Africa Community Development projects – God@Work

Africa update:

Donate on-line: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=95XHSDDXDS7MC

 

As most of you know, my passion is to create programs to support ministries and feed orphans. Obviously, the preference I have is to find people who first host a Bible school, because

Galatians 6:10

As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith 

 

I am not merely a community development organization, but actively seek to expand and support the Christian cause and to expand the kingdom of God wherever I can. I cannot be moved solely by human need, but work with Christian organizations that believe the Bible is the Word of God.

 

I am convinced that Bible schools are the most important need in every community, because the Word of God is absolute truth, with the ability to transform lives, and show people how to live. Unless people learn right from wrong behavior, simply feeding or clothing them become enablement, instead of empowerment, and they never learn of Gods design to provide for them, through meaningful work and careful stewardship of our God given gifts and resources.

We teach them how to fish.

 

Having made this premise known. Here are the two projects we are currently working on in the nation of Kenya.

https://www.chrisaomministries.com/2019/06/i-thirst

clean water for 13 villages!

https://www.chrisaomministries.com/2019/07/gardens-of-grace

 

Here is how and why I became involved.

Pastore Evans Mukwa asked me to send him information in 2012 on how to start a Bible school to educate and disciple his leaders in his church, and since then has graduated around 30 students through the IVBI curriculum.

Then, he awoke one morning to discover military at his door with several orphan children they had found in the villages, and asked him if he could take them in. He quickly fed them breakfast, and at church that night announced his new orphan program. He would serve community breakfast at the church, and then asked families to take these children home to sleep at night for the security of the children.

And so it has begun, with 13 children in the communities care initially. We set up an account on Western Union and began to send small amounts of money to help with school fees and the childrens immediate needs. Over time, we we introduced to pastor Victor Otieno Gumba from Nyatike in Migori province, who was also helping widows and orphans.

Pastor Victor ended up with 58 children, and presently helps 98 through his program. I am not sure of his Bible school development, but he has been appoved by Victory to start a school, and curriculum has been sent to him.

 

So many forget that after we receive Jesus, we are left here on earth with a job to do, its called the great commission: https://www.chrisaomministries.com/2016/03/our-mission-the-great-commission

 

The ‘make disciples of all nations’ part is quite the commission!

 

So, I find myself working to do something of eternal value with my life, and in this case, in the nation of Kenya.

 

Update: The well got drilled and we raised funds to purchase a solar powered pumping station. Now we need to construct a wash house, so that people coming from surrounding villages can use the bathroom in a sanitary manner and not pollute the well. Also, since the system is solar powered, it only runs during the day. We need a reservoir that can be filled in daylight hours to provide water after dark. To make a long story short, pastor Victor had a the teens there make mud bricks and get ready to build walls. Yet the cost of the metal roof, reservoir and fixtures is 2300USD. As I discussed this with one of the donors, he agreed to do a matching fund of $1000, so when people donate$1000, we will actually have $2000 towards this project.

Making mud bricks

In Eldoret, we are working on the Gardens of Grace greenhouse project. We paid to have the soil samples done, then sent money donated to pay for soil preparation, site prep and fencing to keep stray livestock  out of the site.

The uncleared land

Clearing the land

New fencing

We still need $4200USD, to construct a small caretakers cottage on site, and purchase the first greenhouse. By faith, God has provided this need, as this project will provide for orphans for life as we manage it well.

 

Of course, please pray for the financial needs of our family. Just working and paying bills has been a grind, and somehow we fell behind on weekly bills, yet our eyes are on Jesus to catch us up. WE have an invitation to fly to Belize to help pioneer another two BIble schools, and of course to preach the gospel and demonstrate Gods power. This requires prayer, faith, time off work here, and around $3000.00. Gods will, Gods bill. https://www.chrisaomministries.com/2019/11/mission-belize

 

With overseas projects, 100% of all donations go to the project minus any international transfer fees. (On smaller amounts Western Union and taxes cost around $20), for amounts over $1000.00, our bank charges $68 for a bank to bank international transfer.)

 

 

 

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Awake to Righteousness!HEAL OUR LAND – USA

Creation testifies of Creator!

Creation hears her Creator!

Hosea 2:“In that day, I will answer,”
says the Lord.
“I will answer the sky as it pleads for clouds….
And the sky will answer the earth with rain.

22
Then the earth will answer the thirsty cries
of the grain, the grapevines, and the olive trees.
And they in turn will answer,
‘Jezreel’—‘God plants!’

22
Then the earth will answer the thirsty cries
of the grain, the grapevines, and the olive trees.
And they in turn will answer,
‘Jezreel’—‘God plants!’

22
Then the earth will answer the thirsty cries
of the grain, the grapevines, and the olive trees.
And they in turn will answer,
‘Jezreel’—‘God plants!

Romans 1: ²⁰ For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

 

Hosea 4 Hear the word of the Lord, O people of Israel!
The Lord has brought charges against you, saying:
“There is no faithfulness, no kindness,
no knowledge of God in your land.
² You make vows and break them;
you kill and steal and commit adultery.
There is violence everywhere—
one murder after another.
³ That is why your land is in mourning,
and everyone is wasting away.
Even the wild animals, the birds of the sky,
and the fish of the sea are disappearing.

To Know creation, we must know Creator, and He can only be known through Jesus: https://chrisaomministries.com/2017/02/27/do-you-want-to-go-to-heaven/

 

 

Let God pick your battles:

 

As I read this morning’s Bible reading in One Year Bible, I began to think about broken people trying to leave broken lifestyles. Let’s read it together.
Ex 13:17 When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”

¹⁸ So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea.^[a] Thus the Israelites left Egypt like an army ready for battle.^[b]

 

We all know the story, 10 plagues, Moses and Pharoah, “Let my people go!”

 

Imagine if you will the mindset of these people. Beaten, broken, enslaved for as long as anyone could remember, suddenly delivered by the hand of God, yet not yet fully trusting God fully yet.

Remember when God called David, and Samuel had a hard time accepting it:

 

1 Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

 

He knows what we are made of, and what it takes to build a strong foundation of faith into our hearts, that one day will allow us to be the warriors, delivers, and victors in life’s battles.

 

If any of you have seen the movie ‘Captain America’ there is a scene where the commanding officer says something like, ‘there is no way we can make a soldier out of him’, then in one of the drills, Cap falls upon a grenade to protect the other guys in his platoon, and the hardened soldier gets some instruction. He had looked at the small stature and fraility of the man, yet his courage in battle revealed his heart.

In this case, God knew the children of Israel were not ready for a battle yet with the Philistines, so He led them on a longer route.

 

Anyone read the Christian classic: ‘Hinds Feet on Hinds Places?”

It is the journey where a fictional character named ‘poor little much afraid’ is transformed through a journey with the Shepherd, to receive her hinds feet to be able to leap around the mountains with a new name: ‘Grace and glory” It’s a great read, but the point that comes to mind is the way that that Shepherd leads her on their journey, the horror of being led directly away from her destination into the desert, instead of up the mountain.

Seems the Shepherd was wiser than her though, because near the end of the book, she discovers the extra miles in the desert had strengthened her to climb the steep dangerous cliffs, and in exhilaration she discovered she had conquered her fears, and was able to leap the tall heights with ease and joy.

 

Over the years, I have worked with broken people, each struggling with some deep dark secret pattern of destructive behavior. Addicts especially come to mind, and how relevant this verse is in their lives. They cannot be around alcohol or drugs of any form for some time, until they become strong, the temptation is too great.

In this Bible reading, the children of Israel were about to come in between a rock and a hard place, with far worse than the Philistines to face, the entire army of Egypt was about to back them up to the Red sea, and you know the rest of the story, God fought for them that day, as a whirlwind, a sea parter, and One who is altogether faithful.

Maybe you are in a fight for your life today. Literally, or spiritually, it doesn’t matter.

 

1 Corinthians 10:13  (ASV)

¹³ There hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye may be able to endure it.

Jesus is the way, and also the waymaker. He will provide, He will deliver, He will lead you away from battles you are not yet qualified to fight. He knows, He cares, He loves.

Let’s Pray:

“Father, I need you to lead and guide me today. Show me Your will and Your way. Deliver me from the brutal circumstances that seek to destroy me, and show me the straight and narrow way Jesus promised is available to me. Amen”

Miracles and Judgement!

Miracles and Judgement

Let’s read these words of Jesus together today:

Matt 11:²⁰ Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:

21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

God is love! God is good! God loves to mighty miracles of healing, deliverance, and prosperity. Yet, authentic miracles, demand a response. When someone critically ill is healed by the power of God, God expects people to turn to Him in thanksgiving and praise.

Remember the ten lepers healed, only one came back to say thank you?
Luke 17:17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

Notice how Matt 11 continues:

²² But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. ²³ And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. ²⁴ But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

God does signs, wonders, and miracles still today. We must respond in thanks, praise, and give honest testimony of His power.

The welfare of our city may well depend upon it!

Let’s Pray:
‘Father God, release signs, wonders, and miracles, here, in my life, my city, my nation! Reveal your love, power, and glory! Father I pray that as you do, we continue in childlike awe, humility, and thankfulness, never losing our sense of awe and gratefulness, for who you are and what you do. May each of us who receive from you today, be faithful to testify of your goodness and grace, in your name we pray Lord Jesus , Amen!’

Seeking God will Prosper You!

Seeking God will prosper you

Job 8:5 If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty;
6 If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.
7 Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.

Doesn’t matter where in life you are right now. If you are with God, you are increasing, because He loves you and loves to show Himself strong to His children.
Let’s Pray:
‘Father, you see where I am at, and I am seeking you for increase today, in your name I pray Lord Jesus, Amen’

There is a Daysman!

There is a daysman!

Job 9:32 For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment.
33 Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both.

34 Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his fear terrify me:
35 Then would I speak, and not fear him; but it is not so with me.

The Word ‘daysman‘, basically means ‘judge’: One who renders judgement, or rebukes.

Job had to look down the corridor of time to One who would come, to judge between us and God, the only true mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ, the only way to God.

In his anguish, he cried out for salvation, for one who could mediate between him in his distress, and a Holy God, but at this point, he sees none. Later, Job discovers him by faith declaring Job 19:25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:

Now God goes from the feared one, to become our loving heavenly Father, by the blood that Jesus shed for us to provide access.

Maybe God is some strange far off feared being to you today. He does not need to be. He loves you, and has provided a way for you to know Him, Jesus.

Mt 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Mt 12:21 And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.

Ac 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Ac 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Let’s call on His name, and receive His kingdom today:
‘Jesus, we call on your name! Come into our lives, and fill us with your Spirit today. Show us your love and plan for our lives, Amen’

https://chrisaomministries.com/2017/02/27/do-you-want-to-go-to-heaven/

Gods provision – Tithe!

God’s Promise is Basic Provision

If Jesus is Lord, and we are under a better covenant based upon better promises, then

 

(2 Cor 1:20 NIV)  For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken  by  us to the glory of God.

 

Let’s look at some of the examples of God’s provision in the Old Covenant.

 

We’re not under the law pastor, why not stay in the New Testament? It is written:

 

(1 Cor 10:1 NIV)  For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea.

 

(1 Cor 10:2 NIV)  They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.

 

(1 Cor 10:3 NIV)  They all ate the same spiritual food

 

(1 Cor 10:4 NIV)  and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.

 

(1 Cor 10:5 NIV)  Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.

 

(1 Cor 10:6 NIV)  Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.

 

God still wants us to obey Him. Look at the result of obeying God under the lesser covenant.

 

Think of it this way. If you have the choice of receiving a fifty-dollar bill, or a hundred dollar bill, which one will you take? $100? Why? They are both money. Why? Because the $100 bill is more. Think of the covenants of God  this way. The old covenant was good, but the new covenant is more.

 

Deuteronomy 28:1-14

 

28:1 If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.

2  All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God:

3  You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.

4  The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock–the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.

5  Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.

6  You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.

7  The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.

8  The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.

9  The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways.

10  Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you.

11  The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity–in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground–in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you.

12  The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.

13  The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.

• Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.

 

 

Notice here that the rest of this chapter is all the curses that come upon the children of Israel if they won’t obey. But, Bless God, read with me Gal 3:13

 

Galatians 3:13-14

 

13  Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

 

You are redeemed from the curse. Some day, for fun, read each verse of Deuteronomy 28:15 until the end, like this. As you read out loud each of the curses, say after each one. Praise God! Jesus redeemed me from the curse of the law. None of this junk can touch me, I’m a child of the king.

 

Let’s look at this curse here recorded in Deuteronomy 28:47-48:

 

 

Deuteronomy 28:47-48

 

 

47  Because you did not serve the LORD your God joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity,  ( Notice that if you do serve the Lord, you’ll have joy, and prosperity)

 

• therefore in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and dire poverty, you will serve the enemies the LORD sends against you. He will put an iron yoke on your neck until has destroyed you.

 

Do you see it? Who do you know who died on the cross to become a substitute curse for you? He was hungry, He said “I thirst!”, they cast lots for his garment, and…

 

(2 Cor 8:9 NIV)  For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

 

Let’s  look at the words of Jesus, recorded for us in Matthew 6. I call it my “Don’t worry, be happy”, verses.

 

 

Matthew 6:25-33

 

 

25  “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

26  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

27  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ?

28  “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.

29  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

30  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’

32  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

• But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

 

Yes, obedience to God will always produce basic provision. Why? God loves you. You are His child. If He created you, he has provided for you. Your job is to pray, obey, and study the word to learn his ways, so that you can have everything He wants you to have.

 

Yet, God wants us to move from the land of almost enough into more than enough.

 

(Isa 1:19 NIV)  If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land;

 

Tithing

700 years before the Law was given, Abraham paid tithes.

500 years before the Law was given, Jacob paid tithes.

 

Genesis 28:20-22

 

20  Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear

21  so that I return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God

• and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”

 

Notice here, what the Bible says about the love of money.

 

I Timothy 6:10-12  — Love of money

 

10  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

11  But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

• Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

 

It’s the root of all evil. It’s Satan’s main root in controlling people. When you begin to tithe and believe God in the area of finances, you attack his main root in the earth. That’s why Paul had to tell us to “Fight the good fight of the faith”, here. The issue is a heart issue. Who is Lord of your money? Where is your trust? Are you trusting God to provide, or are you trusting in your own strength? Remember, Satan steals, people hoard, but God so loved the world that He gave… Giving is the greatest expression of love.

 

When you tithe, it’s an act of war.

 

You see there are three heavens. The natural heavens that we see (the sky and the stars), the third heaven where Jesus lives where there are streets of gold and no sickness, dying or pain, but the heaven we need to look at is the second heaven, where Satan is prince of the power of the air, or god of this world. It is here that the angels and demons fight

 

Ephesians 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

 

Jesus taught us to pray our Father, that “ your kingdom come, your will be done” where? In the earth, as it is in heaven. Which heaven is he talking about here? Well, the third heaven of course, where He calls home. The place with streets of gold. People say, now gold is bad. God doesn’t hold that opinion.

 

Genesis 2:11  The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;

Genesis 2:12  And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.

 

Everyone say “good gold”. No, gold is not your enemy. It’s your heart. Where will you place your trust? Is it in God, to give you all things richly for you to enjoy? Or in the beggerly things of this world that are not designed to satisfy the deep things of your heart.

 

I am convinced that tithing is spiritual warfare. Why?

 

Haggai 2:6  For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;7  And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.

8  The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.

• The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.

 

When Satan tempted Jesus, he took him up to a high place

 

Luke 4:5  And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.6  And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

 

I believe Satan showed Jesus the second heaven, where he ruled as god of this world. Otherwise this would not have been a true temptation.

 

I believe when we tithe, we make a declaration before God Almighty that Jesus is Lord of our provision, and that the victory that Jesus won on the cross, is in force and in place in our lives.

 

Colossians 2:15  And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

 

Haggai 2:21  Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth;22  And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother.

• In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts.

 

I believe this is a prophetic book speaking not only to Zerubbabel, but to us the church today. God is now shaking the heavens and the earth, destroying the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen. What is the strength of these kingdoms? I believe it is the same strength Jesus saw when tempted by Satan. Devils ruling through the minds of men. We are the church where these gates of hell shall not prevail, for Jesus has come to destroy the works of the devil.

 

The earth is God’s and we are to rule and reign here as His ambassadors.

 

18 ¶ Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.

 

Deut 11:19  And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

20  And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates:

• That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.

 

See it? If you give yourself totally to God, and His word, and are faithful to walk with Him. He is the same God, His will is for you to experience days of heaven upon the earth.

 

Ephesians 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

 

As far as God is concerned, your needs have already been provided for you, where? In heavenly places in Christ.

 

How do we get them? Well, Christ means the anointed one and His anointing. It is the anointing that breaks the yoke. How do we generate an anointing that will produce financial deliverance? We tithe, we obey God, and then we exercise faith in God’s word. When you tithe you declare before God, the great cloud of witnesses that went before, and the holy angels, that this world is not your source. Jesus is my provider, and I am no longer limited to this world and my strength to provide.

 

You need to see this as an act of war. God has already provided for you all spiritual blessings as His child. When you tithe and pray, you are simply taking what is rightfully yours. He then shakes the heavens for you, and the wealth of the sinner that is stored up for the righteous, begins to come into your hands.

 

Leviticus 27:30-32

 

On what should I pay  tithes?

 

30  “‘A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.

31  If a man redeems any of his tithe, he must add a fifth of the value to it.

32  The entire tithe of the herd and flock–every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod–will be holy to the LORD.

 

 

Numbers 18:21,23

 

Who shall I pay  them to?

 

21  “I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the Tent of Meeting.

22  From now on the Israelites must not go near the Tent of Meeting, or they will bear the consequences of their sin and will die.

23  It is the Levites who are to do the work at the Tent of Meeting and bear the responsibility for offenses against it. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. They will receive no inheritance among the Israelites.

• Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the LORD. That is why I said concerning them: ‘They will have no inheritance among the Israelites.'”

 

Hebrews 7:6  But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.

Hebrews 7:8  And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.

 

The answer to the question as to where we pay tithes is in this verse. You are going to pay them to men that are set apart by God for His work in the ministry. Eph 4, five fold ministry gifts.

 

Hebrews 7:2

 

This verse shows that Abraham paid tithes:

 

2  and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.”

3  Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever.

• Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder!

 

 

Luke 11:41-42

 

Jesus told the Pharisees to pay tithes (the only thing he commended them for)

 

41  But give what is inside the dish to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.

• “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.

 

 

I Corinthians 16:2

 

When should I pay tithes?

 

• On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.

 

Malachi 3:8-12

 

What if I do and what if I don’t?

 

8  “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ “In tithes and offerings.

9  You are under a curse–the whole nation of you–because you are robbing me.

10  Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

11  I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the LORD Almighty.

• “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty.

 

Exodus 20:8

 

Remember  the Sabbath day

1/7 of our time; 1/10 of our money

 

Exodus 20:8

 

8  “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

9  Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

• but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor

 

Notice here. When you tithe, you make a solemn declaration before God, the angels, the great cloud of witness that have gone before us, and Satan and all his evil bunch. Yes, you declare in the heavenlies that this world is not your source. Jesus is Lord of my money. No I’m not trusting in my riches or my own strength of arm to provide for myself, but am taking Jesus as my provider. Jehovah-Jireh, El-Shaddai, the God who is more than enough. This is one of the few places in Scripture where God dares us to test Him. I tithe, Karen tithes, and your church tithes on every dollar that goes through the bank account.

 

When to Canada from Tulsa, we had an old car, and pretty much nothing, and we gained  a computer, T.V. , appliances, a satellite dish, and many other financial blessings, all of which are paid for, cash. Why? Because we are tithers and givers, and God supplied for us financially. In fact, we have determined to see how much we can believe God for, so that we can increase our giving. God will do the exact same thing for you if you tithe and obey Him, He is a good God, who loves you, and He is no respector of persons.

 

Homework:

1.Let’s Pray: Father God, I now receive Jesus as my provider, as well as my Lord. I purpose in my heart to tithe and give, and trust you to increase me, as I obey you in this. Amen.’

Time…

Read this blurb this morning, and got to thinking…

Time is the inexplicable raw material of everything. With it, all is possible; without it, nothing. The supply of time is truly a daily miracle, an affair genuinely astonishing when one examines it. You wake up in the morning, and lo! your purse is magically filled with twenty-four hours of the unmanufactured tissue of the universe of your life! It is yours. It is the most precious of possessions… No one can take it from you. It is not something that can be stolen. And no one receives either more or less than you receive. Moreover, you cannot draw on its future. Impossible to get into debt! You can only waste the passing moment. You cannot waste tomorrow; it is kept for you. You cannot waste the next hour; it is kept for you.

You have to live on this twenty-four hours of daily time. Out of it you have to spin health, pleasure, money, content, respect, and the evolution of your immortal soul. Its right use, its most effective use, is a matter of the highest urgency and of the most thrilling actuality. All depends on that. Your happiness — the elusive prize that you are all clutching for, my friends — depends on that.

If one cannot arrange that an income of twenty-four hours a day shall exactly cover all proper items of expenditure, one does muddle one’s whole life indefinitely. We shall never have any more time. We have, and we have always had, all the time there is.

Arnold Bennett, Bits & Pieces, March 4, 1993, p. 18-20

Seems I am not alone in my meditations as I read the words written by king Solomon, the wisest man of his day:

Ecclesiastes 3

A Time for Everything

3 For everything there is a season,
    a time for every activity under heaven.
² A time to be born and a time to die.
    A time to plant and a time to harvest.
³ A time to kill and a time to heal.
    A time to tear down and a time to build up.
⁴ A time to cry and a time to laugh.
    A time to grieve and a time to dance.
⁵ A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
    A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
⁶ A time to search and a time to quit searching.
    A time to keep and a time to throw away.
⁷ A time to tear and a time to mend.
    A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
⁸ A time to love and a time to hate.
    A time for war and a time for peace.

⁹ What do people really get for all their hard work? ¹⁰ I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. ¹¹ Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart,

My former pastor Billy Joe Daugherty used to say that each day we began with a train load of God’s blessings, 24 little box cars each day named hours, and how we spent those 24 hours affected how our life will go, both here, and eternally.

Acts 4:25

you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying, ‘Why were the nations so angry? Why did they waste their time with futile plans?

The obvious question each of us must ask God and ourselves, is ‘What do we do, that make eternal impact?’ and conversely, ‘What do we do, that is wood, hay and stubble, that has no eternal worth?’

Psalm 39:4

“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered— how fleeting my life is.

The wisdom of the ages is this: Discover what God is doing in our generation, and do only that.

Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for it is the stuff life is made of.

Benjamin Franklin

Today I am burdened with eternity, questioning how best to grow, obey, and move into 2018 bearing the most and best fruit for the kingdom of God I am able.

“More time is wasted not in hours but in minutes. A bucket with a small hole in the bottom gets just as empty as a bucket that is deliberately kicked over.”

Source Unknown

Somehow, since the Israel trip, my vision and passion have been dulled, and it is time to come back into the presence of Heaven, and His life, to be renewed, strengthened, and reenergized.

Isaiah 28:10

He tells us everything over and over— one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there!”

There is much to learn, grow in, DO for the kingdom!

I would always find myself in step with Holy Spirit, moving in prophetic visionary directives in obedience fully to the Lord, so that I can be a voice for Him, never merely an echo.

1 Chronicles 12:32

And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do;

I will have the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, without compromise!

Jesus teaches us to live ready for His return, whenever the day or hour:

Matthew 24:44

You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

And He expects us to walk in sync with Him, to understand the times in which we live:

Luke 12:56

You fools! You know how to interpret the weather signs of the earth and sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the present times

Colossians 4:5

Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.

There is eternity! Heaven and Hell are real places. People must be born-again to even see the kingdom. There are eternal harvests and consequences to our lives.

This gospel must go to the ends of the earth, for the end to come: https://chrisaomministries.com/2017/02/27/do-you-want-to-go-to-heaven/

Let’s pray:

‘Father, give me the grace to seek You. Open Your Word again to my understanding. Rekindle the fire of passion in my first love for You Lord Jesus! Amen!”

Forgive and Forget!

Read this little story, and it made me think…

Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, was reminded one day of a vicious deed that someone had done to her years before. But she acted as if she had never even heard of the incident. “Don’t you remember it?” her friend asked. “No,” came Barton’s reply, “I distinctly remember forgetting it.”

Luis Palau, Experiencing God’s Forgiveness, Multnomah Press, 1985

Jesus commands us to forgive, but then what?

Matthew 6:14

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

15

but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Forgiveness is a choice, but how do we move past the horror of what the other person has done?

Clara Barton figured it out, with a strong, disciplined mind.

She refused to allow the wickedness others did, to occupy her thought life.

We are all pressing towards the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, or should be. This world is not our home, heaven is.

What happened yesterday, or yesteryear, cannot be allowed to dictate what we do today.

I like the way the apostle Paul said it:

Philippians 3:

¹³ 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,

Here it is Christmas again, and families are getting together again. There are those that are ‘stuck like chuck’ in their traditions and who would hold you emotionally hostage to your past failures, or the brutality of what they have been allowed to do to you.

Forget it!

 

Act differently, and refuse to lower yourself to their level, no matter what they do.

It’s going to take the power of God to do…

Let’s pray:

‘Father, as I gather with family and friends this holiday, I refuse to be defined by my past, or theirs. I choose to forgive and forget their wrongs, and I choose to receive Your grace and strength, to not allow them to drag me down into their mess and guilt trips. I ask this, knowing I am heard and answered, for I ask in Your name Lord Jesus, Amen!”

In his book. Lee: The Last Years, Charles Bracelen Flood reports that after the Civil War, Robert E. Lee visited a Kentucky lady who took him to the remains of a grand old tree in front of her house. There she bitterly cried that its limbs and trunk had been destroyed by Federal artillery fire. She looked to Lee for a word condemning the North or at least sympathizing with her loss. After a brief silence, Lee said, “Cut it down, my dear Madam, and forget it.” It is better to forgive the injustices of the past than to allow them to remain, let bitterness take root and poison the rest of our life.

Michael Williams

 

Christmas at the Gas Station

The old man sat in his gas station on a cold Christmas Eve. He hadn’t been anywhere in years since his wife had passed away. It was just another day to him. He didn’t hate Christmas, just couldn’t find a reason to celebrate. He was sitting there looking at the snow that had been falling for the last hour and wondering what it was all about when the door opened and a homeless man stepped through.

Instead of throwing the man out, Old George as he was known by his customers, told the man to come and sit by the heater and warm up. “Thank you, but I don’t mean to intrude,” said the stranger. “I see you’re busy, I’ll just go.” “Not without something hot in your belly.” George said.

He turned and opened a wide mouth Thermos and handed it to the stranger. “It ain’t much, but it’s hot and tasty. Stew … Made it myself. When you’re done, there’s coffee and it’s fresh.”

Just at that moment he heard the “ding” of the driveway bell. “Excuse me, be right back,” George said. There in the driveway was an old ’53 Chevy. Steam was rolling out of the front. The driver was panicked. “Mister can you help me!” said the driver, with a deep Spanish accent. “My wife is with child and my car is broken.” George opened the hood. It was bad. The block looked cracked from the cold, the car was dead. “You ain’t going in this thing,” George said as he turned away.

“But Mister, please help …” The door of the office closed behind George as he went inside. He went to the office wall and got the keys to his old truck, and went back outside. He walked around the building, opened the garage, started the truck and drove it around to where the couple was waiting. “Here, take my truck,” he said. “She ain’t the best thing you ever looked at, but she runs real good.”

George helped put the woman in the truck and watched as it sped off into the night. He turned and walked back inside the office. “Glad I gave ’em the truck, their tires were shot too. That ‘ol truck has brand new .” George thought he was talking to the stranger, but the man had gone. The Thermos was on the desk, empty, with a used coffee cup beside it. “Well, at least he got something in his belly,” George thought.

George went back outside to see if the old Chevy would start. It cranked slowly, but it started. He pulled it into the garage where the truck had been. He thought he would tinker with it for something to do. Christmas Eve meant no customers. He discovered the block hadn’t cracked, it was just the bottom hose on the radiator. “Well, shoot, I can fix this,” he said to
himself. So he put a new one on.

“Those tires ain’t gonna get ’em through the winter either.” He took the snow treads off of his wife’s old Lincoln. They were like new and he wasn’t going to drive the car anyway.

As he was working, he heard shots being fired. He ran outside and beside a police car an officer lay on the cold ground. Bleeding from the left shoulder, the officer moaned, “Please help me.”

George helped the officer inside as he remembered the training he had received in the Army as a medic. He knew the wound needed attention. “Pressure to stop the bleeding,” he thought. The uniform company had been there that morning and had left clean shop towels. He used those and duct tape to bind the wound. “Hey, they say duct tape can fix anythin’,” he said, trying to make the policeman feel at ease.

“Something for pain,” George thought. All he had was the pills he used for his back. “These ought to work.” He put some water in a cup and gave the policeman the pills. “You hang in there, I’m going to get you an ambulance.”

The phone was dead. “Maybe I can get one of your buddies on that there talk box out in your car.” He went out only to find that a bullet had gone into the dashboard destroying the two way radio.

He went back in to find the policeman sitting up. “Thanks,” said the officer. “You could have left me there. The guy that shot me is still in the area.”

George sat down beside him, “I would never leave an injured man in the Army and I ain’t gonna leave you.” George pulled back the bandage to check for bleeding. “Looks worse than what it is. Bullet passed right through ‘ya. Good thing it missed the important stuff though. I think with time your gonna be right as rain.”

George got up and poured a cup of coffee. “How do you take it?” he asked. “None for me,” said the officer. “Oh, yer gonna drink this. Best in the city. Too bad I ain’t got no donuts.” The officer laughed and winced at the same time.

The front door of the office flew open. In burst a young man with a gun. “Give me all your cash! Do it now!” the young man yelled. His hand was shaking and George could tell that he had never done anything like this before.

“That’s the guy that shot me!” exclaimed the officer.

“Son, why are you doing this?” asked George, “You need to put the cannon away. Somebody else might get hurt.”

The young man was confused. “Shut up old man, or I’ll shoot you, too. Now give me the cash!”

The cop was reaching for his gun. “Put that thing away,” George said to the cop, “we got one too many in here now.”

He turned his attention to the young man. “Son, it’s Christmas Eve. If you need money, well then, here. It ain’t much but it’s all I got. Now put that pea shooter away.”

George pulled $150 out of his pocket and handed it to the young man, reaching for the barrel of the gun at the same time. The young man released his grip on the gun, fell to his knees and began to cry. “I’m not very good at this am I? All I wanted was to buy something for my wife and son,” he went on. “I’ve lost my job, my rent is due, my car got repossessed last week.”

George handed the gun to the cop. “Son, we all get in a bit of squeeze now and then. The road gets hard sometimes, but we make it through the best we can.”

He got the young man to his feet, and sat him down on a chair across from the cop. “Sometimes we do stupid things.” George handed the young man a cup of coffee. “Bein’ stupid is one of the things that makes us human. Comin’ in here with a gun ain’t the answer. Now sit there and get warm and we’ll sort this thing out.”

The young man had stopped crying. He looked over to the cop. “Sorry I shot you. It just went off. I’m sorry officer.” “Shut up and drink your coffee ” the cop said. George could hear the sounds of sirens outside. A police car and an ambulance skidded to a halt. Two cops came through the door, guns drawn. “Chuck! You ok?” one of the cops asked the wounded officer.

“Not bad for a guy who took a bullet. How did you find me?”

“GPS locator in the car. Best thing since sliced bread. Who did this?” the other cop asked as he approached the young man.

Chuck answered him, “I don’t know. The guy ran off into the dark. Just dropped his gun and ran.”

George and the young man both looked puzzled at each other.

“That guy work here?” the wounded cop continued. “Yep,” George said, “just hired him this morning. Boy lost his job.”

The paramedics came in and loaded Chuck onto the stretcher. The young man leaned over the wounded cop and whispered, “Why?”

Chuck just said, “Merry Christmas boy … and you too, George, and thanks for everything.”

“Well, looks like you got one doozy of a break there. That ought to solve some of your problems.”

George went into the back room and came out with a box. He pulled out a ring box. “Here you go, something for the little woman. I don’t think Martha would mind. She said it would come in handy some day.”

The young man looked inside to see the biggest diamond ring he ever saw. “I can’t take this,” said the young man. “It means something to you.”

“And now it means something to you,” replied George. “I got my memories. That’s all I need.”

George reached into the box again. An airplane, a car and a truck appeared next. They were toys that the oil company had left for him to sell. “Here’s something for that little man of yours.”

The young man began to cry again as he handed back the $150 that the old man had handed him earlier.

“And what are you supposed to buy Christmas dinner with? You keep that too,” George said. “Now git home to your family.”

The young man turned with tears streaming down his face. “I’ll be here in the morning for work, if that job offer is still good.”

“Nope. I’m closed Christmas day,” George said. “See ya the day after.”

George turned around to find that the stranger had returned. “Where’d you come from? I thought you left?”

“I have been here. I have always been here,” said the stranger. “You say you don’t celebrate Christmas. Why?”

“Well, after my wife passed away, I just couldn’t see what all the bother was. Puttin’ up a tree and all seemed a waste of a good pine tree. Bakin’ cookies like I used to with Martha just wasn’t the same by myself and besides I was gettin’ a little chubby.”

The stranger put his hand on George’s shoulder. “But you do celebrate the holiday, George. You gave me food and drink and warmed me when I was cold and hungry. The woman with child will bear a son and he will become a great doctor.

The policeman you helped will go on to save 19 people from being killed by terrorists. The young man who tried to rob you will make you a rich man and not take any for himself. “That is the spirit of the season and you keep it as good as any man.”

George was taken aback by all this stranger had said. “And how do you know all this?” asked the old man.

“Trust me, George. I have the inside track on this sort of thing. And when your days are done you will be with Martha again.”

The stranger moved toward the door. “If you will excuse me, George, I have to go now. I have to go home where there is a big celebration planned.”

George watched as the old leather jacket and the torn pants that the stranger was wearing turned into a white robe. A golden light began to fill the room.

“You see, George … it’s My birthday. Merry Christmas.”

George fell to his knees and replied, “Happy Birthday, Lord Jesus”

Merry Christmas!!

This story is better than any greeting card.