Words To Remember - "The Year 2015"

This is a year and season of Restoration. 

I Peter 5:10 says, "And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you." (NRSV).  We believe that God is working restoration in the lives and hearts of His people by His Spirit, in Jesus' name!

Words To Remember - "The Year 2014"

We believe this year is a year of the FAITHFULNESS OF GOD.  That is, in this year, we believe that the body of Christ will see and receive the faithfulness of God in a better way.  For it is not that God becomes more faithful, more loving, more gracious, etc... because He is perfect in all of His ways; but rather we see and receive His faithfulness, love, grace in a better way.

Our key scripture for this year is I Corinthians 10:13, which says:  "No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone.  God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it." (NRSV).

Now, in this year being a year of seeing and receiving the faithfulness of God in a better way, we must understand that it will also be a time of testing/temptation.  For faithfulness is not really seen unless it is tried.  But in the test, God is faithful, in that He will not allow us to be tested beyond our strength or what we are able to bear, but with the testing/temptation make a way of escape so that we can bear up in it.

Let us be encouraged in this year, for our God is faithful, and by His grace, we will see and receive His faithfulness in a better way.

Words To Remember - "The Year 2013"

We believe the Spirit of God is saying that in this coming season of the Year 2013, that it will be a time of MANIFESTATION.  It will be a season of "due season", in which things will be reaped that have been sown.  See Galatians 6:7-9, wherein the Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit penned the following:  "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."(KJV).

So let us look forward to God's grace and mercy in this season of MANIFESTATION.

Words To Remember - "The Year 2012"

We believe that the year 2012 will be a time and season in which God will bring a SHIFT; and with the shift, there will be a shaking.  Our scripture reference is found in Hebrews 12:25-29, wherein the writer said, "See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking; for if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject the one who warns from heaven!  At that time his voice shook the earth; but now he has promised, 'Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.'  This phrase, 'Yet once more,' indicates the removal of what is shaken---that is, created things---so that what cannot be shaken may remain.  Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe; for indeed our God is a consuming fire." ~ NRSV


In the shift and shaking that God is doing, there will be a return of the people of God to the foundations of the kingdom of God; His righteousness, peace, and joy, which is in the Holy Spirit.  Therefore, whatever does not  line up with the kingdom of God (His righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit), will be shaken, and by it being shaken, it will be removed.  This is all so that we can operate more effectively in what God has designed for us for His glory.      

Words To Remember - "The Year 2011"

I believe that the Spirit of God is saying that this coming year, 2011, will be a year and season of THE NEW.  It will be a time of New Things.  Isaiah 43:18-19 says, "Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old.  I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?  I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." (NRSV).

Recall with me that we said in October of 2009 that the year 2010 would be a year and a season of Order, and during this season God would begin setting some things in order and setting some things right, and it would begin with His house (I Peter 4:17).  And it was also said that Matthew 6:33 would be a key verse within this season of Order because it speaks of order and priority as it relates to the kingdom of God.

So now that Order has been and is continuing to be established in the house of God (because the Word has gone forth and is continuing to go forth about the order and priority of the kingdom of God), God will now begin to bring forth new things in His house.  Now, we must understand that it was important that order should be established first before the new could come because the old way of disorder cannot inhabit the new way of life.  Jesus said it like this in Matthew 9:17, "Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined.  No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved." (NIV).

So as we enter into this new year of 2011, let us enter it with expectation and humility as we prepare to receive and enter into the New Things that God has for His people.

Words To Remember - "Kingdom Living"

The kingdom is key!  It is key to living a truly successful life.  Now, when we say living a successful life, one should not automatically think of big houses, nice cars, lots of money, or the like.  Although, there is nothing wrong with these things in and of themselves, it is just as Jesus said in Luke 12:15 that, "...one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions."  But when we speak of living a truly successful life, we are speaking of living a life that is in line with the kingdom of God, which is the rule, reign, and will of God.  In other words, successful living is kingdom living.


Now, if successful living is kingdom living, then we need to know what is involved in this kingdom living.  Or we might say, what is required and what are the results of kingdom living.  Well, we believe there are at least three things that can be identified among the requirements and results of kingdom living:

1)  Living a Spirit filled life (Ephesians 5:18)
2)  Living a Surrendered life (Luke 9:57-62)
3)  Living a Satisfied life (Philippians 4:10-13; Hebrews 13:5-6)

In living a Spirit filled life, we are living a life that is under the influence and control of the Holy Spirit vs. living a life that is under the control of substance, worries, emotions, and the like.  Also, in living a Spirit filled life, we are living a Word filled life.  For the Spirit of God always agrees with the Word of God.  Thus a life that is full of the Spirit, is a life that is full of the Word.

In living a Surrendered life, we are living a life that has forsaken and left all for sake of our Lord Jesus.  Of course this takes walking by faith and not by sight, for in the natural it can be quite scary to forsake our own will and desire for the sake of Jesus because in doing this, we lose control of our lives.  However, we must understand that if we lose control of our lives for the sake of Jesus, then we actually gain our lives; for Jesus said in Mark 8:35, "For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it."

In living a Satisfied life, we are living a life that is satisfied and content with God.  In living such a life, we are not looking for things to satisfy us, but we are looking to God and God alone; for He is our help and that is why we do not need to fear what man can do to us.  Now, in living this satisfied/content life, we need to implement gratitude, because it is very difficult, if not totally impossible, to live a satisfied/content life while being ungrateful.  Therefore, we need to exercise gratitude in a major way.

These three things of being Spirit filled; Surrendered; and Satisfied are some requirements and results in successful living and thus in kingdom living.
 

Words To Remember - "The Word Factor"

In continuation of our study on the kingdom of God, we again rehearse what we called "The Factors of the Kingdom", which are:  the Spirit of God, the Word of God, and Faith in God.  Now, we previously discussed "The Faith Factor", and in our study of this particular factor we saw that one of the main things about faith is that, its primary purpose and function is not to obtain a bigger house, a nicer car, more money, or any other thing that we can see in the natural, but rather its primary purpose and function is to please God (see Hebrews 11:6).  Now we move to the factor of the kingdom that deals with the Word of God, thus our title, "The Word Factor."

In our study of "The Word Factor", we see the Word of God being portrayed as at least three things:
1)  A seed
2)  A stone or solid rock
3)  A sword

In the Word being portrayed as a seed, we turn to Matthew 13:1-23, wherein Jesus gives a parable about a sower sowing seed, of which some fell on the path or wayside; some fell on rocky ground; some fell on amongst thorns; and some fell on good ground.  He then gives insight into the parable by equating the seed to the Word, and that contingent upon the understanding of the heart on which the seed/Word is sown, the outcome to either be path or wayside; rocky ground; thorns; or good ground will be seen.

In the Word being portrayed as a stone or solid rock, we turn to Matthew 7:24-27, wherein Jesus gives another parabolic statement in which He likens His words to that of a stone or a solid rock.  And in this statement, He incorporates that of a wise man and that of a foolish man.  The wise man is one who hears the words of Jesus and does them, thus building his house (life) on a foundation that is stable, secure, and sure, to the end that the storms of life cannot destroy his house (life).  However, the foolish man is one who hears the words of Jesus but does not do them, and is thus building his house (life) on a foundation that is unstable, insecure, and unsure, to the end that the storms of life can and do destroy his house (life) in a great way.

In the Word being portrayed as a sword, we turn to Ephesians 6:17, wherein the Apostle Paul likens the Word of God to that of a sword. This sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, is part of the whole armor of God found in Ephesians 6:14-17; and it is the only part of the armor that is not only defensive, but it is offensive as well.  So that with the Word as a sword, we can cut down and kill any giant and devil that comes to our mind to get us off track from the rule, reign, and will of God for our lives.  With the Word as a sword, we can cast down every imagination that would try to exalt itself against the knowledge of God; we can conquer thoughts of worry, oppression, and sin with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.