Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Living Expectant!

EXPECT A MOVE OF GOD SUDDENLY
by Joyce Meyer
There is a word I want to deposit in you that you can hang on to for the rest of your life, and I hope you never forget it. It is the word suddenly! 
When God speaks to us or shows us something He desires to do in us, it’s as though we become “pregnant” with His plans for our lives. He plants a seed in us that begins to grow. We then enter a time of waiting and preparation. During that waiting period, God prepares us to handle the thing He is planning to do in our lives.

How does He prepare us? He begins to change things inside us. Think about an expectant mother. Many changes are taking place inside her. At first they are largely unnoticeable. At times the changes can be awkward and uncomfortable. Yet she is filled with joy and anticipation at the thought of the new life growing inside her that she will one day give birth to.

As believers, when God deposits the seed of His promise in us, we also experience many changes. We are being stretched and reshaped as God prepares us for what He wants to do in our lives. Although it is sometimes uncomfortable, we can learn how to maintain an attitude of joyful anticipation until He comes suddenly to do the thing we are waiting for.

The Problem Is…
We want to know exactly when the things God has spoken to us are going to happen, and we want to know now! When things are slow in developing, we often become impatient. Even Jesus’ disciples struggled with this problem. In Acts 1 Jesus instructed them to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father—the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Immediately they began asking if I learned that we do need to exercise our faith and believe God for what we want, but God has a specific appointed time for the manifestation
of His promises. In due time (see 1 Peter 5:6), at the appointed time (see Genesis 18:14), at the proper time (see Galatians 4:4), and in [His] time (see Ecclesiastes 3:11) are all terms the Bible uses to refer to God’s timing. Scripture never describes God’s timing as when we want it.
The Challenge Is…
For you and me to remain expectant and filled with joy every day while we’re waiting for God to fulfill His promise. An attitude of expectancy is one of the things that will help keep us fl owing in the joy of the Lord during times of waiting. The fact is, most of us are expecting something from God, and we don’t usually know when it will come.

We may be waiting for the fulfillment of a promise concerning our future or for God to bring about a change we need in our character. Whatever it is, we can learn to enjoy our time of waiting with anticipation because we know that God loves us and wants to bless us.

Isaiah 30:18 says it this way: And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you….Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless,unbroken companionship]!

Wow! Just imagine… 
God is waiting and longing for the right time to fulfill His Word to us. He loves to surprise His children and come suddenly with His blessings for our lives. I can remember a time years ago when God moved suddenly to set my daughter Sandra free from some

long-standing problems she had been struggling with. We were holding a conference, and during the worship time I knew I was supposed to pray for her. I called her up front and told her, “This is the end of it. You’re getting a release in some areas of your life you’ve been believing God to change for a long time.”

After we prayed, she knew God had touched her. About a month later, she began to notice changes in areas where she had struggled for years. She became more peaceful, confident and comfortable with herself than ever before. It really made her happy to see the changes God had brought in her life.

In the same way, when we wait for God’s timing in our lives, it will bring us joy too. Though the changes in Sandra happened suddenly that night, God had been preparing the appointed time for her deliverance all along. The waiting is difficult, but the joy of receiving what we’ve been waiting for is worth it.

The Exciting Thing Is…
Even though waiting is hard on our flesh we can still be expectant and full of hope. The disciples had been
waiting for ten days expecting God to move. Then suddenly there came a sound from heaven like a rushing wind, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:1-4). Just think of it: one minute they were waiting, and the next minute they had the manifestation of God’s promise. That makes life exciting!

When we are anticipating good things in our lives, it fills us with joy and gives us strength to wait. Again, think about a pregnant woman. As her time draws near for giving birth, she goes to bed every night thinking, This could be the night. She awakens every morning thinking, This could be the day. You and I should have this same attitude of excited anticipation.

We can enjoy times of waiting, but only if we have the right attitude—expecting to see the goodness of the Lord. Like David in Psalm 27:13,14 we can say, [What, what would have become of me] had I not believed that I would see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living! Wait and hope for and expect the Lord….Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord.

Though we may not always see God coming, we will certainly know when He arrives. Our situation may seem the same day after day, but God is drawing closer all the time. And then suddenly He’s there, and things are changed in an instant. My ministry team and I see this happen all the time in our conferences and through the many facets of our outreaches.

People share their testimonies with us regularly about problems they had for years. While they were attending a conference, watching the broadcast or listening to a teaching, they were suddenly set free and have never been the same since.

The Wonderful Thing Is…
Even when we are waiting for God to come suddenly, we can have the assurance of what we are hoping for in our spirits. I can remember clearly the day when God came suddenly and baptized me in the Holy Spirit. At that time my life was one big, long-standing mess—even though I was a Christian and loved God.

One morning when I was in my car I told God, “I give up. I can’t go on like this anymore. You have to do something!” It was then that God spoke to me very clearly. I knew it was Him and I knew He was going to do something in my life. After He spoke to me I felt a great peace settle over me. It didn’t make any difference to me if He did something that day, the next day, the next week or the next year because I knew I already had what He spoke to me in my spirit.

Later that same day, God met me as I was driving home and baptized me with the Holy Spirit. From that day on, I’ve never been the same, and I have since seen many others set free as a result of my waiting for and receiving the things God had for me that day.

I believe that you and I should live with peace and expectation of God’s blessing in our lives, even when our circumstances may not be good at the moment. Again, think of an expectant mother. She doesn’t wait until she has her baby before she starts believing she’s going to have one. From the moment the doctor tells her the good news, she begins to share it with friends and prepare for the baby’s arrival. She waits expectantly and with joy for the time she will hold the baby in her arms.

In the same way, you and I should be joyfully anticipating the promises of God being fulfilled in our lives. At the right time—His time—He will move suddenly and things will change. We’ll see and experience the things He has spoken to us in our spirit become a reality.

The Encouraging Thing Is…
When it seems like we’ve been waiting forever and we’re growing weary, God will give us what we need to be at peace and even joyful until He comes suddenly to change our situation. I literally watched God do this type of thing for me for years. I had such a big vision.

I was pregnant with a dream and sometimes wondered if it would ever really come to pass. Just when I would be ready to give up, God would do something to renew my hope and keep me expectant. And He will do the same thing for you. I encourage you not to give up! Put your hope in God and you will never be disappointed (see Romans 5:5). God loves you, and He definitely has a good plan for your life—you can believe it, expect it and rejoice in it! Your suddenly may be as close as tomorrow…or even today!

Thursday, January 1, 2015

2015 Breaking Forth!

God's word for me & my family starting out this brand new day in this brand new year! 

You have been wandering around in this hill country long enough; turn to the north. (‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭2‬:‭3‬ NLT) 

2015 a double portion year of breaking forth and new things dawning upon us as we give birth to the double anointing. We are going to break into new territory and burst forth with His glory breaking through. 

Prophetic dream from Todd Bentley who recently prayed over my daughter & grandson in her womb.

"...I saw a brand-new fleet of muscle cars that I have never seen before. I knew these vehicles were a new type of ministry. I had never seen so much power under the hood and my first thought was, "I wonder what kind of 'high grade oil' they use in these cars?" That's when I heard the Holy Spirit say, "these vehicles are a new generation of ministries that will walk in a level of My power without limitations and with unprecedented power because of their commitment to holiness and purity." I asked the Lord who this generation was and He spoke to me about new children conceived and born in 2015. They will walk in a ministry and power we have never seen before because of their surrender, strength in purity of heart, and love for the Lord. They will be trusted to demonstrate God's power without restriction. This verse then immediately came to me."

"Here am I and the children who the LORD has given me! We are for signs and wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, Who dwells in Mount Zion" Isaiah 8:18

This is going to be one crazy amazing year for my family & our ministry. It's been ten years since being in ministry in Texas and God has had us on one lavish journey that has come full circle. This is our year of favor. Decreeing & declaring it so! In JESUS name! Bring on the new year! 

Monday, September 22, 2014

What Is A Pharisee?

How to tell if I'm a Pharisee by Perry Nobel

I am a recovering Pharisee. I cannot read Matthew 23 without thinking about who I used to be shortly after meeting Jesus. I became obsessed with religious rules and legalism and forgot all about the grace that God had poured out on me through Jesus. As I look back on that time in my life there are eight things that really defined me…

#1 – I was way more obsessed with the sins and shortcomings of others and made it my obsession to point out their faults so that I did not have to deal with my own. (Matthew 23:27-28)

#2 – I made it my goal to catch people doing something wrong and condemn them rather than seeing them with the same eyes that Jesus saw me with, thus causing me to be broken for them and reach out to them with compassion and a genuine concern.

#3 – I would not associate with anyone or any group that did not acknowledge that I was completely correct in my view and interpretation of the Scriptures…and, if they didn't see just like me I would attack and malign them as often as possible. (Kind of goes against what Jesus said in John 13:34-35) Which leads to:

#4 – I only hung out/associated with people who thought just like me!

#5 – I was known more for what I attacked rather than what I built up!

#6 – I boasted in the knowledge that I possessed and looked down on those whom I perceived did not know as much as me.

#7 – I could not acknowledge anything that the Lord might have been doing that did not fit into my system of the way I believed God should do things (read Matthew 28:11-15, these guys, after hearing about the resurrection by eyewitnesses tried to suppress the story rather than being amazed by it!)

(I can literally remember a group of guys I was hanging out with in the mid 90′s who were always bashing Bill Hybels, so I joined in and began to talk about this church up in Chicago that was "compromising the Gospel." Then I went to a conference and heard him live, then I read some books by him and then I made a discovery that Bill Hybels had more people in his restrooms between services every Sunday than all of us had in our churches combined…and then I discovered that God worked outside of the framework of my mind!!! That was one of the most sobering realities I've ever had to deal with…and I am so thankful for Bill Hybels and what the Lord has used him and Willow Creek to accomplish! If you are a church planter you should know that Bill Hybels and Rick Warren took some bullets years ago that we do not have to take today because they were willing to endure the pain!)

#8 – I did not mind throwing out false accusations against those whom I felt were not getting it right! (John 8:48-51)

Ask yourself this question? AM I A PHARISEE? 

Monday, September 15, 2014

Pondering Having Such GREAT FAITH!

When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people, he returned to Capernaum. At that time the highly valued slave of a Roman officer was sick and near death. When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent some respected Jewish elders to ask him to come and heal his slave. So they earnestly begged Jesus to help the man. “If anyone deserves your help, he does,” they said, “for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us.” So Jesus went with them. But just before they arrived at the house, the officer sent some friends to say, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” And when the officer’s friends returned to his house, they found the slave completely healed. (‭Luke‬ ‭7‬:‭1-10‬ NLT)

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Dry Places Create Hunger!

Have we compromised stained glass windows & padded pews for the presence of the Lord? The Lord is not dissuaded by opulence or He wouldn't have built Solomon's temple...it's not the houses that we build that stops God's glory it is the hunger that we lose that stops His glory. "He that hungers & thirst after righteousness SHALL BE filled." "I cannot give you a glory you do not ask me for, I cannot give you a healing you do not ask me for. If my people will humble themselves & pray and seek my face then....I WILL......" God does not give according to our need he gives according to our hunger! "Pressed down shaken together & running over" SHOW ME YOUR GLORY LORD! Supply & demand! Supply & demand! I'm Putting a demand on my life, More God, less of me! All God, none of me....I'm hungry....Bread of heaven feed me! Fill my cup, fill my life with Your glory, with your anointing!  "The eyes of the Lord go to & fro throughout the earth...looking" God is looking for someone HE CAN show Himself strong to! Holy Spirit sweep over my soul! 

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Giant Slayer!

Wanna know how to handle the GIANTS in your life? Read the story of David & Goliath (yeah yeah we all know the story, but when was the last time if any you've actually read thru the scriptures) as you read each verse put yourself into David's shoes & put your giants into Goliath's shoes and then learn how to activate that same faith that David has as he walks through the process from faith to action to deliverance & victory! The process works "my soul knows very well" 

For forty days, every morning and evening, the Philistine champion strutted in front of the Israelite army. One day Jesse said to David, “Take this basket of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and carry them quickly to your brothers. And give these ten cuts of cheese to their captain. See how your brothers are getting along, and bring back a report on how they are doing. ” David’s brothers were with Saul and the Israelite army at the valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines. So David left the sheep with another shepherd and set out early the next morning with the gifts, as Jesse had directed him. He arrived at the camp just as the Israelite army was leaving for the battlefield with shouts and battle cries. Soon the Israelite and Philistine forces stood facing each other, army against army. David left his things with the keeper of supplies and hurried out to the ranks to greet his brothers. As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out from the Philistine ranks. Then David heard him shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel. As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright. “Have you seen the giant?” the men asked. “He comes out each day to defy Israel. The king has offered a huge reward to anyone who kills him. He will give that man one of his daughters for a wife, and the man’s entire family will be exempted from paying taxes!” David asked the soldiers standing nearby, “What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?” And these men gave David the same reply. They said, “Yes, that is the reward for killing him.” But when David’s oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. “What are you doing around here anyway?” he demanded. “What about those few sheep you’re supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and deceit. You just want to see the battle!” “What have I done now?” David replied. “I was only asking a question!” He walked over to some others and asked them the same thing and received the same answer. Then David’s question was reported to King Saul, and the king sent for him. “Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!” “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.” But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The LORD who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the LORD be with you!” Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. “I can’t go in these,” he protested to Saul. “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off again. He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine. Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods. “Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” Goliath yelled. David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the LORD rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the LORD’s battle, and he will give you to us!” As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword. (‭1 Samuel‬ ‭17‬:‭16-50‬ NLT)

Sunday, August 24, 2014

5 Leadership Characteristics Your Team Will Love!

Had to blog this too good not to share! 
He gained my respect through his imperfection.
Honestly, his worry didn’t bother me. He didn’t fail by requesting prayer. He didn’t show weakness or lose leverage against others. He gained respect. He gained lots of prayer. He showed his humanity, his authenticity.
These thoughts circled in my head after reading an email I referenced in a blog post on worry yesterday. My friend sent an email requesting prayer from various business associates.
Many people in our world would advise him against doing this. They would advise him not to show vulnerability. They would advise him to “hold his cards.” They would advise him to not give other people leverage.
They would all be wrong, inauthentic, superficial, and lacking in character. This friend displayed 5 Leadership Characteristics Your Team Will Love:
leadership characteristics

5 Leadership Characteristics Your Team Will Love:

1) Authenticity

Leaders today, if nothing else, must lead authentically. I’ve experienced various generations and cultures that do not embrace authenticity. But the millennial generation (and arguably all others as well) demands authenticity for leaders to be themselves.
Don’t hide your prayer requests. Share them even when you are afraid. You can take this too far but most organizational leaders in the church and corporate America struggle here.

2) Weakness

Leaders need to be strong. Right? Yes and no.
The best leaders get their strength not from winning or from perfection but from weakness. How a leader responds when winning says far less than how he responds when he loses.
Be weak. Be you. Be honest. Be who you are.

3) Teachability

The degree to which you remain teachable will dictate your ability to progress in your career. My business associate who requested prayer didn’t give me useful data so that I could hurt him. He motivated me to serve, support, and encourage him.
When you show teachability those around you share ideas, information, and opportunities. Turn on the firehose and start learning from others.

4) Need for Others

Leaders need others in order to succeed. They especially have to believe in others.
The friend I mentioned here could have easily decided he didn’t need us. He could have “sucked it up” and “taken care of business” by himself. Instead he weakened himself by admitting he had needs…right? WRONG!
He showed strength as a leader by asking for help, by showing he needed others, by showing he couldn’t do it alone. He mobilized an army when he admitted his inability.

5) Gifted Leverage

He could have withheld his leverage, made sure nobody knew his concerns, and guarded himself each step of the way. Instead, he chose to gift his leverage.
His gifted leverage made him stronger as a leader. His gifted leverage mobilized others around him to use his gifted leverage for his benefit.
His gifted leverage truly was never “his” to begin with anyway. It was gifted to him to gift to others. When he gifted it to others, they gifted it back to him.
Which leadership characteristic is most needed in your industry? How have you seen these characteristics played out?