Saturday, October 28, 2017

Dig For Your Life!

Matthew 5:6

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

“On one condition.” Ever heard that phrase before? It is often the deciding factor whether a contract between two parties is completed. In this passage in Matthew, Jesus promises His followers that they will be filled, or another way of putting it is spiritually satisfied, but first they must meet one condition: they must hunger and thirst for righteousness.

Ever feel as though you’re in a spiritual drought, like your journeying through a spiritual desert? These times come to all of us at some point, but regardless of what your circumstances might be, whether you make it through the valley, is going to be decided based on you meeting that “one condition.”

Spiritual hunger and thirst does not come upon us suddenly, it does not occur through osmosis. It comes as it is cultivated and invited. We must create a place of emptiness that cries out to be filled. Friends what I am going to say now is very important, the intensity of our hunger will determine the depth of our filling.

In most cases, we lose our spiritual appetite because we have allowed our souls, to be filled with the things of this world. We change our standards, because societies standards have changed. Women looking and dressing like men, men looking and dressing like women, and so many so called ‘believers’ embrace these things with the justification that society has changed. God has not called us to conform to the standards of this world, He has called to be transformed. The Apostle Paul warns us in Colossians not to be led captive through philosophies based on human tradition which are contrary to God’s Holy Word!

Hunger, thirst, spiritual desire is the single most required characteristic of the growing maturing, advancing Christian life. Yet it seems at times to be the most easily forsaken or lost. What is our attitude toward the Lord, His presence, and His Word?

Luke 10:38-42

“Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.

But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

Martha welcomed Jesus into her house, but forsook His presence for earthly concerns. She took his presence for granted, she felt what she was doing was more important than what Jesus was saying. In contrast, Mary sat at his feet and heard Jesus’ words. Martha had not accepted the “One condition.”

The church is filled with people like Martha who are busy about the Lords business but have never met the condition. Their lives are full of everything except the presence of God. Thirst and desire are the thermometer that determine the spiritual health of a believer, a church, or a ministry.

When we lose our spiritual appetites for the presence and the glory of God in our midst, then our spiritual lives are in critical condition. If you’re not hungry and thirsty, you won’t eat, and you won’t drink, and if you won’t eat and drink, you’ll die.

Psalm 63:1-2

“O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.”

Isaiah 44:3

“For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:”

In 2nd Kings 3, we find three kings facing a dilemma: they were deep into the wilderness surrounded by hostile kings and they were out of water. The Solution, “One condition” become empty. Make this valley full of ditches, the ditches represented a capacity for receiving.

At the word of the Lord they began to dig ditches. It didn’t make any sense, they didn’t feel like it, they were battle weary, they were tired, they were scared, and they were desperate, but they started digging. They were not digging for amusement, or for exercise, they were digging for their lives.

I believe today that many of you need to start digging for your lives. This is not about comfort, convenience, preference, or what makes you feel good, it’s all about spiritual survival and it’s a matter of life and death. You’re in a desert, you’re dry, you’re weary, and you’re struggling just to hang on. If you don’t create a place of emptiness for the Holy Ghost, if you don’t get on your knees and start digging, you’re not going to make it!

In the hour that we live in there are many that are going to have to make a choice: are you going to do what you’ve always done because you’ve always done it, are you going to hold on to your way and try to force God to agree with you? Are you going to die of spiritual malnutrition, or are you going to accept the “One condition” and start digging?

You’ve got to dig through religion, it will not sustain you. Dig through your anger, resentment, frustration, dig through pride and stubbornness, dig through feelings and emotions, dig through the cares of life. Dig, create a place of emptiness, prepare yourself to receive the power of the Holy Ghost!

John 4:14

“But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

Dig until you hit a fresh and holy anointing of the power and glory of God like you’ve never experienced before! Dig! Dig for your life!



Saturday, October 21, 2017

River of Life


Revelation 22:1, 2
"And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. Amid the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."

One of the most beautiful scenes of the Bible is described is these two verses. John was given a vision of the great River of Life that flows from the Throne of God and of the Lamb. This river begins as a trickle from the Throne and then flows throughout the New Jerusalem to provide healing and life for all who live on its shores. What a day that will be when we get to see Heaven’s glorious scenes for the first time. All the troubles and trials of this life will pass into nothingness when we see Jesus face to face.

One of the greatest pictures of the power of that river is given to us in Ezekiel 47:1-5:

"Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar. Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side. And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins. Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over."

Ezekiel has been down to the valley of dry bones, representing the dead spirituality of Israel as a nation. These dry bones also stand for every man who ever lived who did not have the life-giving flow of God in their lives. When God asked Ezekiel, “Can these bones live?”, He was asking a question for which there was only one answer if we answer in the power and ability of man. The answer would have to be NO! But, in the power of the life-giving River of God, these bones could not only live but they could become a mighty nation and able to do great things.

When we look a little further, we can see Jesus as he is waiting for the woman at the well who heard the words of Jesus as he said in John 4:14, " But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."

As the waters of that river flow, there is much that it will do those who will step into its water and wade out just a little bit deeper each day. Every Christian must step out into the water and begin to explore the things of God. As Christians mature in Christ and their relationship grows, they begin to wade out a little farther from the shore and a little farther until finally they are lost in the love of Jesus Christ and learn to live by faith.

Too many people won’t go out into the deep water of relationship with Jesus because it requires a commitment of faith to believe that Jesus’ power will keep them afloat. We must understand, only the River of God brings Life!

All those who choose to be washed in the Blood of the Jesus through repentance of sin, and are baptized in Jesus’ name have access to this river through the baptism of the Holy Ghost, this same well of living water springing up from within them through the indwelling presence of the risen Christ!

Jesus is the source of the River of Life, and He dwells in the heart of everyone who repents and is baptized in the name of Jesus (Acts 2:38), to provide the ability to reach out to other people and have them washed in the blood also. The Holy Spirit within each of us is the manifestation of that river of living water as He speaks through us, leads us and teaches us every day.

We live in a dry and thirsty land. Life in this world is hard and we must be on guard against the power of sin as it tries to invade our heart and bring the sentence of death upon us again and again. I told my pastor on the phone last night, “I feel like the enemy has had his foot on my neck all week, and I need some fellowship around the throne of God.”

If it were not for that constant flow and the power of the Holy Ghost as the River flows upon us, what chance would any of us have? But we have a promise of God’s help. God will not allow the power of sin to overcome us but will come quickly to our aid to deliver us from temptation. God has promised us in 1 Corinthians 10:13, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

The River of God, that begins at the Throne of God and of the Lamb, that comes from the foot of Calvary’s cross gives us the power to overcome and the power to be satisfied by the Spirit of God in every circumstance for we know that God has it all under control.

A painting that I saw at a Museum in Eureka Springs, Arkansas showed just a portion of what that live giving flow is all about. In that painting, the Blood of Jesus Christ flows from His side as He is hanging upon the Cross of Calvary. That blood becomes a giant wave of His cleansing and keeping power as it washes across the pages of history. This painting is specifically designed to picture America from its foundation to the modern times but the Blood of Jesus Christ as the river of God has flowed throughout the entire history of man.

Every event, every war, every birth and every death have been affected by His Blood. The river has washed upon the shore of every nation and every life. The Blood of Jesus is given that all men can experience its cleansing power.

The early church began as a trickle of the out-pouring of the Holy Ghost upon men. Only 120 were gathered in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost as the Holy Ghost came upon them like a might rushing wind. Those 120 began a revival that is continuing to grow throughout the Church Age. Down through history the River has continued its journey. The Blood of the Lamb has never lost its power and it never shall.

At Azusa Street in California another great revival broke forth because men were seeking for the baptism in the Holy Ghost and that revival is still going forth today. The Bride of Christ, the Church, people like you and I, will not be stopped because the River of God is flowing stronger than ever. Around the world people are being saved. The river flows onward!

The Russian Bear of Communism has collapsed and the gospel is being preached behind what used be blocked by the KJB and the Iron Curtain. The gospel is going forth behind the Bamboo Curtain of China and souls are being saved by the 1000’s.

The Church will not go out of this age as some emaciated, weak and dying ember! The church is the Bride of Christ and will go out in a blaze of glory!

Matthew 24:14, "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."

That’s not a picture of a church that is sitting around doing nothing and waiting to be delivered. That’s a picture of the church as it stands under the mighty anointing of the Holy Ghost and defies the god of this world and steps out into the territory of the devil himself to bring the message of the gospel to anyone and everyone who will hear.

The enemy cannot stop the River of God as it moves on! Satan and the Antichrist are destined to be washed away by its cleansing power! The River of God cannot be stopped! It is a flood of God’s power to cleanse the world!

Has the River Washed You Clean? Have you made a Step into the Water of His love?

There is only one limiting factor in the power of this River of God to cleanse. That limiting factor is your own will. God is a perfect gentleman and never forces his will upon any man. It’s up to us to accept His gentle offer and wade out into the river just as Ezekiel had to do.

God wants to let the river flow in your heart today. Why don’t you open the doors of your heart and let the cleansing power of the Blood of the Lamb to wash over you? Swim out into the water of the River of God, repent of your sin, be baptized in Jesus’ name, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and experience the great salvation and peace that Jesus offers.




Saturday, October 14, 2017

You Stand, I'll Deliver!

Exodus 14:13-14 (KJV)

And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
14 The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

After the Israelites had been in bondage for over 400 hundred years the Lord sent them a deliverer named Moses.  Now we find them on their way out of the Egyptian kingdom and at the edge of the Red Sea.  God has visited nine plagues upon the Egyptians and so the Pharaoh told the children of Israel to get out, he agreed to set them free.  And with them they took much of the wealth of Egypt in the form of gold, silver, and precious jewels.

But now, after having had some time to reconsider the Pharaoh begins to have second thoughts.  He decides that letting them go was a mistake and he pursues after them with six hundred of his chosen chariots.

After many years in bondage the children of Israel came out of Egypt thinking:
• That their bondage was over
• That this chapter of their lives was over.
• That they would never again feel the sting of the whip up on their backs.
• That they would never again suffer the oppression of slavery

But Pharaoh didn't want it to end, he wanted them back under his control.

In a recent sermon our pastor pointed out that Egypt represents sin, that the Israelites going through the Red Sea represents baptism, and that the presence of God in the cloud and the pillar of fire represent the Holy Spirit’s presence to guide and lead us until we receive the promises of God that we have hoped for.  

What an insight and encouragement this has been to me from God’s word.  God has a plan for my life, God has a plan for your life as well.  He wants to free us from the bondage of our sin, to wash us in the waters of baptism, and to give us power for living and reaching the end, our inheritance, by blessing us with His presence through the baptism of the Holy Ghost!

How many of you know that Satan doesn't let go of his former subjects so easily?  The devil doesn't like giving up any territory.  Once you are freed from the chains of sin he will come after you, he will try and get you back into your chains, and he will use any means necessary.

My purpose today is not to tickle your ears, my purpose is to speak into the lives of those who are being pursued by Satan, to declare to you today that God is going to put an end to Satan’s work in your lives. God gave me this word, to create and establish, that today as the end. I am telling you that the Lord has told me, many of you are going to reach the end.

I don't know what it is in your life that has been trying to destroy you, but you know and God is aware of your situation.  I don't know if it’s physical, spiritual, relational, emotional, or if it’s financial, but here's what God says about it.

Nahum 1:7-9

7 The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.
8 But with an overflowing flood He will make an utter end of its place, and darkness will pursue His enemies.
9 What do you conspire against the Lord?  He will make an utter end of it.  Affliction will not rise up a second time.

How many times have you faced situations and circumstances and problems in your life and wished you could just put an end to it and move on?  How many times have you wished you could just say the end, and it would be over with?  How many times have you looked at the mountains and the giants you’ve faced and heard the enemy whisper, “You’ll never be free, I’m going to keep coming at you.”

Satan is a liar and he wants you to buy into his lies:
• He wants you to just accept it as normal
• He wants you to think it'll be easier on you if you just learn to live with it.

There's something about us that when our normal is interrupted there is an immediate resistance and we fight against it. But when the situation or problem is persistent, we tend to lose our fight and accept our condition, our situation, our problem as the new normal.

Today I want to stir up the fighter in you. I want to wake up the anointing in you. I want this word to stir up a rebellion in you against everything that is contrary to the Word of God in your life. I don't care how long your addiction or struggle has plagued you, or how long you have suffered in your heart, body, or mind, if it is contrary to the Word of God, then it’s not normal!

You may have learned how to coexist with it. You may have your nitroglycerin tablets, your insulin, your Lortabs, your Xanax, and your Nicotine gum.  All these things may help you cope with your lions and your giants, but it is not normal.

Cancer is not normal, diabetes and heart trouble are not normal, drug addiction and alcoholism are not normal, divorce is not normal, homosexuality is not normal, strife and division in your church are not normal, and struggling to pay your bills and living under a burden of debt is not normal.

There may be a history of cancer or diabetes in your family, and the doctors may tell you it's in your DNA, but it’s not normal because you have a new bloodline and a new DNA…

II Corinthians 5:17
“If any man be in Christ he is a new creature old things are passed away behold all things are become new”

You may look at your family tree and see alcoholics, drug addicts and wife beaters, but it’s not normal you have a new family tree, Jesus is the vine and we are the branches!  There may be homosexual and lesbians in your family line, but it’s not normal! I’m not concerned with being politically correct this morning, I'm trying to start an uprising against anything and everything that is less than God's will for your life.

You will never experience a change until you recognize what is abnormal, until you identify those things which are out-of-order in your life and you rebel against it.  And you will never rebel against what is abnormal and out-of-order until you are convinced of God’s normal and God's divine order for your life.

Sickness cannot be normal when Jesus was beaten to heal us from it! Poverty and lack cannot be normal for children of the King of kings! Fighting and arguing can't be normal in marriage, if our marriages are supposed to be mirror images of our relationship to Jesus! Living under a yoke of fear and worry can't be normal because the Bible says, “God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind!”

I don't know who I'm talking to, but somebody is making up your mind right now, that the devil has pushed you around long enough, and now you're the one who's going to do the pushing.

I hear the spirit saying, “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.”

I began writing today with this word in my spirit, God told me to prophesy and tell His people, “It’s not over, it’s not ending, it’s not finished, it’s only the beginning – when God is in it, all things are new!”

God said that he is getting ready to put a period at the end of a long hard battle.  He said to tell you to quit looking for those old familiar enemies, because you're not going to see them anymore.  

He's drowning your enemies.
• Sickness and disease are going down.
• Addictions and bondages are going down.
• Depression is going down.
• Poverty and lack is going down.
• Marriage problems are going down.
• Worry and stress are going down.

You might be asking yourself, ”What do I have to do?”

Here's what God says for you to do…

“Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord that He will show you today, for the Egyptians which you have seen today you shall see them again no more forever.”

In other words, God is saying, just stand over there and watch me work, and while you're praising me, I'll take care of business.

The more you praise Him the bigger he gets.

There are some things God expects us to do and requires us to do. He requires us to read his word and learn his will. He requires us to believe His Word and confess His Word as truth.  But when you have done everything you can do, when you prayed, you fasted, you confess the word, you rebuke the devil, you plead the blood, and you shout the name of Jesus, and then you stand!

That’s when Jesus says, ‘I'll take it from here! You stretch out the rod, I'll divide the Red Sea. You walk around the walls and shout, I'll knock them down. You stand on my words, I'll rebuke the cancer. You prophesy to the wind, I'll make the dry bones live again. You surrender to my will, I’ll break the yoke of addiction. You sow your seed, I'll bring the harvest. You stand still and praise me, I'll lose your chains and open the prison doors.”

Today is your day to look from the shore and see your enemy removed from your life forever!




Saturday, October 7, 2017

The Chain Breaker



Isaiah 61:1
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;”

There are many kinds of captivities, various types of chains that hold people in their grip, people are bound by many prison, but there is one God who can break them all – His name is Jesus!

There is spiritual captivity, emotional captivity, and mental captivity. There is the bondage of addictions, lust, and various other evil desires that hold millions of lives in chains. There is the prison of sickness and disease, poverty and lack, and the prison of fear.
According to the Word of God, Jesus came to set the captives free!

Luke 4:18

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised”

Acts 10:38

“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”

Psalm 107:20

“He sent his word and healed them and delivered them from all their destructions”

Today, the Spirit of God is upon me, and he has anointed me to give you a word that has the power to set you free in every area of your life! I have been anointed today to proclaim to you the good news that Jesus saves, delivers, and heals!

The same spirit, the same Holy Ghost anointing and power that was upon Jesus, to preach deliverance to the captives lives in me! There is no captivity, there are no chains, there is no bondage or prison that cannot be broken in the mighty name of Jesus!

I talk to people all the time about their chains, the things that have them bound; things that they just can’t seem to break free from. I always ask them the same thing: Do you want to be free? Just like Jesus asked the man on the porch, “Do you want to be healed?”

It’s that simple, Jesus is waiting for you to turn your situation over to Him. “Well preacher,” they say, “That’s easy for you to say, you don’t know what it’s like to be in my shoes.”

Yes, I do! I was addicted to drugs and alcohol for years, and He Jesus delivered me! I smoked two packs a day, Jesus set me free! I serve a Jesus that healed me from cancer. Jesus has the power to deliver! And I refuse to accept your weak understanding of my Jesus!

Don’t talk to me about a Jesus that can save your soul from hell, but can’t deliver you from nicotine, alcohol, or drugs! Don’t talk to me about blood that was shed on a cross to redeem your soul, but can’t heal your wounded heart, and deliver you from bitterness, and rejection!

I am not going to listen to a testimony about a Jesus who can save your soul, but can’t deliver your mind from the tormenting power of the enemy! Because I serve a Jesus that breaks every chain, destroys every captivity, opens every prison door, and lays my enemies at my feet! That’s the Jesus I want you to see today!

The God of the bible, His name is Jesus, He not only saves, but He delivers and Heals!

I don’t know what your captivity is, but I have a personal relationship with Jesus, and I know from experience that He can set you free!

He delivered Daniel from lions, and the Hebrew children from a fiery furnace. He gave David the strength to kill a bear, a lion, and a giant named Goliath. He opened the prison doors and Peter walked out. He gave Paul and Silas the courage to praise him after being beaten and thrown in a dungeon – and they walked out free men.

He made the lame walk, gave sight to the blind, and raised the dead – and He did these things many times, in front of many witnesses – leaving no doubt that Jesus is the God that delivers!

On the day of Pentecost, His Spirit blew into a room filled with 120 men and women with the Holy Ghost and with power! We can instantly see the transformational power of the Holy Ghost when Peter, a man who had just a short time before, denied that he even knew Jesus to save his own bacon, got up and preached to all who were in Jerusalem and 3,000 repented and were baptized in the name of Jesus!

The same God that saves, will fill you with the Holy Ghost, and give you the power to be delivered from your chains!

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever!

If he could deliver the demoniac and set him free, he can deliver you!

I came to proclaim good news to those who are captive today: I don’t care what you are going through, Jesus can deliver you. He set me free from alcohol and drug addiction, he broke the chains off my life when I surrendered to His love and power. Jesus saved me, He healed me, and He filled me with the Holy Ghost. 

I know there are many kinds of chains, but I also know the “Chain Breaker!”