Wake or Bake!

Over the years I have come to understand that one of my greatest responsibilities is to hear what the Holy Spirit is speaking to me and to faithfully, and correctly, interpret that message and then to declare it with boldness regardless of whether it tickles the ear or is popular.

I know that there are many messages that I could share, but I must speak what I hear the Holy Spirit saying and I believe that there is an urgency to this message He has given me today.  Today the urgency of the Holy Spirit’s word to me is, Jesus is coming.

I remember when I was growing up, we rarely left a service without hearing, “Jesus is coming.”

We lived with a sense of Urgency of the hour, we were constantly reminded that these are the last days. I literally lived with a fear of missing the rapture, it was that real to me.  Many times during my rebellion, when my heart was not right with God, I would find myself fearing that I may be left behind, and it was a fearful prospect.

But today something has happened and it seems like the church has fallen into a slumber, we’ve begun snuggling up to the world, we’ve begun falling in love with money and pleasures, and out of Love with Jesus.  Our lives have become more and more about being happy and less and less about being holy.  We have become more and more concerned about being comfortable and less and less concerned about being consecrated.  Our focus has become more and more focused on our kingdom and less and less on His.

Just like the Virgins we’ve fallen asleep waiting on the bridegroom.  It is an undeniable fact that the church has been asleep, it has long been referred to as the “Sleeping Giant,” because Satan knows what the church is capable of when it is awake, but when it's asleep the church is laughing stock, and a source of criticism and humiliation.

Why is this Point so Important?  Because a church that is asleep is powerless, it is without influence in the world, and it becomes tolerant and accepting of everything.

One of the greatest indications of a church that is asleep, is that they have no sense of the urgency concerning Jesus’ return.  Many times through the scriptures we are instructed to keep the soon coming of our Lord in our thoughts and in our hearts, and to live every day in the urgency that He could return at any minute.

There are some things in the scriptures that are conditional and relational and whether they occur depends on our attitudes and our actions. But this is one thing that God has determined will occur He didn’t ask for our participation or input, He doesn’t care if we agree or like it, Jesus is coming!

The disciples lived with urgency because Jesus said:

·         Work while it is day for the night cometh when no man can work

·         Behold I come Quickly

·         Occupy till I Come

·         Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 

·         And these signs will follow those who believe…

This urgency filled them with expectancy and it fueled them to preach and reach as many people as they could before his return and they evangelized their then known world.  This sense of urgency also kept them diligent, alert, and holy.

When the church gets sleepy, the church gets sloppy.  It begins to look like the world, talk like the world and act like the world and sadly in many cases you can't tell the difference between the two.  That is what we are seeing today, a church that has fallen asleep with its head in the lap of the world.

Like Samson the church has been in love with a prostitute, the hedonistic spirit of this age that says, “If it feels right, it must be right.”

I'm talking about the apostate church, the backslidden church, the church that accepts and ordains homosexuals and lesbians, the church that says there is no such thing as hell and your heaven is here on earth, the church that says you are your own god so you decide your own destiny, the church that says there's no such thing as the rapture, and there's no such thing as a judgement day.  This is the Apostate church, this is the backslidden church, and this is the harlot church.

·         They still have Sunday services

·         They still carry a bible

·         They still sing religious Songs

·         They still talk about God

·         They still lift their hands and go through the motions

·         They may even speak in tongues, but Jesus said, “Their hearts are far from me and they are just Vain Babblers.”

I know this message is not politically correct, but it is biblically correct!

But thank God there is another church, a remnant seed, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ!  She is the bride of Christ and she believes the words of Jesus.  The church of Jesus still teaches:

·         Holiness, sanctification, consecration, and separation from the world.

·         That the Holy Spirit still convicts us of our sins, and without holiness no man shall see the Lord

·         That there is a Heaven and there is a hell and there is an eternal judgement and that those who reject the mercy of God in his Son Jesus will be eternally lost

·         That sin Separates us from God and that sin is darkness and darkness and light cannot dwell together

·         That the coming of the Lord is imminent and only those who are covered by his blood and robed in His righteousness will go with Him when He comes.

Noah lived every day with the sense of urgency.  He worked, he prayed, he preached, and he pleaded with the urgency and intensity of one who believed that this could be the day the flood is coming, and that judgement is coming.

We are living in just such an hour!  God’s judgement is at the door, while multitudes of people who are sitting in the churches have fallen asleep.

Matthew 25:5-6

“5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

6 And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’’

That cry is going out today, the Holy Spirit is sounding the wake-up call!  The trumpet of His love and mercy is being sounded from every righteous pulpit of every true man and woman of God.  All across the land and around the world the cry can be heard, “The day of the Lord is at hand!”

Even the media, scientists, and many people who are not believers have a sense that something big is about to happen.  They may not know what they are doing, but they are echoing the prophets as they are forecasting drought, famine, earthquakes, tsunamis, financial collapse, martial law, nuclear war and government take overs.

But I have a message to the true church, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, the called out ones, those who are sanctified and washed in His blood and clothed in His righteousness: Lift up your heads, your redemption draweth nigh!

What is going to be the greatest grief and tragedy that has ever hit this planet is also going to be the church’s finest hour.

Matthew 24:36-44

“36 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.  37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.  41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.  42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.  43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

To those who are ready, we welcome his return, we've been expecting Him, but to those who are not ready He is coming like a thief in the night.

Are you ready today? Are you covered by his blood, is your name in the lambs book of life?

 

Believer or Not?

Hebrews 11:1-6 (NKJV)

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.  3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.

5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; [a] for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.  6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

What does it mean to “Believe” or to have faith?  Faith is the believer’s ability to see what cannot be seen with the natural eye, to hear that which cannot be heard with the natural ear, and to taste what cannot be tasted with the tongue.  Faith is, in essence, a supernatural sense that is birthed in the human heart when Gods Word is heard, received, believed, and acted on.

It was faith that enabled Elijah to hear the sound of an abundance of rain when no rain had fallen from the sky in over three years.

It was faith that sustained a widow woman through the famine, her meal barrel wasted not and the cruse of oil did not fail until the Lord sent rain according to the word of the Lord by Elijah.

Hebrews 11:7

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by that which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

Hebrews 11:30

By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.

It was faith that led the three Hebrew boys to stand and affirm that they knew that their God was able to deliver them from the furnace, and it was faith in action that delivered them from the fire.

Faith is not a generic mental assent to the truthfulness of the word of God,

Anyone can say, “I believe in the strength of that bridge to support the weight of my car,” but it’s not faith until you are driving across it.

Mark 16:15-18 (NKJV)

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

If Gods Word is true, and we know that it is, why don’t we not see more of God’s power manifested in the lives of those who claim to be believers?

I believe that the answer lies in a misinterpretation of what Jesus meant when he said, “Those who believe.” In other words, the church has a distorted view of what a “Believer” is.

By doing this it is my opinion that we have raised a generation of people who attend church on Sunday who are not truly “Believers,” but are mere mental assenters.  They are intellectually in agreement with the Bible, but they do not have the power that comes from a true relationship with Jesus.  They have a form of godliness, but deny its power.

But from Jesus perspective believers are more than assenters, they are doers and that is why He said. “17 And these signs will follow those who believe:”

He didn’t say that these signs would accompany some believers and not others.  Jesus’ statement was emphatic, “These signs will follow…”

James 2:18-20

18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my[e] works.  19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!  20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?

The Apostle James tells us that devils believe and tremble but they don’t do any righteous works of faith.  The plague that has infected and weakened the Church of Jesus Christ is that of calling the agreement of the mind “faith,” and labeling mental assent believing and they are not!

According to the Word of God, faith has corresponding works, and without works it is dead.  That means that a true believer is not just someone who listens to the preaching of the Word and agrees that it is good, they are a doer.

To agree that tithing is a biblical principle, that transcends both Old and New Covenants, does not make you a believer, it just makes you an assenter, and you can agree and not be a doer, but the minute you act on what you agree with you have become a biblical believer.  The same is true with praying, to agree to the great need of prayer in your life does not make you a praying person.

To agree to Jesus words does not give you power over demons.  To agree to liberty of the Spirit to worship the Lord by praising, clapping the hands, shouting, dancing, does not make you a liberated worshipper.  To agree to Jesus words concerning self-denial and taking up the cross brings us no closer to resurrection power, we must be doers.  Believers are Doers. And Doers are Seers.

The reason so many haven’t seen more of the power and the glory of God in our churches is because we have mistakenly accepted mental assent, an agreement of the mind for believing.  Many people say they believe God’s Word, but they are not living according to its principles, then they don’t really believe, they just agree.  When we really believe the Word of God, that faith leads us to obedience.  And when we begin to live in obedience, we become doers of what we are agreeing with and then we will see the power of God working in our lives.

 

What's Following You?

Acts 1:8

“You shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.”

Luke 24:49

“But tarry ye in Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high.”

The greatest need of the church and the individual believer is the power of the Holy Ghost.  But it seems like we have reached the place where even within the “full Gospel churches” in America the baptism of the Holy Ghost has been reduced to the mere acknowledgement of an indwelling presence of Jesus experienced by all believers.  Today within the “full Gospel churches,” not only is there a depreciation for speaking with other tongues as the spirit gives the utterance as the initial sign and evidence of the baptism of Ghost there is in many denominations, who once affirmed this teaching, tremendous opposition against speaking in tongues period.

We are told that it is putting emphasis on the wrong thing and that by acknowledging speaking in tongues as the initial sign and evidence of being baptized, that we are belittling those who do not speak with other tongues. 

If we are going to be New Testament believers and followers of Christ then we must do what He commanded us to do and follow the example laid out before to us by the early Church in the book of Acts.

As recorded by Luke in the second chapter of Acts on the day of Pentecost all that were in the upper room were filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke with other tongues as the spirit gave them utterance, on every occasion after that when believers were filled with the Spirit they spoke with other tongues, and in Acts 10, when the door of grace opened to the Gentiles, they received this same gift and spoke with other tongues.

Matthew 5:6

“Blessed are they, which do hunger, and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”

The number one prerequisite for this power is hunger, and the most dangerous thing that can happen to a believer and to the Church is to lose our hunger, our passion, and our desire for the presence and the power of God.

Ezekiel 47:1-9

“Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar.  2 He brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that faces east; and there was water, running out on the right side.

3 And when the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the water came up to my ankles.  4 Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters; the water came up to my knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through; the water came up to my waist.  5 Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed.  6 He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?” Then he brought me and returned me to the bank of the river.

7 When I returned, there, along the bank of the river, were very many trees on one side and the other.  8 Then he said to me: “This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed.  9 And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes.”

This passage of God’s Word shows us a picture of the mighty river of God, the Holy Ghost, the anointing of God and it is ever deepening and widening.

Why is speaking with other tongues such a big deal?  Because it the reception and activation of this initial gift of the Holy Ghost that opens the door to the operation and the manifestation of the nine gifts of the Spirit which demonstrate the supernatural power of God in the believer’s life.  The Holy Ghost in you through the baptism in the Holy Ghost is the river of life that is referred to in Ezekiel 47, it brings life wherever it flows, and it is through these gifts of the Spirit that this river travels and is extended from us to others.

John 7:37-39

“37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”  39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing[g] in Him would receive; for the Holy[h] Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

This does not mean just a come to Jesus as a point of access, but it means fellowship, communion, and relationship.  Notice that there is no river until we receive the Holy Spirit.  It is impossible for us to experience the full and free abundant life that Jesus came to give us without the baptism of the Holy Ghost and it is impossible for us as believers to bring the blessings of the supernatural power of God, signs and wonders, into contact with the needs of our world without the gifts of the Spirit.

To put it another way, Jesus in You is a blessing only to you, but it’s Jesus flowing out of you through the gifts of the Spirit, that make you a blessing to others and you cannot operate in the gifts until you receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues.

In John chapter 15 Jesus said, “I am the vine and you are the branches if you abide in me and my words abide in you, then you shall bear much fruit.”

We must come back to the original purpose of the giving of the Holy Ghost and the power of God: The Holy Spirit is to first be in us as helper, teacher, comforter, illuminator, counselor, friend, and for the power to live a holy life.  Then Holy Ghost is to flow out of us through the supernatural manifestation of the gifts of the spirit to bring salvation, healing, deliverance, and miracles. 

So many claim that they believe in Jesus, but scripture is clear on this issue:

Mark 16:17

“17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they[b] will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

So you say that you believe, then I ask you today, what is following you?  Is your life full?  Is the blessing of abundant life overflowing the banks of your life to the lost around you?  If you say that you believe, where are the signs?

The secret then to abundant life, overflowing life, and anointed life is a life lived in fellowship with Jesus.  Our goal then is not to have the power of God but to have the presence of Jesus, we do not seek for the power of God we seek for the presence of God in other words for relationship with Jesus.  Through this relationship with Jesus the life of God flows through us just as the life of the vine flows into the branch and it produces fruit.

 

Fall Lord, Fall!

Acts 10:44

“While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.”

I want to focus my attention on one word in these verses, “fell,” which is the word that captured my attention while studying these verses last night.

“The Holy Spirit fell on all those who heard the word.”

The first thing I see here is that what is happening is the work of the Holy Spirit.  

First, the Holy Spirit was the initiator of what was happening. It doesn’t say they grabbed it or reached out and seized the Holy Spirit; it says, "The Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word."

Second, the Greek word for “fell” (epepesen) means to come upon suddenly, with power, grip, seize, or take possession of. One of the definitions for this Greek word even says, “To strike or to hit.”  In other words, the Holy Spirit came upon them in an undeniable manner, and it was a visible manifestation of the power of God.

They were visibly and physically affected. They felt it, and anyone present could see the effects of the Spirit upon them. As I was reading this scripture, my mind went to other passages in the Word where the power of God fell.

1 Chronicles 21:26 - “And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the Lord; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering.”

This was also an undeniable, visible manifestation of the power of God. The example that stands out was when Elijah squared off with the false prophets of Baal upon Mt Carmel. 

The false prophets and the Man of God agreed. They would both build an altar and offer a sacrifice but put no fire under it. They would call on their respective gods, and the God that answered by fire would be recognized as the one true God. The false prophets built their altar, laid the sacrifice on it, and called upon Baal from morning till noon without an answer.

Elijah began to mock them, and then they became violent and went into a frenzy and began to jump on the altar and cut themselves until the blood gushed out upon them. They continued from noon till the evening sacrifice. Then Elijah took over the stage.

Elijah repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down; he put the wood in order and arranged the sacrifice on the wood. Then he had them pour 12 barrels of water on the sacrifice, and then he prayed a short prayer. The Bible says that the fire of the Lord “fell” (the same Greek word in the Septuagint) and consumed the burnt sacrifice and the wood and the stones and the dust and licked up the water in the trench.

What happened upon that mountain was so powerful and undeniable that it turned a nation back to God. They experienced a visible, tangible manifestation of the power of God. They had a God Encounter. The Fire of God, the Power of God, fell upon that Mountain on that Altar and that Sacrifice.

Then my mind goes to Acts 2:1-4: “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

·         The fire of God Fell on David’s altar and burnt offerings

·         The Fire of God fell on Solomon’s offering and sacrifices

·         The Fire of God, The power of God fell on Mt Carmel

·         The Holy Ghost Fire fell on the day of Pentecost

·         The Holy Ghost Fire fell on the Gentiles in Cornelius' house.

In each case, Old and New Testament, it was a visible and undeniable manifestation of the Power of God. In each case, those involved experienced a God encounter.  

I remember when I was a child, having these types of visible and tangible God encounters regularly in the church services where I first came to "know of Jesus," it still happens in the church I now attend where I came to "know" Jesus.

What am I getting at with all this background? What is it that is weighing heavy on my mind this morning? I am seriously concerned that we may be raising a generation of young Christians who have never had a God encounter. A generation that has never experienced a tangible and undeniable manifestation of the power of God. I am concerned that many of the old Pentecostal denominations are becoming Pentecostal in name only because of the current generation of believers:

·         Know God in theory

·         Know God religiously

·         Know God mentally or intellectually

·         They know of God

But have they ever had a Mt. Carmel, a Day of Pentecost, or a “House of Cornelius” encounter with the Fire of God falling on them? I wonder to myself, have they ever experienced the power of the Holy Ghost seizing them and taking possession of them? Have they ever experienced the supernatural fire of God burning in their hands and feet? To so many in this generation today, the fire of God is just a concept; it’s just an idea, and an encounter with God is when they get goose pimples listening to a worship song.

But my mission today is to tell you that the fire of God is not just a concept; it is not just an idea; it is not a theory or philosophy to be studied. It is not the figment of an overactive imagination or religious ramblings. The fire of God is the manifestation of the Holy Ghost; it is a God encounter, and it is:

·         The same fire that fell on Mt Carmel

·         The same fire that fell on the day of Pentecost

·         The same fire that fell in Cornelius' House.

·         It is Real, Tangible, Alive, and it is Contagious!

·         It is still the mighty power of God

Why is this power so important? Because the fire of God can heal cancer, it can flush drugs out of your system, take the desire all at the same time, deliver you from alcohol, pornography, lust, and perversion, it can destroy jealousy, pride, criticism, bitterness, and unforgiveness, it can heal your broken heart, it will restore joy and peace, it will heal your marriage, and the fire of God will heal your mind.

My prayer, no, my cry today is, God do it again! Let the fire fall! That same fire that fell on the day of Pentecost, that same fire that fell on the gentiles in the home of Cornelius, do it again, Lord, do it again!

·         Let the fire fall!

·         Come suddenly, come forcibly, and come with power!

·         Rush in on us and take possession of us!

I’m not satisfied just reading and singing about it; I want to experience it! Jesus said: “Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you…” 

 

This power is not a theory or a concept; it is the same power that caused the sun and moon to stand still, the same power that divided the Red Sea and caused water to flow out of a rock like a river. The same power made the three Hebrew children fireproof, gave Daniel's lions lockjaw, and shook Paul and Silas’s prison off its foundations. Let it fall, Lord, let it fall!

This power is the same power that was upon Jesus' life. It opened blind eyes, unstopped deaf ears, and made the lame walk and the dumb talk, and it is the same power that raised the dead, including the Lord Jesus Himself. Let it fall, Lord, let it fall!

It is this same fire, anointing, and power that God wants to send upon your life right now. God is waiting, and He wants to fall on your life with a tangible, undeniable, irrefutable, and indisputable manifestation of the power of the Holy Ghost.

Hunger is a magnet; it will draw the anointing and open the door for the manifestation of God's power. The great Apostle of Faith Smith Wigglesworth said, “Every Soul touched by Pentecost should be a live wire.”

I believe there are some hungry and thirsty people who refuse to be satisfied or appeased with anything less than a personal encounter with the true power of God. The power of God is going to seize your life, take hold of your life, and set your life on fire.

The God we serve still answers by fire. Wherever there is an altar, wherever there is a sacrifice, wherever there is anointed prayer, wherever there are hungry hearts, and wherever there is desperation for Him, the God who answers by fire is available right now.

His power is waiting to fall on you:

·         He is ready to save you

·         He is willing to heal you

·         He is waiting to deliver you

·         He is waiting to restore your marriage

·         He is here to revive and resurrect you

Fall, Lord, fall on us now! Fall on our hearts, fall on our lives, fall on our marriages, fall on our ministries, fall on our visions and dreams, fall on our attitudes, fall on our families, fall on our finances, fall on our minds, and fall on our bodies.

Fall, Lord, fall! Consume us, burn up dead religion, burn up carnality, burn up dead traditions, burn up everything that is not of you, and set us on fire!

The Word of Our Testimony

Joshua 4:1-9, 20-24

And it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed over the Jordan, that the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying:  2 “Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from every tribe, 3 and command them, saying, ‘Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight.’”

4 Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man from every tribe;  5 and Joshua said to them: “Cross over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel,  6 that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’  7 Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.”

8 And the children of Israel did so, just as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the midst of the Jordan, as the Lord had spoken to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them to the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.  9 Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the Ark of the Covenant stood; and they are there to this day.

20 And those twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal.  21 Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying: “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’  22 then you shall let your children know, saying, ‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land’;  23 for the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over,  24 that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

In the text it says that Joshua chose twelve men, one from each of the twleve tribes of Israel and commanded them to take every man a stone.  These stones were to become a memorial to the miraculous power of God that divided the Jordan and delivered the children of Israel. These stones were to be a reminder for all the ages of the power of God to deliver His children from circumstances when it appears to everyone that all hope is lost.  The stones were their testimony to the world.

Don’t ever think that your testimony isn’t important, according to the Word of God you are made an overcomer by the blood of Jesus and by the word of your testimony. (Revelation 12:11)

Romans 8:37

“Nay in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”

I am more than a conqueror: More because I didn’t just get delivered, I didn’t just get healed, I didn’t just make it through the Jordan waters, I didn’t just make it through the fire and through the flood, but God gave me a testimony.  It’s the blood of the lamb coupled with my testimony that makes me more than a conqueror, it has made me an overcomer!

It is our testimony that makes us valuable to the Kingdom of God.  Our testimony is what makes us dangerous, because our testimony makes us a threat to hell.  You see it’s not just what you came through, and what you made it through that makes you a threat to hell, it is the fact that God brought you through it all.  Your personal victory benefits no one except yourself until you open your mouth and declare the faithfulness and the mercy of God that delivered you, restored you, and set you free.  Then your testimony becomes a weapon, it becomes a sword in your hand, it becomes an instrument of power to set the captive free, and it becomes a lifeline to someone who is sinking.

So many of Gods people have been shamed into hiding their testimony, some are afraid to give their testimony because the devil makes them believe that if they talk about it, it might open the door for it to come back, or they might fall back into the pit they were delivered from.  This is nothing but the spirit of fear manipulating and intimidating you because the devil knows the power of your testimony.

Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”

Satan wants you to keep your mouth shut because he knows your testimony has the power to bring life, to bring hope, to bring joy and peace, and to bring restoration and deliverance.

It is my story now, it was my heartbreak, and it was my confusion and fear, and my loss. It was my fall, it was real, it was hot, and it hurt.  There were times I felt like I wasn’t going to make it, times I felt like I was going to lose my mind, and times I felt like I was going to die.  But I am here today and I made it.  My mistakes didn’t kill me, I was bitten but I didn’t die, the alcohol and drugs didn’t kill me, the sickness didn’t kill me, the motorcycle wreck didn’t kill me, my marriage survived, and I found my way back to God.

My ministry was destroyed, my reputation was destroyed, but it didn’t kill me. I walked through the valley of the shadow of death, but I’m still alive.  I walked through the fiery furnace but I didn’t burn up.  I waded through deep waters but I didn’t drown.  I heard Satan whisper time and time again, “I’m going to kill you.”

But I’m still here, healed, delivered, set free, and preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ once again!  I’ve got a testimony! 

For years I fought hell every day and there were times when I felt like giving up, there were times when I felt like I wouldn’t make it, there were people who said I wouldn’t make it, and there were people who had written me off.  But Jesus gave me a testimony, He raised me up, He healed me and He delivered me from the mouth of the lion!

I should be dead…

·         But God has healed me.

·         But God has delivered me.

·         But God has promoted me.

·         But God has protected me.

·         But God has anointed me.

Has anybody got a testimony?  The three Hebrew children had a great miracle when God delivered them from the fiery furnace. But the most valuable thing that they received that day was not the miracle, it was the testimony.  Because the miracle was theirs alone and only benefited them, it was just for that day and for that problem, but their testimony is still bringing hope to the hopeless, it’s still bringing strength to the weak, healing to the sick, and deliverance to the captive.  We overcome today by the blood of the lamb, and by the word of our testimony.

I believe now that somebody is going to be delivered because of my testimony, to be healed because of my testimony, and somebody is going to receive boldness and strength to try again because of my testimony.  Somebody who was going to quit the ministry is going to stay, somebody who was on the verge of a nervous breakdown is going to find peace, and somebody who was ready to quit on life is going to keep on living because of my testimony.

No wonder the devil is trying so hard to kill us, no wonder we’ve been going through the fiery furnace. He wants to shut us up; he wants to kill our testimony.

Psalm 9:13-14

David tells how God lifted him up from the gates of death, so that he could testify to the people of his deliverance, and tell how what the enemy sent to destroy him, backfired in the enemies face and destroyed them.

God is going to make the devils plan backfire in his face, if you will hold on God will deliver you and he will put the enemy's sword in your hand and you will cut off your enemy's head with his own sword and God will give you a testimony.

You need to know that there is…

·         No miracle without a problem

·         No victory without a battle

·         No crown without a cross

·         No resurrection without a death

·         And no testimony without a test

Somebody reading this today is going through the fire right now.  You’re in the fight of your life, for your life. You’re walking through the valley of the shadow of death.  You’re being attacked physically, spiritually, and financially.  Your family is under attack, your marriage is being attacked, your ministry is being attacked, it seems like all hell has been unleashed against you.  But the Lord told me to tell you, “You’re going to make it!  You’re not going under, you’re going over!  You’re not going to burn up in the fire, but you’re coming out with victory and you’re coming out with a testimony that will shake hell, and will break down walls and set captives free.”

When the children of Israel crossed the Jordan River, they set up two pillars.  One was in the middle of Jordan and one was on the other side of Jordan.  The first one in the middle of Jordan was a midway praise, “I’m going through it praise.”

I’m going through sickness, but I’m going to praise him anyway.  I’m going through a divorce, but I’m going to praise him anyway.  I’m going through financial problems, they’re threatening to foreclose on my house, but I’m going to praise him anyway.  I’m going through it with my children, they’re on drugs, they’re rebellious and hateful, but I’m going to praise him anyway.  You may be in the darkest times of your life, but give God praise.

Paul and Silas were beaten, and humiliated publicly, and they were bound and cast into the inner prison.  They could have murmured and complained, they could have been angry and bitter, or they could have slipped over into self-pity, but they didn’t.  The Word of God says that at midnight, Paul and Silas began to pray and sing praises unto God, and God shook that prison off of its foundation, shook the doors off their hinges, and broke the shackles off of every prisoner.

I just want to tell somebody, God works the night shift, in fact He does his best work in the dark.  You may not see it, but He’s working, you may not feel it, but He’s working.  He doth work, He’s working on the left hand and He’s working on the right hand and when He gets through with what He’s doing, He’s going to flip the light on and you’re going to see what’s He’s been working on in the dark.

When the children of Israel got to the other side of the Jordan: Joshua said, now take those stones that you carried out of the Jordan River and build a pillar here. This is your Thank God I made it Praise.  This is your thank God I made it testimony.

Is there anybody who has a thank God I made it Praise? A thank God I made it testimony?  Is there anybody who knows it’s a miracle you’re still here?

Psalm 119:92 Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction.

Psalm 40:2, 3 He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.  And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.

David said: I was stuck in a horrible pit, I was sinking into the miry clay, all joy and all peace was fading from view, it looked like I was going to die, it looked like I would never be happy again, It looked like the devil had won, but God reached down into that horrible pit and he pulled me out of that miry clay, and he set my feet upon the rock, and he gave me back my joy, and he gave me back my peace and he gave me back my song,

What David was saying is that God has given me a testimony and when people hear my testimony they will honor God and put their trust in him for their own deliverance, and their own miracle.

Do you have a testimony?

Do you have a midnight praise?

Do you have a thank God I made it praise?

Does anybody know how to give God Praise?

Then open your mouth and give God praise, and tell the devil he’s a liar, and tell the devil he’s a loser.  Tell the devil your God is greater than divorce, your God is greater than cancer and heart trouble, Your God is greater than sugar diabetes and high blood pressure. Your God is greater than arthritis, and deafness and cataracts.  SCREAM IT IN THE DEVIL’S FACE!

My God is greater than drug addiction, He’s greater than homosexuality, He’s greater than perversion.

Now testify…

·         I was sick but God healed me.

·         I was lost but Jesus found me

·         I was bound by drugs and alcohol but God delivered me

·         I was oppressed by a spirit of fear but God set me free

·         I was about to lose my marriage but God brought restoration

·         I was about to lose my mind but God stepped in and spoke peace

There’s power in your testimony!

Survive or Thrive

“Survivor”: It is the theme and title of one of the most popular television series of all time.  Survival is our most natural human instinct, and it is our strongest fleshly driven desire.  When all is said and done there is something in us that makes us want to be, “The last man standing.”  But as Christians we are supposed to die to ourselves, we are to have “taken up our crosses” and followed Jesus, and we should have been “crucified with Christ,” and should no longer live for ourselves, but for the one who died for us.  Yet, this seems to be a conflict for a lot of believers, much of the time.

The desire to survive, and keep “self” alive, keeps us from experiencing the power of God in our lives that He intended for us to walk in because:

·         It keeps us at a mediocre level.

·         It eats away at our convictions until we are willing to compromise.

·         It leads us to make decisions that will please people rather than God.

·         It drives us to excuse our ineffectiveness and lack of fruit.

·         It robs us of the freedom and joy that are in Christ.

·         It hinders us from complete obedience to God.

Luke 9:23-24

23 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.

Galatians 2:20

20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Are you a survivor or a dead man? 

Survivors look after themselves, dead men trust God.

Some examples of people who looked after themselves rather than trusting God:

·         Genesis 25:29-34 – Esau sold his birthright to satisfy his belly

·         Genesis 13:8-18 – Lot chose to live among wicked men for the sake of wealth and lost it all

·         1 Samuel 13: 11-14 – Saul violated the Lord’s commands for his own purposes and the anointing was taken from his life

·         Matthew 19:20-23 – the rich ruler opted for wealth over eternal life

·         Acts 5 – Ananias and his wife chose the honor of men over the honor of God and forfeited their lives

What all of these have in common is that they lost the very thing they were trying to keep.  Survivors take on a philosophy of life that says, “I want to stay alive at any cost,” even if it means they must deny God.  Are there areas of your life where you are looking out for number one and compromising the principles of God rather than trusting Him?  Let go and trust God!

Survivors follow the crowd, but dead men follow God.

The survivor is always seeking the path of least resistance, the wide road, the easy way.

·         Are you a survivor at work?

·         Does anyone know you have taken a stand for righteousness?

·         How about at school young people?

·         Do you bow to the crowd when the heat is on?

Matthew 10:32-38

32"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. 33But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. 34"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35For I have come to turn " ’a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law-- 36a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ 37"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

Daniel 3:10-12

10 You have issued a decree, O king, that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, 11 and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon-Shadrach; Meshach and Abednego-who pay no attention to you, O king. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up."

A young man applied for a job as a farm hand. When asked for his qualifications, he said, "I can sleep when the wind blows."

This confused the farmer, but he immediately liked the young man and so he hired him.  A few days later, the farmer and his wife were awakened in the night by a violent storm. They quickly began to check things out to see if all was secure. They found that the shutters of the farmhouse had been securely fastened. A good supply of logs had been set next to the fireplace. The farm implements had been placed in the storage shed, safe from the elements. The tractor had been moved into the garage. The barn had been properly locked. All was well. Even the animals were calm.  It was then that the farmer grasped the meaning of the young man’s words, "I can sleep when the wind blows." Because the farm hand had performed his work loyally and faithfully when the skies were clear, he was prepared for the storm when it broke. Consequently, when the wind blew, he had no fear. He was able to sleep in peace.

If you follow God you can sleep when the wind blows!  Are you going with the flow and following the crowd on issues that you believe God has instructed you differently about?  Forget the crowd and follow Jesus.

Survivors run and hide; dead men stand to fight.

When you don’t have to survive you can stand and fight and even endure a losing season because you have no place else to go, you don’t have a plan “B”, there is no safety net, and no hiding place.

2 Corinthians 11:23-29

23 Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often.  24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one.  25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep;  26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;  27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fasting often, in cold and nakedness—  28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.  29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?  30 If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity.  31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.  32 In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me; 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands.

West Point’s "Harder Right" This quotation is from the "Cadet Prayer." It is repeated every Sunday in chapel services at West Point: "Make us choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, and never to be contented with half-truth when whole truth can be won. Endow us with courage that is born of loyalty to all that is noble and worthy, that scorns to compromise with vice and injustice and knows no fear when right and truth are in jeopardy."

Are you a quitter just because the path God leads you on is difficult? Do you envy the idle masses that seem to have an easy life?  Come out of hiding and face the challenge of real Christian living!

Survivors all eventually die; dead men find eternal life in Christ.

Philippians 2:5-11

5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,  6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,  7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.  9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Revelation 12:10-12

10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. 12Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them!

In the first part of the fifteenth century a French peasant by the name of Joan of Arc was called to save her country from its enemies. On one occasion she said to one of her generals, “I will lead the men over the wall.” The general said, “Not a man will follow you.” Joan of Arc replied, “I won’t be looking back to see if they are following me.”

Are you clinging to a life that does not satisfy you for fear of failure or ultimately death?

Let go of your life, release it to God and find what living really is.

A life filled with power, is a life lived in the power and the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1:8

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

Every professing Christian should be experiencing the Spirit filled Life.  Jesus didn’t shed his blood just to save you from your sins. That blood is the introduction into the life of the Spirit.  How it must grieve Jesus, for us to stop short of what He paid so high a price for us to have.  To be filled with the Spirit was not a mere suggestion, but rather a command to His disciples, which we are if we continue in his word.

Luke 24:49

And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

Ephesians 5:17-20

17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,  19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,  20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

The will of God is that you be filled with the Spirit.  The will of God is actually that we become the channels through which his spirit flows through, that we become ministers of that anointing.

2 Corinthians 3:5-6

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter kills, but the spirit gives life.

John 7:37-38

In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

Ezekiel 37:7-10

Here we find the picture of the New Testament believer, the power filled Christian life.

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.  8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.

9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.

10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

Notice how everything from a natural standpoint may look perfect, but from God’s perspective it is dead until the Spirit has come upon and into. It is the Spirit that turns these bones into an army.

Too many people sit in the pews of churches week after week who are dead in the spiritual sense.  Everything looks great on the outside, everything appears to be in order, and it seems as though they have it all together.  But they are dead because the Holy Spirit cannot blow upon their lives because they refuse to die to “self.”

They have some kind of beef with someone that they just can’t seem to let go of.  Some man or woman in the church has hurt them, someone has stepped on their feelings and they just can’t seem to get over it. 

My grandfather wouldn’t go to church because when he was a child the pastor of his parent’s church blamed him for something he hadn’t done and he got a whipping for it.  He never got over it.  He used it as an excuse to stay out of church for the rest of his life.  He detested men of God and spoke ill of them whenever given the opportunity.  And eventually at the age of 100, he died without Christ.

Has someone hurt you?  Do you have an issue with your brother or sister in the Lord?  Maybe you have a problem with your pastor, whatever it is you need to get over it and die to yourself if you want to experience the power of a Holy Spirit filled life.  God cannot pour His Spirit into vessels that are already filled with envy, strife, slander, gossip, or greed. 

Empty yourself of “self” today and be filled with the Holy Ghost.  Then where now flows poison that drives men from God, He will cause streams of living water to flow that will draw men unto Him. 

Christ’s life, His blood, is the only life and blood that has room to flow in the life of a true follower of Jesus.