Word To The Wise

When you feel you are being attacked by the enemy after you have made a confession of faith, keep your mouth closed. The enemy is looking for an opening from the words you will be tempted to speak while being attacked. Jesus gives us an example of how to operate like this in Matthew's gospel.
Mt.26:62-63; 27:12-14
Do not give the enemy place, but continue to stand on your confession of faith. Watch God work. The enemy will always lie to you with temporary circumstances. He wants you to act out in your flesh and give him an opportunity to destroy things in your life. You must submit to the Holy Spirit's guidance, be silent until God tells you to speak and/or tells you what to say. God is faithful and has already given you the victory. Don't allow your mouth or flesh to forfeit what God has already done. Psalm 39:1 "I said,  I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue : I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me."
Psalm 141:3 AMP "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips  [to keep me from speaking thoughtlessly ]."

Navigating Transition Pt.2

Navigating Transition Pt. 2

As we begin part two of this series, please continue to keep the three principles for looking at God's Word from a Kingdom perspective in mind. God's Ultimate Purpose, Law of Dominion and God's Purpose for Revelation
Another problem you may run into when you are going through transition is:

• You are distracted.                    

Luke 10:40 AMP "But Martha was very busy and distracted with all of her serving responsibilities; and she approached Him and said, “Lord, is it of no concern to You that my sister has left me to do the serving alone? Tell her to help me and do her part.” 
Luke 11:17 "But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth" 
Luke 11:34 BLB "Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is clear, your whole body is also light; but when it is evil, your body is also dark."
James 1:8 AMP "being a double-minded man, unstable and restless in all his ways [in everything he thinks, feels, or decides].

You must be able to stay focused on your purpose and assignment even when you are transitioning. The enemy will try to use distractions to throw you off course. Stick to God's plan for your life. That way, no matter what comes up, you will still be on course.

Another concern you may have is:

• You are concerned about timing.

Ecclesiastes 9:11 NLT "I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn't always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn't always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don't always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time." 
Ecclesiastes 11:4 NLT "Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest"

Do not allow the fact that you are going through transition stop you from pursuing the purpose, dream and vision God has for your life. There is never going to be a perfect time to step out in faith. You just have to do it. And stepping out in faith does not mean operating with using God's wisdom. Use wisdom while walking by faith.

Psalms 33:18-22 "Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee." 
Romans 9:16 ESV "So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. " 

Despite our failings and inabilities, God is faithful. We just have to be willing vessels for His use.
Isaiah 55:11 "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
Hebrews 10:23 "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

God's Word cannot fail. You can forfeit and give up, but that is a choice that you have to make. If you decide to stand on God's Word, depend on His wisdom for guidance and refuse to give in, then despite the transition you are going through, you will make it to your destiny.

Navigating Transition

Navigating Transition

We are going to begin a new series on the topic of transition. So many of us have either been through transition, are currently in transition or are going into transition. We are going to look at what transition is and what takes place while in transition. Before we begin looking at transition, I want us to look at three Kingdom principles that will help us study God's Word from a Kingdom perspective.
God’s Ultimate Purpose 
Matthew 6:9-10 NIV "This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven"
 God ultimate purpose is the manifestation of His Heavenly Kingdom here on earth in partnership with His sons.
 Law of Dominion
Genesis 1:26 "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."
 If God is going to manifest anything in the earth realm, He is going to have to use the freewill of a human being (man). No such thing as manifestation without man.
 God’s Purpose for Revelation
Deuteronomy 29:29 "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law."
 If God reveals something to us that we would otherwise have no way of knowing, then it is for us.
Revelation is provision. In light of these three principles, now we will look at transition.

So, what is the definition of transition?
Transition is:

• an abrupt change in level usually accompanied by loss or gain
• passage from one stage to another
• development

What happens in transition?

• You face fear.

 Fear is a tactic of the enemy to stop you in the middle of your transition and to keep you from what God is bringing you to through the transition.
 Luke 12:32 "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."

You have to know that whatever it is you are going through, on the other side of you transition, God has something great for you.
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."

We must begin to operate as sons of God which means there is no place for fear to manifest.
Romans 8:15 BSB "For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"

God has equipped you to be able to handle any fear that comes your way.
2 Timothy 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

Discernment Pt.3: Is God First in Your Life or Is Your Family?

Is God First in Your Life or Is Your Family?

One of our reciprocal duties to God is our allegiance to Him. Allegiance means that nothing or no one is put before Him. There are times when the enemy will use our love for our family to pull us away from God or try to take us off the path of our destiny. We must also be aware of deception that can take place within our families and within people we have relationships with.In these last days, our allegiance to God must be clear, even if it means we stand alone. One of the best pieces of advice I ever received is to trust no man, but God only. We need our discernment to be on high alert in these times we are living in. Recognize that no member of your family is above falling into deception. Walk in love with everyone, but entrust your heart to God.

Matthew 24:9 WNT "At that time they will deliver you up to punishment and will put you to death; and you will be objects of hatred to all the nations because you are called by my name.”

Jeremiah 12:6 NIV “Your relatives, members of your own family-- even they have betrayed you; they have raised a loud cry against you. Do not trust them, though they speak well of you.”

Matthew 10:21 NLT “A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed.”

Matthew 10:34-35 “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.” “For 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.”

Mark 13:12-13 NASB “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.”

Luke 12:51-53 NLT “Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other! From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against--or two in favor and three against. 'Father will be divided against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; and mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.'"

Proverbs 23:7 “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, said he to you; but his heart is not with you.”

Micah 7:5 GWT “Don't trust your neighbors. Don't have confidence in [your] friends. Keep your mouth shut even when a woman is lying in your arms. A son treats his father with contempt. A daughter rebels against her mother. A daughter-in-law rebels against her mother-in-law. People's enemies are the members of their own families.”

Discernment pt.2

Discernment Pt.2

We are continuing in our series on discernment. We need to be knowledgable of what is taking place in the world today. We also need to have discernment to be able to navigate today's world with wisdom from God.
It is important to know what discernment is based on in its definition. The Merriam-Webster dictionary describes the worddiscern as a careful analysis, to be able to detect with senses other than vision, the ability to identify right from wrong and to sift apart the useful out of the rejected.
We are bombarded on a daily basis with situations that need to be discerned. As Kingdom citizens, we need to be able to look at a contrary situation and see it for what it is. The enemy is looking for a way to manifest his will into this situation. We have to allow God to manifest His will through us so that God's will is done here in the situation.
 1 John 4:1 NLT “Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.”
 We cannot test the spirit if we are not familiar with the Word of God. As a Kingdom citizen, the study of God’s Word is not an option. How will you know if something you hear is false if you don’t study it for yourself?
 2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
 Knowing God’s Word is necessary to be able to discern when something is false. God’s Word always points us to the truth. Knowing God’s Word protects us from those who would try to take the Word and twist it.
 Hebrews 4:12 KJV “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
 ASV “For the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and quick to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Discernment

Discernment We are beginning a new series of lessons covering topics that I believe will help us live affectively in the times that we are in. These are the last days, but God’s expectations toward us, as His Kingdom citizens, has not changed. We are here to impact the earth with Heaven’s culture. Recognizing the times we are living in, we want to be aware and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in discerning what we come in contact with on a daily basis. I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to look at this subject in greater detail because too many believers are being thrown off course by people who name themselves as Christians, but have never been converted. We are seeing the Apostate church in action.  We are living in the days described in: 1 Timothy 4:1-2 “Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;” Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;” We can see these scriptures fulfilled in everyday life in every spectrum of life. People lie on tv and other public arenas daily. The sad thing is that there is no consciousness of wrong done.  2 Timothy 3:1-7 NLT “You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! They are the kind who work their way into people’s homes and win the confidence of vulnerable women who are burdened with the guilt of sin and controlled by various desires. (Such women are forever following new teachings, but they are never able to understand the truth.)”   2 Timothy 4:3-4 NASB “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” This is that time. People do not want to hear that God has a standard and that His Word is uncompromising.  Jude 1:16-19 NASB “These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage. But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit.” Be aware of those with divisive spirits, especially in churches among the body of Christ. If someone calls themselves a Christian and is not Christ-like, don't be fooled. There is a prevalence of deception throughout society. Jeremiah 9:6 NIV “You live in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me," declares the LORD”. Because of this, we need to be even more sober and alert so we can hear the voice of the Lord and understand His Word clearly. We need to be able to clearly discern whether or not what we hear spoken by people is the Word of God or what lines up with the Word of God.  As believers and Kingdom citizens, we do not have to be anxious or fearful of the times we are in. God expects us to be well equipped to handle whatever we happen to encounter. Be encouraged that you are aware of the schemes of the enemy and rejoice in the fact that his time is short. We already have the victory.  2 Timothy 4:2 NLT "Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching."

Great Expectations

I have great expectations for 2016! I want you to have great expectations for 2016 as well. I expect this year to be the biggest year of manifestation we have ever experienced.  Things will look bad in the world, but we will continue to increase.

There is a law at work concerning our expectations. Whatever we focus on is what we attract in our life.

*Your expectation will determine what shows up in your life. 

Mark 11:24 NLT "I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours.”

 

*If you do not expect anything, you won’t ask for anything in prayer, therefore, you won’t receive anything.

Matthew 21:22 NIV "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

*God has great expectations for each of us. 

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."

*But those expectations will only be realized with our cooperation.

Ephesians 3:20 "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,"

2 Corinthians 9:8 "And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."

*God wants to give you the desires of your heart. But, you have to have faith to believe you will receive them.

Psalms 37:4 ISV "Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

1 John 5:14-15 NASB "This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

*If you have an expectation that you want to see come to pass in your life, you will continue to do what is necessary to see it come to pass."

Matthew 7:7-8 NASB "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."

*An expectation places a demand on you to do something in line with what you are believing for.

James 2:17 NIV "In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."

*Your expectations will either be realized through faith or your expectations will be stopped by fear.

Proverbs 10:24 "What the wicked fears will come upon him, But the desire of the righteous will be granted."

*Do not allow your expectations to be fear based.

Job 3:25 NIV "What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me."

*We cannot walk around in condemnation and expectation at the same time.

1 John 3:21-22 NASB "Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight."

*We cannot have wrong motives concerning our expectations.

James 4:3 NIV "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."

*If you have someone you can trust and agree with regarding your expectations, then you can experience the power of agreement.

Matthew 18:19 NIV "Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven."