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In His Name
In His Name
Welcome to everyone this morning. God has been awesome this past week. Really nothing new, He always is. Each week we gather in His presence and enjoy His greatness.
Day by day we live in Him. Move in Him, and embrace Him, and His purpose for our lives.
Our relationship with Christ should never stop progressing. Moving forward in our purpose, and growing stronger in His grace. Embracing the Word of God. Embracing a consistent prayer life. Being the light of Christ to your world.
There is an amazing season of change occurring in the church world. People who left the Gospel for religious rules and regulations have been brought to their senses, by the Holy Spirit. The truth of the Gospel, the birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus is being restored in pulpits across this land. “Amen, Amen!!!”
I come to you this morning in His name, to share some thoughts titled, “In His Name”
Isaiah 52:13-15
13 Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted.
14 Just as many were astonished at you, My people, So His appearance was marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men.
15 Thus He will sprinkle many nations, Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; For what had not been told them they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand.
This is clearly a reference to the coming of the promised Messiah. It takes two other translations of verse 15 to make sense. The first will take care of, He will sprinkle many nations.
Isaiah 52:15 AMP
So He will sprinkle many nations [with His blood, providing salvation], Kings will shut their mouths because of Him; For what they had not been told they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand.
This passage clears up the rest.
Isaiah 52:15 TLB
Yet many shall be amazed when they see him—yes, even far-off foreign nations and their kings; they shall stand dumbfounded, speechless in his presence. For they shall see and understand what they had not been told before. They shall see my Servant beaten and bloodied, so disfigured one would scarcely know it was a person standing there. So shall he cleanse many nations.
“We are talking about Jesus”
Isaiah 53:12
Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors.
(The NLT says, I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.)
“We are talking about Jesus!!!”
Daniel had a prophetic vision and then God revealed to Him, the Son of Man.
Daniel 7:13-14
13 “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him.
14 “And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.
“We are talking about Jesus, Why isn’t everyone talking about Jesus?”
Philippians 2:8-11
8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Phillip’s says of verse 11, “And that is why, in the end, “every tongue shall confess” that Jesus Christ” is the Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
“We are talking about Jesus, Why isn’t everyone talking about Jesus?”
His Miracles.
1. Calming the storm – Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:37-41; Luke 8:22-25
2. Feeding 5,000 – Matthew 14:14-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14
3. Walking on water – Matthew 14:22-32; Mark 6:47-52; John 6:16-21
4. Feeding 4,000 – Matthew 15:32-39; Mark 8:1-9
5. Fish with coin – Matthew 17:24-27
6. Fig tree withers – Matthew 21:18-22; Mark 11:12-14, 20-25
7. Huge catch of fish – Luke 5:4-11; John 21:1-11
8. Water into wine – John 2:1-11
Healing of Individuals
1. Man with leprosy – Matthew 8:1-4; Mark 1:40-44; Luke 5:12-14
2. Roman centurion’s servant – Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-10
3. Peter’s mother-in-law – Matthew 8:14-15; Mark 1:30-31; Luke 4:38-39
4. Two men possessed with devils – Matthew 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-15; Luke 8:27-39
5. Man with palsy – Matthew 9:2-7; Mark 2:3-12; Luke 5:18-26
6. Woman with issue – Matthew 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-34; Luke 8:43-48
7. Two blind men – Matthew 9:27-31
8. Dumb, devil-possessed man – Matthew 9:32-33
9. Canaanite woman’s daughter – Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30
10. Boy with devil – Matthew 17:14-21; Mark 9:17-29; Luke 9:38-43
11. Two blind men – including Bartimaeus – Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43
12. Demon-possessed man in synagogue – Mark 1:21-28; Luke 4:31-37
13. Blind man at Bethsaida – Mark 8:22-26
14. Crippled woman – Luke 13:10-17
15. Man with dropsy – Luke 14:1-4
16. Ten men with leprosy – Luke 17:11-19
17. The high priest’s servant – Luke 22:50-51
18. Nobleman’s son at Capernaum – John 4:46-54
19. Sick man at the pool of Bethsaida – John 5:1-15
20. Man born blind – John 9:1-41
Raising the Dead
1. Jairus’ daughter – Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43; Luke 8:40-56
2. Widow’s son at Nain – Luke 7:11-17
3. Lazarus – John 11:1-44
“We are talking about Jesus, Why isn’t everyone talking about Jesus?”
John 3:18
18He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Acts 3:6
But Peter said, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!”
Colossians 3:17
Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
1 John 3:23
This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.
1 John 5:13
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
“Talking about Jesus. In His Name.”
#inHisname #hopelives
He Leaned Toward Me
He Leaned Toward Me
As always I want to tell all of you how precious you are to Betty and I. Our prayers for you go up daily to the Lord. Speaking favor and blessings over your lives, and our community.
Please be in prayer for our country. The division and anger has been consistently troubling over the past months. Please pray that God will cover us with His presence and His peace.
It seems like my weeks go by so fast. Getting everything done that needs to be done is a challenge.
In just about 2 months we will be having our Christmas Banquet. The years go by faster and faster.
Moving forward is what we do. Looking back, except to learn, has never been an option with me. You can not measure our results by normal standards. “We ain’t normal.”
I come today in His name to share some thoughts titled, “He Leaned Toward Me”
Psalms 40 was attributed to David and it has an awesome story to tell.
The NASB Bible titles chapters and passages in the chapters, with a relevant synopsis of the chapter or the passages .
Psalms 40 Is titled, “God Sustains His Servant”
The word sustain has several meanings to day. Here is a couple of ones relevant to this Psalm. (to support, hold, or bear up from below; bear the weight of. To keep (a person, the mind, the spirits, etc.) from giving way, as under trial or affliction.)
Here is what David said.
Psalms 40:1-3
1 I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
The first verse tells of the three portions of answered prayer.
1st-Waited Patiently. 2Nd-God inclined to me, literally means, He bent towards me. 3Rd-He heard my cry, literally means, He answered it.
He begins the testimony of his deliverance, and His praise for God
2 He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear And will trust in the Lord.
Psalms 40:4-5
4 How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust, And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.
5 Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders which You have done, And Your thoughts toward us; There is none to compare with You. If I would declare and speak of them, They would be too numerous to count.
Psalms 40:6-8
6 Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired;
My ears You have opened; Burnt offering and sin offering You have not required.
(Nothing David did brought about this deliverance. It was God. Same is true for us today. He does good things because He loves us. He answer prayers, not because we are worthy, but because we prayed.)
7 Then I said, “Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
8 I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart.”
Psalms 40:9-12
9 I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation; Behold, I will not restrain my lips,
O Lord, You know.
(David has declared the greatness of God in every public place he could. In the midst of all the people.)
10 I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation.
11 You, O Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me; Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.
12 For evils beyond number have surrounded me;
My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see; They are more numerous than the hairs of my head, And my heart has failed me.
(Have you ever just felt like you just can’t stay out of trouble.) Some life event, jobs, family, kids, finances. Something swirling all the time. “God, I am surrounded.”
Here is the answer!!
Psalms 40:13-17
13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; Make haste, O Lord, to help me.
14 Let those be ashamed and humiliated together Who seek my life to destroy it; Let those be turned back and dishonored Who delight in my hurt.
15 Let those be appalled because of their shame Who say to me, “Aha, aha!”
16 Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let those who love Your salvation say continually, “The Lord be magnified!”
17 Since I am afflicted and needy, Let the Lord be mindful of me. You are my help and my deliverer; Do not delay, O my God.
I love verse 17. He is praying for everybody, but don’t forget me. Don’t forget me!!
“Lean Toward Me”
(Somebody needs Him to lean toward you today. To hear and to answer.)
#inHisname #hopelives
Remember When
Remember When
The fall season is trying to arrive but summer has resisted it’s coming.
It reminds me of us, broadly speaking mankind in general. We resist change. It is who we are.
Change has unknown elements to it. Just when we get comfortable with the season of life we are in, God moves us forward to a new season. Change begins.
Sometimes we will hold on to what God is through with. Because we are comfortable with it. When we become comfortable with ourselves, usually this is the very time that God will begin to shake things up. It becomes a season of change.
With all of that said, much of the Bible is about the past. Examples of His grace and love. Stories of people and the difficulties they faced. Revealing their faith and how God moved for them. Moved them forward in destiny.
I come to you this morning, in His name, to share some thoughts titled, “Remember When”
Genesis 30 is the story of the sons of Jacob.
Genesis 30:22-24
22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God gave heed to her and opened her womb.
23 So she conceived and bore a son and said, “God has taken away my reproach.”
24 She named him Joseph, saying, “May the Lord give me another son.”
From the Hebrew Joseph means, “Jehovah has added, from the root word which means, to add, increase, do again.”
Exodus the 2nd chapter begins with the birth of Moses. His people being persecuted in Egypt. Moses fleeing to Midian. He took a wife, had a son, and became a shepherd of his father in laws sheep. “Then This”
Exodus 2:23-25
23 Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God.
24 So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
25 God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them.
God remembered the cries of a single individual.
He remembered His promise to the fathers, when He heard the cries of a nation with millions of people.
(God remembered when, someone prayed, when someone cried, when He made a promise.)
God will remember you!!!
Let’s talk about us for a while.
Matthew 26:74-75
74 Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed.
75 And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, “Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.
How many remember a sin or failure?
(Let me fix this for you.)
Hebrews 10:14-18
14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.
15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying,
16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them After those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, And on their mind I will write them,” He then says,
17 “And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Mark 8:17-19
17 And Jesus, aware of this, *said to them, “Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart?
18 Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember,
19 when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?” They *said to Him, “Twelve.”
(Do you not remember His goodness? Everything He has brought you through. Every prayer answered, need met.)
Finally, In Romans 11 Paul was writing about the failure of the Jews to accept Christ. Explaining how that opened the door for the Gentiles to be saved.
In detail the Apostle was explaining the mystery of salvation and its quality of restoration.
He then said this.
Romans 11:17-18
17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree,
18 do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you.
Remember who we are. It is not about us, it is all about Him, the Root.
Just so you know who the root is.
Isaiah 11:10 AMPC
And it shall be in that day that the Root of Jesse shall stand as a signal for the peoples; of Him shall the nations inquire and seek knowledge, and His dwelling shall be glory [His rest glorious]!
Romans 15:12
Again Isaiah says, “There shall come the root of Jesse, And He who arises to rule over the Gentiles, In Him shall the Gentiles hope.”
“Do you remember when?
#inHisname #hopelives
A Predetermined Course
Destiny Part 6, Step 7
The simple definition of destiny is, “a predetermined course of events.”
My series on destiny will end. My prayer is that something was said that brought understanding to the concept of destiny. I believe that everyone has one, no matter if you believe it or not.
Really it all boils down to character. Everything, thoughts, words, decisions, actions, habits, and character all play a part in accomplishing our destiny.
Let me summarize a few points and then finish with some scriptures, and a story from the Bible.
Eventually your character will lead you to your destiny. There are no shortcuts to success, no easy roads to get there.
Everybody wants to have their destiny fulfilled, but not everyone wants to walk through the entire process. But that is what is required.
Realizing your destiny requires deliberate thought and action. You have to continually watch your thoughts because whatever you obsess about is what you’ll bring about. You must follow the appropriate path and organize adequately. Everything you think, say, and do must be in agreement with your destiny. If it isn’t, you won’t end up in the place you want to go.
Does God work in a predetermined course of action. The Bible most often speaks of purpose which is basically the same as destiny.
Job 42:2
I know that You can do all things,
And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.
Isaiah 5:19
Who say, “Let Him make speed, let Him hasten His work, that we may see it; And let the purpose of the Holy One of Israel draw near And come to pass, that we may know it!”
Luke 4:43
But He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.”
I want to share a very familiar Biblical story that really defines destiny.
Joseph was highly favored by his father Jacob. He was the son of Jacob’s old age. His name means, Jehovah has added. Joseph had two dreams, and I will read the second one.
Genesis 37:9-11
9 Now he had still another dream, and related it to his brothers, and said, “Lo, I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
10 He related it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?”
11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.
What Joseph dreamed would be a result of him fulfilling his destiny. He had no idea what destiny was at that time.
There is nothing in his story that indicates that he ever knew what his destiny would be.
He reached his destiny because he was willing to go through the process. His character remained faithful to God.
#inHisname #hopelives
What’s In Your Center?
What’s In Your Center?
The love and grace of God is an eternal flow. God loves unconditionally, and forgives with the same authority.
The last few years of my life have been a period of transformation. Understanding and revelation have been consistently communicated to my spirit.
I believe that should be true at some level, for everyone.
I love the word of God. I believe it is His inspired words. I also believe that it is fully revealed and understood, when read with spiritual revelation, study, and prayer.
It has always been my hope, and my prayer, that I would bring just that kind of revelation to those that hear me share the heart of God.
I come to you, in His name, to share some thoughts titled, “What’s In Your Center?”
The Gospel message, and its presentation, has been my heart, and my concern for many years.
Over time the message has been corrupted with all sorts of add ons. Things are changing. We are entering a new season, but the church will always be tempted to preach a man centered gospel.
A man centered Gospel is all about God meeting our desires, our wants, and our needs. I strongly believe that God does want to do good things in our life. Yet the Gospel is not about getting, it is all about giving.
The message of the Gospel must not be man-centered. It must be Christ centered. Paul said it this way.
Roman 14:7-8
7 For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself;
8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
In 1st Corinthians the second chapter Paul shares His total reliance on the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:11-15
11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,
13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.
Would that we all would have a sincere, faith and confidence in God.
Appraises,appraised means, “To determine the excellence or defects of any person or thing.”
I Corinthians 2:15 AMP
But the spiritual man [the spiritually mature Christian] judges all things [questions, examines and applies what the Holy Spirit reveals], yet is himself judged by no one [the unbeliever cannot judge and understand the believer’s spiritual nature].
TLB
But the spiritual man has insight into everything, and that bothers and baffles the man of the world, who can’t understand him at all.
We should Understand and reveal the heart of God.
Colossians 2:8-15
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,
10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority.
11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ
12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.
Colossians 2:11 AMP
“In Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, but by the [spiritual] circumcision of Christ in the stripping off of the body of the flesh [the sinful carnal nature.
In Peter’s second letter, while writing to several cities, influenced by his ministry, he said this.
2 Peter 1:3-4
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.
This is not man-centered stuff. This is Christ centered.
Revelation 3:20-22 Amplified
20 Behold, I stand at the door [of the church] and continually knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him (restore him), and he with Me.
21 He who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God], I will grant to him [the privilege] to sit beside Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down beside My Father on His throne.
22 He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches.’”
We have a responsibility to build our life, our hopes, and our dreams around the Gospel message of Jesus. Working from the center out our world will change. Our lives will be enriched, and promises will be fulfilled in our life with Christ.
Would you make Jesus the center of your life today?
#inHisname #hopelives
There is a Builder
There is a Builder
I have never been more encouraged by the changes taking place today, in the American Church.
For too long many have embraced a man centered Gospel. One that makes everyone feel good about themselves. A gospel that is about getting from God, when the Gospel is truly all about giving to God.
We are building churches across the world to benefit people and there needs. Even in desperate situations and unfamiliar cultures the message is still Jesus.
Speakers who say nothing about sacrifice are deceiving their listeners. Causing people to believe that the gospel is about making them feel good. Precious memories that have no relevance to the kingdom living that God has inspired us to live.
I hear and read so many. I suppose that people are sincere.
In an age of itching ears it is demanded by many groups of people. Make us feel good, remember the good old days.
The Gospel is all about giving up who we are, and becoming who He is. Taking on the life of Christ and His heart of giving and sacrifice.
Individually we turn from our past, and turn towards Christ. Changing our lifestyle, and our way of thinking.
Christ is building churches. That is what He commissioned the Apostles to do, and nothing has changed.
When Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God Jesus responded this way.
Matthew 16:18
I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
Build my church!!!!!
This same work is taking place today. Men and women are moving forward in their communities, cities, and regions to reach people for Jesus.
Sharing the Gospel message. The story of His birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension.
This is who He is. Who our foundation is built upon. Teaching people to move beyond their feel good mentality, and give of themselves to change the world they live in.
He gave us the tools and the authority to build upon the Gospel message. The Christ, the Son of the living God.
Blessing to you all. #inHisname.
“Enlarge and Extend”
Enlarge and Extend
I am one of those folks that believe in seasons. Yes we have 4 seasons in every year of our life. The longer you live you will have many more than that in your relationship with God.
There will be dry spells, then times of refreshing. Revelation, then where’s God at? Tragedies, failures, then healing and victory. Times when things stay the same for a season, then God begins to open the gates of increase.
I come to you, in His name, to share some thoughts titled,“Enlarge and Extend” “Aggrandize”
Aggrandize means, to widen in scope, increase in size or intensity. Enlarge and extend.
There is an awesome Messianic prophesy found in Psalms.
Psalms 110:1-3
1 The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand
Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
2 The Lord will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of Your enemies.”
3 Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power; In holy array, from the womb of the dawn,
Your youth are to You as the dew.
The whole chapter is just 7 verses read it when you can. I want to deal with verse 2 for just a few minutes.
“The Lord will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of Your enemies.”
I need to deal with some words.
The word stretch, means to stretch out or extend. Strong means to be strong and prevail. Scepter is referring to a staff. The staff is most often represented as a tribe.
I am fixing to unwind because I love this stuff. One more word. Zion.
Isaiah 28:16
Therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed.
Peter reminded his readers of the same passage.
1 Peter 2:6
For this is contained in Scripture: “Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”
These passages from the old and the new are confirming the prophetic word of the coming of Christ.
Back to the one more word. Zion.
Psalms 14:7
Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
When the Lord restores His captive people, Jacob will rejoice, Israel will be glad.
Zion is the place where God lives.
Psalms 9:11
Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion; Declare among the peoples His deeds.
We know from study that Zion is a type and shadow of the church. The body of Christ. Jesus, who dwells within us by revelation and power.
I found the definition of the word from the Hebrew very interesting. The Hebrew word, tsee-yone’, is translated Zion, and it means, “parched place.”
Preach, why does God live in a parched place. Where He is there is life, and life in abundance.
Jesus shared this with the woman at the well.
John 4:10
Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
John 4:13-14
13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again;
14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
So what did Psalms 110:2 say? “The Lord will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of Your enemies.”
Isaiah 54:1-3 Amplified
1 “Shout for joy, O barren one, she who has not given birth; Break forth into joyful shouting and rejoice, she who has not gone into labor with child! For the spiritual sons of the desolate one will be more numerous Than the sons of the married woman,” says the Lord.
2 “Enlarge the site of your tent [to make room for more children]; Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, do not spare them; Lengthen your tent ropes And make your pegs (stakes) firm [in the ground].
3 “For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
And your descendants will take possession of nations
And will inhabit deserted cities.
When one season ends, the very next thing is a new beginning.
I love the word aggrandize. It is time for you, and for us, to “widen in scope, increase in size or intensity. Enlarge and extend.”
There is a city, a church,whose builder and maker is God.
#inHisname #hopelives
Seven Steps to Destiny, Part 5
Seven Steps to Destiny, Part 5
There is a powerful presence of God calling to His people across this land. Leading, convincing, equipping, and calling for workers to harvest the fields.
Times of uncertainty open doors in the hearts of people who are looking for answers.
We need to be aware of this, and align ourselves with God and His Holy calling for all the church.
Tell the story of Jesus. His grace and His love.
I want to share some thoughts, focusing on the 5th in the series on destiny. It involves the 6th word that will move you to destiny. We have talked about thoughts, words, decisions, actions, and habits.
I want to talk about character. Remember last week I shared the process that defines our character. Our character is defined by our habits.
Aristotle wrote, “We are what we repeatedly do,” he made it clear that there’s a direct connection between who we are and what we do. He underscored this fact by concluding, Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” A habit that is performed long enough becomes part of you character.
Character today, is defined this way, “the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing.”
Job 1:1
There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.
This would seem to be the attributes of a man with a very healthy, and honorable character.
Still, his whole world crumbled before his eyes in a very short time. Yet his habit of honoring God kept him from making things worse.
Job 1:20-22
20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped.
21 He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
22 Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.
“Somebody tell me why and how he could respond this way.
“Words reveal character.”
Matthew 12:33-37
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.
34 You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.
35 The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil.
36 But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.
37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
These are very weighty passages from Jesus. Putting a huge responsibility on us, to be careful what we say.
2 Questions.
1St, Part A, How meaningful are the words we speak, to our own life. Part B, How meaningful are the words we speak to others.
2Nd, How do the words we speak, define our character?
Romans 5:1-5
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;
4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;
5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Let me share a couple of different interpretations of verse 4.
and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;”
AMPC
And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation.
TLB
And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady.
When our character develops, or let’s say been successfully proven. We will respond with strong and unwavering faith in God.
Trusting and believing that as we develop excellent habits. We will also develop excellent, and reliable character.
Job’s excellent and proven character, and His complete trust and faith in God, provided this ending to His story.
Job 42:10
The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold.
#inHisname 
“Changing Seasons”
Changing Seasons
We are coming to a season change. Summer is quickly coming to an end, Fall will come, and things will begin to change.
The foliage will turn, temps will lower, and people will begin to look towards Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
I love fall and spring the best. Fall because it signals to me the beginning of renewal. Things will begin to die, then reborn again when spring comes. I love it.
These same principles are true in our life with Christ.
When we turn from our past, begin to change the way we think. God begins to show us things that need to change.
This is our fall season of life. Doing what we can to keep some of our unproductive ways. Nothing wrong with this, or that. Still God continues to deal with us about our habits, and our character.
Eventually, as we pray, read, and listen we let go of these things. Spring has come, and our relationship with Christ grows stronger and stronger.
Life can be difficult at times. The Bible doesn’t promise a life with no problems.
What God does promise is, He will always be with us.
Faith is tested, answers are sometimes not what we want. God is not being mean. He is developing in us complete confidence and reliance on Him. Strengthening our character.
We grow stronger as we pray. Closer to Him as we walk out our life.
All of this is pointing all of us, to one specific corporate destiny.
Being the light and salt of the earth. Telling His story, with our story, will change the world you live in.
This is how the church began, and how it will continue.
Let me be clear, and if you follow me on anything, you have read or heard this many times.
The Gospel is clearly defined Biblically. It is the story of Jesus, His birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension. The prophecies from the OT, and confirming His authority with the supernatural.
Anything else will diminish the effectiveness of the Gospel message.
When your seasons begin to change, fear not. God is renewing, restoring, and strengthening you.
Be faithful to pray, and believe that He is always with you.
Praying for you always.
#inHisname
Do You Not Know?
Do You Not Know?
I love the Lord. Together we love the Lord, as a body united to give Him glory. To praise Him for His greatness. To worship Him for who He is. Unified in our purpose to make a difference in the world we live in.
We walk in faith. Believing that God has called us, and positioned us to fulfill destiny. Our individual destiny, and our corporate destiny will define this body. It will be what people remember long after many of us have gone to our eternal destiny.
I want to share 2 verses before I get into my message. It will kind of set the tone for the rest of the day.
Philippians 4:6-7 Amplified
6 Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God.
7 And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].
“Isn’t that awesome?”
I come in His name to share some thoughts titled, “Do You Not Know?”
My mind has been focused this week on how God thinks. It came to me while remembering something that happened more than 38 years ago. I may not get to that, but when I considered understanding God’s thoughts this came to mind.
Isaiah 55:8-9
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.
Since I can’t fully understand His thoughts, for just a few minutes I want to talk about what He has said. It is relatively easy to understand what He has thought, by what He says.
Exodus 32:1-3
1 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”
2 Aaron said to them, “Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”
3 Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron.
Moses was gone a relative short time. The people needed a god that they could embrace. One that they could see.
Little has changed even today. “It has always been easier to believe in what you can see, than it is to believe in what you can’t.”
God responded to this lack of faith.
Exodus 32:7-10
7 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.
8 They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and have sacrificed to it and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’”
9 The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people.
10 Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation.”
Anybody wonder what God was thinking?
The word obstinate interested me. God used it in the same context in Exodus 33:3 and 5, and in Exodus 34:9.
In the KJV the Hebrew word is translated, stiffnecked.
It is used figuratively to mean, “apostasy.”
Today the word apostasy means, “The abandonment or renunciation of a religious belief.”
Here is what it meant in 1446 BC. “Faithless, turning back.”
All the spoil they left with, still they wanted to go back.
Why? Because they understood and accepted where they were at. They did not know what awaited them ahead, and they were afraid.
How many today want to live like they are, and never move forward in the Kingdom promises of God?
Romans 11:1-4
1 I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
2 God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?
3 “Lord, they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.”
4 But what is the divine response to him? “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
“No matter how much division there is. There is always someone held close to God. Someone He has kept close, called to carry on His purpose.”
David said it this way.
Psalms 55:22 Amplified
Cast your burden on the Lord [release it] and He will sustain and uphold you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken (slip, fall, fail).
What’s my title?
Isaiah 40:28-31
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable.
29 He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power.
30 Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly,
31 Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.
Moving forward, not looking back!
“inHisname”