Influence of a father on the faith practice of his children

Just want to highlight results from this swiss study for all dads:

•Mother attends church regularly, father is non-practicing, percentage of children attending regularly as adults: 1.5%

•Both mother and father attend church regularly, percentage of children attending weekly as adults: 32.8%

•Father attends church regularly, mother is non-practicing, percentage of children attending regularly as adults: 44.2%

In short, if a father does not go to church, no matter how faithful his wife’s devotions, only one child in 50 will become a regular worshiper. If a father does go regularly, regardless of the practice of the mother, between two-thirds and three-quarters of their children will become churchgoers (regular and irregular)…

An unrelated survey in the USA also found fathers to be highly influential in church attendance. It found that if a child is the first person in a household to become a Christian, there is a 3.5% probability everyone else in the household will follow. If the mother is the first to become a Christian, there is a 17% probability everyone else in the household will follow. However, when the father is first, there is a 93% probability everyone else in the household will follow

Bottom line: MEN – LEAD!

Let’s Pray:

‘Father God, help us to become faithful in attendance at our local church, bringing our families with us. In Your Name I pray Lord Jesus, Amen’

A Call to Fast and pray…

Fasting, a Christian discipline –

Each year, as I seek the Lord, there comes a time, when I deliberate fast and pray – a time to let go of agendas, offences, even daily disciplines, that are not bearing any fruit in my life. Time to reflect, receive fresh vision and direction, to replenish, and then launch out again in His plan and destiny of my life. Hear the words of Jesus:

MATTHEW 6:16-18

Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.,

As a Rhema Graduate, I have heard Kenneth E Hagin teach on many subjects, but his book, ‘A Common Sense Guide to Fasting’ has been a great help to me over the years.. I encourage you to read it: http://www.rhema.org/store/a-commonsense-guide-to-fasting-book.html

As I prepare to do my particular yearly fast of ‘no pleasant food’, I am encouraged by this quote from brother Hagins book:

“Remember how Daniel fasted 21 days? He ate no “pleasant bread.” We need to realize there is more than one way to fast. Daniel didn’t eat anything he wanted, but he did eat a little something. That is harder to do sometimes.

You see, it’s a matter of keeping the flesh under; keeping the body under and not letting it dominate you. You dominate it instead.

If you wanted to go a step further, you could fast things other than food. You might say, “Now, Lord, I’m going to leave off watching television and spend that time praying.” (Daniel said he gave up eating pleasant bread. So why wouldn’t it be all right to leave off other things that might be pleasant to us?)

A well-known evangelist when he was pastoring decided to give God 10 percent of his time in prayer. He began to pray at night after his family was in bed. He prayed two hours and 40 minutes each night. To do that he had to sacrifice his television time. God has given him an internationally known ministry.”

Over the years, I have been drawn repeatedly back to these verses of Scripture as I fast:

^{Isaiah 58:6}Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

⁷Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

⁸Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward.

⁹Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;

¹⁰And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day:

¹¹And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

¹²And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.

¹³If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:

¹⁴Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

So, for the record, I am going to go through these verses for you, and explain the ways I have used them in my own particular journey of faith:

^{Isaiah 58:6}Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

As I fast and pray, I recognize that we have spiritual enemies that if not directly preventing our success, always try to at least contain us in some measure to their control. I am believing for God Almighty to break their bands of wickedness, to remove their heavy burdens, to let me go free from all demonic oppression, and oppression by ungodly people. A yoke is something you harness an animal by. Forces that are driving and prodding me into pathways other than the glorious liberty of the Spirit of God, must go, be broken, by the power of Jesus!

These verses are a ‘heart check’ for me. I should already, always, continually be feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for those less fortunate. Yet, here I check myself as to how well I am actually doing this as a man of God. Do I have clothes I can give away? Can I provide shelter for someone who can never repay me? Am I actually living and walking in the love of God?

‘and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?’

In the Amplified Bible it says:

‘and that you hide not yourself from [the needs of] your own flesh and blood?’

Here is where the rubber meets the road. How well am I exemplifying the love of Jesus to my own family members? ,

Fasting is hard on our pride and selfish natures – seems it is easier to love stangers, than family members who are not living the way WE think they should. God loves them, and if we are to represent Him, we must too, no matter what they have done, or are doing…. Maybe a simple telephone call, card, or birthday gift will break the ice on relational walls of bitterness, grudges held generationally – rationalized because: ‘that’s just the way we are’” Nope, there is a cross for our sin, and our lack of love towards family, is one that must die….We are called to love…

Back in college, I took a couple courses in computer programming. We would write modules in Pascal (I know, for all you ‘C++’ programmers it is a dinosaur), where we would tell the computer IF (this condition is met), THEN (this must happen). In the previous verses, God was telling us to DO certain things in both prayer, in attitude, and action.

IF we do these things, then we qualify for THEN He will do these things:

⁸Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward.

⁹Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am.

The true purpose of fasting is to seek God, who is life, love, purity, power, strength, purpose, direction, power, holiness, healing and prosperity. God is love!

Light speaks of revelation to me: Psalm 119:130

The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

Here we see revelation being imparted, healing from the throne of God, justification before our enemies, the glory of God deposited in our lives, and intimacy, the thing we desperately need, the innermost needs of our heart met by the Lord Himself – we call, and He answers! Sometimes the greatest miracle in life, is to be granted supernatural understanding of a situation!

Back to another ‘IF’

If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity.

My translation? Stop gossiping, wasting your precious conversations with words empty of substance and power, judging, pointing fingers at others – your life has never been about them anyway, it’s about you and Jesus! Change your words, change your life – SPEAK THE WORD OF GOD! Words of power!

¹⁰And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul;

In my life: ‘drawing out my soul to the hungry’ is to pour my love out in teaching, preaching, encouraging, instructing people with the bread of life, the Word of God. People are hungry for love, the greatest need of all, the only thing that will meet the true hunger of every heart, is Jesus! He will heal the afflicted soul! Yes, we work and supply physical food, but what about loving and injecting life into our particular world? Money will not do this, unless used in love to alleviate human suffering, and meet legitimate needs…If we do these things

THEN

then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day:

¹¹And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

Much can be said here, but this speaks of the result of our work and effort. Jesus walks with us, and does signs, wonders and miracles, and others lives are changed. They catch the vision, and move in His love and power, and the result of their work is foundations of many generations being raised up, and we become repairers of the breach, restorers of the way, the one true path, the pathways of purpose, the straight and narrow path, the walk of faith with Jesus! Notice here that it is those whose lives we touch that build up the waste places, raising up the foundations of many generations…

and make fat thy bones:

These simple words have great depth and meaning. Medically, we know that in the marrow of our bones, is where our blood cells are actually produced. Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: Seems that as we fast, God does a deep, deep work in our bodies, strengthening our bone marrow, to infuse us with His life.

Isaiah 58:11 (CJB)

¹¹Adonai will always guide you; he will satisfy your needs in the desert, he will renew the strength in your limbs;

Isaiah 58:11 (NIRV)

¹¹I will always guide you. I will satisfy your needs in a land baked by the sun. I will make you stronger.

Isaiah 58:11 (NLT)

¹¹The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength.

Isaiah 58:11 (NIV)

¹¹The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.

One day when I was fasting, struggling to become stronger in my weight training program, these words jumped off the page at me: and will strengthen your frame.

I saw that by fasting, I could literally become physically stronger.

Check this out:

Yeshayah 58:11 (OJB)

¹¹And Hashem shall guide thee tamid, and satisfy thy nefesh in drought, and strengthen thy atzmot; and thou shalt be like a gan raveh (well-watered garden), and like a motzah mayim (spring of water), whose mayim fail not.

I am no Hebrew Scholar, but I needed to know what ‘atzmot’ was.

Best definition I found is the one by Dr. Rachel Adelman, Jewish scholar.

She states: atzmot – Opening the Ibn Shoshan dictionary to the word ‘atzma’ut, one finds the following definition: “ability to stand on one’s own; independence from others; autonomy.”

I remember some years ago reading a Body building article, as I was (and still am) trying to combine a decent cardio fitness routine, with strength training. In the article, the author spoke about how, in heavy lifting, you literally tore the deep interskelatal muscles that attached to your bones, and that it was these deep muscle tissues that allowed us to handle heavy weights…

‘I will strengthen your frame!’

¹³“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
    and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
    and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
    and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
¹⁴then you will find your joy in the Lord,
    and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land
    and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

I notice again my old computer training kicking in again: IF…THEN.

If we serve God, THEN He will give us joy, He will give us victory.

Psalm 92:13 (NIV) ¹³planted in the house of the Lord,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.

In short, FAST IN FAITH!

Faith only comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. God is love, and He is not looking for a hunger strike from you and I, but as always, that we draw near to Him, meet with Him, and let Him direct our lives for good.

Struggling to make something happen?

Consider fasting and praying – it works!

Jesus is Lord!

Jesus Decisions upon the Harvest

John 4:35

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

I am determined to be a voice for God, not merely an echo:

Today, I hear Jesus saying: “I am making decisions based upon my harvests in the earth, in 2015, and for years to come. I am opening up new fields, and have prepared and raised up leaders to reap them. Those who commit to harvest, shall be blessed, promoted, and prospered. Those who do not, who have become comfortable, will be passed by, missing great opportunity, and eternal reward. Do not be shaken by those leaving the earth by way of the grave, they have run their race, finished their course, and I am bringing them home to glory, for I love them! Lift up your eyes to the harvest and align yourselves with people and ministries that have harvest, growth, and souls as their pursuit – shake off ungodly yokes and relational entanglements designed to drain my life from you, but run YOUR race before me, without restraint or compromise, and see my victory, joy, breakthroughs, signs, wonders and miracles in the earth”

The Switchman

There was a man who worked for the railway as a switchman. He lived at the edge of a river, alongside the tracks. The river had a swinging railway bridge that remained open most of the time to let the ships go through. When a train came, the control office would radio ahead to the switchman, who would go out to his little switching shack at the side of the tracks, to sound the horn to stop shipping, and swing the bridge into place so the passenger train could cross. This happened twice a day, and became a routine for everyone involved. Some days, the switchman would allow his three-year-old son to sit in the shack with him, gently holding him on his knee, while he operated the levers. When the afternoon passenger train arrived, together they would hold hands at the side of the tracks and wave at the passengers as the huge train thundered across the bridge. The father loved his son, and they loved to spend time together.

As time went on, the bridge began to decay, and the locking mechanism on the far side of the river began to malfunction. When this happened, the switchman could walk across the bridge, and put his shoulder into a huge lever, that manually locked the bridge in place. One day, as usual, the switchman got the radio call announcing the afternoon passenger express. In the prescribed fashion, he sounded the foghorns stopping the shipping traffic, and activated the switch to swing the huge old bridge into place. Slowly, it swung across the river, and as had happened before, it refused to lock into place. Looking around, the man saw no sign of his little boy, so he began the walk across the river to manually lock the bridge. As he proceeded across, he heard the train whistle, coming around the bend. “I’m not moving as fast as usual,” he thought, but there was still time. He began to hurry, reaching the other side, as the train came into view barreling down the tracks. Sweating, catching his breath, he sighed “Phew, made it”. As he grabbed hold of the lever, he realized the train was close now, but he still had time. As he put his shoulder behind the lever, he heard a sound that made his blood curl. “Daddy”. In horror, he looked up to see his son walking across the tracks to be with him. The train was pounding on, and suddenly, he realized there was no time to do anything. He had to make a decision. Either lock the bridge, and have the train make it across safely, or leave it unlocked, and have the train plummet into the river, in which case his own son would surely die. With a cry of anguish, he flung the lever into place, and the hurtling train instantly crushed his son beneath its weight. He fell to his knees, crushed beneath the horror of what he’d done. The train conductor and the passengers stood up to wave, totally oblivious to the kneeling, weeping man at the side of the tracks. The train went on its way, and the man picked up the broken, crushed body of his son, and headed home to tell his wife.

Picture if you will the anguish of that man as he carried the body of his son back across that bridge that night. That is a picture of the heart of Father God, when another Son died for you and for me, 2000 years ago on a cross. His anguish caused the earth to split, and the sky to become as black as night. How many of us, are like the passengers on that train, oblivious to the incredible price that was paid for each of our lives when Jesus died on the cross in our stead.

The question now is simple: How comfortable are you with your neighbor going to hell?

Jesus is the only way to heaven, there is no other way to be forgiven our sins…

Perhaps, you are the only one they might listen to, please tell them.

I’m going to make it really easy for you: Simply cut and paste this link, and send it to them….

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/11/10/the-gospel-the-power-of-god/

Living Stones!

Living Stones

As I sit here today, I cannot get away from a simple statement made by my daughter Keila: ‘Dad, I finally figured out why people have rough edges, so we can fit the pieces together”

Got to thinking about all the people I know that have rough edges, and how well we get along as we do life and serve Jesus together.

Today, I want to honor one of them in this blog, someone who has become a brother in battle, one of the few I honestly call friend.

His name is Harry Hayes. In the eyes of many, he is simply a crotchety old veteran, got a few aches and pains along life’s rough road, had to put in the hospital couple weeks back, when he blacked out in men’s prayer. Sometimes he gets angry, frustrated with the pain, and the new-fangled technology generation that has neat toys that he does not yet fully know how to use. Yet, don’t be fooled by the outward appearance of this humble 74 year old man, Harry is a warrior. He’s the real deal.

He served 23 years in the United States army, a combat veteran doing tours of duty in Viet Nam, Germany, Desert Storm, to name a few battle grounds. Places where they had to ‘stack bodies like cordwood.’ Where fear tried to clutch lives as surely as bullets on night watches on enemy lines….

Yet, Harry loves Jesus. He knows Him, and serves Him, and my Jesus has seen this warrior through the trials of life faithfully, protecting and delivering him from certain death many, many times.

Couple years back, Harry and I were eating breakfast after the death of Joanne, his wife and love of 30 years.

He asked me what to do, Joanne and he did everything together, going to prisons to visit inmates, teaching Sunday school for 15 years, travelling and going to church together, so our lives were about to become inextricatly intertwined.

I said to him, ‘Harry, the way I see it, you only have two choices. You can go home, and get yourself a rocking chair on the porch, and wait for death to come get you, and Jesus to take you home, or, in a couple of months, you need to get in the back of the van, and we need to go to Mexico for Christmas, and do something for Jesus with a friend of mine, Daniel King. You seek Harry, missions are the heart of God, and Daniel is organizing a missions trip to make Christmas happen for a bunch of children in Juarez, that because of the atrocities of the drug cartel, are not going to have one.’

The rest is history. On Christmas day of 2012, we hit the road at 4AM in a brutal snowstorm, and drove to El Paso, Texas.

That Christmas, 17 of us got to serve with Daniel and Jessica, handing out 1300 Teddy Bears to children, candy canes, and 2 tons of beans and rice to their moms. One afternoon as 700 children gathered to hear about Jesus, sing Christmas carols, and receive gifts, we all found purpose in living for Jesus, that there is joy in the battle, when we love those who could never pay us back…

Now, 2 years later, Harry has been on five trips with our family, and he is now ‘uncle’ Harry in our house. This gruff old man, has proven to be a warrior, born for battle, one you want in the hard places of life. As we have slept on church floors, and done some long, exhausting stretches of highway, he never complains, but worships Jesus as we go, as God takes us, the weak and the foolish things of this world, to confound the wise, and great, great exploits have been wrought for the kingdom of God.

I have learned these verses to be true….

1 Peter 2:5 (AMP)

⁵[Come] and, like living stones, be yourselves built [into] a spiritual house, for a holy (dedicated, consecrated) priesthood, to offer up [those] spiritual sacrifices [that are] acceptable and pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:4-8 (MSG)

The Stone

^4-8Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honor. Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you’ll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God. The Scriptures provide precedent:

Look! I’m setting a stone in Zion, a cornerstone in the place of honor. Whoever trusts in this stone as a foundation will never have cause to regret it.

To you who trust him, he’s a Stone to be proud of, but to those who refuse to trust him,

The stone the workmen threw out is now the chief foundation stone.

For the untrusting it’s . . . a stone to trip over, a boulder blocking the way.

They trip and fall because they refuse to obey, just as predicted

That stones with rough edges can be carefully fit together by the hand of a master craftsman named Jesus, and that He Himself raises us up, master builders in Him, to apply morter, to knock off rough edges, and to carefully fit His people together, to form something greater than any one of us individually, could ever become, the church of the living God!

Matthew 16:18 (AMP)

¹⁸And I tell you, you are Peter [Greek, Petros—a large piece of rock], and on this rock [Greek, petra—a huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the infernal region) shall not overpower it [or be strong to its detriment or hold out against it].

Matthew 16:17-18 (MSG)

^17-18Jesus came back, “God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am. And now I’m going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.

Jesus is building His church, and as I read this article by C.H. Spurgeon today, I am encouraged!

“Then should our souls in Zion dwell, Nor fear the rage of Rome or hell.”

The church is not in danger, and she never can be. Let her enemies come on, she can resist. Her passive majesty, her silent rocky strength, bids them defiance now. Let them come on and break themselves in pieces, let them dash themselves against her, and learn the ready road to their own destruction. She is safe, and she must be safe even unto the end. Thus much then we can say of the structure; it is built by infinite wisdom, and it is impregnably secure. (http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0267.htm)”

We are living stones! Born-again in Him! Alive with the life of God! Church will never be about buildings, bricks and mortar, rather about the incredible work of Jesus building our lives, our relationships, strong in Him, together with His Body.

“There are too many churches that are nothing but a mass of dull, dead formality; there is no life of God there. You might go to worship with such a people, day after day, and your heart would never beat more quickly, your blood would never leap in its veins, your soul would never be refreshed, for it is an empty house. Fair may be the architecture of the structure, but empty is its storehouse, there is no table spread, there is no rejoicing, no killing of the fatted calf, no dancing, no singing for joy. Beloved, let us take heed, lest our churches become the same, lest we be combinations of men without spiritual life, and consequently houses uninhabited, because God is not there. But a true church, that is visited by the Spirit of God, where conversion, instruction, devotion, and the like, are carried on by the Spirit’s own living influences—such a church has God for its inhabitant.”

God in the midst of us is mighty, and truly the sum of the total far surpasses the combined sum of all the parts, because the infinite Creator of the universe lives within us!”

“Now, God calls the church his habitation—his home. See him abroad; he is hurling the thunderbolt and lifting up his voice upon the waters. Hearken to him; his voice breaks the cedars of Lebanon and makes the hinds to calve. See him when he makes war, riding the chariot of his might, he drives the rebellious angels over the battlements of heaven down to the depth of hell. Behold him as he lifteth himself in the majesty of his strength! Who is this that is glorious? It is God, most high and terrible. But see he lays aside his glittering sword; his spear he bears no longer. He cometh back to his home. His children are about him. He taketh his solace and his rest. Yes, think not I venture too far—he shall rest in his lover and he doth do it. He resteth in his church. He is no longer a consuming fire, a terror, and a flame. Now, is he love and kindness and sweetness, ready to hear the prattle of his children’s prayer, and the disjointed notes of his children’s song. Oh how beautiful is the picture of the church as God’s house, the place in which he takes his solace! “For the Lord hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation. This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.”

Why those wars and tempests, and then again this stillness and calm? It is for his church. Not an angel divides the ether who hath not a mission for the church…

The storehouses of God are for his church. The depths beneath of hidden treasure, of God’s unutterable riches—all these are for his people. There is nothing which he hath from his blazing crown to the darkness that is beneath his throne, that is not for his redeemed.

CH Spurgeon

You are being built, and you’re a temple of the living God!

Ephesians 2:20 (AMP)

²⁰You are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus Himself the chief Cornerstone

Used to hear the joke doing ministry among First Nations people that we could follow Jesus, because He is the great chief of all the tribes, ‘Chief Cornerstone’, chief of all chief’s! Yet, this saying is true, He is the head of the church, commander in chief of heaven and earth, for all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Him, when He rose victoriously from the dead, awarded the keys to death and hell, having ascended to the right hand of the throne of God, watching while we make His enemies, His footstool.

Ephesians 2:19-22 (MSG)

^19-22That’s plain enough, isn’t it? You’re no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home

Yes, we go to church, but it is what we are becoming at the feet of Jesus that is greater, and of eternal worth.

So, my counsel to you is simple: Go to Church, Be the Church, Be part of seeing the gates of hell fall before us in this generation – Grow the church.

Let’s pray:

‘Father, fit me into Your church, Your body, where I am supposed to be. Knock off my rough edges, pour your mortar over and around me, and set me in my place, impregnable against the storms of life, machinations of devils, and plots of wicked men. I ask this, knowing I am heard, for I ask in Your name Lord Jesus, Amen!’

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Give in faith!

1 Corinthians 9:11 If we have sown [the seed of] spiritual good among you, [is it too] much if we reap from your material benefits?

1 Corinthians 9:14 [On the same principle] the Lord directed that those who publish the good news (the Gospel) should live (get their maintenance) by the Gospel.

Paul goes on to say, that he did not use his position as a minister of the gospel to take up offerings, rather he worked, making tents, to support himself. You might notice here, that Paul was not married, nor did he have children. Family responsibilities take time, and just as you bust a move on your job to provide for your family, I work every bit as hard, doing this, faithful to the Lord in prayer and the ministry of His Word, to you.

I will never charge for this: it my responsibility to God, my calling. Freely I have been given, now, I freely give…

As you give, hear Holy Spirit what to give, and honestly expect God to reward you for your giving. I know I am in aggressive prayer for you and your family, daily!

Matt 10: 41 He who receives and welcomes and accepts a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward, and he who receives and welcomes and accepts a righteous man because he is a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whoever gives to one of these little ones [in rank or influence] even a cup of cold water because he is My disciple, surely I declare to you, he shall not lose his reward.

I have ‘see through’ faith for you, in this: Gal 3: 9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

I believe I have a responsibility before God to be like Jesus, in every offering I receive. I receive it with thanksgiving, just like Jesus did the little boys lunch.

Then, because I walk and live by faith according to the blessing of Abraham, I believe that God will take your seed sown, and multiply it, according to what the blessing of Abraham promises:

Genesis 22:17 In blessing I will bless you and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants like the stars of the heavens and like the sand on the seashore. And your Seed (Heir) will possess the gate of His enemies

It has been a joy to me, to see the hand of the living God act in the lives of those of you who have supported us this year!

Many have seen tremendous blessing come into your households, and for this we give thanks, and give Jesus all the glory!

He Came to bring Joy!

Ever had a bad day? Bad attitude? Discouragement?

Well, the kingdom of God has no bad days!

Jesus is joyful!

Here are some promises from the Word of God, asking God to restore your joy!

Joy Scriptures

Ps 35:27 Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.

Father, I shout unto you for joy! Thank you for happiness and gladness today, in Jesus name!

Ps 51:8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the… bones which thou hast broken may rejoice

Father, I know that in your presence is fullness of joy. Cause me to hear joy and gladness today!

Ps 51:12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit

Father, when we first met, I was full of joy, daily. Restore unto me the joy of my salvation. Uphold me Holy Spirit, and bring freedom!

Ps 105:43 And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness:

Father, you’ve seen my trials, and tears. Turn them into testimonies of your grace, as you bring me out, with joy and gladness.

Ps 126:5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

Father, you have seen my tears. I see the brokenness of our world, and I weep. Yet, you hear, you understand, and You answer with power. I believe you are manifesting miracles today, causing me to reap, in JOY!

Ne 8:10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

Your kingdom is one third joy Father. I receive your kingdom today, in Joy!

Is 12:3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

As I stir myself up to seek you today, with joy do I draw from the wells of salvation!

Isa 29:19 The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

I believe I am increasing my joy in you Jesus, rejoicing in the Holy One of Israel.

Isa 35:10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

As I come to you in song and worship, I obtain joy and gladness, and depression, sorrow, and sighing gotta go!

Isa 51:3 For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.

You see the fight of faith and challenges of life. I believe I receive your comfort Holy Spirit, that you are making me fruitful, and giving me joy, gladness, and song. Thank you Father!

Isa 51:11 Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

I’m redeemed by Jesus blood! I obtain joy and gladness!

Isa 55:12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

As I go into this world, I go out with joy, and am led forth in peace!

Isa 60:15 Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal Excellency, a joy of many generations.

Father, your call upon my life, produces eternal Excellency, joy to many generations!

Isa 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

Father, Holy Spirit is upon me, and has anointed me. Thank you for the oil of JOY!

Isa 61:7 For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.

I receive everlasting joy!

Isa 65:14 Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit.

Father, I am your servant! I sing for joy of heart!

Zep 3:17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

Father, I’m grateful for your love. Thank you for rejoicing over me in singing!

Luke 6:22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

Father, when I am persecuted and misunderstood for your sake, help me to leap for joy, seeing my trial from heaven’s perspective.

Ac 13:52 And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.

Fill me Holy Spirit, with joy!

Ro 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost

Lu 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Father, thank you for giving me your kingdom! I receive joy!

Ro 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Father, you see what I have believed, no I believe I receive joy and peace as I stand in faith!

Ps 30:5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

You have seen my tears, now I receive Joy!

Jude 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

Unto you Jesus, do I bow in thanksgiving, praise, and worship. You are well able to keep me, both in this life and the next!

Hear God – Even if you are in trouble!

Revelation brings persecution!

Heb 10: 32 But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;

Mr 4:17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.

2Co 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

When you honestly hear God, Satan will oppose you. The very direction, illumination, and revelation you have been seeking God for, when granted, brings Satan on the scene.

Why?

Containment.

If he can’t take the Word from you, he will try and shake it from you, and he does this to stop the work of God in the earth. You cannot judge what you hear from God by your circumstances, or the voices of other people, but must judge what you hear by the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God.

Jesus said: Joh 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

The apostles knew this, and taught it to the early church, clearly:

Ac 14:22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

You will have victory in this life, when you believe God, and walk out what He is telling you, but it is not always a walk of ease. There can be intense hardship, affliction, and persecution for following Jesus, to try to get you off of your heavenly mandate and vision.

1Jo 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Your belief will see you through, and you will become stronger than your trial, as you obey God.

1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

If you are in a trial of your faith now, know that you are not alone. All of us that have stepped out in faith have experienced challenges, sometimes very, very severely. Yet, God did not bring the trial, He loves us, and is a good God. He will give you overwhelming, supernatural power and grace to not only go through it, but to explode out the other side in total victory, not just a winner, a conquerer, but more than a conquerer in Him. Keep on walking friend, you are not alone warrior, history making and nation shaking is our duty and responsibility, let’s walk through it in JOY!

33 Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.

Had a group of businessmen that I had led to the Lord buy me a plaque, that read, ‘He is no fool, that gives up what he cannot keep, to gain that which he can never lose!”

It is a statement made by a missionary named Jim Elliot, who was killed for trying to share the gospel with an unreached Indian tribe in South America.

In the eyes of the world, we may look like fools, laughingstocks to people who have no understanding of who we are and what we do. Yet our testimony is making headlines in heaven! What we are doing has eternal weight and consequence!

34 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.

These Christians loved Paul, their minister, when everyone else wanted him imprisoned or killed. It cost them their stuff, the joyful spoiling of their goods, yet they saw their lives through heavens eyes.

35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.

The word Confidence here, is the same word translated in other verses as Boldness. Live boldly for Jesus, and do not back down on what He has told you.

36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

Who is He? Jesus! King of kings, Lord of Lords, king of glory! When He shows up on the scene, you trial ends, with His power and glory displayed!

38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

What we believe keeps us alive! No matter what the circumstances are screaming, believe, and continue walking forward! You are putting a smile on God’s face as you do, and with all the heartache and evil in the world, that alone should be enough to encourage you. He has been good to us, let’s give Him pleasure!

39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

You are going to make it! Jesus is with you, and I am praying for you! You are not alone, but have heaven on it’s feet, the great cloud of witnesses, cheering you on! Don’t let up, shut up, nor put up with compromise! WHATEVER HE SAYS, DO IT!

2 Corinthians 4:13

We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;

Jesus knows, He sees, He feels, and He understands!

He loves you! Even if you feel you cannot see Him:

Is 63:9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Jesus knows! Jesus cares! He knows what you are going through, and these verses declare that He is in it with you! He will never leave you nor forsake you, and has given you Holy Spirit and angels to get you through.

Ro 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

When you have come to the end of yourself, pray in the Holy Spirit. He will help you, strengthen you, comfort, encourage, direct, and reveal to you what needs to be done. Jesus loves you, and so do I, you are not alone….

Is 64:1 ¶ Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,

2 As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!

3 When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.

4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.

This is the cry of my heart these days. I was in a meeting once, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, at a conference in the revival there, at Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship. Worship had been deep and rich, and there was an incredible presence of God in the air, as the man of God came to the pulpit to preach. Then, it happened: God moved. The minister was knocked to the floor, and like a wave, so were the 5000 people present in the meeting. We laid on the floor, some under chairs, for over an hour, the only sound being the occasional deep sobbing and weeping of God’s people as He ministered. There was a tremendous fear of the Lord in the place. God showed up, not in some Holy Ghost giftings, and goose bumps, but in His power, majesty and glory, and no man could stand to minister, nor speak for that matter.

This is my cry for the church here in the United States, and for America. That God show up, and reveal again His power, majesty, holiness, and glory, to this generation. For this I am pressing in, the hope of the nations, the only hope for this nation….Jesus is Lord!

Yet, even after the manifest presence and glory of God is revealed, we must still walk by faith:

Hebrews 11:6 [Full Chapter]

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Matthew 13:21

yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended

Seems that in the glory of God, God speaks clearly. When He does, He expects us to believe what He says, to the exclusion of every other voice and circumstance. His passion is to be believed and trusted…this is a way we can put a smile on His face!

When we actually believe that He has not only spoken to us, but that despite the often incredibly contrary circumstances, He, Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth is both willing and able to bring to pass exactly what He said He would….

This, and distractions are the main reasons the works of Jesus do not fully happen in the earth…

He is developing us, for eternal rank and privilege, and this life becomes a training ground for this process, as we learn to live and walk by faith!

Romans 8:29 (King James)

²⁹For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

He loves us! Holy Spirit will both bring to our remembrance things He has already told us to do, and will show us things to come…

Yet, His name is ‘I AM’, the one who will never leave nor forsake us, and NOW, faith is.

He has opened doors for you and I:

John 10:3

To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out

1 Corinthians 10:13 (DLNT)

¹³A temptation has not seized you except what is common-to-humanity. And God is faithful, Who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but also with the temptation will make the way-out, that you may be able to endure

Even now, as we seek Him in His Word, He speaks, He leads, He reveals, and He guides…

Acts 22:14

And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth

Hebrews 3:7

Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,

Hebrews 4:7

again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Revelation 21:3

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

We are called to bring Heaven to earth, by His Word and our obedience to His Spirit.

There are always people on the other side of our obedience, people who are good works for us, prepared from before the foundation of the world, for His glory.

Yesterdays tragedies, failures, or victories are but memories and instruction points: we learn from them, but today is the day of salvation, and NOW faith is what is required.

Today is a great day to obey God, a great day for your miracle, a great day to work miracles in the lives of those He has called you to serve!

Let’s Pray:

‘Father, Today, I would obey You! Today, I release my faith in You for direction, breakthroughs, wisdom, the hearing afresh and anew, Your voice. I expect You to use me and flow through me today to promote Your kingdom and Your glory, for I come before Your throne, knowing I am loved, heard, and answered, for I have come in Your mighty and matchless name Lord Jesus, Amen!’

For prayer, comments, or to donate online:

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Give in faith!

1 Corinthians 9:11 If we have sown [the seed of] spiritual good among you, [is it too] much if we reap from your material benefits?

1 Corinthians 9:14 [On the same principle] the Lord directed that those who publish the good news (the Gospel) should live (get their maintenance) by the Gospel.

I will never charge for this: it my responsibility to God, my calling. Freely I have been given, now, I freely give…

As you give, hear Holy Spirit what to give, and honestly expect God to reward you for your giving.

I have ‘see through’ faith for you, in this: Gal 3: 9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

I believe I have a responsibility before God to be like Jesus, in every offering I receive. I receive it with thanksgiving, just like Jesus did the little boys lunch.

Then, because I walk and live by faith according to the blessing of Abraham, I believe that God will take your seed sown, and multiply it, according to what the blessing of Abraham promises:

It has been a joy to me, to see the hand of the living God act in the lives of those of you who have supported us this year!

Many have seen tremendous blessing come into your households, and for this we give thanks, and give Jesus all the glory!

Manhood – A Bit of Redneck Righteousness

Redneck Righteousness – A challenge to manhood

It has been said that a Redneck is a guy, who grew up country. A rough and ready kind of guy, that is a man of action, taking care of business. Strong.

I originally wrote this on veterans day, a time to honor freedom, and the men who give it to us…

Most of you who know me, know that I have worked construction many years, and co-owned a millwork company in the rough and tumble of Oklahoma for seven years.

Here I think of some of the oilmen, ranchers, construction workers, military, police, and firemen I have met over the years, that would embrace these seven claims to manhood.

Men who love God, their families and this country.

Seven Claims of Manhood

1. A Man keeps his word – Word given, word kept

Ps 15:4 In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.

Heard a preacher preach this verse one day, made me chuckle: Psalm 50:9 (RSVCE) |
9 I will accept no bull from your house

Our words should count! We do not need to be cute and full of show and no go. Say what you mean, and mean what you say, and you will be respected.

Read Job 29, the whole chapter and see what a man of God, respected in the community and by God looks like:

I pick it up here in verse:
8 The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the aged arose, and stood up.
9 The princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth.
10 The nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth

Be that man!

2. Finishes what He starts:

Re 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

Re 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

If you bit off more than you can chew: chew! Get yourself some help if you need to, but finish what you start. The world is full of dreamers, schemers, and wanna be’s. Be a man of conviction, if you start something, finish it.

3. Keeps a good name –

Many of you know, my father served 32 years as a naval officer. I grew up on military bases all over the place, but have learned that no matter where in the world you are, you need to keep a good name….

Pr 22:1 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

Ec 7:1 A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.

Why is the day of our death better than the day of our birth? Because if we have served God, when we die, we enter into our eternal reward, the rest of the Lord we have worked our whole life for.

Don’t get all proud and haughty over this one. What I want to say here is stay faithful to God, and stay in the fight. When you do, you will end up with a good name, God Himself will make sure of it. You don’t need to blow your own horn:

John 12:26
If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

All these people running around promoting themselves, get outta the rat race. You are not a rat, you are running a different kind of race.

Proverbs 27:2 Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.

God is not deaf nor blind. If you seek Him first, and put Him and His Word first place in your every decision, your promotion will come, and nothing and no one can stop it. Keep learning, growing, developing, and He will open doors for you that no man can shut.

Psalm 75: 5 Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck.
6 For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.
7 But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another

Servanthood, honesty and hard work will promote you, God has set these things in the earth for our eternal development, embrace the process. Read, learn, and grow…Push your limits, find a way around your limitations…

4. Attends Church –

Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Need some more reasons? Read this: https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/12/04/why-go-to-church/

Find yourself a good, life-giving, Bible believing church, where you can raise your family in truth. Shop if you need to. You do not need to attend the one you grew up in, if it is poison, and an inbred brood of snakes. Go somewhere with vision, where you can worship, serve, love people, and walk with Jesus.

Never let your church become your God, Jesus alone reserves that place…

5. Protects and Provides for His Family, Home, Community, and nation

1Ti 5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

Go to work!

Proverbs 14:23
In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.

The old saying: ‘The road to hell is paved with good intentions’ has some truth in it. Intending to do something, and doing it are different animals. Get busy with what you know to do, and plan your work, and work your plan.

If you have been around the block a couple of times, we have all seen the latest greatest ‘get rich quick’ scheme, and truth be told, some of them actually work, IF YOU WORK THEM! There is no free lunch in life. Whatever you put your hand to, you gotta work at, and not half heartedly, go for it!

Ecclesiastes 9:10
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

We only have one life to live, and living in light of eternity, with passion, purpose, enthusiasm, determined to write your eternal testimony on the fabric of HISstory is honorable.

We are all going to die one day, but not today: so let’s bust a move and get something done, make something happen.

Live in such a way, that the great cloud of witnesses in heaven is leaning over the balcony, cheering you on, and each day,
you are putting a smile on Jesus face. I’m not wimpering through death’s door, with a whine of ‘Phew! I made it’, nope, when I hit heaven, it will be with a shout, yelling: ‘Jesus! That was a rush! Now where is David, Paul, and those mighty men I’ve been reading about?’

I’m going out with a shout!

6. Helps folks in tragedy or with the poor

Isa 40:1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

De 15:7 If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:

Acts 20:35

I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive

Pr 28:27 He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.

Pr 29:7 The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it.

Pr 29:13 The poor and the deceitful man meet together: the LORD lighteneth both their eyes.

Romans 15:1

We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

Was complaining to a buddy one day, about the homeless guys at the intersection panhandling, that would not work. This wise friend of mine said quietly: ‘I know we can’t give them money, or they will only drink it, so I keep a box of fruit, bottled water, granola bars and stuff in my console, so that when a guy asks me for something, I can at least give them something to eat.’

Made me think back on all the times I’ve been dealt a brutal turn in life, and been knocked down. Gotta help folks…

Wisdom, love, we are all gonna meet God one day, and if we need mercy, we need to give it…

Pr 29:14 The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, his throne shall be established for ever.

Help your neighbor, your co-worker. If a guy goes to jail, visit him, and pray with him. If someone loses a loved one, love them, help them get their affairs in order, transition. People leave a big hole when they go, I know, buried eight of my family at one point, felt like a walking zombie for those years, like I’d been sucker punched. Great people walked with me those years and saw me through, now it’s my turn to be one of those great people…Someone ends up in the hospital, go see them. See someone without food or clothes, help them or point them towards help, love children and be a good example to them.

Be strong, stay fit, so that you can help the weak:

There might be someone needing help moving, or a vehicle needing pushed off the road somewhere. The Bible says to glorify God in your body, and to remain strong in the Lord. Be strong!

7. Submits to Righteous authority and Rebukes and prays for unrighteous authority.

Heb 13:7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Heb 13:17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

1Pe 2:13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:

A man of God works hard, and fights to keep his word, strong in the love of God. When he sees someone playing games pretending to know something he doesn’t he is not afraid to speak up and be heard, silencing foolish men.

Jesus is a man under authority, and so are we. We honor just laws and uphold the honor of God and this nation. We are also not afraid to rebuke unjust, corrupt laws, as Deitrich Bonhoeffer said: ‘Silence in the presence of evil, is evil.’

You want respect and authority, you must learn to first submit to righteous authority. Jesus did it, so can you.

1 John 4:17

Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Mt 8:9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

If you think that you are like a wild stallion, that no one will ever put a rope on you, sign up for the military and learn honor.

You will respect authority, if you want to be respected.

We are to pray for authority, asking God to give them wisdom and help.
1 Tim 2:1 ¶ I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

Notice this verse: We pray, so that we may lead quiet and peaceable lives, godly and honest.
I get angry when I see television constantly blasting leaders, politicians, or anything honorable. We may hate what a leader is doing, and cannot respect him. Respect the position, not the man! Pray for the office of the President, even if you do not like our current president.

You can stand against abortion, same-sex marriage, lying, bribery and corruption in government, and Islam, and still honor the offices of people in authority. We may hate certain decisions they make, but we can still pray for them, and honor God’s authority in this nation.

This is the verse we have used in our men’s group at church:
1 Peter 2:17
Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

This is a very simple look at manhood. I have written a number of articles on manhood:

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2015/01/09/the-four-stages-of-manhood-the-age-of-the-patriarch/

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/12/15/four-stages-of-manhood-fatherhood/

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/12/06/four-stages-of-manhood-manhood-part-two/

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/11/30/the-four-stages-of-biblical-manhood-part-one-boyhood/

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/11/12/manhood-a-bit-of-redneck-righteousness/

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/12/03/no-bull/

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/12/12/the-warrior-heart-of-god/
I think I still need to write one on the importance of a man keeping his word, or watching over it to fulfill it. Sure, stuff comes up, and we cannot always do what we planned, but we can always pick up the phone, and communicate what we are doing, letting people know why we are doing what we are doing: respect…

Let’s pray:
‘Father, make us men of honor, responsibility, respectable, strong, and courageous. Give us wisdom how to treat all people, and to treat all honorably. Make us men of prayer and action, quick to seek you for direction, quick to correct our mistakes, quick to forgive, love, and make wrongs right. Raise us up as pillars in our families, communities, and this nation, in your name we pray Lord Jesus. Amen’

The Gospel – The Power of God!

The Gospel is GOOD NEWS!

Dear Friend,

God loves you, and there are five things God wants you to know about Him, andI feels impressed by Him to tell you what they are. Jesus was born. Babies are born every day, but Jesus is different because although Mary is His earthly mother, God is His heavenly Father. That makes Him different than any other person that has ever walked the earth. Think of it this way, the egg inside of Mary was human, the sperm divine. Theologians call this Immaculate Conception, but to most of us, it is the Christmas story. God became a man in the form of Jesus Christ, Emanuel, God with us. God came to earth and joined humanity, like each of us, as a meek helpless baby. Jesus is not merely the son of God, but God the Son, the second person of the Trinity.
Jesus grew up, he became a man yet without sin. Although the Bible says little about his first thirty years, the baby we celebrate at Christmas did not remain a child, at thirty years of age, He withdrew from humanity and fasted forty days to come back in the power of the Holy Spirit to show the world what a person, walking with the Creator can be. He healed the sick, raised the dead, fed the multitudes, walked on water, stopped storms, and cast evil spirits out of people. He did all of this, without sin. Not one time did He ever break the laws of God or man, that qualified Him as the sinless, spotless, holy, Lamb of God, accepted by God, as the only fit sacrifice, for the sins of humanity. He is still the same and doing the same things today. Yet the day came on earth when He was betrayed, and sentenced by a kangaroo court to death. Religious people had Him murdered.

He died on the cross. Not a pretty death. Deserted by his closest friends. Beaten beyond human recognition. His face pulverized. Weakened so much by blood loss that this formerly strong man could not carry His own cross. The sky turned black as night, the earth split open and dead people came out of the graves to testify. He spoke three words that still echo throughout eternity, “It is finished” The veil in the temple, was torn from top to bottom, signifying that the separation between God and humanity was now ended. God could again visit with the people He created even as He walked with Adam in the garden of Eden. Jesus bore the sin of the whole world upon Himself on the cross, an infinite sacrifice, for an infinite debt. Atonement!

He rose from the dead. You know, the Easter story. HIStory. Not the tooth fairy, Lord of the Rings, or the Easter bunny. Though they laid the body of Jesus in a tomb for three days, His spirit was not there. He went through paradise, He went to hell, yet on the third day, His spirit rejoined His body, and He rose. The stone was rolled away, and He ascended into heaven. For the next fifty days He appeared to over five hundred eyewitnesses, and then while five hundred watched, two angels appeared, and He ascended bodily back into heaven. Many educated moral instructors have lived: Buddha, Mohammed, Gandhi, Plato, and others, yet each of these died, and their body remains in their tomb today. Jesus rose from the dead.

He reigns. He is Lord of heaven and earth. God is the spirit, seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and truth. There is only one true God, maker of heaven and earth, yet He has revealed Himself throughout His Word in three separate and distinct persons. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Son of God, birthed of His Spirit. When He ascended back into heaven, God sat Him at His right hand where He reigns the universe.

In short:

He came, He lived, He died, He rose and He reigns.

Now the problem of Creation must be addressed. You and I. Each and every one of us have been created in the image of God. We are also spirits, we have a soul, and we live in a body. Jesus did not come to make bad people good, or good people better, He came to make dead people ALIVE! Except a man be born-again, he cannot even see the kingdom of God. God loves you personally and wants you to know Him on His terms. Religion has always been man’s set of rules and regulations attempting to reach God, Jesus is God’s attempt to reach man. He died for you, not because He had to, but because He loves you. Yet, He did not create robots, each of us has a free will. The question He would have me ask you is this: Do you want Him to be your king? Do you want to go to heaven when you die, to be with Him? If you do, the Bible makes this promise to each of us,

‘If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Rom 10:9,10’

Here’s what each of us need to do to come to God on His terms.
1. We must acknowledge Jesus as our personal Lord. That is, in light of this great love He has demonstrated towards us, we must make a decision as to whether of not we will choose to allow Him to rule over us.
2. We must believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead.
3. We must confess, out loud to Him that we want Him.

Here’s a simple prayer.

‘God, I want to know you. I want you to be in charge of my life. I accept you Lord Jesus as my Lord. Forgive me Lord for all the things I have done against you. I believe, Father that you raised Jesus from the dead, and I ask you to come into my life and make me the best person I can possibly be. Amen.’

Now, that prayer will get you right with God, today. But what about tomorrow? Each day we need to grow spiritually, in our relationship with Him. That will involve talking to Him about your day, and involving Him in your day-to-day decisions. How do you do that? Well, begin to read your Bible, every day, first thing. Seek Him first thing, and He will add everything else you need to your life. When you see something in the Bible that is new to you, do what it says.

That’s where we come in. Eventually, you are going to need a good church. A place of love, friendship, and fellowship, where we can worship God and work together to make this world a better place. Any Bible-believing church would love to meet you and to hear about your new decision to serve God. There are many fine churches all over the world. Shop for one that believes the Bible to be the Word of God, and where you have peace.

If you would like more information about the church I attend, please contact Victory Christian Center at victory.com.

Seven That Ways God Speaks to You: Part 7 – Prophesy!

Seven That Ways God Speaks to You:

Prophecy

God leads through prophecy!

2Ki 8:1 Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn: for the LORD hath called for a famine; and it shall also come upon the land seven years.

Notice here, that if this Shunnamite woman, had not listened to the prophet of God here, great hardship would have come upon her family in the famine that was about to hit the earth.

Num 11:27 And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp.
28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them.
29 And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD’S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!

1Co 14:39 Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.

1Co 13:9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

Prophecy can reveal mysteries, and unlock revelation that will allow us to enter areas previously closed to us.

Isaiah 22:22

And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open

Revelation 3:7

And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

Luke 11:52

Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.

Prophetic words, cannot provide keys of knowledge, that unlock doors in the realm of the Spirit, and in the earth.

Ac 11:28 And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar.

There are many books written on prophecy, but know this: prophets and prophecy are very much alive in the New Testament!

Basically, prophecy falls into two categories: foretelling, and forthtelling.

Foretelling is where the Holy Spirit shows us things to come, future events.

John 16:13
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Forthtelling is where a person of God sees or hears into the heavenlies, and knows by the Spirit of God, exactly what God is doing in an individuals life, or in a certain setting, and they tell forth, or utter what the Father is saying or doing at that very moment.

John 5:30

I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

Any person can prophesy at some level. Simply telling the story of something Jesus has done in your life, is prophesy. Revelation 19:10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Jesus loves us, and Holy Spirit will speak that love through you and I to encourage people in our day to day lives:

Holy Spirit is called the comforter, and most prophecy, reveals His comfort:

1 Corinthians 14
Follow after charity,(love) and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy. For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. …
Yet, there are levels of prophesy, that range in depth, insight and authority from simple testimony, to prophecies that will literally cause signs in the heavens:

Act 2:18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:

Any born-again believer can prophesy, but not everyone is called to the five-fold ministry of the New Testament prophet!

Just for the sake of godly order in churches, 1 Corinthians 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order.
If a prophetic word is given publicly, let it be judged publicly. If a pastor or leader asks you not to prophesy, DON’T DO IT!

They have the responsibility of governing the whole congregation, not just you and your gift. Sometimes, words are given by the Holy Spirit to direct you to pray and intercede over a particular body, discern: Do I say? Do I pray? What I have done over the years, when I do not know leadership and the Lord gives me a word, is to write it down, and quietly give it to them. At that point, they are fully responsible for the Word, not me. I am fully submitted to God’s authority in that church, yet have fully obeyed God in discharging my responsibility to give His Word.
In short, here is my general counsel on prophesy:

1. Love people, and encourage and comfort them with the Word of God.

2. Judge prophetic words you receive from either the Holy Spirit, of from another person of God, by the Scripture.

God should speak to you directly. If a person of God should speak a ‘word from God’ into your life, it should confirm something that God has already spoken to you, and should edify, exhort, and comfort you to obey God.

1Co 14:3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.

3. If a prophetic word does not bear witness to you, (https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/11/06/seven-that-ways-god-speaks-to-you-part-5/) nor does it confirm something God has already spoken to you, simply ‘put it on the shelf’. If it is of God, He will bring it to your remembrance at the right time. If it is not of God, don’t worry about it, it will not come to pass.

Refuse to be manipulated, controlled, or led by another person’s prophesy!

Jesus is your Lord, no man or woman of God.

True shepherds lead God’s sheep, not drive them!

There are times and seasons in God, and God’s timing is always perfect!

Ecclesiastes 3:11

He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

God may actually be speaking something, but it may be years before He brings it to pass. Timing is everything in the kingdom. Right people, right place and right timing, make for a sucessful life in Jesus!

Daniel 2:21

And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

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; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.

2 Chronicles 20:20 (KJV)²⁰And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper

A ‘NOW’ Word from God, can bring you great blessing in your life.

4. Test the Spirits. 1Co 14:10 There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification.

There are many voices in the earth, and many spirits: human, divine, angelic, and demonic. Just because you hear a voice in prayer, does not mean what you are hearing is God speaking. This is an important topic, so I have written more about it here: (https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/11/10/test-the-spirits-love-truth/)

In summation, any preacher truly sent of God, will want you to grow, to develop, to become all that you are created to be in Jesus. God is a good God, and He wants to be trusted and believed, and He loves to partner with us in vision that is far greater than any of could possibly accomplish in our own strength. Great ministers stretch us, and cause us to rise up and grow, and do exploits for God in our generation. Calling forth nation shakers and history makers! Training and equipping us to grow into our destiny and calling, learning how to supernaturally move in our world….

Let’s Pray:
“Father, grant me prophetic utterance. Holy Spirit, I ask You for Your gift of prophesy to operate in my life, today, in Your name I pray Lord Jesus, Amen!”

For prayer, comments, or to donate online:

Email: chris.aomministries@gmail.com

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Give in faith!

1 Corinthians 9:11 If we have sown [the seed of] spiritual good among you, [is it too] much if we reap from your material benefits?

1 Corinthians 9:14 [On the same principle] the Lord directed that those who publish the good news (the Gospel) should live (get their maintenance) by the Gospel.

I will never charge for this: it my responsibility to God, my calling. Freely I have been given, now, I freely give…

As you give, hear Holy Spirit what to give, and honestly expect God to reward you for your giving.

I am a five-fold ministry gift and office – this is my life – I pray, I hear, I write, and wonderful things happen. You have your job description, I have mine – this is mine….

I have ‘see through’ faith for you, in this: Gal 3: 9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

I believe I have a responsibility before God to be like Jesus, in every offering I receive. I receive it with thanksgiving, just like Jesus did the little boys lunch.

Then, because I walk and live by faith according to the blessing of Abraham, I believe that God will take your seed sown, and multiply it, according to what the blessing of Abraham promises:

It has been a joy to me, to see the hand of the living God act in the lives of those of you who have supported us this year!

Many have seen tremendous blessing come into your households, and for this we give thanks, and give Jesus all the glory!

‘I will strengthen your frame!’

The Switchman

Living Stones

The Stone

Revelation brings persecution!

Give in faith!

Redneck Righteousness – A challenge to manhood

I originally wrote this on veterans day, a time to honor freedom, and the men who give it to us…

Seven Claims of Manhood 1. A Man keeps his word – Word given, word kept

I pick it up here in verse: 8 The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the aged arose, and stood up. 9 The princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth. 10 The nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth Be that man!

2. Finishes what He starts:

3. Keeps a good name –

Never let your church become your God, Jesus alone reserves that place…

5. Protects and Provides for His Family, Home, Community, and nation

6. Helps folks in tragedy or with the poor

Isa 40:1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

De 15:7 If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:

Pr 28:27 He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse. Pr 29:7 The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it. Pr 29:13 The poor and the deceitful man meet together: the LORD lighteneth both their eyes.

Be strong, stay fit, so that you can help the weak:

7. Submits to Righteous authority and Rebukes and prays for unrighteous authority. Heb 13:7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

This is the verse we have used in our men’s group at church: 1 Peter 2:17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

The Gospel is GOOD NEWS!

In short:

‘If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Rom 10:9,10’

Prophecy

God leads through prophecy!

Prophecy can reveal mysteries, and unlock revelation that will allow us to enter areas previously closed to us.

Jesus is your Lord, no man or woman of God.

A ‘NOW’ Word from God, can bring you great blessing in your life.

Give in faith!

Seven Claims of Manhood

1. A Man keeps his word – Word given, word kept

I pick it up here in verse:
8 The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the aged arose, and stood up.
9 The princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth.
10 The nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth

Be that man!

Pr 28:27 He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.

Pr 29:7 The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it.

Pr 29:13 The poor and the deceitful man meet together: the LORD lighteneth both their eyes.

7. Submits to Righteous authority and Rebukes and prays for unrighteous authority.

Heb 13:7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

This is the verse we have used in our men’s group at church:
1 Peter 2:17
Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.