The Spirit Anointing the Word

Touching Lives for God - Mission Costa Rica 2011

2011-08-11T11:34:00.000-07:00

I have been reminded by Sr. Sherry that I have not sent out my observations from Mission Costa Rica. I assure you we have not dropped off the face of the planet earth. Let me reiterate that we are alive, well and busy here in this beautiful and scenic land. I have not carried my Blackberry this time, to which I had become so adaptable and quite comfortable with. The last time, I was able to dish out my observations just about from anywhere and anyhow. But this time I did not subscribe to the services and as a result patiently wait and make it to my room and find the time to communicate my thoughts.

Costa Rica is such a picturesque place it can make one feel as though they were living in a picture perfect post card reality. So let me confess that deep down we all feel a tinge of guilt because going to Mission Costa Rica is like saying you are on a missionary trip to Switzerland! Every time we breathe in the fresh air and see the lush green mountains, verdant meadows and the turquoise water, we have to remind ourselves that this is a mission trip and not a summer vacation! However, we have but to confess that we have decided to enjoy the beauty around us while praying, talking about the Lord and have ultimately resigned ourselves to this undeniable fact this is a "Missio-cation".

That being said, let me state that it was such a great joy and delight to meet with Pastors William and Vanessa as well as visit their church in Heredia the next day we arrived. We helped collate all the tracts together with all the volunteers of the church. We were able to split up into two divisions and cover a large portion of that part of town handing out tracts, praying for the folks and communicating the love of God shown through Jesus Christ our Lord. We were on the streets, shopping centers and parks handing out tracts till it was all depleted. Some seven people had personally accepted Jesus into their lives while others sought prayers or advice. The people are very cordial and very seldom refuse the tracts. They are open to conversation and even busy peddlers and customers stop their haggling to receive a tract and then get back to their business of the moment. They were very gracious to say “thank you" and took time to read the material.

Touching lives for God was the most central purpose of the day on the streets. And there were people walking, sitting, relaxing or just rushing like they do anywhere else in the world. But here they do it in style. I mean, nothing like the hectic rush that we see in New York where people are so busy that they are not even aware that you are right in front of their face trying to get their attention. Life is not so robotic or automatic here. But what caught my attention all through the witnessing walk was "Pepe" I am not talking about Katie Middleton's beautiful sister Pippa but Peppe (Ps William's brother's dog) . He was part of the team that I was with. He crossed every highway and byway making it through crowded streets and through people's feet, performed some acrobatic feats and was very much involved with the whole evangelistic outreach. That little fellow kept an eye for his master and ears opened to every command that he was given. There was not a place, street or stop that Peppe was not present. He felt he had a vital part in this mission. I was told that on Sunday morning he waits to be collared with a necktie to attend the church. The good pastor tried to excommunicate this little fellow several times but Peppe eventually gets through anyways and joins in the praise and worship and is the most attentive listener to every sermon. I told the good pastor that while Hollywood is not the place to learn theology, I did take note that they took all the trouble and money to answer an important question when they released that blockbuster " All Dogs Go To Heaven".

We had service that evening. The place was packed and after a few specials the place rocked. Highland Costa Rica has a husband/wife combo of solid raw musical talent for Worship Leaders. While the husband was a maestro on the guitar and led in worship, wifee was beating the drums like a pro. Awesome! They had the place rocking and rolling with praise. They say that worship in heaven is mainly in Spanish and listening to that worship, I am lost for arguments. They know how to worship God with all their hearts, soul, mind and with all their strength like we do at Highland NY.

Before I started preaching, Sr. Gina and myself had agreed that the translations would not be interpretations with interruptions but would follow the pattern of a "ball to ball running commentary" like they do at a ball-game. And so it was tick for tack, a virtual running stream and it was like heaven's faucet was fully opened and a fresh rain of anointing was released. I spoke on how God used ordinary people with flawed pasts but was willing to be submitted to Him to do His extraordinary work. Unknown to me, Pastor Hantz had preached a similar message to them at their Sunday worship. I had expanded on this, and my my… the word flowed like a Niagara Falls with simultaneous torrent of flowing translations. I know it was the Holy Spirit who did it as Gina kept the momentum and the pace word for word, momentum by momentum and expression by expression. So many people walked down the altar as we ministered and prayed with them, there were many who committed themselves to be instruments of God and others who needed more of His grace. But what brought tears to my eyes was a man who had had a call of God and was mightily used by God in the past and had backslide for many years was now at the altar renewing his life afresh to the Lord. I believe God has so much in store for him as he allows God to work in and through his life. I met this awesome couple that wanted to be everything God has for them and I was reminded of the missionary couple Acquilla and Pricilla of the New Testament church in the book of Acts. I was again reminded that the Book of Acts did not end with Chapter 27 and the Acts of the Holy Spirit continues on even today right through and in our day and generation. And here is a church and people of God with a desire to be active for God and for His Kingdom.

We are in the midst of transition

2010-09-17T14:33:00.000-07:00

Fall is a good time to reflect on the changing seasons. For some folks, this change of season is a good thing. The long summer season would have some parents praying that the children would be back in school so they could return to a more familiar routine. Others view the change in season as both exciting and scary. And there are some for whom the change of weather would translate to bouts of depression and loneliness.

The seasons come and go, but God remains unchanged and eternal. Before the mountains were brought forth, He formed the earth and the universe, even from everlasting to everlasting, He is God!
One of the saddest words in the Bible is found in Jeremiah 8:20, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” God had been warning Judah to repent or else they would face imminent judgment. The king and the people paid lip service to God. Opportunities to repent simply slipped them by while they went about business as usual. By now, the summer was over and they had not harvested the grain; the Babylonians had surrounded the city when they realized that they had not heeded God’s warning. So they began to wail so loud, you could hear their cries all over the city. The rest of this sad story is found in 2 Kings Chapter 25.
We are not farmers, but the fact remains, our summer is ending and our economy is in shambles. We have enemies within and without, who would want to see us destroyed. And even if we can ward them off there are greater problems we could face if we refuse to change.

We are in the midst of transition. We cannot stop the seasons and we cannot stop life’s changes. The end of summer does provide a good metaphor of opportunities to re-evaluate our lives. We must make true changes as a nation and much more as individuals. This is the "season" for repenting, not playing. It is never too late for a lost soul to humble him or herself and call on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. Don’t let this summer go by without a definite relationship with Jesus Christ. Now is the time to make preparation for our relationship with God. If we refuse, we could be facing a “Babylonian captivity”; and the saddest cry that would be heard would be, “The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved."

Random Thoughts from Costa Rica

2010-09-17T11:20:00.000-07:00

Below are random thoughts I sent to some of the folks in the staff who had wanted to hear about my trip to Costa Rica.
So much is happening all around us. News, tools and information is so readily available as never before. I remember in my youth, we had so much time and not much information available to us. Now we have a world of information and not much time.

While I am open to the many things that are happening, I am a little apprehensive of being too open to drastic changes in an emerging culture that is shaping our system, way of life and decisions we must make. I observe that it is no more the folks with the biggest guns, toys or money that wins but those with greater faith, understanding as well as communicating (the word), a seeker (prayer) and add to this information, organizational skills modern technology etc., that makes the day. And the world has shrunk to fit into your computer with interesting sites and E books that are necessary tools for any pastor or leaders in the 21st century. And any man living in this century must live with the Bible in one hand and the wonders of modern technology in the other hand to get a grip of all that's taking shape and be poised to impact this generation.

I had the opportunity to make two quick trips recently. One was to the Middle East that my precious niece and her husband kindly paid for. I had the opportunity to minister at Highland church there as well as see loved ones and have a great time of fellowship there. My niece Sneha showed us some of the wonders of the modern world that's rooted in this tiny kingdom in UAE called Dubai.

I get so many invitations and this one desperately from the pastor of Highland Church in Costa Rica wanting me to come down and give him and his leadership some valuable training.

I did not want to travel unless my presence was imperative and necessary. Then too, I had much trepidation and misgivings especially about CR. The foremost being communication. I felt bad that I was not able to speak Spanish. Ordinarily, when I do travel occasionally, I like to spend much time with leadership asking and answering questions go with the people the practicals of church building, doctrines or do have sessions or whatever the leadership would have me do. But I knew I was stumped here. I realized that I was not able to share, receive, partake or impart anything due to this language impediment. So I had realized that beginning with speaking to the pastor to practically moving around impaired by this barrier of communication would have meant that everything would be difficult, to say the least. But most wonderfully, God worked it out. You'll read about this in a moment.

I was able to leave Wednesday to be back at Highland NY pulpit by Sunday morning. This is a two hour difference between New York and CR. NY is two hours ahead. The US dollars are an acceptable mode of currency but people here rather prefer the local currency colones because the dollars change value within the day (with our current economic conditions the way it is right now.

I started out from NY at 5 AM and arrived at San Jose at noon. Much to my delight, I was met by Pastor Guillermo (William) and sister Anais. Locating the hotel in the city of Escazu actually took more time than the journey from the airport.

Just before I left for Costa Rica, some in the staff wanted to know my impression of the place and what I would experience. So I had been apprising and sharing with them my daily journals in Costa Rica each day I was there. They felt part of the journey. I write as my thoughts flow and have not bothered to use structure or even check for spelling mistakes - Just thoughts like spoken words. So remember this is not something that is edited (thank you Jesus for Sis.Gina, Sis. Sherry and the staff!)

Thought I'll share the same with you, friends and family a little bit of the journal and a little more of the final day.

The First day, I passed by the " eye of the water" which is a perpetual spring of water that flows continuously supplying fresh spring water to every faucet in the cities of CR. They live off this spring water and you hardly saw bottled water. May God's ever flowing supply of His perpetual Living Water, grace and blessing spring up into and out our lives every moment of each day.

All of my observations in this e-mail are purely personal journal and being so busy with everything that's happening and hitting the sack after Mid Night, I had a little time to jot down some things that I thought were personally interesting to me and hope it be to you as well. This is the last of the e-mail I sent out from my getting off at San Jose on Wednesday to getting on to take the flight back to the good old USA.

After unpacking, I was driven out to Pastor William's house where the church started and then moved to the hall next door. Now it is moved to the new building right in the city (not San Jose).

I had the opportunity to fellowship with the pastor and meet his pretty wife, the two children and taste their famous Costa Rica coffee. (Incidentally you come across so many coffee estates along the way. I also saw the coffee plantations up on the mountain watered by the rain forest) I had the opportunity to pray and bless the pastor and his dear family.

Pastor William has a heart for the people and also attracts a good number of youth to his work and ministry. He is out with the young people doing skits, mime or dance on the streets before preaching the Word. He is eloquent and is very expressive but cannot communicate in English.

I was trying to tell him that if Sis. Anais wasn't around - do or die, either he will end up speaking English or I speak Spanish! (But really, it would be more of unknown tongues and translations than anything else)

Sis Anais was instrumental in helping us establish the church and encouraging Pastor William. She has led several mission trips from here to Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panama, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras in Central and also Mexico and Argentina. She has an apostolic call with a desire to go up into most abject poverty and far flung places in the country side (like Nicaragua, Honduras etc) bringing both the Good News and food to the people. She has been doing this for a long while out of her own pockets over the years and Highland participated twice or thrice with great results. She does this yeoman humanitarian work around or before Christmas each year. She is also mightily used in hearings and miracles. Now her granddaughter Alicia joins her during her summer vacation to go down with her and sing. She has a nightingale's voice and is also part of our children choir.

Anais is originally from Costa Rica before taking up residency in the US and a member at Highland for some 25 plus years. She has been blessed with a beautiful home and she makes a couple of trips to Costa Rica to touch for Jesus Christ. Thank God she stayed behind to translate and make my trip a memorable one.

Surprisingly, CR would look like any other cities in America with a touch of Hawaiian background with well defined garden, streets, structured buildings (no skyscrapers) and parks. Although it won't be long before the well laid out streets will be a bottle neck and may not be able to handle the burgeoning traffic.

This is a unique place with no standing army and few noticeable cops. The then president of the country Jose Figueres Ferrer abolished the military after a victory in the civil war of December of 1948 and spend more of its money and resource with health programs and in educating its people. It has worked out well. CR is definitely a beautiful place with colorful flowers, trees and exotic plants that abound almost everywhere. And rain, lots and lots of rain. It is virtually a green forest city (as a matter of fact, they do have a great rain forest here.)

The "Rain Forest" here is the real 24K not the bald, scalded rain forest we had seen at Puerto Rico (just after the storm Hugo). What you here see here in CR is dense and thick forest, exotic plants, and birds...colors that are hard to explain. The parrot here is tecnic-color! The hanging garden so awesome. This is more than just a jungle, it’s a rain forest! (The conservation and preservation of these tropical rain forests is so important to our own ecological balance and our own preservation on the long run). The Rain Forest here was like the one seen in the movie "Avatar" except for the trees up in the air and those funny/ fierce looking creatures. Otherwise from the air cable train hoisted 200 Ft. high. It looks like you are part of the cast on the "Avatar" movie.

I had the opportunity to meet people, see places and even their volcanoes that is astounding. But as wonderful the land and places are, I found the people more gracious, beautiful and responsive.

No doubt CR is rightly called the "Switzerland of central America".
Costa Rica is a beautiful place and I know you too would enjoy every bit and would have blended so well with the people except that they speak Spanish but you could get by with Spanglish! Awesome place CR is - and I hope you make it one day

The Chinese are here as well. They have just built a huge sports stadium like the Houston astronomy (I passed by it and this is gigantic, to say the least). They have gifted it to the nation. Off course.....in exchange, I am told, for mineral/right to fish for tuna/White sharks and other materials they need in China...

Now Saturday morning, I have come to the end of my stay here at Costa Rica. I came in on Wednesday and hope to catch my flight back home this noon.

So I had left with much trepidation and anxiety. But the Lord had worked all things for good. Sister Anais graciously stayed behind. Remember, for years she had been one of the few that had faithfully been translating my messages Sunday after Sunday word for word. She knew every aspect of my style, articulation and pronunciations as she communicated the messages being in sync with the word and sometimes moved by the Spirit went beyond and preached the exact word that was right the in my heart but not yet out of my lips. It was a lot was like ball to bat running commentary so to speak.

Now here she was making herself available from morning to night translating as well as giving me much of the goings on in this country both naturally and spiritually. But she also imparted so much information, inspiration and insights about the people, the culture, the going on as well as the aspiration of the pastor and the leadership. She made communication not only possible but very interesting! She has such a depth of understanding, a great love for God, his Word, the people, His kingdom and the Church.

Sis. Anais wanted me to know a bit of her country, the people, appreciate the history, culture, its cuisine and the daily life of its people. So here I was leaving each morning after breakfast and being out till night, interacting, exchanging thoughts, asking questions, answering and sharing scriptures and practical’s learned in life time while taking in so much about the country, church and people. But what I found very important was that I was able to spend quality time, hours after hours particularly with Pastor William imparting as much Biblical and pastoral wisdom and principles of the scriptures that I had gleaned in a life- time. This alone was worth the trip.

And I had opportunity to visit houses, speak to the people as well as members of the church & pray for the city and the nation while having my feet on the soil. "Every place where your feet shall thread upon."

Last night (Friday Night) was a spiritual explosion! The church was packed to capacity and people were on the staircase and down in the first floor. The worship was dynamic. It was so warm, I mean it was hot! The old expression comes into my mind "man, that place rocked!!" They had an excellent band: guitarists, the horn, synthesizers, drums, great worship leaders and singers. Incidentally, the pastor's wife is also an anointed worship leader, exhorter and encourager whose words in tune with worship infused much more enthusiasm to worship our Lord!

The congregation danced in the Spirit...including the band and singers. They have a group of young people trained by a young anointed dancer who very much like Miriam of the Old Testament came forth with these anointed youth dressed in white with white gloves and tambourine and waving white flag. They merged the worship in dance both in spiritual and classical. I mean it was so divine. The worship went on and every song lead to a higher volume, a crescendo till it reached a climax that you felt heaven just kissed that place where your voice blended with the praises of the heavenly choir of utmost pure worship of the Father by the power of His Spirit. Then the youth had two awesome pieces like interpretive dance and a skit that I vividly remember that our own youth at Highland NY had staged a year ago and where my own son had participated. Right there I couldn't tell if I was with Highland NY or Highland Costa Rica!

I shared the word both prophetic ally and in context to Isaiah 54:2-4 Break forth, Stretch forth, extend, enlarge and EXPLODE. Sis. Anais was interpreting. (She was no interrupter but interpreter as we used to say in the Indian cricket expression "word for word, ball to ball running commentary"). At times she was running off with the message that was still in my lips.

The people soaked in the word, standing up shouting in Spanish "Glory to God' or " praise God I receive it"

Then there was a considerable time when the people stood up with much gusto muttering and did not sit. And I am thinking while I was still preaching "is this cultural or what? Are they preaching too?" And the Spirit of God reminded "they are speaking to themselves the words I am giving you" and I could only muster "Alright got it Sir."

I had asked if people felt this word of enlargement, extension and explosion was for them. They could stand while I prayed and blessed them in Jesus Name. People stood, I meant even the children - everyone except the toddlers in their crib! I prayed for this august but also anointed powerful people and had Pastor William come forward to bless his congregation. Now it was late and I am thinking I'll go home but the service had ended and the worship and church just began!

There were praises, worship and prophecies and my, my...this was real raw Pentecost at best.

Afterwards as meeting slowly winded, to a close almost everyone wanted photographs with me, group pictures, family pictures, individual and even grandmas and grandpas with their grandchildren, and with their babies. That was sort of odd, all the picture taking and interacting and sharing. Usually in other places you pack to leave not here. They unpack cameras to click, click, click, and click! The Holy Spirit seemed to whisper' What better place than in the midst of the saints, memories are made in the house of God than in the field of entertainment and sports"

And truly this was a memory I carry back home with me and will stay within me. The beautiful faces, great places, the graces, the races and all the praises to Jesus will remain deep within. God be praised.

Summer is ending!

2010-09-02T09:06:00.001-07:00

The summer is ending and we are now in the fall. This is a good time to reflect on the changing seasons. One of the saddest words in the Bible is found in Jeremiah 8:20, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved”. The harvest is past—there was a harvest; summer is ended—there was a summer—and I am not saved – there was a harvest and a salvation. Are you saved? Don’t wait for the last leaf to fall. Now is the time for salvation. Now is the time for harvest.

We had a lot of events that happened this summer that were truly harvest times. Now the summer is over and done with but the harvest times can still continue! I am reminded of the words of our Lord “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest” (Jn.4:35). He wasn't looking at the corn fields. He was watching the numbers of Samaritan men coming to meet Him after hearing the Samaritan woman’s testimony. These men and woman were the fields white for harvest. The time of harvest was now and the unreached town of Sychar was the harvest fields that were being harvested for the kingdom of God.

"The fields are white for harvest." The fields of people who once were hard to reach are ripe and ready to be harvested! This beautiful analogy of the harvest being ripe, even if it meant that the natural harvest still about four months away - Yet the spiritual farmer can see the fields ripe and reap a huge harvest now. This means that even though the harvest is not physically in season, the spiritual harvest, the work of God, is ripe and ready to be harvested. Not next year. But today! Right this moment! Right now!
Don’t wait for some “convenient season” or even some moment of “traditional” time of spiritual harvest like Christmas, Easter, Conferences, Retreats, Summer outreach, etc. We can get caught up in “times” of spiritual harvest just as much as actual farmers do with physical harvests and not realize that the “season” is now! Right now!

Our Lord says “open your eyes” “look” (John 4:35) “take a good look at what’s right in front of you” What do we see in front of us? When we look around, we don't see any fields that are ripe for harvest. We might see broken lives, recession, greed and pain. We might probably see the "Samaritans" around us that look like impossible cases. We could perhaps even see a hopeless, helpless place or people. The world around us may look Sychar. But Jesus says “The fields” are ready for harvest”. Yes – NYC is a “field”. Our neighborhood, our school, our job and our world is our “Fields”. The fields are ripe all around us, and we are not seeing it, because we are focused on some better times and looking at some other things. LOOK - This is our Sychar. This is our season. The fields around us are ripe for the harvest. The Lord closes that passage with these words “I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labor: other men labored, and ye are entered into their labors. “ (Jn.4:38)

How true are the prophecy of Amos “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills.”(Amos 9:13)

A Challenge for You

2010-07-23T06:52:00.000-07:00

Isaiah 61:11 “So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations”

I have been preaching on Isaiah chapter 61 for some time now. I’ve been impressed to challenge God’s people to be anointed by the Holy Spirit, given by God to impact the nations of the world. He has called us Priests and Ministers to rebuild a city in desolation; bring healing to the nations of the earth with God’s message of salvation and deliverance. (Isaiah 60:1) “Arise; shine; for your light has come!” (Isaiah 60:3) “The Gentiles shall come to thy light…” (Isaiah 60:11) “Therefore your gates shall be open continually…” (Isaiah 62:2) “The Gentiles shall see your righteousness…” And He even mentioned the “isles” or the most remote places on earth will also see your righteousness. (Isaiah 66:19) “Who have not heard My fame nor seen My glory; and they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles”.

The book of Isaiah pictures a God of the nations; who mandates a ministry that extends to the nations. (Isaiah 45:22) “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth!” Right there in Isaiah 53 we see the theme of man’s salvation centered through the atonement of the Messiah for our sake. The Messiah did not come to enlarge a physical kingdom but to “preach deliverance to the captives” (Isaiah 61:1). He repeated this mission theme at his first message in Luke 4:18, 19. God’s heart is for the world around to be impacted with this global message of His salvation through the ultimate sacrifice. God’s love and grace is universal. We must never relegate Him to be a domestic or local God speaking one language to one particular people or nation. “All the earth is mine” (Exodus 19:5). Our task is not the spread of Democracy or Westernization, but the global message of God’s mercy and grace shown through Jesus Christ. He has given the church a global mission (Matthew 28:18-20).

This great global mission began in the garden when man first fell. Then this message was communicated to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3… families of the earth) and we even see it pulsating in the heart of David “Let the people praise you, O God; let all the people praise you. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy” (Psalm 67:3,4a). God had reiterated this great message to the people of Israel in (Exodus 19:5-6) “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to me above all people; for all the earth is mine. And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation”. Instead of listening to the heartbeat of God to “bless the families of the earth”, Israel only accepted a message about themselves which was more national elitist pride than a global mission. Unfortunately, the church too has got involved in a myopic ideology (Western, Denominational, Christian Heritage, White, Black, Me and Us mentality) rather than to be a blessing to the nations of the earth for God. As spiritual sons of Abraham, we have the same mandate that Israel had. Let us arise out of our own Nationalistic, Cultural, Churchistic settings, to be anointed by the Holy Spirit to bring the message of salvation and deliverance to the nations.

Conquering the Storms Inside You

2010-07-16T06:49:00.000-07:00

All of us at some point in our lives battle or sail through troubled stromy waters. For some it might be a Situational Storm (Prov. 1:27) “When calamity overcomes you like a storm, when you are engulfed in trouble". For others a Relational Storm (Psalm 102:7-8) "I lie awake at night…my enemies taunt me and use my name as a curse" and to many others an Emotional or a Financial Storm (Psalm 69:1-3) "Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul...I sink in deep mire". The reaction to these storms could result in Panic, Paralysis or Peace. My thoughts have been on Matthew 8:23-27 where we discover the ultimate truth that our Lord Jesus Calms the Storms.

There are Five Lessons to learn.
Lesson 1. Following Jesus, you could still have a storm (Matthew 8:24) and these storms come unexpectedly, inevitable, unpredictable and impartial.

Lesson 2. Christ in you or in your boat IS in control, even when it appears He is asleep.

Lesson 3. Learn that storms are usually a test of your faith (Matthew 8:26).

Lesson 4. Jesus in you is Greater than any storms that come against you (Matthew 8:26). What we learn is that through Christ we can stand up and rebuke the storms and see them become subject to Him (Matthew 8:27).

Lesson 5. Yes, storms come unexpectedly. They are unpredictable, inevitable and impartial, but they are temporal. The Lord of heaven and earth is Eternal.

In the face of a storm, never forget who the Lord is – He is in control and never forget who you are – You are His follower and you through Him will reach your destination.

God's Provision

2010-07-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

The promise of God is for us today. It is now and always has been God’s intention to provide for His people. The word of God says in 2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that you will always have all sufficiency in all things and may abound to every good work.” This means that God is able to meet your every need whether spiritual, emotional, physical or financial through His divine supply. God has made this blessed provision for all His children in every age and generation. This promise of His provision in every area of our lives is available as we seek God and His Kingdom in prayer. In Matthew 6:33, Jesus said “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all of these things shall be added to you.” In the next verse, He said, “do not worry about tomorrow.” Do you really believe He will provide your needs? These needs could well be salvation, peace of mind, healing, finances, or deliverance. The Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:19, “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Now there is a big difference between a need and a want. To meet the NEED or requirements would mean to make up for (a deficiency, etc) or fill that which was lacking. The promise tells us that God will supply and the word “SUPPLY,” defined by Webster’s dictionary, is to fill up, to give, furnish, or provide (what is needed). How little we realize the value of this marvelous provision!

We are so familiar with these words found in Psalms 50:15 “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee and thou shalt praise Me.” Just imagine: God, the omnipotent God is speaking to His creation. He wants us to seek His face and to come into His presence. "Call upon Me in the day of trouble." Don’t run around with your worries, but look to God Almighty. God, the God of all Truth, and He, who can never, never lie, is the One who assures you, “I will deliver you." What an oath and what an assurance! The Lord of infinite power, wealth, resources, and supply who is in absolute control promises, "I will deliver you." There is nothing too hard for the Lord. He asks that we call upon Him and He pledges to manifest His power as we call and believe His promise. Unbelief so often robs us of that blessed opportunity in the midst of our difficulties. Unbelief steals all that God has in store for us.

Don’t belittle yourself because you have needs. The world around us is a place of such desperate needs. Even a newborn baby has needs, and knows instinctively to cry out when hungry or thirsty, wet or cold. Why does a child so instinctively cry out? So someone, who is able, will take care of those needs. GOD IS ABLE and He will. GOD SHALL SUPPLY ALL YOUR NEEDS ACCORDING TO HIS RICHES IN GLORY BY CHRIST JESUS! One of God’s Hebrew names is “El-Shaddai” the all-sufficient God, not “EL Shady” or “El Cheapo.”

No wonder the Psalmist is both a believer and a praiser when he exclaims in Psalm 103:3-4 “Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits; who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, and crowns you with love and compassion.”

He is able to heal and provide. In fact, we plan to host a Healing/Provision Conference. You will find details in the announcement. I believe in God and that He is able to do more than we could ever ask, think, or even comprehend. I want you to pray and be part of this event that is coming our way. But remember, your needs can be met right now through Jesus Christ. He is right there with you. Pray this prayer, “Help me, Lord. I believe you and believe that all my needs are met in Christ Jesus my Lord, Amen.”

Now confidently expect the manifestation of His power on your behalf. The writer of Hebrews urges us, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the Throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”(Heb. 4:16)