Maturing in Christ
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2)
There is more to renewing your mind than what you may have been taught. Most people believe that learning the scriptures is all there is to renewing your mind. This is a good part of the renewing process; however, there is more to learn than merely reading about Jesus. We must learn His ways and know His thoughts. Do you want to learn more about the person of Jesus?
Life’s experiences sometimes deliver hard-to-swallow truths. Why does it seem that all the evil people have more money than you and I? When a good Christian family loses a child to cancer, what do you say to them?
Hide-N-Seek
Hide and Seek is one of God’s favorite games. You were once lost, then He came into your life and tagged you. Now you are it and it’s your turn to come find Him. Unfortunately, this is where too many Christians quit. The process of playing hide and seek with God is challenging; however, I have discovered the more hiding places I find Him in, the quicker I can get my answers to whatever I need to know.
God, Where are you?
In the midst of the struggles of your life, are you truly loyal to God? Have you given Him your all, or are you still hanging on to a portion of your life? Your money, your possessions, your time, and affections. In all of these troubling times, God has given us a formula for living. It is simply to give your cares over to Him, or as we like to say, “Pray, Hear, and Obey”.
Gift of Faith
A gift is something given to you – you don’t borrow it or buy it. Everyone who has been born again has experienced a gift of faith. But do you continue to use this gift after you begin your relationship with God? Or do you let this gift go and try to live your life on your own?
The gifts create a supernatural environment for breakthrough and blessing to manifest in your life. “To another Faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:9)
Faith to Faith
With the times the way they are, we all could use a lot more faith in our daily walk with Jesus. At times, it seems that you need to walk on water to please everyone. Pressures of war – biological, nuclear and on the home front – causes concerns for our future.
When faith comes to us, however, we have a certain knowing that everything is going to be okay. We know that faith comes by hearing and by hearing the word of God (ref. Romans 10:17). So now the question is how do we find God?
One can read the Holy Scriptures, the written word of God, or one can pray to receive the present word of God. You need a word from Him that will solve today’s problems. This is where the teaching on “Faith to Faith” comes into perspective. One can have faith to believe God in His written word, but the present FAITH requires one to have a hearing ear to receive His spoken (rhema) word.
This teaching will hopefully help you find that place where you too can find the present word of God. With all the changes that are surrounding you, you cannot afford to make any more mistakes. One word from God can and will change your life’s circumstances. It is not too late to begin seeking Jesus, for all true wise men and women do.
Faith that Works
It is paramount that we obey every word of the Lord because there is a price to pay if the word is not fulfilled and worked out according to the way it was spoken. Holy Spirit is bringing correction to the Body of Christ regarding faith. As He gives you instruction in your life, yield to His voice and He will work it all out for you. You may not see the direction He’s going with you, but when it all comes to a close He’ll have it all in line.
“What does it profit, my brethren, though a man say he has faith, and have not works? Can faith save him?” (James 2:14)
Created by Faith
“By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” (Hebrews 11:3)
Nothing exists today that was not first spoken into existence. That’s right, nothing you see around you was created by man except that it was first a Word from God. His Word comes in various forms; He can speak to you audibly or to your spirit; Spirit to spirit (see. Romans 8:16). We cannot begin to count the number of ways God can deliver His Word.
Even people who do not believe in His existence are used as pawns to do God’s will. In the bible it says that even Pharaoh was raised up to demonstrate God’s power in all the earth. The same Pharaoh who enslaved the children of Israel and later tried to kill them all. (see: Romans 9:17)
When it comes to prophecy, the same equations are in effect if the prophecy is a true Word from God. One Word from God can change your life forever. Angels from heaven play a major role in seeing that His Word comes to pass. When a true prophecy is given the appointed angels of God go and begin to do His Word.
“The Lord has established His throne in heaven, And His kingdom rules over all. Bless the Lord, you His angels, Who excel in strength, who do His word, Heeding the voice of His word. Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, You ministers of His, who do His pleasure. Bless the Lord, all His works, In all places of His dominion.” (Psalm 103:19-22)
Every creative thought or design originated in Heaven; whether it be to invent, build, manufacture or find a medical discovery. It all began in heaven above. In the book of James it is written this way: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures.” (James 1:17-18)
By the Measure you Hear
God is doing a great thing in this day and age. He’s instructing His people on seemingly the most unimportant issues. Some of our questions we can’t find the answers to in the scriptures, but He is concerned about even the smallest of situations. He wants to lead, comfort us through, and show us the things to come.
The Church needs to be the place where the world can hear us proclaim things that are going to happen the very next day. This happened in the early Church, and we need to be prepared for it to happen again today.
Who is a Prophet?
This is a message to help you determine if someone who prophesies is a prophet, or if they are someone who just has a gift of prophecy. Not everyone who prophesies is a prophet, but all who are prophets do prophesy. It’s important to know the difference. I believe you will find this teaching most helpful in your learning about the prophetic people of today.
Who Can Prophecy?
It was in 1976 and I was 25 years of age when I began seeking God, asking what He wanted to do with my life. Each time I prayed the verse of Scriptures that kept coming to my mind was from Ezekiel 33:30-33.
“As for you, son of man, the children of your people are talking about you beside the walls and in the doors of the houses; and they speak to one another, everyone saying to his brother, ‘Please come and hear what the word is that comes from the LORD.’ So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain. Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not do them. And when this comes to pass-surely it will come-then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”
At that time, I had not been baptized in the Holy Spirit and the denomination I was affiliated with did not believe in prophets for today. In fact, I had no idea what a prophet was; however, what I did know from reading the Old Testament was they were not very popular. For the next ten years I was confronted with this calling but I did not want to go that way. Each time the calling came I would see myself leaning over a pulpit, wearing an old moth-eaten sport coat, speaking some dry word. Being a banker was much more honorable in the eyes of the world than sounding like some crazy person calling himself a prophet. I learned that it does not always matter what you want. If you ask God for a Word and then reject His Word, He will see that His Word is fulfilled anyway. One way or another, His Word will come to pass either the hard way or the easy way. You have the choice. Unfortunately I learned this lesson, like so many others, the hard way.
Ten years later, I surrendered to the calling thinking that I would just automatically find my way into the ministry. Oh no, I learned another lesson and it is this: the amount of time you reject doing what God has called you to do will determine the length of time before He will allow you to begin living out the blessing of His Word.
The lesson I pray you learn from this message can be summoned up by this one verse of Scripture. “For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.” (2 Peter 2:21)
