy like to bring shame, condemnation and fear into your life because he is trying to replace faith with fear.  Hope with shame.  And love with condemnation.    No matter what happens to your in life, you must hang on to faith, hope and love, for if you have these three things you have EVERYTHING already!

What is going to bring you into prosperity?  Faith, hope and love.
What is going to bring you to a place of happiness in life?  Faith, hope and love.
What is going to bring you to a place of contentment?  Faith, hope and love.

If someone said to me, "I will give you a million dollars but you have to choose between having that or having faith, hope and love, then I would decline the money and hang on to those three virtues!   Million dollars can come and go, but faith, hope and love will always remain, without them life is meaningless, but with them all things are possible.

1 John 4:8 He that loves not knows not God; for God is love.
Why does the enemy send people into your life to hurt you, abuse you, betray you, slander you, wound you?  He is after more than just to hurt you.  The enemy is after your love.  He wants to steal every bit of the love out of your heart.  He wants to replace love with fear.  The enemy wants to make you afraid to love.  He wants you to back into a corner of isolation where you trust no one, help no one, reach out to no one, where you refuse to do acts of kindness for anyone.  The enemies ultimate goal is to steal the love out of your heart.    No matter who hurts you, or abuses you, or takes advantage of you HANG ON to love in your heart.   Don't let you heart turn stone cold, dark and cynical.   Oh, if only people could see that there are three things that make up life, joy, peace, soundness of mind.  Those things are faith, hope and love!   NO matter what life dishes out at you, hang on to love in your heart, be a giver, reach out to others, continue to care of one another.   IF you have lost love, allow God to restore you soul.    

Why does the enemy hit us suddenly with bad news, bad circumstances, bad breaks, rough times, hard situations?  IT is because he is after your HOPE.   No matter what happens to you today or what you have to go through do not allow hope to slip out of your grasp.  Without hope despair, depression anger and frustrations move in, and when they move in our life falls into greater and greater darkness.  You see the world is a bad and sorrowful place and it is hard to go through this world at times, so the faith, hope and love inside us help us to balance out our lives so that we can make it through the hard times.  When we lose our love, our hope, our faith we get our lives out of balance.   When we get all out of balance the enemy throws us around like a ping pong ball, back and forth, up and down.  Our peace is gone, our energy is gone, our path is dark.   Only when God restores our soul and puts faith, hope and love back into our souls do we find our path that leads to a brighter future.

Romans 5:3And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Why does the enemy try to cover us in shame, condemnation, guilt and remorse?   It is because he is after our faith!   He wants to replace your faith with fear and doubts.   He wants you to think that God has forsaken you, forgotten you, been unfaithful to you.      NO matter what you are facing, and whatever you are losing today, just let it go and hold on to faith, hope and love with everything that is within you.  If you have nothing left but your faith, hope and love you already have everything you need to rebuild your life and receive back even more than whatever you have lost.     Losing everything you have is not as bad as losing faith, hope or love.  Cleave to them with all that is within you and never let go.

1 Corinthians 13:3 And now abides faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Three Qualities of Great Faith

Jesus told a few people that they had great faith.   What were the things that they said and did that caused Jesus to marvel over their great faith?    We certainly don't want to have weak faith, because it is through great faith in Jesus where we find many of the miracles of the Bible.

Matthew 8:9 "For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, 'Go!' and he goes, and to another, 'Come!' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this!' and he does it." 10Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, "Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. 11"I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven

1.  People with great faith believe that with only a WORD they can receive their miracle.   I know people that if they don't 'feel' goose bumps, and experience a great 'swoosh' of the presence of God they struggle to believe that 'anything happened'   When you have great faith you don't need hands laid on you, someone to personally visit you, Holy Ghost goose bumps or any other kind of attention.   Just at the WORD that you have what you need from God you will believe it and it will be done according to your faith.


Matthew 15:27 But she said, "Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." 28 Then Jesus said to her, "O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed at once.

2.  People with great faith will not be offended with obstacles, difficulties and circumstances that try to deter them from receiving from God.   This woman in this passage had many obstacles to overcome and at each point of difficulty she could have given up.  Even after Jesus referenced to her as a dog, she did not get offended and quit, she continued to go after her miracle.  Jesus told her that because of her great faith, she would receive her miracle.   Too often at the least bit of struggle we get offended and quit.  Great faith does not get offended and quit!

Matthew 8:21 for she was saying to herself, "If I only touch His garment, I will get well." 22 But Jesus turning and seeing her said, "Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well." At once the woman was made well. 

3. People with great faith continue to press forward until they touch heaven.   They will not stop go after their miracle until they touch the hem of his garment.   Too often we get tired, discouraged, frustrated, and fatigued and we quit.   This woman had a bleeding disorder, which would make her fatigued more than likely, yet she pressed through the crowd.  People with great faith will take whatever energy they have left and they will spend that energy pressing in to touch Jesus.

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Six Things that Will Cause you to Have Weak Faith

It is important that we understand that miracles are a by-product of our faith, miracles most of the time don't 'just happen'  Most often miracles are a result of our faith.

Noah BUILT, Moses LEAD, Joshua MARCHED, Daniel PRAYED, The Three Hebrew Children STOOD, David FOUGHT, Samuel LISTENED and OBEYED.   When God moves it is generally because of our faith.   Today we are going to look at what Jesus called small faith, and what the cause of weak faith in God.

Matthew 17: 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not drive it out?" 20 And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. 21 "But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

1.  Small faith will cause you to skip out on prayer and fasting.   If we knew and understood and had the faith to fast and pray we would see more of our problems resolved through prayer.   We pray in our convenience instead of sacrificing our time, talent and money to fast and pray.  Because we do not have the faith to invest large amounts of time in prayer we fail to see miracles happen.

Matthew 8:26
He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

2.  When you have little faith, your life will be full of fears of every kind.

Mark 9:23
"'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for one who believes."

3.  Little faith will make you question what God is capable of in your life.

Matthew 6:30
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you--you of little faith?

4.  When you have little faith you will worry about material things

Matthew 14:31
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

5.  When you have little faith you will be full of doubts, and you will look at the storms and problems instead of looking at Jesus.

Matthew 16:8
Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, "You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread?

6.  When  you have little faith you will discuss your lack with others.


Maybe you think you have great faith because you believe in God.   To see a miracle in your life it will take more than believing the Scriptures, and knowing the Scriptures.  You will have to devote your life to fasting and prayer.    You will have to allow God to eliminate your fears and your questions about God's abilities and love for you.    You will have to quit worrying about every little thing and the material needs.   You will have to quit looking and the storm and fix your eyes on Jesus.  And also you must quit discussing your lack and needs with others, and discuss the spiritual things instead.

If Jesus looked at these people and scolded them for having little faith, will He not do the same for us.  Most people do these things and at the same time think that they have great faith in God simply because they believe in miracles.  It is not enough to believe in miracles, that is only the start of faith.  You must add to that belief an trust in God that helps you eliminate all of these things that Jesus called little faith.  Most Americans in spite of what they believe have little faith, will your rise up and allow God to put a large faith down inside of you.  That will only happen as you overcome these six things and eliminate them from your life!

How to Pray For The Sick, Speaking The Words of Faith!

Let's look again at HOW TO HEAL THE SICK!

So many people suffer from sickness, pain and disease.  And what did Jesus do?  He healed them ALL!  No one left disappointed, no one was told to be quiet, no one was left in need.   We may never see all who come receive healing, but it is good that many who come are healed.   Let's look at another example of how Jesus healed the sick.

Mark 10:46-10:52

46 They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. ⁴⁷When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ ⁴⁸Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ ⁴⁹Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’ ⁵⁰So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.⁵¹Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher,^* let me see again.’ ⁵²Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. 

Once again here we see that Jesus HEALED without even praying to the Father!    I'm not saying it is wrong to pray to the Father for healing, what I am saying is that actual miracles usually happen when we go beyond prayer.  

Once again we see that the blind man, just like the lepers we studied yesterday came to where Jesus was and yelled out loudly for him to have mercy!   And they did so publicly.    This is so very important.  The  number one hindrance to healing is that people are so passive about going after healing.   We think we don't need to get in prayer lines, or seek out people with the anointing and gift of healing, but this kind of passivity though comfortable will leave you SICK.   Most people that believe for healing but have not received it will say things to me like, "I don't think I have to get others to pray for me, I can receive it at home, or on my own."   I do not see any precedent for this type of healing in the Bible.  Even James says, "To call on the elders."  when you need healing.  

When Jesus finally called for him to come he didn't lay hands on him, he didn't pray for him, he didn't address the Father at all on behalf of this blind man.  

He simply said, "Go, Your faith has made you well."

 He simply told him he was healed and he was healed. 

Here are a few examples of time when someone was healed in our ministry this way.  

I had a woman contact me online, she had some major heart problems.  She told me her situation and she asked me to pray for her.    I said to her, "I don't want you to worry about anything.   You  will have no more problems with your heart, you are healed."      She said, "OK, I agree."  One week later she contacted me again and said that she in fact received her healing then, the symptoms were gone, and she had returned the the doctor and got confirmation that she no longer had the heart problems.  

what happened?  I spoke a Word of Faith, and she believed and because of her faith she was healed.  

Another time I was at the hospital with a woman that was having a baby.  On each of her other births she went into a panic attack during delivery.  She was afraid of the delivery, but she was afraid even more of going into a panic attack during the delivery.    I looked at her and I said, "You will be fine, panic disorder will not take you during delivery, I want you to say to yourself, God is with me."     

She told me after she had the baby that at first she thought she was going to have a panic attack, but she began saying, "I am fine, God is with me."  And she said it passed by and she was fine.  She was so glad that she had gotten it under control!  

Do you believe that just at the Words, "YOU ARE HEALED" that you can and will be healed?   The blind man believed it and was healed.  Often I tell people they are healed, and they believe it and are healed.  I'm not talking about positive confession, where you keep saying you are healed until it happens.  I'm talking about A Word of faith, that is spoken once in the authority of God and by the anointing and power of God through faith.  

If you can believe it, all things are possible for those who believe!  

Receiving Healing Is Easy When You Know How to Pray for the Sick!

What I want to teach you today is how to pray and get results when you are praying for the sick.

When we pray for the sick in our ministry, we see more that are healed than we see  people that do not receive healing, and this is an uncommon thing to see in most churches today.

The first key is to understand that Jesus healed ALL who were sick and oppressed of the devil.  Jesus had a high rate of healing when he prayed, 100 percent!    So, we must look at how Jesus prayed and do the SAME thing, pray the SAME way, and follow in his footsteps.

Let's look today at one example of when Jesus healed the sick.   And hopefully we can continue this series.  Every week we have people come forward for prayer, for healing in our church and every week people are healed.  
Luke 17:11And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.

12And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, who stood afar off:

13And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Teacher, have mercy on us.

14And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

15And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

16And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

17And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

18There was not found one that returned to give glory to God, except this stranger.

19And he said unto him, Arise, go your way: your faith has made you whole.

Notice in this Scripture that first of all, Jesus didn't even PRAY for these lepers!   Often the sick can be healed by the power of God without even uttering a prayer.  As a matter of fact sometimes our long-winded prayers just distract and get in the way.   

Let's look at the verses above.  These lepers came out to meet Jesus and they cried out, "Have mercy on us"   Now this is so very important when praying for the sick.  If people are not looking for healing, don't offer them healing!  Jesus didn't go to the leper colony and clean it out.  No, these 10 lepers came and looked for Jesus.   People will say, "If God uses you to heal, why not just go to the hospital and clean it out?"   It is plain and simple, because even JESUS didn't do that!     Who was the one that got healed the most often in Jesus' ministry?   Was it the skeptic sitting quietly on the side of the road minding their own business?  NO!  It was the one that was chasing after Jesus and calling out to him!   

We offer people prayer daily, but we seldom suggest what kind of prayer they need.  We will say, "Is there anything we can pray with you about?"    And if they are sick and request prayer for this, they have the faith to be healed!   Or if there is a crowd we may call out, if you are sick, come forward for prayer.   Those who come forward are usually healed, but not everyone that is sick will come forward for prayer, some people simply do not believe and others are afraid they will lose their disability check if they are healed.  Yes.  People have told us this, quite often in fact.   So do not assume that all sick people want to be healed of their sicknesses and diseases.  

So what happened in this Scripture?  Did Jesus go find a leper colony and clean it out?  No.  He came into a city and 10 lepers came to meet him and cried out to him to help them.   This is setting the stage for a miracle to happen!    Are you needing healing?  Than why are you sitting passive by the wayside?  Get up out of that seat, find anyone and everyone you can with even an ounce of an anointing and ask them to pray for you.   Never stop asking people to lay hands on you, or to anoint you when you are sick, keep pressing in day after day seeking out healing and you will find it.   I know people with serious illnesses.  Do they seek after people to pray for them?  No.  They sit passive by the wayside and say, "Well, God will heal me someday."  If these 10 lepers had done this on this day guess what, they would have remained lepers!    When facing illness, I get anyone and every one to pray for me, and if I don't get healed, I go through and get them all to pray for me again!  Needless to say I am 48 years old, no sickness in my body, no medicine, no pains in my body.    To God be the glory, but in the past seven years I bet I have had everyone in our church lay hands on me at one point or another.  Why?  Because when I ask someone to anoint me for healing, my faith activates the power of God in their life and it is just a matter of time before I am healed!  

So what does Jesus do after they cry out to him?   Does he come running and ask them about their sickness and get their life history?   Does he spend a lot of time with them and make a big fuss over them?   Does he get out his bottle of oil and anoint them?   Do he spout out a big KING JAMES prayer and stomp and holler?   None of these things.  He simply tells them to go show themselves to the priest.   Now , they could not rejoin the community and their families unless the priest declared them cleansed.  And on the way they were made whole.

This is so important for you not to miss this.   I will give you a few examples of how we have used this model of healing in our ministry.   I was in the church parking lot one day and a woman came up to me and said, "I have heard that God has used you to see some people get healed.  Boy, I sure would like to get healed, my hips are just killing me all the time."   So as she is talking, I reach out and put my hands on her side and I speak to her hips to be healed in Jesus name,  and I say to her, "Move your hips right now, do you have any pain."    Well, the whole time she still hadn't finished telling me what was wrong with her hips, and she is continuing to tell me the whole story of her pain as she begins to do what I say and  move her hips.  Suddenly, she stops talking and she says, "HEY!  The pain is GONE!"    So this woman received a healing before she even had time to finish explaining to me what was wrong.    How did it happen.   She came and asked for help.  I laid hands on her and spoke healing  to the hip in Jesus name.  And her faith activated when she began moving her hips.  The PAIN was gone!  Praise God. 

Another time I was at a woman's retreat and I went to the bathroom and a woman I used to attend church with was in the bathroom.   She said, "Oh, I am so glad to see you pray for me please, I am in such pain."   So as soon as I walked over to her she went into a religious chant.  She closed her eyes and started chanting the same things over and over again, a religious habit of hers, nothing but a DISTRACTION to healing.   So I said to her does it hurt when you bend over and touch your toes?"   Well, it broke her chant, and she opened her eyes and said, "Oh, I can't touch my toes."  I reached out and tapped her back bone and I said, " In the name of Jesus, You can now, reach down and touch your toes."  So, she bent right down and touched them!   Well, she was just excited,  She left right out of that bathroom and told everyone,  I saw her bending over and showing everyone that she could touch her toes without any pain.  They were rejoicing! When I told her to touch her toes, it was her faith to bend over and try to touch them that activated the power of God. Healing the sick is just that easy.   We are the ones that try to make it complicated.  Show me anything complicated in what Jesus did for these lepers in these verses.  It's not rocket science, it is faith, and faith will work if you let go of your religious ways and activate it.  

I'm Just So Frustrated, And I Need Answers! read more...

The enemy is after  your hope!      These three things will remain,  FAITH, HOPE and LOVE!    Despair, discouragement, depressions, frustrations this is what the enemy replaces our hope with!    What does the enemy try to replace our faith with?  Fears, doubts, anxieties, worries..

If you want God to move on your behalf, you will have to hang on to HOPE.

Most of the time our answer is very simple.   

Spend more time in prayer.   Pay whatever price you must pay to live out the Word of God in your life.   I have said this more than once because it needs repeating.  It will take more than prayer and/or church attendance to change your life!   Our lives must be built upon obedience to the Word of God!  Often we cannot see our lives as well as we should be able to see them.   Ask someone close to you if they see areas of your life where you do not obey the Word of God.  Ask a mentor that knows you, your parent, your child, or someone close to you that you know will tell you the truth.    

Sometimes our situation is that we 'date' or 'live with' or 'marry' people that do not live the Word of God in their lives.   Anyone that does not live according to the Bible is not good for you.  No matter how lonely you are, or how much you like them, they will leave your life barren and empty in the end.  And you will have to start all over!  

I have found that this is the single biggest mistake that people are making, they trying to change the other person.  Do NOT believe the lie that you can change them.   100 percent out of 100 hundred people that I minister to that got themselves into that kind of situation will say to me, "I thought I could change them."  How terrible!   Would you want someone to enter into a relationship with you with the idea that they were going to change you?

How would you like to find out that someone is only with you with the idea that if they could change you, then you would be the person they always dreamed of.   This is a terrible foundation for a relationship.   Everyone wants to be loved JUST AS THEY ARE.  No one wants someone else to try and change them.  If you think you have to change that other person, they are not the one for you!  I taught this one time and a woman said, "Oh, you are right, I wouldn't want someone always trying to change me, I'm going to stop trying to change him and love him just like He is."   That is a noble thing to do except for one thing.  She found out she DIDN'T love him just like he was, no that was the things she couldn't stand about him.  What she really loved was her VISION of who he could be if He would change!    How terrible.   She is still  miserable today.  And the worst part is, if she divorces him she has to START ALL OVER again!    Why is she miserable.  She got involved with someone who does not live like God says to live!   And if someone prays and goes to church, that still does not mean they truly are serving God with all their heart, mind and soul.   The question is, "Do they obey God in their life choices!"  

A lot of times people are 'with' other people in relationship because it is a money thing.  It is hard to make it on just one income now a days.   This is where your faith can grow.  When you take things into your own understanding, and you depend on someone else to help pay the bills, you miss your miracles.   Now don't get me wrong, it is not easy to live from miracle to miracle.  I have done this before, and it will force you to get your life in line with faith, prayer, seeking God, depending upon Him alone.    It will force you to grow spiritually to truly trust God to provide for your every need, but in the end it will bring the maturity in  your life that you need.    We become co-dependent when we rely on someone else to meet our needs.  Better to be God-dependent.    If you will put your full trust in God, line up with the Word of God, and refuse to be removed from that position, in time you will find that he turns your circumstances around and brings your life to a good place!

I know there are those reading this right now and your thinking, 'Wow, this is really true."  but the problem is that if you leave your current relationship you have to start all over again.  And wow.  that is never easy.   Sometimes it takes a leap of faith, but, it is worth the price if you become God dependent and wait for God to send you the right relationship, one in which you don't have to change the other person for the relationship to make you happy.    Please forward this blog to anyone that really needs to hear it.  I know so many are hurting and confused today.  God bless.  

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you!  

The Three Greatest Elements of Spirituality

The Bible says that we cannot please God without faith.   When we see bad things happen it is our FAITH that carries our belief.   We cannot and will not understand everything that happens in this life, that is where FAITH is applied.   It takes a measure of faith to serve God.    Many who have taught faith have shown us how faith is an action, that as you make an act of faith, you release the power of God.   This is a part of faith, but there are three things that are necessary in life and in all things, Faith, Hope and Love.   This is why the enemy wants you to be doubtful, depressed and angry!   Faith is one of the three elements of God that will REMAIN, when all other things have passed away.   What do I mean by that?

I Corinthians talks about all of the things that will 'pass away' and 'cease' in time because this time will be over and we will all be in heaven and we won't need them anymore.  



1 Corinthians13:13 Now these three remain:faith, hope, and love.  But the greatest of these is love

Back up to verse 8
8Charity is never lost, but prophecies shall come to an end, tongues shall cease, and knowledge shall come to an end. 9For we know in part, and we prophesy in part

Some people use this verse to say that these things have already ceased, but has knowledge ceased?   I guess for some people it has.   Have you ever looked at someone and thought, yes, knowledge has ceased indeed!   NO knowledge has not ceased, prophecy has not ceased, tongues has not ceased, not yet.  While we are on earth we still need these things to live life here.   If you use this verse to say tongues has alread ceased, than you must also say prophecy and knowledge have already ceased.   The point of this verse is that in time these things will cease, we won't need knowledge of the earth, or speaking in tongues, or prophecy in Heaven.   But on the other hand verse 13 tells us what will REMAIN!  Even if we die and leave our bodies to go to the heavenly realm there are three things in this life that we will take with us, and these things will be useful in heaven as well.   FAITH, HOPE and LOVE.   

As a matter of fact when you operate in FAITH, HOPE and LOVE you are walking in the Kingdom of God HERE on earth.   Jesus prayed, "Thy Kingdom of come, they will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven!"   When you walk in Faith, hope and love you are bringing the Kingdom of God to earth, and by these three things God's WILL is accomplished here.  

It takes MORE than prayer to see the Kingdom of God move in  your life.   You must operate in faith, love and hope AS YOU PRAY!    What does the enemy do?  He gets you stuck in doubts, questions, fears, confusion.  Why?   Because at ALL cost the enemy has to keep you out of FAITH so that the Kingdom will not manifest in your life.     The enemy will try to keep you discouraged, depressed and frustrated.  Why?   Because at all cost the enemy wants to keep hope OUT of your Life!    The enemy wants you angry, self preserving, too busy with your own 'problems' to help anyone else out.  Why?  The enemy wants to keep you from being able to give LOVE to another...What is going to remain?   Faith, hope and love.   

So that means if you don't keep those things alive, active and well in your life, in the end NOTHING you have will remain!   Don't get me wrong, if you are full of doubts, confusion, questions, fears, discouragements, depressions, frustrations, anger, and consumed by your 'own problems' it is a GOOD thing that those things as well as many other things will NOT remain.  That someday they will cease, that those things won't last forever.   We all know the songs of Heaven, and what a wonderful day that will be...BUT PLEASE UNDERSTAND, if these things make up a majority of your life, than nothing of your life will remain.     You are working too hard, trying too hard, striving too hard, caring too much for it all to be NOTHING on that day you enter Heaven!

What is going to remain?   Faith, Hope and Love.    Learn to walk in faith, and all that you have done by faith will remain.    Learn to hold on to hope, and to hold out hope to others, and all that you have done through hope will remain.  These things are eternal elements.  Faith, Hope and Love and all that you do by them will remain forever!    And the greatest of these is love.   Most of the parables about heaven that Jesus taught in some way address if we were loving and kind to our fellow man or if we were negligent to them.  

  The most important thing is love.   Don't get so 'busy with your problems' that you forget to love.  I know, love hurts.  Jesus found that out on the cross!   But, He has asked us to take up our cross and follow him.  No matter how much love hurts, I will continue to love, and show kindness to others, because God is LOVE, and when I withhold love from others, I am withholding God from them.  The greatest way you can lay down your life and take up your cross and follow Jesus is to show love and kindness to your fellow man.    
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Is It Time for a World Wide Economic Collapse?

A couple of months ago in my devotional I shared a dream I had of the coming economic collapse.  God revealed to me in the dream that there would be a collapse in which the REST of the WORLD fell economically, and then after a span of time AMERICA also collapsed.

There is a lot of talk right now about China and other countries have stock market problems.  I have spent some time in prayer asking the Lord if this is the time in which the world will fall into economic chaos.   After spending some time in prayer, I do not believe that this is the time of that collapse.  I think that there is going to be some shaking, but China will turn and stabilize economically and the other nations will stabilize with her.

I don't believe we are going to see a collapse that leads to world wide depression right now, but I believe it will come eventually.  What I do feel we are going to see is a world wide market correction.  Where the markets have been selling 'too high' for what the stocks are worth in reality according to the profit earnings of individual companies.    We have a market correction about once every 18 months, and we haven't had one in four years!   So, we are over do for a correction, and sometimes a larger dip in the stock market is not a bad thing.

Even if the worse happens and the stock markets around the world continue to collapse this fall, and it takes us down with the rest of the world I hear the Lord saying, "Fear not!"

I want to share with you a few Scriptures that I feel would be comfort to your soul.  Some people  live in economic collapse and pressure everyday.  There is never enough to pay the bills, there is often not enough to keep food on the table.  Financial stress goes on day in and day out.  Though the nations have not fallen to economic chaos, I know that some people are living it everyday right now.    Take comfort in the Scriptures and know that the way out is often down.   It may seem like holding on to money is the answer, but if you have the faith to believe, the answer is in giving.

Ps 71:1-3 In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be put to shame. Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape; Incline Your ear to me, and save me. Be my strong refuge, To which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me, For You are my rock and my fortress. NKJ

Ps 33:20-22 Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in His holy name. Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, Just as we hope in You. NKJV

Ps 22:19 But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me! NKJV