John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that you may have life and have it abundantly”.​

Some quotes I came across….. “It’s one thing to grow old, it’s another thing to grow up! The trick is to grow up before you grow old”…. “Today is the oldest you’ve ever been, and the youngest you’ll ever be.”                ”My age doesn’t bother me, it’s the side effects that do”…. “Old age is not partial, I turn my neck, I move my arms, I move my back and they all make the same noise. Maybe I’m not old, I’m just crispy”….

Ephesians 4:14 “We will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming. v15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow up in all things into Christ Himself, who is the head”.                                                                                                                                   God intends for His children to never stop growing, developing and expanding in their God given kingdom rights and privileges!!! …

Paul in his writings, describes Christians as being one of 3 different levels, he called them Baby Christians, Carnal Christians, and Spiritual Christians…as a way to describe those who are saved, but have decided because of different influences and issues, that they would not continue to grow and develop in the things which the bible says we can be and that we can do in Christ….

Listen to what Paul says in 1Corinthians 3:12 “Now if any man build (oy-kod-om-ay'o) upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble v13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it…”?

The Greek word Oy-kod-om-ay’o or build, is in the Progressive Tense, which implies an ongoing process. Paul could say, if anyone builds and keeps on building… because once the foundation is laid, the building process starts and it never ends. With the believers at Corinth, the foundation had been laid, but they stopped building upon it!                                    (tell someone, “relax, you’re not finished yet, just keep on building”)….

It was time for Corinth to pick up the hammer of truth and get back to building!  There is more building to be done! There is more lumber to lay, line upon line and precept upon precept!  There are more nails to nail by the power of agreement!  This is no time to let up in building! In your devotional time, you are building! In your prayer time, you are building! In your church and bible study attendance, you are building! In witnessing to others, you are building! In your worship time, you are building!

It’s like our highway and road system, which allows us mobility, connectivity and ease of travel….it allows us to better explore and discover our great country from the mountains to the prairies, from the fruited plains to the oceans white with foam….. The building and expansion process never stops, and if it ever did, think of the problems it would cause. The congestion would be unbelievable and delays would be constant!  We have to continue building and expanding our highway systems to accommodate present and future growth and needs. Paul is saying the same is true in our spiritual growth, what is OK now, will not be sufficient for the place you will be operating in at a future time. We will live withtomorrow, what we are building now…..we will be tomorrow, what we are building now!!!

Some folks listen to the sermon with a rake, and they receive the word as personal and applicable. Some folks listen with a shovel and shovel it over to all the folks around them… 

A certain pastor was preaching on stewardship and he said “Malachi 3:10 tells us that tithing rebukes the destroyer from your life, if you’re a member of this church and you don’t tithe, Satan is eating your lunch”… He noticed that one man in front just smiled real big, even though he never tithed. The Pastor said, “The bible tells us that if you’re winning souls you are wise. If you’re a member of this church and you’re not winning souls, the bible says you are a foolish person. The man on the front, just smiled real big, and the pastor knew that he had never won a soul to Christ. The pastor said, “Scripture tells us to not forsake the assembling together with those of like faith, if you’re a member of this churchand you don’t attend every Sunday you can, you’re in a backslidden condition”… The man in the front just smiled even bigger, and he hardly ever attended. After the service, the pastor shook the man’s hand and greeted him. The pastor asked him why he was smiling so big, while he was preaching. He said, cause I’m just happy that I’m not a member of this church…

Doctor Martin Seligman, professor of Psychology at Penn State University, and the "father" of the Positive Psychology movement, has an equation for happiness, which he calls your "set range" – or your "biological" capacity for happiness. He says that happiness results from some key factors, which he calls “The Authentic Happiness Principles”.... and the conclusion is, that these are completely under our voluntary control and ability to change at any time…

George Eliot said it well, “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” 

So, Dr. Seligman tells us First, to let go of the false belief that your past negative experiences, which were beyond your control, have to determine your present and future… these are things that were decided without your participation in the decision, such as the place you were born, your nationality, your color or race, the family you were born into, the social, economic, or religious environment you were born into….as well as your height or condition of health when you were born. These are all beyond our control and we had no part in deciding them…

We need to stay clear of the cycle of “destination addiction”…the preoccupation with the idea that happiness is in the next place, the next job or with the next partner. If you don’t give up the idea that happiness is somewhere else, it will never be where you are right now!

Second, Increase your gratitude about the good things in your past…. How you see it is how you will experience it, over, and over, and over….We all encounter some people, who were not so pleasant, and had a negative effect on us, as well as some great folks, who were encouraging and uplifting, and the time will come, when we are able to see the bigger picture, that we will thank them both for their invaluable contribution to our Character, our value system and the strength and purpose they gave to our lives.

Learn to dance in the rain, and come to the place where you are able to say that what’s ahead is far, far better than everything we leave behind. 

Third, learn the difference between pleasures and identity investments Pleasures are sensory experiences with a strong emotional component, but which don't require a lot of thinking or planning on our part. By contrast, identity investments come from applying your unique strengths, skills and virtues and have a longer lasting quality to them. Therefore, we need to spend more energy creating fulfilling, investment experiences, that will last beyond the moment. You’ve spent your entire life getting to the place you are now, why not be happy about getting here, and not filled with regret and loathing as if you got here by some huge cosmic mistake!!! When you’re building a life, you understand how each ingredient is part of the final outcome!                           

No one said life would be easy, but it can certainly be worth the effort!!!

Fourth, discover and uncover your natural strengths---what Seligman calls "signature strengths."  We all have our own "top 4 or 5" signature strengths.  The key is to learn what they are and do everything we can to express them, in all the areas of our lives!  When we operate from our strengths, we discover that they indicate to us our calling, and direction in life….they become part of our mission statement and affect everything we do. Here’s a list of 24 “signature strengths” which should be considered in all of our long term decisions in life…they are your values in action motivations, and they are the difference between living a good and meaningful life instead of just surviving and making it through life…..

These 24 signature strengths are grouped in 6 areas of our life values…

1. Wisdom and Knowledge, are about creativity, curiosity, proper application of truth, love of learning, and healthy perspective…

2. Courage, is about bravery, perseverance, honesty, and willingness to fight for the under dog.

3. Human goodness, is about love, kindness, and social awareness and intelligence

4. Justice, is about teamwork, fairness, and concern for a good, just and equitable outcome…

5. Temperance, is about forgiveness, humility, prudence, self-regulation

6. Transcendence, is about (the ability to rise above and look down upon your circumstances and situations) these include appreciation of beauty and excellence, gratitude, hope, humor, and spirituality…

You can go on the internet and take Doctor Martin Seligman’s“Values in Action Assessment” and get a personal evaluation and complimentary debriefing of your individual strengths and how they affect your choices in life. That’s “Values in Action Assessment” (type it in your browser)                           Having said this…. It is basically about being your best self, because everyone else is already taken!!! 

1Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding (per-is-sos'…. exceeding, over and above, beyond your current measure)  in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord”. 

We can’t afford to ever stop growing in the Lord. Someone said that if you’re still fighting the same battles you were fighting a year ago, it’s time to get a new battle!!! (you’ve stopped growing)

Fighting the same battles too long means you’re stuck….you’re in a rut…that’s a groove that goes nowhere!!!!

Bob was sick of his job and was determined to find work elsewhere. But no matter how hard he tried, his reputation as someone who was not dedicated to the job, who was always late, and who had sloppy work habits, just seemed to follow him around like a shadow.

One day the phone rang at his office. Although Bob did not usually pick up the phone, he picked it up and said hello. “Hi” said the man on the line, “I have an unusual question to ask you, I’m looking into a fellow named Bob Smith for a position in my company. Do you know this fellow?”

“Sure I know him”, answered Bob with a smile. “Could you tell me,” asked the man. “Is he consistent with his work? Does he always show up on time?” Well, Bob, had a problem being late and he was inconsistent…but he didn’t lie!

“Well I’ll be honest with you” Bob truthfully replied, “I’m not so consistent myself, but whenever I’m here he’s always here!”

1Corinthians 3:9 &16 Paul refers to believers as God’s field, God’s building and God’s temple.     

The purpose of a cultivated field, is for producing a harvest. As a farmer plants his crop each year it increases with each harvest, so that each year he is able to plant more because of the multiplication of the seed which he gets in return. We are likened to a field where God intends to produce a harvest. That happens by planting and watering, planting and watering, planting and watering. 

The seed we plant is the word, and the water is prayer....

I grew up on a farm, and there’s one thing I know and that is this…. Just standing out in a field and watering it, where no seed has been sown, is not the way to produce a harvest. We need seed sowers and those who water the seed…It takes both planting the seed and watering the field!

If we’re going to have a harvest, we need to make sure that our field is not overrun with weeds. Weeds stifle, crowd out and choke the good plants which we need to grow!  So diligence is required if our field is to be weed free! Weeding is hard work but the results are well worth it… 

Pruning and weeding are a very similar processes. They both are about removing things that prevent growth and increase. The difference is that pruning focuses on the plant itself and weeding focuses on the stuff around the plant. It’s much the same in our lives of faith. Pruning focuses internally. Weeding focuses externally. 

What are the weeds in the life of faith? Jesus names some when He says that the cares of life, riches and the pleasures of life can prevent God’s word from being fruitful in our lives. Weeds are things that capture our attention and get us so focused on the cares of the world, the stuff our money can buy us, and things that give us fleeting happiness that we fill up our lives with that, and tune God out so that we don’t give Him, his rightful place. What are the things in our own individual lives that take time, energy and resources away from us and prevent us from connecting more deeply with God? There are some people in our lives that can be like weeds. They can suck the spiritual life right out of you, if you let them. Their attitudes, opinions, and values, can be a negative influence and drain your spiritual passion. Anyone can grow weeds, but it takes discernment, skill, and dedication to grow a good profitable crop….

Paul also says that we are God’s Building. A strong, solid building, starts with a good foundation. The only foundation with real security, strength and staying power is the foundation of Jesus Christ. We also need to have the right framing and superstructure and Paul talks about building with gold, silver and precious stones or with wood, hay and straw. When you build with gold, silver and precious stones, you will have something that stands the tests of time and the assaults of the enemy. Are we investing our lives in things that are durable and permanent, or things that are perishable and temporary.  Are you building on the right foundation? Are you building a good superstructure and proper framing?                         Are you building with the right materials and values? Recently on the news they reported that a wedding reception was being held on a large second floor deck area, and it collapsed killing many people underneath and injuring many others….The builder is being tried for involuntary manslaughter, because it was found that he built with inferior materials which were not up to code…….Others are depending on us to build our lives with the best materials available, because it’s not just about us!  

Paul also tells us that we are God’s Temple. 

1 Corinthians 3:17 “For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.”                       When Israel was in the wilderness, the tabernacle was identified with the glory, and the glory was identified with the tabernacle. When the glory moved, the tabernacle moved….and all could behold the glory resting upon it! Once they built the temple, the glory was stationary and residential. That should tell us that we can have the abiding glory of God.                                                     What’s so incredible is that Haggai 2:9 says that “The glory of the latter house (that’s us) shall be greater than of the former, says the LORD of hosts…”  

When God’s glory moved into our lives, it was and is His intention to stay resident in our lives!  In fact, the Holy Spirit in us, is God’s guarantee that He is going to finish in us what He has started!  

2 Corinthians 5:5 “Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as His guarantee.”?

When you purchase a house, you first put money down which is a pledge or a deposit which guarantees that there is more to come. The Holy Spirit dwelling within you is God’s guarantee, His pledge, His first installment, that there is much more to come! You ain’t seen nothing yet! He is leading you into greater works, greater victories, and greater demonstrations of His glory in your life!! 

So, Let the weak say, "I am strong" Let the poor say, "I am rich" Let the blind say, "I can see" Let the sick say “I am healed” with words of faith confess it and in the name of Jesus claim, because what you say is what you get!!!! 

You cannot understand the intent of God’s word apart from supernatural illumination. You can read truth and even hear truth, but only the Holy Spirit can impart truth. 

1 Corinthians 2:12 “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.”? With His word as our constant guide and rule of life, with His Spirit in us, with Kingdom Authority backing and empowering us, and with the people of God around us, we can know a life of increase, expansion and victory! 

You are God’s Field…You are God’s Building….You are God’s Temple.      Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers v12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ v13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ v14 That we are no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive v15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ. v23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind v24 And that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness”.

I would like to conclude by declaring together now….personalownership of the growth possibilities that are within our grasp and the options we have been given to be the very best version of ourselves, that we can be…. 

Prayer….

Lord Jesus, may I come to understand, that blessings are everywhere, if I will choose to look for them. May I know that my attitude will affect the outcomes which I expect and that challenges are often gifts that You have sent to me in disguise. May I trust that most things will get better and improve with time, because I will not be the person then, that I am right now. Because of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in me, I can trust that my instincts & gut feelings have value, and are an extension of Your stirrings within me. Your word gives me assurance that a positive attitude based on Your character of mercy, grace and love, will always cause everything to go smoother because You are working things out for my good and Your glory, every moment in my life. Lord, may I come to See that you have placed me in Your body with skills & talents that You can use, to be a positive influence on many people. May I come to value each moment of every day because each is a blessing to be enjoyed and may I value each person as unique & important to You. Lord, thank you that each moment of my life has meaning and purpose, far beyond what I can see and understand at any given time. May my spirit be open and accepting, of those things which I might not otherwise understand or accept. Renew my spirit with each opportunity and challenge that expands my skills and awareness, opening up areas and abilities in me as I move through each new experience. 

Jesus, I seek to walk in Your blessing and favor as I move into the future You have chosen for me. Allow me see and grasp the possibilities which arise each day. I greet whatever awaits with vibrant faith and unending joy. I realize that at times I must forsake the comfortable and familiar, in my quest for the best, for you have made my life, an adventure of discovery and you have gone before me to prepare all my tomorrows with the blessing of new places, new things, new friends, new opportunities, and new challenges..

Lord I declare that as I’m getting older, I am also growing up in all things in Christ. I am becoming what you designed and planned for me to be. Thank you for a right perspective and right priorities today and every day, in Jesus name, Amen.

Under the heading of I did not see that coming…. Someone wrote “If I had a dollar for every time I thought about you, I would start thinking about you”…. Someone else wrote,  “My wife told me I needed to grow up and I was speechless. It’s hard to talk with 5 sourballs in your mouth”… Here’s another one….She asked to be assigned to another seat on the plane because she was sitting next to a crying baby. Apparently that’s not allowed if the baby is yours… Oh, one more please….A very touchy, feely, woman was struggling with how she should say goodby. She wasn’t sure if she should throw a kiss or what. But the drive through attendant at Starbucks, said “Lady, just take the coffee and go”….(Didn’t see that coming)

When it comes to our emotions, we are complicated individuals, we can laugh, not because we’re happy, but because it wasn’t any worse than it was… We can cry, not because we’re sad, but because we’re overwhelmed with happiness with that “too good to be true”, feeling.

We get to graduation, and we’re laughing and crying at the same time… Our children are born and we’re happy as the tears are flowing…

When we’re grieving, we can stifle our grief and disappointment for the moment, but it will come out somewhere, when we least expect it…

There are things that happen in all of our lives that we never planned for, but in the thick of it, we can be prepared mentally and spiritually, before hand, so that we don’t lose our equilibrium and our core values can serve as a gyroscope to provide us with balance and purpose so we don’t make fools of ourselves. 

We are entering a time and a season when the constancy of God is colliding with the inconsistency of our times. Our expectancy can not be based on the world’s Ka Sa Ra, Sa Ra… but on God’s unchanging nature and His word…  

Dr. Viktor Frankl, author of the book "Man's Search for Meaning," was imprisoned by the Nazis in W.W.II because he was a Jew. His wife, his children, and his parents were all killed in the holocaust.

The Gestapo made him strip and as he stood there totally naked, they cut away His wedding ring and Viktor said, "You can take my wife, you can take away my children, you can strip me of my clothes and my freedom, but there is one thing no person can ever take away from me--and that is my freedom to choose how I will react to what happens to me!" 

Often, it is those “I Did Not See That Coming” moments that can change everything, and cause a negative situation to become a significant moment in our lives, and give us a new perspective….                                                  A man wanted a boat more than anything. His wife kept refusing, because she wanted a new living room set. But he bugged her until she let him buy one with the promise of a new living room set just as soon as they could afford it. "I'll tell you what," he told her, "In the spirit of compromise, why don't you name the boat?" Being a good sport, she accepted his offer. When her husband went to the dock for his maiden voyage, he saw the name she had chosen, painted on the side. It said “For Sale”                                                                                                                                                                              You can either be a person who leads, who follows, or who just needs to get out of the way….But there are many things which are all designed to get us to forget our higher purpose. Today is the best time for you to reclaim all the happiness, wealth, success, peace, health, favor, etc. you have unknowingly allowed the Devil to steal from you. You have been destined for greatness.

We are called to be the engine which pulls this train of surprise circumstances and unexpected happenings and not be run over by them…. A caboose pulling an engine would be really weird… because God has promised “I will make you the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath…Deuteronomy 28

Are you the engine or the caboose?.....As a follower of Christ, we are not called to be the engine which follows the caboose… The Father is never surprised or caught unprepared. So many times I have seen these “I did not see that coming” moments become defining moments for folks.                                                                 A number of years ago, Newsweek magazine carried the story of the memorial service held for Hubert Humphrey, former vice-president of the United States. Hundreds of people came from all over the world to say good-bye to their old friend and colleague. But one person who came was shunned and ignored by virtually everyone there. Nobody would look at him, much less speak to him.                                                                        That person was former president Richard Nixon. Not long before, he had gone through the shame and infamy of Watergate. He was back in Washington for the first time since his resignation from the presidency to attend the funeral of his old friend.

Then a very special thing happened, perhaps the only thing that could have made a difference and broken the ice. President Jimmy Carter, who was in the White House at that time, came into the room. 

Before he was seated, he saw Nixon over against the wall, all by himself. He went over to [him] as though he were greeting a family member, stuck out his hand to the former president, and smiled broadly. To the surprise of everyone there, the two of them embraced each other, and Carter said, "Welcome home, Mr. President! Welcome home!" They never saw that coming!

Commenting on this, Newsweek magazine asserted, “If there was a turning point in Nixon's long ordeal in the wilderness, it was that moment and that gesture of love and compassion."

Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. (Stay salty) v14 “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. v15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. v16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.  (A Glow in the dark Christian) 

One song says “Let’s give them something to talk about”….Carter changed the atmosphere, when he did something that no one saw coming!!! He could have been like the others, but he chose to be the engine, of higher purpose and not give in to the pull of lesser things….to take the high road of love, acceptance and forgiveness….

Matthew 7:12 – “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”

How often have folks been so intimidated by what others think, that they withheld compassion, they withheld words of love and acceptance, and they never spoke words of forgiveness and reconciliation, which have the power to change everything….

Mark 2: 1 “Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he was there. v2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, as he preached the word to them. v3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 

v4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. (They never saw that coming) v5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” (The religious leaders condemned him for saying “your sins are forgiven”) 

v10 And I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, v11“I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” v12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!” in other words…(They never saw that coming) 

I propose to you that not only were they amazed at the paralyzedman getting up and walking home, but they were amazed at the commitment of his friends to get him to Jesus, even if it took tearing the roof off!

What if we were as eager to get someone to Jesus as these friends, who knew that if they could get their friend to Him, his life would change totally and completely! So they tore the roof off… They would do whatever it took, to make THIS MEETING possible!

The roof was a symbol of whatever was blocking the way to Jesus…

The Woman with the issue of blood for twelve years pushedthrough the crowd and touched the hem of His garment. 

Blind Bartimaes would not stop crying out to Jesus till he got his sight.

Zacchaeus, the short tax collector, didn’t let the crowd stop him from seeing Jesus, he found a tree and up he climbed.

There will always be obstacles, when you determine to get to Jesus. But the Blessing is for those who refuse to give up.

The children of Israel, marched around Jericho 6 days and then 7 times on the 7th day! And the walls came tumbling down….(Come on, one more time around the walls and they’ll start to tremble and shake)                          They’ll never see that coming!!!

Eleazor was the name, of one of David’s mighty men. His name means “God is my help”….and in the heat of battle, “he arose and smote the Philistines until his hand cleaved unto the sword, and the Lord wrought a great victory that day. His hand was frozen to his sword so that he could not let it go! It had become a part of him!!!

Oh, may God’s word sword have such an effect on us, that we are so attached to it, that it has become a part of us and we cannot let it go….

Oh, sometimes the cross gets heavy and we may become weary from carrying it, but it has become so much a part of our daily crucifixion life- style that we cannot let it go…. “I am crucified with Christ, non-the-less I live, and the life I now live, I live by the faith of the son of God”…..                   We have come to understand that the price we may pay to carry the cross is nothing compared to the cost of casting it aside and doing our own thing….

“So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross, till my trophies at last I lay down, I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it some day for a crown.”

May Eagle’s Rest be a church that takes the roof off! When you take the roof off, we’ll have prostitutes, and drug addicts, and homeless, and perverts, and cross dressers, and rich and poor finding God together, and blacks, and Chinese, and Arabs, and Jews, all sitting together praising and worshiping God, and praying together and praying for one another…. 

That’s about taking the roof off, it’s about acceptance and forgiveness, the God kind of love and “Many folks never saw that coming”!!! WE NEVER SAW IT LIKE THIS they said…. Because someone took the roof off!!!

The church of Jesus was never intended to be a club for a privileged few, but a mission field, a hospital for the sick, a transformation station for those who know deep down that there is more!

Go into the highways and byways and compel them to come in….that my house may be full…. (whose house, oh HIS HOUSE) OOPS, did we start thinking it was our house? Jesus is describing HIS HOUSE! 

WHEN WE TAKE THE ROOF OFF! IT’S COME AS YOU ARE….and know you’re loved. These folks who tore the roof off came just as they were. Thank you Jesus you love all of us just like we are. We don’t have to be someone else for You to love us… We just need to come as we are, But He loves us enough that He won’t leave us like we are! He has better for us, and if there is one thing in life that will always stay the same it is that change is coming! There will always be change. 

So you might as well let go and start taking the roof off!!!

“Whosoever will, may come”…. Jesus came into this world at one of it’s darkest periods… The cruel Roman empire ruled over Jerusalem. Jesus healed the Centurion’s servant. He loved the very Jews who crucified Him. He preached love in towns where they sought to stone Him for His message. He loved the prostitute, the tax collector, the outcast and unclean. He was as comfortable among sinners as He was among the religious crowd. His message was “Whosoever will, may come”…. “Whosoever believes on the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved”…..His final act while hanging on the cross, was to welcome a thief, who was hanging there with him, to join Him in heaven. FOLKS JUST NEVER SAW THAT COMING….

LET’S GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT!

There was once an absent-minded professor who became so absorbed in his work that he forgot the simplest of details. One morning his wife said, "Now Henry, remember, we are moving today. Here, I'm putting this note in your pocket. Don't forget." The day passed by and the man came home to his house. He entered the front door, and found the place empty. Confused, he walked out to the curb and sat down. A young boy walked up to him, and he asked him, "Little boy, do you know the people who used to live here?" The boy replied, "Sure, Dad, mom told me you'd forget that we moved."

Get ready to move….Jesus is saying, “Follow Me” and that may mean we’ll have to move from where we’ve been, to where Jesus is at”!!!! It may mean that it’s no longer our church but His church!

Isn’t that what He said…. “I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not be able to prevail against it”!!!

When they took the roof off… It means they became known by their compassion… When others had given up, when they had lost hope, and others felt they had done all they could… notice that this man’s friends didn’t give up on him. It doesn’t say that his family tore off the roof to get him to Jesus, it says his friends did it. Maybe his family had given up, and felt there was nothing more they could do… but his FRIENDS wouldn’t stop trying, praying, and believing….

May we be that kind of fellowship…

Taking the roof off is about getting people out of themselves and into a new life, a larger place. Doctors will tell you that 75% of the things they treat people for, is because of personal life style choices they are making. 

James 4:17 “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin”.

We rise up by moving into a larger place, a place of obedience..Tithing, gathering with those of faith, showing Jesus to your neighbors by caring, and accepting, live a life of joy, peace, and faith words and actions….If you’re following Jesus, that’s where your path will take you….

Taking the roof off means to stop judging, criticizing and gossiping Jesus said, judge not or you will be judged….You can’t judge and gossip and criticize and forgive at the same time….If we know to not judge others and do it then it is a sin… TIME TO TAKE THE ROOF OFF OF JUDGING AND DISECTING ONE ANOTHER OFF!                                                             (No matter how thin you slice it, it’s a lot of bologna)

Speaking of judging…..A little girl was being punished for her disobedience. Her mom and dad decided that her punishment would be for her to eat dinner alone in the corner, while the rest of them would sit at the table. As they sat down to eat, the family paid no attention to her until they heard her pray. She was intense and passionate as the words rose to heaven… “I thank You, Lord, for preparing a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” They never saw that coming….(sounds like one of my kids)

Taking the roof off, means finding a new way that you haven’t tried before…. Who says it has to be the way it was 10, 20, or 30 years ago….as long as it’s God’s way!

Isaiah 43:18 “Remember not the former things, neither consider the things of old. v19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth, shall younot know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert”.                                               Are you willing to do something drastic to see your friend get to Jesus? Are you willing to take a risk so that someone else can come to know Him? Are you willing to do something foolish to bring them to a defining spiritual moment, you may have to go outside the box….

Taking the roof off, means making Jesus accessible to the people, when the people won’t come to church, or home meeting… it means you may have to meet them where they are, and carry them when they can’t do it themselves. Providing transportation, friendship, and a listening ear and a caring heart. It’s about taking the higher ground and leading by example. Not as I say but as I do… 

Joe had lost his job and was unemployed. His son Jared asked him one day when they were at the table, if there even was a God to hear his prayers. Joe said I don’t know what to tell you son. So, Jared released a helium balloon and said God if you are up there and you’re real, send people who know you to help dad and me.                                                              They happenedupon a free carwash the church was doing. People prayed with them and led them to faith in Christ. A Sanitation worker was upset that the free car wash was creating a traffic jam. He pulled in and started complaining while doing so, the people who were washing cars prayed with him. He recognized Joe and Jared, and offered Joe a job. Because the Christians who were doing the free car wash, decided to take the roof off and try something different. Two families came to Christ, Jared’s faith was restored, Joe got a job, and Jesus was Glorified….

Taking the roof off is about cooperation…. We are told that the 4 of them came together and joined their faith and strength, to get this man to Jesus. They had to be agreed, and they had to work together. If they had only focused on their differences, it would never have happened. They put aside their differences so their friend could have a better life.                                    Matthew 18:18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. v19 Again, I tell you truly that if two of you on the earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. v20 For where two or three gather together in My name, there am I with them.”…        

Sometimes our personal preferences become the obstacle to getting things accomplished for the kingdom.

It really isn’t about us, it’s about the Father’s business, and the Father’s pleasure. Who can I send, and who will go for me, Isaiah asks us. Instead of saying what we don’t have and can’t do, use what you do have and you can do….

1 Corinthians 12:16 “And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. v17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? v18But in fact, God has arranged the members of the body, every one of them, according to His pleasure”.…

To insist that everyone do what I’m doing because it’s what I’m doing, or like what I like, or be like I am. Is to fail to appreciate their uniqueness and their individual giftedness. Thank God we’re not all alike…BORING!!

Some of us are quite, some of us are more vocal, some are more expressive and some less, some of us like different food, different music, different styles and different places… but are we agreed on what is important… Showing God’s love, forgiveness and acceptance…

God is not a respecter of persons…. Man looks on the outward appearance but God looks on the heart. 

Moses started out as a basket case, but God used him…

Jacob was a liar, but God used him….

Peter was always putting his foot in his mouth, but God used him…

Samson had woman issues, but God used him…

People can be like roses, if you can get beyond the thorns you can appreciate the beauty of the rose…. Let’s not lose our focus and create obstacles where God is creating great, life changing opportunities….

Something the Lord spoke to me, is that we as a church must rise up higher if we are to take the roof off. There must be a repositioning. A laying aside of every weight and the sin that easily besets us. We must shut ourselves in with the Lord in order to move higher in our spiritual position. There are things that will not happen or be accomplished on the low road of surface spirituality. It will take an ascending to the high places if we are to tear satan’s kingdom down. There is a secret place where we can be seated in heavenly places. To open up the heavens, we must loose our grip on many things of this life. It takes open hands and a pure heart to ascend to Zion’s hill… We receive by letting go, we truly live by dying to the flesh and the pull of the world…. This is about Alignment… Not my will but Thine be done…. What would Jesus Do…. Allowing Him to be the shepherd, leading us out and bringing us in….                                             I would like us to agree with someone as we tear the roof off in closing… Join hands with someone, or lay hands on their shoulder…. Where is it you need to make access to get someone to Jesus. Where you need to do something different than you’ve tried before…Where you need to come into a larger place of obedience….Where you need to help some one who can’t help themselves…What needs to be cleared out of the way.. What is the place of obedience that you need to step into….                                            That’s calling into your spirit today….

What is it that’s been calling to your spirit….Something you never dreamed is waiting to happen…Step in while the waters are being stirred…The 4 friends stepped out of the box and saw a miracle!!!

As I was reading the story of Abraham and Sarah, and how Sarah gave her concubine Hagar to Abraham so he could have a childbecause she was barren. I got to the part where Sarah got jealous when the concubine got pregnant and drove her into the wilderness. There in the barren waste land, with no food or water, she was about to die when the angel of the Lord led her to water. Some scholars feel that this was none other than the Lord, because it tells us that she gave a name to the “Lord” who rescued her and spoke prophetically to her and her unborn child. Look at it in 

Genesis 16:13 And Hagar gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me." The one who knows my past, present and my future..

I was also looking at the first chapter of John’s gospel which presents us with more than we can wrap our minds around without very extensive study and analysis. It’s more than we could explore in one study such as this. But our focus today is, about how John emphasizes that WE CAN SEE GOD.                                                                            Look at the words from this scripture in John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. v2 The same was in the beginning with God. v3 All things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made. v4 In Him was life; and that life was the light of men. v5 And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehends it not.”                                                       The light shines in darkness and the darkness comprehends it not…

It’s so like what Hagar says “I have seen the one who sees me”….who shines a light in my darkness.

John lays it out plainly. “No one has ever seen God.” But then he says  it is Jesus His only Son who has made Him see’able. When you look at those first verses, of John, the theme of BEING ABLE TO SEE, is paramount to discovering it’s truth and finding yourself in that light.                                                                                                                         John uses a couple of different words for seeing, and he uses these “seeing” words more often than any writer in the New Testament.                                                                                                                                              Now there were a lot of people who might have seen Jesus…seen what color hair he had, or how tall he was, or that he was a Jewish man. 

But John joins Mary, Joseph, Zechariah and Hannah, who really SEE him here. Just like the others I have mentioned, John had a revelation from God that this Jesus was the Lamb of God. He saw with his eyes, but more importantly, he saw with his SPIRIT…he understood who Jesus was.                                                                                      Often in the gospel, the use of the word “see” has this double meaning. It’s the same in English. I see something, but then suddenly, it’s as though a curtain opens and I really, truly SEE!!!! I suddenly comprehend a deeper meaning beyond what my eyes had been viewing. I see and then, I SEE. He sees Jesus, and then he SEES JESUS, and says, “Here is the Lamb of God.” 

Being a disciple means you believe in someone, it means you live with them, you travel with them, you stick with them through thick and thin.   The two disciples who were following John the Baptist… now, they are following Jesus. What shifted their allegiance? Certainly the clue we are given is that John has pointed out to them that this man is the Son of God, the long awaited hope of Israel. John’s words were enough for them to pack up and start following the one John pointed to.                                                                      Now Jesus sees the two men following him, there were crowds of people around him. But Jesus SEES them … he knows them, not as casual passers-by, but as people whose eyes have been opened to really SEE HIM. 

And he asks them a question, “What are you looking for?” These are the first recorded words of Jesus in John’s gospel. The first words of “God made flesh”, the first words out of His mouth in this gospel are “What are you looking for?” The two men formerly known as disciples of John were put on the spot, and they were unprepared for this question. You would think they might say, “We are looking at the Lamb of God, the Son of God, the hope of Israel. That’s what you are” In fact later the next day, Andrew, one of these disciples, excitedly goes to his brother Peter and says, “We have found the Messiah.”                                                                               He thinks he sees who Jesus is, here on the second day after meeting him. But it is only three years later, as they have been with Jesus, as they have seen Jesus in the garden and seen Him on the cross and seen Him laid in a tomb, that they realize the depth of what it meant to SEEJesus.

But they aren’t ready to totally commit to what they see, so they respond to a question with a question, “Where are you staying?” It’s an engaging question, because it shows they want to be with him, they don’t just want a five minute Q & A with Jesus on the street…they want to spend time with him. They need to see more, and to take in more, in order to properly respond to Him. So their question doesn’t just mean, which house do you sleep in, which street is it on… It means, if we follow You, where are we going? How will this change our lives?

But John’s gospel has already given us the inside scoop. 

John has just told us, “The word became flesh and dwelt among us?” So when the disciples ask, “Where are you staying?” or “What is Your address?”, you can imagine Jesus answering with a little smile on His face as He hears this question, because He knows the answer will blow these men away. He doesn’t sit down and lay out the facts. He doesn’t give them a ten point summary of why he is the Messiah, or what it means to leave heaven and come to dwell with humans. Instead he tells them to come and find the answer and SEE for themselves. 

Because we as humans live in the valley of the shadow of death, Jesus walked there too. We were all the living, who were dying, but Jesus came to transform the dying into those who would live with Him eternally…..                                Come and SEE, that was the message to the disciples. Come and let your eyes be opened…..And of course the miracle at the end of the gospel is the glorious realization of actually seeing the power of God over sin and death.                                                    The disciples see the empty tomb, but it is only when they physically see Jesus’ resurrected body again, that they really SEE THE EMPTY TOMB and what that means for all of us, for all eternity. What a chapter, this first chapter of John is! I think it’s too bad that we mostly only read the first part of the chapter… And we hear Jesus’ question today, “What you are you looking for?” What is it that you think you want to see, because it is only the smallest part of the bigger thing which you will come to know, as you follow Messiah and your eyes are able to really, trulySEE.

What are we looking for together? Are we looking for the same thing, or  are we looking for different things? Because what we are looking for, will determine what we see. God is moving and working and walking through the minutes, hours and days of our lives, but wesimply fail to notice because that was not what we were looking forand expecting to see. 

Important things can happen, and you will not notice them if you are not SEEING them for their deeper meaning. Jesus’ question, “What are you looking for?” is really important. It’s central. Because we must re-train ourselves to look for the right things. What am I looking for?                                                     Is the job, just about getting a paycheck, or am I there to focus on more eternal things? Am I so busy providing for my family, that I fail to provide for my family the ability to see and recognize Jesus through all their days? 

Am I so caught up with my problems and challenges, that I fail to be sensitive to those around me, who are looking and searching for meaning and purpose in their own lives? Check, check, check. 

How many situations and circumstances were not what we expected, and how many places were not where we would rather be? But in those places and in those circumstances. How often do we want our cake and eat it too…the power of God is working among every terribly broken situation, and through every crisis.

As you go through it, and you cried out for God to show up, (and you did’trealize, God was showing up, all the time). “Jesus was standing in the midst, in His risen power, and it should have been a time of worship, and a hallowed, sacred time, but because we were looking at the wrong things, we missed it when it walked right by us, and stood in front of us! It’s about, what we are looking for.“The light shines in darkness and the darkness comprehends it not”

Peter in the storm, cried out “Lord, let me come to You”….That’s what truly seeing Him will do….Our quest, our assignment, is to lookfor Jesus, to find Him wherever we go and whatever the situation… If we do, we will be seeing Him all over the place. If I’m looking for other things, which may be fun things, feel good things, comforting things, or even important things that I really treasure, well, guess what, I might just miss the pearl of great price that is right there in front of my eyes.                                                                                                              The only thing worth really looking for is Jesus. You can get caught up in looking for a nicer home, or a bigger bank account, or better job, and those things are not bad, but if we spend our time distracted by that, we might miss something of far greater value…..

So, what will that look like? Jesus standing there, saying, “Come and see.” It would be great to be able to report to you that every situation will be dramatically turned around, the way we want it to be. That everyone will be thriving, successful and prosperous the way we want to see it!                               But truth be known, we can’t reallyknow what that’s going to look like, even as we obey His calling and His promptings of the Spirit.

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the call went out “Come and See”…   As He healed the lame, the blind, the deaf and the dead… the call went out “Come and See”…. When he turned the water into wine, multiplied the loaves and fishes, cast out demons, folks were saying “Come and See”… Every since He walked out of the tomb and went from hell to heaven.. folks have been coming to see that empty tomb and remembering that the power of death is broken, to see Him is to be set free from the power of sin, sickness and death!                                    

It doesn’t always happen on our time frame, and it doesn’t always happen the way we want… Can you see Jesus, the potter in your life…. because we are the clay, not the potter… and the clay must submit to the potter’s plan, and surrender to His shape and design. But there is not a moment where the potter is not present, if we could see…. To see that the kingdom of God is dependent on our surrender to be where He is, doing what He is doing.. wherever that may be!What we are looking for determines what we see, and that can change who we are!

We must keep our eyes peeled to see that Jesus is present in ways that our minds cannot take in. To SEE the potter in the doctor’s office where we get the bad news. SEE the potter working with us when we get the middle of the night phone call saying there’s been an accident. SEE the potter in the storm. SEE the potter when you’ve just been told “You’re fired”…. Have you found the potter, workingin this pandemic?                                                                                                           If we are looking for Jesus, we will always find Him. There is no power on earth or in the spiritual realms that can stop Jesus from being involved in every aspect of our lives together. What will that look like in our future? There was a fellow in Philadelphia who went to the flea market and found a frame he liked. It was only a couple of bucks, in the frame was a dusty print of a country church. It was torn and faded, but the guy liked the frame so he bought it.When he got home he opened it up and out tumbled a neatly folded sheet of old parchment paper. It was the Declaration of Independence. What everyone had thought was a two-dollar painting at a flea market actually contained one of the original copies of the Declaration of Independence printed on July 4, 1776, worth over 2.4 million.

Sometimes Jesus is hidden from those who don’t know what to lookfor or where to look… At the prison, a personal tragedy, a homeless person, the hungry…. He said as you have done it unto the least of these you’ve done it unto me… and suddenly there is Jesus, where we least expected Him…..

Come and SEE, that’s the invitation David received from his brothers when he brought their lunch. Come and see this giant who curses and threatens Israel. So when David SAW what was happening, he saw a cause, but he asked why is no one is going forth and takingGoliath’s challenge.                        Why is the entire army of Israel cowering from the verbal assaults of Goliath, he said, “Is there not a cause?” That’s why we’re here today.                                                                                                      It’s why we’re seeking to move forward in faith:   “Is there not a cause?”  If you’ve met some giants lately, you know that they make you feel small and weak. They can scare you. They definitely will intimidate you. When Goliath walks through your life, His sword and spear represent everything that intimidates you, frightens you, and makes you want to run the other way! Away from your calling, away from your purpose, away from obedience, away from your destiny!

Giants continually kept the people of God from God’s will and His best.  They either limit them, hinder them, or totally prevent them.There will always be giants, (tell someone “There will always be giants) not only personally but corporately as believers. Attempt anything for God and there will be giants.                                                                                                So we have a choice. We can live infear because “there are giants” or we can SEE that there is a greater, a more eternal cause! So, how can we take on the giants that we face so that we can live in the blessing, freedom and victory that God wants to give us? 

This well-known story of David and Goliath gives us some powerful insights. It’s a story filled with contrasts—Saul and the armies of Israel viewing the situation from a human perspective said (“Have you seen this giant?”). 

David viewing things from God’s perspective, says “All I see is an uncircumcised Philistine, who is defying my God?”                                                 Saul had confidence in his armor, as long as David was the guy wearing it, but David had confidence in his God. 

Saul was concerned about his own image but David was concerned with the honor of God. From David the giant killer we learn how to take on the giants in life, and to overcome the giants of life, we need a spiritual perspective. From a human perspective, Goliath was too much giant! He’s over nine feet tall, his armor weighed 125 pounds. The tip of his spear alone weighed 15 pounds. He was huge. 

Goliath challenged Israel to a battle of two champions—their champion against him. The losers would become the slaves of the winner.                        Who would control who…..This was aboutwinner take all. This plan saved time and potentially avoided useless bloodshed, but it only worked if someone accepted the challenge. (no one was willing)                                         The tipping point of the victory was about what they saw…..Israel was in a “but what if we lose” mentality… David was thinking “but what if we win” We rarely understand how much depends on our single act of obedience! How many are affected when we are able to truly SEE!               

When the giants are able to keep you in disobedience, the battle is lost before it is ever fought! David has a spiritual perspective! Saul and the armies of Israel were afraid because they measured everything by the power of Goliath, David measured everything by the power of His God….

David saw it as a conflict between God and the forces of evil. Saul and his soldiers saw Goliath and thought, “He’s so big we can never kill him!” David saw Goliath and thought, “He’s so big, I can’t miss, no matter where I throw the stone, I’m going to hit a piece of Goliath!”                                                                      If you want to slay a Goliath, you must begin by seeing it as God sees it and know that God is in it with you. You’ll not conquer it if you don’t see things from God’s perspective. How you SEE is the starting point for the victory.                                                                                                            Notice two things about David’s faith, the kind of faith we need…                            We need a faith rooted in personal experience, and that comes from obedience and faithfulness. This wasn’t David’s first outing in the school of faith. As a teenager, he’d proven God in his place as shepherd. He had seen that God was working through him, in every challenge and every test. First it was a lion then a bear, now would be no different….Enemies come and go, but he knew that God is constant! What is your track record?

As David stood before Goliath, his faith was in his personal relationship with God, and He knew God was there in every situation, It wasn’t his religion it was his relationship. David knew that how he handled Goliath, was a demonstration of his relationship with his God. He also had no illusions about what was really going on here… and while he was no match for Goliath, David knew that when that giant took on God, he got in way over his head. Get it straight, they’re not fighting you, they’re fighting God!                                                                  

Peter understood this when he said, in 1 Peter 1:7 “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ”. (Hey, gold is up to $2000.00 an ounce)

David’s vision was filled with God and therefore everything else was whittled down to proper size. He saw Goliath but he saw him from God’s perspective, and that made all the difference.                                                   Throughout the pages of Scripture, whether it’s David taking on Goliath or Abraham leaving everything to follow God, Noah building the ark, when the whole world is against him, Moses leading the Israelites across the desert, Nehemiah building the walls of Jerusalem, or the disciples leaving everything behind as they follow Jesus….It was about what they SAW!

The God inside of you is bigger than the giant in front of you….Agiant is any situation in our path which blocks the way and keeps us from walking with the Lord in the way He wants us to go. It can be a person who opposes us or it might be a combination of circumstances which when taken together block us from doing what God wants done. For most of us, the greatest giants are the ones we face on the inside, not the outside. Usually those inner giants defeat us much faster than any giant we face on the outside. That’s called perspective… it’s also called vision!                                                                                                       It’s in the mind where the battle must be fought and won. Many of us are facing a giant right now. It may be an impossible situation at work or home. It may be a financial difficulty or a broken relationship. It may be a task before you that you know you can’t handle. It may be a dream that seems unreachable. Perhaps your past failures are trying to insert themselves into your future. What was behind you is now standing in front of you…. Giants by definition are enormous, threatening and intimidating. They want to fill up our vision, until we can see nothing else but the problem, or the risk of failure in front of us.

James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he must flee from you.”                                                                                                       As believers, the battlefield is where we grow upand mature spiritually. We will never grow up and mature, until we dare to meet the enemy head on, in the power and might of God’s Spirit within us. There’s nothing like war to turn a novice Christian, into a veteran believer.                                                      There are always giants in the promised land. Israel would still be in tents in the wilderness, if there wasn’t a Caleb and a Joshua spirit to drive them out and possess the land…                                                                                                           As long as we run when the giant rears his ugly head, we’ll have to face him tomorrow and all the tomorrows after that. He won’t go away until we stand up and fight him. Goliath never leaves on his own, he must be defeated. Goliath came back twice a day for 40 days until David went down to face him in the valley. Your giants are the same way. They’ll never leave on their own. Until you stand and fight in Jesus’ name, until then, they win every time. 

David didn’t realize it, but he needed Goliath. Can you see it….Onthe other side of Goliath, was his destiny, dreams fulfilled, God’s will accomplished… In the same way we need our own giants today, because we’ll never become all that God wants us to be without them. You may be praying to be delivered from them, God intends to use the struggle you face to make you stronger. Giants don’t come to defeat you, but to elevate you and promote you to the next level.                                                                                                          John 1:29 “The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him and declared, ‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”! Everyone else saw the carpenter, Mary’s son, the Nazarene. But John saw Him for who He truly was. As we move through our days, and face our giants, may we see our Lord in the midst of it all, moving and working to glorify God, and then having seen Him, that battlefield is transformed into a place of worship!!!                                                                                                                                                             John 1:11 “He came unto his own, and his own received him not. v12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: v13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God”.

I want you to thank God today for the giants God is using to bring your blessing to you. Take a moment and see yourself running to them and not away from them, like David did with Goliath! Put on the full armor of God, take the shield of faith and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of   God and win this, so you can move on…..You don’t have to keep facing it next month and next year…. Defeat it now, and move into the blessing!

OK, my message today is LIVING YOUR FAITH ….                                                     But first, I came across a bit of humor that I will begin things with….                                                   I heard the government is putting chips inside of people, so

I’m signing up for ranch flavored doritos…

Here’s some COVID Humor that comes out of the quarantine….

We reset our clocks and went from Eastern Time to the Twilight Zone.

I'm excited that it's time to take out garbage. But what should I wear?

I used to spin the toilet paper like I was on Wheel of Fortune. Now I turn it like I'm cracking a safe.                                                                                                                                                             I still haven't decided where to go for vacation----- The Living Room or the back porch.

You need to put on your skinny jeans once in a while. Pajamas will have you believe all is well in the kingdom.                                                                                                                      Let’s all practice social-distancing with the refrigerator.

OK our opening scripture is…Mark‬

She had the key to her own healing, and she held the turn around to her own situation all along. It was her faith that pushed through the crowd, it was her faith that refused to be denied, it was her faith that said “If I can only touch Him, I shall be made whole! When Jesus said “Your faith has made you whole”, He was saying that her faith actions made the difference. Like Jacob of old, who said “I will not let you go, until the blessing I receive”… He would not be denied….

It's having faith when the feeling is gone, and you still obey the master, when there is no silver lining to the black clouds over head, but you know the Sun is going to come out soon….It’s about believing when everything you’ve tried has failed and laysdead at your feet….So you still pay your tithe, and you gather with fellow believers in church, and you visit the sick when you are sick yourself…. It’s those “Hold on my child, joy comes in the morning” actions that are motivated by a belief in the unchanging reality of the character and nature of God… The Job kind of faith that says “Though God slay me, yet will I trust Him!                                                     Someone said, “We used to have Steve Jobs, Bob Hope and Johnny Cash. Now we have no jobs, no hope and no cash.... I just hope Kevin Bacon doesn’t dienow….

We speak words that release heaven in the earth, but we must combine that with faith actions. We push through the barriers by faith, and virtue begins to flow….Our words are like a single match which may not seem like much, but it can start a forest fire that spreads further than we could ever imagine. Be a fire starter with your words of faith….

By faith we see our problems as God’s opportunities…Our dilemmas bring us into God’s solutions, Our barriers of resistance can create the updraft that becomes God’s wind beneath our wings….                                     Without resistance, flight could never have happened. The formula for flight is LIFT+ RESISTANCE + THRUST= FLIGHT..

Believe it…. THEY SHALL MOUNT UP WITH WINGS AS EAGLES!!!!

Shel Silverstein wrote….”Listen to the Musn’ts, my child, Listen to the don’ts, Listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles and the won’ts. Listen to “You’ll never have”, then listen close to me…Anything can happen, child, anything can be”…

In our next story Luke‬  

If Alan, found out that he had leprosy, he could no longer be in here with us, he would have to leave the building and even leave the city! He couldn’t hug Mary and his children and grandchildren, because they might get the disease. How terrible is that?!

You can see that leprosy wasn’t just bad for a person’s body, but it was also terrible for their ability to enjoy friends and family, since they lived alone. Sometimes lepers would get very lonely and seek out other lepers to live with. That’s why the ten men in this story were together. They all had leprosy, and they were not allowed to be a part of their original family and community of friends. In some parts of the world today, groups of lepers living together are called “leper colonies.” Think about walking along and your ear, or your nose or fingers start falling off. Their bodies were daily falling away…..

Leprosy made a person “unclean”. Because leprosy was so contagious, people long ago would shout “UNCLEAN! UNCLEAN!” when they were walking on the road or were in the company of people who did not have leprosy. No one wanted to be near a person with this terrible disease, so anytime a leper was within shouting distance of anyone, they had to walk along shouting the word “unclean” so everyone could get clear of them. Lepers didn’t just need healing, they needed wholeness.          Jesus looked at the outward appearance, but He saw the person on the inside, the person they could be, in spite of the social stigma…. Their problem was embedded with a promise, and the promise contained their solution, and it was written some 600 years before…. And Jesus brought it’s reality into their lives. Hallelujah, God’s word will not perish from the earth until all is fulfilled…And Jesus has a promise that He is ready to bring to you Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope”.

God’s voice is in your mouth…. God said to Moses… “I will be with your mouth”…..You are His voice in the earth….Claim your promise….         Let’s all give a voice to this.. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”Ephesians 1:3

How about “And the peace of God, which surpassesunderstanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”. Philippians 4:7

We need to speak it out…. Don’t Let Your Struggle Become Your Identity, let your identity be shaped by the values and principles of God’s word and His intentions towards you…. Stop living according to what the world intends and live by what the Father intends for you…..

In our next story….Mark 10 states that the blind man, Bartimaeus, was sitting on the side of the road begging. He heard Jesus was passing by, and it was by his faith that he called out to Jesus.

Mark 10:46-52 “They came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus (the son of Timaeus), a blind beggar, was sitting by the road. When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out, ‘Son of David, Jesus, have mercy on me!’ Many people told him to keep quiet, but he was crying out all the more, ‘Have mercy on me, Son of David!’ Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him.’ Sothey called the blind man and said to him, ‘Have courage!          Get up; He’s calling for you.’ He threw off his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus. Then Jesus answered him, ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ ‘Rabbouni,’ the blind man told Him, ‘I want to see!’ ‘Go your way,’ Jesus told him. ‘Your faith has made you whole.’ Immediately he could see and began to follow Jesus on the road.”

Wholeness - this is a word that is very familiar in our society today - We have: Whole Foods, Whole wheat, and Whole grain.                                              Then you have words like:Wholesome, Wholehearted, We want the whole story, We want the whole truth and nothing but the truth

Holistic is about- dealing with or treating the whole of something, not just it’s parts or individual symptoms. A doctor who takes a holistic approach will take into account mental and social factors, rather than just the physical symptoms of a disease.

A group of doctors from the University of Minnesota, secured a grant from the government to study alternative healing methods.The doctors said, in effect, “We went back and examined all the old folk remedies. And we found that some of them we had said wouldn’t work did work. After running them through our laboratory, we found out why they worked. We even tried old wives’ remedies. We didn’t turn any of them down. We are in the healing business after all. “We also found out that divine healing works. We have records of people who were in the last stages of cancer, and were going to die.

But after a man of God came in, anointed them with oil, and laid hands on them, these people got up and left the hospital completely well, sometimes within two or three days.

We know divine healing works, but we can’t put it through the laboratory like we did the other remedies. If we knew how it worked, we would share that approach to healing with people also.”

They think that their microscopes and their centrifuge machines, and their smudges on litmus paper provide substance.                                              But they miss the fact that the word which spoke the worlds and all that is in them into existance, is the same word substance that speaks to our human condition here and now….

Jesus said “be made whole”….The woman, and the leper, in scripture, were not just healed, they were made whole, emotionally, psychologically, and in every area of genetic susceptibility they may have had. They were not only healed but they were delivered and set free of all the effects …. The shame, the hurt, the loneliness, the feeling of being less than everyone else…

There is a prayer of wholeness which we are given in scripture… It’s found in 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely. And cause your spirit, soul, and body to be kept sound and blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it”. You should write that down and confess it over yourself and all your family!

When my son Chris was a little tyke, he had dyslexia, spacialdisorder, and Attention Deficit Disorder. He would bring papers home from school and it was completely backward. You could hold it up to a mirror and it would be perfect.                                                                                                         He got an infection in his tonsils and we were going to have to remove them. A minister who moved in the gift of healing was having meetings at our church, and he called Chris up. As he laid hands on him and prayed, Chris swallowed his tonsils, but what we didn’t know was that the Lord had also made our son WHOLE! 

Not only were his tonsils gone, but after those meetings, all of his disorders were gone. His writing was corrected, his spacialproblem was gone, (he still had problems like any kid paying attention) BUT HE WAS MADE WHOLE!

The blind man, Bartimaeus, was sitting on the side of the road begging. And I like that part where the folks tried to quite the man down, because he was crying out so loud, but it says he cried out even louder… He was determined to stop Jesus…. Listen, faith with corresponding action will stop Him every time!!! People will try to hold you back, intimidate you, “sit down you’re rocking the boat”!!!                                                         He Got Up!!! He couldn’t see yet, but he got up!!! Don’t let your faith be subject to what someone else thinks….Theyhaven’t walked in your moccasins… Like the crowd in Bartimaeus’ day, they will shut you down, and push you aside….You’re not trying to get their attention, you’re wanting to get God’s attention!!!

If you say you believe healing is yours, but you don’t start acting like you are being healed, then you don’t really believe it….HeGot Up!

If you say you believe you are set free from whatever you’re struggling with, but you don’t start acting like you are set free, then you don’t really believe it….He Got Up!

If you say you believe in forgiveness, but you don’t start acting like you have forgiven others, or that you are forgiven, then you don’t really believe it….He Got Up!

AM I TALKING TO ANYONE?

There must be a transition from I hope it will happen, to I believe it has happened and I will now order my life by it’sreality. I will talk like it, I will think like it, and I will act like it!

Heaven and earth are waiting for Your confession, your declaration, your words and your actions, because they are whatsets things in motion… I’ll tell you what… Let’s practice right now….join me….                                                                                                   “I DECLARE God’s blessings and goodness over my life. 

I DECLARE I will experience God’s faithfulness. He will not fail me. 

I DECLARE I am full of power, strength, and determination. I will overcome every obstacle, outlast every challenge, and come through every difficulty better off than I was before. 

I DECLARE I have not missed my window of opportunity to accomplish my dream. This is my time. This is my moment. I receive it today!  

I DECLARE I am receiving opportunities, and favor and I will focus on what is right and not what is wrong, and what my God is able to do. 

I DECLARE that I am a part of a legacy of faith and future generations will be blessed as I live with excellence and integrity. 

I DECLARE that God has a great plan for my life. He is directing my steps. And even though I may not always understand how, I know He will work out every detail to my advantage, in His perfect timing.

I DECLARE that God’s plan for me will not be stopped by people, disappointments, or adversities. God has solutions to every problem I will ever face, including the right people and the right opportunities in my future. People will go out of their way to help me. 

I DECLARE that I will move forward from barely making it to having more than enough. God will open up supernatural doors for me. He will speak to the right people about me. I will see Ephesians 3:20 exceedingly, abundantly, above-and-beyond favor and increase in my life. 

I DECLARE that I will speak favor and victory over my family, friends, and loved ones.  I will help call out their seeds of greatness by telling them “I’m proud of you. I love you. You are amazing. You are talented. You are beautiful. You will do great things in life.”  

I DECLARE that I have a sound mind filled with good thoughts, not thoughts of defeat. By faith, I am well able. I am anointed. I am equipped. I am empowered. My thoughts are guided by God’s Word, every day. No obstacle can defeat me because my mind and spirit are programmed for victory”. 

You need to understand your power….. here’s a word that graphically addresses that….                                                                                                              “Now (your) faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1)

Sometimes we hear someone say that they are stepping out in faith in a new venture. Generally, they mean they don’t know what is going to happen or what the future holds. They feel an urge to try something new and take a stab at it. That’s not what Hebrews is talking about.

When a person steps out in this Hebrews kind of faith, he will be standing on substance, something solid with corresponding evidence. 

What about Hope….Hope is important, but hope alone lacks substance. You can hope that you are saved, but hope always puts it out there some where in the future. There is no substance, even though it gives you a target to shoot for. God’s word says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved”…So you believe on the lord Jesus Christ….Now you have substance. Now you are SAVED! You begin to speak like it, think like it and act like it… It has substance!                                                    Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ, (our substance) the same yesterday, today and forever”.. You are not saved because you feel saved, or that you hope you’re saved. You are saved because you have put your faith in the substance of God’s Word and acted on it. Now next week if you don’t feel saved, are you still saved? Yes, because there is substance underneath your salvation!!!                                                   

Let’s say that Scripture tells us “God has prepared a table in the presence of our enemies”….

Jesus is saying look to me, listen to me, watch me…..But you are so busy focusing on all the enemies, that you don’t ever sit down at the table and enjoy what’s prepared. You’re hungry, you see and smell all that is there, but you are distracted by the enemies in the valley…. It doesn’t mean that the table doesn’t have substance, it simply means that the enemies are more real to you than the table He has prepared….

It is all yours for the asking. God just wants you to believe His Word and take what has been set before you. It doesn’t offend God for you to take all you need at His table... With the blind man, Jesus said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you? (Now that’s a question loaded with substance) The blind man said to Him, ‘Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.’ Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you whole.” And he received his (substance), which was his sight. Because his focus was on Jesus! 

To the leper He said “your faith has (touched substance) and made you whole.” 

To the frail little woman, who pushed through all the hinderances, the interference and the distractions, and focused on Jesus….He said you touched my garment, (you touched substance) and it made you whole”…..                                                                                                                                                                                                           Our faith must be established on the substance of God’s Word, not what we feel, not by what the circumstances look like, and not by what others tell us that sows doubt and unbelief.                                                                           2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “we walk by faith, not by sight” and faith is the victory (the substance) that overcomes the world, the flesh and the devil!!! Take a moment and celebrate your victory! Not just hoping you have it, but by faith knowing you have it, so you can declare you have it!

This is like an episode of “Where’s Waldo”… He’s right there in front of you, but you just don’t see him yet, because of all the clutter and business in the picture…..                                                                              The most pivotal event in end time prophecy, which provided a clear marker and time line on the prophetic clock, an event that lets us see and know where we are in the last days count down, was the 6 day war of 1967. The Jewish people took their beloved city back against overwhelming odds. That eventdeclared that our generation will see the rapture, followed by the temple being rebuilt, (for those left behind) and the coming of Christ, 7 years later, with His saints.                                                                                Matthew 24:32 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: (parable is a physical depiction of a spiritual truth) when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. (Israel is the fig tree blossoming) 33 so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. 34 “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away”.  Skip back to Matthew 24:30 “And the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, (the rapture) and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. 31 “And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.                                                                                                             If this is the generation, then the antichrist is already working behind the scenes. In the beginning, the identity of the Antichrist will be a mystery, it would be great if He will wore red tights, or vomited sulphur, or carried a glowing scepter or had a red tail but as the 1st part of the tribulation winds up, who he is will not remain a mystery. Some think that *…..the term “anti-Christ” means against Christ, but it actually means “instead of Christ.” He wants to replace Christ. But until his reveal, he will be a powerful figure who will greatly influence the international economy, politics, the military, religion, and international trade. There is always free cheese in a mousetrap, and there will be many mousetraps.               2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; (4) Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”                                                                                                                                         I want us to also look at the time line in 2 Thessalonians 2:1 “Concerning the coming of our LORD Jesus Christ and our being gathered (the rapture) unto Him, (we know the gathering or rapture will occur before the coming back because the raptured saints are coming back with Him) v5 Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? v6 And now you know what is holding him (the anti-christ) back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. V7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it (lawlessness) back (the church) will continue to do so till he (the church) is taken out of the way.                                                        You have a lot more power than you give yourself credit. Your presence in the earth, as part of the church, is holding back the man of iniquity, the man called the anti-christ. He cannot be manifest until you get out of his face!                                                          Sowe clearly see that the rapture will take place before the spirit of lawlessness can culminate in the anti-christ taking his position of influence in the world scene. Because he won’t have the power he needs to do his thing of deception and subtrafuge.                                                            WHY MUST THERE BE AN ANTICHRIST?   When mankind refuses God’s Christ, our Savior, then there is no alternative but to receive the devil’s christ–– the Antichrist. In other words, if you reject what God offers, then you automatically accept what is left. There is no in between option… If you turn away from the “day,” then the only thing that is left is the “night.” There is no in-between. Either you are a follower of Jesus Christ, or you will be a follower of the Antichrist. We have pushed God to the background of our personal lives and of our total culture. That means we have actually prepared the way for the Antichrist. You see it in our schools; we don’t want God in our schools. You see it in our businesses; we don’t want God in our business dealings. You can see it in our laws; we don’t want God or the Bible or the Church to get involved there. You can see it in families; we don’t want our children to learn the fear of the Lord. So we have set the stage ourselves for the time of the Antichrist. Although the Antichrist will reveal his identity further into the tribulation, there are many people who would like to monitor his activities beforehand and try to identify him. I will share with you some of the qualities I look for when attempting to identify this evil person.                          The Antichrist is going to be a very charismatic leader. I expect the Antichrist to be capable of exciting large crowds of people into a frenzied zeal…He will Persuade many people to become fanatical followers… He will Persuade world leaders to support his ideas. The cashless society has already begun, chips are being implanted, the pandemic is a drill for population control…                                                                                          More specifically, I believe the level of charisma that the Antichrist will possess could rival or even exceed the level of charisma that Adolf Hitler had at his peak. He took everyone’s guns, took over the media, the banks, confiscated property, and every aspect of the economy.. (isn’t that happening now)                                                                                                            Hitler attracted millions with his charisma. The OSS, a World War 2 intelligence agency, described the impact his charisma had on Germans. (I quote the OSS)…                                                                                    “Unquestionably, as a speaker, he has had a powerful influence on the German people. His meetings were always crowded and by the time he got through speaking he had completely numbed the critical faculties of his listeners to the point where they were willing to believe almost anything he said… And somehow he always managed to say what the majority of the audience were already secretly thinking but could not verbalize. When the audience began to respond, it affected him in return. Before long, due to this reciprocal relationship, he and his audience became intoxicated with the emotional appeal of his oratory”.                              He will be an amazing Problem Solver….                                                                 I expect the Antichrist to begin his rise to power as a person who deals with some of the world’s most difficult problems through diplomacy. Revelation 6:2 indicates that the Antichrist may be seen as a messianic type as he is described as the rider of the white horse:                                 Revelation 6:2 “And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.” (Jesus will have a sword coming out of His mouth, which is the word of God, not a bow in his hand)                                                                                  The former secretary general of NATO, Paul Henri Spaak, stated, “We do not need another committee. We have too many already. What we want is a man of sufficient stature to hold the allegiance of all people and to lift us out of the morass into which we are sinking. Send us such a man, be he God or devil, and we will receive him.”                                                                He will dazzle the world with the prospect of the most perfect government man could ever contrive, the most idealistic, fair, the most equal, the most sharing. It will be like trying to have Christianity without Christ. But of course he will be the superman who will make it all possible, and the world will buy it hook line and sinker.                                                               The Mideast is one of the top issues the Antichrist is likely to address. He will work to shape relations between Israel and its neighbors, which will amaze everyone. The peace covenant will be an all-encompassing Mideast peace deal that will allow the third templeto be built and sacrifices to begin as the Jewish people celebrate him as a friend of Jerusalem. According to the Bible, he accomplishes what no one has been able to do before.                                                                            Daniel 9:27 “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week (the 7 year peace plan) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”                           The world stands in amazement as the “covenant with many” involves not only Israel & its neighbors but brings peace to other national conflicts as well.. Can you imagine the impact as all the warring nation states of Africa, begin to dwell together in harmony. As everyone is celebrating the brilliance of this phenomenal leader during the first half of the tribulation, the balloon is going to burst and it will all go downhill very quickly when all hell breaks loose…                                                                                                                                          His plan is to take over Jerusalem and make it an international city.          In fact, according to the Bible, this world dictator of this one-world government, makes Jerusalem the political capital of the world.                    A Muslim government ruling over a Muslim world…                                       As I have shared on a number of occasions, the Arabs will join with the Jews in building the 3rd temple because their prophecy requires it just as the Jewish prophesies do…. They believe their Mahadi will rise up and declare that He is God in the temple and lead all Muslims to take over the world. It’s a major prophesy in their Koran. So there must be a temple for that to take place. But it will be the anti-christ temple. There will be no glory resting upon the ark of the covenant.                                                    The Antichrist will perform miracles that convince many people that he is the Messiah. In 2 Thessalonians, it is said that the coming of the Antichrist be accompanied with numerous signs and marvels.                                       A couple of these miracles may give anyone left behind who knows scripture, the identity of the Antichrist. In Revelation 13, we learn that the beast will cause fire to come down from heaven and that he will survive a deadly wound, to the head. This miraculous return from the dead, will convince many that the Antichrist is actually Messiah come back to earth.                                                                                                                       Revelation 13:12 And this beast (the image that speaks) exercised all the authority of the first beast and caused the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed. 13 And the second beast performed great signs to cause even fire from heaven to come down to earth in the presence of the people.                                                                                                                         We know that the antichrist is a homosexual…..                                              Daniel 11:37 “Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.” This clearly indicates that the anti-christ will be a homosexual and have no desire for women…. He will offer religion without a Cross and promote the brotherhood of Man while eliminating the Fatherhood of God.                                                                     We can know the Antichrist’s Ethnicity                                                                              Several scriptures indicate that the Antichrist will be Assyrianwhich is the area of modern Iraq and Turkey, located in the fertile crescent which is also the area where the garden of Eden was. How interesting that this is the location where the serpent first encountered Adam and Eve and deceived them…...                                                                                                        Isaiah 10, Isaiah 30, and Micah 5 mention the “Assyrian” in a role that describesthe Antichrist. Here are verses from each of the chapters mentioned:                                                                                                                             Isaiah 10:24 “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt.”                                                          Isaiah 30:30-31 “And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones. (31) For through the voice of the LORD shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod.”                                                                                                                                              Micah 5:5 “And this man shall establish the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.”                                                                                        So, it’s pretty clear that the antichrist will be from a muslim country and will be of Persian descent….                                                                                        Let’s move to the next event that is described….                                            Matthew 24:15 says, “When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, who shall stand in the holy place”—(obviously the Jewish temple in Jerusalem)— “whoever reads this, let him understand. Then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be”.                                                                                                           The abomination of desolation, many feel, because of the severity of these terms, means that He is going to offer a pig on the altar, which is an unclean, forbidden animal to the Jews, He’s going to set his throne up right there in the temple of God, saying “Worship me”, and then he’s going to set up an image of himself, there in the “holy place” in Jerusalem and command the world to worship it.                                                                                               This event will initiate a time far beyond the worse thing the planet has ever seen. Nothing can compare to it’s destruction and it’s horror. The wrath of God will descend on a sinful planet. But mercy will continue to be extend for all who will receive Christ. The good news is that there will be a great revival during this time. The bad news… if you become a Christian, you can only be saved through a martyrs death….However, how will those who turn from Christ now, because it may cost them friends or a job, turn to Him when it will certainly cost them their lives?                             Ezekiel 5:11-12 “One-third of you shall die of the pestilence, and be consumed with famine in your midst; and one-third shall fall by the sword all around you; and I will scatter another third to all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them”.                                                                                      That’s two thirds of all humans on the planet, scripture also tells us that one third of the trees and all the grass, a third of the sea, a third of the sea creatures and a third of all ships at sea will perish. A third of the fresh water on the earth will become poisonous and bitter and a third of the sun, stars, and moon will be darkened. Huge locust will torment people, and water will be turned to blood. Earthquakes will level the cities, islands and mountains will disappear.                                                                 At the end of the Great tribulation, when it looks like all is lost..this is when Jesus returns with the saints, and defeats the Anti-christ and his vast army at the second coming of Christ to the earth at the battle of Armageddon..                                                                                                                        His feet shall touch the mount of Olives and split it, forming a valley which will lead right up to the Eastern Gate, and into the temple, where the idol of the beast has been set up, and where Jesus is going to march into the temple and straighten out who is the real Messiah and King is…. Zechariah 14:3 “Then the LORD will go out to fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. 4 On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half the mountain moving to the north and half to the south”.                                                                                                                                     The Devil has finally gotten the world to worship him, but it’s going to leave a very, very bad taste in his mouth, and it’s going to taste like the Sulphur as he is cast into hell with the antichrist and all His followers for 1000 years…….                                                                                                                                                           Revelation 19:20 “But the beast (the anti-christ) was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.”                                                    This ushers in the Mellennial reign of Christ on earth for 1000 years. No more sickness, no dying, and no rebellion. The lion shall lie down with the lamb, and everyone will experience 1000 years of peace under Jesus reign as King and Lord….There will be no rich or poor, for all people will share equally in the earth’s bounty and abundance.                                                      Everyone on earth will worship the Lord, whether they want to or not. (remember that many have come through the tribulation without ever receiving Christ, but they have no choice but to serve Him. No one will say “I don’t feel like going to church”, or I just don’t have time…. There will be no other option and mankind will not have a choice about it.                 Micah 4:2). And the nations shall come, and say, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        The law and the word of the Lord going forth from Zion, means that Jesus Christ will be undisputed King of kings and Lord of lords over the whole earth and over every nation and over every individual and over every aspect of society, His word is the law of the land and all must follow it. Christians in America like to see Christ as friend, buddy, or pal, but we are unfamiliar with being under a king. A king’s word is law and must be obeyed. We who are part of a Democratic society are accustomed to having a say in everything, but with a kingdom, who has a king, that is not how it’s done. The king says come and you come, He says go and you go. Submission takes one more step beyond surrender….                                                                                                           In closing let’s look at Luke 21:36 Jesus also said, “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man”.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1967, the six day war was 53 years ago. The fig tree which is the symbol for Israel, blossomed. Jesus said in Matthew, that the generation who saw that, shall see all things fulfilled. Simple math will tell you that if 70 years is a generation as Psalms tells us, then that leaves 17 years left in the generation who witnessed the six day war. Oh yeah, if you subtract 7 years for the tribulation, then the rapture will happen in this 10 year window which we are in right now. The countdown has begun and that clock won’t stop.                                                                                                 We need to bring our loved ones into a relationship with Christ, before the trumpet sounds and these things begin to happen on the earth. I don’t want even my enemies to face the things that are coming. As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be at the coming of the son of man. Anyone could walk into the ark and be safe. The ark of salvation stands open, and it is the only place of safety….                                                                                                 We need, by whatever means necessary, to bring them in! The king has given us a mandate. May we never find ourselves on that day, when at the Great White throne of judgment, we must watch as our spouse, our children, our grandkids, our life time friends and co-workers, hear the words “depart from me, I never knew you”, as they are cast into eternal hell without Christ. As they look at us and say “I thought you cared, I thought you were my friend, but you never told me, and now it’s too late”. I believe that first, we must repent before God that we haven’t been more faithful with our witness, and second, we need to seize the day, while it is day, for the night is coming when no man will be able….  

A father said to his son: You graduated with honors, so I want to give you a car that I acquired many years ago ....

But before I give it to you, take it to the pawn shop and see what it’s worth. The son went to the pawn shop, returned to his father and said, "The pawn shop offered $1,000 because it was a 55 year old car." His dad then told him to take it to the used car lot downtown and tell them you want to sell it, and see how much they offer you.

The son went to the used car lot, returned to his father and said, "They offered me $ 3,000 because it looks well used and has seen it’s best days."

The father asked his son to go to a car club and show them the car. The son took the car to the club, returned and told his father: “Some people in the club offered $70,000 for it, since it is a 1965 classic Corvette Stingray, an iconic car that is sought after by many collectors.

The father said to his son, "I just wanted you to know that the right place and the right people, will always value you the right way." ...

If you are not valued, don’t be angry, it just means that you are in the wrong place, with the wrong people. Those who know your value are those who appreciate you, who see what you’re worth and are willing to help you reach your destiny.

Genesis 47:28 “Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven. 29 When the time drew near for him to die, he called for his son Joseph”

Jacob’s son Joseph was the prime minister of Egypt, second in command under Pharaoh. (Now there’s a guy that most folks never saw his worth for sure)! Joseph was Jacob’s 2nd youngest son, and his favorite. He had given Joseph his coat of many colors, and was so proud of him. But for many years, Jacob thought Joseph was dead; his brothers had tricked their father into believing that Joseph had been eaten by a wild animal.               (Satan wants us all to believe something that is not true. If we buy into it, he can get us on the wrong path and steal the blessing from us).                      Some thirteen years later, (years of sorrow, grief and pain because he believed a lie) Jacob found out that Joseph was still alive, and in a position of great honor. Joseph eventually brought his father and his family to Egypt, gave them a place to live, and took care of all of them, preserving their very lives and the lives of an entire nation!

We know that the turn in Joseph’s story, came about because Godput three people in his life that released his value and worth and elevated him to his destiny. I believe God has these three people behind the curtain in all of our lives, waiting to come forth and be revealed so that each of us can come into our destiny….

Joseph had the baker that he met in prison, who prepared the kings meals. The baker is a person who knows how to bring different ingredients together and make it all work. Joseph met his baker in prison at one of the lowest point in his life. We need someone who can bring things together and make it work….

When we heard that our place at the golf club was for sale, and we had just a couple months to find a place. We were down to the last 2 weeks and nothing in our price range…. Then our baker came forth….Mary told Linda that their niece Jenna had told her of a rental unit that had just come available. (actually that’s 3 bakers, Mary, Linda, and Jenna) Declare and release your baker to come forth to put things together. 

We all need a butler like Joseph met in prison. He was the kingspersonal butler, who tasted everything before the king ate it. This man was loyal, if someone tried to poison the king, he would die instead … The butler is someone who makes connections. He knows someone you need to know, and can help you make contact. There in the prison, the butler told Joseph, he would mention him to the king and the next thing, the butler was pardoned and Joseph was standing before the king telling his dream about the coming famine. Call forth your butler….Theperson who can connect you with the right people ……

The third person we all need in our journey is a financier. This is the person God uses to provide the job, the income, the provision, the finances so we can be able to finance the vision….Call forth your financier, in Joseph’s case this was the Pharaoh….

Begin to believe for your baker, your butler and your financier and receive what God has prepared to bring you to your destiny. 

Genesis 48:7… Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him… 8 When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, “Who are these?” 9 “They are the sons God has given me here,” Joseph said to his father… 11 Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too.”

Like Joseph, you may have given up on a dream, you think it’s been too long, in the pit, in Potiphar’s house of servitude, too long in the prison of addiction, or old habits…. And you’ve accepted that you’ll never get well, meet the right person, start that business, or see the results of what God put in your heart. He’s not only still going to bring it to pass, but it’s going to turn out better than you thought.

Genesis 48:5-10 “Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will now be reckoned as though they are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine… in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers… 10 … Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them”.

Don’t miss this….Jacob said to Joseph, “Your two sons will be as though they were my sons”…..God is adopting you in spite of what they did or didn’t do. You may feel like you’ve been under a generational curse because of how you were raised; God is choosing you to start a generational blessing. You’re the difference-maker; God is calling you the fore-runner, and the way-maker….you are the one to affect your family line for generations to come and multitudes would be effected by this moment.

it was extremely significant that these boys, adopted by Jacob,were grandsons, not sons; they should have had to wait another generation, forty years, to receive what Jacob was giving them. normally, it would’ve come from their father, Joseph; he would’ve passed down the blessing, inheritance, that was given to him. But Jacob was skipping a generation… they were receiving something that they didn’t have coming to them. 

Grace was overtaking protocol and showing us the character of God; there are things that we don’t deserve, we were off course, doing our own thing, but God Who is full of mercy said, “I’m going to reach down in spite of your past, your mistakes, what your family didn’t do, and I’m going to adopt you anyway.” That’s why it’s supernatural! It supersedes the natural…

Paul said in Ephesians 1:5 “The Father planned, in his purpose of love, that we should be adopted as his own children through Jesus Christ”               As His children, we are receiving our generational line through Him. 

because you’ve been adopted, you’re going to come into blessings that you didn’t earn, favor that you didn’t deserve. your past is not going to limit you. how you were is not going to keep God from blessing you. like these boys’ mother, who didn’t honor God, or make good choices; God is not holding that against you. He says, “I’m adopting you anyway. not as my grandchild but as My own son or daughter.” What a powerful statement that God doesn’t have any grandchildren, only sons and daughters….

The crossed hands blessing is speeding things up….Joseph’s sons shouldn’t have been heirs for another generation, but because of what Jacob did, they skipped a generation. There are things that should take you years to accomplish: get out of debt, break an addiction, set a new standard. but God is going to do for you what he did for these boys; catapult you ahead. You’re going to see things happen faster than you thought; it should have taken you a generation, but God’s going to do a quick work. Because you’re honoring Him, saying, “as for me in my house, we will serve the Lord.” Yes, God is speeding things up. what should have taken you your whole life is going to happen in a fraction of that time.

Amos 9:13 "The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills.”

Favor is not fair. When God blesses you, don’t be surprised if some people get jealous. When He speeds things up, when you break barriers, some people won’t understand it. They’ll start talking about you; “you don’t deserve it, you’re not talented, you’re just lucky.” it’s not luck, it’s favor, God has decided to shine down on you, making things happen that you could not make happen. Your job is to stay on the high road. 

God says in Matthew 20:15 Don’t I have the right to do as I please with what is mine? Are you envious because I am generous?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

You don’t need for everyone to like you. some people can’t handle your faith and your convictions. if they walk away, let them. you didn’t need them; if they left you, they’re not a part of your destiny. don’t waste your valuable time with people that won’t celebrate the blessing that God put on your life. Don’t apologize for it,  you didn’t choose it, God chose you, and said, “I’m adopting you, giving you what you don’t deserve, taking you to a new level.” Wear your blessings well; it’s the favor of God on your life.

Genesis 48:13 And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Israel’s left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them close to him. 14 But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn… 

17 When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim’s head he was displeased; so he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 Joseph said to him, “No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.” 

19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations.”                                                                             Like Joseph, when his dad crossed his hands, sometimes we think God has it mixed up, but He’s just doing His Alpha and Omega thing, for He knows the end from the beginning and everything in between.                                                                             Speaking of things feeling like they’re getting all mixed up…                                                                   A man took his wife to get tested for Covid 19. Several days go by, and he receives a call from the doctor. The doctor tells him, “Due to an unfortunate mixup with the lab, we got your wife’s test mixed up with another woman. We are not sure if your wife has Covid-19 or Alzheimer’ The man, clearly frustrated, asked the doctor, “Well what am I supposed to do with that kind of information?” The doctor paused as though thinking it through and then said, “I recommend you take her for a very long walk and leave her. If she finds her way home, just don’t let her in the house.”

God doesn’t always bless the way we expect. God often bypassesall the tradition, and does something out of the ordinary. When Joseph tried to stop his father, Jacob said in effect, “I know Ephraim was born second, but I’m crossing my arms on purpose, to show him favor that he doesn’t deserve.” (If he deserved it, it wouldn’t be favor)                                                      This story is not so much about one family member getting ahead of another, it’s God showing us how He can take people from the back of the line, that don’t have the position, who feel left out, and bring them to the front. God loves to choose people that others say are not qualified, don’t have the talent, don’t come from the right family, or made too many mistakes. Please, don’t believe those lies, God is about to cross His arms, and reposition you in a place that you didn’t earn, you didn’t qualify for, and you weren’t next in line.God’s going to make things happen that you didn’t see coming.                                  

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer’s showroom, and knowing that his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As Graduation Day approached, the young man looked for any indication that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the day that he graduated, his father walked up to him and told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful gift wrapped box. Curious, with visions of his dream car, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather bound Bible, with the young man’s name embossed in gold.

Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible?" threw the bible and stormed away, leaving the Bible. Many years passed and he had not seen his dad since that graduation day. While feeling the regret of the separation, he received a *……telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.

When he arrived at his father’s house, sadness and remorse filled his heart. He began to search through his father’s important papers and saw the Bible, still new, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father has carefully underlined a verse, Matthew 7: 11, "And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father which is in heaven, give to those who ask Him?"

As he read those words, a car key dropped from the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer’s name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had always wanted. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words....PAID IN FULL.

How many times have we missed God’s blessings because they were not packaged as we expected?

God crossed His hands….Isaiah said “His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.

You may think that where you are now is where you’re always going to be, you’ve reached your limits. that would all be true, except for one thing; God is going to cross His arms and He will open doors you never dreamed would open, and he’ll promote you even though you weren’t next in line. You’ll think, “how did I get here? I didn’t have the training, experience, connections.” here’s how… It’s already been paid in full!

we can all come up with an excuse to justify living below the blessing.    “I don’t have the training, connections, confidence, talent, size, personality.” God says, “I know all that. I created you, you don’t feel like you have what you need to go further; don’t worry, God has crossed His hands, to make things happen that you couldn’t make happen.

Turn your worry into worship and watch God turn your battles into blessings…..If you could see the measure of the blessing God has coming for you, then you would understand the intensity of the battle you’re facing that’s trying to keep you from it….

God has things in store for you that you don’t see coming. This amazing story of the grace of God as Jacob crosses his hands, reveals that He has unexpected favor for His people, He’s going to do things that we could never earn or receive in the natural realm.And there are so many more….

Judges 6:15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” 16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you.”

Gideon is threshing his own wheat by night, and hiding for fear that the Philistines will see him. God said, “You’re a mighty man of valor, Gideon, I know you’re not qualified, not next in line, but I’m going to cross My arms, take you from the background to the foreground, give you influence and ability that you’ve never had.”

Samson could have said, “God, I don’t deserve Your goodness. You gave me supernatural strength and I blew it, I kept giving in to temptation. now I’m blind, bound, grinding at the mill, and it’s all my own fault.” God said, “Sampson, I knew every mistake you would ever make, and My mercy is bigger than anything you’ve done wrong. yes, you should die defeated, feeling like a failure, but take heart; I’m going to cross My arms.” And God blessed Sampson one more time:

Judges 16:22 “And the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven. 27 Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and even upon the roof were about three thousand men and women, that beheld while they made sport of Samson. 29 And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. 30 And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the number which he slew were more than they which he slew in all of his life”. 

If you have God’s presence, you have His favor, and that can accomplish more than all your striving. You may have a thousand reasons why you can’t accomplish your dreams, or get out of that problem; God is saying, “I’m about to cross My arms, show you unexpected favor, promotion, healing, breakthroughs.” you didn’t see it coming, and you weren’t qualified, but it’s going to happen because it’s just the goodness of God. 

You may have some big problems, a lot coming against you, butthe scripture says: Isaiah 59:1 “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save.” God wants you to know that the He has saved the best for last!

Do you think somehow you’re too far back, made too many mistakes, missed too many opportunities….? God’s arm is not too short to deliver, heal, provide, establish and, vindicate you. When He crosses His arms, things are going to fall into place: good breaks, Devine favor, and opportunities are going to chase you down.

In the book of Luke, the angel said: Luke 1:30 “Don’t be frightened, Mary,”  “for God has decided to wonderfully bless you!                                           Wow, she didn’t need to have a husband to have a baby! God crossed his arms and bypassed the natural sequence of things…..

God in His mercy crossed His arms, chose to be good to you, turned that problem around that you got yourself into, opened that door that you could have never opened. 

On the surface, there are many things that could hold you back, cause you to think, “too bad, this is my lot in life,” but God doesn’t choose the way we choose. 

David said: 2 Samuel 7:18 … “Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?                                                         Aren’t you glad that it’s not who you are, but who He is….

David was saying, “I’m not the biggest, strongest, most qualified, I didn’t come from royalty, I was a shepherd, working in the fields, minding my own business, and Lord, look where you’ve taken me.” He didn’t have to go after it, it came after him; the prophet Samuel showed up at his house to anoint him king. He didn’t have to chase anyone down to get it. 

Remember, it wasn’t the older son, Esau, but it was Jacob who got Isaac’s blessing. And in the same way, the greater blessing passed not to Ishmael the first born son of Abraham, but to Isaac. God has some far and beyond your imagination opportunities that are about to come looking for you. 

By blessing Joseph’s sons, God was giving a double blessing to Joseph. There is no Joseph tribe, but Joseph was given two tribes through Ephraim and Manassas. When God crosses His arms there is a double blessing in store…

The double blessing means that the right people are going to track you down. it’s the arm of the Lord reaching down to promote, elevate, and increase you. you’re going to look back and say, “wow, God, I never dreamed You’d take me to this level or do it like that.” 

Keep your faith out in front of you. Negative thoughts and vain imagination, will tell you it’s never going to happen; But if you know the blesser, get ready, God’s about to cross His arms. you’re coming into unexpected blessing, things are going to turn around, He’s going to bypass someone that everyone thought should get it, to get to you. 

I want everyone to stand and cross your hands. God is going to cross His hands as He blesses you today so that you can impart a double blessing to someone else. It will mean that it’s above what you could ask, think or expect. In a way you could never make happen in yourself. God is rearranging some things, and rescheduling some things. He is causing a shift to take place at some intersections in your future. It was going to go one way, but now, it’s going to go another way. It would have happened one way, but now it’s going to happen another way. Left will now be right, down will now be up, back-ward will now be forward…. It will feel like you’re going back, but it is God’s new forward…..Lord we receive the crossed hands blessing that you have reserved for us according to Your word and because you’re true to your nature, you make us the head and not the tail, above and not beneath, abounding, not just surviving… Lord the baker, the butler and the financier are stepping forth and about to be revealed. In Jesus

Now receive it and begin to thank Him for it, before you see it….. 

A little boy was riding his tricycle as fast as he could go, around the block, over and over again. Finally, a policeman who had been sitting there, checking for speeders in the neighborhood, stopped him and asked, "What are you doing?" "I’m running away," the little boy said.     The policeman asked, "Then why do you keep going around the block?" The little boy was very frustrated and said, "Because my mom told me I'm not allowed to cross the street." Well, folks try to run from God but they’ll never get away, because that’s a street they cannot cross!

My text for today is Matthew 11:12  And from the days of John the Baptist UNTIL NOW the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

What exactly is Jesus saying here? The Greek word translated “suffers violence” is biazo, which means to force, to crowd into, or to press against. It is not only talking about something being done to the kingdom, but something the kingdom itself is doing. 

The New International Version says, “The kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.”                                                 It was at the most, about 90 years after Jesus made this statement, when the gospel of Matthew was written, and the people were experiencing the forceful advance of the kingdom through out the known world at that time….Light was pushing back the darkness….

The Septuagint is a Greek translation of the first five scrolls or books of the Old Testament. In it, the Greek word biazo is used to translate the Hebrew word paratz. 

The word paratz is used in Micah 2:13 where it says, “The one who breaks open [paratz] will come up before them; they will break out [paratz], and pass through the gate, and go out by it.” So we see that this word means to break out, to make a breach, to burst forth, to replace something with something else, or to increase and expand.

So when Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, it’s likely that He was referencing Micah 2:13. He was saying, in essence, “Every since John started preaching, God’s dominion has been breaking forth and gaining momentum. God’s influence over people’s lives is increasing.” Jesus went on to say, “The violent take it by force.” The term “the violent” is the Greek word biastes (the noun form of biazo), which means one who is forceful or energetic. In this verse, it refers to the ones who are breaking forth under the influence of God’s kingdom. Jesus is saying, “The kingdom is breaking forth and the breach is getting wider and wider by the anointed energy of those who are coming under its influence.” 

The phrase “take it by force” is the Greek word harpazo (which is the same word translated “caught away or taken out” when talking about the Rapture). This word means to seize, to catch, or to take by force.

God’s champions have the same mandate today… To accomplish Harpazo, we must have an intense desire to personally know God and hear Him on a daily basis….We must fear God more than wefear men or any other power…. We do not seek the praise of men, or we will crumble when we are criticized by men….By faith we must see the victory ahead before we can declare it to others….Wemust be able to keep God’s secret revelations until He says to reveal them….We must be willing to walk away from earthly things and seek for the true prize, the true and lasting treasuresthat are eternal…..

I think of the letter J. Allen Thompson wrote to his daughter in college…Be strong enough to be weak…Busy enough to value time... Wise enough to say, "I don't know"…Serious enough to laugh…Right enough to say, "I'm wrong"…Compassionate enough to discipline… Mature enough to be childlike…Important enough to be last…Be courageous enough to fear God…Great enough to be anonymous… Confident enough to be rejected… Secure enough to cry….Victorious enough to lose….While always leading through sincere service to others.

God wants us to know Him, but just when you think you have Him figured out, He will surprise you. He looks on the inside and not the outer appearance. When He chose the hairy, uncivilized, wilderness man, John the Baptist, He surprised everyone….  

John came in the spirit and power of Elijah, and was the breach-maker. The one sent to open the gate. He prepared the way. He preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” He saw the people as captives in the prison of sin, but by responding to John’s message of repentance, the power of the kingdom of heaven began to be manifested.                                                                                                                   God often sends forerunners to open the way for others to follow…The demoniac of Gadara went back and reached his entire community. The woman at the well, who was a prostitute, brought her entire town to the Lord. The kingdom of God is God bringing man under His Divine influence by His great love and His grace. It is the manifestation of the power and presence of God. 

When Satan is fighting you, It isn’t really you He’s fighting, it is God’s presence and love and grace …. So instead of trembling and being afraid, You should be saying, Devil, You’re in a heap or trouble…. You picked the wrong one today!!! Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world!

That’s why David said to Goliath… "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head.

The real power is in God. Stop overestimating your giant, becausethe Giant could be underestimating you. Your giant could be fully armored but the victory will be won not by what you have on, but by what you have within you, by the Spirit of God. That’s why you will accomplish by the Spirit of God, what you never could in yourself…

You can’t put God in your box, and He won’t fit in your nice little religious slide rule, or social formula…. He has many faces and many forms… He lives outside our time and space and yet He is always on time and in the right place….Let Him be God!!!

People have a tendency to want to remake God in their image.

I heard the story of a white guy and a black guy who were arguing over what color God is. The white guy insisted, "God is white!" The black guy said, "No, He’s black!" They both died about the same time, stood outside heaven's gate, and were still carrying on their argument.

"I'm glad you're here," the white guy said. "Now you're gonna see that I'm right. God is white!" "Oh, no, you're about to see that I'm right," the black guy said. "God is black!"

They asked the angel if they could enter the gate. When they did, they heard a big booming voice say to them, “aloha”….                                                     Oh, Yes, God has a sense of humor, just look in the mirror…..

God is the Ultimate Promise Keeper

One of the books that I use to have in my study is a book called “Every Promise In The Bible”. I’m sure that many of you probably have those little Bible Promise books, or maybe little desk-calendars with a promise from God on each page. Like “Bread for today”….I used to have several of those, but then I found this book, and I figured that it must be the king of all promise books because it was quite thick. So I bought it, and got rid of all of my other little promise books, because “Why keep them when I’ve got the bigger and better and more completepromise book?” Right?

Well, as it turns out, as good as a book like this is, they lied!                                if you want a book that contains every covenant and promise in the Bible, all you really need…is the Bible. It’s the ultimate promise book, straight from the author Himself! There are promises on every page, and in almost every paragraph of the entire Bible.

When we were kids, we were told about making promises– “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” Right? We do not control the future, we do not control the weather, or the economy, or our health. And so many of us have learned to make less promisesbecause there are too many unforeseeable variables in life.  

But here it is, when we come to the Bible, we find promises everywhere! Promises on every page. Promises about every aspect of life. Promises even, about what happens after life. God is not hesitant about making promises. He loves to makes promises. There are thousands and thousands of promises He has made and recorded in the Word of God. Promises to Israel. Promises to kings and prophets. Promises to the church. And yes, even promises to you and to me.

One man, named Dr. Evereck Storms, counted all the promises and found 8,810 promises. Almost 8000 of those were from God to man. Books like Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel have over 1000 promises each. Almost every verse in Psalm 37 contains a promise. There are a lot of promises in the Bible.

But do you know what is more amazing than the number of promises which God has made? Even more amazing than the sheer volume of God’s promises is that He always keeps His promises.                                            God is the greatest promise keeper that ever was. He too lives by that rule about not making a promise He can’t keep. God never promises something He can’t follow through on. He always means what He says and He says what He means….. He always fulfills what He promises.

Often when we are dealing with a crisis, or a sickness in our own life, it is not because God is punishing us.. Remember the man born blind in John 9? There too, the disciples thought that this man had sinned, or that his parents had sinned, so that he was punished by God with blindness. But it was so that Jesus could stand where what has been collides with what can be, and declares that neither this man nor his parents had sinned, but so that God could be glorified.                                        This was the same reason that Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, was barren – so that the angel stood at the intersection of where they had been, and where they were supposed to be….and her pregnancy allowed God to be glorified. Stop whining and stand firm in the promises of God and believe that the situation willbring glory to God… There's a story of the church deacon who had a parrot that would only say, "Let’s kiss." He tried to teach his parrot other words, but all it would say was, "Let's kiss. Let's kiss." It embarrassed him. After all, he was a very reserved manand a leader in the church.

The church's pastor also had a parrot, and the only thing it would ever say was, "Let's pray. Let's pray." The deacon thought, "That's more like it. That's how the parrot of a good Christian should talk." And the deacon had an idea: "I know what I’ll do. I’ll lend my parrot to the pastor for a while, and his parrot's good manners will rub off on mine."

The pastor agreed. So they put the deacon's parrot in the cage with the pastor's parrot.

Sure enough, the deacon's parrot said, "Let’s kiss, Let’s kiss!"

The pastor's parrot replied, "Thank God, my prayers are finally answered!"

God is not a God of chance. God does not throw the dice or flip a coin. God is the meaning and the purpose behind all coincidences. 

A chance meeting with someone is not a coincidence, it is God giving you an opportunity to ignite life changes…. There are no coincidences with God. In fact, the Jews viewed coincidence as the privilege of witnessing “tiny miracles.” 

Proverbs 16:33 “We may toss the coin and roll the dice,

but God’s will is greater than luck..” 

Zacharias and Elizabeth the parents of John, had been praying and waiting on God for maybe 20 or 30 years to lift her bareness from her. That’s a long time to wait for a promise. But God made that promise around 480 years before, a promise that He took very seriously….it’s found in Malachi 4:5 Behold, I will send you one with the spirit of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: 6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers. Jews in that period of history, saw John as the fulfillment of that prophecy…..

It doesn’t matter if a prophecy that describes your situation, occurred 4000 years ago…. It is your promise for your situation… He’s the same yesterday, today and forever, there is no shadow of changing with Him…..God’s word is anointed to perform God’s will in the earth….

He can turn your water into wine…..

John 2:1 “On the third day (the day of double blessing in Genesis) a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” (skip to verse 7) Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water” (that represents our efforts which fall short, but with God it is enough) so they filled them to the brim. 

8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone (until now) brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best until now.” 

I call this GOD’S UNTIL NOW MOMENTS. You see, whatever has happened before, God wants us to understand that He has some “UNTIL NOW” moments waiting for all of us. He has saved the best wine for last…. We have a God who saves the best for last…

For every great moment God has planned for you, there are obstacles and barriers to overcome….so we need “Until Now moments” that stand between your barriers and transforms them into your break through!!!

But stand fast, there will be challenges and hurdles to get over…..

A tourist was fishing off the coast of Brazil, and his boat capsized. He could swim, but his fear of alligators kept him clinging to the overturned boat. He spotting an old beachcomber standing on the shore, and he shouted, “Are there any gators around here?”

“Naw,” the man hollered back, “they ain’t been around for years!”

“Feeling safe, the tourist started swimming toward the shore. About halfway there he shouted to the guy, “How did you get rid of the gators?”

“We didn’t do anything,” the beachcomber said. “The sharks got ’em.”

If it isn’t one thing then it’s another. So, just settle it, Slew foot will always have something waiting to stop you or destroy you, but God tells us “many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers us out of them all”…..

There are 891 UNTILS, AND UNTIL NOW moments, recorded in the bible, and each one is an intersection where what was, collides with what will be….when what has been so far, is interrupted by how it will be from now on…..and a new path is laid out, to walk upon….

The parents of John the Baptist were barren and could have no children, but God showed up and they had an “UNTIL NOW” Moment. They were the instruments God used to birth one of the greatest voices for God of his time….

There’s an “UNTIL NOW” For you and me to claim…NO MATTER HOW IT’S BEEN in the past or how it looks right now. 

In the book of Ruth, we see this woman and her mother in law, homeless, their husbands had died, in a strange land, they had lost everything and they were gathering left over grain in the field… all they had was left overs. But God had an “UNTIL NOW” waiting for them. And Boaz shows up in the field, He’s the owner of the land and he falls in love with Ruth at first sight, and there is an “Until Now” as he takes her, redeems her future, and this Moabite woman becomes part of the linage through which Jesus is born….

The kingdom suffers violence “until now” Is anyone here ready to step over into an “UNTIL NOW” moment, prepared by God…                                                                 John 16:24 Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete. Did you see that? “that your joy may be complete”…. Until Now moments come to complete what is incomplete, to finish what is unfinished…To move us from lack, to more than enough….From struggle to glorious victory!!!!

The mighty giant Goliath looked unbeatable and the nation stood trembling before him until David had an “UNTIL NOW” moment!                               The Midianite hordes swept across the land, plundering and taking what they wanted, until Gideon had an “UNTIL NOW” moment!                                 What chance did the hundred and twenty have against their wicked and evil pagan world, until they had an “UNTIL NOW” moment at Pentecost?                               

The way it’s been isn’t the way it has to be….God’s promises are filled with UNTIL NOW situations. And there’s one for your situation.           UNTIL NOW, your life has been a certain way with certain circumstances and limitations. However, it is about to change! Now you are about to move forward.

UNTIL NOW the kingdom suffers violence and the violent take it by force…. Can you say “UNTIL NOW”……Come on now, say it again.. “UNTIL NOW”

I close with John 21:4 "Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. v5 He called out to them, “Friends, do you have any fish?” “No,” they answered, we have caught nothing (I’m adding Until Now). v6 Then He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish".

I believe this account of Jesus and the disciples tells us that the answer is closer than we could ever imagine. Again, let's remember that their miracle was just 8 to 10 feet away!!! It is as close as our willingness to obey and do what God is asking.

All that you ever dreamed is closer than you might think, and it's not only about distance, it's about dimensions. In the very place of emptiness, there is also a dimension of abundance. In the very place of sickness and disease, there is also a dimension of wholeness and healing. In the very place of lack and barreness, there is also a dimension of more than enough....

Right where you are is the launching pad which God will use to take you where you need to be, on the other side.

PRAYER….. Lord of ALL seasons, Your word declares “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” And on this day, I stand on the promise of your word that YOU have plans to prosper me and not to harm me, plans to give me hope and a future, and today, I accept that YOUR plans will prevail in my life. I acknowledge that I have been anxious sometimes and I have wasted time and I have missed Your timing… But today is a NEW day and on this NEW day, I pray that my life will come into agreement with your divine schedule. I pray that my life would be about sowing and reaping in the rhythm of your time and the cycle of Your seasons.

For I am confident of this very thing, that the good work You have begun in me will be performed, until the day that all things are made complete.  

I know that, whatever You are doing Lord, shall be forever and nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. For when it is you that is doing it,it shall be marvelous in our eyes. THIS IS MY TIME to surrender in greater measure to Your WORD, Your WILL, and Your WAY. THIS IS MY TIME to walk by faith and not by sight. THIS IS MY TIME to love and to live like I know You would have me live and love. THIS IS MY TIME to rejoice with those who rejoice and to weep with those who weep. 

THIS IS MY TIME to be steadfast, and unmovable, always abounding in thework of the Lord, forasmuch as I know that my labor is not in vain in the Lord. 

Lord, in all my ways, I desire to acknowledge You, for as I do, I know that You shall direct my paths. THIS IS MY TIME to not be wise in my own eyes, and do the right thing as You are showing it to me now in this moment. You are the God of ALL time past, present, and future and You are concerned about every direction and outcome in my life.

Thank You lord, that You know how to prepare me for this season as I place it in YOUR hands. You are the ONE Who makes ALL things NEW and who has created me for THIS time and created THIS time for me, and in Your name, I believe and reap the harvest of blessings You have ordained for me. Lord, I agree and declare that It is so. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.

Luke 3:22 As He came up out of the water, the voice of God spoke audibly from heaven saying, "You are My beloved Son, I am well pleased with You" Luke 4:1  And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost, returned from the Jordan (His baptisim) and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.

Most of us, given a choice, would actually resist going into a barren, empty, romote wilderness, yet  that is exactly what God chose for His Son.

Often, new levels of Spiritual growth and insight are followed bybeing ushered into a wilderness experiences…. This will be true as we enter each new level of blessing in this year ahead. God goes beyond “show and tell” and moves us into the realms of “reveal and experience”….

Jesus embraced this barren setting as a positive process in His ministry, rather than a negative experience to be dreaded.

The question we are asked in all of this is….  ”will we allow God to use our time spent in the wilderness as a means of empowering us in a greater measure”?

We are continually faced by great opportunities that are brilliantly disguised as unsolvable problems….

Jesus Continually Returned To The Wilderness to prepare Himself and draw strength and wisdom from the Father…

Luke 5:15–16 “But so much the more went there a fame abroad of Him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. And He withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed”  

The greater the demands on His life, the more Jesus headed for the treasures only found while in the wilderness.

The Bible, gives us many examples that illustrate what God can accomplish in our lives through the wilderness experiences.
When Israel was held captive in Egypt, God said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say, ‘Let my people go three days’ journey into the wilderness’” (Exodus 3:18).

Little did they know that it would become a place of incredible times in God’s presence and His miraculous provision for them. Here they would experience God’s glory and His might as He fought for them and gave them one great deliverance after another.

To avoid the wilderness, is to avoid experiencing the supernatural…

Exodus 14:3 “Gather together the chariots and the weapons because we are going after them. They are entangled in the land, the wilderness has shut them in (trapped them)”                                                                                That’s what the Devil always wants us to believe and wrongly interpret what God is doing through the wilderness…what Pharaoh thought would destroy them, only strengthened and equipped them!

GOD REVEALS THAT HE IS JEHOVAH JIRAH, OUR PROVIDER, IN THE WILDERNESS

Exodus 16:15 “And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna (we’ve never seen anything like this)  for they didn’t know what it was……..” We must trust God in the wilderness, because we usually don’t know how to interpret what He is doing in our lives…

Jesus fed the multitudes in the wilderness…. It is a place of weaning us from other dependencies that are not of Him. In the wilderness, He wants us to once again, rely upon Him as our main source… The greatest hindrance to faith is self reliance…The wilderness strips you of self reliance and demands that you lean on the everlasting arms…. 

The wilderness IS A PLACE OF TRAINING FOR BATTLE.                                                                                             God is teaching you to bring down your giants that want to separate you from the blessing, and steal your promise through the wilderness training….

1 Samuel 17:37 The same LORD who delivered me from the Paw of the lion and the bear (in the wilderness) will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine" Deal with your monkeys and God will give you a gorilla!

God Establishes Us In The Wilderness

David was hiding for his life, in the wilderness, at Ziklag, it says….

1 Samuel 30:6  David was greatly troubled. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God. Another version says “iron entered into his soul’

It was in the wilderness that the Apostle Paul was established in the Christian faith, and was equipped and anointed by God…

Listen to Paul… Galatians 1:17 (After my conversion) I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into the wilderness of Arabia and later returned to Damascus. Then, after three years, I went to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with                            him fifteen days.

GOD USES THE WILDERNESS TO BREAK STRONGHOLDSfrom off of our lives…

The nation of Israel cried out for release from Egypt’s bondage, and their deliverance came to them, walking out of the wilderness, In the form of Moses…who was shaped and prepared by the wilderness for such a time…

Psalm 74:14, tells us that the spoils of victory (the crushing of the head of Leviathan) will be given to the people of the wilderness.

GOD WILL BRING HIS WORD TO YOU IN THE WILDERNESS

You can coast along on the Logos word, but you begin to dig down for the Rehma word (the specific God breathed, word for your specific situation) when you begin your walk in the wilderness…When Moses went up to the mountain of God, he was needing a Rehma, God breathed word, and he received a word etched in fire, by God’s own finger!

THE LORD’S BRIDE (the believers in Christ) WILL BE FOUND, COMING OUT OF THE WILDERNESS, To be gathered unto Him…

Psalms 84:5  Blessed are those whose strength is in You, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. V.6  As they pass through the Valley of Baca, (dry, barren wilderness place) they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. V.7  They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.

I want to share the testimony of a young man in the bible.  A fine, vibrant, young man who has kept himself unspotted from the world. He was a young prophet with a promising career!  He dedicated himself to serving the Lord….. Hosea had reached the time in his life that the Lord had carefully prepared him for marriage.  And the Lord said unto him, "All right Hosea, (his name means deliverance), I have a wife for you!"  Hosea says, "OOOOh boy, which one Lord?"  "Is it that pretty thing over there?" “No” "Mary?"  "Sally?"  "No?" “is it sweet Caroline” “No”… it’s      " Bertha the stripper”?  "....say that again, Lord…  "You want me to go where?"  "Lord, that's the red-light district!"  "That's the worst neighborhood in the city!"  "What is my wife doing there?"  "OK, OK, OK, Lord, I'll go, I'll go, Lord!"  "But, this better be good!" 

Hosea 1:2  The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hascommitted great whoredoms, departing from the LORD.(something is happening that is bigger than Hosea, or Gomer, or the circumstances they find themselves in)  

Hosea 2:14-16 Therefore, behold, I will draw her with that which she cannot resist, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her. And I will give her vineyards in the wilderness, and the valley of Achor (the place of trouble) for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. And it shall be at that day, says the LORD, that you shall no more call me Baali, but you shall  know me as Ishi. 

You know, when we live clean, and try to be separate, and keep ourselves for God’s purposes and plan, we think that God will take the thorns off of all the roses in our lives…..  So, Hosea says "Which one Lord?"  "Her?"  "Why, she's a... a... uh...(choke, cough)...a loose woman, a harlot, a tramp, you don't want me to marry her….(is there anyone else up there I can hear from)?"  "What are all the other prophets going to say?"  "I'm going to be disfellowshipped, what about my reputation, Lord?!"……..

Hosea, is about God taking you out where you would never have chosen to be, if you were doing the choosing! This is about God revealing himself to Hosea and how he feels about compromising Christians….

And the real miracle is not that he married her.  He did marry her, but that’s not the miracle!  That was obedience, that was submission and subjection!  That was saying yes to God!  But the miracle was when HE SAW HER HE LOVED HER!  "Oh God, I never thought I could feel this way!"  "If you would have told me that I could have feelings for somebody like her I would have said “get thee behind me devil........"  When’s the last time you went to bed weeping for sinners, and groaning out of love for souls?         

"I'm thinking about her all the time, she's on my mind!"  "Everybody says I'm crazy, they don't want me to marry her, and they say she won't be a good wife for me!  "She’s messed up, but I love her!"  "Gomer......Gomer......  your name means complete, but you have never really been complete!"    "My name, Hosea, means deliverer, and I have come to make you complete!"  "Take my ring and come on over to the house of deliverance!

He loved her. Love will make you put up with things that you never thought you would put up with!  

God was trying to get somebody to understand what It’s like to love someone who doesn’t love you back, to love what He loves, and to weep over sinners, and those who may even hate you!  He was trying to get us to understand what He had gone through to reach out to the unwanted and unloved, and He used Hosea as an illustrated sermon to make us to know the height, depth, and the breadth, and the length of the love of God!

Have you ever been in a place where your promise was also your problem? Nobody could know it, because you put on the face, and you look like you should look!  Gomer here, represents God’s people who are not truly committed to the Lord….and there’s a conflict going on in her spirit!  She is restless, Hosea has been good to her, she feels guilty, she's trying to stay in the house, where she knows she belongs, but she is restless!  She even had several children while she’s with him, but she was restless! 

*…She started disappearing for long periods and coming back with weak explanations!  She kept staying away longer and longer, and he was taking care of the kids and doing the things that she should have been doing. Then Hosea began to notice that the kids didn't even look like him!  Later the test will tell us that they were children born of her wanderings, her meanderings, her affairs!  The first was named, “He’s probably mine”, the second was named “I think he’s mine”, and the third was named “I know he’s not mine”! And yet he still took care of them like they were his own!

How many things have you birthed that God didn't have anything to do with?  But He still took care of them because they were yours!  How many choices and decisions have you made that God didn't tell you to make and yet he blessed you even though it did not look like Him?  

Then, One day, Gomer went out and she didn't come back!  Mrs.Complete, Mrs. “all that”, went out and left Mr. Deliverance in the house!  What makes the prodigal son end up in the hog pen, the backslider slip, slide back into bondage, and what makes us lose our peace, joy and our fervency, and turn into ordinary,complacent, church folk when we used to be praisers and worshippers and people who had passionate love for God?

"Gomer......Gomer.....you should have been back by now!"                             Maybe there is somebody you know today, that should have been back by now.  They've been gone too long.  I know theysay they have many reasons, but they’ve been gone too long!  They’ve been making those same excuses for a long time….

Down by the market place he heard Sounds like one of those human auctions. No need to look over there.  Just a bunch of pottery and junk and a few sex slaves to be sold.

Jesus said, "You worship what you do not know, but the hour cometh and now is, that they that worship Him must worship in the spirit and in the truth, for the FATHER SEEKETH such to worship him"  

The search is on, God is looking for somebody!  The Bible saysthat, "the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth looking for someone.........."

He is looking for Gomer, her name means complete, and she hasn’t lived up to her namesake yet!

Judas, the one who sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, had a name that meant “God be praised”. And Jesus never gave up on him, but he refused to live up to his name, and with all the effort of heaven, he spurned it all… The Father God was so committed to find the wayward children, that He came wrapped up in Mary's womb of flesh, searching for His love!  Looking!  And searching!  "O Jerusalem.............how often would I have gathered you as a mother hen gathers her chicks, but you would not..."   “I am come seeking to save that which is lost!  

Hosea couldn’t believe his eyes after all he had done for her… "Oh God, she's up on the slave table!"  "What happened to her?"  "There's mud all over her clothes, her hair is matted, her clothes are torn!"  "That can't be the dress that I bought her!"  "She looks a mess!"  "What is she doing on that slave table?"  "That's my wife!"  "I know she looks bad, I know she's dirty and muddy, outside and inside, but you don't want her anyway, you don't think she's worth anything, you wouldn't give anything of value for her, but I will!  How much does she cost?"  "What does it take?"….  "I'll give it everything I have just to hold heronce again!"  

I would give anything to hear her say “I love you”, once again!

Hosea was willing to buy something that was already his, and pay more than the asking price, but that's what redemption means, you know!" To re-deem, to buy back, to buy out of the slave market place, to get her again!  God is declaring in this story, I want them back! I’m the redeemer.  

That's what He did for you and me, and that's what salvation is!  When I couldn't get to Him, He came to me!  When I couldn't find him, He found me!  When I was locked up and tied up in my sins and in my bondage, and I didn't know how to get out, I tried to be somebody else that I couldn't be, but when I blew it He said, "Just be still, I'm coming to get you!"  

He said, "I'm going to raise you up."  You’ve been down low, but I'm going to raise you up!  I know all about you, and nothing is hidden from me but I'm going to bless you anyway!  I know you been unfaithful, but I love you!  I saw it all, but I still love you!I'm going to raise you up!  

That's what makes a real worshipper, into a worshipper!  When you understand that God knows all about you, and He loves you anyway, and He says He is going to wipe your tears away from your eyes!  He’s going to lift you back up again!  He’s going to clean you up, He’s going to raise you up!  He’s going to be your deliverer and set you free!  

Well Hosea, paid more than she was worth, and came up close beside her and he lifted her off of the auction block and he took her away from those who did not see her potential and her possibilities!  

"There have been times when You couldn't find your way out of this, but He has said, I’m going to take you by the hand, and pull you out...."  

God will pull you out!  When you’re down, He will pull you out!  When nobody will help you or make an effort, He will!  Your identity is not your circumstances, you are not a slave, you are more than your habit, you are more than your childhood, more than your pain or problems, and God has sent a deliverer!  The deliverer is going to make you complete!  When you were what you were…and you were less than…. He called you complete, when you felt like a nothing and a reject, before you saw any change, the deliverer came to make you complete!  He pulled usout!  

Hosea said, "Is this how you feel about me, God?"  "You mean you’ve been loving me like this?"  "When I was wrong, andmessed up?"  "Lord, I never knew how much you loved me!"  "I'm sorry I hurt you!"

Hosea pulled Gomer out of the mess she got herself in….. Just like you and I, did not get out on our own, He pulled us out!                                               Touch someone and say, "He pulled me out!"  

When he got her out he said, "I am going to give you the valley of Achor  for an inheritance, I am going to restore everything that the devil took away from you!" Achor means calamity transformed to blessing. Trouble turned into joy, and despair into hope. 

He told her, " When you were still a mess, I washed you and I cleaned you up, I justified and sanctified you, now I am going to glorify you!"  

She looks at him and says, "Alright, you own me, you bought me, I'm yours fair and square, whatever you want me to do, I'm your love slave, I'll do it Baali!"  (Baali means; My master)  That’sabout obligations, duties and requirements….. So, he says to her, "I didn't buy you to enslave you, so you would just change masters…..I bought you to set you free!"  "Woman, thou art loosed!"  He said, “you are used to people doggin' you and abusing you!"  "I don't want to be your Baali, don't call me Baali, you shall call me Ishi!"  (Ishi means; My husband, One I am intimate with)  "I am not your master, I am your husband, I am a covenant keeping God!"  " I am going to be everything to you!"  "Whenever you need me, call me Ishi, for I am your husband, I have intimate knowledge of you!"  

When people want to know how you were blessed, tell them Ishi did it! Single ladies, and single again ladies…

You’re not looking for Baali, let me tell you, Ishi is your man!                                God wants to be known by the ones He created for fellowship… He wants us to know His intensity, His passion, His intimacy, and His power.  

Oh the price He paid for us…..He's going to be smitten as a sacrifice for sin and for transgressions.  He's going to be wounded, and bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement shall be upon Him, and by his stripes mankind will receive healing.  

Some of you have been invited!  And you can't figure out what is going on in your life!  You have been invited into the miracle of the wilderness!  There's some things that you can't get out of a book, a tape, Greek or Hebrew, you just have to go through it.  The further you went into it, the more you understood some things about God you would not have understood any other way!  

You have become part of His wilderness miracle!  

He wanted you to know patience, so He exposed you to problems!  

He wanted you to know power, so He exposed you to pain!  The only way He could teach you what He needed to teach you was to take you through those things! 

This Corona wilderness is a time of amazing opportunities everywhere you look. The things which are happening now, are the greatest creators of open doors so you can present the eternal message of hope and faith. Be vigilant in all of this and seize the day. Every believer has the answers to the questions the world is asking. Start by listening and ask the key question, "Can I pray with you"......

This wilderness you’re in is about moving you from Baali, to Ishi.From “Master” to “My beloved”…. the one who knows you like no one else does and is completely committed to you, and is with you all the way through.

Let me paraphrase some of the 23rd Psalm as I close…

“Yea, though I walk through the wilderness of shadows, You arewith me. You anoint me with your wilderness anointing. You set a banquet table before me with all I will need. You cause my cup to run over. Surely goodness and mercy shall be the angels you set before me, and Your presence will go with me all the way”!

The apostle Paul tells us… “Having done all stand therefore, and see the glory of God!"

Surveys tell us that one of the greatest sources of happiness in life is   the family. The same surveys tell us that one of the greatest sources of frustration and disappointment in people’s lives is dealing with family problems. 

God has designed the family as the basic building block of society. As the family goes, so goes our communities. As our communities go, so goes our states. As our states go, so goes our nations. As our nations  go, so goes entire civilizations.

1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are God’s fellow workers and you are God’s builders. v10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds. v11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, in Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man builds on that foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, or stubble v13 each man’s work will become evident, for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. v14 If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward”. 

Just as books need two book ends to hold them upright so that they don’t fall over, likewise, every child needs a matching set of Mom and Dad book ends to steady them and keep them upright in life!.                                  The titles “Mom” and “Dad” are powerful titles that declare that you are authorized and anointed by God to speak into and influence the lives of your children, no matter what their age, or where they live…The same is true of the title, “Grandma” and “Grandpa”. Let us understand and appreciate the power of these titles which are titles of permission and jurisdiction, used by your children and grandchildren, to release and activate your God-given authority in their behalf....There is powerful leverage in those titles….That bring heaven to earth!!   

Olympic gold medalist Darrel Pace was to give an archery exhibition in New York City's Central Park, and the event received coverage by all the news stations. Darrel was shooting steel- tipped hunting arrows, and punctured the bull's-eye from many angles even behind his back with a mirror, without a miss.                                                                                         Then he called for a volunteer. "All you have to do, Is hold this apple in your hand, in front of the bulls eye." A bold volunteer took a step forward and stood there with a small apple in his hand, trying not to shake. Pace took aim from 30 yards away as everyone held their breath. Then suddenly the apple exploded the apple before striking the target. Everybody applauded and the volunteer is still trembling—and the cameraman approached and said, "I'm sorry, my camera was messing up and I didn’t get the shot. Could you do it again?" Aren’t you glad God gives second chances….to get it right! (even if it means you have to end up holding that apple again)                                          

Over the years, there have been numerous studies on how to build strong, healthy families. What does a healthy family look like? (I’m glad you asked that question), because it so happens that it is exactly what I want to talk about ….building healthy families…                                                   And   if you don’t know what a healthy family looks like, it probably won’t happen, and if it does, you won’t know what you did to get there…

What your kids see you do as they grow up is what you’ll likely see them do, when they’ve grown up. What do your children see modeled before them in your character? Do they see truth, honesty, and integrity in action? Do they have healthy examples of resolving conflict? Do you model and encourage healthy ways of handling pressure and expressing emotions? 

The greatest gift you can give your child is who you are. The lifestyle  our children see us model daily is much more powerful than what we can ever tell them. Both are important. But there must be solid connections between the talk and the walk.Someone said, “teach   them and use words if absolutely necessary!! 

In the Hebrew culture, a Rabbi was a life coach and every boy was assigned to a life coach who would be a father figure to them. The word Rabbi is actually based upon the Hebrew word “Ab” or “Abba” which means daddy.

Jesus was the Rabbi or “Abba” Father, who the disciples accepted to mentor them as their life coach. The Rabbi chose those he would mentor, just as Jesus chose the disciples and us, to follow Him. We are chosen by “Abba” and He is our life coach!

One father wrote this in a letter to “Abba” God…                                                                  “He calls me Dad and I call him Dude, With his faded old pillow and a bear named Pooh. He snuggles up close and says, "I want to be like you" I tuck him in bed and I kiss him goodnight, Trippin' over the toys as I turn out the light, and I whisper a prayer that someday he'll see, He's got a father in God, 'cause he's seen Jesus in me. Lord, I want to be just like You, 'Cause he wants to be just like me. I want to be a holy example, For his innocent eyes to see. Help me be Your living word, Lord, That my little boy can read. I want to be like You, 'Cause he wants to be like me.

Someone has said that the best thing you can do for your children, is to love God, love their mother and love them, totally and completely!

How do you spell love…..

Most children spell love with a *…..T, an *…..I, an *……M and an *……E. That’s right. TIME is how most children spell love. Healthy parents don’t find time, they make time.

One of the greatest choices we will make in life is to follow and be like our “Abba” life coach, Jesus He always has time for us…..

Don’t miss the importance of what it is that you’re building. Input equals outcome…. Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder…..                            In the early days of the building of the United States Capital, when they were still preparing the site. A superintendent asked one of the workmen, what he was doing. He said, “I’m digging a ditch”.. The next worker he asked said “I’m gathering stones to build a wall”… But the third workman he asked, who was mixing mortar, said, “Sir, I am mixing this mortar, because we’re raising up a beacon that will shine to all the nations of the world” 

Since this is Father’s day, I would say to Dads, and to everyone, we’re not called to build junk, but we are raising up beacons through the lives of men, women and children which God has placed in our care…

Craig spent many years as a Royal Ranger commander, working with boys. Those boys are now Fathers, and look back fondly on the training they received under Craig. 

Allan and Craig both worked with and trained new recruits and cadets in the fire department. And those recruits have been better men and women because of it. Thank you both for your service…. 

It takes time to build something great….We’re all busy with demands and pressures, and children don’t have the same sense of time that we do. All they know is now!!! I want it and I want it now!!!                                                                                               I remember when Karen was little and I would be working on a sermon and she wanted my attention…. She would say, Dad…Dad…Dad….Hey Chuck! And that would always get my attention. But things worth building take time….

I still recall to this day, at 21/2 years of age, in Spray NC. I had an uncle named John, who was old and grey haired and slow, but several times a week, he would take me for walks and answer all my questions (which were many). He was never in a hurry, and I have kodak moments in my soul, of Old John, holding my hand and answering all my questions in a slow, unhurried way. He gave me the gift of time….

When the angel appeared to the father of John the Baptist, he realized that this was not just another ordinary Jewish child which he was called upon to raise, but a special gift that God was placing in his care…right up front John’s dad was told that he was building a life that would touch the world. What are you building….    

Luke1:16  “And he (John) will turn the hearts of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. v17 It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him (Jesus) in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

There is a saying that children don’t come with instruction manuals, but the truth is that they come with the best instructions ever assembled in the history of the world, it is complete and all encompassing and it is the Word of God! 

How foolish to ignore the manual which the creator of every human life, has written to give us guidance as husbands andparents.                                                             4 bachelors came up with a list of what to look for in a companion..                                                   1st.  It is important to find a woman who is good at house hold chores, is a good cook and can take care of the kids.                                                                                                                     2nd.  It is important to find a woman that you can show off for social functions.

3rd.  It is important that she shares the same life goal and common vision as you.

4th.  It is important to find a woman who is romantic and loves intimacy with you.

5th It is very important that these 4 women never meet one another.                                                  

Hey, If your marriage is in trouble, improve your relationship with the Lord.

Trouble with the children, improve your relationship with the lord. 

Trouble on the job, improve your relationship with the Lord.

If nothing seems to work, improve your relationship with the Lord!!!                     

God doesn’t expect perfection, just a teachable spirit! No man is going to be the TOTAL man or FATHER, but we have the total father in Father God, who will give us wisdom and Holy Spirit counselling as we need it and are open to it!           

Chuck Swindoll said, "A family is the place where principles are hammered out and shaped on the anvil of everyday living."                                                                                                                              One young woman was talking to her counsellor and describing her dream husband… She said, “he has to be handsome, in great shape, funny, entertaining, smart, keeps me interested, romantic, doesn’t interrupt, let’s me be myself, doesn’t expect me to do all the house work, and never insults or belittles me”….. The counselor pauses for a moment and says, “My dear girl, you’re not shopping for a husband, what you’re actually shopping for a 70 inch flat screen TV”!!!

The old saying is that love is blind… God says, “Oh, No… love needs clear vision.” Our love needs discernment or else we will end up loving things we ought not to love—and entering into relationships that are not good for us. While love is our quest, it is never enough without wisdom and discernment. Not every relationship is a good relationship. Not every choice is a good choice, not every man or woman is the one of your dreams, they might be the one of your nightmares. 

By the way, I came across the words women need to hear the most.. from men…

I love you, I Do.. I understand, I’m sorry, You’re right, & you’re hired

Jesus came to show us what a father’s heart looked like…

He shared three stories that reveal the Father’s heart. The story of the lost sheep, shows us the length He will go to for just one person who has gone out and become lost and disoriented. (leaving the 99 in search of the one, doesn’t really make sense until you are that one!) 

The story of the lost coin, reveals how much the Father cares about any area of lack or lost opportunity we may suffer. And He will be diligent until it is recovered.

The story of the lost son, clearly reveals how the Father’s heart is so connected with every child who is struggling and disillusioned, and will faithfully draw them back to the Father’s heart.

It reveals a God that is approachable, and is not out to condemn us but to continually draw us to Himself. 

The bottom line is that it tells us that lost things can be found, they can be recovered and joyfully celebrated!

The old hymn says it so well…. “Just as I am, without one plea, but as Thy blood was shed for me, and as Thou bid’st me come to Thee, oh lamb of God I come, I come”…                                                                               With all that we’re building, we need to build within our families a deep sense that no matter where we are, in Christ we’re always home. “In the Father’s house are many mansions, if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you that where I am there you may be also”. As we grew up, I chose to take the path of faith in God, my foster brother chose the ungodly path of my atheist foster dad… the last time we were together, I asked him to promise me he would make peace with God and if I went before Him, I would be looking for him in heaven. If He went before me, I would be expecting to see him when I got there. He died a short time later in his sleep, but he kept his promise…..

Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will fellowship with him, and he with Me. v21 He who overcomes, I will grant to him to rule with Me on My throne (place of authority), as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. v22 He who has an ear (that is able to hear), let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

The God of all creation, wants to take time to be involved in what we’re building. If He’s willing to give us His time, and He is, are we willing to give Him time to listen, to get His instructions, to allow Him to speak into our plans, our relationships, our marriage, our family, and our journey….

A tightrope was attached from the Canadian side to the American side over the Niagara Falls. The drum roll started and the tight rope walker, began walking over the treacherous part of the falls pushing a wheelbarrow-- blindfolded!! And he makes it across easily. The crowds go wild, and he comes to a spectator and says, " Do you believe I can do it again?" "Well of course I do. I mean, I just saw you do it." "No, I mean do you really believe I can do it again?" "Well of course I do, you just did it." "No, no, no," said the Tightrope walker, "do you really, really, really believe I can do it again?" "Yes," said the spectator "I really believe you can do it." "Good," said the Tightropewalker, "then you get in the wheel barrow and let’s go."

The word believe, in Greek means "to live by what you acknowledge as truth"

In the 6th chapter of Deuteronomy, Moses reduced all of God’s law to its essential basics in a statement that is known as the “Shema”.

In verse 4&5 it says It says “Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, is one God! And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”                                                          This is the passage that Jesus quoted in Matthew 22:35-40 when he was asked by a lawyer,which was the great commandment of the Law. After quoting it, Jesus added that the second was like it,                                           “You shall love your neighbor (or others) as yourself,” and that the whole “Shema” and the Prophets depended on these two commandments.

This tells us three things for this to happen….

1. The parent or care giver must love the Lord

2. The parent or care giver must teach his children the love of the Lord

3. The parent or care giver must teach by example, what the love of the Lord looks like to his children

So many of those I grew up with basically want nothing to do with the church now. For many of them, a large part of the reason is that either one or both of their parents or many of the other adults in the church failed to actually live out what they claimed to believe. These children came to the conclusion that it was all just a farse, a big sham, and they developed their own moral code of conduct, away from Christ and the church. 

How privileged are those children who are raised by parents who have the Word of God in their hearts and who live out every day, what they say they believe. That’s the “Shema”

To love the Lord your God. To teach our children to love the Lord our God, and to live out the love of the Lord our God before them….

When is the best time to do this…. Deuteronomy 6:7 tells us…

A. When you sit in your house. B. When you walk by the way. 

C. When you lie down. D. When you rise up.

Well, come on, that pretty much covers anytime, all the time!

So I ask us all what I asked at the beginning, Fathers, Mothers, sons, and daughters, do we understand what we’re building?When you understand what you want to build, you get the right tools and you use them with all the skill you can muster, and partner with the one who knows how to do it best and He tells us…

1 Corinthians 13:4  (Would you stand and read it with me) “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. v5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. v6 Love does not delight in but rejoices with the truth. v7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. v8 Love never fails”. 

(sounds like a pretty good description of a Godly Husband and Father)….I will ask the men to come forward and let’s gather around them a bless them and petition heaven that they may be equipped for this lofty and High calling of God on their lives….Fatherhood…..

When the Hebrews came out of Egypt, Egypt had been so ingrained in them, that Egypt had become their reference point for life. They physically walked away, but Egypt was walking in them everywhere they went. God spent 40 years in the wilderness,getting Egypt out of them and that was accomplished after a whole generation died in the wilderness. 

We are like them in this way… when something traumatic, something negative that just goes against our grain happens in our lives, it makes a deep impression on our soul, and tries to define who we are at that point. It stops being what happened and it becomes who we are!!       *…..Luke 6:25 “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks…”

It depends on what we are full of….(ask someone if they’re full of it)

If we spend more time talking about the quarantine that happened during the pandemic, and about not being able to get toilet paper, and hand sanitizer, and how stores were empty and the city was shut down, and it was a terrible time. If we invest more words and thoughts, talking about those things than we talk about how God saw us through it, and how we spent time with the family and got closer to one another, and how we learned that we could do just fine without a lot of things we were used to having…. How we took inventory of our priorities, and it caused us to realize that we take for granted the blessings we enjoy…. We appreciate more, the blessings like coming together in praise and worship, and going out to eat at our favorite restaurant, or dropping in on friends and family without a mask and gloves and social distancing….Whichwill we focus on?…

What we’re full of is what we speak and it’s who we have become….

*…… Sometimes we’re holding the littlest end of a big thing God has let down from heaven. (write that one down) You see, God had prophesied far in advance that Israel would be going into Egypt and for anyone who bothered to check, it was always part of God’s plan for the nation.

*……Genesis 15:14 reads, “But I will bring judgment on the nation (Egypt) that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. . . . And they shall come back in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

God showed me as I was looking at this, that they were in Egypt so that He could protect them and preserve them as a nation. (the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet complete) When the Jews were released, they were appointed to bring judgment on the Amorites who were in Canaan…. Egypt actually was appointed by God to be their caretakers until God was ready to release them. 

*……Bad experiences can make you bitter or make you better.                            People may not like their job, but it provides them with a pay check to live on. When I was growing up in Bill Elliott’s household, as abusive and mean as he was, and as much as I didn’t like him and he was clear that taking me into his home was not his idea, he provided a place of safety and provision until I was on my own…..God chose an atheist to feed, clothe and house me, while the Lord was grooming me as a believer. 

Bad experiences can make you bitter or make you better. 

*……Things can cause you to put up walls, or they can cause you to have empathy for what others are going through. Walls to separate or steps to connect…. We can operate out of our hurts, or we can use those things to move in compassion that brings healing. 

*…..Jesus left heaven, to be born in a stable, and be raised in a struggling Jewish home, where they didn’t have much of this world’s goods. He lived a humble life as a flesh and blood man, and He never said, “Man, what have I done, I had it all and now this, I think I made a big mistake here”…. But it does say, that He saw the multitudes and was moved with compassion…..

*……So, when Pharaoh finally decided to let Israel go, Where did Moses ask that he could be allowed to take them?…….(anyone?)

Moses didn’t ask if they could go to the promised land, no…. He asked in *……Exodus 3:18 “Now please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice and worship the LORD our God.”    Why does Moses want to bring them to Mt.Sinai first before he even gives a thought to bringing them to the promised land? 

*……Moses wants to bring them to Mount Sinai because Sinai is where the burning bush was, where he saw God’s glory and where God spoke  to him and where he first met and experienced God.He wants them to meet who he met so they could experience what he experienced, and not get it second hand. 

How many feel that way about a lot of folks you know… If they could experience the Lord the way you’ve experienced Him, youknow they would not turn Him away any longer…. (Spock did a mind meld, wouldn’t that be wonderful to do, just put your fingers on their temple like he does and bam, they have it!!) But preaching and witnessing, and living it before them, can only go so far, until the Holy Spirit allows folks are willing to experience God for themselves, first hand. 

I regularly pray this prayer for my children. Holy Spirit, please reveal yourself to them. Be their God and not just their mom and dad’s God. Let them know your love and let them experience you for themselves just like we have experienced you. Let them feel Your presence, Your anointing, Your power in their lives like we have. As a matter of fact, scripture tells us that we should expect the next generation to experience greater measures than we have. Elisha received a double measure of what Elijah had received. 

*…..Haggai 2:9 tells us “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts”.                                                                                            I remember at some point, when David was 15, Karen was 8, and Chris was 13, and everyone in our family had experienced the Holy Spirit infilling but Chris. He just couldn’t seem to break through. One Sunday night, after church, Chris was frustrated because he had come up for prayer and once again, had not received. So as we came in the door, I said to chris, tonight is your night. I want you to lay down in the living room floor and get comfortable and we’re going to gather around you and we’re going to believe with you, and we’re not getting up until you receive! We did and he did. 

*…..There are times when you have to get to that Jacob mentality, when he wrestled all night with the angel, and said “I will not let you go until the blessing I receive”!!! That blessing was God’s presence. 

It is so Vital that we know God for ourselves because God has no Grandchildren He only has children….

*……Gimme, Gimme, my name is Jimmie… is too common among the saints. What can you do for me, not how can I help you. Too many preachers have preached more about what Jesus will do for us rather than just focusing on who he is! This produces Christians that are always seeking God for what he can do for them and not because of wanting a relationship and a daily intimacy with the God of heaven. Their faith collapses when they’re not getting what they want. Just stick a pacifier in their mouth….                                                                                      *…...So Moses is like “I want you to meet who I've met so you’ll know what I know and feel what I feel…so that's the first place where they go, to discover God for themselves at Mt. Sinai!!

Moses recognized that when you worship, you must acknowledge how big God is and just how small you are. We just aren’t capable of fixing all of our own problems in this life, let alone those that face us in eternity. You can’t worship and feel that you don’t need God at the same time. You can’t truly worship without coming into submission and dependence upon God. We’re acknowledging that everything we have has its source in God. 

We recognize that none of us are self- made people. Moses understood that without worship, the people might come out of Egypt, but they would still be in bondage and fail to enjoy God’s freedom and blessing because of their abandonment issues and their trust issues. Their defensive walls, the quicksand of fear and unbelief and their twisted view of God, had to be re-aligned so that God was their total source in their new journey or they would never make it!

*……I just read that a woman was interviewing the director of a mental facility and asked how they determine if a person is ready to be released back into society. He told her that they fill a bathtub with water and ask the patient to empty it out. They have a choice of a spoon, a cup or a bucket. He asked the woman which would she choose. She said, “I would pick the bucket because it’s the largest”… The director said if you chose to pull the plug, we would release you…. Would you like an inside room or a room with a view….?

*…..So the first place Moses led the people was to the foot of Mount Sinai to hear from God and know that He was truly with them in this journey they’re on. When he went up into the mountain and asked God   to show him His glory, Moses wanted all the Hebrews to see and experience the glory of God just as he had experienced it…..

When you receive a healing, don’t you just want everyone that is sick to *……experience what you did…. When I got saved as a boy, I wanted everyone I could find to experience the amazing feeling of having all my sins forgiven and the cleansing work of God to happen in them as well. I remember it so clearly, It was at a tent meeting in Victoria Virginia, in the middle of a field that had been deep plowed. I mean every row was like a gully. I walked across that field to a bar which was located just across the highway from the tent meeting, and I went in and found two drunks sitting at the bar. I told them I had something for them, and I led two staggering drunks by the hand, across the deep plowedfield, one on each side. It’s a miracle they ever made it. I took them down to the altar and said, now stay right here while I go get the preacher. He came talked with them and prayed the sinners prayer with those guys, and we all praised God together….I just had to tell somebody, and have them experience what I had experienced!

*……The Hebrews had to learn to be free, and how to function as a free people. The same is true today. We are dealing often with generations that have been without Christ. Children, and parents and grandparents, all without Christ. They need someone to walk beside them and example the Christian walk in a positive, loving, practical way….Satan is constantly planning the next trap he can catch you in, and take your freedom from you… your peace, your anointing and your power….

*…..So, Next, Moses had to turn these slaves into warriors and soldiers. If you don’t know how to fight the fight of faith, the enemy will do you in. They had lived as the conquered, and now they had to learn to be the conquerers….Walking with God is not for whimps!                                  *……Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against all the schemes of the devil”. They were going to face enemieswho wanted to destroy them. They were going to have to stand and defeat the enemy or be defeated by them….So Joshua needed to turn a whining people into a winning people. He needed to show them that God wanted them to win in life, and to rule, not be ruled over by the world. To lead and not just follow the crowd. So he set captains over 10’s, captains over 100’s and captains over tribes…. The best way to learn to lead is to lead. The best way to learn to rule is to rule…

*…..We can stand around saying “I can’t”…when God is saying we can… we learn by doing it…. We always lead by example!!!We don’t want our children to grow up with an “I can’t” mentality because of what they’re seeing and hearing from us. We don’t want others who are looking to us as their example to say, “Well if they can’t then I know for sure that I can’t”……Where you are is where you start…

*……David started learning to be king, by herding sheep. He developed skills and knowledge which were later applied to leading people. The skills he developed as he guarded and protected the sheep, allowed him to kill Goliath and lead armies as God’s appointed.

*……Elisha started out as a farmer. He learned endurance, patience, and the virtues of hard work, which allowed him to trust God as a prophet, just as he had learned to trust God as a farmer. To understand the seasons, planting and reaping, seed time and harvest, preparing the soil, and pruning the trees and vines for a greater yield.  Now it would be applied to kings and kingdoms under a prophetic anointing….             *…… Deuteronomy 28:13 “And the LORD shall make you the head, and not the tail; and you shall be above only, and you shall not be beneath; if you hearken unto the Word of the LORD your God, which I mandate for you this day, to observe and to do them.”                                                      See yourself as the head and not the tail….What if we all said “No matter what happened before, no matter what it looked like in the past, I’m believing God for a new thing now, starting with me. With God’s help, a new stream starts here, the curse is broken here, blessings begin to flow here with me. The curse of generations will not continue on my watch!!! 

Israel was brought out of bondage and slavery so that they could be brought into freedom and blessing. They had been in bondage so long, that’s all they knew. They were born in slavery, their parents were born in slavery, 400 years and 6 generations later, they had known only slavery and bondage…. (what a family tree to have) But a new family tree was being started, a new stream was being opened that would bless the world.

*……In her book, Break the Generation Curse, Marilyn Hickey traced the descendants of two prominent Americans, Max Jukes and Jonathan Edwards. Max Jukes was an atheist. Some 560 descendants of his were traced. Among the descendants: 310 died as paupers, 150 became criminals, 7 of them were murderers, 100 were known drunkards, More than half of the women were notoriously depraved. The descendants of Max Jukes cost the US government more than $1.25 million in 19th-century dollars (that would be much more today).

But Jonathan Edwards, a contemporary of Max Jukes, was a committed Christian. He put God first in his life, married a Godly woman, and served his fellow man. Some 1,394 descendants of his were traced. Among the descendants: 1 was a US Vice-President (Aaron Burr) 3 were US Senators, 3 were governors, 3 were Mayors, 30 were Judges, 65 were University Professors, 13 were College Presidents, 80 were Public Office Holders in local government, 100 were lawyers, One was the chief financial director of the US treasury, 100 were well-known missionaries, preachers, and prominent authors.

Not one member of Edward’s family was a liability to the US government. They were all a blessing to our country.

The difference is as clear as black and white..                                                 

*……I believe that there’s a verse in Isaiah 53 that is talking about the healing of the family tree… healing from the past family history, opening a new stream of generational blessing. As we read Isaiah today, I want us to remember that Jesus came to bridge the gap, to close the chasm that was caused by the curse. He came to restore the fellowship that was broken through Adam and Eve. So as we read, I want you to see it as some new branches being added to the family tree…. I’m talking about your kids and your grandkids and on into the future…..

*……Isaiah 53:1 “Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? v2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground”.

Dry ground, means that the odds are against anything coming from this. In the natural, it can’t happen. They’ll never amount to much, they’re too average, too incapable, too far gone….

Prophets had prophesied “Nothing good shall come out of Nazareth”…

But they discounted that what is impossible with men, is possible with God! When the Holy Spirit begins to move and work, anything is possible. We won’t be able to explain it, or figure out how it could ever happen, but there it is…. A new shoot begins to grow, a new thing of God begins to respond to His amazing plan.                                                           Listen, just like curses can flow through generations, blessings also can flow through generations

*……Also look at 1 Peter 2:9 “ But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that youshould show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, For, once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy”.                                                                                                                       *…..Then we have Romans 9:25 “As He says in Hosea: “I will call them My people who are not My people, and I will call her My beloved who is not My beloved,” Oh, these are powerful promises!                                                       We’re coming out of the Egypt mentality, the slavery mentality, and the bondage mentality….

Everyone declare…. “A root out of dry ground”  Say it with me… “A root out of dry ground”….Call it forth….

Let’s make our confession…. 

Abraham’s blessings are mine in Christ Jesus. Therefore I pray now: Let every Abrahamic blessing which you pronounced on him begin to manifest in my life and those of my children and children’s children in the name of Jesus Christ. I invoke the powers of Heaven to cause the manifestation of fruitfulness in my life from today on, in the name of Jesus Christ. I invoke the power of longevity upon my life, my children, and grandchildren, and declare that none of us shall die young. We will fulfill our days. 

*……Sudden death, you are suspended and uprooted from my lineage in the name of Jesus Christ. Abraham’s blessings include wealth. Therefore, I invoke the power of wealth upon my life, my home, my children, and my lineage, and declare that we live in abundance. I declare that my seed will never beg bread. What they put their hands to do will prosper and flourish. Frustration and begging is no longer our portion in the name of Jesus Christ. I decree that there shall be no more delays in financial prosperity in my life and family in the name of Jesus Christ.

*….. I declare that barrenness has no place in my life and my home. I decree that my seed will prosper and thrive in every place it is sown. I call forth everything that ought to be mine, known and unknown. I break powers holding all such blessings now, and command them to manifest and be released to me in the name of Jesus Christ. Lord, make me a blessing to my children and my children’s children. My generational blood line now runs through Christ, therefore every problem, sickness, marriage breakdown, disunity, and all vices or weakness, cannot pass, and are cut off in Jesus name.

*……I declare that my entire household, including unborn children and grandchildren, are blessed and nothing can by any means reverse our blessings. I, declare today that we will never lack the glory of God in our generations, and we will grow old and fulfill the number of our days, in Jesus name. AMEN!!!!

GIVE THE LORD A SHOUT!!