Which one are you?

This is an example from Bishop Carl Smith at New Birth Pittsburg/Oakland. www.newbirthcal.org  He spoke this in church and I thought it was powerful and I agree!  I’ll paraphrase… Two men are sitting in church.  One is blessed and walking in what God has for him and the other is in lack.  The difference between these two men is that the one being blessed is in AGREEMENT with what is being said.  He sets his mind in agreement with God and the word of God being spoken in his life.  The man in lack is judging every word and doubting.  He is doubting God, the house of God and the preaching of the word.  Which one is you?

The Good Life

At 8:40 a.m. on 11-27-10 I was sitting in the sanctuary and God revealed to me "the good life."  He said it is to help all that I am able to help, to live simply, don't go for whatever I thought was the "top."  At the top will only bring agony, strife, cause me to have eccentricities and fear.  He said strive to be a blessing to all you come in contact with and be simple, live simple, Glorify God.  I made note of this in my journal and then last week when Eric and I were having devotion he read Proverbs 23.  This brought confirmation.  I won't type it so it will cause those called to search the scripture out.

Opportunity

The San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank executive VP John Williams stated “Recovery will continue to be a long, drawn out affair … there’s no sector of the economy, not consumers, not business and not government, that’s waiting to surge ahead and drive a strong recovery.”  Saints, could this be an opportunity?

Empowerment

Interesting how changing the name of something can change its power/effectiveness.  Our Bishop renamed the Wednesday night church service and now calls it “Empowerment Service.”  Seems like giving it this title gave it purpose.  Just as with us…  When you know who you are and why God created you then you can move in life with power and effectiveness.  You now have direction, identity and integrity to protect and project going forward.  Know who you are.  Know who God says you are.  If you need to know who you are visit New Birth Pittsburg California Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. or Sunday's 7:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. or the Oakland campus Sunday's at 11:30 a.m. or Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. in the Kaiser auditorium.  www.newbirthcal.org

FIRST Choice

This should be our prayer, what we strive for…  Lord, I want you to be my First Choice.  The first one I call when I'm in a trial or sad.  The first one I call when I’m happy.  The first one I think of in the morning.  The first one I go to when I'm hurt.  The FIRST one I go to for every decision, the first one to counsel me.  No one can love me like you and no one has a better interest in me than you.  I trust you Lord.  Help me remember to go to you FIRST.

Trials/Tests

Every trial/test that comes to your door, you have to handle.  How well will you deal with it?  Will you have to keep dealing with the same issues over and over again or will you pass your tests the first time?  Also, just because you pass this test doesn’t mean there won’t be another test.  Here’s the hope… Every test you pass in life enables you to overcome that test when it arises again with ease, AND the new tests that come your way will be easier to recognize and handle because you’ve been overcoming so much already. 

You want to minister?

So you want to go into ministry huh? Listen to Bishop Tudor Bismark and you may change your mind. click here
and here.

Assurance brings joy

I have a new assurance. A knowing inside that no matter what my life holds it is what God has for me. That no matter what I do as my occupation or volunteer work it is what He has for me and that is exactly what I want. I want what He wants. This brings joy and freedom. This is my liberty.

Dead Right

Some people are so concerned with their word being right. I know someone who would say, “Oh, that’s never gonna work for me but give me the info I’ll check it out.” They try it in hopes that it won’t work for them so they can say “See, I was right!” Are you that way? Do you prophecy doom and hope it happens so you can “be right?” Do you want to prove your right all the time so badly that you would actually cause your own demise or trouble for yourself or someone else? Sure you can be right, dead right. Try this... hope for the best and watch your good words bring about good things.

Don't panic

We don’t panic when something goes wrong, sickness tries to manifest or accidents attempt our lives. We keep cool because we KNOW that our time is not over yet. We have a purpose and it has not been fulfilled yet. We don’t freak out about what tries to overcome us. Our destiny is not completed. We are walking in His will. We put the angels to work every day telling them to protect us and our family. We will fulfill our destiny.

Macy's Credit Card

Did you know… if you apply for a Macy’s credit card they give you 20% off your purchases for two days and everything you charge in that two days gets another 20% taken off when your bill arrives. That’s a 40% discount on things you may need for school or the fall season. Crazy deal. BUT PLEASE… pay off the bill when it arrives. www.macys.com

Transparency again

I have been having several health challenges. The latest one is an intense allergy. I know I’ve already been healed of allergies so this is bothersome to me. Slowing me down and causing me to doubt my healing that I knew I received by the power of Jesus Christ at the cross. However, I woke feeling awful again and my face and eyes were itchy, red and swollen. I spent time praying and reading the Word, as I am accustomed. I started to ready for work and could barely get ready and was not able to put any makeup on. It was all I could do to take a shower and get to work. People at work have not seen me without makeup so I am having to be “transparent” about my life, my walk and my trials. It is timely to ask the Lord to help me portray His amazing power, grace and love. I am reminded of what Smith Wigglesworth said... "I don't ask Smith Wigglesworth how Smith Wigglesworth feels because I would get an answer of the reflection around me and instead I want to get an answer from the Word of how and who Smith Wigglesworth is." http://www.smithwigglesworth.com/

Transparency sets people free

As I go around telling others “transparency sets people free” I am tested in this area. I was at the salon recently and my stylist mentioned they changed the product again so it was easier for her to work with. Great, I thought, I want it to be easy for her to do a good job. As I sat there reading “Taking Over” by Bishop Eddie L. Long www.eddiellong.com, the right side of my face went numb and I lost hearing in my right ear. I didn’t panic but I called for her and asked her if there was a possibility of the product causing this reaction. She said no. She started asking me several questions and I began to ask the Lord to heal me in Jesus name. In a moments time my face and hearing was restored. I explained to her how God is the same today as He was in the bible and He still heals people TODAY! I threw my arms in the air and said Praise God! The salon was silent during this entire episode hopefully hearing our every word and coming into a knowing of how amazing God is.

Being pliable

If you have to lose things so God can get you to a place where you are pliable then so be it. You will be better off in a place of vulnerability to God than in your own control. While you are in this place of loss and begin pliable you will be able to hear His voice. Let God be God and speak to you. He will speak. You will receive direction for your life.

No idle mind

Do you ever review your day? You know, at the end of the day do you revisit everything that happened even conversations? What if we were to do this… rehearse what God has said to you that day, remember the miracles He’s done in your life. Revisit those. Repeat to yourself what He said about you, repeat the dreams and visions you’ve had. Then begin to thank Him. This is a great use of the mind for preparation of where He is taking you.

The free gift

How can you hold back the gift of God for healing or anything else? It sounds like this… I don’t like you, you’re weird, you’re the wrong color, you treated me badly in 2002, I remember you from before and hmmmm, you sat in my chair last Sunday, you never say hello. That’s what it sounds like in the head of a person holding back what God gave them freely. We have to impart God’s gifting to others by teaching, the laying on of hands, encouragement, prayer and impartations. We also have to get to the point where we don’t choose, by our judging, who we bestow kindness upon. God doesn’t have favorites. He is no respecter of persons. We should be the same.

It's not yours.

Do you think the anointing is only for you? Do you think you can reach everyone? Do you think everyone who walks in your doors will receive from you? Do you raise up people and “allow” them your spot knowing they are not fully equipped with your impartation? Do you keep back others that you feel may be more powerful than you? We are selfish if we believe the anointing is “ours”. Not everyone will be able to receive from you so we must pass on what we have. It will save lives. It will restore marriages, heal and set people free. Isn’t that what this is about… saving lives? When did it become “yours” and you don’t want to give freely? You can’t possible reach everyone anyway and you are stopping your own growth but more importantly the flow of kingdom growth.

Keys to freedom, security and fuel

The Rick Warren interview was in perfect alignment with how I believe. He said,
"...about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church. I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating..." KEY FOR FREEDOM: When we are serving God without being dependent on the "congregation" to provide for us we are free to hear from God and serve only Him and say what He wants us to say without the fear of "losing" anyone.

KEY FOR SECURITY: Pastor Warren also said, "...in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit.. We made no major purchases." This brings security because the more you try to hide and seclude yourself the more people WANT to get at you. Just purchase a home that is safe and meets your needs and stay there. Purchase vehicles that are nice and reliable. Stay grounded in your mind. You give the media and IRS no reason to chase you. This brings peace and security. You live above reproach. Kathryn Kuhlman never moved from her original home. JC Penney tithed 90% of his income!

KEY FOR FUEL: Pastor Warren also said, "...we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation." This kind of forethought and giving causes fuel for you to exist and continue in what God has for you. It gives you even MORE fuel to do more for His kingdom because He can trust you. You can't out-give the One who owns it all. Give! He will take care of you!

RICK WARREN Interview - Part 2

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems:
If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, which is my problem, my issues, my pain.' But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her- It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people. You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy. It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.

So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit.. We made no major purchases.

Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.

Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.

Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD.

RICK WARREN Interview - Part 1

In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:
People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were not made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven. One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me. I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense. Life is a series of problems. Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort; God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness. This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer. I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore. Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life. No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.

God’s Voice

Know this… when you pray God answers. Here’s an example… I was in the bookstore at NBC (www.newbirthcal.org). There was a lady talking with the cashier. I thought, my goodness she’s taking long, wait a minute, she’s stalling, that’s weird. Then I heard God say to the man behind me, “buy her book for her.” Out of the corner of my eye I saw him start pacing. I don’t know what the man spoke back to God whether he argued or simply said, “God please confirm that” but a moment later God said it again, “buy her book for her.” The man stepped around me and said to the lady, “I’m supposed to buy your book for you.” I felt like I was on standby if this man did not do it I was to step in. The man so graciously purchased her book for her. She was delighted! How awesome that he obeyed and will reap a benefit from his obedience. But here’s my point… that lady had put in a request to God and that request was going to be honored. God had a second person lined up to buy her book. She was getting her book free that night no matter what! He does hear you! He is working it all out. When you pray, believe. When God asks you to do something, do it.

Lord PLEASE KEEP me

I'm re-posting this blog from June 2009 because I need it. Sorry for the re-run but this "holiness" chapter in my schoolbook is causing me pain of the thought I'm not able and the vision knocks me off my feet. So here it is... "Keep me Lord because I want to be kept." A prayer our Pastor/Apostle/Prophet/teacher/mentor/Bishop Carl Smith, New Birth California, prays. More about this awesome church at www.newbirthcal.org. I found myself praying “keep me Lord because I want to be kept” this morning, fervently. It had special meaning this morning as I thought, Lord, there are trials and devastation and during those I may be hurt or act stupid and Lord PLEASE keep me because I do want to be kept. Help me behave right in a storm. Help me keep my eyes on you when the trial comes. Help me pray instead of complain. Help me go to YOU for my encouragement and help. Keep me Lord because I DO want to be kept.

Philippians 2:10-16

That at the name of Jesus every knee should (must) bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

And every tongue frankly and openly confess and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed [my suggestions], so now, not only [with the enthusiasm you would show] in my presence but much more because I am absent, work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self-distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ).

[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.

Do all things without grumbling and faultfinding and complaining [against God] and questioning and doubting [among yourselves],

That you may show yourselves to be blameless and guiltless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish (faultless, unrebukable) in the midst of a crooked and wicked generation [spiritually perverted and perverse], among whom you are seen as bright lights (stars or beacons shining out clearly) in the [dark] world,

Holding out [to it] and offering [to all men] the Word of Life, so that in the day of Christ I may have something of which exultantly to rejoice and glory in that I did not run my race in vain or spend my labor to no purpose.

Burning desire

Usually the burning desires we have are a confirmation of what God has called us to do. Would you be burning inside from the thought your desire WOULD NOT COME TO PASS? Just the thought of it not happening - is there pain there?  If you came to the end of your life and you didn't go to Bible College or build that building or start that work program for the homeless would it hurt you inside? Would you be in anguish because you did not fulfill that desire? It's not too late.

The Storm

What do you do when the storm comes? Are you wishing it hadn’t come? What if the storm came to fulfill a purpose? Perhaps it was brought to push you back on track, to cause you to go deeper into prayer, to place you in a blessing position. Instead of praying the storm away or wishing it hadn’t ever come, thank God for the storm and ask Him what direction you are to take. Perhaps it’s here to push you into your destiny. Yes, I believe the storm has a purpose!

Who's mind is this?

So you’re going about your day and all of a sudden you have some thoughts. These thoughts are destructive, scary, critical, cutting you down or perhaps they are whisperings of a possible scheme against you. Stop right there and ask yourself… “who's mind is this” (from the book by Bishop Long). This is not your mind bringing these thoughts it’s the evil one, the devil. You tell him to shut up. Then you begin to pray over your mind for the things of God to come to fruition in your life. You declare you are a child of the almighty God and you begin to speak the OPPOSITE of the bad things the d was putting in your mind.

Chapter 1

The book “Deliver Me From Adam” has been life changing for me. Written by Bishop Long of New Birth. Chapter 1 helps you determine who or what outranks God in your life. For some its family, friends or the opinions of others. A simple way to figure out what outranks God is to add the amount of time you spend doing your favorite thing? Then ask yourself how much time do I spend with God? Our time spent with our Creator should win. We need to fix this.

Adam's curse, no thanks

At New Birth Church University we are reading the book “Deliver Me From Adam” by Bishop Eddie L. Long. Between this book and the teaching coming forth in class I have had some amazing discoveries. Some are painful and some are so enlightening. I encourage you to get this book and be amazed, set free, delivered and be able to experience freedom. It’s a weightless feeling hard to describe but once you read and feel this freedom you will endeavor to great things.  Stay tuned, I will elaborate in the days to come.

Dominion & Authority

The scriptures give witness to the dominion and authority that God has bestowed upon us. However, walking in this dominion and authority is not a simple task. You cannot be something if you don’t know what it is. You cannot become a pilot if you don’t read the manuals, go through the tests and travel the airways. Furthermore, if you don’t know what a pilot is or what they do you can’t even begin the journey. Even further to this point, if a pilot’s only companions are race car drivers he will loose his desire for his purpose and be steered away by the majority. Also, if his mentor is the captain of a ship his focus will be misplaced. When finding a mentor we should know what their intention is for us to ensure they do not have their own plan for our lives. We must stay true to our calling. So, not only reading your manual, passing the tests, and traveling the journey but who is traveling with you are essentials to knowing and living your identity.

We adapt!

As women we adapt. We make things work. If something is causing us grief, hardship or pressure we adapt. A gift and a curse. A curse because we tend to minimize our problems so we can deal with them. We say, “Oh, it’s not that bad.” When actually the week before we were in the bathroom crying about it. We also internalize the real weight of the problem and it shows up in our “weight” because we will overeat or starve ourselves. Now what? Well, admit the problems as they are and pray a specific prayer for God to bring solutions to you. Perhaps a new mindset or a new job. Our Pastor has us praying this, “Father God what is the plan that you have for my life? What did you already predestine me for and put me in the earth realm for?” Also, we need to ask ourselves, “What brings me the most fulfillment and joy? What is my passion?” Well, this was mostly about the curse of being able to adapt. The blessing part of being able to adapt is that no matter what comes into our lives we will make it!

What do you do?

When you’ve done everything in you to do and there are still walls blocking you? You have to ask yourself some questions… Is God protecting me from something? Should I be going in another direction? Am I in the right place? Is there something I need to change?  Selah.

He said clearly

Today during church I heard God clearly say, "obedience." He doesn't want your sacrifice He wants your obedience. Especially when it doesn't make sense. Just do what He told you to do. Do what His WORD (the bible) says or do what He told you to do. He also said, "I require more of you." You are so gifted and there is more He wants from you. There is more in you. Don't plan your course just live in obedience.

On the brink

When you know you are on the brink of your breakthrough you don’t give up. It may seem hard to keep going but don’t give up. You may not see everything coming into place for your good but keep believing. God is working it out on your behalf. Keep believing. Declare your breakthrough. This is part of what Bishop Carl Smith said on a Wednesday night bible study. Come visit and be set free and empowered to prosper. www.newbirthcal.org

Healthcare - must read

"... a convenient cover for the most massive transfer of power to the Executive Branch of government that has ever occurred...

If you decide not to have healthcare insurance, or if you have private insurance that is not deemed acceptable to the Health Choices Administrator, there will be a tax imposed on you..." read more at...

http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/connelly.asp

Make a declaration

Make a declaration of what you want your future to be (that is in line with what God says). Declare it, pray it, believe it. When trails come or it doesn’t look like you will have it, stop focusing on the bad, keep declaring your future and what you are expecting for your life. He doesn’t want us to give up on what we declared, God wants to bless you, keep the faith in what you declared. If you can’t hang on believing in faith for it to come to pass how can God trust you with what you dreamed for if you can’t even make it past the first hurdle? Key: declare, believe.

Wishy-washy

I’ve had this word in my mind all week and it was confirmed this morning at prayer at www.newbirthcal.org. Bishop used the word “wishy-washy” while he was talking. Not a common word I thought. So here’s what I’ve been pondering all week… we can’t be wishy-washy. We have to choose to believe what God said about us or our situation. Then we have to continue believing and declare it. When we see it may not happen we can’t say “oh well, I didn’t think it was going to happen anyway” that just revealed your lack of faith and that your heart is wishy-washy. When it looks like its not coming to pass KEY: keep believing, and any thought that enters your mind that is negative you say no and then say the opposite, you keep praying and pray in tongues, you fast and pray.

Excerpt from my school paper

People can argue all day long whether God is the creator versus some other belief. The truth no one can argue is my personal experiences. Like millions of other people, I have had a personal experience with God. He has manifested Himself as my healer, my teacher, my best friend, my husband, my father, He has been everything to me. You can’t tell me it was a coincidence that when I was loosing my eyesight and fell to the floor, the only word I spoke was “Jesus” and my eyesight returned in that second. Not a coincidence! It’s not luck when I’m walking across the street and the Holy Spirit says to me, “this car does not see you, stop here” and the car races by where I would have been. It wasn’t that the stars were aligned at just the right moment so I could meet my husband. He came after I accepted Christ into my life. God gave me the desires of my heart. He wants to bless you, His child. I never thought I would be married or find someone that would love me with all my faults and past. It’s endless the benefits, blessings and miracles that are available to the believer of our Lord Jesus Christ. Simply ask Him to prove Himself to you. He will.

Jewish Interpreters

We’ve had brilliant examples in our textbook describing how scripture can be misinterpreted or misunderstood and believed. “Old testament prophesies concerning the coming of the Messiah reveals that there were two streams of thought. One stream spoke of the deity of Christ, while the other spoke of the humanity of Christ. The Jewish interpreters of the Old Testament could not reconcile these streams. They could not understand how the Messiah could be divine, and yet also human. Thus they erred in understanding and missed the very Messiah that their Scriptures prophesied would come.” They missed the Messiah because they had a pre-conceived idea of how it would happen or what it would look like. We need to be careful when we have faith and believe for something that we don’t plan how God will do it. We pray and believe for it to come to pass and leave the details up to God.

Proof it shall be

Last night someone said God told her and her husband to fast and give an offering. If God gives you a plan/instruction isn’t that proof its going to happen? Here’s the map and the treasure is here. Isn’t it as though God is saying, “If you do this I will bless you?” If God is telling you HOW to win then all that is required is your obedience. Right?

Hope / Faith

I had two people tell me last week, “It’s not good to expect or be so optimistic, you’ll only be disappointed.” WHAT! This bothered me and I realized that people are lowering their level of expectation/hope or having none at all as a means of protection – so they don’t get hurt. How sad this makes me and must make God. What is it that GOD gave you in a dream/desire? Believe and pray for it to come to fruition. If you don’t believe for anything how can He move on your behalf in your life? We are to believe and hope for something, pray and trust God for the outcome. The bible clearly states, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” “We can” and “We will” need to be on your lips. When GOD is in your life anything is possible through prayer, trusting and believing in Him. GOD is an omnipotent GOD, and He knows how, where, and when to FULFILL HIS WORD to you. All we need is to allow GOD to do HIS PERFICT WILL in us. Keep believing, keep hoping.

Prosper in famine

The industry I’m in brings daily news of the financial woes of this time we are living in. We have to guard ourselves against the negative voices in the earth realm. God wants us to prosper whether there is a famine or not. He will provide for you. Keep believing, keep praying.

5 Cookies

I got free recently from one of Pastor Joseph Prince's sermons. FYI… he learned a great deal from Pastor Haggin. Pastor Prince was talking about when you do something that you’re not supposed to do/make a bad decision and then you beat yourself up for it. Simple Example: You eat 5 cookies and then you keep replaying it in your mind, saying I shouldn’t have done that, why did I do that, how stupid, etc, etc. The stress and sickness you are causing your body does not come from the 5 cookies it comes from your regretful words that you are speaking to yourself! Your regret is what hurts you not the fact you ate this or did that. Stop yelling at yourself! Move on, get over it and BE FREE, BE HEALTHY. Don’t cause yourself stress from something you chose to do. Quote from Pastor Prince, “If grace is not radically preached, lives will not be radically transformed.” http://www.josephprince.org/

The Bar

A few weeks ago I had this thought... "the bar is being raised."  Well, let me tell you, it has happened.  What was required of you before has been increased.  What was expected of you has changed and is now greater.  You must rise to meet the bar at its new level.  But fear not, you have in you, what you need, to do what is required.  Step up and step out and as you go the equipping will manifest.  This is probably happening in every aspect of your life.  This is good.  A stretching, a growing... its healthy. 

God-given Destiny

What would it look like if everyone was fulfilling their God-given destiny? WOW. Everyone in their right place would cause them to flow in the power of God. People would be healed, saved, delivered, given direction, given wisdom, given gifts from the Spirit of God. You would rise up against any enemy and succeed. Yes, there would be opposition/temptations but as Minister Paul reminded me… no matter what comes against us God always provides a battle plan, a way out, an exit door, a way of escape. You would have clarity in situations. You would be helping so many people being fully empowered by your true gifting. The favor of God would overtake you because you are pleasing to Him.

Complaining?

Complaining? Oh the church wants me to fill out more forms, they want us to fast, they want, he wants, she wants, blah blah blah. Let me ask you a question… did God call you here? Did He give you a vision for your life? Is it beyond you? Well then, are you going to let a form or some other menial thing keep you from your destiny? You have to be connected to a man of God that is fulfilling his destiny to fulfill yours. I have one more word to say, comply.

Without faith

The bible states that without faith it is impossible to please God. Wow, impossible to please Him! What is faith? Well, the dictionary describes faith as: belief and trust in and loyalty to God, belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion, firm belief in something for which there is no proof, complete trust. So if we don’t BELIEVE, it is impossible to please God. If you don’t BELIEVE what it says in the bible that God sent His only son to die on the cross for your sins, to mend the broken communication between mankind and God, and to give you eternal life then your “good works” your “good deeds” here on earth are in vain. It is impossible to please God if you don’t believe in Him and His word. The book of Romans 8:28 reads “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him…” If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and you are not believing that God, no matter what is going on in your life (divorce, child loss, financial loss) that God works it all out and makes good things come of every situation, then it is impossible to please God. Why do we have to have faith/belief? For our own survival! When you have faith/belief in God you are lining up with His word and therefore setting yourself in agreement with Him. This will please God and you will be blessed.

Fiery Darts (part 2)

… sometimes you will hear things that you think are a word of knowledge but they are actually a fiery dart! You know, a destructive word coming to you. You hear it and if you give your voice, heart and mind over to it you can bring it to pass. So when a fiery dart comes into your head you do not repeat it over and over in your head, you do not speak it out loud. You do what the bible says in the book of 2 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 5 ‘casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.’ So you do this… when a thought comes in that is not of Christ you speak against it and declare God’s word. If the thought was “you’ll never make it” then you say, “Jesus died on the cross for me and all my sins AND my healing.”  Also, find other scriptures of healing and memorize and speak those forth also.

Fiery Darts

The bible of our Lord Jesus Christ says this… In the book of Acts, chapter 2, verse 17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.’ Then in the First book of Corinthians, chapter 14, verse 1 ‘Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.’ Here’s the hard part. When you are trying to pursue the prophecy gifting your not always sure who’s voice your hearing. This is why it is so important to know the Bible, the word of God. So you can reference the bible to see if what you are hearing is in God’s character to speak to you. Then… stay tuned tomorrow.