As in our natural development in life where we come to a stage of (Adulthood) were we no longer desire to be dependent on our parents to support and care for us… so it should be in our spiritual development as well.. God does not desire that we should remain babes in Christ… constantly looking for some one else to support us or prop us up spiritually in our faith (belief in him) but that we would come to such a of “full” spiritual maturity in him that no matter what we go through in life we know with a “certainty”, that God loves us… is with us… and will see us through…

“In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!(Hebrew 5:12)”

There are some challenges that God will allow in our lives not to hurt or to destroy us, but for no other reason than to cause us to trust him… grow… and more fully mature as a christian… The level to which you will grow in your maturity in Christ will be determined by the degree to which you are willing to submit yourself to God’s control of your life…

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time (1 Peter 5:6)”

Decide today, to not allow the trials and cares of life to stop you from developing in Christ… but to yield and submit yourself to God “all the more” so that he can develop you into that fully mature christian that he has called you to be… one that he can use to be a shining example for others to follow…

Remember… as long as you don’t Quit!!! You will “Win” in the end!!!

Stay Faithful!!!… Finish Strong!!!

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him (James 1:12)”

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When we read the story of Joseph and all the things that he experienced and went through on the path to fulfilling the will of God for his life it is fascinating in the fact that he never said that this is too hard!!!… this is not working!!!…

I can’t take it any more!!!… where is God in this???…

He never doubted God, Questioned God and he never Quit!!!

Just as Joseph experienced many hardships and trials on the way to fulfilling his divine destiny in God, so it is with us… There are some things that God has to allow and will allow us to go through and experience in life… Not just for us… but for the people that he is preparing us for and sending us to…

Joseph endured, rejection, abandonment, false accusations, slavery, imprisonment, etc., due to no fault of his own…. But God was with Joseph through every thing that he went through and preparing him through his experiences to fulfill the future role of leadership and authority that he would one day assume in God…

What is quite strikingly interesting about Joseph, is the fact that through all the difficulties and injustices that he endured he never questioned, doubted or gave up on God but persevered in his love for, service and obedience to God all the more…

And in the end when Joseph did assume his position of divine destiny in God as a leader and deliverer, he carried no remorse, bitterness or vengeance toward the ones that had misused, abused and mistreated him. Instead he showed them great love and compassion and could truly say that that what the enemy had meant for evil toward him God turned it around for his good.

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people (Genesis 50:20)…

Little did Joseph realize that through every thing that he had experienced in life that God was preparing him to be a strong leader that would one day not only deliver his own family but an entire nation from famine (i.e. death)…

I myself have endured many difficulties in my own personal life… A ward of the state, a foster child from the age of 5 – 18, a welfare recipient, abandonment, rejection, poverty, a victim of a past abusive relationship, a husband with a critically life-threatening illness, unemployment, financial crisis, etc. …. and the list goes on…

But through it all I can truly say that because I refused to Quit!!!, but kept my eyes on God and his word and did not doubt but trusted God all the way… that what the enemy meant for evil God turned it around for my good and has blessed and restored my life in ways that I could have never dreamed or imagined possible…

Years later… I now understand that God had to allow some of the most tragic experiences in my life to take place in order to mold, shape and equip me to minister to the people that he is now sending me to and will send me to in the future… Because of what I have been through in life I have a much greater understanding of God’s love and the ability to share God’s love and compassion on a greater level than I ever would have had if I had not experienced the things that God allowed me to go through in life..

God wants us to be a people who are fully equipped in every way to minister to the needs of the people that he is sending us to… and one of the ways that he equips us is through our life experiences… Your life experiences in God will usually form the basis for your ministry to God and his people….

I would also say that God allows us to experience certain things in life (just as he did with Joseph) not only to mold and shape us for ministry but also so that we will be able to “relate” to the people that he is sending us to. So that when we do show up we won’t just give the people theory and scriptures… but we will be able to say I’ve been there… done that… and I have the t-shirt to prove it … in other words… I truly understand what you have been through… I can “relate:… and let me tell you what God did for me and how he got me through that situation…

Be encouraged my brothers and my sisters!!!… Rejoice in the God of your Salvation!!! No matter what you are going through, have been through or will ever go through in life … know that God loves you and that he cares… that he has not forgotten you and that he has good plans for you and your life…

Through all the suffering, hardship and pain that you have been through and endured God allowed it not to hurt or to harm you but to prepare you to assume and fulfill your position of “Greatness” in him… As long as you don’t give up, don’t quit, stay in the race you will get your reward!!!… Stay Faithful!!!… Finish Strong!!!…

Blessings!… Mary-

“I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
(Philippians 3:14)”

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Through some of the greatest challenges I have had to face in my life I have seen God move the most when I “refused” to be moved by what I saw (no matter how insurmountable it may have seemed) and determined to fix my eyes on God and his word “only”!!!…

“For we walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)”

God’s word says that the Just shall live by faith….

“Now the just shall live by faith: but if [any man] draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him (Heb 10:38)”

Faith is not an option!!!… but a requirement!!!… In order for the power and word of God to operate in our lives, we as children of God “must” be people who walk by faith “only” or we will be tossed like the waves of the sea, controlled by what we see, feel and hear rather than what God has said…

“But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind (James 1:6 niv)”

But you might say… Pastor, this is my “reality”…. I’m not denying that this is your reality and I know what it feels like to be sick, unemployed, not able to pay your creditors, dealing with family issues and things well beyond your control… I know what all of these things feel like because I have faced these challenges in my life as well and these are some very real issues of life…

But I can also say that as I was going through those challenges because I refused to give in to what I saw, refused to doubt God, refused to quit!!!… but instead trusted and sought God all the more in those circumstances… in the end I saw God move mightily and sovereignly in my life and give “great” victory in all of those areas…

I’m saying all this to say that God and his word works!!! (period)… and I promise you that as you continue to trust and believe God in spite of what is going on in your life…. You will “see” the Goodness, Greatness and Glory of God displayed in your life… Don’t Quit!!! What ever you do Don’t Quit!!! “The Best is Yet to Come!!!”…

Stay Faithful!!!… Finish Strong!!!

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19)”

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Many of you “even after you have come to Christ”, have spent years living in the past, dwelling on past mistakes, missed opportunities, past hurts and offenses, etc… I’m here to tell you today to “Stop” living in the past… In order to go forward in God you must leave the past behind…

(Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but [this] one thing [I do], forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before) (Phil 3:13).

Yes, your past is very real but God is greater than your past… God is not concerned about your past, he is only concerned about your future in him… God has forgiven you of your past… and so should you forgive yourself of your past…

(I, [even] I, [am] he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins) (Isa 43:25)

Do not allow the enemy to continue to hold and wave your past over your head to keep you from going forward in the things of God and life… For some of you the enemy has been holding your family’s past over your head and is using shame to keep you from going forward in life and God… Well I am here to tell you that your future in God is not determined by your past or your family’s past but by what you do for God now!!!… and what God wants to do for and in you through Christ Jesus….

The very thing that the enemy has been using in your life (fear, shame, rejection, abandonment, past mistakes, failures, insecurity, poverty, lack, abuse, sickness, etc.) to keep you from going forward in your christian walk and life is the very thing that God wants to set you free from today and use you to deliver others from tomorrow…

God is not concerned about what you did or did not do… God is only concerned about what you do now. God wants to do a new thing in your life…

(Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new) (2 Cor 5:17)

and use your life as a model for others to follow… God wants to deliver you and then use you to deliver others… God wants to do such an “Amazing” work in your life that he can use your life to set the standard for future generations to follow….

Refuse to allow the enemy (the accuser of the brethren…) to continue to beat you up with your past and keep you from doing what God has called you to do… God is “not” mad at you…. God loves you…. God understands every thing that you went through to get you to were you are now… he was there through every thing that you went through and he cares…. He wants you know that every thing that has hurt you, hurt him as well… He cares, he loves you and he has a “Wonderful” plan for your life…

(But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him) (1Cor 2:9).

Allow God to do the new thing that he wants to do in your life by releasing and letting go of the past…

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Dear God, I lift each and every one of my brothers and sisters up to you who has been struggling with issues from their past, and I break, destroy, bind and cast out every weapon that satan would use in their lives to keep them from going forward in you. I loose the spirit of liberty, freedom, peace and joy that has been given to them through the precious blood of Jesus Christ into their lives and I say that “no weapon formed against them will prosper”… That from today they will go forth to do great and mighty exploits for you… I pray that you will show them your grace and mercy in each area of their lives, that you will give them favor as they seek you and serve you, that you will open supernatural doors of opportunity to them and that you will not only save them but also their household. Thank you dear Lord for showing them that you are God and that you love them with an everlasting love in Jesus’ mighty name…. Amen!

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It’s amazing the schools that God takes us through…

Some times in life we wonder why our lives seem to be stuck in a perpetual state of “rewind”… We seem to keep going through the same things over and over again in our natural life as well as our spiritual life… (almost like the movie “Ground-Hog Day” were the actor keeps waking up on the same day doing the exact same thing each and every single day…)

Could it be that we are still going through the same things in life year after year, getting the same results… because we have not yet passed the test??? We have not done or completed what God has told us to do the 1st, 2nd or 3rd time…???

“See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction” (Isaiah 48:10)

Hello!… There are no short-cuts in this christian walk or in life… There are some things that we must learn and do in order to pass the tests that God gives us and graduate to the next level…. Otherwise we find ourselves like the children of Israel trying to complete a journey that should have taken 11 days but because of their sin and disobedience it took 40 years…

“The Promised Land symbolized freedom, prosperity and rest; all of which the Israelites had not experienced up to this point. Instead, the long, tedious journey began many years before at Mt. Sinai, about two years after their deliverance from Egypt. It should have only taken the Israelites 11 days to reach the Promised Land, but it took nearly 40 years. The last 40 years consisted of bitter complaining and acts of outrageous disobedience by the Israelites. So much so, that the first generation died in the wilderness as a consequence for their unbelief. The only ones who remained from the first generation were Moses, Joshua and Caleb…”

***It’s interesting how disobedience can not only “delay” the will of God in our lives but it can also completely “cancel” out the plan of God for our lives…***

I remember years ago, while on duty in the US Navy I was stationed on a job with an extremely obnoxious, unscrupulous unsaved boss that I totally disliked… This boss personally went out of his way every day to make my life absolutely miserable for no other reason (I felt…) than the fact that I was the only (professing) christian in the department. I prayed and prayed to be released from the misery that this boss was inflicting on me for months to no avail… Finally when I stopped blaming the unsaved boss for my discomfort and asked God what the problem was? God showed me that the problem was me….

“Say What???

It was my fault, simply because of the fact that because of the way that this boss was treating me I had decided that I did not have to perform my job as well as I should have and justified it by my boss’ actions… God made it very clear to me that regardless of how this person was treating me that because I worked for God (and not man), I still had a responsibility to submit to the authority that God has placed over me as unto God… (regardless of whether he was saved or not, a good person or not or I liked him or not…)

“How eye-opening was that!!!”…

Well… once I actually got the message that God was trying to give me (or teach me) and made up my mind to do my job with excellence as unto the Lord regardless of how I was being treated by my boss, God promoted me, moved me out of that department and on to the next level (in other words I passed the test and graduated)… I have no doubt in my mind that if I had not sought and “obeyed” God I would not have gotten the promotion and the release that I so desired from that job but would have continued to endure the pain and hardship that I was experiencing in that job for several more years to come…

(Some times it is not so much about what you are going “through”, but what God wants to do in “You” through the situation that you are going through that God is the most concerned about…)

If you have found or find yourself in a similar, difficult, long-term, seemingly never-ending situation… might I suggest that you first ask God what it is that he is trying to teach you or wants you to learn through this situation? Then ask God to show you what you need to do to pass this test or move forward beyond this situation to the next level that God wants you to go to…

Be it spiritual, emotional, financial, physical, etc., there may be some thing that God wants you do or learn in order to go forward or go on to the next level that God wants you to go to in those areas…. With God, the most important thing is our “submissiveness” and “obedience” to him.

“But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams” (1 Samuel 15:22)”

The more “obedient and submitted” we are to the will and word of God in our life, the more we will see the “power and glory” of God being displayed in our lives…

As much as God desires to give you the desires of your heart….

“Delight yourself also in the LORD: and he shall give you the desires of your heart
(Psalm 37:4)”.

God in his infinite love and wisdom is not going to give you those desires until you have truly submitted yourselves to him and his word and allowed him to fully equip you in every way to handle the things that he wants to give you, otherwise those things would become a detriment to you and would not only destroy your life but the lives of those around you…

Be encouraged!!! No matter what you are going through, know that God loves you and has good plans for you and your life…

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)”

God has great things in store for you, as long as you stay in the race, stay focused and “refuse” to quit!!!… We are all being tested on different levels at different times in our lives. These tests are not to destroy us but to make us stronger and to cause us to produce even more fruit for God’s Kingdom to the “Glory of God!!!”… Hallelujah!!!…

“Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered (Hebrews 5:8)”

Blessings! Mary Brown-

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The most “Powerful” weapon in our arsenal of spiritual weapons is the “word” of God… Because the word of God is God!!!… “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1).

When we speak the word of God in “faith” over our situation the supernatural power of God is infused into that situation and that situation “must” line up or come into alignment with the word of God… I have been in services were just by speaking the word of God people were saved, healed and spontaneously delivered in the services as the word of God went forth…

“He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave (Psalm 107:20)”.

Because the supernatural spirit and power of God embodies his word, when we speak the word of God over our lives we inject the spirit and power of God into our lives. Regardless of what it looks like, seems like or feels like because of the sovereignty of God’s word as you speak that word into you life in “faith” you will see the power of God’s word at work in your life…

“so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:11)”.

With so many negative things going on, in and around our world, it is so easy to take a negative stance and begin to speak (confess) the negative things that we see, feel and hear instead of what God’s word says… And believe me I know what it feels like to experience sickness, unemployment, family difficulties, financial issues, etc., I’ve experience all those as well in my own life so I can truly say that I know how it feels to deal with these very real life issues…

But I can also say that as I made a definitive choice to fix my eyes on “God and his word” more than my circumstances and speak God’s word over my situations (i.e. “By Jesus’ Stripes I’m Healed”, “My God Will Supply All Of My Needs According to His Riches In Glory By Christ Jesus”, “No Weapon Formed Against Me Will Prosper”, I’m Blessed In The City and Blessed In The Field…) regardless of the situations… that I begin to see God move even more “Powerfully” in those situations and give me great “Victory” in each of those situations…

As you purpose today to begin to speak only the word of God (or what God says) about your situations and not doubt… I guarantee you that you will not only experience the “Power”, “Glory” and “Victory” of God in those situations… but in every area of your life!!!…

“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away (Matthew 24:35)”

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I have a secret that I want to share with you… The devil does not want you to share your testimony!!!….

And the reason that the enemy does not want you to share to your testimony is because there is Salvation, Healing and Deliverance in your testimony… We have all been delivered from something or else we would not have had need of a “Savior”. Jesus said that he came to save the “sick”… those in need of a “physician”… He said that he did not come to save those that were well…

“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 (Mark 2:19)”

If you look at the general landscape of the christian community today you would think that no one has ever been delivered from any thing because you very rarely hear about the testimonies of what God has sovereignly done in their lives. When in fact we have all been delivered from something.. (i.e. drugs, alcohol, abortion, sickness, rejection, adultery, homosexuality, abandonment, incarceration, poverty, lust, unforgiveness, fornication, sexual and physical abuse, pornography, hatred, pride, perversion, fear, etc…) and the list goes on….

The reason that you rarely hear about the testimonies of the delivering, saving, healing power of Jesus Christ is either because of fear, pride, shame or the fact that you have been convinced that it is just not that important…

When the truth of the matter is that your testimony is “extremely” important… God wants to use your own personal testimony to save, heal and deliver so many others who have been through, are going through or will go through what he has Saved, Healed and Delivered you from… God has not allowed you to go through the “Hell” that you have been through for nothing… Some of the things that God has allowed you to go through was not for you but for the people that he is sending you to…

Jesus healed me of cancer 22 years ago and gave my wife and I children after 8 years of marriage, that we were told by physicians that we would never be able to conceive… After sharing this testimony for a few years, the enemy tried to convince me that my testimony was no longer important and that I no longer needed to share it because it had been told so many times… The devil is a liar!… 22 years later, I am sharing my testimony more than ever…. Every chance I get… Because there are so many, many more people that need to hear this testimony that have not yet heard it and I will share it until I take my last breath…..

I shared this testimony recently while I was in Latvia. After the service a gentleman asked me if I would be so kind as to come and pray for his wife who was suffering from cancer. I arrived at their home to see this dear man’s very frail, emaciated wife lying on what appeared to be her death bed… Even though in the natural it did not appear that this sister had long to live, refusing to go by what I saw before me, filled with great compassion under the unction of the Holy Spirit I begin to pray, share my testimony and speak words of encouragement… at the end of my visit with her I told her that when I returned to Russia again she would be up walking and would cook dinner for me… Well guess what? When I returned to Russia 3 months later this precious sister had regained her weight, regrown most of her hair, had a radiant glow, was up walking and cooked and served me dinner… Glory to God!!!…. She was totally transformed by the miraculous power of God…

Such is the power of your testimony… God wants to use your testimony to give others hope… to encourage them to believe God… to show them what is possible through Christ… That what he did for you he can do for others…

The people who have ministered to me the most in my christian journey… have not been the ones who appeared to have this christian thing all together… no problems… no issues…. no cares… but the ones who have been totally transparent and have said “let me tell you what God has done for me”… Those are the ones that God has used to have the greatest impact in my life…

Some of you God wants to use as a Joseph…. a Deliverer…. that will be used to deliver others from their yokes and set them free from the same bondage that God has delivered you from and it all starts with your testimony…

As you begin to share your testimony so many lives are going to be saved, changed, delivered and set free…. The world needs to hear your testimony…. Better yet the world is waiting to hear your testimony…. Go ahead and put the devil on blast!!!…. Share your Testimony!!!!…

“But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers (Luke 22:32)”

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What does it mean to come to Christ as a little child? It means that when we come to Christ in prayer, after making our petitions (requests) known to him… We do not “doubt” him but “trust” him to do exactly what he said… Regardless of how we feel or what it looks like or sounds like… we trust God because he “can not” lie!!!….

“God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? (Numbers 23:19)”

God’s promises are true… you can take God’s word to the bank and cash it… it won’t bounce!!!…. God also promises that his word will not return void (empty) but it will do exactly what he sent it to do in your life…

“so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it….(Isaiah 55:11)”

To come to Christ as a little child means that we come to Christ trusting him completely… with the innocent trust of a child… not second-guessing… questioning… doubting…. but trusting him totally to hear our prayers and answer them just as a child would… As a parent when your child comes to you and asks you to buy them a toy, game, etc., and you tell them that you are going to do it… they don’t keep coming back to you over and over again repeatedly asking you the same question or saying “or you serious???” “will you really do this thing???”… but because you have assured your child that you are going to do it…. they “trust” you completely and say thank you mommy/daddy and run off to play and does not think about it any more because they know that they can “trust” mommy and daddy to do what they say….

So it should be with us as children of God… We should know without a shadow of a doubt that because our heavenly father loves us sooo much (that he was willing to give us his only begotten son…) that we can all ways trust him… that he has our back… and that he will answer our prayers….

You may be asking how do I come to a place in my christian walk were I can truly trust God and not doubt him to answer my prayers??? It comes from relationship… and relationship with God is more than just saying the sinner’s prayer… It’s fellowship… God wants to have an intimate, “vibrant” relationship with you… were you spend quality time with God on a daily basis… just as you would spend with your spouse or your child… By daily spending time reading and meditating on God’s word, spending time talking to God in prayer and silently listening to hear what God has or wants to say to you… and by giving God’s word “first” place in your life by “obeying” his word… As you begin to implement these spiritual principles in your life… you will begin to develop a closer more intimate relationship with God and begin to see him move in your life in such an incredibly amazing way that it will become easy to believe God for the “impossible” and the “miraculous”…

5 years ago as I was preparing to go on an evangelistical trip to South America… a few days before my departure on this trip my son Austin who was 4 years old at the time woke up one morning unable to walk after going to bed the night before perfectly fine… Each time that he would attempt to walk he would fall down like a rag-doll… His eyes were glazed and dilated and he looked almost like he was in a drunken stupor.. And he kept saying daddy I can’t walk… imagine the horror…. After making a hasty call to my son’s pediatrician… we were told to bring him in ASAP… and once we arrived there, after hurriedly examining him the doctor walked out and came back into the room a few minutes later to say that they had already called a local hospital near by and that they were waiting for us to bring him to the ER… After spending the entire day from 10:00am that morning until 12:30am at night watching the physicians run my son through a gamut of tests, x-rays, cat-scan, spinal tap, etc (while he cried out in pain and distress) to come to the conclusion at the end of these tests… that he had a viral infection of the cerebellum that would take months to heal… there exact words was that it would be a long healing process… Whoa!!! What Do We Do Now???…

This is the sort of thing that completely knocks the wind out of you…. Once we returned home and took a moment to process what was going on… we realized that the enemy was attacking our son because of the evangelistical trip that I was about to depart on…. I remember my wife saying to me that this is a “frontal attack” from the enemy because you are going to South America and the souls that God wants to save through this crusade… She also said to me that regardless of what happens as a result of this you are still going to South America and we will believe God for our son….

The next morning we got up at 5:30am and begin to pray and do spiritual warfare for our son… We begin to pray for his healing and come against the attack that the enemy had launched against his body… We reminded satan what Christ had done on calvary and that because of Christ’s blood that was shed satan had no right to touch our son’s body… We begin to quote the word of God over ours son’s body (“By Jesus’ Stripes He’s Healed”) and thank God for his healing in advance…. When we finish praying for our son… later that morning our son ended up walking down the steps of our 2-story home unaided… and by the end of the day he was running around the house… Praise The Lord!!!!… When we took him back to the neurologists who had made the original diagnosis… they were “stunned and amazed” as they watched Austin run at break-neck speed down the hall… There exact words were “is this the same child that we video-taped 2 days before that could not walk???” We took that moment as an opportunity to thank them for their assistance and to share with them about the sovereign power of God….

The following year after Austin started kindergarten… a child in his class came down with the same type of illness… a viral infection of the cerebellum … This child ended up being out of school for an entire year… was in a wheel-chair… went through months of physical rehabilitation and when he returned to school was on a walker for almost another year before he could walk again unassisted…

I share this story with you to let you know that there is “nothing” too hard for God if you will just trust him and take him at his word… When confronted with the problem that we faced with our son… It would have been so easy for us to have just given in to what what we saw, felt and heard … because all of these things were very real and it involved our son… But instead of totally giving into the situation that was presented to us we had to decide whose report would we believe??? Would we believe the report of the physicians which said it would be long time before our son would be able to walk (who based on their years of experience and scientific knowledge were completely accurate in their diagnosis) or would we believe God’s word which said that “By Jesus Stripes he was Healed” (even though he did not look healed at the time)???

We chose to believe God… because of the relationship and fellowship that we had developed with God over the years…. and seeing God answer prayer after prayer in our lives… we had come to a place in our spiritual walk were we realized that “no matter” what we go through good or bad… that we can trust God… No matter what!!!…

God loves you and he wants to show you that he is God!!! He wants to show you that he is your “Abba Father”… But most of all God want you to know that no matter what happens in your life… you can trust him!!!….

“Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me” (Matthew 18:3–5).

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Can you imagine some one loving you so much that he would give his “only” son to die for “You” so that you would not have to die??? For most of us that type of love is impossible to imagine in this day and age that we live in… But it is true!!!…. God so loved and loves you so much… that he could not bear the thought of you dying and being eternally separated from him … to the point that he was willing to sacrifice his “only” son for “You”!!!…

It’s almost as if God was so filled with love and compassion for “You” that he could not help himself… and out of that love he was “compelled” to give “You” the “ultimate” sacrifice of his son….

Some of you even as you read this post are going through some of the most difficult times of your life… at this very moment some of you are even questioning if this God is real???… and if he is real… can he really change your life???… Well I’m here to tell you that God is real!!!… and that Yes!!!.. God can and does want to change your life… but only if you give your life “totally” to Christ!!!…

It’ not enough to quote the sinner’s prayer and then still continue to live your life the same way you did before you came to Christ… But after you have quoted the sinner’s prayer and asked Christ to come into your life… you “must” give Christ your “entire” life!!!… all of it!!!…

In other words Christ wants “ownership” of your life (that’s the only way that he can truly be “Lord” of your life)…

We can not accept Christ and then still live and do exactly the same things that we were doing before we accepted Christ and expect God to change our lives… It just won’t work!!!…

Say What???

I don’t care how much you go to church or how much you quote scriptures and pray… Unless you make a “definite” decision to give up the things that you did in your old life… before you came to Christ… the things that went totally against the will of God… you will not be able to embrace the “New” and “Wonderful” life that is waiting for you in Christ…

In other words we must “die” to the “old” life in order to receive the “new” life that God has for us in Christ Jesus!!!…

“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galations 2:20)”

The key elements to embracing the “new life” that God has waiting for you in Christ is:

1) Receiving Christ as your Lord and Savior…

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6)”

2) Making a commitment to attend, fellowship with and become a member of a local Bible believing church… (A Bible believing church is one that believes in the truth of the Bible and practices the teachings of Jesus in our daily walk)…

We should not stop gathering together with other believers, as some of you are doing. Instead, we must continue to encourage each other even more as we see the day of the Lord coming (Hebrews 10:25)”

3) Discipline yourself to seek God each day by studying the (Bible) word of God..

“Study to show yourself approved to God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15)”

4) Commit to spending time daily in Prayer, Praise and Worship to God….

“I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.” – Paul (Philippians 3:8)

5) Turn away from and reject “Sin” or any thing or any one that would keep you from serving God… (i.e. jealousy, unforgiveness, drinking, drugging, sexual immorality, greed, lying, stealing, etc.)…

“You know very well that no person who is involved in sexual sin, perversion, or greed (which means worshiping wealth) can have any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God (Ephesians 5:5)”

“envy, drunkenness, wild partying, and similar things. I’ve told you in the past and I’m telling you again that people who do these kinds of things will not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:21)”

As you practice these spiritual principles… you will begin to develop a closer… more intimate… more vibrant… relationship with God and it will give God the opportunity to reveal himself to you in a much more personal way…

Also as you determine to pursue your relationship with God with all your heart, mind and soul… a lot of the things that you have struggled with in your life will begin to automatically fall away or lose their power and control through the power of Jesus Christ that is now being released and given freedom to operate in your life through your obedience and submission…

I’m not going to promise you that every thing in your life is going to automatically change over night once you receive Christ… But I can truly say as some one that has walked with Christ 20+ years that the more that you give Christ control of your life… the more work he will do in and through your life…

God loves you… and because he loves you… he loves you too much to leave you the way you are… Salvation happens in an instant… The healing… deliverance… and restoration that you desire and that God wants to do in your life will happen over a life-time as you yield… submit… and surrender your life and your will to Christ…

Be encouraged!!!… God is not done with you yet… He has great things in store for you and your life!!!… You can not even begin to imagine what God has in store for you!!!…

“But as it is written, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9)”

If you have not received Christ… In order to begin this amazing journey and life that Christ has waiting for you please receive him today by praying the following prayer:

“Heavenly Father, have mercy on me, a sinner. I believe in you and that your word is true. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and that he died on the cross so that I may now have forgiveness for my sins and eternal life. I know that without you in my heart my life is meaningless.

I believe in my heart that you, Lord God, raised Him from the dead. Please Jesus forgive me, for every sin I have ever committed or done in my heart, please Lord Jesus forgive me and come into my heart as my personal Lord and Savior today. I need you to be my Father and my friend.

I give you my life and ask you to take full control from this moment on; I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ.” Amen!!!.

(If you have just prayed this prayer for the first time… God and the angels in heaven are rejoicing and having a “Super Bowl” Party just for You!!! Yay God!!!…)

“I can guarantee that there will be more happiness in heaven over one person who turns to God and changes the way he thinks and acts than over 99 people who already have turned to God and have his approval (Luke 15:7)”

If you have already received Christ.. but feel like you have not grown, are not growing, or have grown cold in your christian walk with Christ and are not achieving the victory that Christ has promised you in your life… Please pray the following prayer:

Dear Lord,
I ask your forgiveness of my sins… known and unknown… I ask that you will help me to submit my “entire” life and will to you so that you can do a “new” thing in my life…

I ask that you would please breathe a fresh new wind of your spirit upon my life and restore to me the joy of my salvation that I received when I first gave my life to you… I pray that you will give me a renewed hunger and thirst for you, your word and your will… and that as I yield myself to you in a new and fresh way that you will take me to a new and greater level in my relationship and service to you.

I thank you Dear Lord for healing, delivering and restoring every area of my life as I yield and submit myself to you… for giving me the desires of my heart… and I thank you for revealing to me how much you truly love me as my heavenly father in Jesus’ name… Amen!!!

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What does it mean to love the Lord your God with all your Heart, with all your Soul and with all your Strength???

It means to love God to the point were nothing else in your life matters more than God… Were loving… serving… and obeying God becomes your life’s priority and loving God becomes …more important to you than …the food you eat… the air that you breathe… or even the life that you live… because it is more important than all those things…

God can not reveal himself to us and really show us that he is our Lord until we give him all of our life or “Lordship”… God does not want part of us… but all of us… in other words God wants “ownership”… and he deserves it because he paid the “ultimate” price for our life by giving us “Jesus Christ”…

Furthermore… usually any time that you begin to feel bored… stale or dry in your relationship with God and in your Christian walk… it is a pretty good indicator that you probably need to step it up in the intimacy department with God… and the only way to have more intimacy with God is to spend more time with God… in Prayer… Praise… Worship… His Word… and through the submission or giving of your entire life to God…

As you commit to spend more time with God and to submit yourself and your will to God on a greater level… I guarantee you that you will experience a renewed intimacy and relationship with God like you have never known… that God will begin to reveal himself to you in a whole new “dimension”…. and that God will not only show you that he is God… but that he is your “Heavenly Father” and that he enjoys spending time with you so that he can show you how much he truly Loves You!….

“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength..
(Deuteronomy 6:5)”

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