Saturday, September 26, 2015

What Do You Say About Yourself?


It is sad to me that a majority of Christians have such a low opinion of themselves, and ignorance of their spiritual identity in Jesus Christ that they could literally write down everything they think of themselves on a post-it note and still have room for the groceries list.

It is absolutely necessary for all Christians to know exactly who Jesus is and to have wonderful revelations of what He has done for us, but if that is as far as you go, then you have missed the greatest revelation of all: Christ in you the hope of glory. The crowning glory of the revelation of Jesus Christ is that what He is, we have become.  The same power that rose Jesus from the grave lives in us.

1 John 4:17

“Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment: because as He is, so are we in this world.”

Our identity with Christ is so interwoven with Him that He calls us his body. He says we are flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone.

Ephesians 5:30

“For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones.”

John 15:5

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

What I am trying to convey is that you must have a revelation of yourself in Jesus.

First, you not only need to have a revelation in the Word of God of who Jesus is, but as a believer you to need have a revelation of who you are in Him; you must be able to see yourself in Jesus.  It is paramount that you see yourself identified with Christ; not only in His crucifixion, death and burial, but also in His resurrection life and power.

Colossians 2:12

Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead.”

Ephesians 2:6

“And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:”

This is what God has done for us in Christ and we must see this important truth.

Second, once you see and realize what God has done for you in Christ, you must put a voice to what you see. It is your voice that establishes your position in the spiritual world.  Your voice is your address.  The only thing that carries any power in the spirit world is what you say.  What you think is of great importance, because eventually what you think is what you speak.

Luke 6:45

“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.”

When it comes to dealing with the enemy of your soul it is important for you to understand this important principle: Satan doesn't recognize you based on what God says about you, he recognizes you according to what comes out of your mouth.  What do you say about yourself?

Don’t misunderstand what I am trying to say; it is important to voice the greatness of God and magnify the name of Jesus, but you can talk about Jesus and magnify and glorify and shout his name until you are hoarse, but in a spiritual battle that does you little to no good.  David didn’t just shout how great God was to Goliath, he came at Goliath with the confession and demonstration of God’s power in his servant.

Satan and the demons already know about Jesus.  But you only become a threat to hell when you recognize who you are in Christ and understand the power that you have in the anointing of the Holy Ghost, and you shout it in the face of evil.

You are never going to back hell off of you because you know who Jesus is.  Satan will only back off of you when you realize who Christ is in you, who you are in Christ, and you declare it with authority in Jesus’ name.

The devil has gotten away with a lot of garbage because he has convinced many of God's people that they should never say anything good about themselves.  The enemy’s lies have convinced many potential spiritual power houses that humility means that you never say anything good about yourself.  After all we are taught that Pride goes before destruction. 

Let me clear this matter up for you: pride is not saying something good about yourself, pride is boasting of yourself falsely, or to think and speak more highly of yourself than you are.  But when we declare who we are in Christ, we are not boasting in ourselves, we are boasting in Christ and what he has done and continues to do in and through us by the power of the Holy Ghost.

Every time you acknowledge what Christ has done and who you are in him, you glorify God and bring honor to Jesus and joy to the Holy Spirit who is manifesting Christ in your life.

Philemon 1:6

“The communication of your faith becoming effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing that is in you in Christ Jesus.”

Your faith comes alive and goes to work and becomes effective when you give voice to who you are in Christ and what you have in Christ.

Hebrews 13:5-6

“For he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee so that we may boldly say: the Lord is my helper, I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”

Notice: The writer of Hebrews said, “so that we may boldly say.”

Anything God has said about you in His Word, you may boldly say.

God expects us to take what He has said about us in His Word and put it into fearless, brave, courageous, cheerful, and confident words that give verbal expression to His work in our lives.

Proverbs 18:21

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”

The truth is that your experiences in life, through the power of God, are limited only by what comes out of your mouth.  You will never be more than your confession.  What do you say about yourself?

The only thing that carries any power in the spirit realm is what you boldly say about yourself. The only thing that the devil will acknowledge about you is what you boldly say about yourself. If you don't know who you are, nobody else will either. If you don't know what you have nobody else will either.

Peter and John expected people to receive from them because they knew the power of the Holy Ghost was in them. If you knew and believed what was in you, you would expect people to receive from you too.

John 7:37-39

“Jesus said: he that believeth on me as the Scriptures have said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water thus spake he of the Holy Ghost.”

Do you believe in Jesus as the Scriptures have said?

Do you believe you have received the Holy Ghost?

Do you believe rivers of living waters are in you?

Do you say it? 

You need to say it! 

Fearlessly, courageously, cheerfully, and boldly proclaim that rivers of living water flow out of your belly!  Boldly shout, “I am anointed!  I have received power!  In Jesus name I shall cast out devils! I shall lay my hands on the sick and they shall recover!  I can do all things through Christ!  Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world!”

The same power that rose Jesus from the dead lives in us, the power that is in us is greater than diabetes or cancer, heart trouble or kidney trouble, addictions and bondages, or any sinful habits.

You need to boldly say, “He has raised me up together with him and made me to sit together with him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus!  I am more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus who loved me and gave himself for me!  I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus! I'm an heir of God and joint heir with Jesus Christ!  I am no longer just a servant but now I am a son or a daughter of God!  Christ redeemed me from the curse of the law!”

You need to fearlessly, courageously, and audaciously inform Satan, “God has delivered me from the power of darkness and translated me into the Kingdom of his dear son!  The kingdom of God lives in me now!  Devil, you are under my feet, you are defeated, and Christ has dethroned, disarmed, and destroyed your power forever!”

The devil doesn't care how much you know, it's what you boldly say that sends shock waves through hell.  The most powerful weapon we have against hell is a secret weapon to many Christians.  It's a secret because they don't even know that it is a weapon. It's your mouth

Revelation 12:11

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.”

The blood of the Lamb is what He has done for us, and the word of our testimony is what we say in agreement with God about what Jesus has done and is doing in us.

The reason so many are not seeing the power of God manifested is because they are not agreeing with God.  We are not saying what He said about himself, and we are not saying what He said about us.

Amos 3:3

“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”

What do you say about yourself?

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Yes You Can!

Numbers 13:1-3
“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them. 3 And Moses by the commandment of the Lord sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel.”
Numbers 13:30-33
“And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. 31 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. 32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.  33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”
Numbers 14:1-2
And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.  2 And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!
Any student of scriptures, as they study them, will find that there were some great men of God who all fell victim to the same trap. Moses tried to disqualify himself from service to God because he had a speech impediment.  Jeremiah tried to run from God’s calling because he thought he was too young and that he was not ready for such a great responsibility.  Gideon argued with God that he was not the best choice or the most qualified to deliver Gods people.  All of these men became great men of God, but initially they all fell prey to the same trap that Satan snares so many with. They all doubted the Word of God and believed the lie, “I can’t do it.”
In our text we are not just looking at or listening to the excuses of one man, it is an entire nation.  Ten spies returned with the negative report, “We can’t do it.”  Their lack of faith in the promise of God, in His Word, infected and poisoned an entire nation.  And what was the result?  In the place and time where they should have had a breakthrough, at the point that should have given birth to their God given destiny, instead they broke down and aborted the promise of God.
What was it that led to this spiritual abortion?  Was it the devil? Was it the giants?  What was it that had the power to reach into the hearts and minds of over one million people and strip them of their faith and rob them of their destiny?  It was those same four words that men have been using to bag out on God from the beginning of time: “I can’t do it.”
But it was not just the words themselves, but what was contained in those four words.  You see words are like containers and you can either fill them with faith, courage, and confidence, or you can fill them with doubt, fear, and desperation.
When Israel spoke those words they excluded God!
But it is my mission to convey a word to you that is filled with possibility, overflowing with potential, and pregnant with power.  It is my hope that this word will move you from sickness to health, from weakness to strength, from worry to worship, and from bondage to liberty.  I pray that these words penetrate your spirit and change you forever in the mighty name of Jesus.
The Lord spoke to me and said, “Open your mouth and prophesy to my people and declare to them, ‘Yes you can!’”
I don’t care what your critics are saying, or what the skeptics are saying, or what the economy is saying, and I don’t care what religious folks are saying!  The only thing that matters right now is what God is saying, and He is saying, “Yes you can!”
All you need right now, at this moment in time is a word from the Lord.
When God got ready to create this world He didn’t go to home depot, He just spoke the words and it came into being.  God thought them, God said them, and then God saw His words become.
I don’t know what impossible situation you are facing; for you it may be a spiritual battle, it could be sickness, or marriage problems, or maybe your ministry is under attack.  I don’t know what obstacle you are facing, but I know your answer, it’s the Word of God!
One word from God will drive cancer from your body, one word from God can put meal in your barrel and oil in your cruse, and I can tell you without any doubt that one word from God will deliver you from any drug habit or addiction.
A word from God can restore your marriage, heal your broken heart!
Peter and the disciples were caught in a storm, they were being tossed by the storm and their lives were being threatened.  The waters were rolling over their heads. Then Jesus came to them walking on the sea.  Peter shouted out: Lord if that’s you bid me come to you on the water.  Jesus spoke one word, come, and Peter crawled out of the boat and jumped out on the water and started walking to Jesus.  It wasn’t the water that held Peter up, it was the Word!  Jesus’ word told Peter, “Yes you can!”
The other disciples were telling Peter, “You can’t do it.”
The wind and the waves shouted at Peter, “You can’t do it.”
Peters flesh was screaming at him, “You can’t do it!”
The natural law of Physics said, “You can’t do it.”
But with one word Jesus said, “Yes you can.” And Peter stepped into the supernatural and he went where they said he could never go and did what they said he could never do.
I prophesy to you tonight, some of you reading this are getting ready to step into a spiritual realm of power with God where you’ve never been, and you’re going to see things you’ve never seen and do things you’ve never done.  You’re getting ready to get out of the boat!
The Bumblebee, is an amazing creature.  What is so amazing about the bumblebee?  It’s not supposed to be able to fly.  For many years this creature has been the subject of intense study and for all the knowledge and all the wisdom at our disposal, we still cannot figure out how it can fly.  Scientifically from its physical structure it should just topple over on its head.  Its wings are too small and its body is too big.  It’s not supposed to be able to fly.  If the bumblebee could hear all the studies, and theories, and scientific discussions and all the negative words of doubt and disbelief, he would probably fold his wings and have a nervous breakdown.  But the bumblebee can only hear one voice and it’s the voice of his creator, it’s built into his DNA, and it says, “Yes You Can.”
Don’t listen to the voice of doubt, don’t listen to the cries of fear, listen to the Word of God saying, “Yes you can.”
You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.
Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.
All things are possible to them that believe.
A great secret of the bumblebee’s success is: he never sits around comparing himself with all the other bugs in the kingdom.  If I just had wings like the wasp, or if I just had legs like the grasshopper.  He just uses what he has.
God told me to tell you to quit comparing yourself with other members of the kingdom and quit measuring yourself beside somebody else, and use what gifts He has given you.  What you have is enough.
The devil is so afraid of what will happen when you take your place in the Spirit that he does everything in his power to strip you of your wings.  He wants to keep you in the boat: he knows you can walk on water, he knows you can fly, He knows you were created to live and function in the realm of the impossible.  He just doesn’t want you to discover it.
He knows that Jesus gave you power to cast out devils and heal the sick, he knows that you are now the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, He knows that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost.  He knows that the same spirit that raised up Jesus from the dead lives in you.   
Satan knows that is normal for the child of God to have signs and wonders and miracles follow them, he just doesn’t want you to know it, and he doesn’t want you to know that you can fly.
The majority of Gods people today are stuck in the boat.  The boat represents: The familiar, the comfortable, the normal, the predictable, the expected, the natural, religion and tradition.
All it takes for you to get out of the boat is to listen to the voice of Jesus, He is saying to you, “Come.”
When everything around you is telling you, “You can’t do it.”
The Word of the Lord is saying, “Yes you can!”



Saturday, September 19, 2015

Get Up And Fight!

Micah 7:8

"Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in the darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me."

My purpose today is to tell someone: The enemy may have knocked you down, but you’re not defeated because, Down is not your Destiny!  I am writing this because many today are under attack.  The enemy has been hammering you with a barrage of assaults and life has you wondering if things will ever be better than they are right now.

You have been talked about.

* You are tired and worn out.

* You’re discouraged and depressed.

You’re beginning to believe his lies when he whispers, “You’ll never make it, you’ll never be an over  comer, you’ll never find true happiness!  You’ve been down so long that you have begun wondering, “Will I always be on the bottom?  Will I always be down?  Will I ever do any better than I am right now?”

I am here to shout to you today, “Yes, yes, yes!  You are a child of God.  Down is not your Destiny!”

Romans 8:37 - “No, in all things we are MORE than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

Hello!  

Somebody outta shout, “I am MORE than a conqueror through Jesus!”

There is absolutely NOTHING that the enemy can send our way that can defeat us, and no weapon formed against us can prosper!  There’s no plan that he can conceive that can destroy us, unless we refuse to get back up! 

Down is not your Destiny!

When our lives are surrendered to Jesus, even though we will face some difficult trials, there is absolutely NOTHING at all that can defeat us!  You may be down right now, but brothers and sisters, this too shall pass! What you are facing right now will soon be a part of your past!  This current struggle is about to become a part of a testimony to the power of the blood of the Lamb by which we shall overcome the enemy!

Down is not your Destiny!

You might be saying in your spirit, “That’s easy for you to say preacher, but you don’t understand what I’m going through.”

Yes I do, because I have been where you are right now: Knocked down and looking up at an enemy who was telling me to just stay down.  An enemy that wanted me to believe that there was no hope, to accept that I had gone too far from the path to find my way back, and that my situation was hopeless so I might as well just lay there, give into defeat, and die quietly.

But by the grace of God, I got up!  Down Is not my Destiny!

You have compromised yourself and the devil is getting the best of you right now.  Trouble coming at me from every side.  You’ve wondered, “How much more can I bear?  Can I go another day?  What will I face next?”

You’ve been knocked down and wondered, “Will I ever get up again?

Will I ever be able to stand upright again?

Isaiah 59:19
“When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him and put him to flight”

I’m telling you right now, under the anointing of the Holy Ghost, that God is about to raise up a standard against the enemy who has been barraging you with trouble.  It’s time for a breakthrough to victory!  God has promised us in His Word that He will make us a victor, not a victim!

Claim the promise of God right now that tell us that we you going to overcome and you cannot be defeated!

Down is not your Destiny! 

In the movie “Rocky,” the boxer Rocky has been knocked down and is on the mat, he is being counted out, and his trainer pleads with him, “Get up, Get up Rocky, get up and fight!”

I want you to understand today that it may seem like you’re at the end of your road, that you’ve been destroyed, and that there is no hope, but the Word of God says different!

II Corinthians 4:6-10
“For God, who hath commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that this life also of Jesus might be manifest in our body.”

I want you to hear me today; you may be low, it may seem like you’re on the very bottom, but let me tell you that you aren’t on the bottom.  Somewhere down the road, you’ll look back at this time in your life and you’ll say, “Had it not been for the Lord on my side, I would have surely perished, but because of what Jesus did on my behalf, I am a child of the King!”’

Down is not your Destiny!

Get up my brother!  Get up my sister!  Get up, get up, get up and fight!

I’m telling you, “Down is NOT your Destiny!”


Thursday, September 17, 2015

Is Your Cup Running Over?

Luke 24:49

“Jesus said: (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.”

Toward the end of His ministry Jesus looked at the disciples and He realized that they had received His instructions, He had given them nearly everything they needed to do the work they had been called to, but he said they were not yet fully equipped, they still needed to be endued with power from on high, they needed to be baptized in the Holy Ghost and Fire.

IN the American church it seems like we have come to the point, even in so called “Full Gospel” churches, where the ministry of the Holy Ghost is a distant memory.  It seems as though we have come to a place that the baptism of the Holy Ghost has been reduced to an acknowledgment of an indwelling presence of Jesus experienced by all believers.

Today in many so called “Pentecostal” churches, speaking with other tongues as the initial physical evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost has become extinct and in some places discouraged.  We are told that it isn’t necessary to speak in other tongues to be filled with the Holy Ghost.

I do not want to argue with these self-proclaimed theologians and biblical scholars, but I have come to understand in my short life, that my experience and my relationship with God must be built upon His Word, and when I build upon His Word, I am secure no matter what the trend of the day is.

I agree with Smith Wigglesworth, one of the most powerful men of God of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, He was known as the Apostle of Faith, He cast out devils, healed the sick and raised 19 people from the dead: He said, “The baptism will always be as at the beginning, it has not changed, if you want a real baptism expect it just the same way as they had it at the beginning.”

Acts 2:1-4

“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.  2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.  3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.  4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and (began to speak with other tongues) as the Spirit gave the utterance.”

Then when Paul encountered new believers the bible says:

Acts 19:6

“And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.”

When the door of grace opened to the gentile nation, they received this same gift and spoke with other tongues.

Acts 10:44-47

“While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.  45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.  46 For (they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, 47 can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?”

John said this Holy Ghost Baptism came with fire

Luke 3:16 – ‘He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:”

Today many churches have become so “seeker friendly” in an attempt to make visitors feel welcome, that we have forgotten that we are supposed to be friends of God and welcome His spirit into our services.  They are so concerned with creating an environment that is “seeker friendly,” that they’re ignoring the one that they should be seeking.

I’m just going to come right out and say it, get right to the point if you know what I mean, I  would much rather offend a visitor, than risk offending the Holy Spirit.  “Well preacher!" you say, “That’s just plain rude.”  Let me fill you in on a cold hard fact: I can make it to Heaven without your support, but I can't get there without His.

Just for the record here is another fact: a true ‘seeker” is not going to be offended by the power of God. Someone who is truly seeking God and searching for truth is looking for something real, something tangible that they can see and feel and when they see the genuine power of God in action they won’t usually run from it, they run to it.

It is our responsibility to show this generation a true manifestation of the power of God, uncensored by political correctness, unfettered by the expectations of secular humanism, undiluted by the filters of worldliness, and full strength.

Listen to the words of King David, words that should be the prayer of every true believer:

Psalm 71:18

“Now also when I am old and gray headed, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to everyone that is to come.”

I know that we are living in a time where technology has put “truth” at our fingertips in a matter of seconds.  All we have to do is go the TV or the internet.  I know that our elders didn't have the same advantages that you and I have today, but let me clue you in on something; the elders could teach the church a few lessons.
 
They know the power of the blood of Jesus.  They know how to pray. They didn't have the access to the medicines and the emergency room like we have today, they'd be out in the boondocks somewhere and someone would get deathly sick, they would pray until they prayed through and heaven invaded earth and the victory came.

They know you need the Holy Ghost, those old timers knew that if you didn't have the Holy Ghost you weren’t going to make it. They knew that without the Holy Ghost you weren't getting off the launching pad when Jesus Came back.  They knew the Holy Ghost was the power to conquer sin and live a Holy Life.

God told me to tell you today, you need the Holy Ghost!

If you plan on going to heaven tonight, the blood of Jesus has qualified you to get in, but if you plan on getting up tomorrow and facing life and dealing with a real devil, you need the Holy Ghost!

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.”

“Ye shall receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon you,” not before, but after.  There are no short cuts to the power of God, you must be filled with the Spirit.

You must not only be filled: You must keep being filled.

Paul Said:

Ephesians 5:18 – “And be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be ye filled with the Spirit.”

It really doesn't count for much what you had 15-20 years ago, or last year or last week.  What matters is where is the Holy Spirit Thermometer reading in your life right now?  How fresh is your oil?  Are you full of the Spirit or are you running on fumes?  

"Be ye Filled with the Spirit” means, be full of the spirit at all times

That is the power to be a witness, because when you are full of the Spirit, it will run over.  It might run over in a church service, it might run over in Wal-Mart, or it might run over while you’re riding down the road on your motorcycle in the middle of Georgia, like it did for me this summer.  But one thing is for certain; if you’re full of the Holy Spirit, it will run over.




Saturday, September 12, 2015

Call Me "Brother Troublemaker"

I just want to start this message by stating boldly, by prophesying, that some of you reading this are going to come away from it with an attitude.  After allowing this message to sink in, you’re going to draw a line in the sand, and the enemy is going to flee, and you’re going to hit your knees and set some stuff straight. You have been tolerating Satan’s mess long enough, and he has caused grief and pain in your life, but right now in the name of Jesus I say the tables are about to turn.

Matthew 5:8 – “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.”

In the Word Jesus is called the Prince of peace, but we often misunderstand that peace does not mean that Christ was in agreement or that He was in harmony with the spirit or the social environment of His day.  In fact it was said of Him on multiple occasions that there was a division because of Him.
You could say that Jesus caused contention, that He caused irritation, or that He caused disturbances, or you could come right out and say what many would call Him if he were here today, He was a troublemaker.

Jesus said, “I did not come to bring peace but a sword.”

The word sword used here means (Strong’s G3162 macaira: machaira) literally means a large knife but it is used figuratively to mean war.

Matthew 10:34-36 – “I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother and the daughter in-law against her mother in-law and a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.”

In other words Jesus was saying that He came to cause trouble, He came to stir the pot of political correctness, and He came to start a fight.  Jesus was essentially telling His followers that He came to force them to choose sides and that because of this many would be on opposite sides with their contemporaries.

When you read the Gospels you can have no doubt that many looked upon Jesus as a troublemaker.  But Jesus wasn’t the first troublemaker sent by God, Elijah was a troublemaker too, during his time as God’s prophet, he forced the children of Israel to choose sides.

I Kings 18:17

“And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?”

Elijah’s very existence irritated Ahab and especially Jezebel.  Elijah Made Ahab miserable, Elijah was a prophet of God and he spoke the truth without compromise, without fear, and without favor.

There is an undeniable need today for servants of God, like Elijah, to stand up in our pulpits, in our government, in our workplaces, in our homes, and in our schools and to declare without compromise or fear, “thus saith the Lord.”

The attitude that dominates our land today is tolerance.  Our children are being taught in school to be agreeable, to be harmonious, to be ‘open-minded’, and to accept anything and everything.  The overwhelming philosophy of our day is ‘don’t rock the boat’ and keep the peace.

Colossians 2:8 (NIV)

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.”

We are at war my friends and too many of us have been taken prisoner, led captive, deceived into accepting a philosophy of ‘go along to get along’ and I don’t know about you, but I feel an anointing stirring in me to become a troublemaker.  I feel an Elijah anointing coming on.

God hasn’t called us to join the ‘PC’ alliance, He hasn’t set us apart to make everyone happy, we’re not supposed to try and find a happy medium where ‘we can all just get along’.  God has called us to draw a line!  He has called us to draw a line between right and wrong, between true and false, between sin and righteousness, and between a dead false religion and the power of God.

For too long now the church has been trying to blend in, to be tolerant, and to not be judgmental.  And as a result of all this hybrid worship the church has become so mixed up that all kinds of worldly and ungodly practices have found their way into our pews, and even worse, they have snuck into our pulpits.

As my daddy used to tell me, “boy you’re hoeing too close to the row,” I know I am, but I know I’m telling the truth.

Social drinking, gambling, homosexuality, shacking up, pornography, and now the church is opening her arms to embrace religions that don’t even recognize Jesus as the Son of God.  They promote the godhood of self, and reject the blood of Jesus as the only remedy for sin.

I can hear the moderates and liberals saying, “Be careful man of God, be careful preaching like that you might stir something up.”

Good!  I pray that before their done reading this a lot of people will get stirred up and share this word with their friends so that even more get stirred up.  I am not writing this to bring peace, but I am writing this because the Spirit of God is on me today to be a troublemaker.  I am not interested in peace today, I want to see a revolution!

The name my momma and daddy gave me is Clayton, but if you want from this day forward, you can call me Brother Troublemaker!

The troublemaker is a person who is usually known for messing things up.  They lay awake at night trying to think up ways to cause confusion and destruction.  They are so committed to this attitude that they become known as “troublemakers.”  Usually when we see them coming we say. “Oh no!  Here comes trouble.”

I wonder what the demons says about you and me.  I wonder if we possess enough of the fire and the power of God that we even disturb the devil.  I wonder if they say, “‘Jesus we know and Paul we know, but who are you?’  Or do they see us coming and say, ‘Oh no!  Here comes trouble.’”

I don’t know about you but I want to be known as a troublemaker.  I want to make trouble for the devil.
I want to make it hard for people to go to hell.  I want to make it hard for people to stay sick.  I want to make it hard for the discouraged and depressed to stay discouraged and depressed.  I want to make it hard for hypocrites to feel comfortable in the house of God. 

You can call me old fashioned, you can say you’re stuck on that same message and you sound like a broken record, but  I know what I am talking about, my testimony is one of compromise.  I haven’t always held to the truth and righteousness, but by the grace of God I am back on the path of righteousness and the Lord has called me to preach repentance to the captive. 

You can claim that I’m spinning my wheels and I’m stuck in the mud, but I’m not stuck in the mud, I’m focused on the blood!

I can’t get away from the message of the cross, I can’t get away from a Savior who shed His blood for me.  It’s the blood that saved me, it’s the blood that delivered me, it’s the blood that heals me, and it’s the blood that broke Satan’s power over my life.

From this point on my mission, my calling, is to make trouble for the devil, I want to tell you in no uncertain terms: I am calling for an army of troublemakers to rise up and join me in this fight to set those who have been led captive free.

Blessed are the troublemakers!

There is a damnable doctrine being preached today called the gospel of inclusion.  It says that everybody is saved, they just don’t know it yet.  This lie teaches that God is love and He would never send anyone to such a horrible place as hell, if there even is such a place.

This deception rips the heart out of Evangelism.  The very heart of evangelism is the recognition that man is a sinner, and that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and that our sins have separated us from God and have condemned us to hell.  But that by believing on Jesus Christ as our sin sacrifice, we are forgiven and redeemed.

I can already hear the liberals say that I am preaching too hard, that my message isn’t soft enough to draw the lost.  Let me tell them something; I’m not running for office, I’m not trying to get your vote, and I’m not trying to make friends, I came to make trouble for the devil and release those in chains.

I want to be a troublemaker like Elijah.


Thursday, September 10, 2015

You Saved the Best For Last


John 2:1-11
And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2 and both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. 3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, they have no wine. 4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come. 5 His mother saith unto the servants, whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. 6 And there were set there six water pots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. 7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the water pots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. 9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, 10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. 11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

Joel 2:23
Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.”

Haggai 2:9
“The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.”

We serve a progressive God, everything about Him is progressive, He is always moving forward, always building, and always outdoing Himself.  Jesus had a ministry full of miracles from the beginning to the very end.  Jesus’ ministry began with a miracle that most would call insignificant, He turned water into wine, certainly this was no life or death situation, but His earthly ministry quickly progressed into opening blind eyes, making the lame to walk, casting out devils, feeding the multitudes, and raising the dead.

Jesus, “who being in very nature God,” was completely unfamiliar with the word impossible.

Matthew 19:26
“But Jesus beheld [them], and said unto them, with men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”

Mark 9:23
“Jesus said unto him, if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”

Most of the time when we look at difficult circumstances and conditions of the world around us we tend to see impossible conditions: darkness, confusion, hopelessness, perversion, and corruption, we naturally tend to consider these situations impossible.  In fact yesterday I had a conversation with my pastor and he told me he was invited to speak at the local high school for the anniversary of 9/11 on the topic, “Hope for America.”  My reply was very cynical I must confess, I said, “There’s no hope for America is there?” 

He quickly replied, “Only God brother, only God.”

I look at the news and see how now we have begun putting Christians in jail for refusing to violate their faith and I see a nation that in my mind has gone beyond the reach of truth.  I see the impossible, but Jesus looks and he sees a perfect opportunity for a miracle, a perfect backdrop for a display of His glory.  What appears to me to be a breakdown in the fabric of our society, may just be a setup for a Holy Ghost breakthrough.

No wine at the wedding: the reputation of the groom was at stake. The people were expecting a party that would last for days, and they wanted more wine, but there was no more wine in their cups or in the kitchen.  Here we see a need, a desire, and a potentially embarrassing situation.  Then Jesus takes the case.

Then there was the case of Jairus the ruler of the synagogue, whose daughter was at the point of death: Jesus heads for Jairus home to heal her, but a messenger interrupts them on the way there with the message, “Trouble the master no longer, thy daughter is dead.”

Now the stage is set:  Guilt is the first response, “why didn’t I come sooner, why did I let my pride stand in the way, I should have listened to my wife.” 

Now grief sets upon him, “My daughter is dead, only 12 yrs. Old.” 

Followed by anger, “We might have made it if that woman hadn’t stopped Jesus, now she’s healed and my daughters dead.”

And then finally hopelessness, “He was my last hope.  I heard how he turned the water into wine, and healed the nobleman’s son and delivered the demoniac, but my daughter is not sick, nor demonized she is dead and now there is nothing that can be done.”

Then the words of Jesus penetrate his thoughts, “Fear not only believe.”

The house is filled with mourning, weeping and wailing, death is hanging in the air, and all that the man sees is darkness, hopelessness, grief, sorrow, and pain.  But Jesus sees the perfect opportunity for a manifestation of the God’s glory…”Little girl I say unto thee arise!”

What a mighty God!

Through the Apostles gospel accounts we have seen Him turn water into wine, feed the multitudes, heal the lame, restore sight to the blind, walk on water, cast out devils and raise the dead.  Surely we have seen him at his best, surely we have seen the greatest manifestation of his power and glory, right?

No!  Our God is far greater than that!  Let me tell you something He told me in prayer today, “You ain’t seen nothing yet buddy, the best is on the way!”

One day when Jesus was doing ministry with His disciples the news came to Jesus telling Him that, “He whom thou lovest is sick.”

So Jesus and His disciples headed to Bethany.  Upon their arrival Lazarus had already been dead for several days, not seconds, not minutes, not hours, but days.  The stone has been rolled in front of the tomb.  The stone speaks of finality, it says call the fat lady and tell her to start singing because it’s over, it’s beyond help, the condition is incurable, and the problem is irreversible.

His sisters told Jesus that if He would have come earlier, He could have healed Lazarus, we believe you could have kept him from dying, but now it’s over.

Isn’t it amazing how we so often put limits on God?

He can do this but not that, He has the power to stop something from happening, but He can’t turn it around.  Nonsense!  Brothers and sisters that’s where we’ve missed the point, the entire Bible from the front cover to the back is a book about turnarounds.

In our carnal minds we say, “You’re too late Jesus.”

But Jesus says, “Take away the stone!  Lazarus come forth!  Loose him and let him go!”

When we watch the news today we are seeing a society that is out of control.  America is no longer a Christian nation.  Every single day we hear of how God is being rejected and removed from our schools, our holidays, and in some cases even the church.  

Christmas has become a time for parades, and celebrations, but Christ is left out. 

Easter is a time for egg hunts, and rabbits, and dinners, and parties, but the power of the resurrection and the miracle of eternal life are left out.

We are seeing the spirit of perversion, worldliness, and corruption, not just sneaking into our churches, not hiding in our pews, but filling our pulpits and preaching their perverted self-serving gospel that is leading people into greed and lust.

Jeremiah spoke of a similar time in Israel’s history:

Jeremiah 5:31
“The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love [to have it] so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?”

Another scripture that clearly defines the spirit of this generation:

Isaiah 5:20
“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

If we allow ourselves to we can look around and see what’s happening in the world, we can assess how terrible it is, we can get depressed, go into hiding, and say it’s hopeless.  Or we can look in the Word of God and see that our best days are ahead of us, we haven’t seen anything yet, God is just getting wound up.

The devil may think he’s winning, he’s thought that before… 

When he had all the children killed by Pharaoh to try to keep God’s promise from being fulfilled, but God put His promise in Pharaohs house, and let him raise him!

When the children of Israel were trapped at the red sea entangled in the wilderness, the Egyptian army behind them, but God turned the red sea into a highway!

Yes the devil is working hard, and yes we see the evil and the wickedness and the perversion, but don’t turn off the switch of faith - God is up to something big!

You sir have saved the best for last!

Let the devil paint the darkest, saddest, the most perverse and corrupt picture of hopelessness and despair, and sin that he has ever painted, and God will turn it into a back drop for the greatest display of His glory this world has ever seen.
                                                                                      


Monday, September 7, 2015

Armed and Dangerous


Ezekiel 37:10

“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.”

Most of the time when we talk about,  preach about, or even when I write about Ezekiel chapter 37 the focus of the message is the power of God reviving the dead bones.  Ezekiel 37 demonstrates how our God can move into the boneyard of our lives and churches, and resurrect dreams and visions, and it shows us how He can step into the middle of our chaos and confusion and bring order and peace.

We get a glimpse of how God can take nothing and through His Word and the operation of the Holy Ghost, can turn nothing into something awesome.  We usually take great effort to show how a valley full of dry bones can be transformed into a mighty army standing on their feet ready to serve.  Then we close our Bibles and shout about the miracle in the valley of dry bones, and then we go to the house.  But I want to start this message tonight where we usually end.  As the old radio host Paul Harvey might say, “It’s time to see the rest of the Story.”

I don’t want to write about the dry bones, I’m not going to prophesy to dry bones tonight, but I want to speak tonight to the army of God.  I want to speak a word into the lives of that group of men and women, young and old, men and women that God has called for such a time as this.

I’m not speaking tonight to the depressed, the fearful, or the wounded and worried tonight.  I don’t want this word to portray the thought that I don’t care about those people, because I do, but tonight my spirit has been directed to speak to a different group of God’s people.  My mission tonight is not to speak life to dry bones, but to give marching orders to an army.

I’m talking about the Army of the Lord.  People who have learned how to be soldiers.  There are a lot of saints in the church, but not many soldiers.  The saints do a great job of holding down the fort, but we need some soldiers to storm the gates of hell and possess the land.

There will always be dry bones, they will always need a prophet who will see the plan of God and prophesy and bring restoration and transformation.  But God gave me a word tonight for the soldiers, He said to prophesy to His Army.

God said to tell you that this is your moment in time, He has raised you up out of the valley of dry bones, He has brought order into your life, He has strengthened you and nourished you by His Word, the wind of his Spirit has filled your life and stood you up on your feet, and now it’s time for you to answer the call to arms.  It’s time for you to become God’s hands and feet in the earth, it’s time for you to be agents of change and deliverance in the earth.

The elders have been fighting for years and now it’s time for the baton to be passed, the mantle has fallen to this generation, the mantle has fallen upon us.  Smith Wigglesworth is gone, Charles Finney and John Wesley, and many other great men and women of God are not here anymore.  It’s our turn now to pick up the banner and run with it.

We have been anointed to break through and set the captives free, we are anointed to bring deliverance to the bound and oppressed, we are anointed to lay hands on the sick, and we have been anointed preach repentance to the lost and to baptize them in Jesus’ name.

Jeremiah 51:20-21
“Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war, for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms, and with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider, and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider.”

Acts 1:8
”But ye shall receive Power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.”

Wherever the Kingdom of God is, there will be a manifestation of the Power of God

Luke 17:21
“Neither shall they say, Lo here!  Or, lo there!  For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”

We are the Army of God!  We have been delivered from the hand of the enemy, we have been washed in the blood of the lamb, and we are filled with the Holy Ghost and Power!  We are Armed and Dangerous!

God did not call us into service, and send us into battle without weapons.  He has given us weapons that are mighty to the pulling down of strongholds and the casting down of imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

I came to tell you tonight that in this fight, we have the advantage because we have been given weapons that the devil has no defense against.  We have power of the name of Jesus, the name that is above every name.

We have the Word, we have prayer, we have praise, and we have His presence!

Mark 16:17-18
“And these signs shall follow them that believe; in My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

Listen to me tonight! You are called! You are chosen! You are anointed! You are Armed and Dangerous!
Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world!

The devil underestimated you.  You are not some weak kneed, defeated, discouraged, and beat down believers just trying to hold the fort till Jesus Comes.  We are the Army of God, and we are Armed and Dangerous, and it’s time to take possession of the land.

Luke 10:19
“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

Matthew 16:18
“And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Luke 9:1-2
“Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. 2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.”

All three of these passages describe an army on the move, advancing, marching in power and authority, treading down every enemy, every devil, every sickness and every disease, breaking through every obstacle and every hindrance.

That’s the church as God sees it!  That’s me and that’s you.

We’re not going in our own authority or our own power, but we are going in the name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Ghost.

I can feel the anointing rising up, I can feel some bones coming together, and I can feel some muscles, tendons, sinews, and skin coming on some bones.  And I can hear the wind of the Holy Ghost.  I can feel the breath of God breathing new life into some bones.  I can feel a fire getting into some bones.
I can see a mighty Army rising up in the Spirit!  And I can feel a shout coming on!  Praise the mighty name of Jesus!

I feel a fight coming back to someone, I feel somebody jumping back into the battle tonight.  You’ve had the breath knocked out of you, and you took a big hit.  The devil hit you where it hurt and knocked you down.  But you’re up again, you're back on your feet, you’ve got your breath back, you’ve got your fire back, you’ve got your faith back, you've got your song back, and you are Armed and Dangerous.


Sunday, September 6, 2015

Are You Ready To Ask For More?

John 10:10  
“The thief cometh not but for to steal to kill and destroy, but I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.”
 
1 Chronicles 4:9-10
“And Jabez was more honorable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, because I bare him with sorrow. 10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.”
Verse 9 doesn’t say that Jabez was wealthier than his brothers, or that he was stronger, or more educated, but what it says is, “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers.”

Honorable: bringing or worthy of honor, Not disposed to cheat or defraud, not deceptive or fraudulent, showing character of honor and integrity, adhering to ethical and moral principles. Deserving of esteem and respect.

Jabez was of a higher character, of more excellent attitude and heart, he was more trust worthy, more dependable and he had proven himself and earned the respect of his peers.
The most important things in life are not material and external, they are spiritual and they are internal, the most important things in life are matters of the heart.  

Life’s circumstances, people and the economy are all part of our natural lives and they can have tremendous effect on us, financially, emotionally, physically, and spiritually if we allow them to.  They can lift us up one day and then turn around and knock us down the next.  But when it comes to our hearts, we’re in charge.

You decide whether it mounts up on wings as eagles, or struggles through the valley.  It’s our decision whether we are going to wander in the dessert of mediocrity or rise the high places of honor, integrity, excellence.  No matter what happens around you, no matter what circumstances surround you; you choose what happens in you.

Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan, he was King Saul’s grandson, and he was an heir to the throne of Israel.  When he was a child his nurse dropped him and he became a cripple, but he was not only crippled physically, he was also an emotional cripple.  He chose to let life’s circumstances define him.

The Lord woke me up this morning to tell someone something, so I’m going to say something right now: every single one of us have had bad things happen to us, we’ve all had bad breaks, life’s circumstances has dropped us all at some point: 

-You may have been abused physically, lied on, betrayed
-Maybe you have had your dreams smashed over and over again
-Maybe you have invested in relationships that let you down time after time
-Maybe you lost your job, or your home

Jabez was a man like that.  Just like Mephibosheth he had been dropped in life.  His life story begins very sad: From his birth there was a heaviness that surrounded him, his very name was a curse laid on him by his mother.  It’s one thing to be cursed by people in general, we have all had people that didn’t like us, and as Christians we know we have enemies, but his own mother laid a curse on him.  Jabez means, “One who afflicts, one who causes grief and misery and pain.”

So Jabez began his life under a dark cloud, it was as though his destiny was prophesied: He would be a person that would bring misery and grief and pain to every life he touched. Like Mephibosheth: Jabez had been dropped by life, life had not been good to him.

But there was a difference between Mephibosheth and Jabez: One day something happened inside of Jabez.  We don’t know when, but one day Jabez gets this thought, “This is not the real me, I don’t care what my mother named me, and I don’t care what my circumstances have named me, and I don’t care what my peers have named me, that’s not me!”

Tell yourself right now, that’s not me: I’m bigger than that and my God is bigger than that!  I’m not a loser!

Jabez broke out of life’s definition to his destiny.

I love this story because it shows us: You can rise above your circumstances, you can get out of the box life has put you in.  You may be in the desert, but the desert doesn’t have to be in you.  You don’t have to let the circumstances that are around you, imprison you.

You can break out and break through.

It doesn’t matter what side of the tracks you come from, what color your skin is, how educated you are, what people think about you, how much money you have, how small your beginnings are, or how old you are; what matters is, what do you believe about yourself?

You have to see yourself where you want to be and you need to see yourself like God sees you.
Jabez saw himself with more in life. He broke out of every preconceived idea and limitation that was placed on his life and he chose abundant life.  He called on the God saying: “Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed and enlarge my coast and that thy hand might be with me and that thou wouldest keep me from evil that it might not grieve me.”

And God granted him that which he requested.  Jabez broke into a better life because he believed he could, and he refused to be satisfied where he was at.

Jabez was a fighter: He could have just accepted the hand that life dealt him.  He could have just fallen under the curse that was spoken over him.  He could have just decided that he would never be any better than his name, or his circumstances.

Too many of Gods people live like that.  They are saved but they are not living an abundant life.  They are saved but they are not happy.  They are saved but it seems like nothing really works for them:

-They are saved but their marriage is a mess
-They are saved but their finances are a wreck
-They are saved but they’re always struggling

But Jabez wouldn’t accept that kind of life, he fought through to an abundant life.

If you’re satisfied right now, if you have everything you want in life, all the anointing, all the power, all the joy and peace that you want, then you’re not the one God woke me up for this morning, and you can go ahead and stop reading this now.

God woke me up and gave me this word today for those who have the Jabez spirit.  He woke me today for those who are hungry for more:

-More anointing
-More power
-More joy
-More peace
-More of God’s presence in your life

We find out from Jabez life that your past doesn’t matter.  Listen to me today, it doesn’t matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done, God never consults your past to determine your future!

Quit living in the past: failures, disappointments, hurts, wounds, or whatever.  I am an expert on living in the past and thinking that God is done with me.  I know now that my thoughts are not His thoughts, and my ways are not His ways. Put the past in the past and move on to the greatness that God has ordained for your life.

Jabez had the courage and the boldness to ask God to bless him and you need the courage and the boldness to ask God to bless you.  God wants to bless you, but you have to ask him: “You have not because you ask not.”

Don’t get mad at me because I’m blessed and you’re not, I had the courage to ask! 

Don’t be jealous of me because I used to be powerless and let Satan have his way in my life, but now I walk in a powerful anointing and cast out devils and deliver the bound and oppressed, and people get healed when I pray for them, I asked!

Don’t be Jealous because I have favor everywhere I go and you don’t, I asked for it!
There’s no need for you to be jealous, you can have it too.  All you have to do is ask.

Jabez asked for an enlargement of his coast

This means increase and enlargement and multiplication in every area of your life.  This includes your ministry, your anointing, your business, your houses, your properties, your finances, your health, and your families.

You can sit back and say: God knows what I need and he’ll give me more if I need it.  No He won’t! He’ll give you more when you ask for more!  God is a not a rewarder of the passive and the lukewarm or the indifferent.  God is a rewarder of the passionate, the violent, the hungry, and the diligent seeker.

You can call me greedy if you want to, but I’m not satisfied.  I’m not satisfied with my level of anointing, or with the ministry opportunities I have experienced, I want more, I want signs and wonders and miracles and the gifts of the spirit! I want more demonstrations and manifestations of the power of God!  So I’m going to keep asking.  What about you?  Are you ready to ask?

Saturday, September 5, 2015

I Want The Fire

There are several places in the Word of God where the Lord is referred to as a ‘consuming fire’:

Deuteronomy 4:24 – “For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.”

Deuteronomy 9:3 – “Understand therefore this day, that the Lord thy God is he which goeth over
before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the Lord hath said unto thee.”

Hebrews: 12:28-29 – “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:  29 For our God is a consuming fire.”

There can be absolutely no denying the fact, our God is a consuming Fire!

Hebrews 1:7 – “And of the angels He saith, who maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire.”

We can see from these scriptures, and so many others, that our God is a God of fire.  In the Word of God everything associated with God’s presence has fire connected to it.

- In the wilderness of Mt. Sanai God appeared to Moses as a burning flame in a bush.
- On Mt. Carmel he consumed the offering and alter with fire.
- On the day of Pentecost every head got a flame.

They not only spoke with other tongues, but tongues of fire sat upon each of them.

What I am about to say may offend some of my Pentecostal brothers and sisters, and that is not my intent, I consider myself to be one hundred percent Pentecostal in my beliefs.  I am unashamedly Apostolic!  I believe in speaking in tongues with all my heart, and I believe that speaking in tongues is the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost, but if all you have is tongues, you are no threat to the devil or his Kingdom.  It’s like walking around with a giant Bible in your hand, when you have no idea what it says between the covers.

Listen to what I am trying to tell you!  It is not the Word on your shelf collecting dust that your enemy fears, it is the Word of God that you have hidden in your heart that becomes the sword of the Spirit.

What I am trying to say is that two things happened to them on the day of Pentecost: Yes they got the Holy Spirit and they began to speak in tongues, but they got the fire too! When the Holy Spirit came, He came as a rushing mighty wind and Fire.  Every believer needs tongues, and if you seek and desire them then you will receive them, but we need the fire too!

There are many churches and denominations in America today that still say that believe in speaking in tongues, but they have no fire, and without the fire there is no power.  They claim to be Pentecostal, but no signs follow them, no wonders, no miracles, the devil laughs at them, and they have no power to break the chains of sin, that is absurd! If Pentecost is anything it is a baptism of Fire!  If having the Holy Spirit in your life means anything, it means that you receive Power!

Acts 1:8 – “Ye shall receive Power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.”

Power: Strong’s definition of Power = Force, ability, strength, specifically miraculous power.

This is what happens when you are baptized with the Holy Ghost and Fire: you receive supernatural force and ability, strength, and miraculous power comes inside you.

The Fire of God is an energizing force, a sanctifying and purifying agent.  The Apostle John said, “His fan is in his hand and he will thoroughly purge his floor.”

God’s floor is where He walks, and He walks in you and me.  We are the temple of the Holy Ghost.  When we receive the Holy Ghost and He comes and lives in us, and we allow Him to reign in our hearts, then He will begin to clean his house.  He will burn up everything in us that is worldly, all of our fleshly desires will be consumed by the fire, and He will destroy the works of the devil.  The fire will burn up everything that displeases Him and Jesus will be glorified in our lives.  

We will receive power:
-Power to say no to evil desires crucify the flesh
-Power over the devil in your own life
-Power over sin, bondages, and addictions, God doesn’t want us addicted to anything except his       anointing
-He will give you power to be a witness
-He will give you power to help others and He will make you a blessing to others
-You will be a channel through which the miracle life power of God will flow

John 7:37-38 – ” 37 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.”

You will become partners with Jesus in the great commission

Mark 16:16-18 – “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

That’s why the enemy doesn’t want you to be baptized in the Holy Ghost and fire, because when you are on fire for God you are a threat to hell.  A lukewarm Christian is a better advertisement for the Satan than for God, because our God is a consuming fire.

Samson caught 300 foxes and tied them together in pairs.  The foxes alone were no threat to the Philistines until he put fire between their tails.  Now these same foxes that had previously been a simple nuisance, because of the fire, became the Philistines worst nightmare.  What changed the situation? The fire!

Maybe you’ve never really experienced the fire, you have a concept and a theory and a philosophy but you’ve never really been touched by the fire of God, then today, right now is your opportunity to receive a personal flame from God.

Maybe at one time you had the fire, you had the anointing and the unction of the Spirit upon your life but you’ve cooled off, I know where you are, I’ve been there and it’s a weak and lonely place. I urge you now to seek a fresh anointing of the fire of God for your life before the enemy completely destroys you.

The Holy Ghost Fire is burning, the wind of the Spirit is blowing, I urge you, wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, stop right now and just lift your hands and tell Him: I want the Fire!