Our Future Is Not Constrained!

This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the LORD. This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 23:4-11 NIV

No matter what has happened or what is happening in our world, our future is secure when we know God’s plans will come to pass. We have nothing to fear in the battle and we shall win!

There though be dark clouds of doubt,

Shadows creeping into the crevices of our minds,

We defeat the enemy and burst his bubble,

Of fame and glory with praise to Our God!

Never think for a moment we are forgotten,

For our God is not man and He never forgets,

Those who love Him and just Believe

He is and He will carry us through to victory,

In Jesus, our banner, and standard for living.

When we know who we are and who He is,

Nothing the enemy does can shake our faith,

In the One who created all things and without Him,

Nothing was ever created–without a purpose for His glory!

Be strong in His might and know

Wherever we go, He is always with us! We’re never alone!

 

 

 

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Understanding Our Ministry Purpose!

” (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, and teachers to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:9-13 NIV)

Christ, Himself gave gifts to men and women to function in the roles of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers–all promoting The Word and how to live a Godly life–so that all in the Body of Christ will know what they are to do and how they are to live.  Christ did not set up denominations or religions to divide those who Believe Him, but to bring all who believe into unity–one purpose–teaching all, what God said in preparation for His return.

The ministry gifts–given to those chosen to function in those offices are accompanied with the Spiritual gifts as noted in I Corinthians 12:7-11 (a separate lesson coming soon). All of the spiritual gifts are given as Holy Spirit chooses to those He chooses–not as we desire. Many have been given the gifts of healing and manipulated the gift to bring attention to self and have been exposed for the deception. We are not give gifts to exploit people, but to provide purpose for what we do, magnifying God in all we do–so He gets the glory, not us.

But note this:  The nine gifts listed, cooperatively work in groups of three–faith, healing and miracles; prophecy, speaking in tongues and interpretation, wisdom, knowledge and discernment–all working together for the same purpose, but through different individuals. For anyone to claim they operate in all nine of the spiritual gifts–on their own–I would question the validity of that claim based upon the scriptures and discount anything else they had to say.

This is why it is important for all Believers to know and understand The Word. It is not enough to know what is said without having understanding of what is said and why. It is because so many have gone out–proclaiming and declaring things that God did not say, that we have so much confusion in the Body of Christ today. We must read, study, mediate upon The Word, gaining understanding before we attempt to tell anyone else, anything.

One of the reasons people attempt to manipulate the gift given is because they do not understand their purpose in ministry. They proclaim they have been called by God (when actually some have been called by people) and spend little to no time, preparing to function in the calling they claim. When God calls us–He equips us to do the work He has called us to do–naturally, supernaturally, and spiritually. He inspires us to study, directs us to where we can find information to clarify our roles and in understanding His Word. He speaks to us when we allow ourselves to hear Him, guiding us every step of the way.

When He anoints us to do something out of the ordinary, it is the supernatural gifting and operation of Holy Spirit in control, not us and all we have to do is submit to His leading and by this submission, people will know–whether we are called by God or we have allowed men/women to influence our decision to get into ministry.

Doing the work of ministry is not always a pleasant task, but it is a necessary task and when we do it to the glory of God, we know it is worthwhile.

Before we go out into the world of unsuspecting people trying to make our name for ourselves, let’s seek God and obtain understanding the purpose of the ministry gifts and then allow Him to fill us  to overflowing to function in the gifts, He gives!

When The Enemy Attacks, We Say What God Says!

“Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son.No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.”(I John 2:22-24 NIV) 

Just as John wrote to the churches, reminding them of who they are in Christ and His promise of eternal life because the enemy was trying to lead them astray (v.26), so too, do I write. My daily writings are reminders to those who Believe and Know God for themselves and understand that our relationship with Him, is supposed to be an intimate, individual relationship that is binds us together by love.

We cannot claim to know and love one–Jesus or The Father–without loving the other since they are One–in purpose and intent–to provide us eternal life with them.

There is only one reason that I can think of that confuses people about the relationship between Jesus and The Father. Very simply put, misunderstanding or no comprehension of John’s relationship with Jesus to know that what He tells us is God’s Truth and not his own. God is a Spirit–and we who worship must worship Him in spirit and truth. He loves us so much He came down from in the likeness of flesh–called Himself Jesus (He told Mary what to name the baby), lived among men and understood temptation as we know it, yet did not sin. He didn’t cave or give into sin and whenever the devil tried to tempt Him, He stood on The Word of The Father by reminding the devil, “It is written…” Now, I want people to note that when Jesus told the devil that it was written (He said what God said), He wasn’t concerned with chapter and verse, but the content of the chapter and verse.

Sometimes people get so caught up with “quoting” chapter and verse they forget the intent of the content for which they’re quoting. If a person has no understanding of the intent of the content, knowing the chapter and verse where it’s found is pointless. The Word–purpose and intent of the content–should be so engrained in Believers that we can say what God says every time the enemy attempts to say anything to us. We are to be living letters–by our conduct and behavior and treatment of others–as to the intent and purpose of who God called us to be. We are His children–children of the Light, not the darkness, and it’s time we acted like it by saying what Our Father says.

If we say what He says, people will be offended and convicted of sin for that is the purpose of The Word, along with encouraging us to live a life that pleases God. We do not have to trade barbs with either the unbelieving or those who claim to believe, but don’t know The Word.

If they want to belittle us or demean us when we say what God says–tell them thanks and move on–shaking the dust from our feet. Some will hear us and some won’t. We are not responsible for whether people receive what we say when we say what God says. They are. We are responsible for telling people what God says. And when we love others as we are told, we want others to know the truth and not be deceived by the enemy’s lies.

Perseverance in Faith Just To Hear, “Well Done!”

“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (1 Peter 1:6,7 NIV)

When we’re feeling a little put upon with the burdens of the world, persecuted for our faith in God and what He says, we can review what Peter is saying to the new Christians and know our suffering is not in vain. Now, according to Peter, the trials come to establish and prove our genuine faith–a faith worth more than gold–in all God says and we stand firm on The Word. When Jesus returns–there will be a celebration of our determination to stand firm in our faith, resulting in praise, glory, and honor–standing before Him and hearing–“Well done my faithful servant.” I can hear Him now! Hallelujah!

All that I’ve done will be judged and just the thought of knowing I can hear those words, makes me want to do and be better about everything I do in the name of The Lord! I can look forward to seeing Him–face-to-face–without fear of what He’s going to say. What a wonderful feeling! Knowing that I will eventually hear–well done–makes dealing with the trials of life more palatable.

Here is an answer for the naysayers about the “whys” of God. He has a purpose for everything that Believers go through and within His purpose, grace and mercy will abound and see us through the trials so we will praise Him. Jesus told us–The Believers–that in the world, we would have trials and persecutions, but not to worry because He has overcome the world (John 16:33).

Being an overcomer is not necessarily an easy task, but it is a worthwhile venture. We are all overcomers–we stand in faith upon what God says and will not be deterred by popular opinion or political correctness–and because of our stance, many will deride and belittle our faith, but glory to God, let them–they too shall have their just reward. Thank You, Lord for helping us to stay in position for victory, no matter how tiresome or weary the battle is for we know--we are more than conquerors in all things and You have already defeated the enemy who influences those who are slaves to their flesh. Hallelujah!

Fulfilling His Purpose!

“for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13 NIV).

If we, as believers in God, accept His Word as His revealed purpose for our lives, then what He spoke through Jeremiah speaks volumes as to God’s plans for our lives. “For I know the plans I have for you,”declares The Lord,  “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (29:11 NIV).

When we prosper (and not just in material wealth), we are fulfilling God’s good purpose for our lives. Our prosperity is a result of our obedience in all things and therefore we should not be ashamed to declare what God has done and is doing in our lives.

With all of the head-shaking and murmurs against “prosperity preachers” one would have to wonder if those complaining read and understood and had God reveal His truth about His Word. God is not against our prosperity--He might have some issues with how some have prospered, especially if the means to prosper encompassed misleading people or lying, or being corrupt. Not every so-called prosperity preacher is just preaching prosperity. We need to listen with our whole “spiritual ears” and hear what is being said.  The notion that God intended for His children to live like paupers is so beneath a loving, Father, that I wonder–who people are really serving when they think God wants us to be poor!

Throughout The Word, we are told the outcome or results, if you will, of our being obedient: we would have good success and everything we put some effort into would prosper; His blessings will overtake us and we’ll be the lenders, not the borrowers; we’ll be the head and not the tail in business; and this list could go on and on. When Jesus was teaching His disciples just before His return, He told, “whatever you ask of the Father in my name, that I will do.” So, where’s the problem with prosperity?

Some want to amass riches for their own purposes, but there are many of us who have faith and confidence in God’s Word so that we can “assist those in need.” The more we prosper, the more we can help others and this is the Will of God that we–born-again believers–help those who cannot help themselves. If we were doing this right now, this country would not need welfare benefits, but it is because of those in political offices–those who have become greedy and forgot the needy, that this country is in such a mess. When those who God has promoted to positions to help, forget how they got there, chaos and confusion reign and their only concern is what they can get out of the situation; not in helping others. We see that right now–with a Congress that won’t work for the people, but are more interested in pushing their own agenda. This is not part of God’s plan–this is pure politics. Since that is the case–I can only conclude the politicians involved are not acting in accordance to God’s plan to fulfill His good purposes.

Father, help us to understand You better.  Give us a heart like Your heart.  Give us a mind-set so we can think like You think. Move every obstacle out of our way so we can accomplish all that You have planned for us so Your good purposes will be fulfilled. In Jesus’ name, I pray and thank You, Amen!