Pastor Don shared that this was one of his favorite healing scriptures.

Hebrews 12:12-13 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

Pastor Don told us that when a passage begins with “Therefore” we need to find out what it is there for.  So we looked at Verse 11.

Hebrews 12:11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

The chastening of God does not seem joyful, it can be painful but if we wake up and smell the coffee, God strengthens us.  One of our members, Joy, talks about the first rule of holes – when you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.

God will strengthen the hands that hang down.  The hanging down of hands does not just portray an attitude, but is an indication of a problem. Our hands are to be productive and busy or praying and praising the Lord (hands risen), not hanging as if defeated or frustrated. 

To regain strength is something we have to participate in to help ourselves, to prepare ourselves before the beginning of the day, to focus ourselves for the day.  We do not need to begin our day by listing all the stuff that we have to do, but rather, to talk with and think about what God wants us to do, and what attitude we should be having.  Some of our thoughts are not godly thoughts and come to try to interrupt the flow.

Your mind can stress you to death.  Remember it is not always about what you produce but by what you permit.  Sometimes we can get led down rabbit trails that are distractions and overload us with things to do.  When we feel overloaded we need to remember the blessings of God, get our hands up and praise Him, then get more organized.  There is a difference between what is in our heart and mind to do.

Write down what is in your mind.  If you are not organized, a spirit of despondency can come upon you with justification before you know it.  If you do not stop that spirit, shut it up, and then go after what God wants, your hands can hang down.  If you can lift up your hands you can stop the onslaught and organize yourself.

Write a vision and make a plan.  We can get so upset about time, but it isn’t time – but seasons that matter. When our season comes and our energy changes, we can begin to carry out our plans. 

Ask yourself, what would I do if I were healthy and felt great?  Whatever that is go do it and you will feel great.  Strengthen your hands which hang down, get organized.

One way to strengthen your hands is to sit down and begin to get the clutter out.  Clutter seems overwhelming, and you need to make space and deal with the mess.  Raise your hands to begin to organize your clutter and make space for your gift. 

If Jesus was going to come into your home and space, wouldn’t you want it clean before He got there? 

The devil is perfect at overloading you.

Feeble Knees – natural (sickness attacks you, kind of like Job, resentment, anger) or spiritual (not spending enough knee time in prayer).  We can be paralytic in our knees, where we have not spent time in worship.  When we are most depressed it is usually because we have stopped our prayer time and we are under spiritual attack.

Get your knees bending and moving and worship. 

God has built us for health and showed us how to stay healthy. God has built us with the need for exercise for our bodies.  It is no accident that Hebrews were to sacrifice the fatty portions of the animals – God took away the unhealthy portion.  We get exercise when we sing and pray to God.  God takes His portion of praise.

Hebrews 12:13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

God makes straight paths for our feet, but often we get disorganized and distracted and stray from those straight paths.  We are pulled by curiosity, sin.  But we can come back to God and He makes our paths straight.

Faith teaches us the straight path.  Lameness comes when our path is not straight.   Stuff is dislocated and we become lame.  Movement will cause you to accept the fact that you are lame.  But you do not have to be derailed, you can be healed if you make yourself straight, lift up your hands, and bend your knees.

God gives us the option, to stay lame or to be healed – we have the choice. If it took you five years to get unhealthy, why not invest five months towards getting well.

Hebrews 12:14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:

Notice it is to pursue peace with ALL people, not some people,

Romans 12:18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

Notice that this verse says IF they would.  We have relinquished our ability to get peace for ourselves, when we become bound to our stuff so much that it ends up destroying our happiness.  Don’t let our happiness be disposed by anything external to you.

Hebrews 12:15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;

Grace is the ability to energize you to overcome.  The roots of bitterness defiles you, and causes us to turn away from the Grace of God preventing you to be pure. 

The peace movement caused us to believe that we could walk peacefully  with all men.  We can, but often religious fanatics from all doctrines (from muslim, new age, legalistic Christians, skeptics, nonbelievers, etc.) do not permit it.  They want to kill or defeat the person who believes differently, or force them into compliance with what they are believing. 

When Jesus went into the temple area and the zeal of the Lord came upon Him because of the unholy activities in the Temple area, Jesus did not just lash out.  He carefully wove a whip and then lashed out.  It was not a rampage, but a targeted action.  Look at it from God’s perspective.  There were people suffering due to the consequences of sin.  They were being oppressed when they went to the Temple to give a sacrifice for the covering of their sins, and that was not God’s plan.  There was a demonic presence in that Temple area that needed to be driven out, and demons do not (as pirates do) parley.  When a demonic force is terrorizing, it needs to be driven out severely.  And a barrier needs to be placed up to prevent it’s return.  We cannot compromise with demonic activity.

Praying your Sunday is blessed.

Heather

Hebrews Chapters 12 and 13 are fundamental to our faith.

Pastor Don told us that Chapter 12 & 13 show us the nature of God.  He told us that people sometimes ask questions, such as those asked after 9/11 when they said if God is God why did God not save people?  How can a loving God be a loving God and let evil happen?

The truth is God plays by His rules, not ours.  Our views and sensibilities are not necessarily God’s.  If there are no accidents and no one died the world would be overpopulated.  Life on earth is training for eternity.  Yet we live life on earth as if it is the central part of our existence.

God sets things in motion, but we have dominion over our lives.  When something does not go the way we want it to go, we can opt to change the rules. The validity of the existence of God is not determined by what we feel He should do.  Nothing in the Word says God will always intervene in the crises of man. 

Heaven is a real place, and there will be much work to be done in Heaven. Since we are God’s Children, He will discipline us or not discipline us at His discretion.  We can either obey God or ignore His discipline.

Chapter 12 is about discipline. Sometimes we accept or reject discipline.  God has a purpose in our obedience but good can even come out of our disobedience. For example, if you tell your child to not touch the hot stove and the child touches the stove, he learns that when you say he could get hurt, he could get hurt.

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Run the race set before us.  We may not always be sure what our part in the race is.

Hebrews 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus started and finished it, and went to the Cross for the joy that was set before Him.  When He ascended to Heaven He saw Joy.  Heaven is a happy place.  Pastor Don told us that when we find something that is worth that joy it is also worth the sorrow necessary to attain it.

Hebrews 12:3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

Jesus endured a level of hostility that we have no conception of.  He was called a worker of satan, beaten, abused.  People will abuse you for being a believer.  The church will be labeled intolerant because of our message.  They don’t realize that you can love a person and not condone their actions.  This hostility, as time goes by will get worse, not better.

Hebrews 12:4 You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.

No one has strove against sin until it causes bloodshed.  Most people are not willing to go that far.  That is why the antichrist will not meet with opposition when he is revealed. People will give up their rights when they find out that it interferes with their comforts.

Hebrews 12:5-6 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.”

Discipline helps a child (both our children and us as children of God) for it teaches us discipline so we don’t end up with the diagnosis of PINS – Person In Need of Supervision

God will let us reap what we have sown.  Circumstances will keep coming to pass until we learn our lesson.

Hebrews 12:7-8 If^a]’> It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”  So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”

These are questions we need to ask God in our walk in life.  “Who are you Lord?”  And “Lord, what do you want me to do?”. We have a loving, Heavenly Father, Creator, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  Ask the Lord, “What do you want me to do?”  He wants His Presence in our lives.  Find out who Jesus is.  Our steps of faith begin to open up this to us, water baptism, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, studying His Word will begin to help us to find out who He is.  Salvation is like coming into the front door of the house and standing on the welcome mat.  But there is more to find out about God, there are other rooms to explore.  We can begin to find out about the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the freedom that we can have in Jesus. 

We want to be a carrier of the light, to be filled to overflowing, to be a witness.  It isn’t enough to just worship on Sunday. We want to tell people that God loves them, and that takes boldness to share and be a witness.  To go up to a teller in the store and tell them that Jesus loves them, to speak to unsaved neighbors.  We want to take God’s light to the uttermost.  To love family and children, to love those who are not loveable.  To take His light to the unsaved loved ones and also to the unloved saved ones.  We are to honor our father and mother and our spiritual fathers and mothers. We are promised in the scripture 70 years and a few more years if we are good to our parents.

Wendy then spoke a bit about children, reminding us that we don’t own our children.  When they are little you can get them to do what you want them to do, but as they get older, you need to give them space. When they are little we dedicate our children to God, and that means we give them to God to guide and direct their lives.  Wendy has three daughters and two sons.  She prays that God sends angels to protect her children and that God provides a hedge of protection. 

Every child is a blessing, even if they seem to be a drag at the time.  For a period, Wendy had to take care of her house and children, and was wondering why it seemed to be stopping her ministry until God showed her that at that particular time her children were her ministry, for she needed to train them up in the Lord. The Holy Spirit told Wendy that He had given her these children and she was to be a mom, training them, a teacher, and sharing Godly wisdom with them.

Psalm 128:3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house, your children like olive plants all around your table.

So the wife is like a fruitful vine and the children like olive plants.  Sometimes olive plants need to be pruned to become productive and fruitful.  We prune our children lovingly with God’s help. 

Motherhood does not always come naturally although many women think so.  We need to pray and ask God how He wants us to work with our children.

Older women should be teaching younger women in the church, mentoring the younger women.  So often rookie moms get together and share notes, but they are all young moms without experience, and they could benefit from older mom’s advice.

Wendy told us that we need to love our children, not having favorites, and treat each child individually.  Learn the love language that your child responds to.  Some like to be touched (hugged), others like you to talk and chat with them, some want time just to be with you, others like doing tasks together with you, and some like tokens (gifts).  You need to figure out how to communicate with your child and meet their needs.

Many of Wendy’s children were born in different countries so each got a sort of nick name, the #1 son, the 1st born American, China lady (for the daughter born in China), Little Miss Sunshine, and Grace – for his grace is sufficient for me.

Besides being a mom, you also need to give time to your spouse.  You can’t nag your husband.  Children can tire you out, and Wendy had to learn some things about parenting.  For example, you can’t fuss with your boys – tucking in shirts, slicking down hair etc.   You need to give them their space and by doing that you win their respect.  Not always will our children do what we want them to do, but because they have been brought up in a godly household, if the children stray, God will bring them back to Himself.  We need to trust them to God.

Wendy told us that she expected two things from her children:  1) Obedience and 2) Thankfulness.  Give thanks to the Lord for He is good.  She and Vaughn were not looking for her children to pay them back.  When we are saved we do not owe God anything. 

Wendy told us that if there are any broken lines of communication in our families we need to do everything we can to restore them – go to the person and apologize even if you are the wronged party.  Time is short and we never know when our time is up. 

She told us that they live REGRET FREE, STRESS FREE, DEBT FREE, AND HAVE YOUR LIFE IN JESUS.  We are bigger because Jesus is in us. 

Love our church.

Jesus is our bridegroom and Wendy smiled and told us that as women we understand what it is like to be a bride, but that concept is a bit more challenging for the men. We are the CHURCH.  We are the BODY OF CHRIST.  Jesus is the head and we are the body.  Every part functions in the Body, from the tiniest cell to the major organs, and all are necessary.  Not one part is unnecessary, and each part has it’s own function – joints, marrow, bones, etc.  

Often the churches are not functioning together in unity, they are not being the Body of Christ, the Kingdom of God. 

Wendy told us that her husband loves to go to Home Depot and shop, but if you go to Home Depot you can find all the individual elements that go into building a house – the nails, the wood, the tools, the wiring, etc, but until they come together, fit in with each other you only have the individual parts, you don’t have a house.  Our Churches have to come together in unity to become the Body.

You can’t just love Jesus by yourself, Jesus is part of the Body, and we need the WHOLE body.  We are not just here on our terms, for us, but we need a more global perspective.  Wendy told us that when they were overseas she could see how God was working overseas and was thrilled to find that the churches are the same over there.  Language may be different, but what she found out is that when people prayed in the Holy Spirit, that Godly language is the same in every country and language, there is only one Heavenly language.

Right now she asked us to keep her husband, Vaughn in prayer for he is over in India, and persecution is really heating up. (Heather’s note, many of the pastors that we know like Pastor Abraham and the hundreds of pastors he ministers to are suffering severe persecution and need our prayers).  We have no idea what it is like to live in a country with persecution for being a Christian.

In our churches we need to be loving and supporting people in our churches, supporting the leadership.  Get behind what God is doing and help out. This means not gossiping, being women of faith, and taking any problems respectfully to the leadership, not causing dissent in the church.  Pray and praise and help out.   God wants followers.  Respect and stand behind your pastor, knowing he is following God and as he follows God, so will you be following God.  Remember Jesus did what the Father told Him to do, as we are to do what Jesus wants us to do.

We want to have a clean conscience in God, to move forward and not be held back in the past.  Yes, things can have happened in your life, we can’t quit and run away.  Jesus is there with us in tough and good times.  We need to trust Jesus, be strong and stand in faith.  Sometimes when we do that it bothers those around us but we cannot live in everyone elses’ opinion.  We need to get off the pedestal and love others.

This talk was a blessing and I hope it blesses you as much as it did me.  After this, Wendy prayed over every person attending and we were all blessed.

Heather

There is a revival going on in Kingston New York.  It started last week with Roy Fields and is continuing this weekend with Steve Smith, an Australian Evangelist.  If you are anywhere near the Vineyard Church in Lake Katrine New York, I highly recommend coming.  The Holy Spirit is moving in major ways, and the Kingston Fire Revival is continuing.  Steve will be here Sat. 2/21/09 at 6:30 and Sunday 2/22 at 10:30 AM.  I highly recommend attending for you will be blessed.  As you know, the Hudson Valley and Catskill area needs a revival, and it is a blessing to see it happening.

Tonight Steve Smith shared a Bible teaching that I think might bless you.  For me it is a continuation of what Pastor Don taught this afternoon – funny how the Holy Spirit works (she says smiling).

Steve told us that he has been in the ministry for 28 years and has planted many churches in Australia.  He told us that he would go around planting churches and the members would go out into the neighborhoods and bring in new people.  One day he came back to his church and a new believer was at the door greeting people and asked him if he had ever been to the church before, they had a good laugh when the new believer found out that Steve was the pastor.  During an interview on the Australian TV he had told the interviewers that they should speak to the congregation, for it was the congregation that was reaching the people in the neighborhood.  Australia was thrilled to have these churches growing for it reduced the crime in the areas where the churches ministered.

REVIVAL means falling in love with Jesus again.   When you get saved, it can take time to grow in the Lord, and it requires a sacrifice of praise and keeping on seeking Jesus.  When our hearts grow colder, then we need revival.  So often a revival comes to a church, and then when the revival moves to a different local, the local church goes back to the same members it had before the revival. Lives can be touched but it does not always mean that the church membership can grow.  But the truth is, YOU CAN have a strong local church and a strong revival, and both can grow. 

Keys to producing an atmosphere of faith.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

God wants to produce strong churches, strong faith, strong love. 

Mark 5:21  Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.

Steve told us that it was typical of Jesus that He would attract a crowd. Some people say that God is not in the numbers, but why did He then write a book called “Numbers.”  Jesus always attracted a crowd, and often he had to go out to the wilderness to get away with God alone.

Mark 5:22-24 And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.

Jairus had a life situation, the daughter at death’s door, that triggered faith, and Jairus’ faith caused Jesus to be with Him. God responds to faith.

The first Key is DESPERATION.  Jairus was desperate for a healing for his daughter. God can heal you, and this is your night for healing.  You may need to deal with something, to get to the point where your desperation leads to faith.

The second Key is RIGHT POSTURE to faith.  Steve told us that in the army soldiers have right posture and right attitudes.  Body builders have right postures to emphasize their muscles. And the posture of faith requires a right attitude.

The third Key is to deal with TRADITION. Notice that Jairus was a ruler of the synagogue, and he was respected.  People took notice of him, and certain behaviors were expected.  If he fell down at the rabbi’s feet, he could have lost face with the people.

The fourth Key is FEAR OF LOSS. Jairus was so desperate that he came to Jesus, and did not fear the loss of respectability and dignity.  He was at the right window to hear from God, from Jesus.

So often we get bound by fear, wondering what people would think and instead of responding and receiving from God, the focus is on other’s opinions.  God and the Holy Spirit is seeking to get rid of spiritual constipation.  God is no respecter of persons.  He will not bypass you if you have your heart in the right position, you can be healed and blessed and full of joy. 

Jairus was in a high position in the community and he broke his traditional role of ruler to throw himself at Jesus’ feet.  This could have cost him the respect of the people, but all Jairus cared about was his daughter, and Jairus wanted Jesus’s attention and healing.

Katherine Kuhlman told people that you will get healed when you are desperate and angry at the devil. 

Notice that in verse 24 a great multitude was following Jesus.  Something happens when there is a crowd.  Imagine if you had your child dying and Jesus was hindered by the crowd. Jairus (5) DID NOT LET AN OBSTACLE TAKE AWAY THE FRUIT of the healing. He could have gotten upset, tried to hurry Jesus, but instead he just waited on Jesus.

Mark 5:25-31 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?” But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’”

Jesus recognized when power went out of himself and asked “Who touched me.”  People were incredulous for he was in a crowd, and of course he would be touched.  But Jesus knew that healing virtue had gone out of him.  He stopped and had a conversation with the woman.  We do not know how long that conversation lasted, it could have taken time. And Jairus had to wait patiently while Jesus did the healing, knowing that his daughter was sick. 

So Jairus had to deal with TRADITION – respectability could have been lost.
He had to deal with FEAR OF LOSS, he had to deal with the CROWD – in our case that could be the opinions of the people, and he had to (6) PUT SOMEBODY FIRST.

So often in the Body of Christ people get jealous when a backslider returns and is so on fire for God, and they are put back into a position of power, and the others wonder why, because they were “good” and did not backslide that they are not put into that position.  But that is just the way that God is.  The last shall be first and the first last.

One of the best ways to get your breakthrough is to rejoice when someone gets released, and that will help you.

The seventh thing is to OVERCOME DOUBT AND UNBELIEF

Mark 5:35 While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”

He heard this heartbreaking news, and was told not to trouble Jesus any further.

Mark 5:36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.”

Jesus told Jairus to not be afraid and to believe, something very hard to do in the face of such sad news.  Jairus had to make a decision to believe Jesus for the healing miracle.

The 8th thing is to BATTLE AGAINST THE EMOTIONS.

Mark 5:37-40 And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.

All the people around Jairus were weeping and crying for the Child.  Notice that Jesus took all the mockers and threw them out of the room, keeping only the three disciples and the parents with him. Jesus did not pussyfoot around, He did not want an atmosphere of doubt and unbelief.  He was quick to tell Peter, “Get thee behind me satan.”  He cleansed the Temple when there were the moneychangers in the temple.

In this case he had to rid the room of the mocking spirit.

Steve then told us that so often many people pray for revival in their area.  Then a revival comes, but it comes in a new way, in a way that the people who prayed for revival did not expect. It comes not according to the prayer’s traditions, and then those who prayed for the revival start calling the revival a work of satan and not a true revival. Often not realizing that God had answered their prayer for revival.

Jesus rises above those who mocked in doubt and unbelief and heals the girl.

Mark 5:41-42 Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement.

The people were astonished.  Yet we need to get the right picture of Jesus.  We need to realize that Jesus is eternity, and He is healing.  He does not just give a healing, Jesus is the healer.

Steve also told us that we think that the Bible is only a book for those on earth, but that when we get to Heaven we will still be learning about the Word of God, that there is such depth in the Word of God that we will never come to an end of new revelations from the Word of God. God will open our eye for eternity about His word. 

Jesus spoke life into that dead situation. That was no problem for God.

Many people were touched mightily by the hand of God in this meeting. Blessings flowed. I sure hope you can make it to one of the meetings.  Also hoping this teaching blessed you, it sure blessed me.

Heather

Ethel spoke at a conference of women who were sharing on various aspects of the Proverbs 31 woman, and it was very convicting.

Virtuous means able, capable, strong, courageous.

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.

Ethel gave us a list of things that virtuous women manifest.

1. A desire to know the Lord and turn from wicked ways. We are not perfect, but we work toward becoming the Virtuous woman.

2. Make knowing God the top priority.  Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 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. Intimacy with God by all means necessary. Time spent with God the Father. The whole household saved. God is on your agenda every day.

3. Commit to knowing and bring truth, not legalism. Biblical based thinking, tithing, baptism, common traditions have to go in line with the Word of God.  Conquer with what the Word of God says.

4. Find or become a Godly mentor.  Titus 2:1-5 But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. Older women are to speak to younger women and guide them.  Respect people where they are at even though they are not living up to your standards. Don’t judge them, bring them around by being a good role model.

Ethel told us that the Proverbs 31 woman had a mentor who shared with her the secrets of how to fear the Lord, to trust and respect. The mentor models Christ centered living and encourages others through their struggles.  You can’t mentor anyone if you are not living what you are preaching. 

Sober means balanced, moderation, clear headed, stable.  God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  Let people see I’m going through but I have the victory. Be yourself. Be reverent and worthy of respect.  Be worthy of praise. Be temperate, have self control.  Be sensible even though you are living in a heathen world.

Be temperate about what we allow our children to do or not to do.  If they turn away or fail you need to trust the seed.  Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.  God has your every situation.

5. Be sound in faith, love and patience.  Have a healthy personal faith.  Share, teach, share about what Christ has done in your life and model a godly lifestyle.  Be a good teacher, godly and not a gossiper.  Don’t be playing church.  The world is looking at us and people in the church are looking at you and not at Jesus.  Look towards Jesus. Stop being victims and be victorious.  Stop talking about your test and get to your testimony.

6. Maintain realistic expectations. Husbands do right for five years and mess up, then you get rid of them even though they had been right for five years. It doesn’t make sense, people will mess up, and if your husband gets it right most of the time, count your blessings.  Seek increasing maturity in Christ.  Seek Christlikeness rather than being wrapped up in perfection.

7. Have an attitude of humility, stay teachable by walking very close to the teacher. Don’t stray or you will mess up.

8. Encourage yourself in the Lord.

This was a profound teaching and often since this conference I ask myself, what would a Proverbs 31 woman do?  And I try to do it.

Have a blessed day!

Heather

Callin told us that God is preparing him for a door to open to ministry in jails.  He told us outlaws are not easy to convince.  Cal told us that he was not easy to convince.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Cal told us that we have a challenge on a daily basis, and to reverse the curse there are 2 worlds we deal with.

1. The visible realm, our senses, appetites, emotions, we are programmed in that, and often our reactions are based on what we perceive in the visible realm.

2. The invisible realm – we are Ambassadors of Christ.

When we reach out to a person for Christ often the resistance we feel from the person is from the spirit that they have yielded themselves to.  Sometimes they can be obnoxious.  You can be born again, filled with the spirit, covered in the blood, and infused with the Word, or you can yield yourself to the spirit of the world.

Paul had a war between the old man and the new man, and he spoke about how the good that he wanted to do, he did not do.  We see the two kingdoms in the Bible in many places, Joshua crossing over into the Promised Land is one example.

Ephesians 6:10-13 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,^b]’> when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

Abraham didn’t know where God was going to take him and Sarah, but Abraham was obedient, and it cost something.  He had to pack his camels, gather what he might need and then set out.  He rightly divided the word of truth.  He went BY FAITH, and just like us, he was a journeying in a foreign land. 

Pastor Don talked about those who try to set out on their own without the help of God, that they are like the Lone Ranger without Tonto.  When bad things happen we are not to just leave the church, but we need to pray and make more room for God to prosper.  We need to keep going, as verse 10 tells us, He waited for the city whose foundations, builder and maker is God.  This is what kept Abraham going.

There are three ways that we can obey, by what lies in our sight, a vision by emotion and a vision by faith.  Future faith where we project our faith based on a Word of God, which is written, spoken, or a prophetic Word of God. Abraham had Future Faith. 

If you have a vision by lie, then it is a falsehood. 

Pastor Don gave an example, you can look at someone and decide that they are out to get me.  They can speak a casual word and you take it to mean something that it isn’t.  Or the devil speaks to you telling you that you are not going to make it, that this sickness is going to kill you.  He mentioned that a voodoo doll where a person believes that they will die in 30 days, and then they speak that out loud, and actually speak that lie into truth.  We do it to ourselves and the devil helps us in this.  The devil has the ability to do two things, he can listen to our conversation and finds out where we will be vulnerable to suggestion in our lives, then he gives us suggestions to promote where we are vulnerable.  The devil cannot read our minds, but he can read our actions and words.

Sometimes Christians say to themselves, “I am a good Christian.  I only hear from the Lord.”  The problem is that this is not always true. You hear from both sides, from God and from satan, and you must discern.  The devil knows what he is doing and tries to make his statements sound godly, even though they are riddled with lies.  The devil also uses his agents to spread those lies.  When we hear what we think is from God we need to make sure it lines up with the whole Word of God, if not it is not from God.

Pastor Don gave an example of Jesus and the disciples in a boat, where Jesus tells the disciples they are going to the other side, then Jesus falls asleep.  The seas get rough, and the disciples forget that Jesus is in the boat, that He has said they would go to the other side.  The disciples get scared and wake Jesus up. Jesus is not moved by what the devil was doing with that storm, he calmed the storm, “Peace, be still.”  The devil and his minions are fearful at the Word of God.   The devil goes around trying to thwart God’s plans for a person’s life, and works with the people who can be easily manipulated.  That is why we need to hold to the Word of God.

Paul shook the viper off and did not die from the venom.  He did not fall to the distraction of satan.

Back to Hebrews, Abraham went BY FAITH.  Pastor Don then told us that many people put Sarah down because they assumed that her finding Hagar meant that she wasn’t believing God.  She waited and waited and nothing happened, so she crafted a plan to help God and had Ishmael.  But we must not forget that she also conceived and bore a child.  But God had to wait until after her plan failed, then she had a child.  She still believed and brought forth Isaac.  God is faithful. 

The greatest thing that works against our faith is us. 

Pastor Don went on an aside to Bible translations, telling us that we have to be careful about who the translators are in our version of the Bible, for each set of translators will slant the words used to fit their view of scripture.  They translators do not totally translate outside of their world vision.  He told us that the NIV has a little of everything, kind of middle of the road.  The ESV is not good.  Pastor Don likes the Jewish Bible, the Weymouth Bible, the Emphasized Bible, a Parallel Bible with KJB/NKJB/AMP/Living translation, and the Greek Transliteral Bible and Strongs.

Hebrews 11:12  Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

The Milky Way Galaxy is one of the smallest galaxies in the universe, this is a lot of stars, and a lot of sands. More than we can count.

Hebrews 11:13-16 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them,^c]’> embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. or those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

We need to trust in the integrity of God who shows us the promise, even if it is not fulfilled in this lifetime.  There is no shame in calling Him God, for from the start He has prepared a city for us, and has made us long to see the promised city.   In our walk of faith, we sometimes need a godly carrot to change us so that we will go to where God’s best is for us.

The problem is our view that we didn’t get the promise when we thought it should manifest.  Time is the enemy of our faith.  We got the promise, but the time for the promise to manifest may be farther off.  Just because Abraham died in faith not receiving the promise on earth, does not mean that the promise was not received by Abraham.  By faith He got the promise in the spirit, in eternity.  God is still a promise keeper.  When the window of eternity opens up, we can see that God kept His Word.  We as believers want to get into that eternal point of view.

If we hold to the integrity of God, we have the faith of saints to look on our present circumstances from a heavenly perspective.

We took a look at Stephen and how he gave the history of the Jews verses 1-50, and was martyred for Christ. Acts 7:51-59 “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.” When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,  and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

God was available to Stephen in the Spirit, and when the flesh was hurt, Stephen stepped into glory.  God gave him a disconnect and he could see the Glory of God and Jesus.  If you read the history of the martyrs, you will find that God gave them the strength to endure what they suffered and move beyond it to glory.

For the believer there is no pain in death.  At that point faith comes up and says, “God’s got it.”  We pray, “I thank you Lord.”  We can cast our cares upon the Lord, and thank Him. 

Sometimes people hold onto life waiting for certain circumstances to happen.  Sometimes we can only hold onto life for so long, and maybe we can go by faith and see it on the other side.  God can take our brokenness and heal it in the spirit, and we can have future faith to get to that place of healing.  We need to look at things with the eyes of faith.

Hoping this blessed you, I know that sometimes I get stuck in circumstances and I have to remind myself that God is above my circumstances, I don’t have to stay in the realm of circumstances.

Heather

Wow, has it been some time since I’ve updated, I think I needed a bit of a Xanga break.  I have been doing some fun studies in the Word and God has helped me to understand a tough passage of scripture for me.  I am continuing Pastor Don’s Friday Bible study notes, see previous posts part 1 here and part 2 here.

Genesis 13:1 Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South.

Up from Egypt to the south.  The drought was on and off, but Abraham is now going back to where God sent Him in the first place.  We need to return to where God wants us to be if we have strayed off course.

Genesis 13:2-4 Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,  to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.

If you lose where you should be, go back to where you were before you lost it.  Some leave and never turn back to Him.  Go back to the point where God corrected you.  We need to humble ourselves and go back to that point of correction.  God cannot advance you until you fix what God wants us to do.  It takes us awhile to get to the truth of this, so that we can see the fruit. As we stay with this spiritual fight, and as we face these truths we can more easily work through the bad stuff.

Genesis 13:5-8 Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together.  And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.  So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren.

No strife between Lot and Abraham, but there would not have been strife if Abraham had totally obeyed God, for Lot would not have come with Abraham and his family.  The enemy loves to make strife in the camp.  What is the solution.

Genesis 13:9 Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”

Abraham let Lot pick the first of the land, and Abraham trusted that God would take care of Abraham and His family.  Lot picked by sight, Abraham by faith.

Genesis 13:10 And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.

Don’t forget that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because while it was outwardly beautiful and pleasant, there was sin in that area.

Genesis 13:11-12  Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.

Abraham learned His lesson, don’t go where God did not send you.  Lot was younger and less experienced, and he did not know that bad company (Sodom & Gomorrah) corrupts good morals.

Genesis 13:13 But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD.

Don’t make the mistake Lot made.  So often young people leave the church thinking that they can handle bad company, and thinking that they won’t be caught by the wiles of the World.  You have to be careful of your company.  You need to pick more people of better character than yourself, so that you model yourself after them.

Genesis 13:14-15 And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants