WORK, HEALTH AND RESPONSIBILITIES

He who is loose and slack in his work is brother to him who is a destroyer and he who does not use his endeavors to heal himself is brother to him who commits suicide.  Proverbs 18:9 AMP

He who is loose and slack in his work is brother to him who is a destroyer.

When it comes to our work and our responsibilities – whether it is for ourselves (our own business or family) or for a boss – we must be faithful, diligent and hard working. If we aren’t, then the Bible says that we have the same impact as a vandal, or a person who actively works to destroy rather than build. Now, few of us plan to mess things up deliberately, but we need to realize that if we are lazy, unfocused, unfaithful, neglectful, and/or procrastinators, then we are having an actively negative effect on the areas of responsibility that are ours! Proverbs 25:19 AMP says that, “Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth or a foot out of joint.”

A lot of people like to just coast along, looking busy, looking like they are contributing, meanwhile they are allowing others to pick up the slack and carry an extra burden. People do this at work and at home. In a family, you might have one of the couple – the husband or the wife – picking up more than their fair share of the family responsibilities because the other person neglects or refuses to do their part. This is never a successful strategy in the long term. The family is going to be unbalanced and lacking. Eventually it will fall apart, one way or another. The destruction that is caused will manifest in either the marriage failing and/or the children growing up dysfunctional. Ecclesiastes 9:18b says that, “One sinner destroys much good.” One person can make a big difference – positively or negatively. Don’t be the one who ends up destroying a lot of good because you are lazy and irresponsible. Ask the Lord to help you do what’s right every day in your work and your family responsibilities.

Proverbs 10:4 AMP – He becomes poor who works with a slack and idle hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

He who does not use his endeavors to heal himself is brother to him who commits suicide.
[This sentence is added to Proverbs 18:9 in the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Old Testament).]

It is our own responsibility to walk in good health to the best of our ability! The Lord expects us to trust in Him first and only, but He also expects us to work with Him to accomplish His will. God’s will for you is God’s word to you. He has let us know what He wants for us – He laid our sins, our sickness, our disease, our torment, and everything else that’s from the pit of hell, on Jesus! He doesn’t want us sick, diseased or tormented. He wants us healthy and well – spirit, soul and body!

Some people trust only in man – doctors – for their healing, but God wants us to first trust Him! When doctors can no longer help you, you’ll need a miracle from God. However, this scripture says that you must use your own endeavors to heal yourself. What does that mean? That means that you must do everything you can in the spirit and everything you can in the natural! God’s best for you is not for you to neglect your health and then just run to a doctor for a pill or to a minister for a prayer. You need to take care of your body: you need to eat healthy foods and avoid unhealthy ones; you need to get up and move your body – exercise or go for a brisk walk; drink water; get enough sleep; take a regular vacation or a have rest from your usual routine; laugh often; decide to enjoy your life; don’t hold grudges; forgive; choose peace; have a positive attitude; regularly do something nice for someone else. Educate yourself concerning prevention of disease by eating healthy, going to a natural health practitioner – if necessary – and by living a healthy lifestyle.

Use your endeavors to heal yourself – take an active part in your own health and well-being.

Some people refuse to go to doctors because they have the mistaken belief that God will not heal them if they go to a doctor. Or they equate going to doctors with doubt and unbelief. This is simply not true. We cannot and should not put our trust in man or in doctors, but we must do what we can to save and preserve life – especially if it is for someone else, like our children. If your children are sick or hurt, then pray first, but if the situation warrants intervention, then by all means take them to the doctor. It’s not a sin to get help. God’s best for us is prevention, rather than cure, but He wants us to live and to do our part to stay living, so we can fulfill His plan and purpose for our lives. When we refuse to do what is necessary – and also within our ability – to preserve life, then the Bible says we are “brother to him who commits suicide”!

Don’t let the devil lie to you. Do whatever you can to save and preserve life – yours or another person’s – this is God’s will for you. Here are some scriptures to feed your spirit regarding God’s will to have you healed and whole and your participation in the process:

Proverbs 3:8 AMP – It shall be health to your nerves and sinews, and marrow and moistening to your bones.
Proverbs 4:22 AMP – For they are life to those who find them, healing and health to all their flesh.
Proverbs 14:30 – A calm and undisturbed mind and heart are the life and health of the body, but envy, jealousy, and wrath are like rottenness of the bones.
Proverbs 15:4 – A gentle tongue [with its healing power] is a tree of life, but willful contrariness in it breaks down the spirit.
Proverbs 16:24 – Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the mind and healing to the body.
Proverbs 17:22 – A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.

Marks of a Good Pastor – Part V

But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  John 10:2-4 NKJV

 

  1. A good Pastor/Minister is a good example: he leads, and does not drive; he feeds and builds, and does not destroy; and he lives what he preaches.

 

  1. In 1 Corinthians 4:9-21 Paul talks about the price he and the other Apostles paid to bring the Gospel to the Corinthians and the other cities and nations. They loved, disciplined, and cared for them like they were their own children.

 

1 Corinthians 4:15-16 AMP – After all, though you should have ten thousand teachers (guides to direct you) in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the glad tidings (the Gospel). 16 So I urge and implore you, be imitators of me.

 

  1. In 2 Corinthians 4:8-18, Paul talks about how he and the apostles suffered much persecution and hardship to bring the truth of God’s Word to the world, but they did it willingly and joyfully, because of the reward of seeing the fruit here on earth, but most of all the reward waiting for them in heaven when they died.

 

  1. In 2 Corinthians 6:1-10, Paul talks about the fact that he and the apostles did their utmost to set a good example to all, even through terrific hardships and sacrifice.

 

2 Corinthians 6:3-7 AMP – We put no obstruction in anybody’s way [we give no offense in anything], so that no fault may be found and [our] ministry blamed and discredited. 4 But we commend ourselves in every way as [true] servants of God: through great endurance, in tribulation and suffering, in hardships and privations, in sore straits and calamities, 5 In beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless watching, hunger; 6 By innocence and purity, knowledge and spiritual insight, longsuffering and patience, kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in unfeigned love; 7 By [speaking] the word of truth, in the power of God, with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand [to attack] and for the left hand [to defend]

 

  1. In 1 Timothy 3:1-13, Paul sets the standards for those who would desire a leadership role in the Church. These are the standards required:

He must give no grounds for accusation, but must be above reproach; the husband of one wife; circumspect, temperate and self-controlled; sensible, well-behaved and dignified; lead an orderly, disciplined life; hospitable; be a capable and qualified teacher; not a drinker of alcohol nor a drunkard; not combative, but gentle and considerate; not quarrelsome, but forbearing and peaceable; not covetous or a lover of money; he must rule his own household well and with dignity, with obedient, respectful children (for if a man does not know how to rule his own household, how is he to take care of the church of God?); he must not be a new convert, or he may become blinded by conceit and pride and fall like the devil once did; he must have a good reputation and be well thought of by those outside the church; he must have integrity and be beyond reproach; he must not be shifty and a double-talker, but sincere in what he says; he must preach the truth of the Gospel, with a clear conscience. The woman likewise must be worthy of respect and serious; not gossipers, but temperate and self-controlled; thoroughly trustworthy in all things.

 

  1. Paul instructed Timothy concerning ministry, in 1 Timothy 4:11-16, and his advice applies to all those the Lord calls into ministry. He instructs him to:

Be an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity; study the Word; to preach, teach, exhort and instill doctrine; to not neglect the calling, gifts and anointing on his life that were given to him by the Holy Spirit; to throw himself wholly into doing God’s will and serving the Church; to make sure that he lives what he believes and preaches. This advice is also for the rest of us who are called to ministry.

 

  1. In 2 Timothy 2:1-13, Paul instructs Timothy further:

Be strong; raise up more leaders, who are reliable, faithful, competent and qualified to teach other also; endure the hardships and suffering of a first-class soldier of Christ Jesus, with the aim of satisfying and pleasing only Him; work hard and run the race with integrity; whatever you suffer on earth, you will receive an equivalent reward in heaven; remain faithful to Him, for He is faithful to you; study hard and rightfully divide the Word of Truth; don’t waste time arguing or being argumentative; cleanse and separate yourself so you can be a vessel unto honor; shun and flee from youthful lusts; pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace; be kind; be a skilled teacher; correct your opponents with courtesy and gentleness, in order to possibly win and convert them.

 

  1. In Titus 1:4-16, Paul reiterates what he said before to Timothy, about leadership, including these qualities:

Be a person of unquestionable integrity; not open to the accusation of being loose in morals and conduct, or unruly and disorderly; blameless; not self-willed or arrogant or presumptuous; do not be quick-tempered; be hospitable and generous; be sober-minded; sensible; discreet; upright and fair-minded; devout; temperate and self-controlled; hold fast to the Word and teach it as you were taught it; keep the message pure and accurate; correct those who are in error.

 

  1. These standards do not apply only to the apostles and early church leaders, but they fully apply to us today. We must aspire to be like the apostles and follow and imitate them as they followed and imitated the Lord (1 Corinthians 11:1; Philippians 3:17).

 

2 Timothy 1:13-14 ERV – What you heard me teach is an example of what you should teach. Follow that model of right teaching with the faith and love we have in Christ Jesus. 14 This teaching is a treasure that you have been trusted with. Protect it with the help of the Holy Spirit, who lives inside us.

Created, Called and Raised in Righteousness

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.  Revelation 4:11 KJV

This Greek word translated “pleasure” means desire, pleasure, or will. All things were created and exist according to God’s will and desire, and to please Him.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  Genesis 1:26-27 NKJV

This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created.  Genesis 5:1-2 NKJV

God made mankind in His own image – in the image of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – and Heblessed them the day they were created.

Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.  Isaiah 43:7 NKJV

This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise.  Isaiah 43:21 NKJV

Our – and all mankind’s – ultimate purpose is to bring God glory and declare His praise.

The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; The world and all its fullness, You have founded them. Psalms 89:11 NKJV

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face. 15 Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance.  Psalms 89:14-15 NKJV

God created all things and they are established in His righteousness, mercy and truth. The only way for the whole earth to thrive and prosper is by his mercy and through His righteousness and truth.

I have made the earth, And created man on it. I — My hands — stretched out the heavens, And all their host I have commanded. 13 I have raised him up in righteousness, And I will direct all his ways; He shall build My city And let My exiles go free, Not for price nor reward,” Says the Lord of hosts.  Isaiah 45:12-13 NKJV

God declares here that it is He who made the earth and created man on it. He did not create us for evil or to do what we wish, but He created us for righteousness and to serve His purposes.

Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk on it: 6 “I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people,

As a light to the Gentiles, 7 To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house. 8 I am the Lord, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images. 9 Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them.”  Isaiah 42:5-9 NKJV

Jesus was called in righteousness to fulfill His purpose, which was to destroy the works of the devil and to redeem mankind. Because He was raised from the dead in righteousness, we too, have been the righteous of God in Christ. God has a wonderful plan and purpose for each of us. From the moment we are made righteous, God’s ultimate plan for each of us kicks in. we are created in righteousness to BE righteous and to DO good works that glorify God.

Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously with one another By profaning the covenant of the fathers?  Malachi 2:10 NKJV

The same God created all of mankind. We honor our Creator and act righteously when we love one another and treat one another with kindness and generosity. We dishonor Him when we are unfaithful and treacherous toward our neighbor. Who is your neighbor? Jesus says everyone is your neighbor, not just the people you like and trust.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.  Ephesians 2:8-10 NKJV

We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God planned for us to walk in! Not for anything else.

Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.  Colossians 3:9-11 NKJV

Adam and Eve were created in the image of God. Our New Man is recreated once again in the image of our Creator when we are born again. We must make a conscious decision to put off the Old Man and then to put on the New Man. We must stop acting like the devil is our father and start acting like Jesus and our own Heavenly Father, with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.  1 Peter 4:19 NKJV

Keep doing good – even when the pressure is on for you to quit and give up; even when your good deeds result in persecution and suffering. Commit your soul to your Creator – the One who made you – He is faithful and will see you through and reward you for your faith and your faithfulness.

What Shall I Render to the Lord for All HIs Benefits Toward Me?

What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me? [How can I repay Him for all His bountiful dealings?]   Psalms 116:12

 

Gracious is the Lord, and [rigidly] righteous; yes, our God is merciful. 6 The Lord preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He helped and saved me. 7 Return to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. 8 For You have delivered my life from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling and falling.  Psalms 116:5-8

 

The Lord has been so good to each and every one of us, whether we acknowledge it or not. God is good and only good! How can we repay Him for all His benefits toward us? How can we repay Him for all His bountiful blessings? How can I repay Him for all His benefits and bountiful blessings toward me?

 

I can repay Him like this:

 

I will love the Lord:

 

I love the Lord, because He has heard [and now hears] my voice and my supplications. Psalms 116:1

 

And He replied to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect). 38 This is the great (most important, principal) and first commandment.  

Matthew 22:37-38 AMP

 

Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.  Jude 21 NKJV

 

God is pleased when I show my love for him – not with mere lip service – but with heart and with deeds.

 

I will call upon Him as long as I live:

 

Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live.  Psalms 116:2

 

The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him sincerely and in truth.  Psalms 145:18 AMP

 

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.  Romans 10:12 NKJV

 

Call upon the Father. Look to him for everything you need. He is the source and supply of everything you will ever need. Do not turn to anyone, but Him, for what you need. Do not give praise or love to any other gods or idols. Call upon Him! He is rich to all who call upon Him!

 

I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living:

 

I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.  Psalms 116:9

 

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, I am the Almighty God; walk and live habitually before Me and be perfect (blameless, wholehearted, complete).  Genesis 17:1 AMP

 

Serve God with all your heart down here on earth. Do not wait until you die to try to start serving Him – it may be too late for you – you may not even make heaven if you won’t serve Him. Live for Him, with all your heart, while you can.

 

I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord:

 

I will lift up the cup of salvation and deliverance and call on the name of the Lord.  Psalms 116:13

 

In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.  1 Corinthians 11:25-26 NKJV

 

There is only one way to be saved – one way to make heaven. You must drink the cup of HIS salvation. Believe in Jesus and ALL that He did for you in His death, burial, and resurrection!

 

I will pay my vows to the Lord in public:

 

I will pay my vows to the Lord, yes, in the presence of all His people.   Psalms 116:14&18

 

Offer to God the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High, 15 And call on Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall honor and glorify Me.  Psalms 50:14-15 AMP

 

Be faithful with your money. Serve and worship God with it. Make Him first place where your money is concerned. Whoever has your money first, is the person or thing you worship. Worship God, not mammon and idols.

 

I will offer to the Lord the sacrifice of thanksgiving:

 

I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving and will call on the name of the Lord.  Psalms 116:17

 

And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving and rehearse His deeds with shouts of joy and singing!  Psalms 107:22 AMP

 

Always give God the praise. Bring Him sacrifices of thanksgiving for what He has done, for what He is doing, and for what He is about to do. We are to continually give thanks, even as we expect Him to continually watch over, and provide for, us.

 

I will call upon the name of the Lord:

 

Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.  Psalms 99:6 KJV

 

O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.  Psalms 105:1-2 KJV

 

And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.  Isaiah 12:4 KJV

 

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.  Acts 2:21 KJV

 

Call upon His name. Exalt His name before the people. Give Him all the praise and the honor and the glory for all of time and eternity! Never be quiet when you can speak out and let everyone know how great and how mighty and how awesome He is!

Having an Encounter with God

Foundation scriptures:

In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father’s house three months: 21 And when he was cast out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son. 22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds. 23 And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. 24 And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian: 25 For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not. 26 And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another? 27 But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday? 29 Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons. 30 And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush. 31 When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him, 32 Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold. 33 Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground. 34 I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt.  Acts 7:20-34 KJV

 

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.  Acts 1:8 KJV

 

  1. A burning bush experience.
  2. I have seen, I have seen.
  3. I have heard – and am come down to deliver them.
  4. I will send you.
  5. To you – salvation
  6. In you – Holy Ghost and fire – Holy Spirit baptism.
  7. Through you – He wants to use you.

 

  1. This is why we have revival.
  2. Revive the Church, renew the Church, and bring the Church back to its first love.
  3. Get your heart right.
  4. Revelation 3:14-22 KJV – “And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”
  5. Hot, cold, or lukewarm.
  6. Lukewarm – He will spew you out of His mouth.
  7. What is your temperature?

 

  1. In order to have revival, you need to get hungry and thirsty.
  2. Indian chief – Big Holy Ghost – not little Holy Ghost.
  3. John 4 – a well
  4. John 4:13-14 KJV – “Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”
  5. John 7: 37-38 – a river.
  6. John 7:37-38 KJV – “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”
  7. If you hunger and thirst after righteousness, you will be filled (Matthew 5:6).
  8. Get hungry; get thirsty; get desperate.
  9. Get it now – Jesus promised it; the apostles had it; you need it!

 

  1. My testimony – when God anointed me.
  2. July 1979.
  3. Hungry; thirsty; desperate.
  4. The Lord touched me – the fire fell.

 

  1. Today is your day.

1. Receive today: a touch from heaven; the touch of God.

Confession of Faith for Prosperity

Prayer: Lord, I thank you that obedience releases Your blessing. Lord, what You have planned for me is so much bigger than the plans I have for myself. I submit myself to You and Your Word and I prepare my heart to receive Your abundant blessing and favor in my life.

I listen diligently and pay attention to the voice of the Lord my God.
I am watchful to do all His commandments, which He commands me this day.
Therefore, the Lord my God is setting me high above all the nations of the earth.
All these blessings are coming upon me and overtaking me because I heed the voice of the Lord my God:
I am blessed in the city and blessed in the field.
The fruit of my body is blessed and the fruit of my ground is blessed and so is the fruit of my beasts, the increase of my cattle and the young of my flock.
My basket is blessed and so is my kneading trough.
I am blessed when I come in and blessed when I go out.
The Lord is causing my enemies, who rise up against me, to be defeated before my face.
They may come out against me one way, but they will flee before me seven ways.
The Lord is commanding the blessing upon me in my storehouse and in all that I undertake.
The Lord my God is blessing me in the land, which He has given me.
The Lord is establishing me as a person holy to Himself, as He has promised me, because I am faithful to keep the commandments of the Lord my God and walk in His ways.
All the people of the earth see that I am called by the Name of the Lord and that His hand is upon me, and they are afraid of me.
The Lord is making me to have a surplus of prosperity, through the fruit of my body, of my livestock, and of my ground, in the land which the Lord promised to give me.
The Lord is opening to me His good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to my land in its season and to bless all the work of my hands.
Therefore I will lend to many nations, but I will not borrow.
The Lord is making me the head and not the tail.
I am above only and not beneath.
I am blessed today and every day, because I heed the commandments of the Lord my God,
which He commands me this day and I am watchful to do them.
I will not turn aside from any of the words, which He commands me this day—to the right or to the left—to go after other gods to serve them.
I am abundantly blessed, because I serve the Lord my God with joyfulness of mind and heart, in gratitude for the abundance of all with which He has blessed me.
Deuteronomy 28:1-14 and 47
Paraphrased from the Amplified Bible
I am blessed and fortunate, because I fear, revere, and worship the Lord.
I delight greatly in His commandments.
My offspring shall be mighty on the earth.
I am upright and I and my family, my children, our generations, are blessed.
Prosperity and welfare, wealth and riches, are in my house.
My righteousness endures forever.
Light arises in the darkness for me, because I am upright, gracious, compassionate, and just.
I am in right-standing with God.
It is well with me, because I deal generously, give, bless, and lend.
I conduct my affairs with justice.
I will not be moved forever.
I will be in everlasting remembrance.
I do good works.
Because I do good, I have a good name and the good I do is remembered.
The good that I do will have an eternal impact.
I will not be afraid of evil tidings.
My heart is firmly fixed, trusting in, leaning on, and being confident in the Lord.
My heart is established and steady.
I will not be afraid, while I wait to see my desire established upon my adversaries.
I am a blessing and I distribute freely.
My righteousness endures forever.
The Lord is raising me up and bringing promotion.
The enemy has no place in my life.
Only God’s plans for me will succeed.
Psalm 112:1-10 Paraphrased
PRAYER:
Lord, I thank you that obedience releases Your blessing. Lord, what You have planned for me is so much bigger than the plans I have for myself. I submit myself to You and Your Word and I prepare my heart to receive Your abundant blessing and favor in my life.

The Blessings of Persecution

“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:8-11 NKJV

Every true “Mark 16:15-18” believer will suffer persecution, but there are blessings that come from being persecuted.

Blessing #1: Perfection
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you – unless, of course, you fail the test?  2 Corinthians 13:5 NIV

Opposition and persecution make you look at yourself critically to know whether you are truly in the will of God in your life – in your attitude, your words, your actions and your direction. Measure yourself – not by man’s opinion – but by the standards set by the Word of God. Do not be selective in your scriptures, but receive the whole of God’s Word as though it were spoken directly to you. As you consider your own self and allow the Lord to prune your branches, you are refined and perfected in your faith.

Blessing #2: Establishment in the faith
I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong – 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. Romans 1:11-12 NIV

Persecution will either drive you stronger into your faith in God or away from it. If you do not yield to the pressure, you will certainly come through stronger than before. We are also strengthened by each other’s faith as we stand together and stand strong through persecution. As the saying goes – what doesn’t kill you makes you better!

Blessing #3: Spiritual strength
Greek: sthenos (NT:4599), to bind together and strengthen so there will be no danger of warping, splitting, or falling apart. Only used here. The Lord – His Spirit and His Word – is the source of our strength through every, and any, trial and temptation we may face. Just as the muscles of our body are strengthened by exercise and use, so our spiritual strength is built and developed by use; by standing strong in the Lord.

Blessing #4: Becoming settled or grounded in the faith
Greek: themelioo (NT:2311), good foundation. To be settled means to not be moved. Being grounded in something means that you have become deeply familiar with it – you know that you know. Founded – grounded – in the faith. Nothing built, that stands the test of time, does so without a good, strong foundation. There are no shortcuts to a good foundation – it takes time, effort and skill. Your foundations are built and settled as you grow and are established through the tough times.

Blessing #5: Persecution helps to spread the Gospel further abroad
At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. 3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. 4 Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. 5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. Acts 8:1-6 NKJV

Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only. 20 But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.
Acts 11:19-21 NKJV

At the time that the Church was scattered by the persecution, they were most likely not too happy. However, it ended up in being highly beneficial because the Gospel was successfully preached in all the places they went to along the way.

But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, 13 so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; 14 and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
Philippians 1:12-14 NKJV

Even though Paul was in chains, he continued to boldly teach and preach the Gospel. This inspired the rest of the Church to be bolder and to preach with no fear. In this day and age, it seems that the Church will do anything to avoid persecution. They will even compromise God’s Word to be liked. This makes the Church weak. Persecution sorts the men out from the boys; it is a sifting process – each person will have to decide whose side they are on; because of this, persecution causes the Church to be strong and pure.

True Ministers of the Gospel

“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. John 15:5 AMP

When you become a child of God, you are grafted in to the Vine, you become a branch of the Vine – Jesus is that Vine. You have a new nature and a new identity in Him. You no longer function as a wordly, carnal person, because His life and nature have been imparted to you. Those who continue to operate like the world they died to in Christ, are obviously ignorant of this great new life they have been offered in Him. It is necessary for them to have their minds renewed to the truths of God’s word.

We (the believers) each and all represent Jesus Christ to the world and, as such, are ministers of the Gospel and ambassadors of Christ. Some are called as five-fold ministers, given to the Body of Christ for the perfecting of that Body for the work of the ministry. These five-fold ministers will be judged by a higher standard than the rest of the Body. That is why it is not wise to seek an office to which you have not been called by the Father, Himself. We should not seek an office or a position or a title, but each of us should rather just be content to do only what the Spirit of God leads us to do even as we fulfill Mark 16:15-18. Here are some requirements for those who want to be used by God.

True ministers of the Gospel are those who are:

1. United to the Vine (John 15:5)

2. Chosen and ordained by God to the work of ministry

John 15:15 AMP – I do not call you servants (slaves) any longer, for the servant does not know what his master is doing (working out). But I have called you My friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from My Father. [I have revealed to you everything that I have learned from Him.]

2 Corinthians 5:18-21 NKJV – Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

1 Timothy 1:12-13 NKJV – And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry.

3. Laborers to bring forth fruit, not idlers or lazy wasters of time and opportunities

John 15:16 AMP – You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed you [I have planted you], that you might go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit may be lasting [that it may remain, abide], so that whatever you ask the Father in My Name [as presenting all that I AM], He may give it to you.

John 6:27 TMB – “Don’t waste your energy striving for perishable food like that. Work for the food that sticks with you, food that nourishes your lasting life, food the Son of Man provides. He and what he does are guaranteed by God the Father to last.”

4. Goers to the work, not waiters for the work

Acts 1:8 NKJV – “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Mark 16:15-18 NKJV – And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.  17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV – “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

5. Prayers that get results (John 15:16)

James 5:16b NKJV – The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

1 John 3:22 AMP – And we receive from Him whatever we ask, because we [watchfully] obey His orders [observe His suggestions and injunctions, follow His plan for us] and [habitually] practice what is pleasing to Him.

6. Lovers of all men (1 Corinthians 13)

John 15:12-13 NKJV – This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

1 John 3:18-19 NKJV – My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.

1 John 3:22-23 NKJV – And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. 23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.

JOSHUA’S CALL – LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP

firm, for you shall go with this people into the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to possess it. 8 It is the Lord Who goes before you; He will [march] with you; He will not fail you or let you go or forsake you; [let there be no cowardice or flinching, but] fear not, neither become broken [in spirit – depressed, dismayed, and unnerved with alarm].
Deuteronomy 31:7-8 AMP

By the end of his life, Moses had brought the people as far as he could, and it was time for new leadership – the baton was being passed. Joshua was God’s choice to take over from Moses. God gave Joshua his mission: to finish what Moses started. Joshua wasn’t better or worse than Moses – but he was God’s choice for the task that remained to be done at that time. Before Moses died, he publicly installed Joshua as his successor at the Lord’s direction, so there could be a smooth transition, with no arguments from the people later. Most of the time, if people are given their own choice of leadership, they will choose by looking at their appearance – the way they look or the way they present themselves. God chooses based on the heart! God’s choice doesn’t always look to man like the best choice, but it IS! We should not be too quick to judge anyone after the flesh – from a human point of view – especially under the New Covenant. 2 Corinthians 5:16 AMP says, “Consequently, from now on we estimate and regard no one from a [purely] human point of view [in terms of natural standards of value]. [No] even though we once did estimate Christ from a human viewpoint and as a man, yet now [we have such knowledge of Him that] we know Him no longer [in terms of the flesh].” God does not call a person because of their ability alone, but He calls them because they make themselves available to Him, to obey and follow Him!

Joshua, not only had to face giants, but he also had to convince the Israelites to follow his leadership even as he followed God’s orders. The secret was in meditating in God’s word day and night and doing only what the Lord instructed him to do. God promised Joshua that if he implicitly obeyed Him, he would be successful in everything that he did! If God calls us to do something and if we worry too much about the opinion of other people, then we will choose our path based on what the people want rather than on what God wants. The Bible says that the fear of man is a trap of the enemy. If we choose to please people and do what we think will make them happy or what will cause the least amount of “waves”, then we cannot and will not please God!

Paul says this about when the Lord initially called Him: “But when it was the good pleasure of the One who set me apart before I was born and called me by His grace to give me an inward revelation of His Son in order that I might proclaim Him as glad tidings among the Gentiles, immediately I did not put myself in communication with flesh and blood for the purpose of consultation; neither did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and again returned to Damascus.” (Galatians 1:15-17 Wuest). It is fine and right to have certain godly people who offer godly counsel for your life, but when God clearly speaks to you, then stop talking and go and do what He’s told you to do! Asking everyone else for their opinion is a distraction, and waiting for their approval is a time-waster. We must focus on the Lord and what He’s called us to do and just get on with it. Leave the rest to the Lord to take care of. God knows what He’s doing – just trust Him and do what He says. It takes courage to obey God and to do it in spite of other people’s opinions!

Again Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:6-8 AMP, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God [all the while] was making it grow and [He] gave the increase. 7 So neither he who plants is anything nor he who waters, but [only] God Who makes it grow and become greater. 8 He who plants and he who waters are equal (one in aim, of the same importance and esteem), yet each shall receive his own reward (wages), according to his own labor.”  People are often tempted to compare their leaders with other leaders, either favorably or unfavorably; lifting one up even as they are putting the other down. It is human nature to compare and compete, but if you get hung up with comparisons and picking sides, then it will only result in strife and competition! This comparing and competing is a work of the flesh and betrays the carnality of those involved.

Romans 12:3 AMP says, “For by the grace (unmerited favor of God) given to me I warn everyone among you not to estimate and think of himself more highly than he ought [not to have an exaggerated opinion of his own importance], but to rate his ability with sober judgment, each according to the degree of faith apportioned by God to him.”  We must not have a too high estimation of ourselves OR a too low estimation of God and His ability in and through us! We are nothing without Him; but with and through Him, we can do all that He’s called us to do. We must appreciate each other for the gift that each of us is to the Body of Christ and also that we are each called to a different calling. If we will mind our own business, obey God for our own life, and get on with the task He has assigned to us, then God’s overall will shall be done in the end!

The Light of the World

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”  John 8:12 NKJV

Jesus is the Light of the world. If we follow Him, we will walk in the light of life. The place Jesus preached this was in the Temple – specifically He was in the treasury. People brought their offerings there, but there were also some burning candles there that represented the Pillar of Fire that went before the children of Israel when God led them out of Egypt, kept them while they were in the desert and led them into the Promised Land. The Pillar of Fire represents God’s presence, protection, and guidance – which we also have in the person of Jesus Christ – if we follow, and continue to follow, Him.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” John 3:16-21 NKJV

God sent Jesus – the Light of the world – to save the world. We are not waiting for the light – light is already here – however, many people won’t come to know this wonderful light of freedom, because they love the darkness more than the light. Their deeds are evil and they refuse to come to the light because they want to sin and keep sinning. To come to experience God’s light, through Jesus, one must be prepared to come to the light, have sin exposed and cleansed and then to walk free from the power of sin.

People, who don’t have Jesus, like to talk about “enlightenment”. The dictionary says this about the word “enlightenment”: 1. The act or means of enlightening or the state of being enlightened. 2. Buddhism: the awakening to ultimate truth by which man is freed from the endless cycle of personal reincarnations to which all men are otherwise subject. 3. Hinduism: a state of transcendent divine experience represented by Vishnu: regarded as a goal of all religion. 4. The Enlightenment, a philosophical movement of the 18th century, characterized by belief in the power of human reason and by innovations in political, religious, and educational doctrine.

People seek “enlightenment” by human means and human knowledge and understanding, but if you don’t want Jesus’ light, then you will continue to walk in the darkness, striving in vain to attain some light of understanding with your natural mind that will ultimately get you nowhere. People are trying to BE gods, when they could have Him come live on the inside of them if they would only receive Jesus! It’s the devil, up to his old tricks, trying to usurp the throne of God; deceiving people into thinking they can be like God and know what He knows. On earth, even if it is night time, you have the moon and the stars, but if you die without Jesus, you will end up in a place of darkness where there is NO light at all, no matter how much “enlightenment you think you have attained.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.  John 1:1-9 NKJV

John the Baptist was not the Light of the world, only the one who went before Jesus to bear witness that He was the true Light, who lights every man! Even as the sun shines upon every man – Jew or Gentile – so, every man was to be blessed by the Messiah (see also Isaiah 49:6). “The darkness did not comprehend the light” – this actually means that the darkness of evil could not extinguish the light – it never has and never will overcome God’s light! Darkness could not: “seize upon; keep down or under; stop; to catch up with in the sense of to discover or detect” the light. It means that the satanic powers of darkness did not overcome the Word/the Light, but that the Word/ the Light overcame and spoiled them on the cross!

In the light of God’s presence, we see ourselves as we really are – sinners in need of a Savior. When we follow Jesus, the true Light, He removes the darkness of sin from our lives; we can avoid walking blindly and falling into sin; He lights the path ahead of us so we can see how to live. We are not the source of God’s light, but, just like John the Baptist, we are reflections of it – pointing people always toward the Lord Jesus Christ!

Simeon dedicated the baby Jesus with these words from Luke 2:29-32 NKJV: “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”  Then in Matthew 4:16 NKJV, Jesus quoted Isaiah 9:2, saying, “The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.”

As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”  John 9:5 NKJV

Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.  36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”  John 12:35-36a NKJV

For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.  2 Corinthians 4:6 NKJV

Rodney Howard Browne brings good news to Cocoa Florida

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