Moving Forward

“MOVING FORWARD”

INTRODUCTION:

Opening statements/Example of Pastor Tim

One of Pastor Tim’s greatest gifts to the Body of Christ & the Kingdom of God is having the disposition of constantly “moving forward” in all aspects of his life.

Questions:Are you moving forward in your life right now?

You might ask, in what way (s) are you asking am I moving

forward? In any identifiable way!

I have a saying that most of you have probably heard me

verbalize at one time or another, and its not always easy to

put into practice (baseball analogy): “I don’t allow the

curveballs of life or the screwballs of life to take me off the

field of play and out of the game.”

There are plenty of curveballs thrown at us in life, aren’t

there? There are plenty of screwballs thrown at us in life,

aren’t there? YES!

***WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO TO OVERCOME ALL THE CURVEBALLS AND SCREWBALLS OF LIFE? KEEP MOVING FORWARD NO MATTER WHAT.

Scriptures

Proverbs 24:16“For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.”

Psalms 37:23-25“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand. I have been young, and now am old: yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor His seed begging bread.”

***WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO WHENEVER WE HAVE FALLEN AWAY, OR FALLEN DOWN, OR BACKSLIDDEN, OR LOST IT AND WALKED AWAY? KEEP ON MOVING FORWARD NO MATTER WHAT!!

Famous Quotes

Famous theologian, Rocky Balboa, “It ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.”
Zig Ziglar: “Getting knocked down in life is a given…getting up and moving forward is a choice.”
Henry Ford: “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.”
Babe Ruth: “It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.”
Walt Disney: “Around here, we don’t look backwards for very long…We keep moving forward opening up new doors and doing new things…and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

WHAT ABOUT OUR PAST?

Key ingredient for a successful life: having a proper perspective regarding our past

One of the key ingredients for having a successful life is having the proper perspective regarding our past. We cannot allow our past to keep us from moving forward.

We cannot allow ourselves to live “frozen in time.” Past traumatic events, past hurts, past sins must not be allowed to linger inside of us for too long a period of time.

We need to face our traumas.We need to deal with those events. We need to reconcile with those events and people in appropriate ways and throughout varying periods of time, but the best disposition to maintain in getting out from under the effects of those events and people is to what, to keep moving forward.

What do you need to doright nowto move away from your past? To start moving forward? (Open-ended)

Who do you need to forgiveto move forward? Yourself? A mate? Brother or sister in Christ? A boss? Mother? Father? Sibling?

Who is, or, What is keeping you from moving forward?

I Love This Saying: “Don’t give God excuses, give God

excellence!”

Some More Questions:Pastor Don will ask them…

Some More Scriptures:

Philippians 3:13-14 King James Version (KJV)

^13 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgettingthose things which are behind, and reaching forthunto those things which are before,

¹⁴I press towardthe mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:13-14 The Message (MSG)

Focused on the Goal

^12-14I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.

Philippians 3:13-14 Living Bible (TLB)

¹³No, dear brothers, I am still not all I should be, but I am bringing all my energies to bear on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God is calling us up to heaven because of what Christ Jesus did for us.

Some more great quotes

1.MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

“If you can’t fly, then run.

If you can’t run, then walk.

If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”

2.QUOTE:(picture a tortoise)

“Your speed doesn’t matter. Forward is forward.”

3.QUOTE:

“Don’t look back, you aren’t going that way.”

The Greatest Example of A Person Always Moving Forward:

JESUS

Jesus: If we want to evaluate whether or not we are moving forward in our lives we just need to take a look at some of the reasons Jesus came to earth:

To serve ( 20:28)
1. “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
To be a ransom for many ( 20:28)
1. “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
To savethe world (John 3:17; Luke 19:10)
1. “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”…“to seek and save the lost”
To preach the good news of the kingdom of God (Luke 4:43)
1. “But he said, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”
To bring division (Luke 12:51)
1. “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.”
To do the will of the Father (John 6:38)
1. “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.”
To testify to the truth (John 18:37)
1. “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
To die and destroy Satan’s power ( 2:14)
1. “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil.”
To destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8)
1. “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”

To give life (John 10:10,28)
1. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full . . . I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”
To proclaim freedom for believers (Luke 4:18)
1. “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed.”
To call sinners (Mark 2:17)
1. “On hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'”

Conclusion

Let’s not be like Lot’s wife(Genesis 19:15-26)

Let’s be more like:

Abraham– failed God miserably, but he refused to

constantly look back at his sins and shortcomings…He constantly moved forward.

David– failed God miserably, but he refused to constantly look back at his sins and shortcomings…He constantly moved forward

Paul– failed God miserably, but he refused to constantly look back at his sins and shortcomings…He constantly moved forward

Peter– failed God miserably, but he refused to constantly look back at his sins and shortcomings…He constantly moved forward

PRAYER

Joshua Life with a Joseph dream

We are in a season where God is stirring up dreams and ideas that will change our world and the world of all of those around us.

Joseph dream saved a nation and in order to fulfill the promises of God to Abraham it took a Joshua to believe in the dream and then make it happen

Our dreams will not be fulfilled just but sitting and watching life go by, we must push into the Holy Spirit ask the questions, build the relationship and plan to move forward

Joshua 2:1-21

Then Joshua secretly sent out two spies from the Israelite camp at Acacia Grove. He instructed them, “Scout out the land on the other side of the Jordan River, especially around Jericho.” So the two men set out and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there that night.

2 But someone told the king of Jericho, “Some Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” 3 So the king of Jericho sent orders to Rahab: “Bring out the men who have come into your house, for they have come here to spy out the whole land.”

Before we go any further let’s se how this story played out

SKIT

Joshua was given a dream, a vision, a plan from God, a clear instruction to go into Canaan and take the country

It is OK to plan when God gives you a dream

Joshua 2:1

2) In the planning of a dream the Holy Spirit will lead us.

Now you may not have a dream but you have something ahead of you that you need guidance.

The Holy Spirit will do that, lead you and guide you just as he did the two spies

If we have been given a directive by the Lord, or have a dream of the Lord’s leading we always will do better if we seek Him for his directive

Spend time in prayer, the word, and fellowship with other believer’s

It makes it so much easier to fulfill God’s design for your life if these disciplines are part of your daily life.

Proverbs 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. (ESV)

The Message

We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it.

Everything in life is a “next move” if we just randomly allow life to happen then we have chaos. If we trust that the Holy Spirit does have a plan, and we have built that relationship with him, we will be effective, safe, and accomplish everything we need to.

The Holy Spirit enabled them to know what to do, when to do it, and whom to trust. Here is a quick example of how the Holy Spirit can lead us and guide us like this

Proverbs 15:1,2

A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.

2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing, but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness.

How many times has your anger or frustration only caused more problems for you?I always ask people in dealing with conflict with others to ask themselves what is the outcome I want from this conversation? You can win and argument and lose the whole concept or a friend…it is not that you compromise your convictions you simply through wisdom choose what is the real outcome that you want

it doesn’t need to be just the big plans that He will guide us it can also be in the day-to-day reactions

James 1:19,20

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 20 Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.

The Holy Spirit can remind us of wisdom and/or insight we need to accomplish something at work or at home with someone.

The Holy Spirit will give you success in all you do as you learn to wait on and trust His work in and through you. It does take time to learn but if you are open and patient you will learn to allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide, which can have a far greater impact than you could ever imagine…we’ll see in a bit

4 Rahab had hidden the two men, but she replied, “Yes, the men were here earlier, but I didn’t know where they were from. 5 They left the town at dusk, as the gates were about to close. I don’t know where they went. If you hurry, you can probably catch up with them.” 6 (Actually, she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them beneath bundles of flax she had laid out.) 7 So the king’s men went looking for the spies along the road leading to the shallow crossings of the Jordan River. And as soon as the king’s men had left, the gate of Jericho was shut

Just as a little cultural thing, the King’s men would have never entered the home of another person without their permission. So as long as they followed protocol the spies were safe from the guards

What God is doing in you now will go ahead of you and open or close doors

Joshua 2:8-11

8 Before the spies went to sleep that night, Rahab went up on the roof to talk with them. 9 “I know the Lord has given you this land,” she told them. “We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror. 10 For we have heard how the Lord made a dry path for you through the Red Sea when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed. 11 No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.

When we trust the Lord, have that connection with him on a daily basis we can’t help but reflect Him in everything we do

Our reputation will go ahead of us as a person of integrity

God and man will give us favor because our reputation has gone ahead of us.

As we continue to walk with integrity following the Lord’s principles because we are in the Word, prayer, and fellowship our impact grows greater and people will be concerned about failing if they don’t listen to us because we have a proven track record

God gives us more wisdom, the Holy Spirit’s guidance causes us to shine as lights in the darkness and we gain more favor

Proverbs 22:1

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,

and favor is better than silver or gold.

Colossians 1:3,4

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints,

When we act like Jesus because we know His word, are steady in prayer, have spent time with other believers in regular fellowship people hear about who we are and they are looking for what we have

Our faith grows which ends up blessing us because we worry less, overcome more and see the accomplishment of all God has for us in greater ways

12 “Now swear to me by the Lord that you will be kind to me and my family since I have helped you. Give me some guarantee that 13 when Jericho is conquered, you will let me live, along with my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families.”

14 “We offer our own lives as a guarantee for your safety,” the men agreed. “If you don’t betray us, we will keep our promise and be kind to you when the Lord gives us the land.”

15 Then, since Rahab’s house was built into the town wall, she let them down by a rope through the window. 16 “Escape to the hill country,” she told them. “Hide there for three days from the men searching for you. Then, when they have returned, you can go on your way.”

17 Before they left, the men told her, “We will be bound by the oath we have taken only if you follow these instructions. 18 When we come into the land, you must leave this scarlet rope hanging from the window through which you let us down. And all your family members—your father, mother, brothers, and all your relatives—must be here inside the house. 19 If they go out into the street and are killed, it will not be our fault. But if anyone lays a hand on people inside this house, we will accept the responsibility for their death. 20 If you betray us, however, we are not bound by this oath in any way.”

21 “I accept your terms,” she replied. And she sent them on their way, leaving the scarlet rope hanging from the window.

4) This is prophetic of the Lord’s plan of redemption.This story shows the process of the price paid for us…The spies made a promise to Rahab and her entire household, if you will follow our specific instructions then you and your household will be saved but if not it is on your own head…The scarlet chord was the object of this promise

When Adam and eve sinned the blood of animals (scarlet thread) was shed to cover their nakedness

When Cain and Able made offerings the cost of life and blood that Able offered was the scarlet thread to offer and pure gift to the Lord

The Passover lamb and example of Christ was the scarlet thread to tie in the redemption (purchasing price) for the children of Israel

The scarlet thread (rope) that Rehab offered was the promise of the spies to redeem Rahab and her whole family from the culture of Jericho. It was also a sign to the nation of Israel that the Land of Canaan had been purchased for them already

Jesus shed blood on the cross was predicted through each of these acts as he was the scarlet thread that purchase us from the bondage, ignorance and wickedness of this world.

Side NOTE>>>>why did the spies go to Jericho? They didn’t get any new intel, everything was the same but we are introduced to Rahab and her family….for sometime now Rahab most likely was searching for the God of heaven and earth and God knew it…he sent the spies just to answer Rahab’s hearts cry…..how far will God go for you?

– Once again, If you don’t have a dream or idea for your future God wants you to have one, because He already has one for you! Come and allow us to pray for you

– If you know the dream, vision or plan God has for you but need insight into what the plan is, allow someone to pray for you and see what the Lord has to say

– If you are struggling with, “God is anything I am doing now, really matter to you?” Come and allow us to pray for you that we might be able pray and the Lord will show you what you are doing that matters or what you can do where you are that matters.

– Last but most certainly not least…we all need the scarlet thread of redemption in our lives, we all need to have our sins covered and eliminated by what Christ did for us on the cross, if you have never asked the Lord to forgive you and cover your sins then please come and allow someone to pray with you about that

Joe and Marquel Testimony

Being a Joseph people with a Joshua heart!

Being a Joseph people with a Joshua heart

Joshua is a warrior, a general, his name is the Hebrew version of Jesus

It is a book about overcoming spiritual warfare it is a mirror/parelled of the book of Ephesians what Ephesians explains doctrinally Joshua explains practically

Joshua Possession of earthly kingdom/land Ephesians church possession of the Kingdom of heaven

Genesis – Election

Exodus – deliverance went in as a family came out as a nation, redemption by grace

Leviticus – manner of worship and fellowship sanctification

Numbers – failure of unbelief

Deuteronomy – obedience

Joshua is a practical book about warfare, they were on the offense as we should be rather than fearing the enemies we attack hell to take back the land and the people….gaining victory and what tools to we use to gain victory

Joshua is about our predestined inheritance of God’s people through one man like we gain our predestined inheritance through one man Jesus…both are a gift of grace received by faith…by law Israel could not be entitled to the land, it was a gift of God but they still had to take possession of it not just sit around and wait for it to be given to them as we must do with the Kingdom of heaven

Matthew 11:12

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.

Joshua 1:1-9– The commission

After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3 I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you—4 from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. 6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Six attributes of Joshua

1) Joshua was a faith person.

He had faith to believe God when no one else did – he received God’s commission by faith to lead the people

He was faithful to God and the leadership: he was promoted because he learned to be humble, trust God and serve under Moses –

Exodus 33:11

Inside the Tent of Meeting, the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Afterward Moses would return to the camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua son of Nun, would remain behind in the Tent of Meeting.

Joshua 1:7

Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do

God can and will give us dreams but we must remain servants and obedient to see them fulfilled…we can not be blessed of God with pride and arrogance…if you are struggling with a dream have you rebelled against your boss, parents, pastors, other leaders…have you violated God’s principles but expect God’s blessings

2) Joshua had vision–

Numbers 14:6-9

Two of the men who had explored the land, Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, tore their clothing. 7 They said to all the people of Israel, “The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! 8 And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. 9 Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!”

He saw the potential within the promise & God’s people

He could see God’s favor was upon them

As we talked the last two weeks we need to dream big and line it up with God’s big dream, what were you created to do, and what has he called you to do

3) Joshua had purpose

Joshua 1:3,4

I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you—4 from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.

He knew God’s desire for the people

He needed to lead the people into the promise

God has give each of us a measure of faith for a purpose ask these questions:

1) What do I love to do?

2) What drives me crazy? (Problem do I want to solve)

3) What natural and supernatural gifts do I possess?

4) What do others see in me?

4) Joshua had training

Exodus 24: 12,13

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain. Stay there, and I will give you the tablets of stone on which I have inscribed the instructions and commands so you can teach the people.” 13 So Moses and his assistant Joshua set out, and Moses climbed up the mountain of God.

God called him to lead early on

He learned under Moses

Joshua 1:8

Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

God will always place someone in your life to train you if you are willing to be trained

5) Joshua had a promise

God gave the land

God gave the resources to do it

Joshua 1:5

No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.

6) Joshua had a work ethic

He understood the task

He rolled up his sleeves

God gave them the land but he didn’t tell all the other people to get out. God told His people to go in.

Joshua 1:6,7

6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.

Deuteronomy 4:1

“Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers is giving you. NKJV

Our Call today that is similar

Mark 16:15 -18

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

The Joseph Generation, a prophetic call to the church Part 2

We talked about how Joseph was a dreamer and we need to get bigger dreams any one want to tell me what their dream is?

We prayed for these bigger dreams and believe me if you received prayer the Lord will give you bigger dreams because He loves you and every person in this nation

He will give you wisdom because God is faithful to His promises and James told us that if we need it, God will give it.

But God is pouring out an anointing on this generation to be the Joseph generation….God has a destiny for you and He is moving you toward it.

In Acts 3Peter and John are on their way to the temple they pass a man that Jesus must have passed many times but God’s call of action was for Peter and John and this man…he begs them for money and here is their response in verses 4-6

“Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. 6 But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!”

How does this tie in with Joseph’s story?

It is about the power of God being poured out, let’s look at the story

Joseph had done nothing wrong but ended up in prison…God used his imprisonment to train him in his gifts

Then Pharaoh’s cup bearer and baker both were in prison and had dreams…Joseph had gained such favor with the guards that he was as a prisoner a leader in the prison he saw the two officials In Genesis 40:7,8

Why do you look so worried today?” he asked them.

8 And they replied, “We both had dreams last night, but no one can tell us what they mean.” “Interpreting dreams is God’s business,” Joseph replied. “Go ahead and tell me your dreams.”

Joseph was always a dreamer but God stirred in him a gift of the Spirit to interpret dreams so he could change the world.

Fast forward to Jesus…

Jesus walked with and taught his disciples for 3 ½ years. He performed all kinds of miracles and taught them to perform them as well. But the power they walked in rested in the anointing of Jesus.

So Jesus said to them John 14:12

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.”

They should do greater works? We should do greater works? How is that going to happen?

Jesus goes on to say

John 14:16

And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—

How does this all tie in…

When God wants to change the world He releases an anointing to do so

God wanted to save Abraham but he also wanted to save Egypt and allow them to see Him, as God, so he stirred up the gifts in Joseph to be exactly who he needed to be.

Jesus said this about the Holy Spirit to the disciples as part of his final words.

Acts 1:8

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

120 people in an upper room were filled with the Holy Spirit gathered in unity

Acts 2:4 “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

The results the wonderful works of God were heard in at least 16 different languages and I am sure many more

The power is released so that every person could hear and understand the Gospel.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are for the church but also as we see here for the world to know and understand the great works of God

God doesn’t always do the miracles we want but we don’t always know what miracles he will do if we don’t step out in faith

Jesus died on the cross for our salvation but he empowered us with the Hoy Spirit to bring hope, joy, and freedom to the world

Examples…Get Go, meeting with other non-spirit filled pastors, random people

3000 people die every day without Christ

Daniel 11:32b “but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.”

You are called to change the world…the empowering of the Holy Spirit does that…

learn to flow in the gifts of the Spirit and how to use them to impact the nation and world

God is raising up a generation of leaders who will save the world…leaders in faith, leaders in business, leaders in education, leaders in government, leader in arts and entertainment, leaders in media, leaders in family it happens by not being afraid to dream, understanding how to communicate to this generation and flowing in the power of the Holy Spirit! You are those leaders!

So what do you do next?

1) make the commitment to believe and receive this word! Believe in the fact that you are the answer, and the hope and the freedom because of Christ in you

2) begin to allow the Lord to speak to you about your dream…commit to a certain amount of time every day to talking with God about your dream! God is always talking 2 Chronicles 16:9, Daniel 11:32b and every other scripture comes to life as we weight on Him…. You see if you really believe He loves you, then you will also believe He enjoys spending time with you!

3) write down your vision Habakkuk 2:2-4

Then the Lord answered me and said:

“Write the vision

And make it plain on tablets,

That he may run who reads it.

For the vision is yet for an appointed time;

But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.

Though it tarries, wait for it;

Because it will surely come,

It will not tarry.

As you write it down always keep it in front of you so you measure you decisions not based on your circumstances but instead on God’s vision, dream for your life!

Proverbs 23:7 “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”

4) Begin doing the vision! Allow the Lord to open your eyes to all the needs around you that you need to meet using the gifts and callings he has given you. As God has shown you His plan make decisions based on that plan… Further your education, develop your skills, allow Him to stretch your faith. Part of my daily prayer is God help me to see circumstances, people and things the way that you see them!God will begin small with you, be faithful doing the small steps Jesus said Luke 16:10

He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much;

As you begin to focus your time, talent and treasure on what God wants he will multiply it all until you are fulfilling every dream and then he will give you new ones until your destiny is complete

It begins today if you will allow him he will open your eyes to everything around you that you are supposed to do! Take the leap of faith and just do it! You can only do great exploits if you begin to take action… You will make mistakes you have to because faith requires you to do things and say things you have never done before and you never do something for the first time perfectly! If we are afraid to make mistakes you will never walk by faith or grow! God’s grace is always sufficient for you

Psalm 37:23,24

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord,

And He delights in his way.

Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;

For the Lord upholds him with His hand.

Now it will come to life for you!

Joseph generation, a prophetic call to the church Part 1

Joseph – dreamer,

God is raising up the Joseph generation

100+ countries around the world

– shot at, surrounded by terrorist and delivered by God, in near plane crashes, met, talked and prayed with presidents, terrorists, a pope, and leaders of all faiths, I have seen people of every faith come to Christ

I have seen blind eyes open, deaf ears open, a baby dead in a womb come to life, people stand up out of wheel chairs. Prophesied over tens of thousands of people but more importantly I have seen hundreds of thousands come to Christ and tens of thousands filled with the Holy Spirit

My daily prayer

God break my heart with the things that break your heart. Help me to see people and things they way you do. Teach me how to be a man 100% sold out to you!

Genesis 37:5-7

“Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. 6 So he said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: 7 There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.”

God is always raising up men and women of vision. Especially in critical moments in time

Proverbs 29:18tells us

Where there is no prophetic vision (revelation) the people cast off restraint,

Without men and women who know God’s heart and follow His heart there is no hope for our world.

Jeremiah prophesies this about all who follow Jesus…Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

I believe he is speaking prophetically not only about us but also the hope we can bring to everyone around us.

The United States is growing further and further away from the Lord because the church feel asleep…he is awakening them but the Lord gave me this prophetic word several years ago for churches all around the world

“you are not the victims of an anti-God society you are the heroes the world is waiting for to bring them to freedom”

God is raising up the Joseph generation of dreamers to begin dreaming big dreams the things that are impossible, things that bring hope and great future

Romans 12:3

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

You have been given gifts, talent, a personality, and abilities for the purpose of fulfilling you and your destiny

Paul challenges us to think the way God thinks, to dream the way He dreams to not be limited in our understanding by our limitations because we serve a God without limitations

1 Corinthians 2:9,10

But as it is written:

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,

Nor have entered into the heart of man

The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

Think about your dreams…what are the gifts God has given you

James 1:17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Every gift came from God he ties them in with your dreams and has a plan to bring hope, life, love, freedom joy and so much more to everyone you know because of you!

Yes Joseph was a dreamer but his dreams didn’t come about that easily…when God gives us a dream it doesn’t mean that you are ready to fulfill it

David had to learn even though he was anointed to be King at a young age so did Joseph

Dream with me for a moment…

what is it that you love to do?

What skills talents, abilities, anointings do you have?

What problem do you see that you want to solve

Dream big! Because if you can do it, the dream is too small. God wants us to walk by faith so the dream must be too big for you

After Joseph had his dream he found himself sold into slavery I believe this is prophetic for this generation…not that you be sold into slavery but what he learned there

Genesis 39: 1-6

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. 2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3 And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. 4 So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. 5 So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field. 6 Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate.

Joseph prospered as a slave…isn’t that strange? God had a plan

Joseph was sent into slavery so he could learn the culture, understand the language and be exactly where he needed to be to fulfill his destiny.

God has you planted, in your job, your community, your school exactly where you need to be to engage your culture

In the church, we have our own culture, our own language but it is rare that we lead someone to Christ in the church. This generation must learn the language and the culture of their world not to be influenced by it but instead to understand how to communicate to this culture in a way they can understand it.

Many people followed Jesus…he never once compromised who He was or the call on His lifebut he hung around sinners, and broken people all the time so much so that He was accused of being one

Luke 7:34

The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’

He wasn’t but he was around the broken so much the religious people thought he was.

We are called to be light but we can only be that when we are around darkness.

God is calling this generation to engage their generation to understand them so they might be able to communicate the Gospel to them in a way they can understand…using every form of communication

Jesus commanded us to “Go into all the world”

After Joseph learned to understand and connect with the culture and the language God had another plan for him it didn’t seem like a blessing but it was…He ended up in prison….that is not to say that this generation is destined to prison but it is what He learned in prison that I need you to grasp…the right hand to the Pharaoh, the cup bearer and the Baker were thrown into prison and during that time they both had dreams…

God stirred two very powerful things in Joseph that He is stirring in this generation today something that the Holy Spirit wants to release in this generation that I will talk about next time…so will you come back for the next time? I want to see the release of those two things in this generation…I want you to be prayed up and prepared to receive what the Lord has for you so take time

Today…if you are willing I want to release an anointing of the Holy Spirit in you for two things today

might be bold enough to allow the Lord to give you big dreams and for your to have big dreams
the key to engaging with your culture is wisdom

James 1:5says this

“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.”

Intimacy

Intimacy– fairly large word as the English language goes, 4 syllables

It is a word most women long for…many men shudder

It is a word God desires for us and the word the enemy fears for us

It is a combination of…Trust, Love, vulnerability, strength

Hopefully in a few minutes we will all be at peace with this word and moving toward true intimacy

Believe it or not, it is something everyone desires

Failures in intimacy case things like

Depression

Unfulfilled expectations

Feelings of worthlessness

Broken relationships

Broken marriages

Job loss

Emptiness

Sex is not real intimacy – sex is simple biology or lust drives a person alone it leaves people empty with no connection, intimacy builds a relationship to lovemaking and wholeness, completeness and connection

Intimacy is not people sitting in a room on their devices or watching TV….that may be relaxing but it is not intimacy

Intimacy is not casual

Intimacy is not accidental

Intimacy is not closed

So we have some of what intimacy is not so what is it?

Intimacy is a deep connection with a friend, child, parent, spouse, God, that says…I know you, you know me, you accept me for who I am and love me enough to push me to be better. I can share with you my fears, loves, worries, joys, I can be totally vulnerable to you and you will still love me, believe in me, and value me, and not judge me…it is like trust but more than trust

Jesus talks about the intimacy that He and the Father want with us

John 17:21

“I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.”

In this one verse Jesus’ high priestly prayer is for the power of God to flow through His people in the way it did through Jesus as he walked the earth

“I pray that they will be one, just as you and I are one”

There was nothing between Jesus and His Father but love and He is praying here that there would be nothing between each one of us but love.

Remember a few weeks ago I talked about how “love” is one of the evidences of the Holy Spirit

It is the Father’s heart that we walk in intimacy with one another that there would be an openness and a vulnerability that is rewarded with trust, love and being fully accepted.

Gossip, backbiting, tearing one another down, un-Christ-like competition, jealousy, envy, slander, fear these and many more things are the things that cause walls that hinder intimacy. Intimacy builds bridges and tears down walls

Matthew 18:19,20

I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. 20 For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”

There is power in unity of the church family….many times the reason we don’t see the Holy Spirit move is because the power of agreement moves mountains but notice it only takes a few but then if you are not in unity you might miss it….it is sad to say but I have seen this often, a miracle report will be shared about a healing, salvation, a relationship restoration, financial miracle, a new job and after the service or a few days later I will ask people and they will have no recollection or will belittle the miracles of God….I am not a hype person, I am a person of intimacy…Jesus stressed this with in Luke 10:38-42

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Let’s look at my definition again of intimacy

Do you see the difference between Mary and Martha with this definition?

The vulnerability, acceptance, honesty, and openness that were happening here between Mary and Jesus…our minds can make this sexual but it was not,

it was a pure honest love of two people valuing and seeing each other for who they are

Martha saw Jesus for what he could do for her or she could do for him to gain his favor but Mary had already gained his favor by her openness to love with a pure heart to want to hear Jesus’ heart and Jesus defended her because he saw and knew her heart together their purpose was nothing more than to honor the Father where as Martha’s was to honor everyone at the feast, her culture, and ultimately herself for being a good hostess….it was not manically evil it just was not intimacy with the Father that Jesus loved and loved to bring others into

In our service to the Lord, in whatever that is, in our service to each other if our desire is to promote intimacy with the Lord, real friendships grow, not based on what you can do for me or what I can do for you, but instead on our mutual love of God

Then out of that love, we do the work, the ministry, build the friendships that are bonds for life

Out of that love that is where freedom comes the Holy Spirit is honored and given place because He only desires intimacy with the Father and helping us gain intimacy with the Father.

As men we want respect…it is part of our nature to have and gain respect but we limit our ability to receive and gain respect by our lack of intimacy and vulnerability to the Lord

Ephesians 4:30-32

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath (rage), anger, clamor (harsh words), and evil speaking (slander) be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. (NKJV)

The Message

Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted. Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. 32 Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.

Men, all the respect you want and need to feel like a man can’t come from any personor that person has power over you, yes you can gain their respect by living this way and we must have a good reputation among those in and outside of the church. But if you are grieving the Holy Spirit through your

– anger,

– cutting remarks and jokes,

– jealousy,

– envy,

If you are:

– cruel to one another

– putting one another down rather than building each other up,

– if you are holding unforgiveness

You will never flow in the wisdom, knowledge, power, fearlessness, love, soundness of mind that you can in order to shine….only real men of God can totally be at peace, feel empowered and always at peace, always overcome and feel the respect that comes only from being true to the heart of God

As the world sees that we are “in the Father, and the Father in us” we have the power to conquer and change a broken world around us. Giving out hope, life, love, joy, and freedom and believe me you will gain all the respect you need!

Ladies, you want real relationship that connection of love that doesn’t let go. The only way we can have that kind of love, the love that fulfills and overflows, the kind that allows you to feel completely safe and secure? The Lord wants that for you too but just like the men acquiring respect, real love begins with the Lord…The 1^stCorinthians 13 kind of true love only comes from the Holy Spirit’s being alive in us

If we grieve Him…

The Message

Ladies you desire real, honest, unconditional love in all of your relationships, start by allowing the Holy Spirit to be welcomed in all of your relationships…

– walk in forgiveness,

– walk away from gossip,

– from tearing others down

– judging them,

– always giving love and being gentle,

Then the love, power, soundness of mind, deep friendships, love will be yours because the Holy Spirit will be flowing through you

Ladies and Gentlemen both of these examples also apply to your relationships not only with spouses, friends, co-workers, and God but they can be applied to how you raise your children, allowing them to see that you are consistent inside of your home as you are outside the home, that you walk always in forgiveness, that you aren’t slandering other, being critical always, being judgment and harsh…walk always in love, and forgiveness and your children will be different too

Gifts on the go! (What we can do Part 3)

We have talked about tongues, Wisdom, Knowledge faith and healing. If you missed any of those, get our app Christian Center PA or go to our website www.christiancenter.usand catch up on the teachings

All of these gifts are available to us and are for the purpose of building up the Body and reaching the world.

As the Holy Spirit is in you, you can rely on Him to move through you as you get to know Him better through daily spending time with Him

1 Corinthians 12:4-11

There are diversities (distinctive) of gifts [special abilities given by the grace and extraordinary power of the Holy Spirit operating in believers], but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all [inspiring, energizing, and empowering them]. 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 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.

Working of Miracles–

The spiritual gift of miracles is described in Scripture much like the gift of healing. It is found in 1 Corinthians 12:10and the Greek phrase

energemata dynameon –literally translates “workings of powers.” The double plural most likely means that these gifts were diverse and were not permanently available at the will of the gifted believer, but instead were bestowed at various times and circumstances. Thus, the gifts are subject to the divine will of God and His purposes and are not decided by the one who performs the miraculous works.

We know that Jesus performed many miracles in His earthly ministry, even more than those recorded in Scripture (John 20:30-31, Acts 2:22).

The Apostles regularly performed miracles of all kinds including casting out demons, healings, raising people from the dead, striking people dead, causing blindness, and much more (Acts 2:43; 3:1-10; 5:1-16; 9:36-43; 13:4-12; 19:11-12).

Other believers performed miracles as well, including Stephen (Acts 6:8) and Phillip (Acts 8:4-8).

Miracles were given by God to the church to reveal the presence and glory of God among all people and to create a sense of awe and wonder and Godly fear. Though there were many enemies of the church, often the result of miracles being performed was more people coming to faith in Jesus and glorifying God, as well as greater faith and boldness within the church (Acts 4:29-31; 9:35, 42).

Those with the spiritual gift of miracles often

– have a heightened sensitivity to the presence and power of God through His Holy Spirit.

– have a special measure of faith and desire for God to reveal Himself and draw many to faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

– take care not to draw attention to themselves or have a following of people, but are constantly pointing others to Jesus.

Example: Demon possessed woman in Sudan “Jesus Christ is come in the flesh”

Those with this gift understand that God is Sovereign and He can work when and how He desires, but they make sure they are available and listening to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

This takes time of learning and waiting on God to have the confidence to know what He is doing in any time

This gift is often accompanied by prayer and strong petition by these individuals for God to reveal His glory to people.

They do not claim power themselves, but always give credit and glory to God for His mighty works. Often God will deliberately humble them to keep them relying on His grace and pointing to His Son, rather than miracles. See also 1 Corinthians 12:10, Acts 1:8;

When someone is presented as God’s man or woman as the man of power of the hour you need to ask yourself what spirit are they flowing in as this is all done by God’s power. We can not accept the credit nor the criticism

Galatians 3:5,6

“Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? — 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham”

Prophecy

-The spiritual gift of prophecy is an extraordinary and unique gift. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:1to “Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.”

-This gift is a blessing to the church and can be to those in the Kingdom of darkness and should not be quenched or despised (1 Thessalonians 5:20).

-Those who have the gift of prophecy differ from the Old Testament Prophets who spoke the authoritative Word of God directly. Their words were recorded as Scripture as they proclaimed, “Thus says The Lord,” whereas the messages from those with the spiritual gift of prophecy must be tested which means they can be wrong (1 Corinthians 14:29-33; 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21; 1 John 4:1-3).

The Greek word for the gift of prophecy is

Propheteia –which is the ability to receive a divinely inspired message and deliver it to others.

These messages can take the form of exhortation, correction in the life of the unbeliever (gently), prediction of future events, comfort, inspiration, or other revelations given to equip and edify the body of Christ

1 Corinthians 14:3-4, 24-25

But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. 4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church…..But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. 25 And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you

I saw this happen in Russia as they brought young man and women in from the streets and the Lord gave me words about them, not condemnation but things that only God knew so they would know He loved them…each one came to Christ because of this

Again, they do not constitute the authoritative Word of God, but are the human interpretation of the revelation that was received. They are spoken in human words through a human mind, which is why they must be tested against the Scriptures.

1 Thessalonians 5:20-21

Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil

The Holy Spirit gives the gift of prophecy to some believers to make God’s heart known and to edify the church.

This gift

– is for the benefit of both believers and unbelievers and is a sign that God is truly among His church (1 Corinthians 14:22-25).

– those with this gift are sensitive to both the prompting of the Holy Spirit and the needs of the church body.

It has become an inaccurate tradition that a word comes unexpectedly and with great force, a prophetic word, insight understanding may be delivered to a person days, weeks, or months in advance to be delivered at God’s right timing

1 Corinthians 14:32,33 Remember that people who prophesy are in control of their spirit and can take turns. 33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people.

A prophetic person should be humble and continually study the Scriptures in order to test these revelations before speaking them. When they do speak, they should allow and even expect others to weigh what is said against the Scriptures and interpret the message accordingly. In this way the church may be continually built up together in unity 1 Corinthians 14:4, 26,1 Corinthians 12:10, 14:1-5,1 Peter 4:10-11.

A prophecy can be a direct word, a teaching, preaching, prayer, it can show up in many forms. Any time a distinct word from the Lord is proclaimed, a prophecy is delivered

Discerning of spirits(1 Cor. 12:10; Luke 8:29)

The spiritual gift of discernment is also known as the gift of “discernment of spirits” or “distinguishing between spirits.”

The Greek word for the gift of discernment is Diakrisis. The word describes being able to distinguish, discern, judge or appraise a person, statement, situation, or environment.

In the New Testament it describes the ability to distinguish between spirits as in 1 Corinthians 12:10, and to discern good and evil as in Hebrews 5:14.

The Holy Spirit gives the gift of discernment to enable certain Christians to clearly recognize and distinguish between the influence of God, Satan, the world, and the flesh in a given situation. The church needs those with this gift to warn believers in times of danger or keep them from being led astray by false teaching. See also I Corinthians 12:10, Acts 5:3-6; 16:16-18;1 John 4:1.

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world”

It is important that we understand especially in today’s culture where there are some who claim to be following Christ, even filled with the Spirit but are not, the fruit is not active in their lives and in its place is manipulation and false things….This gift enables us to know clearly what is God and what is not God, understanding the fruit of the Spirit and looking for the fruit enables this gift to function at a very high level. Is the ministry about building the person and their kingdom or the Kingdom of God?

Interpretation of tongues(1 Cor. 12:10; 14:13-33)

The spiritual gift of interpretation of tongues is found alongside the gift of speaking in tongues in1 Corinthians 12:10.

– The Greek word for interpretation is hermeneiaand simply means to interpret, explain, or expound some message that is not able to be understood in a natural way.

– this spiritual gift is the supernatural ability to understand and explain messages uttered in an unknown language.

– This is a revelatory gift, meaning that God “reveals” the meaning of the words or message being spoken and allows the interpreter to communicate its meaning to those who need to hear it. When this happens in the church two things happen: the church is edified and God is glorified.It is especially effective when someone interprets other than the person who gave the tongue and in some cases I have seen it where a second person not in the room at the time of the first interpretation, interprets the same things as the first

The spiritual gift of interpretation is given by the Holy Spirit to certain individuals to reveal messages spoken in an unknown tongue to God for the building up of the church. Like the gift of prophecy, tongues that are interpreted have the effect of encouraging and blessing the church to love and serve God more deeply and effectively. See also 1 Corinthians 12:10, 30;14:28. This gift is only used within a ministry environment

Each of these gifts are available for anyone who is filled with the Spirit. Some may stay with a person for life some may come and go as the need demands but learning to use these gifts and understand them takes time, learning from people experienced in these areas. Personally I have used all of these gifts with the exception of a tongue in a public meeting.

Gifts on the go (what we can do Part 2)

Gifts on the go(what we can do Part 2)

Last week I began taking about the gifts of the Spirit and we talked about wisdom and knowledge something I think we could all use…this week let’s go a little further

1 Corinthians 12:4-11

Faith –

The spiritual gift of faith is not to be confused with saving faith. All Christians have been given saving faith Ephesians 2:8-9,

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast”

Not all receive a special gift of faith. The word for faith in the New Testament is

“Pistis”– It carries the notion of confidence, certainty, trust, and assurance in the object of faith.

The gift of faith is rooted in one’s saving faith in Christ and the trust that comes through a close relationship with the Savior. Those with this gift have a trust and confidence in God that allows them to live boldly for Him and manifest that faith in mighty ways.

The gift of faith can be given one time, many times, or be with a person for ever…George Mueller from Bristol England denied he had it but everyday the children in his orphanage would gather around empty tables with empty plates and they would pray and within moments something would happen, a vehicle would breakdown loaded with food in front of the orphanage, a baker would bring fresh baked goods, someone else a large catch of fish, everyday they needed food and everyday God would supply, after they prayed

The Holy Spirit distributes this gift to some in the church to encourage and build up the church in her confidence in God. Those with the gift of faith trust that God is sovereign and He is good. They take Him at His Word and put the full weight of their lives in His hands. They expect God to move and are not surprised when He answers a prayer or performs a miracle.

Supernaturally trusts and does not doubt what the Lord is saying or doing.
Goes beyond saving faith and natural faith
Ability to overcome great adversity with confidence
Benefit of a group of people generally not just an individual

Acts 4:19,20 “But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard”

Bob and Fran Hanus

Think about it, has there ever been a time when you needed to believe, you felt the full confidence to believe even though it didn’t make sense. You had an overwhelming sense of peace that despite what was going on around you, you knew God was handling the situation….That is the gift of faith in action and you can have it happen more often as you are in the word and prayer so you know the Holy Spirit in person

Healing –

I have several acquaintances who seem to have this gift and I have asked them, because I question myself, why they don’t simply go into children’s hospital and lay hands on every child and heal them….their answer….they are not the healer, God is! Every gift even if given freely is still dependent upon the Holy Spirit. As we learn to move in the gifts we are given, most of them are completely dependent of our responding appropriately to the Holy Spirit, tongues is often how we get there to understand the Father’s heart so we can flow in the gifts better. Jesus didn’t heal all of the sick, crippled and broken in Israel but he did heal everyone he saw the Father healing

John 5:19

So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.

This spiritual gift is closely related to the gifts of faith and miracles. All spiritual gifts are to be exercised in faith, but gifts of healings involve a special measure of it. This gift is interesting in that there is no guarantee that a person will always be able to heal anyone he or she desires. It is subject to the sovereign will of God, as all spiritual gifts are.

The Disciples were given authority to heal and cast out demons, but they were not always successful. The Apostle Paul was not able to heal himself and was told that God’s grace was sufficient to carry him through his infirmity without removing it from him (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

This gift is given at various times and places to reveal the God of heaven to the sick and tormented. If healing is not granted, then we can conclude that God has greater plans for letting the person go through the illness or infirmity.

We are all called to lay hands on the sick

Mark 16:17

And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (ESV)

The gift of healing gives you a confidence and insight that the Lord will heal….I have seen this in my own life but for me it has started as a leap of faith, just trusting the Lord and then watching him do the impossible and I expected it, to the point if someone did not get healed it was unusual. Mostly it was for the purposes of evangelism

But God does still heal today, sometimes it is gradual, sometimes it is instantaneous. Sometimes people are healed and they don’t even realize it until they look for it…sometimes people are healed in stages, sometimes it is through a doctor and sometimes just a miraculous touch…we are not the healer, God is.

My story with the accident skull and thumb but lots of dental work

Timothy had stomach ailments 1 Timothy 5:23

“No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.”

Paul left others ill 2 Timothy 4:20

‘Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus.’

Yet Acts 20:9-12

And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. 10 But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” 11 And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. 12 And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted.

I say all of this to say that we need to learn to listen to the Holy Spirit and allow the gifts to flow through us always and to realize that God will give us the Faith, Healing, wisdom and knowledge we need to accomplish everything we need and to give Him glory…next week I hope to finish the rest of the gifts

What we can do!

What we can do….

Real change in our world is impossible apart from the Holy Spirit’s moving in our world. God is waiting for us but not for us to do it in our own strength but we can do anything and expect amazing things as we learn to allow the Lord to empower us by the Holy Spirit.

Several weeks ago I talked about the gift of tongues, a spiritual prayer language given by God as a means of building ourselves up and a way to pray God’s perfect prayer…this is only the beginning of what God wants to do so we might walk in dominion in the Kingdom of heaven and winning the war against the kingdom of darkness (ignorance) by our walking in the Kingdom of light (knowledge, God’s knowledge not man’s)

Paul tries to make it plain here in his second letter to the Corinthian church

Later we will be praying for people to be baptized in the Holy Spirit

2 Corinthians 2:4-9

And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. 5 I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God. 6 Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. 7 No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. 8 But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. 9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,

and no mind has imagined

what God has prepared

for those who love him.”

Paul is telling us that as he spoke and ministered, he did not do it in his human strength. He was the best student, of the greatest teacher of his day but found that his strength was weak compared to the wisdom the Holy Spirit could pour through him. The power of the Holy Spirit in him and pouring through him enabled him to share of the Kingdom of God, God’s original plan for mankind and something that we have not yet seen but soon will!

If we were to read on, Paul is saying that God reveals the deep things to those that are spiritual, and the Holy Spirit gives us everything we need to bring hope, life, and freedom to the world but to the rest of the world this is foolishness.

I started out last week teaching about tongues and the real and practical application of a gift the Lord offers to us.

Today, I’m going to get through two more of the gifts and then at the end of the service if you are willing, we will pray for you to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and you will receive it and begin to understand the deeper practical application of these gifts so you can function in your role as an ambassador of the Kingdom of heaven

1 Corinthians 12:4-11

Each of these gifts is given freely by the Lord to strengthen and encourage Christians and to touch a world so they know God is real and loves them. We witness that in the book of Acts….

Allow me to try to explain them, starting with the most powerful according to Paul’s distinction

Word of wisdom

1) Wisdom insight into something unknown

2) Right application of truth.

3) Divine direction.

4) Seeing the world through God’s perspective.

5) Supernatural perspective to ascertain the divine means for accomplishing God’s will.

The one who uses this gift and the one who is benefited by this gift begin to have a healthy understanding of awe or fear of the Lord

“fear, awe of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” – Proverbs 1:7

1 Corinthians 2: 6,7

Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.

In 1 Corinthians 1:17Paul says

“For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.”

In other words he came with divine words or words of wisdom to preach the Gospel

Someone who speaks with this gift will help others understand the Lord’s will and purpose

It is the “next step” gift it gives us 20/20 foresight into understanding what the Lord wants to do, what His heart is. We all have 20/20 hindsight but this helps us to have no regrets as we know what to do next especially in this age which is like the book of Judges 21:25

“….all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.”

Wisdom, as James puts it brings peace and all good fruit

James 3:17

It is “first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”

The gift of wisdom as James describes it comes the nearest of the gifts of the Spirit to seem to be like the fruit of the Spirit.

Wisdom is not only the words that are spoken but often it can be the manner in which they are spoken.

Word of wisdom takes the next gift word of knowledge and knows how to apply the divine knowledge given

Paul speaks next about a gift of divine knowledge, God knows everything and he is willing to give freely what we need as we learn to listen

Word of Knowledge

Information that was not be obtained naturally
An utterance of facts given by divine inspiration through, mind, vision, dream, or some other insight that would otherwise remain unknown
teaching based on divine insight and revelation.

Ephesians 3:3-5

that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit;–

Old Testament reference to both gifts they only were with these people to accomplish the task

Exodus 31:1-5

Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship

This gift can refer to special knowledge as may be needed in a crisis, which, borders on the gift of wisdom. It could refer to supernatural knowledge about someone in a particular crisis, which then borders on the gift of prophecy. A word of knowledge may disclose a person’s illness, concern, or specific need.

In Russia this last time one of the leaders came to me, he is in his late 30’s and still not married and I gave him a word that it would happen and described her to him

Both of these “word” or utterance gifts may occur in conversation, counseling, or public speaking.

These are just a couple of things that can help you in your day to day life to bring others out of ignorance into the truth of who God wants them to be

How many decisions do you make every day that would be much better if guided by wisdom or knowledge from the Holy Spirit?

How many times have you hurt yourself by things you have said when the Holy Spirit could have given you the correct words to say that would have brought life instead of pain?

Pray for people to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit!