God – You Did!
Hi Everybody!
Wooohoooooooo it’s the final day of the Fast for me! The whole journey has been rather surreal for me. I remember going to church last night because we were praying throughout the 21 Day Daniel Fast so it was holding a prayer service, and as people were praying for their needs, I literally saw a cloud of smoke hovering the entire congregation and it filled the entire room and I knew it was the presence of God because this wasn’t the first time I’d seen this happen.
All the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose and worshiped, each man in his tent door.
People of God, the presence of God is tangible from my experience. It was a fearful sight for me, because that is when you realize that you’ve entered into a place that is considered the Holy of Holies. I remember feeling like I was just trembling throughout the prayer session and what I can say is that when you enter into that Holy place, you can’t joke around in that presence. I believe that the same God who walked with the Isralites like a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night is able to make His presence known to those who reverentially fear Him. As I meditate today, I feel in my spirit that the Lord wants people to know that the Lord will lead you in the night time and in the day time with knowledge, instruction, direction from the Light that comes from His Word. All you have to do is watch Him lead and you follow as you walk by faith and not by sight.
For we walk by faith, not by sight.And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.
I’m expecting a new move of God this year. What took years to be established will take days if not hours to be fulfilled. There is indeed a quickening in the spirit so don’t give up on what you are praying for is my encouragement today. God will show you the road in which you should travel if you just put your trust in Him today.
Moreover You led them by day with a cloudy pillar, And by night with a pillar of fire, To give them light on the road Which they should travel.
Yet in Your manifold mercies You did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day, To lead them on the road; Nor the pillar of fire by night, To show them light, And the way they should go.
I feel like celebrating the end of this fast with a song by J.Moss (feat. James Fortune) called You Did. May this Song bless your spirit today Everybody!
How the Holy Spirit is Misunderstood
Today the third person of the Trinity is underappreciated by those who misunderstand Him and misrepresented by those overzealous for His manifestations. Somewhere between those extremes we must realize our desperate need for a genuine move of the Holy Spirit.
The world is full of books about God the Father who created the universe, and more books are written about Jesus the Son of God than anyone who ever walked on this planet. But isn’t it interesting that far fewer books have been written about God the Holy Spirit?
When teaching on prayer, Jesus declared, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:13, emphasis added). You’d think that promise would create a huge desire to know more about this promised Helper—?who He is and what He does. And it would be even better if we were to experience Him as a living reality the way the early believers did.
We know that Jesus the Son is seated at the right hand of the Father (Luke 22:69; Eph. 1:20; Col. 3:1). So that means the Holy Spirit is God’s only agent on Earth. He is the only experience we can have of God Almighty, the only way we can have the work of Jesus Christ applied to our lives and the only way we can understand God’s Word. Without the Holy Spirit, we are like the disciples before Pentecost—?sincere but struggling with confusion and defeat.
More than 100 years ago, Samuel Chadwick, a great Methodist preacher and leader in England, summed it up concisely: “The Christian religion is hopeless without the Holy Ghost.”
The early church provides the perfect illustration of that hopelessness. It was made up of simple men and women. The leaders were former fishermen and tax collectors who fled in fear when Jesus was arrested and needed them most. They weren’t courageous and faithful. In fact, they lacked faith and courage. They were the least likely to be put in charge of any Christian enterprise.
Yet after the events in Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit was poured out, those same nobodies were suddenly transformed. With courage and faith, they turned their community, and eventually the world, upside down.
It wasn’t a result of their seminary training; they didn’t have any. They couldn’t hand out copies of the New Testament; it hadn’t been written yet. It wasn’t because they were wealthy and had the greatest sound system and light show at their church; they were poor people without a church building.
To the existing Jewish religious establishment, those early Christians were mocked as unlearned and ignorant people with few resources. To the Roman Empire they seemed fanatical and strange.
But one thing they did possess was the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told them to rely on the Spirit for everything. The early believers knew well that Christianity was hopeless without the Holy Spirit.
Giving the Spirit His Due
The Holy Spirit is underappreciated and underpreached by the 21st century church. There is a prejudice of sorts against the Holy Spirit that impedes many from learning more about Him.
The body of Christ is often divided into two sides. One side stresses the Word of God, separating itself from what it views as the emotional fanaticism often linked to those emphasizing the work of the Holy Spirit. The other side is sometimes known for drifting into unbiblical manifestations and unorthodox teaching while attributing it all to the Spirit of God.
Seeing the abuse and bad teaching, many on the first side will say: “I’m not interested in experiences and manifestations of the Holy Spirit. I just want to study the Word.”
But it was the Holy Spirit who inspired the Bible, and there are lots of promises concerning His person and work. How can anyone treasure God’s Word without giving the Holy Spirit His rightful place?
To those who move in circles strongly emphasizing the Holy Spirit, they must be reminded that everything must be tested by Scripture. The Spirit never contradicts the Word He gave us. He also never puts the focus on the preacher, because the Holy Spirit was sent to glorify Christ alone (John 16:14).
Somewhere in the middle is the kind of Christianity we see in Scripture, where the Word of God is honored along with a childlike dependence and openness to the Holy Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can make the things of Christ real and alive to people.
Christianity does not stop at the cross where Jesus died and paid the price for our sins. After Good Friday was Resurrection Sunday, when the Spirit raised Christ.
Yet so many of us live with faint trickles and shallow pools of the Spirit, rather than the promised rivers of living water. “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:37-38, emphasis added).
By this He meant the Spirit. Everything about the Spirit speaks of powerful currents of life that refresh us and flow out to bless others.
Let’s remember how any person becomes a Christian: Before a person can feel the need for Jesus Christ as Savior, he or she must first be convicted of sin. “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8). The Holy Spirit shows us our sin and our need for a Savior. That is what every believer experiences in conversion to Christ.
Read More at: http://www.charismamag.com/spirit/spiritual-growth/15086-hopeless-without-the-spirit
Casting the Net – Modern Day Evangelism
Hi Everbody!
Happy Monday!
I had a phenomenal weekend as I had attended a Revive Canada conference with Evangelist Shyju Mathew and let me tell you, there was soo much downpoured into my spirit about revival that although I’ve been praying for it to come here in Canada, I’m more than convinced that it is already in operation. I believe that God is setting the stage as we speak to break forth into the type of Revival that will become the largest in our lifetime and if you come from another nation…I just want you to know that this Revival I’m talking about isn’t just for Canada…it’s going to be global. That is what I’m believing for and I can already see it happening. I would like to say more, but I must remain silent and let the Lord do His work. There is soo much more in store that I’m currently excited and at the same time fearful for those not prepared for what will take place.
Setting that aside I went to church yesterday and my Pastor was talking about Evangelism in her sermon and how there is a gap in the church for this area. I cannot agree more with her on that one. In fact, the night after the Revive Canada conference the Holy Spirit had told me the same exact thing. Talk about confirmation. Evangelism in North America seems to have dwindled as of late because people are being swayed between wavering opinions with the enemies agenda to promote COMPROMISE.
How long must the Church compromise and waver between two opinions?
1 Kings 18:21
And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.
I remember as I listened to my Pastor preach as she mentioned how Jesus told his disciples in
Matthew 4:19
Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
The Holy Spirit spoke to me during the service and said…”Evangelism is just like Casting a net, however, not many people like what they catch”, I thought…WHOA…ain’t that the truth!
via sfodan.wordpress.com/
We know that God can make us fishers of men and yet we don’t always seem to like what we catch in terms of looking at what’s caught in your net. Sometimes we expect to capture the most impressive and responsive individual to the Word which I liken to favourable big fish…but it’s the small fry fish that we typically get caught in our nets most of the time that seem to always be the first ones cast away when it comes to evangelism. Why is that the case?
I see these type of cast-away fish as those that are easily overlooked, easily ostracized, easily misjudged by prejudicial eyes which tend to be the ones that look irregular to the big fish that we as Christians seem to aim for. Some of these fish maybe deformed, or be of a different colour, creed, family, social economic status, some may even look like EMOs, Punk Rockers, Satanists, Witches, Occult users, homosexuals, prostitutes, adulterers, those that have mental disorders and some maybe of various religions including the atheists. These types of fish from what I’ve seen, seem very unappealing to us in regards to spreading the gospel of Truth…but these are the same people that God wants us to capture the most. They may seem unresponsive at first, but these are the ones that God will use for REVIVAL. This is what I’m sensing strongly in my spirit right now.
The Holy Spirit also posed an uncomfortable question to me which I will share with you. He asked me, “How far are you willing to cast your net?”. Has the Holy Spirit ever asked you that kind of question?
He revealed to me that although I’ve captured some through my blog, He seems to be implying to me that I can do better than this. I was incredibly Challenged that I didn’t answer His question right away….because obviously, I was assessing the price.
via flickriver.com
Dear Lord….I am feeling the fear of God rise each time I’m challenged by God’s mandate. It was a fearful question that I found I was not so readily available to answer right away, surprise surprise *gulp*. I’m sensing that I’ve got to prepare myself to be pushed in the uncomfortable zone to see this manifest through. My whole mind feels like it’s just trembling thinking about it. I won’t claim to be welcoming this mandate with open arms…because sometimes…it’s about pushing the bar and walking right into destiny. I thought about it and struggled with the answer…in fact I found myself wrestling with myself with the answer; however, I’d like to be brave and claim by faith here on this blog with much fear and trembling *gulp*, “As far as you want me to, Lord.”
As soon as I answered the Holy Spirit’s question…I began to see visions….and I’m just not looking forward to the rest to tell you the truth and yet with the encouragement of a friend, she tells me that “I am groomed for spiritual warfare”. *sigh*….I certainly hope so *gulp*.
Has anybody ever felt Challenged by the Lord like this???? What did you do? How did you answer?
I am one that doesn’t answer too rashly or too quickly when the Holy Spirit asks me a question….I have a tendency to assess the risks first and I always seem to look before I leap in faith lol. I guess it’s time to just Leap 
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prejudiced people
The Holy Spirit began to tell me and show me of what I’ve been able to accomplish with just my blog. Of course I do more than just blog about my faith…but this is just an example.
Some people may not know this, but ever since I’ve started to blog about my faith a year ago, I’d get private emails from readers who have told me that their faith has been revitalized, that they feel like after reading some of my posts they feel a lot stronger in their walk, some have even sought information about spiritual warfare, some have seen answers to their problems and others are just hungry to hear more on certain topics that I’ve posted which has given me an indication that social media is one powerful evangelistic tool. Of course you get the occasional hate mail…but that sort of goes without saying when you speak the truth.
One person I remember contacting me who wishes to remain anonymous works for the UN and has seen amazing breakthroughs in their workplace with the spiritual warfare posts I had posted, with one of them in particularly dealing with Hamans in the workplace and other such material. Some people contact me for material that they can read and where they can buy it, etc etc. And many people from my blog come from across the globe. In fact, more the 52, 000 people have viewed this blog according to my flag stats and these people come from 171 different countries! I mean…I haven’t even blogged for that long and even though the blog was open nearly 2 years ago, I finally got active last year in October and it’s only been a year since I’ve been writing regularly and yet so many people’s lives have changed in such a short period of time via Wpress.
If God can attract more than 52,000 people to one blog in one year…What say you in ten years? What say you with thousands of other Christians blogging????
A social media revival is indeed possible, People!
What I am trying to imply here is that we cannot underestimate the power of social media to bring about Revival. I think we have to look outside the box. Television will always be an effective form of evangelism, but there are other effective tools out there to bring people to one place with the gospel message and that is definitely social media. Social media is even more effective than magazines these days and with the use of the internet, anything is possible.
What I’m trying to say here is that we don’t have to over complicate Evangelism. We can cast our nets further than we’ve ever imagined before through social media since it is one place that seems to have mobilized the whole world to be gathered in one place through cyberspace.
You just don’t know who God will use to make a difference.
I remember back in the day (10 years ago) when my sister and I went out with a couple of friends of my mother from the UK to hand out tracts in the street in a popularly known dangerous neighborhood and it was an exercise that I kind of cringed at because honestly…I have never been moved by that form of evangelism personally in regards to myself and I had never done street evangelism before either. “Who says that street evangelism is fun?” is probably the most passionate about it…but I knew even in my Christian self…it did not appeal to me one single bit no matter how much I loved the Lord. I’m just being honest here folks. The idea of talking to strangers was one thing…but in a risky area…that did not appeal to me at all… Yes, I have to admit..it was not my cuppa tea, but I learned a few things during this exercise.
When I was with these two ladies from the UK who were obviously pros at this street evangelism thing, it was interesting to walk through and try it out and give this thing a whirl. We did get a few jokers out there who just accepted the tracts hoping to get a phone number at the end which kind of got on my nerves, but eventually my sister and I got the opportunity to evangelize to a Satanist. Yep, in all that hallabaloo, we encountered those that took the tracts without much conversation, some listened with an open ear and thanked us and some were mere jokers until we landed on a Satanist. A fish we did not expect to encounter in this exercise.
My sister and I did not expect that we’d actually encounter one at all since it seemed that the obvious target in the area we were in were “youth at risk”. Yes, there were a few brothas that just took the tract wanting my phone number…which also is another reason I was not interested in street evangelism, however, when we spoke to the satanist, I thought, “Wow! Now here is a real fish that I’d like to get saved!” Mind you I was an immature babe in Christ when this event happened so this is just a recollection of what happened.
The person thought that by confessing he was a satanist that we’d back off in prejudice and fear because he kind of smirked when he told us he was a Satanist…Much to his surprise, I was actually excited and forthcoming…because I was thinking “Here we go…finally someone worth it!” because I felt up for the challenge. Yes, a few people where just playas…not really serious about listening to the gospel of truth… only interested in a date which greatly discouraged me from continuing this type of evangelism after 2 hours of it on the first day…(I shake my head at these). The Satanist was surprised that we were not afraid of him and was completely in awe of how calm and welcoming we were…in fact he must have thought I was crazy between my sister and I, because I was really excited to tell him about Jesus. At first he wasn’t very forthcoming in taking the tract we had to offer, but when we talked to him about the love of our Lord Jesus, and noticed how passionate we were about talking about Jesus without judging him on his appearance or status quo, he became responsive. He even thanked us for sharing the message with him. The whole day seemed worth it to me after we talked to one of the easily ostracized fish in our day. I believe there is a party in heaven for each one that receives the gospel of truth and this was the method of evangelism I was doing when I was a babe in Christ 10 years ago.
I look back at this and think of it as a very fond memory that is bringing me back to where I am now in my walk. I question myself, Am I still as passionate as I was before? I know in my heart I’m passionate about the gospel of truth, hence the blog, but I must confess that I think what I am battling right now is Fear brought upon by over-thinking the whole persecution complex. I went through a round of it when I was a youth leader in my church that I realize what I experienced has affected me more than I realized…but God is saying, “Get over it, it’s not going to be the last time either”. UGHHHHHHHHH! well…can’t argue with the Almighty now can I?
Well, in the end I have to get over myself if the target is for the cast-away fish. I think that the message today is that as Christians, we love aiming for responsive fish to the gospel and get easily satisfied by those that willingly come to the Lord with less effort when the true Catch that God is aiming for is for the easily cast-away fish. These fish are actually easy to catch but we cast them away so easily because of prejudice.
I think that we have to re-think Evangelism and analyze who we catch when we Cast our nets and also consider that we maybe guilty in some areas of casting away fish that so truly need to hear the Word by so easily giving up on them after experiencing their initial rejection of the Truth. I’m not saying become aggressive and stalk people with the gospel, all I’m just saying is that our approach should be one that is loving and kind, appealing to those that are easily overlooked that tend to be the ones who feel ostracized by Christians who approach them with prejudice rather than with compassion. We cannot afford to speak about the gospel of truth with prejudicial hearts and condemning spirits. That will not appeal to them at all. Empathy and Honesty wrapped with Compassion will work better to reach the lost rather than being perceived as a bible-thumping Christian, Amen.
What do y’all think? Do you agree or disagree? I’d like to know your opinions.
Have a blessed day everybody!
What is Important Right Now?
Hi Everybody!
HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!
I was sitting in my chair thinking of what to write today since a few things have happened to me this week that I haven’t really gotten off my chest about and I decided that I’ll just talk about what I’ve encountered this week. I’ve encountered both constructive and destructive criticism, I’ve encountered opportunities to minister to some people and did, I fell sick during the week and yet had things I needed to accomplish which made things rather challenging since I was in the midst of getting some projects done at work, I also encountered some individuals this week who were definitely self-serving and inconsiderate that it made me think “what is wrong with people these days?!”. In fact, I think you could say I was pretty frustrated and angry at the nonsense that kept poppin’ in my week that I even went and talked to my mum about it and she was calm and collected which is so like her. I love the fact that she doesn’t allow things to get to her so easily unlike me who does, and she knows me very well to be an emotional person so she let me rant and rave as much as I wanted until I cooled down which I’m still trying to work on, but have a ways to go on that front so I decided that I needed to pray about my attitude since I still did not feel at peace even after all that blowing off of steam. I even ranted to my twin who is just like my cool-headed mom which didn’t make much of a difference towards my attitude. I had a lot say to God that I just felt like venting to the Lord about my days this week until I found myself asking….”What in the world am I doing here? What is the point????!!!”.
Sometimes I feel like flying off somewhere far far away and never coming back to escape the dramarama of my life when I feel like I’ve had enough, but I know intuitively that that is just me formulating ways and means of escapism from reality. Sometimes I think that when you’ve moved around as much as I have you develop a way of thinking that if you move or leave to go somewhere far away you’ll escape the problem that you left behind you when you leave the country. However, the reality is that you aren’t really escaping the problem…you’re traveling with it to the next destination which is something I have learned after living in one country for more than three years. I have never stayed in a country for more than four years until now since I’m settled in Canada for the past 11 years and I can tell you that I still feel tempted to leave and move on to the next best thing when I feel like I can’t take it anymore. That feeling occurs to me when I’m feeling uncomfortable or when I feel like I’m being tied to a place for too long…. this urgency to run away before people ground me or make me commit to things that will keep me in one place for too long makes me feel like I’m suffocating when I prefer having the freedom to do what I want when I want…but of course there comes a point where a person needs boundaries which I believe I do have…but at the same time, these boundaries become rather murky when I struggle with anxiety.
Escapism….a dangerous place to be when you have options. It’s also a dangerous place to be when you don’t have options. I probably am not making any sense right now which is ok…just keep reading 
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Ok, to some people who have been following this blog, you may be thinking…Sherline this is soo unlike you….get your act together woman! I know!!! I know already!!!….I should! but I was very irritated this week that I myself had to call into question my own actions…Why am I being so reactionary when all this while I’ve been teaching about responding appropriately to situations? My very words were being tested by the Lord which is something that happens to me a lot, Ugh! *I’m cringing at this failed test* lol Well, all I can say is the jokes on me lol 
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I’m actually laughing about this as I write because I think my behaviour has been an entire joke for the whole week. I find myself asking myself how is it possible that I managed to stay upset for an entire 5 days in a row allowing little things to get to me so easily? That’s when I decided that I needed to pray to God about this…because something was definitely wrong with me since there were areas where I know I normally would have exhibited some level of self-control were now the areas that now bothered me with incredible intensity that I just felt like blowing my top off even though I managed to restrain myself from doing so to some extent, but that’s not the point! The point is is that even if I didn’t say anything, my thoughts were not pure because angry thoughts ended up filling my mind and ended up being my meditations throughout the week even though I know that it’s ungodly to let the sun go down in your anger. My anger issue kind of took me off guard as I struggled to resolve the issue by ignoring it and by trying to minimize the things that were already irritating me. It was clear to me that this was a spiritual issue that I needed to tackle with the help of the Holy Spirit. That’s when I decided that enough is enough…I needed to pray about this and so I did in the middle of the night. As I vented my frustrations to the Lord, the Holy Spirit listened to me blah blah blahing away saying my two cents about how I reacted to so and so and what the outcome was after the incidents that occurred throughout the week, and the only thing He asked me at the end of this ranting and raving is “What is important right now?”.
What type of question is that?! I wondered. I sat there feeling puzzled and confused, feeling like the Holy Spirit was playing games with me and had obviously ignored my side of the story, oh so I thought initially. I sat silently thinking about it for a while knowing that I can’t outsmart Him…and began to contemplate the question feeling slightly apathetic. I then realized that the important thing for me right now was to seriously analyze why I was so upset in the first place. I soon came to understand that I didn’t want to admit that my reactions to everything that upset me during the week where all symptomatic to a root issue which the Holy Spirit pointed out to me was an issue of PRIDE. Yes, you read that right…I was dealing with an issue of PRIDE. The very thing I’ve tried to avoid like the plague was the very thing that I found myself caught up in and entangled myself in its very dangerous web.
The Holy Spirit began to reveal to me how very subtle it was in its approach by showing me how in my anger I was reacting towards things that would not typically bother me, for the wrong reasons. I felt entitled to preserve myself from people’s bad behaviour and reacted in offense rather than respond with peace. I then ended up fuming silently which isn’t a good thing for me to do because when I fume I find myself unsuspectingly waiting to blow my top off at someone which is something I truly need to work on right now. I find that I tend to all of a sudden remember a lot of bad memories that flood my mind like a tsunami which I realize that such things begin when I’m triggered by someones words to react all self-defensively. I’ve encountered a lot in my day that I now know I have many walls that I have placed up against people as a means of shielding myself from being hurt again. This is something that the Holy Spirit is prodding and poking at right now which is kind of annoying because I know that the Holy Spirit is able to discern what hurts me the most and never seems to let me off that easily which is something I thank God for because the Holy Spirit is my best friend. He won’t white wash the truth…He just tells it like it is and now I have homework…dealing with my anger is my homework.
I’m not one to share stuff like this publicly because I don’t like wearing my heart on my sleeve…but I figured that it’s best to do so on this blog since I’m sure that there are people out there who have things they need to deal with in regards to their emotions that the Holy Spirit wants to help heal, especially those places that hurt. The Holy Spirit wants people to focus on the areas of their emotions that they have not yet surrendered completely to the Holy Spirit in order for Him to do His work. At this moment, I pray that the Holy Spirit helps me and other people reading this message to deal with the things that trigger such negative emotions to erupt in the first place. I have a history…but going back to the Holy Spirit’s question….ask yourself this question when you are dealing with something: “What is important right now?”
Is your anger important?
Is the reason why you are being emotional that important?
Do you even know why you are upset?
Sometimes you can be depressed and may not even know the reason why you are to begin with….but for every negative emotion that you encounter in your day…. ask yourself “What is important right now?” and seriously consider that you’ll find the root cause of your emotions and will be able to deal with them better when you confront the issue in sincerity and confess it before God honestly so that you allow room for the Holy Spirit to help you deal with these issues. Right now, even confessing on a blog feels kind of painful for me to do right now even though I’m laughing, because admitting the truth is never easy…but that’s the starting point to ones deliverance. I can tell you that I feel like hyperventilating as I type this…but I also feel in my spirit that it’s like what my Grandparents used to say to me when I wouldn’t fess up to my mistakes in the past that “It’s better to tell the truth and shame the devil” otherwise all the shame will be left on you. Telling the truth exposes what was left in the dark to come to light so that you are accountable to your actions rather than remaining in the shadows of being in denial of your responsibilities to accept the repercussions of your actions.
Live the Truth out with much Fear and Trembling.
After having written this post, I truthfully feel such a release in my spirit right now from all the anger I had been harboring all this time this past week that I can honestly say that joy is actually filling my spirit at this moment as I conclude the post. I praise God for giving me the courage to be real with myself here on Wpress even when I don’t want to be. God works in mysterious ways.
Know that God wants to set you free, no matter what emotions or feelings you struggle with. I believe in my best friend the Holy Spirit.
Do you believe?
God Bless You Everybody and have an awesome WEEKEND!
The Plumb Line – Walking in Right Standing
Hi Everybody!
I was reading a book the other day by Perry Stone called Purging Your House and Pruning Your Family Tree and came across a verse of scripture that hit me. It was Psalm 127:1.
Psalm 127:1
[ Laboring and Prospering with the LORD ] A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.
The reason that this piece of scripture hit me was because I understand that whatever we do in our lives, if it’s not following God’s plan…we do things in vain. Many people run with “good” ideas…but not many people run with “God” ideas. This should go without saying; however, it still needs to be said. I have seen areas in my own life where I ran with “good” ideas but they weren’t necessarily “God ideas”. When we realize that to some extent our ”good” ideas run on a basis of futility, it is then that we should stop and recognize that we are falling short somewhere. We are running our lives by might and power and are not operating by the Spirit of God. When I realized how much I tried to do things with much effort my way and saw no results… I began to recognize that I was labouring in vain. Doing things in vain is also a sign of operating in insanity; I don’t mean the clinical kind, but what I mean to say is that we start operating in the same manner, doing the same thing over and over again expecting to yield a different result. If we operated by the Spirit, we would be doing things much differently and would achieve different results. God keeps showing me this lesson over and over in different areas of my life and that is why we need to learn to Cooperate with the HOLY SPIRIT in our lives rather than rebel against Him.
God’s ways are foolishness to us but our ways are foolishness to God.
Isaiah 55:8
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.
It’s amazing how some churches do their own thing even when given God-inspired direction to not pursue a course of action that could potentially compromise the integrity of the building.
What building am I speaking about?…Certainly not a brick-layered one in stone… I’m talking about PEOPLE who are the Church (the Ekklesia- the called out ones). The church is always a people and not some cement-built-brick-layered building. When churches run through legalism and not by the Spirit of God because they do not believe in all the gifts of the Holy Spirit… they end up building a church by man-made hands which is through might and power even though it says in the Word that we cannot work through might and power but by the Spirit of God.
Zechariah 4:6
So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.
Only God can lay down the foundation of how He wants His Church to be built because He is our Master-builder and the Chief Cornerstone.
Acts 4:11
This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,
“Behold, I lay in Zion
A chief cornerstone, elect, precious,
And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”[a]7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient,[b]
“The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone,”[c]8 and“A stone of stumbling
And a rock of offense.”[d]They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.
It is important to understand what’s going on here. In the Word, it says that those who believe in Him shall not be put to shame (1 Peter 2:6). Those that act in disobedience become a stumbling block of offense (1 Peter 2: 8); and to whom do they offend? Is it the people? No…they become offensive to God. When I think about this I look inside my own life and consider that there are times I have offended God by doing things “My Way” and not “His Way” which has caused me to repent countless times. I will not claim to be a saint and say I’m always obedient to God’s Word when I know for sure that that isn’t the case. That’s just self-deception right there.
How many of us have tried to build things with our own limited levels of understanding and have not followed God’s ways of doing something? We end up labouring in vain hoping that what we do will work out somehow, but have not realized that we have in a way already stepped outside of God’s will for us by yielding to our own will. This idea of stepping out of God’s will is also known as SIN. Sin is defined as “missing the mark“. When we work at trying to establish our own will that goes against God’s will for our lives, we ‘miss the mark’ through our conduct. I don’t think that God desires us all to miss the mark. He wants us to always hit the target and that is why we must rely on the divine plumb line in our lives to walk steadfastly.
You must be wondering what is a Plumb line?
A plumb line is a simple measuring tool used to determine whether or not something is perfectly vertical—upright. Usually used in construction of a building or a tall structure to ensure that the building is standing on level ground. So consider that if you were a building and if you were not standing on level ground, such a building will surely tip over and be destroyed. That is why it is important to have a building built on level ground as it’s FOUNDATION in order to stand uprightly at all times. We must always stand uprightly or strive to do so in our walk with the Lord. This is how we remain in Right-standing with the Lord.
The question is, are we standing on level ground? What foundation are you standing on?
Jesus is the plumb line in our lives (Zechariah 4:10) and the Bible is our Foundation on which we stand.
God’s measure is always just, but if we try to work things out by our own limited abilities and refuse to yield to the wisdom of the Lord, we will always walk in an unjust measure and therefore, we cannot operate nor walk uprightly. Such a person ends being a stumbling block of offence. We cannot afford to be this way.
So today, focus on what it means to walk in Right-standing in the Lord. Search deep within yourself and consider the areas you have not submitted to the direction of the Holy Spirit. We all have weaknesses, but we all overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony, Amen!
I have here another song, actually two songs to bless your day. The First one from Myron Butler called Not My Own and New Life Worship called Wonderful, Beautiful, Glorious. May these songs bless your spirit today everybody!
Unbelievable Forgiveness – The Arturo Martinez-Sanchez story
Hi everybody!
I just read this story and thought it worth sharing. I am amazed at the power of forgiveness even in the most tragic of circumstances, this mans story about forgiving the man who murdered and raped his wife and 10 year-old daughter brought me to tears. I feel challenged by this level of compassion and forgiveness. Truly, we can only forgive by the spirit of God. we can’t do things by might and power…it really is by Gods spirit.
Zechariah 4:6
So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.
May this post minister to those who struggle with forgiveness, for I know that such a story has challenged my faith to forgive people, but I believe to a great extent we can forgive like this man did when we seek the help of the Holy Spirit to come into our heart and heal us so that we can forgive people like Jesus did for us. God Bless you everybody!
_________________________________________________________________________________________
“As a Believer in Christ, I know that God forgives all the sins of those who have faith in Him. In this, I am instructed to forgive first. Knowing that God will forgive even murderers if there is true repentance, Bryan Clay will stand in judgment before Him. It is my prayer that my wife Yadira and my daughter Karla are in Heaven waiting for my sons and me to arrive to spend eternity with them. In fact, I know this is true.” -Arturo Martinez-Sanchez
(Las Vegas, NV)—Citing his Roman Catholic faith, a Las Vegas, Nevada, man nearly beaten to death in a brutal, random home invasion that also killed his beloved wife and ten-year-old daughter, has forgiven his attacker. Just three months after being left for dead after a vicious beating by a hammer wielding criminal, Arturo Martinez-Sanchez, 39, said in a recent news conference at his newly re-opened North Las Vegas boxing gym that his beliefs make it possible to forgive the killer, who perpetrated what local police call one of the most heinous crimes in memory.
Immediately following the vicious attack upon Martinez-Sanchez, the alleged killer, Bryan Clay, 22, turned to wife Yadira Martinez, 38, and daughter Karla, 10, raping both and bludgeoning them to death with the same claw hammer that left the family patriarch semi-comatose and unable to speak. A funeral mass for Yadira and Karla was said by Rev. Alberto Alzate, Parochial Vicar of the family’s parish, St. Christopher’s Catholic Church, North Las Vegas, Nevada.
“As a Believer in Christ, I know that God forgives all the sins of those who have faith in Him. In this, I am instructed to forgive first. Knowing that God will forgive even murderers if there is true repentance, Bryan Clay will stand in judgment before Him. It is my prayer that my wife Yadira and my daughter Karla are in Heaven waiting for my sons and me to arrive to spend eternity with them. In fact, I know this is true,” declared Martinez-Sanchez. (Photo: Las Vegas Review Journal)
Sons Christopher Martinez, 10, and Alejandro Martinez, 5, sat next to their father at the press conference, comforting him as he tearfully read his statement. Following the April 15 attack, having spent a full day in the blood splattered house, Christopher walked to his elementary school and informed teachers and administrators of the horrible scene at his home.
Martinez-Sanchez also made it clear that he expects Clay to pay here on earth for this terrible and senseless attack. “He will pay for his crimes. He will be punished for what he has done to my family. He must face justice and whatever penalty the judge hands down, including death, if that is how he is sentenced,” said Martinez-Sanchez.
An audience of about 75 supporters, dignitaries and media gasped when he opened his statement with the phrase, “I forgive this murderer because of my faith in God and in Jesus Christ.” Later, when asked by a reporter what he would say to Clay if he could, Martinez-Sanchez replied, “I would say, ‘I forgive you.’ If he kissed me on the cheek, I would kiss him back.”
Speaking haltingly as he struggled for words, Martinez-Sanchez concluded his appearance before about 75 reporters and friends saying, “I love my Yadira. I love my Karla. I love my sons. We all love Jesus. Through his strength, we will survive.”
Source: Christian Media Associates
Make Me New
Hi Everybody!
I couldn’t help but post this song that I found from Preashea Hillard. It’s called Make Me New. I just love the Holy Spirit and this song is all about the Holy Spirit and the Love of God covering us and raining down on us. If it weren’t by God’s grace I don’t know where I’d be. This song is awesome. May this song minister to you today. God bless you everybody!
The Faith Movement – Gospel of Truth
Hi Everybody!
I wasn’t sure if i was going to have a devotional today or not but after seeing a clip on youtube I think I will.
Why did I entitle it “The Faith Movement- Gospel of Truth”. Faith is a movement. When you walk in the Spirit, you walk by Faith. Faith is an Action. It says in the Word of God that the Just shall live by Faith(Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17;Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38) and that we ought to walk by Faith and NOT by Sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Faith is indeed a movement that is taken when we operate in the reverential Fear of the Lord. Faith has the power to save an entire household whereas unbelief has the power to destroy a nation. Unbelief is NOT a movement; it is a decision to remain in ignorance.
When you look at Noah, He built the Ark in the Fear of the Lord and his entire household was saved…but for those that ridiculed him and laughed at him, they were destroyed in the flood as a consequence of their UNBELIEF.
Hebrews 11:7
By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
In the same way Moses operated in the reverential Fear of the Lord and saved a Nation out of the bondage of Egyptian slavery. For those that grumbled after-the-fact while walking towards God’s promised land, when it came time to enter into the land, the generation that grumbled during the 40-year journey were killed off because of UNBELIEF. Faith takes you to the destination hence Destinies are tied to FAITH. Unbelief aborts DESTINY and DESTINATIONS.
Faith preserves, Faith heals, Faith restores, Faith Builds, but Unbelief does the opposite since all it does is destroy everything in its path. In knowing this, it is important that we learn to leave no room for doubt to creep into our lives (especially our minds) knowing that the end result is utter devastation.
Faith is a Movement. Unbelief halts and aborts this Movement.
Unbelief is a decision to remain ignorant and promotes stagnancy which keeps people bound up in the first place.
Notice that in Hebrews 11:7 it also mentions that because Noah was moved with godly fear to operate by faith, he saved his entire household and became and Heir of righteousness which is based by his level of FAITH. To be an heir of righteousness you must always oprate by FAITH. This isn’t an option, it’s a mandatory requirement in the Kingdom of GOD because we are joint-heirs with Jesus Christ. Our Faith demands that we are moved by the direction of the Holy Spirit.
Faith requires ACTION and obedience to be moved by the HOLY SPIRIT.
2 Peter 1:21
for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
Unbelief seeks to cap you with lovely friends called Fear, Depression, Hatred, Envy, Self-pity and Pride. We cannot afford to be bound by Unbelief as Children of God.
Hebrews 11:1
[ By Faith We Understand ] Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
So Today, ask yourself, What moves YOU? Are you driven by Faith or are you capped by unbelief? What you believe in determines whether you are walking in the Spirit or just standing still in the Flesh. Seek God to help you develop your FAITH MOVEMENT and walk with the Gospel of TRUTH as your guide to Faith.
I have here two videos to encourage your FAITH MOVEMENT. May it minister to you today. Have a blessed Day Everybody!
Scriptures to Meditate
Habakkuk 2:4
“Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith
Romans 1:17
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
Galatians 3:11
But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.”
Hebrews 10:38
Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”
2 Corinthians 5:7
For we walk by faith, not by sight.
“I’ll Follow, You Lead”
Hi Everybody!
Today is a short contemplation. I was thinking about what it means to follow out of obedience as oppose to just doing your own thing. Sometimes we do things thinking we know better but when we get stuck, we stop and ask for directions do we not? When you’re walking down a familiar street and turn into a road that you have not travelled along before, you begin to feel hesitant to venture forth because you have no idea where that road leads. This is a normal reaction and I find that it is always comforting to have a friend show you a place that you have never been before because you automatically trust that they know where they are going. In the same way, when we’ve done all the things we know how to do by our own abilities and levels of understanding since we are so used to the familiar, travelling into unchartered territory can be quite nerve wrecking if you lack clear direction of where a road leads. This is the point where we must seek God and ask Him to lead us and we (in obedience) will follow Him because He, just like a friend, already knows what’s ahead of us and all we have to do is follow His Lead.
God is the unfailing GPS in our lives. When we seek to step out into new territory, we do so by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit guides you to a place, He already knows the way and all you have to do is be willing and obedient to follow His direction. If God can take you too it, He is surely able to walk you through it. It isn’t easy all the time to trust in that which we cannot see as much as trusting that which we do see, but when you follow with your heart and yield to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the way is definitely made sure and you will reach your destination just like Abraham did until you are called to move again. So today, if you are struggling with indecision to follow the voice of God that is telling you to move out of your comfort zone and into your promised land, seek God and repent of fear and disobedience and decide to move and walk by faith and not by sight. When you start to operate by faith, all the things you feared will become nothing to you because you have an unfailing GPS which is the Holy Spirit that will guide you to where you are supposed to go. The Holy Spirit knows the way, you just have to speak by faith and say “I’ll Follow, You Lead”.
I have a song here that’s from the movie Sister Act. I’m sure you may know this song but it’s called I will Follow Him. I thought it appropriate since it’s up beat and very uplifting for today. It always makes me smile when I hear this song. May it bless you today Everybody!
Scriptures to Meditate
2 Corinthians 5:7
For we walk by faith, not by sight.
Psalm 23:6
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.
Psalm 63:8
My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.
Proverbs 21:21
He who follows righteousness and mercy Finds life, righteousness, and honor.
Matthew 4:19
Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Matthew 8:22
But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
Matthew 9:9
[ Matthew the Tax Collector ] As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.
Matthew 10:38
And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
Matthew 16:24
[ Take Up the Cross and Follow Him ] Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
Matthew 19:21
Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Matthew 19:28
So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
John 8:12
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
John 10:27
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
John 12:26
If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.
Heavenly versus Demonic Wisdom
Hi Everybody!
Today’s meditation comes from the book of James 3: 13-18 (NKJV) regarding Heavenly versus Demonic Wisdom.
Heavenly Versus Demonic Wisdom
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
The Wisdom that we receive from the Lord comes to us through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is of course the authentic voice of God that guides us and reveals the mysteries of the Bible (God’s Word) by removing the scales off our eyes to understand what God is saying to us. When we seek the truth with a pure heart, we increase in divine wisdom and knowledge as we yield to the authority of the Holy Spirit. However, to every authentic thing there is always a counterfeit. When you look at the passage you will also understand the workings of those that do not abide by the workings of the Holy Spirit operate by demonic wisdom which is of a contrary spirit. It makes you question, by what spirit do people follow when they do the things that they do?
The wisdom of the Holy Spirit comes from Heaven as mentioned in v.17 and the wisdom that is demonic in nature is of an earthly origin. In v.16 it tells us that where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there and the previous verse reveals that such wisdom is earthly, sensual and demonic.
When I was mediating on this I thought to myself that as intercessors it is imperative that we learn how to discern the spirit(s) of people if we are operating in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. True wisdom reveals that which is right and wrong and when we are unsure, the Holy Spirit is able to show us what is right and wrong by convicting our spirit man with the TRUTH. Especially in areas regarding Healing and Deliverance ministry, we must always yield to the guidance of the Holy Spirit in order to discern whether or not a person is either following the Holy Spirit or following a different/contrary spirit in order to minister to them effectively.
They only way to discern the type of spirit a person follows is by analyzing their fruit as mentioned on v. 18 where it states that Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. In the NIV Bible the same verse (v 18) states that: Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is Peace, that brings about righteousness whereas that which is not of the Holy Spirit, brings about wrath and sin which is characteristically demonic in nature. The Holy Spirit is also noted to be gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and bears good fruits whereas the opposite which is of a demonic spirit is partial and full of hypocrisy if you look at v.17.
When you see the differences in the type of wisdom derived from these two types of Spirits, it is clear that we need to operate with the characteristics of that of the Holy Spirit in order to bear Good Fruit. Those that operate in a self-seeking manner operate with a spirit that is contrary to the wisdom provided by the Holy Spirit and is noted to be evil in origin in v.16. Basically, it’s either we yield to the virtues of the Holy Spirit’s wisdom in order to walk in righteousness, or we heed to ungodly counsel which is of a contrary demonic spirit. As Children of the Most High God, we ought to walk in the Spirit and yield to the counsel of the Holy Spirit if we want to reap a harvest of righteousness in our lives as stated in James 3:18. Let’s walk in Holiness and learn to discern the difference between these two wisdoms so that we are not so easily deceived or seduced into walking a path that is ungodly in nature consequentially causing us to sin continually, by studying the Word of God and obeying the voice of the Holy Spirit to allow the TRUTH to remain in us, AMEN. Let’s study more on the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and walk in the Spirit rather than in the Flesh.
I have a song here to minister to you from Hillsongs United called A Beautiful Exchange. I pray that it bless you today.God Bless you Everybody!
Scriptures to Meditate
1 Corinthians 12:6-11
New King James Version (NKJV)
6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same[a] Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
Proverbs 9:10
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
James 3:17
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
Mark 12:36
For David himself said by the Holy Spirit: ‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”’
Mark 13:11
But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.
Luke 12:12
For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
John 14:26
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
Acts 5:3
But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?
Acts 5:32
And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
Romans 14:17
for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:3
Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 3:6-8
New King James Version (NKJV)
6 but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.[a]
Be Faithful
7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:
“Today, if you will hear His voice,
8 Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
In the day of trial in the wilderness,
Jude 1:20
[ Maintain Your Life with God ] But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
You Are With Me
Hi Everybody!
Well today is going to be a short post but I just want to encourage you and let you know that God is with you today and everyday. He is your comforter, friend and Helper. Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit to communicate the Fathers love for us and so today, know that God is with you. This Video clip I am sharing is really comforting and it’s just the quick pick me upper anyone needs. So may it bless you today as you go about your business with God walking with you every step of the way. God bless You everybody!
Feed Your Spirit, Don’t Starve it!
Hello Everybody!
I know I have been kinda busy with Easter activities last week since I was involved in a Cantata that went very well by the way. We performed twice on Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday and let me tell you it was warfare throughout the production but I believe we reaped a harvest of righteousness in that some people found salvation through the play (James 3:18). I was soo worn out by it all that I decided to take a break from blogging for a while just to rejuvenate and now I’m back and would like to share something with you today. I just wanted to share a thought that occurred to me yesterday when I was at cell group participating in an inner healing course, and it’s about how we view ourselves “Image-wise” in our walk as Christians in the Body of Christ.
The Word of God is living and powerful as it gives life to us but that’s only if we meditate on it day and night and feed our spirit-man with it daily. It occurred to me that we have people in the Body of Christ who are anorexic in their spirits.
“Anorexic in their spirits? What are you talking about SHERLINE!!!??”
Let me explain.
I shared this thought with the group I was with yesterday and thought it best to share it here on the blog. When I pondered about this further…it kind of horrified me because it was such an epiphany. How do we perceive ourselves in the Body of Christ?
What are we feeding or NOT feeding our Spirit-man????
via weightlosspills99.com/
Consider that the natural disorder of Anorexia nervosa is an debilitating condition that targets the mind of a person to feel convinced that they are overweight and/or obese when in fact they are below the normal average body mass because of their inappropriate eating habits. It becomes difficult to rehabilitate a person who is completely convinced that they “just have to starve their bodies” in excess of food to maintain what they think is “ideal” in body figure. This starving behaviour becomes a serious disorder that fragments the persons mental functions and capacity to rationally reason in that as they continue to starve their bodies in excess, their mental functions become impaired and this often leads to death when left untreated.
The major issue of this disorder is linked to self-perception – which concerns how one views their Self-image and their Self-worth. It becomes an unhealthy obsession that is targeted at becoming the “perfect ideal image” by the World’s definition and standard in light of how the world perceives the individual. It is amazing how one can look in the mirror and see an obese image of themselves when in reality, they are actually and most likely average and healthy on the outside.
This way of thinking is very dangerous and debilitating to ones self-image because of the mere fact that all it takes is a person’s decision to believe and accept a LIE in order for one to suffer such a mind-breaking, soul crushing and physically deforming disorder.
I’m of the opinion that the disorder of anorexia deforms a persons true worth, true perception of self, and true physical nature and form of their body by such a negative belief that “You’re not good enough until….you fit societies standards and definition of self-image”. The Word of God says you are FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE!!!! Why try to conform to societies standards when the solid rock foundation in which we should stand is the WORD OF GOD (The Bible).
Romans 12:2
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.Ephesians 4:23
and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
Believing in a lie has dire consequences to ones life-span. Anorexics are caught up in a lie that affects them on an emotional level, physical level and spiritual level. In the same way, lies affect our spirits as Christians.
Ask yourself, what are you choosing to believe in??? The Truth or the Lies???
When you see how it operates in the natural it is now easy to understand how it also functions in the Spirit.
How do we view ourselves and how are we feeding our Spirit?
When I think about that, I think about how we as Christians do the same thing.
Are we anorexic Christians seeking validation from how the World perceives us or are we strong in our conviction and believing in the report of the Lord?
We must believe in the Word of God and believe in how God sees us and not allow ourselves to be obsessed with trying to “fit in” the world’s definition of our own self-image because that is a COUNTER-FIT (Counterfeit) way of thinking. We are Children of God and we are made in His image and likeness from the very beginning of the foundation of this world.
The World has in a way dulled our senses and made us disillusioned about who we are in Christ by trying to define us through fashion magazines, television, media, school, history, religion, philosophies, etc…but we need to stick to the WORD and believe in that Word.
The only way to escape becoming a “spiritually anorexic Christian” is by feeding your spirit-man with the WORD that GIVES LIFE and a LIFE OF ABUNDANCE.
REMEMBER: You have the choice and the ability to believe in a lie or believe in the TRUTH. The Way of TRUTH is Life…and the way of Lies is Death. So my epiphany to you today is Seek to feed your Spirit man with the TRUTH so that you don’t end up like a lost Christian obsessing over your image by filling yourself with unhealthy habits,unhealthy thought patterns, and unhealthy activities that potentially starve and grieve the Holy Spirit in you. Believe in the WORD of GOD and eat of it, for in it there is Everlasting Life!!!!
I Have here a Song to minister to your spirit today by Men of Standard (feat. Tye Tribbett) called YOURS. May it bless you today everybody!
Scriptures to Meditate
Psalm 139:14
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.
Psalm 119:27
Make me understand the way of Your precepts; So shall I meditate on Your wonderful works.
Philippians 4:8
[ Meditate on These Things ] Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
Genesis 1:26
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
John 14:1
[ The Way, the Truth, and the Life ] “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
John 11:40
Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”
John 12:47
And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Zechariah 8:9
“Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Let your hands be strong, You who have been hearing in these days These words by the mouth of the prophets, Who spoke in the day the foundation was laid For the house of the LORD of hosts, That the temple might be built.
Ephesians 6:10
[ The Whole Armor of God ] Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
1 Corinthians 3:16
Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
1 Corinthians 6:19
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
2 Corinthians 6:16
And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.”
The REDEMPTION PACKAGE: Jesus came to REVERSE the CURSE!
Hi Everybody!
At this time I feel in my spirit that I just need to give you a Word of GOOD NEWS! Jesus REVERSED EVERY CURSE AT THE CROSS through His Blood!!!!!
“Sherline….what in the world are you talking about girl???” you must be wondering.
I believe that this is what the Spirit of the Lord wants people to know at this time.
At the Cross, Our Lord Jesus Christ, reversed so many curses and I believe HE wants His Children to know the FULL REDEMPTION PACKAGE so I’m going to name a few things here:
1. He Took our Dis-grace and gave us His-Grace (John 1:17)
2. He took our Ignorance and gave us Knowledge of who were are in Christ (Colossians 1:27).
3. He took our Shame and clothed us with Righteousness (Isaiah 61:10)
4. He took our condemnation and gave us Redemption (Romans 8:1)
5. He took our Hate and gave us LOVE in return (John 3:16)
6. He took our Chains and gave us Keys to our FREEDOM (John 8:36)
7. He took our Sicknesses and by His Stripes we are HEALED (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24)
8. He conquered death and gave us Life everlasting (1 Corinthians 15:55;John 3:16)
9. He took our divorce papers and claimed us as His BRIDE (Revelation 21:9 ; Revelation 21:2)
10. He took our tears and gave us FULLNESS of JOY (Psalm 16:11)
11. He took our Pain and Gave us Relief through DELIVERANCE (Jeremiah 17:14; Joel 2:32
12. He took our Sin and gave us FORGIVENESS (1 John 2:12)
13. He took our Pauper status and gave us a Crown as SONS OF GOD (Hosea 1:10; Matthew 5:9; Luke 20:36; Romans 8:14)
14. He took our broken covenant and replaced it with a NEW ONE (Hebrews 9:15)
15. He took our old Creation and MADE US NEW CREATIONS (2 Corinthians 5:17)
16. He tore the Veil that separated us from our Father by a curtain and allowed us access to the throne room of God who is our Heavenly FATHER by what He did at Calvary (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45)
17. He took our Dis-unity from the Father and gave us UNITY in HIM by providing us the Helper who is the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:3; Ephesians 4:13 ; 1 Corinthians 12:12 ;Psalm 133:1)
18. He RESTORES what was destroyed in the Garden of EDEN with the New COVENANT in his BLOOD (Matthew 26:28)
19. HE claims back the TERRITORY that we forsook in the GARDEN of EDEN and Claims it back for the SONS OF GOD (Revelation 11:15).
20. He takes the AUTHORITY of the ENEMY and GIVES IT BACK TO the SONS OF GOD (Luke 10:19)
21. He takes all the TORMENT we suffered and gives us PEACE (John 14:27)
22. He takes all that the DEVIL stole from us and GIVES it back to us in full measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over! (Luke 6:38)
23. He took our UNBELIEF and gave us FAITH! (1 Corinthians 11:25)
24. He took all the Lies of the Devil and blessed us with the TRUTH (John 8:32; John 16:13)
25. He took our Lost selves and MADE A WAY OUT OF NO WAY for us (John 14:6).
26. He took the Darkness and gave us to be LIGHTS of the WORLD (Matthew 5:16).
27. HE took our weaknesses and gave us STRENGTH (2 Corinthians 12:10; Joel 3:10;Ephesians 6:10
28. He took our poverty and says we can be RICH! (Deuteronomy 15:4)
29. We were Vulnerable to the Devils schemes but God blessed us with the Full ARMOR OF GOD to overcome all the Devils Schemes (Ephesians 6:11; Ephesians 6:13; Ephesians 6)
30. We are no longer Subdued by the World because we are OVERCOMERS in JESUS’ NAME! (John 16:33; 1 John 4:4)
31. He turned our Impossible to Possible (Matthew 19:26).
People there are so many curses I could name here that have been REVERSED by the Blood of JESUS and I just want to tell you that we have many reasons to GIVE HIM PRAISE!!!!! JESUS IS KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS AMEN!!!!!
I Believe that at this time that GOD IS UP TO SOMETHING BIG people during this time of Easter/Passover/Lent. I Believe that when we think of How Jesus heals us it’s not only the Physical that He’s concerned about, it’s also the Spiritual side of us as well. He wants us to be FULLY RESTORED IN HIM by bringing our SOULS, SPIRITS and BODY in complete ALIGNMENT to HIS WORD.
I Believe that at this precious time Jesus is saying:
“I WILL HEAL and DELIVER the spiritually Blind so that they can see GOD (Jesus),
I WILL HEAL and DELIVER the spiritually Deaf so that they can HEAR GOD (the prophetic Voice of God);
and
I WILL HEAL AND DELIVER the spiritually Lame so that they can WALK IN THE SPIRIT (in full operation of the gifts of the HOLY SPIRIT)”
Sounds like the voice of REVIVAL TO ME!!!!!!! HALLELUJAH! I know this sounds very bold and kind of radical for me to say…but I cannot ignore what is stirring up in my spirit. God is in the RESTORATION PROCESS in this year of 2012 the year of DIVINE GOVERNMENT. SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF GOD, TAKE YOUR RIGHTFUL PLACES THIS YEAR!!!!!!!
The verses that just came into my spirit as I was writing up this post come from both the Old Testament and the NEW Testament. God spoke it before and He is saying that HE will complete HIS WORD!
Joel 2:28
[ God’s Spirit Poured Out ] “And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.
Acts 2:17
‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.
I have a Song to finish off my post to bless you today. It’s from Martha Munizzi called Amazing Love. Be Redeemed and blessed in Jesus’ Name Everybody!
Scriptures to Meditate
Luke 6:38
Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Revelation 11:15
[ Seventh Trumpet: The Kingdom Proclaimed ] Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”
Matthew 26:28
For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
1 Corinthians 11:25
In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Colossians 1:27
To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Mark 15:38
Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
Hebrews 9:15
And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
Isaiah 61:10
I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Romans 8:1
[ Free from Indwelling Sin ] There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
John 8:36
Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Isaiah 53:5
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
1 Corinthians 15:55
“O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Revelation 21:2
Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Hosea 1:10
[ The Restoration of Israel ] “Yet the number of the children of Israel Shall be as the sand of the sea, Which cannot be measured or numbered. And it shall come to pass In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ There it shall be said to them, ‘You are sons of the living God.’
Luke 20:36
nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.
Luke 10:19
Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Joel 2:32
And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.
Romans 8:14
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
John 8:32
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
John 16:13
However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
Matthew 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Deuteronomy 15:4
except when there may be no poor among you; for the LORD will greatly bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance—
Ephesians 6:10
[ The Whole Armor of God ] Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
John 16:33
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Ephesians 4:3
endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4:13
till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
1 John 4:4
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Matthew 19:26
But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Isaiah 55:11
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
Virtue – Fall Again
As many of you know, I love worship so this song has been in my spirit for this entire week and I want to share it with you. I’ve actually got this one running in my car at the moment. It’s by Virtue called Fall Again. The Message in this song is about the Holy Spirit being in Us again. We all have our weaknesses as we walk the road closer to God, but that is when we need the Holy Spirit even more to guide us into that close-knit intimacy with God. It is Only then that we can Hear God, when we allow the Holy Spirit to indwell in us and perform a great work in us to transform into the Image of God with a renewed mind because the Holy Spirit - The Helper is in us the HOPE of Glory. Let it minister to your Spirit today and confess your weakness before God and seek the help of the Holy Spirit to purify your Heart today. Stay Blessed in your Walk Everybody!
Scriptures to Meditate
Romans 5:2
through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Ephesians 1:18
the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
Colossians 1:27
To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Psalm 54:4
Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is with those who uphold my life.
Psalm 72:12
For He will deliver the needy when he cries, The poor also, and him who has no helper.
John 14:16
And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever
John 14:26
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
John 15:26
[ The Coming Rejection ] “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
Hebrews 13:6
So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
Stepping out into New Territory
I remember that when I was a kid living in Kenya, I think I was about 10 or 11 years old, there was a school day- trip to the Great Rift Valley. If you’ve ever heard of the Great Rift Valley then you’ll know that it is the most amazing sight I have ever seen. When I sit back and reminisce on it all, I feel like going back there just to see that landscape but if you’ve read my story about living in Kenya you’ll understand my reluctance to even go back there. I often think about what if God were to ask me today “Go back to Kenya”….would I do it? I mean this would mean facing that which I feared, but I’ve now began to resolve within myself, that even though I was terrified as a kid because of the experiences I had without full knowledge of God at the time, my perspective of going there has changed in that now I know God and I wish I knew Him better a little earlier when I was going through some things but I am grateful that God is in my life now. THANK YOU JESUS!
Anyway, back to the school trip story… so we went there and it was really a trip to go to Mount Longonot. Mt. Longonot is not really a mountain per say , it’s more of a dormant stratovolcano, in otherwords a crater created during the time Mt. Kenya Erupted many years ago during the formation of the Rift Valley so it is a tourist haven for those who love hiking. I love hiking and all but when we got there and I looked at the steep incline to go up, I freaked out! Mt. Longonot is known for it’s steep rigdes that look like numerous veins of embankments.
Natrually, I wanted to go back and call it a day, but there’s no turning back now since the bus has left and plus I was with some teachers and friends as well so I wasn’t alone either as this was a whole new experience for me. I even thought of feining sickness like an asthma attack…but I didn’t want to call back a sickness I had long since recovered through swimming, so in the end I had to brave it out into the mountain that laid before me. It took us 3 and a half hours to get up there and let me tell you that my Nike shoes were not built for this rocky and steep terrain. It was an amazing climb but there was a freaky moment when one of the students slipped off one of the narrow ridges that you had to walk single file because you could either fall to your left or right of the embankment but thank GOD a teacher managed to catch her on time. I tell you that my heart literally stopped in pure shock upon seeing that and boy did I pray like crazy after that. I thought to myself “I must be crazy to have convinced my Grandma to go up this mountain” I wanna LIVE! lol. It was incredibly windy too (which was not helping) and the sun was beaming happily on our heads making us sweat like crazy. I mean…I’m pretty sure I lost weight going up there, if not from the walk itself, definitely from the stress, lol.
I thought about this whole trip and thought to myself, I can’t afford to die here today because if I do, my grandma is surely going to kill herself and meet me in heaven and spank me silly for not living lol. It took a lot to convince her to allow my sister and I to go on this day trip in which we would return at the end of the day because she was quite fearful of our safety so it wouldn’t pan out well if I slipped and fell somewhere and died just like that lol. It’s funny that I thought this as a child because my Grandma was strict so I was afraid that I’d meet her in Heaven and she’d give me hell for dying so easily and probably lecture me on why she didn’t want us to go up there in the first place with many yadda yadda yadas and a whatever *me rolling my eyes*…I tell you this is a Kids mind, well my mind, lol. I’m sure if she knew I was rolling my eyes like that, she’d get angry with me so ”Sorry GRANDMA! in advance”. I must say, my grandma truly gave me the fear of God in her uh hmmm.
When we got to the top, and I mean the summit *praise the Lord*, we were sitting at the very edge of the crater so any foolish move would mean
toppling into it and I took a brave peek inside just to see what was down there but it was really dark… I mean Pitch black…I know in photos you can see trees from an airplane view but it’s diffferent when you walk all the way up there and look into the deep. It was drafty and it was dark….pitch black…no, more like blacker than black. It was a scary thing to see looking in. I remember my foolish guy friends trying to nudge me forward to take a closer look and some were foolishly walking right at the sharp edge as the dare devils that they were, but I had no crazy ambition to do what they were doing so I shake my head at these *guys* tsk tsk tsk. However, it was an amazing thing to see all the same. When you shout into it, you expect an echo but it doesn’t really echo down there since there seems to be so much wind at the top that muffles the sound.
We ate our lunch as we took a break from the treacherous trek upwards and looked at the view of the Rift Valley that lay before us down there. It was indeed a wonderous sight. I was in awe of God’s creation of this land. I remember feeling amazed and I thought to myself that this must be how God felt when he finished creating the whole world…He must have sat at a high place like this and thought…”Wow, I did a great Job! It looks so Awesome!” *Pats Himself on the Back*. Truly the World is our Lord’s canvass and it is beautiful.
To end the story, it took us two hours to get down because going down is easier than going up and it was just as treachorous. My shoes looked like road-kill and my Grandma was not pleased at all, whoa, you should have seen her angry expression…but I’m used to that lol…..but despite all that, she was happy that we ventured out into the deep and explored this amazing land. We (My sister and I) did something that was new and it was a great adventure. We stared at fear right in the face and took the courage to go out there and get messy, get experience, expanded our world view and enjoyed the journey. It was a terrific adventure. I will never forget it.
It was new territory for me and I learned a lot from this experience. One lesson that I grabbed from all this was that You have no idea what you are capable of doing until you step out and do it. When I reflect on this truth I think this goes without saying about everything we do. Sometimes we are too scared to do the things we have never truly ventured out to do before because of fear, and we over-analyze ourselves for lack of skills or experience, but You have no idea what your true capabilities are until you step out into a situation that is foreign to your comfort zone.
I feel like God has been talking to me about this area for a while and there are areas in which I find myself feeling shaken and afraid to do because I have comfort zones that need breaking. What are your comfort zones? Don’t kid yourself and think you have none because if you aren’t operating at your full potential then you have comfort zone issues that you need to deal with in all sincerity. I know I do…in fact I feel like lately, God has been forcing me to face myself so much in this area so each year I purpose to do something different to expand my horizons. Try and do something that you’ve never done before and see what happens. You might learn something new about yourself that you never knew before, but you won’t know what it is if you are sitting on your derriere. You can’t enlarge your territory sitting down, you have to get up and GO!
If you go year to year and do nothing different….you are living in a case called INSANITY. The Insanity Zone keeps your potential on lock-down. In order to break from that, you have to do something DIFFERENT. Shock your Comfort Zone levels, Shock your Insanity Zone levels and get into the POTENTIAL Zone. To unlock your potential, you have to step out of the Comfort and Insanity Zone. 
Question is: “Are you willing?”
No one can do this for you except yourself so like me, who had never climbed a crater let alone a mountain before, had to face this reality… Believe me, I wanted to turn around and tail run…but when you have no where else to Go but UP, then GO UP! This is what I believe God wants people to do…Don’t look back, don’t look Down, LOOK UP! You are the HEAD and not the TAIL.
If you want to enlarge your “territory”, it’s not enough to pray the Prayer of Jabez. You have to be willing to step into that territory just like CALEB and JOSHUA! Read about them again in my post called The Latter Rain will be Greater . Enlarging your Territory means stepping into it. It’s not something that you should expect to land in your lap without your participation. You have to perceive it first when God shows it to you and then He will expect you to walk right into it and claim it. God Points the direction and you follow where His hand leads, do you get that? Are you ready for God to Point His Finger in the Direction where He wants YOU to GO? When I think of this question, I always freak out first and then I say “Yes” in a small, sheepish voice…because when you don’t have the full picture, it is at these times that God expects us to WALK BY FAITH AND NOT BY SIGHT(2 Corinthians 5:7). He always tests us with the WORD.
The Promised Land
So my encouragement today is:
Walk into your territory, do something that you’ve never done before to enlarge your territory because you haven’t tapped into your hidden potential yet. Expand your horizons and seek no limitations because God says “NO LIMITS!”. For with man it is impossible but with GOD all things are Possible Matthew 19:26. You have someone that is Greater that is living within you (the Holy Spirit, the HOPE OF GLORY1 John 4:4) that is waiting to perform, but we cap the Holy Spirit in us by our Faithlessness, our Disobedience and our Fear. Fear is not of GOD, so embrace Courage and step into your Territory so that God can take you to the Land of Promise that He is going to Show you.
Stay blessed everyone !
Scriptures to Meditate
2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Deuteronomy 28:13
And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.
Numbers 13:30
Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”
Numbers 14:24
But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.
Matthew 19:26
But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Genesis 12:1
[ Promises to Abram ] Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.
Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:7
Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it.
Joshua 1:6 
Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
Psalm 27:14
Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!
Psalm 31:24
Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the LORD.
1 John 4:4
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Psalm 37:23
The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct[a] your paths.
Increasing Your Spiritual Discernment while Engaging the Battle
Day 8 of 21 Day Daniel Fast - So I’m down to 2 weeks left of this Fast, some people have just started and some who started earlier are already experiencing differences within their Fast. I think this is worthy of Praising God for, AMEN!
I did have a rough morning today in that I went to work and my entire left eye was swollen like as if somebody had punched me in the eye also coupled with a bad dream that I had last night but the whole swelling of my eye thing caught me off guard because it was unexpected and unexplainable. My Boss is very gracious to me and I praise God for her and my colleagues who were all concerned and egging me on to visit a clinic that’s just down the street to make sure I’m OK. At my workplace I’m treated like family so the encouragement was very supportive for me.
I went to the clinic and the good news was that it wasn’t an infectious eye infection. It was diagnosed as an allergic reaction to something (i.e. makeup or food). However, the doctor kept marveling by how swollen it looked and how I didn’t have blurred vision nor experience pain which is typical for the things he’s seen. Now when I heard this, I thought to myself that I have never had so much as an allergic reaction to something in my entire life so you can imagine my surprise. Despite this, I took the Doc’s advice and prescription and prayed to God about it all because at the end of the day You have to believe in the Report of the Lord over your life. By His Stripes I am Healed in Jesus’ Name.
Isaiah 53:5
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
via rivercitychurch.com
Today, I want to talk about understanding the battle and the importance of increasing your discernment during this time. Like I said before, when you Fast, your senses become sharpened/heightened. Ask yourself, do you feel the difference???? I personally feel that my discernment is increasing. It is important to increase in this area since it is a supernatural battle we’re engaged in to make the natural submit to the Holy Spirit. If you aren’t purposing to increase your discernment, then I suggest that you start pursuing it NOW and seek to do so because you aren’t battling a battle of flesh and blood.
Ephesians 6:12
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
So many strange things will start to occur during this Fast and it is up to you do determine and seek from God to sharpen your discernment so that you can understand the strange things that are happening in your environment and also consider the change you are experiencing from within. When I mean sharpen your discernment I mean, purpose to increase with wisdom and knowledge with UNDERSTANDING so that you are able to take the wisest course of actions when confronted with something in any situation or circumstance.
via theresurgence.com
As man looks at the outward appearance of men, God looks at the Heart. We must discern and seek to understand a person for who they truly are rather than marveling at the outward appearance because appearances can be deceiving. You have to understand and learn to be able to point out who your friends are from your foes, who is trustworthy within your family amongst your multitude of relatives, who your allies are from your contenders in the workplace. Seek to sharpen your discernment so that you operate with DIVINE WISDOM and UNDERSTANDING that enables you to choose Godly courses of action when confronting your variety of ADVERSARIES. I recommend reading my earlier post called Sharpening your Discernment as a starting point so that you increase in your level of wisdom to God’s level that He has for you.
I have NOT 1, but 2 Awesome Videos for you to Watch today as you meditate on Sharpening your Discernment as the Inner you continues to Transform into God’s Image. He is the Final Architect of our Lives so allow the Master Builder to build you into a strong Tower for His Name Sake. Be Blessed Everyone!
Scriptures to Meditate
1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
Luke 21:8
And He said: “Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time has drawn near.’ Therefore do not go after them.
1 Corinthians 15:33
Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”
Galatians 6:7
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Titus 3:3
For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.
1 John 1:8
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
2 Corinthians 4:16
[ Seeing the Invisible ] Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
Ephesians 4:22-24
22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.
4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.
Romans 12:2
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Philippians 3:21
who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
Exodus 31:3
And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,
1 Kings 4:29
And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore.
1 Kings 10:23
So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
Spiritual Warfare – The Battle is Won in the Spirit to Manifest in the Natural – Whose Report will you Believe?
by Nyla Rossini
Day 6 of 21 Day Daniel Fast - For today, I have an excellent video to encourage you during this Daniel Fast if you are participating since it is indeed an intense battle. Believe me, I feel a little low without my Tea, but God is good. You will probably feel fatigue or discouraged by the things that maybe happening around you in your environment during this time since it is a Spiritual Battle that you are engaged in. However, I want you to believe that the Battle is already Won. God has the victory and you have to believe that HEAVEN is saying YES to your situation as you are saying HELL NO to the lies of the enemy over your life, over your family, over your workplace, over your circumstances, whatever it is, God has the final say in your situation.
Let’s not view this as some kind of weight loss program because it isn’t. You must be praying and meditating as you go along and remember you are sacrificing that which gives you pleasure in order to reap that which is Divine in provision for your breakthrough. Also understand that when you are praying as you Fast, everything is now being sharpened, your senses, your appetite, your mind, your thoughts, your body, your level of discernment, everything is coming into the subjection of the Holy Spirit. It is a battle of discipline, perseverance and don’t forget that it is a battle of FAITH. You must pray with great expectations in order to receive greater rewards for your labor. Do not do things in vain, do things in Faith.
Be patient when receiving your answers from Heaven just like Daniel. His confirmation regarding his prayers came on the 24th day after his 21 day Fast that God had heard from heaven (Daniel 10:4-14). So at every stage of this Fast, fix your eyes on the the ONE that has already got the Answers that are on the way. If you seek deliverance, deliverance is on the way, if you seek household salvation, household salvation is on the way, if you seek healing, healing is on the way, if you seek restoration in your finances, restoration is on the way. Whatever you are believing for, the whole point is BELIEVE IN THE REPORT OF THE LORD. Whose report will you believe????
Spiritual Warfare painting by Miles Teves
Be Encouraged and Trust in the Lord your God just like Caleb and Joshua who were able to enter into the promised land because they followed the Lord completely. Don’t allow discouragement to cheat you out of what God has promised You! Believe in your JEREMIAH 29:11 promise. You are a mighty warrior in the army of God and Victory is in JESUS’ Name. Be blessed by this video today.
Scriptures to Meditate
1 Chronicles 29:11
Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, And You are exalted as head over all.
Psalm 24:8
Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle.
Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:11
“Pass through the camp and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you will cross over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess.’”
1 Corinthians 6:17
But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
Amos 5:15
Hate evil, love good; Establish justice in the gate. It may be that the LORD God of hosts Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
Psalm 40:2
He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.
Psalm 37:23
The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way.
2 Chronicles 6:23
then hear from heaven, and act, and judge Your servants, bringing retribution on the wicked by bringing his way on his own head, and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.
Zephaniah 3:17
The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Psalm 20:7
Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God.
39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in the time of trouble.40 And the LORD shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him.
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct[a] your paths.
2 Chronicles 6:39
then hear from heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive Your people who have sinned against You.
2 Chronicles 7:14
if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Matthew 16:18
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
Revelation 21:3
And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.
The Latter Rain will be Greater – Receiving God’s Answer
Day 5 of 21 Day Daniel Fast - Today’s meditation is from the Book of Joel about acknowledging when your desert/wilderness season is over and when you must prepare to receive the Latter rain of Blessings in your life from the Lord. For me last year was amazing but I did have a few desert situations where I was wondering “when will I receive a greater blessing?” because I believe everybody has a PROSPERITY PORTION according to the Jeremiah 29:11 Promise from the Lord.
When Reading the book of Joel, I received a great encouragement in that when the people Fasted and prayed in their desert season, God opened up the heavens for DIVINE rain of Blessings on the Land that had suffered a severe drought. In this Daniel Fast, although we are fighting against Principalities and Powers and Spiritual Wickedness in the High places, let us not forget why we are fighting in the Spirit in the First place. We want the ENEMIES OF GOD TO PAY BACK EVERYTHING THEY STOLE FROM US WITH INTEREST!!!!
I believe that there will be a rise of Calebs and Joshuas in this year of DIVINE GOVERNMENT who will lead people into their promised land. As we pray and Fast, we must seek God’s face to increase our spiritual discernment to point out the Calebs and Joshuas in our lives. No more of this 40 year desert experience where the people of Israel wondered about like lost lambs with no home based on the discouragement of the report of the 10 spies who were sent out to the land of Canaan to spy over the land that the Lord had promised to them in your season (Numbers 13:27-31). Just because there were squatters (Numbers 13:27-29) in the land doesn’t mean that the land belonged to them. Fight for what is yours and be like Caleb and Joshua who kicked them out of the Land. Ignore the Naysayers during your Fast for breakthrough and be like Caleb and Joshua who were able to enter into the promised land because of their level of Faith (Numbers 14:24; Numbers 14:30; Numbers 26:65; Numbers 32:12).
You will receive your promise when you develop a fighting spirit to take back what the enemy has tried to steal from you, be it your home, your health, your finances, your children, your mind, your peace, whatever it is, Fight in the Spirit to obtain Victory in the Natural. You don’t have to accept the current status quo, your current circumstances and your current situations if they don’t represent the Jeremiah 29:11 promise. When you fight, don’t use your own might and power, for you will lose if you do. Seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit, for what you war in the Spirit can only be fought by the Holy Spirit, so Fight with God on your side. Remember, you can only win with God on your side so always seek strategies of engaging a spiritual battle with Divine wisdom that comes from the Almighty God.
Zechariah 4:6
So he answered and said to me: “ This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘ Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts
I believe that there will be people who will rise up and take possession of their promises (which are your blessings of prosperity) that the Lord has prepared for them because they believe in the Word of the Lord over their circumstances. Whose report will you believe? I will believe in the Report of the Lord. Don’t look at the desert that you are in right now and think of the Latter RAIN that God wants to pour into your life.
Mark 9:23
Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
Believe for: The Rain of Blessings, the Latter Rain, the Overflow and the Gifts of the HOLY SPIRIT. I’m looking out for my Rainy season and Praying for the Overflow. What are you Praying for??? Do you want the latter Rain??? Ask yourselves these questions in your meditations.
So in reading the book of Numbers and the book of Joel, I thought to myself, I want to be like a Caleb and Joshua who has a heart to pursue and believe for the blessings that belong to me, a Child of God. We have to learn to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Don’t you want to receive what God already has prepared for you???? I know for sure I do, but that means I have to increase my level of FAITH in order to obtain what God has promised to me. I have no idea how I will receive my promises or by what means, but I’m seeking God’s face for His answer.
We must seek to increase our level of Faith in order to receive according to the measure of that Faith when the Lord prepares us for the great Outpouring for the overflow. Are you ready to increase your level of Faith during your Spiritual Warfare Fast? The Promises of God need those with a Caleb type spirit and level of Faith who will fight for the Promise instead of those that listened to the Naysayers who were intimidated by the squatters robbing them from Gods promise in their lives. Are you willing to fight in your prayer life for your promises? I want to and I will start by ignoring the negative and will call forth things that are not as though they were (Romans 4:17).
Maintain the FOCUS and fix your eyes on Jesus Christ, Holy God, Our Counselor, Prince of Peace and the Author and Finisher of your Faith (Hebrews 12:2).
Read Joel 2:12-32 and focus on the highlighted verses.
Joel 2:12-32 (New International Version)
Rend Your Heart
12 “Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” 13 Rend your heart and not your garments.Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate,slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. 14 Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing– grain offerings and drink offerings for the LORD your God. 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. 16 Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber. 17 Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the temple porch and the altar. Let them say, “Spare your people, O LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ “
The LORD’s Answer
18 Then the LORD will be jealous for his land and take pity on his people. 19 The LORD will reply to them: “I am sending you grain, new wine and oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations. 20 “I will drive the northern army far from you, pushing it into a parched and barren land, with its front columns going into the eastern sea and those in the rear into the western sea. And its stench will go up; its smell will rise.” Surely he has done great things. 21 Be not afraid, O land; be glad and rejoice. Surely the LORD has done great things. 22 Be not afraid, O wild animals, for the open pastures are becoming green. The trees are bearing their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their riches. 23 Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers,both autumn and spring rains,as before. 24 The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil. 25 “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten– the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm– my great army that I sent among you. 26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed. 27 Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the LORD your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed.
The Day of the LORD
28 “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. 29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. 30 I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 31 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. 32 And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls.
To end my meditation I have an awesome song by Israel Houghton and New Breed called “Your Latter will be Greater”. I hope it blesses you today. Be encouraged and remember that God is with you in every season of your life. Seek for the latter Rain in your Life.
Scriptures to Meditate
23 Be glad then, you children of Zion,
And rejoice in the LORD your God;
For He has given you the former rain faithfully,[a]
And He will cause the rain to come down for you—
The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month.
14 These were from the sons of Gad, captains of the army; the least was over a hundred, and the greatest was over a thousand. 15 These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it had overflowed all its banks; and they put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west. 16 Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to David at the stronghold.
Numbers 13:30
Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”
Numbers 14:24
But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.
Deuteronomy 1:36
except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and his children I am giving the land on which he walked, because he wholly followed the LORD.’
Matthew 19:26
But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Mark 9:23
Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
Hosea 6:3
Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain to the earth.
Zechariah 10:1
[ Restoration of Judah and Israel ] Ask the LORD for rain In the time of the latter rain. The LORD will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, Grass in the field for everyone.
James 5:7
[ Be Patient and Persevering ] Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.
Luke 13:35
See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’”
Psalm 118:26
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.
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