The Point of No Return

Have you ever struggled with what you heard from God because it doesn’t make sense to you, or you can’t figure out how it will work out? Don’t let your brain get in the way. The Lord told me years ago that He was bigger than my goofs. My hope for today is to help you rekindle a fire for the Lord. Because, if you’ve lost your passion, how can you expect to do great exploits? Let me encourage you to keep praying for big things to happen!  

Click on the link to listen to the message my husband and I shared Sunday morning. It's the message from 3.30.14 under Laura & Norm called the Point of No Return. It is full of powerful testimonies and it will bless you!

Point of No Return

The Miracle is in the House

Testimonies are powerful. So powerful, that they have the ability to keep producing life to those that hear them long after the moment is over. I don't know what made me think of it, but out of the blue today I recalled a testimony my mother shared that happened to her grandmother. Now, that was a very long, long time ago!

My mother was raised by her grandmother, who was a very strict, very difficult to please woman who wasn't exactly pleased at having to raise another child. I never met my great grandmother. About the only other thing I know about this woman, Matilda, is that she was a Methodist. Not much to go on as far as family history! But here's the testimony that stands out: I remember my mother sharing my great grandmother's testimony. My mother's family was extremely poor, and one day there was absolutely nothing in the house for food. Great grandmother Matilda prayed and paced, prayed and paced the floors of the house for hours. She would walk in to the pantry and the shelves were bare. She would go out and pray and pace, pray and pace. Finally, after who knows how many times of checking the cupboard shelves and finding nothing, there it was. A mason jar full of navy beans, and it was sitting where it hadn't been sitting before!

One thing I know: I had a great-grandmother who believed in Jesus and had the testimony of at least one miracle in her life. Some people have none, and sometimes all you need is one to keep reminding you of God's faithfulness. When people forget God's goodness they begin to grumble and complain. When they rehearse his goodness, they become thankful and full of joy and peace. Make sure you rehearse the goodnes of God! What testimony has He given you to remind you that He is a good and a faithful friend? When God has given you ancestors that dug wells of prayer for their family, that is a tremendous inheritance. Maybe it's time to ask your parents, grandparents or other relatives for some of their testimonies. Re-dig those wells and stir up the gift of God inside of you, because He wants to refresh your faith and renew your passion for Him! When you remember His faithfulness, it is easy to speak of it to others, and you just never know when someone might need that testimony to encourage them. The way we keep the devil under our feet is through the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony! 

Friends, miracles happen if you just keep believing and keep praying. Never let the enemy tell you the miracle isn't in the house, because the miracle is in you. God has given each one of us a mustard seed of faith. All faith comes in seed form. If you want to grow it, you have to use it. You have to press into the anointing and command God's promises to produce. I think sometimes we kind of get this sense that we pray and pray and God doesn't do anything; yet, His word in Is. 55:11 tells us that His WORD doesn't return without producing exactly what it was created to do! When we pray, He responds. He doesn't just sit there and ignore our petitions. My great grandmother couldn't afford to take no for an answer and I'm sure that's how she presented her request to the Lord. And when she pressed God to send back an answer, she pulled her miracle out of the anointing and caused it to appear where it hadn't been just minutes before. Don't give up on the brink of your miracle! Sometimes God wants us to have others pray for us and with us, because He designed us to need one another. But, sometimes all it takes is that seed of a miracle residing in us and our faith presenting our requests to our Father. The KINGDOM resides within you, so whatever you need, it's there. It may be in seed form and require you to press hard into God, but nevertheless, it's there. The miracle is in the house!

Tear Down the Fences and Build Bridges

BUILD BRIDGES NOT FENCES

Once upon a time two brothers who lived on adjoining farms fell into conflict. It was the first serious rift in 40 years of farming side by side, sharing machinery, and trading labor and goods as needed without a hitch. Then the long collaboration fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding and it grew into a major difference, and finally it exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence.

One morning there was a knock on the older brother's door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter's toolbox. "I'm looking for a few days work" he said. "Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there I could help with? Could I help you?"

"Yes," said the older brother. "I do have a job for you. Look across the creek at that farm. That's my neighbor, in fact, it's my younger brother. Last week there was a meadow between us and he took his bulldozer to the river levee and now there is a creek between us. Well, he may have done this to spite me, but I'll go him one better. See that pile of lumber by the barn? I want you to build me a fence - - an 8-foot fence -- so I won't need to see his place or his face anymore."

The carpenter said, "I think I understand the situation. Show me the nails and the post-hole digger and I'll be able to do a job that pleases you."

The older brother had to go to town, so he helped the carpenter get the materials ready and then he was off for the day. The carpenter worked hard all that day measuring, sawing, nailing. About sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer's eyes opened wide, his jaw dropped. There was no fence there at all. It was a bridge -- a bridge stretching from one side of the creek to the other! A fine piece of work, handrails and all -- and the neighbor, his younger brother, was coming across, his hand outstretched.

"You are quite a fellow to build this bridge after all I've said and done." The two brothers stood at each end of the bridge, and then they met in the middle, taking each other's hand. They turned to see the carpenter hoist his toolbox on his shoulder. "No, wait! Stay a few days. I've a lot of other projects for you," said the older brother. "I'd love to stay on," the carpenter said, "but, I have many more bridges to build."

I recently attended a memorial for a woman who passed. That event brought together many people that had not seen each other in years. There were a group in attendance that had experienced a very painful experience involving church hurt, disappointment, and the enemy worked very hard to destroy those relationships. In the end, all had gone their separate ways and never spoke again. Those relationships had been broken in what seemed beyond any repair, or seemingly any desire to mend those broken relationships. Yet, coming together for such a somber event put a lot of things in perspective as to what is truly important in life. Relationships. It was a wonderful moment of reconnecting and hugging people we hadn't seen in a long, long time.

I am reminded of one of our past outreach events we held in a park. It was a powerful day of feeding the homeless, offering valuable handouts such as bibles and clothes, and many other things as an effort to touch the community. We also had altar calls for prayer, healing and reconciliation to impact the city. As an impromptu invitation, we asked if there were any pastors in the gathering that would come up on stage and pray for healing in the body of Christ. Little did we know (not until afterward!) that two of the pastors on stage had been involved in a very painful church split and had not spoken to each other since the event occurred. Yet, facing the crowd, pressed by the Holy Spirit, offense and brokenness yielded to their Father's desire for healing and reconciliation. They hugged one another and allowed God to move on their hearts in a moment neither had seen coming.

God builds bridges, not fences.

It absolutely breaks God's heart when His family is torn apart. Family is important, whether it is natural family or spiritual family. They are a gift from Him. I know it hurts God's heart when He gives a gift and then when things happen, people act as if that gift is no longer important, wanted or needed. The truth is, you just never know how much you really do need one another. You also have no idea of knowing how long you have with people. I've lost people and I'm sure you've lost people, too. Another dear friend just informed me today that she is battling breast cancer. I hate hearing news like that! Now, I'm not one to quit believing for the miraculous, and I always pray for healing, but the point I'm making is that we simply cannot afford to waste precious time being offended with one another. We take far too many things for granted, and many of them are people. One woman at the memorial commented that it was amazing how many people one life had touched, and had brought together through her death. She also made the comment that everyone in the room was of the same DNA. The DNA of Christ is tested through offense, but those that are truly His will want relationships healed.

Friends, I urge you not to take anyone for granted. Don't procrastinate until it takes something tragic to reunite you with long lost loved ones. Don't let things remain unsaid that need to be said. Sometimes time heals old wounds, but sometimes it just makes it that much more difficult to take a step towards reconciliation. The enemy will always want to keep relationships broken and will do all he can to keep them that way. Satan builds fences through o-f-f-e-n-c-e-s. It's time to tear down those fences and build a bridge. It's time to question those things that rise up and want to challenge the healing of relationships. Pride will always be the biggest barrier, because pride looks for ways to either avoid those situations, harbor a grudge or hold judgment over the heads of others. We must all question the things that stand in the way of reconciliation. Christ tears down the walls of offense and encourages love and forgiveness. While pride shows resistance, humility opens the door to forgiveness and restoration. The enemy is great at putting thoughts in people's minds, suggesting that others won't want to hear from you, or attempt to stir up offenses, or any number of things. He is known as the father of lies for a reason! Sometimes time has shown others things they may not have been able to see in the past and the issues that were once there are no longer a reason to stay estranged from one another. Sometimes God gives people the benefit of time so that they can understand things from a different perspective or allow people to have the desire to want relationships restored. Yet, when deep wounds have torn relationships apart, one should never just gloss over the need to reconcile the relationship properly. Even God compels us to acknowledge our guilt before Him so that our conscience can be cleansed of wrongdoing. Unless the breach is mended through genuine forgiveness, the relationship will be prone to continued misunderstanding and brokenness. The strength of any relationship comes by transparency, honesty and a dedication to guard and protect a sense of loyalty to one another. That is what covenant is all about.

Conversations will never happen if people remain afraid to take a step. God wants to heal family and other relationships. Family is a gift from God, and those that are truly from His hand will always feel like family because they know and love their Father. Trust the Lord to do what you cannot do, but I pray that you will find yourself willing to heal what has been broken while you still have the time to do so. Life is precious, and it is short. Don't let the thief continue to rob you of what could be a wonderful blessing to you. You just never know when one of those relationships or someone connected to them is a part of the missing links in God's future plans. We need one another, but the greater issue is that the world will never see Jesus in the body of Christ if we cannot love one another. Amen. Let us be about our Father's business. Build a bridge.

Recognizing The Defilement of A Jealous Spirit

This is a really deep revelation that God just gave me, and I'm not sure I can fully convey the depth of its meaning, but I'm going to try. It’s that important to the body of Christ.

I’ve written articles on spiritual cannibalism. What I mean by that phrase is the trading back and forth of criticisms, accusation, insults and other negative speech that is not edifying to anyone. This is actually another revelation that pertains to that subject. It also has to do a lot with what nature we allow to be formed in us. The body of Christ (not just the unsaved!) has a big problem with jealousy, and it brings a great deal of division. It is the very opposite of love and unity. We must learn to see it as the dragon it is. It comes to devour. God is at work exposing the deeper issues of people’s hearts, and allowing their true nature and the fruit of their belief system to be seen for what it is; not just what people may profess to believe. He does things to quietly remove the masks that people wear in order to expose who and what they are aligned with. He uses many, many situations to separate the vile from what is pure. (Jer. 15:19). He separates what is defiled and carries a curse, from what is chosen by God to reproduce in health and blessing. He separates the flocks, sifting out those with a stubborn, goat-like nature from the sheep.(Matt. 25:32). He shines a light on false teaching and cleanses with truth. All these things bring a separation from the things God chooses not to use, and that which has been tried by fire and purified for greater purposes. We are in that time now, and because the time for Jesus’ return grows closer, the deception of the enemy will be even greater if he can pull it off. We absolutely MUST discern the difference between the truth and those seeds the enemy wishes to plant in our heart in order to produce defilement. (Matt. 13:25). Let me point you to one example that you may feel is inconsequential, yet has profound deeper truth woven into it.

Take the Son of God movie, for example. There has been a great deal of negative communication through articles and such recently, and the conflict has been centered around the Biblical correctness of the Son of God movie that just came out. I am not directing this article so much around the movie itself as the responses that have been generated regarding the movie. A very critical spirit, laced with judgment has arisen to speak out against Christians and those involved with the movie production. (Notice the spiritual cannibalism at work!) Even innocent Christians have come under fire simply for defending their viewpoint to see the movie without feeling persecuted by those who may not agree with the content or message of the movie. Religious spirits look to place guilt or condemnation, manipulation of scripture and man-made yokes of legalism on others that Jesus himself did not do. Those things actually hinder others from coming to Christ because it puts stumbling blocks in front of them. This is something Jesus accused the Pharisees of doing!

If you can look beyond the arguments and theological debates, it is not difficult to see that the enemy is very, very afraid of losing control, but it is manifesting in fearful responses that need not be. The body of Christ seems to be so afraid that those that already know Christ will fall into a ditch and be led astray that they are not being led by love or faith in the work of Holy Spirit. If we truly belong to Christ, then indwelling in us is an anointing that teaches us the truth. (1 John 2:27). Why then do we not trust that He is able to do his job? The truth is, people are allowing a religious spirit to speak into their ear and tempt them to a fear response. Satan is afraid of the movie being used as a tool for evangelism. He is afraid that souls will be won to Christ as a result of people talking about Jesus Christ in everyday conversation. The Son of God has once again trumped the enemy. But Satan, the accuser, is fighting back. The enemy is jealous and full of fear, and whenever someone is jealous and full of fear, they will criticize, accused and reject the very thing that has gained the attention of others. Jealousy is intolerant and hostile towards those that are perceived as threats.

We see it all the time when God beings to move through one person and those with a jealous or competitive spirit begin to accuse, find fault and criticize those He is using. A spirit of error will twist understanding and use scripture incorrectly to try to justify personal opinions, judgments or man’s interpretation of the Word, when that was not the intent of scripture at all. The underlying spirit is one that will defile and take people into captivity rather than set them free. In promoting the wrong spirits, people crucify the Son of God all over again without even realizing they are doing so. You may ask how they are crucifying the Son of God. Because He lives inside human vessels and works through them. Jesus said as we do to the least of His children, so do we do it unto Him. (Matt. 25:40). (2 Cor. 2: 20) says: I am afraid that when I get there I will find you different from what I would like you to be and you will find me different from what you would like me to be. I am afraid that I will find quarreling and jealousy, hot tempers and selfishness, insults and gossip, pride and disorder. James 3:16 also reminds us that envy and jealousy bring in every evil thing along with it. Confusion, disorder, backbiting, murder...every evil thing!

I am getting to a point. Stay with me if you will!

This Pharisaical spirit can’t help but feel fearful of losing control. The Pharisees were not only full of fear, they were also angry. They were fearful that those that had been under religious control would find freedom in Jesus Christ. They were fearful the man- made traditions, rules and conditions for acceptance would be nullified through Jesus Christ and people would be free to place their loyalties with another King. They didn’t want people to place their affections on someone else. To do so meant losing control and loyalty. You see, there is religion, which is the counterfeit, and then there is what's genuine, and that is through relationship with Jesus Christ. Sometimes the lines are so blurred people can't tell when their is something wrong in their beliefs. That is where the work of the Holy Spirit comes in. Have you invited Him in lately, to show you truth? Friends, I’m drawing your attention to a much deeper rooted issue, and that is the issue of jealousy. I want you to understand there are two very different aspects to jealousy. One is a righteous, godly aspect and the other is purely demonic. If a person isn’t very careful and discerning, it can take what you think is a pure, righteous desire to protect others and twist it around so that the person is deceived just like the Pharisees. There is a godly jealousy that is generated by a spirit of love and purity. God himself has said He is a jealous God. But what comes from God never involves tearing others down. Speaking cruelly or critically about others is equated with a spirit of murder because it wants to harm the reputation of others. God's word has said that a spirit of murder does not reside in those that have eternal life. (1 John 3:15). Those that love their brethren abide in the light whereas those that hate are full of darkness and don't know where it leads them. (1 John 2:10,11). It is so subtle yet equally capable of defiling the vessel that does not resist the temptation to be critical. Jealousy will set a person on edge. It will trigger anger responses. It is critical, easily offended and somehow thinks that speaking badly about others will make them look or feel better, or perhaps be able to protect what they hold dear. Dear one, that is control. It is a form of witchcraft. Keep yourself from that. That is the spirit of accusation at work. No one ever feels better about speaking critically about others. They only feel guilty, and a guilty conscience will make people self deceived, defensive and argumentative. Humility is what allows people to see Jesus in us and know the truth.

Maybe you’re saying, “I don’t care if I see the Son of God movie or not.” Well, it’s not about the movie. That was just an illustration. Let’s see how all this works in our own daily lives.

Now for a bit of personal confession, so you can see where I’m going with this. There has been someone that for years I struggled to forgive. Finally, I was able to forgive all the painful things of the past. I thought I was completely free. Then recently, something occurred that brought reconciliation between other people we love and care about, and the person who the enemy had used to inflict a great deal of pain. I found that I struggled with those emotions, and a twinge of jealousy surprised me when I recognized it was there. Where did that come from?

I comforted myself by telling myself that I didn’t want the people I loved to fall for this person’s old tricks again. I comforted myself by justifying why others should not trust that person, knowing that who the person was on the outside was not at all who they really were under the surface. I didn’t want others to get hurt again. I never acted on those impulses, but the thoughts were there. The enemy wanted to introduce a temptation to speak the wrong things about someone else. I found myself feeling irritated that they were being so careless with their spiritual health. Didn’t they remember the things God had already shown them about this person? I felt a bit angry and concerned that the deceiver would once again draw them in and they would fall for his bait, hook, line and sinker. What I didn’t realize is that the deceiver was actually baiting me! Oh, the enemy’s suggestions can sound so plausible if we are not careful to recognize them for what they are! It was the spirit of jealousy working with fear to produce a Pharisaical spirit. You see, I understand that religious spirit of witchcraft very well, because God delivered me from it. But the enemy would love to pull me right back into it again without me realizing he had done so. That's what he does with each of us.  I might not have drawn the connection except the Lord gave me a dream about it. In the dream I realized I felt annoyed that the Lord would not allow me to speak against the person I felt tempted to be offended with. And just like that, I had to work with the Lord all over again with self-deliverance, renouncing a spirit of fear, jealousy, anger and criticism so that the enemy could not defile the vessel God intended to use to set people free.

Maybe there is someone or some situation the enemy is using to tempt you, too. The temptations of the enemy are ever so subtle. We must stay alert and exercise discernment if we are to remain free! The enemy knows just how to trigger a response in order to lure a person into defiled thinking. We must not come into agreement with the accuser! The mirror we gaze into is never that of our own soulish desires, for if we look into our own hearts we will see that indeed there is wickedness there that can deceive us. No, we look into the mirror of God’s word, and reflect on what He has said, and then, not only to consider what is written but to obey His counsel and instruction. This is what it means to not just ‘hear the word,’ but to do His word.  (James 1:23). When we allow the word of God to change us, we begin to reflect more and more of Christ’s image within us. This is how others see Jesus.

Friend, no one ever makes themselves look better by speaking badly about others. No one makes themself appear righteous or justified by doing it at the expense of someone else’s’ reputation. We have no righteousness of our own. It only comes from the blood of Christ imputing His righteousness to us. Don’t let the enemy tempt you to enter into accusation and partake of his nature. Recognize the spirit of jealousy trying to slither in and whisper in your ear. It will trip you up! Rise up and take authority over it! While we may have a genuine desire to protect others, we must trust the Holy Spirit to show others truth. We must trust the One that delivered our soul to deliver theirs. Don’t overstep your boundaries! If you really trust God, you won’t have to feel fearful that others ‘can’t see’ what you think you see, or even what you know to be true. None of us are God, and none of us are called to judge the souls of others. Yet, we can be discerning, and true discernment comes by asking Holy Spirit to show us truth, as well as being willing to allow Him to change our judgments. We are called to be gentle and loving towards others and leave the judgment part to God. Let God be God in their lives and don’t try to get in the middle of something you shouldn’t. Sometimes those that are taken captive by the deceptive wiles of others are ‘in training’ and it’s something they must go through without us. At other times, we need to allow God to work in and through others in ways we might not personally feel at ease with. Those ‘ill at ease’ feelings are spirits of fear and pride trying to hide from you. Take authority over them and renounce it!

I told you this was a deep and profound revelation! I hope it has helped you today. Let’s pray.

Father God,

I thank You that you reveal truth in the secret places of our heart. The kingdom of God and Your dwelling place, O Lord, is within us. It is not outside of us! Help us to tap into that secret place every day to touch You, to hear from You, to be completely transparent with You so that You can set us free in deeper and deeper ways. I renounce and resist the spirits of pride, fear, jealousy, anger, offense, a desire for vengeance, accusation, slander and murder. I want nothing to do with them. I submit to your Holy Spirit and ask that You would create in me a clean heart that pleases You. Let my heart not be troubled by these things, and instead focus on what is pure, right and good in your eyes. I submit to Your authority and command the enemy to leave me now in Jesus name. I thank you, Jesus, that I am free in Christ, and I thank You for washing away all defilement that comes from the root of bitterness and a spirit of jealousy. Fill me with Your perfect love that casts out all fear. In Jesus name, amen.

END NOTE: Without going into a great deal more detail, Numbers 5:19 declares a curse that comes out of bitterness and a jealous spirit. Give thought to the divisiveness that is caused as a result of envy, jealousy and bitterness, and all the bad fruit that comes from that root. It defiles. All these things are also associated with broken trust, broken covenants and spiritual adultery. The curse produces barrenness and miscarriage. Whether you are an individual dealing with barrenness or miscarriage, or whether it concerns a church or ministry, if the curse is in effect, there will be bad fruit, barrenness, miscarriage, and other things that indicate God has withheld His blessing, inhibiting growth and productivity. The root issues must be dealt with if life and restoration of blessing is to return and allow fruitfulness to prosper.

Surrender Your Storm!

In a dream I saw a great storm, and swirling waters that capsized smaller life boats. Boats that had been docked were actually swept up and into deep waters. It seemed like the large ships stayed docked while the smaller boats got picked up and moved. (Boy, is there a lot I could say on that revelation, but I won't go into it now!). People scrambled to try to stay afloat, climb back into their boat and reach for the oars, but the oars floated away. Not all storms are from the enemy. May you have discernment to know when the storm is actually by the design of the Lord! Let me also remind you that it was in the midst of the storm that Jesus called Peter to walk on water and do something he had never done before. 

Storms can get us back into the will of God! 

Elijah faced a storm when his brook dried up. That was his source of provision. He had to seek the Lord to find the place where God had designed his provision to come forth - and out of the most unexpected place, I might add! Storms also show us that sometimes we are picked up and sent to someone else that has a need because we are the answer they have been praying for. When the anointing in Elijah touched the faith and obedience of the widow woman, they both got a miracle. She got fed and he got a re-launch into ministry. 

When Jairus had a storm and needed a miracle of healing for someone close to him, his storm caused him to seek out Jesus and Jesus sent the answer back to his house. Storms will force us out of our religious box (which indicates restriction in some form) and make us move towards where the answer lies. There are so many wonderful illustrations of people in the Bible, and I'm sure we all have our own testimonies as well, of when a pressing situation caused us to go find the answer. Most of the time it's always been right within reach, but sometimes God has to get people to the place where they eliminate all the excuses and just go get the answer. They know where to find it if they really think about it, they just have to ask God to open their eyes to see the provision He had made available. Like Hagar in the desert...or the many others that found their 'well of salvation' when God opened their eyes. 

There are many situations that can cause a storm in people's lives, and we never know when one is on our horizon, but we CAN get our prayers out ahead of what's coming!

Three positive results of storms in our life, (and I know there are many more):

1. Storms have the ability to pick us up and redeposit us somewhere new. When I think of all the hurricanes we dealt with in the south, it was those storm warnings that made us willing to move.
2. Storms have the ability to connect us with new people we might not have connected with otherwise.
3. Storms have the ability to cause us to think, look, and pray for things we might not have thought to pray about. We tend to look outside the box of our comfort zone for answers. Desperation to find an answer to a pressing need can also make us bolder in asking, seeking and knocking on doors for an answer.

There are a couple situations in the gospels where the disciples encountered storms. The first one is found in Matthew 8:23. Jesus was asleep in the boat when a great storm appeared. It seems a bit odd at first that Jesus would rebuke them for being afraid, doesn't it? Yet, He was trying to tell them to take dominion over the storm and exercise the spiritual authority that had been given to them. The problem was, they didn't see themselves in that light. They were still looking as natural men, instead of men having been given authority to reign and rule over every situation, including a storm.

How does heaven see you? As royalty. We are co-heirs of the kingdom of God, which means we are kings. Rev. 5:10 proclaims, "You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." Kings make decisive judgments and decrees. They set things in order. They 'declare a thing,' and it is established, (see Job 22:28). Jesus reminded his disciples that they had authority to calm the storm, but they needed to declare it out of their mouths in order for it to be established!

The second reference to the disciples encountering a storm is found in John 6:16. The disciples were actually already in the boat and had rowed three or four miles - in the dark, mind you, because it was at night. These guys had no light to see where they were going! Light speaks of revelation, so we can tell that they were probably totally scared at the fact that Jesus WASN'T in their boat, a great wind arose and was tossing them around on the great sea. Do you have any idea what it's like to row against a huge wind? Can you imagine how tired they were after rowing three or four MILES against the strong winds of the storm? Then somehow through the dark, the wind, the waves and the ruckus of the storm, they are able to make out a faint image of someone walking on the water, coming towards them. There's only one water walker up to that point, but they couldn't recognize Jesus at first. They were so frightened they thought they saw a ghost! Yet, look at what happened when they recovered their sight and were able to recognize Jesus coming towards them. They welcomed Him into the boat and INSTANTLY they arrived at their destination. (vs. 21). 

This illustration can help us be alert to a couple of things in the midst of a storm. First, we may not always recognize the form of the Lord. We need to ask God to help us recognize the things He puts before us as His provision. Do you remember the story of a man that encountered a great flood, and he prayed and said, "God, send help!" A short time later a man in a jeep stopped to ask if the man wanted a ride. The first man replied, "No, I am waiting for God to send me help." The flood continued to rise and the man climbed out a window of his house to get to the roof. A man in a boat came by and asked if he wanted to get in. The first man declined and and said, "No, that's ok, I have prayed for God to send help. I am waiting for Him." As the flood waters rose, the man perched on his roof and a helicopter arrived. This too, he declined, saying, "I have prayed for God to send help. I will wait for Him." The man eventually drowned and went to heaven where he said, "God, I prayed for help! Why did you not answer me?" God said, "What are you talking about? I sent you a jeep, a boat and a helicopter!"  The lesson here is that sometimes we have our minds so determined how we think God should answer that we end up missing out on a blessing. Make sure you are open minded and ask Him to show you the gift or the answer He has sent. 

The last thing I want to do is remind you that even if you find yourself at a dead end - stuck- with no answers in sight, God is still God of the dead end. Do you remember what Moses did when he reached a dead end? Red Sea in front of him, a million plus fearful Israelis depending on him for an answer, and Pharaoh's army closing in quickly. Talk about pressure! Moses cried out to God (read Ex. 14:15) and God said, "WHY are you crying to Me?" "Stretch out your rod and command the way to open up!" (My paraphrase). God was rebuking Moses the same way Jesus rebuked the disciples - WHY? To remind them to USE THE AUTHORITY GOD GAVE THEM. 

Speak to your storm. Command peace. Take authority over the situation like Jesus would do. What is your need? Call it forth. Tell it to manifest. Exercise the authority IN YOU and you have the ability to make the invisible appear in the natural. The authority in you has the ability to get you to the other side of the storm. Do you want to arrive at your destination, or be tossed around on the sea, subject to whatever the enemy throws at you? Surrendering your storm to Jesus does not mean to sit passively and do nothing. Make those kingly declarations and call out what belongs to you in the kingdom and your faith will make it appear.


Father,

I pray for my own family as well as others that may encounter a storm in their life. I ask that You will give us all peace in the midst of every storm, and a disciplined thought life so that we do not allow fear to lead us in the wrong decisions. Help us recognize the form of the Lord and your provision to our needs. Lead us to the provision you have set aside for us. I speak peace to the storm in Jesus name. Give us discernment to know when the storm is from the Lord and how to proceed, as well as when the storm is from the enemy and we need to rebuke it. I pray for us all to not keep reaching for the oars of control but to surrender control of our situations to You. Bless us with stability in every area where we have need. Help us raise the sail of the Spirit to catch a fresh wind and be guided into the safe haven You have provided for us. Give us eyes to see the lifeline of hope and provision. Lead us in the direction of the provision and salvation. Help people, in the midst of their personal storms, to call on the name of Jesus Christ so that You may answer them and send the help they need. 

Father, in the name and authority of Jesus Christ, I call for heaven's resources to be made available to me. I declare provision to come forth now, in Jesus name. I declare favor, divine appointments with those that have the things I need, to come forth and make themselves known to me now, in Jesus name. I thank You for making my way prosperous and releasing blessing. I command the way to open up and I declare I am crossing over to my destination now, in Jesus name, amen.

"Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." - Is. 41:10

Forgetting What is Behind You

Every day we have an opportunity to focus our thoughts on either something positive, or something negative. Don't let your thoughts lead; let your will lead you to make a decision to think right and focus on what is positive. It is so easy to allow our mind to wander and begin to grumble, murmur, complain or entertain bitter, negative thoughts. Those are the results of allowing the enemy to lead one's thoughts. Don't let the enemy tempt you to lead you to entertain wrong thinking. That will always lead you backwards into unforgiveness, rehearsing wrongs, and focusing on things that keep offense alive. (By the way, those are clear indicators of retaining unforgiveness, if those negative thoughts plague your mind! Unforgiveness makes room for a spirit of fear, and fear always comes with torment!). We can either choose to have the enemy's image formed in us, by dwelling on negativity and what's wrong with people, or we can choose to have the image of Christ formed in us by focusing on people's redeemed nature and what is right with them. BIG difference! You become what you dwell on! We don't even have to speak those words out loud, but our thoughts will absolutely settle into our heart, so it's important to take authority over the wrong ones. Eventually, what is in our heart will come out of our mouth, for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. This is scripture and a spiritual truth.

Yes, you can, override your natural man and allow the spirit man to dominate your flesh. It occurs by an act of your will, and a response of prayer. Submit your heart to God and ask HIM to help you only remember the good when it comes to past relationships, experiences, etc. The Bible tells us to forget the things that are behind us so that we can press onward and upward into the high calling of Christ Jesus. We cannot forget if we are not healed and loosed from all past disappointments! We can not move forward if we cling to offense or unforgiveness! Jesus wants to set you free. Oh, how He wants to set you free! This is how He can take what was meant for evil against you and turn it into good. Right thinking is a discipline that leads to peace and the fruit of righteousness. Thinking right produces joy, peace, gratitude and grace. It also produces compassion and gratitude for others, even when painful lessons, trials and tests were incurred at their expense. When we cooperate with Holy Spirit and allow Him to lead, our natural man must surrender and acquiesce. Acquiesce means to submit or consent without protest! Life has a lot of unexpected twists and turns. A lot of surprise meetings, chance encounters that as it turns out, really aren't chance at all. And with every opportunity, we also come face to face with what's in our heart; because what is in our heart will rise to the surface. What's in our heart will prove whose character is strongest within us. Every day is our choice who we will allow to have dominion. I pray that if you find yourself struggling in your thought life, you will pray this prayer and get the victory. Praise God who always leads us on into triumph!

Father God,

I ask for grace today and every day, to help me follow the paths of righteousness you have ordained for me. I surrender every person that has hurt or offended me; every situation the enemy meant for harm. I surrender every negative memory of those individuals and situations the enemy took advantage of in order to perpetuate hurt, offense, unforgiveness and use it to cause bitterness of soul. I ask You, Holy Spirit, to help me only remember the good. Let the negative memories associated with past hurt be washed away. I choose to forget and forgive as an act of my will, and I ask for Your help to bring my heart into agreement with the spirit of mercy, grace and forgiveness. Help me remember the good memories about others and disregard the negative. People are not my enemies; the enemy is my enemy regardless of who he has used. I choose to focus on what is pure, right, positive and beneficial in order to grow in grace and develop Christlike character. When the enemy comes to remind me of something negative and wants me to dwell on unfruitful thoughts, let your Holy Spirit come and nudge those negative memories out of place and replace it with a good memory. Let right thinking produce grace and compassion in my life. In Jesus name, amen.

Philippians 3

New King James Version (NKJV)

All for Christ

3 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.

2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit,[a] rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, 4 though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which isthrough faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Pressing Toward the Goal

12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule,[b] let us be of the same mind.