Daily Word – Page 14 – Daughters of Z

Ears to Hear

Good Morning,

I am reminded over and over again about the greatest thing that we as Christians need to grow in. There are many areas that we need to develop skills in, but for us saints, it is the Word of God that we need to develop in more than them all. Yet, quite often it is not measured to the level of importance that we should hold it to. Listen as we read about the "Rechabites'. They valued the words that were left to them by their ancestors, with greater esteem than most Christians do for God's Word. "THE WORD that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: Go to the house of the Rechabites and speak to them and bring them into the house of the Lord, into one of the chambers; then give them [who are pledged to drink no wine] some wine to drink. So I took Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites, And I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah the man of God, which was by the chamber of the princes, above the chamber of Maaseiah son of Shallum the keeper of the door. And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pitchers full of wine, and cups, and I said to them, Drink wine. But they said, We will drink no wine, for Jonadab son of Rechab, our father, commanded us: You shall not drink wine, neither you nor your sons, forever. Neither shall you build a house or sow seed or plant a vineyard or have them; but you shall dwell all your days in tents, that you may live many days in the land where you are temporary residents. And we have obeyed the voice of Jonadab son of Rechab, our father, in all that he charged us, to drink no wine all our days–we, our wives, our sons, and our daughters— And not to build ourselves houses to live in; nor do we have vineyard or field or seed. But we have dwelt in tents and have obeyed and done according to all that Jonadab our ancestor commanded us. But when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came up against the land, we said, Come and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans and the army of the Syrians. So we are living in Jerusalem. Then came the word of the Lord to Jeremiah: Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Go and say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will you not receive instruction and listen to My words and obey them? says the Lord. The command which Jonadab son of Rechab gave to his sons not to drink wine, has been carried out and established [as a custom for more than two hundred years]. To this day they drink no wine, but they have obeyed their father's command. But I, even I, have persistently spoken to you, but you have not listened to and obeyed Me. I have sent also to you all My servants the prophets earnestly and persistently, saying, Return now every man from his evil way and amend your doings and go not after other gods to serve them; and then you shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers. But you did not submit and consent to Me or listen to and obey Me. Since the sons of Jonadab son of Rechab have fulfilled and established the command of their father which he commanded them, but these people have not listened to and obeyed Me, Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing upon Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them, because I have spoken to them, but they have not listened, and I have called to them, but they have not answered. And Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Because you have obeyed the command of Jonadab your father and have kept all his precepts and have done according to all that he commanded you, Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Jonadab son of Rechab shall never fail [to have] a man [descendant] to stand before Me." (Jeremiah 35) The Rechabites were being tested by Jeremiah, a prophet of God, to test their faithfulness to their ancestor's words. They resisted temptation by remaining faithful to the word that was given them. Wow, this is a picture of how we should be concerning God and His Word. God wants to know, if the Rechabites can be faithful to their 'human' ancestor's words, why can't we be faithful to love and obey His? When the Word that we have from God is being tested, will we stand the test of temptation and remain immovable?

Because, after all, "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts." (2 Peter 1:19) God's Word is the sure word of prophecy, if we keep the covenant of His Word, He will do what He promises in His sure word. "Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations." (Deut. 7:9) God longs to show Himself strong on our behalf. All He needs is a covenant keeper, a people that believe His word and will remain as faithful to it as the Rechabites. He says, "My covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of My lips. (Ps. 89:34) "Then said the Lord to Me, you have seen well for I Am active and alert watching over My Word to perform it.(Jer.1:12) What is it that you need from God's covenant Word, be faithful to it, and God will hasten to do it in your life? Do you need Him as Jehovah-Rophe, the Lord your healer; or as Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord Who sees and provide? Maybe you need Him as Jehovah- Shalom, the Lord your peace, or maybe you need him to "Shepherd you' through a hard place, Jehovah-Rohi. God is trustworthy and you are worth His trust also, because you will keep His Word. After all, He is our only hope. So throw everything into the hands of our Mighty God and watch and see what he will do. He will always keep His promises. "For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us." (2 Corin. 1:20)

Love,

Pastor D.

Ears to Hear

Good Morning,

Hear the Spirit of the Lord;

This year will be a time to dig deeper in order to experience the new that I have for you. There will be rare and unique opportunities available to My children to advance the Kingdom. It is paramount for you to be attentive, for there will be a blowing away of old issues. Shackles and bonds will fall off, as you continue to meditate on My promises to you. Decisions and choices that you make will change your course, so make sure that they are formed from My Word. Holy Spirit will assist you to stay on My course, far from accusing tongues. My favor will surround you and crown your year with a bountiful harvest, even the hard pathways will overflow in abundance. This overflow is in various ways, it will affect the whole man. All who will abide under My shadow, I will lavish My protection upon.

I hear your voice as you cry out to Me in the night season, I Am your rescue and your deliverance. I have chosen you and you are My special possession. My love for you is passionate and strong, I will not let you down. I will accomplish My will for you, it may seem impossible now, but there is nothing impossible to Me. I say to you now, be strong and accomplish the work that I have given you to do. I Am bringing everything together, for it is time, it is all working according to My plan. Remain faithful to My plan, for a reward awaits all who run to obtain it.

Join me as I think on this verse today. "Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still "today", so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ." (Hebrews 3:12-14) Don't let anything move you away from the great foundation of your faith. I am doing my part to warn my brothers and sisters to keep believing, not to quit. Faithful to the end, here are a group of synonyms that we should look at to examine our walk to see if we are as firm as we were when we first believed. Are you, loyal, reliable, affectionate, ardent, constant, dependable, devoted, enduring, firm, genuine, obedient, sincere, steadfast, steady, trustworthy, unchanging, and unwavering, with and to God? Let's work on being as faithful to God as He is to us. "Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don't drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it. I hope the test won't show that we have failed. But if it comes to that, we'd rather the test showed our failure than yours. We're rooting for the truth to win out in you. We couldn't possibly do otherwise." (2 Corin. 13:5-8; Message Bible)

Love,

Pastor D.

Scripture References: Ephes.1:9-11; 2 Tim. 3:6-8

Ears to Hear

Good Morning,

Let's spend a little time talking about interceding for those who are going through trying times. It is so easy for our prayers to be for 'me, mines and ours', because everyone is standing and believing God for something, right? Turning our prayers inward will not give us the desired results that we are seeking. I know that when we are overwhelmed by your own circumstances, it can be easy to be selfish, without really trying. Let's read James 5:17; "Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]". We as the Body of Christ must be more sensitive to the other members in the Body. Restore is to reconstruct and set to rights; to put back; to reorganize, to build up; reconstitute. Our intercession for others will cause them to be built up and things to be reorganized and set right in their lives. Hm-mm, sounds like a great seed for us to sow as we are expecting harvest from all that we do. Healed means to cure and to make whole. That's just what every member in the Body of Christ needs, to be made whole. Our prayers are powerful, if we continue to intercede and do it energetically, fervently, and like all get out. Do it like you expect them to actually receive from the Father, what you are praying for. So we all need to maintain, sustain, and persevere in our prayers for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Come let's "pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God's consecrated people)". (Ephes.6:18) We must pray in the Spirit because, "He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the [Holy] Spirit [what His intent is], because the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God's will". (Rom. 8:27) As we pray in the Spirit we will be praying in harmony with God's will for that person. After all, we know very little about what a person really needs in their lives to make them an overcomer. We have eyes that see the surface, while God is all the while dealing with the root, in order to bring forth healthier fruit. Just think, as we pray in the Spirit we are praying the intent of God. Intent implies a sustained unbroken commitment or purpose. We join as God's co-laborers for whoever we pray for in the Spirit (especially the household of faith). We are assisting someone else in order for them to fulfill God's purpose in their lives. Come on now, let's get our minds off of ourselves, for you know someone needs our prayers. "For whatever a man sows, that and that only is what he will reap. For he who sows to his own flesh (lower nature, sensuality) will from the flesh reap decay and ruin and destruction, but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint". (Gal. 6:7-9) We sow to the Spirit by praying in the Spirit, we must not sow to our flesh, by being selfish with our prayers. There is a whole world in need of God's Spirit- intercessors', let's be one. I am not telling you to forget about yourself or your family members, not at all, but broaden your prayers to include the Body of Christ and others. 1 Peter 4:7; says, "But the end and culmination of all things has now come near; keep sound minded and self-restrained and alert therefore for [the practice of] prayer". We are the people that pray at all times in every season, remember, that's what we do. Keep alert, stay wide awake, active, observant, ready and switched on. We need each other in more ways than one, especially as the end has been drawing near. Continue to intercede!

Love,

Pastor D.

Ears to Hear

Good Morning,

Today, I was reminded to, 'never settle for less than God's best'. Sometimes I have elected to settle for less because I thought that I was being humble. False humility has destroyed most of our 'divinely planned lives'. We as God's children have been given strength, power, and virtue, enough to do all that His Word says that we are capable of. What happens is that we become to entangled with the world's ideas and it's perceptions of ourselves. Listen to the Word: "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers [do not make mismated alliances with them or come under a different yoke with them, inconsistent with your faith]. For what partnership have right living and right standing with God with iniquity and lawlessness? Or how can light have fellowship with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and Belial [the devil]? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? What agreement [can there be between] a temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in and with and among them and will walk in and with and among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. So, come out from among [unbelievers], and separate (sever) yourselves from them, says the Lord, and touch not [any] unclean thing; then I will receive you kindly and treat you with favor. And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty". (2 Corin. 6:14-18) Don't swing to far to the left or right, you know as well as I do that we work, live, and some of us sleep with unbelievers. "Not [meaning of course that you must] altogether shun the immoral people of this world, or the greedy grasper's and cheats and thieves or idolaters, since otherwise you would need to get out of the world and human society altogether!". (1 Corin. 5:10) So you know the key is in making alliances or coming under the same yoke with unbelievers that is inconsistent with your faith. Still keep it together, I know that some of us married unbelievers before we were believers. You know what the Word says about that right? (1 Corin. 7:10-14) To make it simple, whatever state you came to the Lord in, stay that way concerning your married life. Okay, we are on the same page now. Yoke is the beam that joins two together in the same service, a coupling of obligation. Of course our service and obligation is to the Lord, while an unbeliever's service or obligation is usually to 'themselves or the god of this world system'. In other words we are not to take the world's wisdom as our way of doing and being, or determining our worth and value. God's desire for us is found throughout His Word, but listen to James; "External religious worship [religion as it is expressed in outward acts] that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God the Father is this: to visit and help care for the orphans and widows in their affliction and need, and to keep oneself unspotted and uncontaminated from the world". (James 1:27) Obviously we have need to do the first part of this verse as well, but we are talking about the second half. Staying uncontaminated from the world's way of thinking and doing things. We should be renewing our minds with God's Word and changing how we think and 'the why' we think the way we do will change our inner and outer results. "Let no person deceive himself. If anyone among you supposes that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool [let him discard his worldly discernment and recognize himself as dull, stupid, and foolish, without true learning and scholarship], that he may become [really] wise. For this world's wisdom is foolishness (absurdity and stupidity) with God, for it is written, He lays hold of the wise in their [own] craftiness. And again, The Lord knows the thoughts and reasonings of the [humanly] wise and recognizes how futile they are". (1 Corin. 3:18-20) We want to have God's wisdom, which far excels any earthly wisdom, we must think about ourselves the way God does in all of His wisdom.

I know that God's ways are so much higher than ours, so it takes some time for us to catch up to Him, but we do, as we renew our minds. Listen to what He says; "This is because the foolish thing [that has its source in] God is wiser than men, and the weak thing [that springs] from God is stronger than men. For [simply] consider your own call, brethren; not many [of you were considered to be] wise according to human estimates and standards, not many influential and powerful, not many of high and noble birth. [No] for God selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is foolish to put the wise to shame, and what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame. And God also selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is lowborn and insignificant and branded and treated with contempt, even the things that are nothing, that He might depose and bring to nothing the things that are.."(1 Corin. 1:25-28) The reason that God chooses the lowborn, the foolish, the insignificant ones, is so that our glorying and boasting is in Him, not in our own smarts, or high breeding, or degrees, etc. I said all of this, to point out the fact, that we are who Christ says that we are. We are not what our circumstances dictate, not what our past screams at us, not what other people brand us as, not what this world declares we are. Now as I close today, it is imperative that you see yourself as God sees you. Meditate, ponder, reflect, and murmur this verse, over and over again, until the 'real you' transitions and emerges. "For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother's womb. I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness and mystery]. Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them. How precious and weighty also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them!" (Psalm 139:13-17) You are no mistake, no foul up, no accident, no unworthy thing. You were carefully knitted together by God's own Hands. Your color, your hair, every mole, birthmark, etc. His thoughts about you are vast and tey are all good. You are a Master Piece, one of a unique and rare kind, that's who you are!

Love,

Pastor D.

Ears to Hear

Good Morning,

Today, I would like to discuss forgiveness. Ugg, why would you want to go there! Well, because we are forewarned in the Word that, "..Jesus said to His disciples, it is impossible but that offenses will come; but woe unto him, through whom they come." (Luke 17:1) We already know that offenses will come, and we want to make sure that we are not the ones that are doing the offending (on purpose). The reason why I had to say 'on purpose or knowingly' cause offense, because the Word says; "For we all often stumble and fall and offend in many things. And if anyone does not offend in speech [never says the wrong things], he is a fully developed character and a perfect man, able to control his whole body and to curb his entire nature." (James 3:2) Have you ever said the wrong thing? Surely this must not be talking to me, it must be for my neighbor. For I choose my words with great care, I study my words before I ever open my mouth. Hmm, well I know for a fact, I usually don't try to offend with my words, but quite often I still do. We stumble and fall and offend, sometimes we do it on purpose, but quite often it is stumbling. That's why Luke says, it is impossible but that offenses will come. Impossible means 'not supposable', not within the realm of the possible, incapable of occurring, contrary to the nature of reality. Which means then that it's going to happen; you can expect it to occur, offenses will happen.

Then we as believer's should know how to respond to them in a Godly fashion. For God says: For no temptation (no trial regarded as enticing to sin), [no matter how it comes or where it leads] has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man [that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear]. But God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will [always] also provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently. (1 Corin. 10:13) So then we are called upon to grow up and become mature, by exercising the Word. Nothing that is allowed in our lives is beyond our ability and strength either to endure it or resist it. Endure means to undergo, suffer with, put up with, to bear hardship, to stick it out, tolerate or take it patiently. So that means that there are some situations that you are not meant to play 'Houdini" the great escape artist, you're going to have to go through it, because God is developing the character trait of 'stick – to – it – tiveness'. There are people in our lives that are not like trash, we can't just throw them away, because they offend us. God is about developing our God-likeness. "For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue)". (2 Peter 1:3) There are also certain things that we have to resist which means to withstand the force or the effect of; to exert oneself to counteract or defeat; to be able to repel or ward off. So when offenses come it is not the people that we are to repel, we are after all called to love like He does. No, what we are to repel, withstand, counteract and defeat are the affects or the force of the offense. We are to exert the Word in the place of the offense and the offender. What is an offense anyway? Offense is the Greek word, 'skandalon' which is a trap-stick, a snare or a trap, an entrapment to sin, an occasion to fall or stumble. God is faithful He will cause a way to escape the trap. He has empowered us to endure and withstand every offense. We are not to let it take us down, but we are to use our authority that has been given to us. This authority is in the power of love; "it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]". (1 Corin. 13:5) That sounds like offenses to me. A suffered wrong and evil done to you! Well, let's grow in love, instead of nursing offenses, pay no attention to a suffered wrong. Don't you know you would drive the enemy insane? He can't harm you with the offense, only if you let him have the upper hand. Listen to God's Word on it: "Behold I give you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy possesses; and nothing shall in any way harm you."(Luke 10:19)

Love,

Pastor D.

Ears to Hear

Good Morning,

Love, love, love,love is what everybody needs and everybody wants. But few know that love is God, so therefore without a relationship with God, very few can identify with real love. As believer's love must become who we are. "Keep out of debt and owe no man anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor [who practices loving others] has fulfilled the Law [relating to one's fellowmen, meeting all its requirements]. The commandments, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet (have an evil desire), and any other commandment, are summed up in the single command, You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself. Love does no wrong to one's neighbor [it never hurts anybody]. Therefore love meets all the requirements and is the fulfilling of the Law." (Romans 13:8-10) So what do we owe? Love, we owe God's kind of love, which is not necessarily, touching and feeling, physical kind of natural love. It may include these things but it is not identified by these emotions alone. How can we as human beings actually live this kind of love out. Well, we know that as born-again Christians, we have received God's love in our hearts. "Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us." (Rom. 5:5) The magnificent character traits of love is partially described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8; "Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]." This has to do with the changing of attitudes and an entire renewal of our minds. We can only do it by the Word transforming our thoughts and responses. Let's face it we all have people that are difficult to love by our own strength and ability. Well, thanks to God, we have supernatural help. Don't give up or quit on loving the difficult ones. You may never be 'huggy-lovey-dovey' with them, but you owe love, God's kind. How, you may ask? "[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 anddelight.(Phil. 2:13) Power equals might, force, energy, and strength; can signify the ability to exert effort for a purpose and the capacity to produce results or actions. Desire means to long for, covet, and crave with strong intensity; high degree of passion. God is working in you now through the love that has already been shed in your heart by the Holy Spirit. You are developing in love as long as you stay in God and in His Word. Eventually you will begin to produce results as you keep craving to see God's image seen in you. The 'want-to' and the ability to do it is part of our DNA.

"For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that (are requisite and suited) to life and godlinesss, through the full, personal knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue). By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature. For this very reason, adding your diligence [to the divine promises], employ every effort in exercising your faith to develop virtue (excellence, resolution, Christian energy), and in [exercising] virtue [develop] knowledge (intelligence), And in [exercising] knowledge [develop] self-control, and in [exercising] self-control [develop] steadfastness (patience, endurance), and in [exercising] steadfastness [develop] godliness (piety), And in [exercising] godliness [develop] brotherly affection, and in [exercising] brotherly affection [develop] Christian love." (2 Peter 1:3-7) It is not in our own strength, but we must yield ourselves to God and exercise His Word concerning love, then we begin to develop in His image. Exercise is something that is performed or practiced in order to develop or improve a specific power or skill; it involves exertion, effort; a regular or repeated appropriate use; to train by drills. Develop means to cultivate in order to promote growth; to mature, progress, thrive, and be established. So, as we practice God's love we will mature and thrive as we make progress in the Kingdom ways. God has provided the necessary practice, the people that are in our sphere. Let's exercise our spiritual muscles and grow in love.

Love,

Pastor D.

Ears to Hear

Good Morning,

We are well on our way into this year. Many of us have already met a lot of new challenges. Prayerfully you arose victoriously from those. We must take into this year the divine character of our Father. His nature causes us to win every time. He has never been defeated and never lost a battle. It all depends upon us giving all things over into His hands. Let's make sure that our foundation is stable and fixed and planted on the Word of God, and then blessings of all kind will begin to overtake us. As we turn situations over into His hands, we must then decree and declare over our own lives the promises that God has spoken, lining our words up with His. No matter what it may look, or, feel like, we are the victors. "Who shall ever separate us from Christ's love? Shall suffering and affliction and tribulation? Or calamity and distress? Or persecution or hunger or destitution or peril or sword? Even as it is written, For Thy sake we are put to death all the day long; we are regarded and counted as sheep for the slaughter. Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerorsand gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us." (Rom. 8:34-37) Conquerors means to vanquish beyond; to gain a decisive victory. Vanquish means to defeat soundly, to crush, overwhelm, to reduce the enemy. Conquerors are titleholders also! We do hold the title to all of the promises of God, we must not surrender our titles to the enemy. As believers we are a 'holy nation', 'royal priesthood', a 'chosen generation', 'sons and daughters of the Most High God'. We have been made the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath, blessed going in, and coming out, blessed in the city and in the field, blessed in the basket and in the store, we are the blessed. We are highly favored by God, and we are the elect of God, just to name a few of the titles that we hold. How can we go around acting like orphans? We have a loving, caring, heavenly Father, who knows how to be good, all the time. Let's do the Word and decree what our Father says about us.

"For whatever is born of God is victorious over the world; and this is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith. Who is it that is victorious over [that conquers] the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on that fact]?" (1 John 5:4-5) We are born of God, we believe Him, then we conquer the world. The system that has been set up to try and keep us under, our Father will use it to bless us in order to be a blessing. "For to the person who pleases Him God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and heaping up, that he may give to the one that pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after the wind and a feeding on it." (Eccles. 2:26) Our aim then, should be to please God, by believing His Word, declaring His Word over our lives. Just plan ole' doing the Word of God. That makes us pleasing while making us conquerors. For we know that, "without faith it is impossible to please Him…" (Heb. 11:6) It pleases the Father, when we obey Him. This year make a quality decision to love God and show it by keeping His Word. Don't be concerned about everyone else, whether they are doing the Word or not. Remember Jesus' words to Peter when he was worrying about whether everyone else had to do what he was told to do. "When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, Lord, what about this man? Jesus said to him, If I want him to stay (survive, live) until I come, what is that to you? [What concern is it of yours?] You follow Me!" So let's not be so concerned about everybody else, you follow Him! Then you will have the same testimony as Enoch, he pleased the Lord. When we work on pleasing the Father, we become conquerors in the process.

Love,

Pastor D.

Ears to Hear

Good Morning,

I have been thinking on this fact, that being a doer of the Word of God could be very simple, and that we have made it quite complicated. We tend to major on the minors, and vice-versa. This tends to give us great difficulties with simple truths. Let's go back to the foundation of the Word and build from there, stone by stone. But before I do, I will read the verse that keeps coming back to my mind over and over again. "Enoch walked in habitual fellowship with God after the birth of Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were 365 years. And Enoch walked in habitual fellowship with God; and he was not, for God took him home with Him." (Genesis 5:22-24) Enoch's tests, trials, tribulations, had to be similar to ours. He lived and dealt with some of the same difficult people that we have to deal with. He had to be kind, gentle, patient, he had to forgive and let things drop as well. He was a human living in this world of sin, yet he was able to live his life pleasing God, to the point that God took him out. A rapture! The Bible connects and explains his life by saying; "Because of faith Enoch was caught up and transferred to heaven, so that he did not have a glimpse of death; and he was not found because God had translated him. For even before he was taken to heaven, he receive testimony (still on record) that he had pleased and been satisfactory to God, but without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is a rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him out.' (Heb. 11:5-6) So, Enoch was a man of faith, and we know that,' faith works, (operates, is activated, energized and expressed) through love'. (Gal. 5:6) Enoch was a great man of faith whose life of faith was expressed and operated by love.

So, the generation that God will rapture out of here must be great lovers. This is why, it is really quite simple, let's build upon the foundation the way the Master Builder designed it to be built, on love. Enoch's faith operated by love and brought so much pleasure to God, that He could not resist his company. I want to be that irresistible to God too. So, I must simply become a lover. Let's major on the major and all the minor things will follow, like things do. Blessings follow the faithful, signs and wonders follow those who believe. Things follow.(Prov. 28:20; Mk. 16:17) The question was asked of Jesus, which is the great commandment? "Jesus replied, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect). This is the great (most important, principal) and first commandment and a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as you do yourself. These two commandments sum up and upon them depend all the Law and the Prophets." (Matt. 22:37-40) So then everything in the Word depends upon us getting this great foundation of 'love'. Everything that you confess for your life from the promises of God's Word hinges on us walking in love. Enoch's life became a pleasure aroma to God as he walked in love by faith, or walked by faith in live. Either way, this is the irresistible perfume to our God. We must let this love, which has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, grow in us, by watering the seed of it moment by moment everyday. Now that erases so many principles, steps, and books upon books, that we get to see if someone else has found the way to make it easier for us to get what we have been in pursuit of. As I grow in the Lord and as I mature, I realize that I must 'fly' lighter, yet all around in the Christian arena, somebody is always giving out a new plan. This simple design from God has always been the way to please His heart and by pleasing His heart we then receive the rewards that come from doing so. Let's get back to the original intent and purpose of our Father. Seek first the great commandment. Put first things first. "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matt. 6:33)

Love,

Pastor D.

Ears to Hear

Good Morning,

As we enter the beginning of a new calendar year, we are crossing over into new territory that we have never seen before. Each day will bring with it brand new and unknown events and challenges, yet our God has confidence in us to face them and come forth victorious. There are two things that we must work on and develop this year that may have been cast to the side, as we have been acquiring so much information and knowledge in the Kingdom, and they are love and holiness. God's love and His holiness is the dividing line between the sheep and the goats, between the wheat and the tares. So as we approach this year of 2011, we can be sure that we must,"make our ears attentive to skillful and Godly Wisdom and incline and direct our hearts and minds to understanding [applying all of our powers to the quest of it]; Yes, if we cry out for insight and raise our voices for understanding, if we seek Wisdom as for silver and search for skillful and Godly Wisdom as for hidden treasures, then we will understand the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of [our omniscient] God, for the Lord gives skillful and Godly Wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.." (Proverbs 2:2-6) God will give to us Wisdom, knowledge and understanding, as we seek for it like silver or hidden treasures. How many of us can honestly say that we have sought God's Wisdom as we would or do seek for hidden treasures or silver? Just think of the images that pop into mind, (especially with the aid of television) the lengths and depths that people will go through on their quest for treasure. They will endanger live and limb to find it. Yet, for us we will lay around our spiritual apathy and let others go digging for us the deep treasures that God has in store for those who are seekers. If you have no understanding about God's love and holiness, it is time for you to mine for silver and treasures of Wisdom. Get your 'hard hat' on for there will be some perils as you seek and search, but in the end, you will come out with the benefits and blessings of finding treasures. Listen, "for He hides away sound and godly Wisdom and stores it for the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with Him);.. (Prov.2:7) There are awesome things in store for us seekers!

Considering that our Father has left the choosing up to us; "I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live." (Deut. 30:19) You are saying, "hey I've already made a choice, I have chosen God", yet everyday we get to choose to obey or not. We must choose to be doers of the Word of God and not hearers only, otherwise, we end up deceiving ourselves that we are true Christians. True Christians are all the time endeavoring to do the Word, they have slips, falls, scraps, and bruises, but they get back up to do it. While others hear and may even attempt to 'do', but quit. We have God's DNA in us, so we never quit, we always win, that's why we keep at it! (read James 1:21-25) Remember, the foundation of our Kingdom is built upon God's love and His love is in us and the character, the outward clothing of this love which is seen by holiness. So we must begin a fresh new quest for silver and hidden treasure in the Word, seek and search out love and holiness. " Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, and for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God's will and thought, purpose and action): " (II Timothy 3:16)

In the year 2011, our seeking and searching must be brushed up. We must become skilled in God's love and in our lives unto holiness. There will be enough to to go around, both blessings and the testings that cause us to be proven and approved by God. So, no more excuses, it's not your pastor's fault, nor your Church's fault, the choice is yours. Yes, the Church and the pastor have their part to do, "they have to study to show themselves approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth." (II Tim. 2:15), but that doesn't mean that we do nothing but listen. Let's seek and search for treasures together!

"Seek and search for treasure"

Love,

Pastor D.

Ears to Hear

Good Morning,

"If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if His love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care-then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourself long enough to lend a helping hand. Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then, died a selfless obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion." (Phil. 2:1-8) Selfless means having little or no concern for self or seeking the well being or advantage for the others and regard for the others welfare. Verse eight in the KJV, says, "And being found and fashioned as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." Humble means to reign in the estimation of oneself; and make low in their feelings and importance. Obedient implies submissive and compliant to the rightful restraint, control or command of authority; to fit ones conduct to and perform as directed; to perform or behave as directed often without question or attempt at independent decision. This is how Christ obeyed the Father, without independent decision. He had little or no concern for Himself, all the way to the cross. Jesus did this as a man, he set aside the privileges of deity, remember He said that He could have called twelve legion of angels, yet He didn't. (Mtt.26:53) This Christmas season I charge you as children of God to meditate on choosing and preferring others above yourself. Putting ourselves aside is a tall order, yet God's Word did not stutter in His command. We must put this into practice in our daily lives, but especially in the Household of the Believers. Once we learn how to die daily of ourselves being seated on the throne, we will find the 'real' life that is worth living. Aren't you weary of manipulating, scheming, play-acting and constantly brain-storming ideas on how to 'have it your way?' "Let your love be sincere (a real thing) hate what is evil (loathe all ungodliness, turn in horror from wickedness) but hold fast to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another."(Romans 12:9-10) Prefer means to value more highly, to choose to place forward or place before. So, make a choice, choose to place someone in your church, your home, your sphere of loved ones, before you. Once you begin to put this into practice it will be easier. Don't worry about people taking advantage of you, (they will, it's human nature), God will place you on high. Listen, "Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you." (I Peter 5:6) Prefer God's Word first and simply obey Him and don't be self-seeking. Secondly, choose to value more highly and place before you the brethren, this will help you to keep you in the right place in your estimation.

Finally, "Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. (Ephes. 5:1-2) What are you holding back for? Give everything of yourself, don't be cautious in your loving, someone needs your extravagant Christ-love. Don't love while looking for something from everyone else, love freely just as Christ loved you. That is what Christmas is about, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.." extravagant love that gave and keeps on giving. Enjoy your Christmas and give the gift of 'you', you are really the blessing. God's best and highest be to you and your family. See you after Christmas. Remember we are growing up in Christ!

"Put yourself aside and help others get ahead"

Love,

Pastor D.