Jumat, 29 Januari 2010

A PLASTIC Wal-Mart 'JESUS'


A PLASTIC Wal-Mart 'JESUS'
-by Darren Smith.

We, the Body of Christ, should be a revolutionary force on this
earth, not a sub-culture bound by the walls of our buildings and
our lifestyles. If you look around you in the culture today, we are
losing the battle for the hearts and minds of the people. Our
families are in decay, our cities are in decay, our nation has
become a nation of godless people living for themselves in
rebellion to God. We really don't want to address the problems,
instead most of us that claim to be Christians bury our head in
the sand and refuse to look. Instead, we go to church rather than
becoming the Church that God ordained. We even build doctrines
around our lack of concern for what's happening around us and
become even more self-centered and ineffective. Then we wonder
why even our own families are falling apart. Is it surprising that
the divorce rate in the church is the same as the secular world?
Not really, because you can't find any difference with the modern
church and the world; we copy all the things that they do. In
reality we have become them.

I am about to bring up a couple of points that will anger a whole lot
of people, but I really don't care if it causes them to think. The
first point is the whole "We can change this land in the political
arena." This is not true and should be examined. Consider this,
does the River of Life flow out of Washington DC or out of the
body of Christ? Does the healing flow come from the halls of the
most corrupt Congress ever, or from the Holy Spirit? If not, why
do we spend so much effort and time trying to get man-made
institutions to take over this work? We should be in the process
of a complete world takeover by the Kingdom of God, by carrying
out the mandate of Christ our King: go into all nations making
disciples. Would this not bring about the change needed on this
earth or have we, in our foolishness, come up with a better plan
than the Great Commission? I think not!! Instead, we have created
a man-made religion that has no power at all, and a secular gospel
that has no power and, in fact, is no gospel at all. Our idea of the
Great Commission is to create a Christian castle filled with people
all looking for something for themselves - not to sacrifice their life
for Christ.

This system of religion is simply a business designed to grow and
support itself. Their idea of being radical is to send out emails
telling everyone they know to get stirred up about such holy
things as taking the little plastic baby Jesus out of the court-
house square. I get hundreds of these emails where people
think they are fighting the good fight by getting into such things.
God help us if that is radical faith. I really don't care if they
take the little plastic Jesus out of the city hall or courthouse
square and I don't believe Jesus does either. Part of the problem
is that the little plastic Jesus is the only Jesus that most of
our country recognizes. They don't know the King of Kings, nor
do they take Him seriously. If they did, they would get radical
about living His message instead of rushing to the mall on
black Friday to prepare for what the culture calls His birthday.
Wow, is that how Christ would want us to remember Him, by
filling up our shopping carts and credit cards with more junk
we don't need, instead of bringing people into His Kingdom?
Would He rather us spoil ourselves even more or would He have
us put our money and time to good use by feeding the hungry
and clothing the naked, taking care of widows and orphans? Or
what about sending out preachers and ministers of the Gospel
to take over this world - do you think Christ would choose this or
the commercial American Christmas? Guys, I'm telling you that
Christ will return to this earth to judge it and He will not return
as the little plastic Jesus that you can buy at Wal-Mart made
in China - no, He will come back as a roaring Lion with fury and
there will be no excuse for those who are truly His disciples.

At judgment day Christ will not ask for your voter registration
card to make sure you are a republican or a democrat, He won't
even ask you if you were mad about them taking down little plastic
Jesus or saying "Happy holidays." Friends, He won't ask you if
you protested the taking down of the Ten commandments off of the
courthouse wall or how many Christian t-shirts you wore, or even
if you bought all the latest praise CD's. No friend, He will ask
questions like these: What did you do for the least of these?
Did you care for the widow and orphan, feed the hungry, give
without expecting anything in return? Did you love God with all
your heart, love your neighbor as yourself without expecting
his friendship? Did you repent and live a life that shows it, did
you forgive so you could be forgiven? Yes, these are the questions
that will be asked and no amount of religious activity will make up
for these things, the sheep and the goats will be separated.

Many of you may say right now I never hear this at my church..
If this is you, I say get out of there as fast as you can and pray
for a true body where you will be challenged to get this right.

To say this as simply as possible.... we must become radical
and I would say even militant. Read Matt 11:12. Yes we must
forcefully take hold of the Kingdom and advance it with all
we are. We must truly bombard this land with the truth. We
must charge the gates of Hell and tear them down. Matt 16:18.
We have the power from on high - why don't we use it? We would
rather stay in our comfortable buildings and homes and hope
maybe the Lord will forgive our lack of passion for Him. Why is
this true? Because we are just like Demus that deserted Paul -
2 Tim 4:10. We love this present world.

You say its not that bad; well, I beg to differ. This world is heading
to Hell on a runaway train and for the most part the modern church
is adding fuel to the engine. The ones out here trying to throw on
the brakes are called "too radical, extremist, critical" and even
divisive. Brothers, I would rather be called all these things than
"complacent" or a casual Christian. We are doing all we can to get
this message out and are looking for like minded people from all
over this world to join the fight. If this is your heart please let us
know. The Revolution has begun and man will not be able to stop it.
The question is whether are not you will join.

Are you willing to lay down your life and take up your cross and
follow Christ? Will the Christ that shed His blood for you on the
Cross and beat death and hell for you be your Christ or will the
little plastic Wal-Mart Jesus be the one you choose?

-Darren Smith,
www.streetscapeministries.com
www.revivalstreet.com
www.unitethefight.com

Minggu, 24 Januari 2010

Transformation & Favor



Transformation & Favor
By Graham Cooke www.outlawedwonderings.com
Affection takes a disciplined mind toward our relationship with the Holy Spirit. We have to focus our attention on Him. As Paul wrote in Colossians 3:2—“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” To love God, we must let our mind dwell on His nature. That makes meditation a key to intimacy. We need to think long and hard about who God is, maintaining an unbroken fellowship with Him.

“In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus,” Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Intimacy has a voice—thankfulness. We need to be extremely vocal in our gratitude, practicing our thanksgiving. Real intimacy cannot be hidden because it is a transforming force. When you learn how to stay in the presence of God—to “keep yourselves in the love of God,” as Jude 24 puts it—you come into favor and into the future of fulfilled prophetic words. Favor rises out of the heart of God for us, and He puts us in a place of continuous blessing.

God wants to transform us to look like Him. The goodness He is developing each of us can overcome the evil that permeates throughout the world. Intimacy with God produces goodness in each of us, and that goodness can touch an entire community. What if the favor over your life is actually an umbrella that can cover an entire neighborhood, church, or even city? What if the favor on your church corporately is so large that it can cover and bless thousands of people in your town? When we, as believers, do not live in the favor of God, we allow evil to flourish around us.

Imagine a community protected and enhanced by God’s favor! It all starts with Christians falling in love with Jesus and releasing His goodness to the people around them. What if God decreed that you will be so full of His presence that no one around you will be safe from a blessing? What if your role in life is to go and bless as many people as you can? What if God has marked out a specific territory for you to cover with His blessings and kindness? It is important that we explore the current level of our favor. We need to take our favor out for a spin. Just as Jesus grew in favor with both God and men, so we have to discover both of those veins of favor. God wants us to press our favor with those around us, taking as much territory for His Kingdom as possible.

It took a long time for the ancient Israelites to learn this principle. When Moses dispatched twelve spies into Canaan, only Caleb and Joshua came back ready to press God’s favor to their advantage. Everyone else was terrified by the cities and armies of Canaan. In Numbers 13:33, we see how fear overcame favor—“There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” But Caleb and Joshua knew they had favor, and a prophetic word that this was their Promised Land.

They tried to explain that God had given them an advantage, but the Israelites didn’t listen, as we read in Numbers 14:7-10— They spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, ‘The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the LORD is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us—a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the LORD; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them.’ But all the congregation said to stone them with stones.

No one told the Israelites to feel like grasshoppers; they simply took on that persona. In the end, God had to wait until a new generation of Israelites emerged and were willing to push His favor as far as they could. When God puts a giant in front of us, it is to inspire us to see how big His favor is for us. Giants shouldn’t frighten us; they should gets us excited for the victory that’s about to come.

Our favor can overwhelm the obstacles in front of us. God will often allow an issue to arise that seems to large for us to overcome. Yet this is His way of pushing us to use our favor to its fullest advantage. When the teenaged David faced Goliath, all he had was a slingshot, a few stones, and a prophetic promise that he would be king someday. David could have hid, like Saul, and let someone else handle it. Goliath wasn’t his fight, after all. But David wanted to take his favor for a spin. In the blink of an eye, David went from being a goofball teenager to a warrior hero. That’s the power of God’s favor.

Sabtu, 23 Januari 2010

Christ is Head


Christ is Head
by T. Austin-Sparks

All things have been created through Him, and unto Him. Colossians 1:16.

The key to everything with God is Life...

We must realise that Christ's ascendancy, supremacy, power, ability and all that goes with Headship, is in terms of His prerogative of Life. He is the Son, vested with Life; He has the right given Him of God to give Life to as many as believe. That is why He is Head. You can set up people in office and make Popes of them and they may make great claims, but what does it amount to? When you come up against death, what can they do? But bring in one who has the power of life over death, be he ever so humble on this earth, he is head, he is master, he is lord. You may bring all the greatest physicians that the world knows into the presence of death, and when death takes charge, they are helpless. But supposing you bring in a little, insignificant person who is nobody, with no capabilities whatever in this world, no training, and that one be invested with the power of life over death, he rules out all these others, they are as nothing in his presence, he is lord of the situation.

Christ is Head, not just by appointment, but in terms of Life.

We may be very insignificant people on this earth, nothing at all to be taken account of by the world, but if only we have Christ in fulness of Life we are in a supreme position, we make all the great organisations and institutions as nothing. It is a spiritual thing, the impact of Christ; not tradition, not history, not theology, but the spiritual power of His presence in terms of Life through faith and righteousness.

Rabu, 13 Januari 2010

Testimony and Opportunity


Hello Friends
One of the teams in Central Asia has a small urban community. A few months ago one of them noticed a Uighur (Muslim Ethnic Group from North West China) playing violin in the market and asked him if he needed a place to stay. The man said that he did and began to live in the House of Peace. He was there for several months observing and sharing in the community. One evening he heard a voice say, "These people who are serving you are my people. Listen to them." He listened and became a follower of Jesus and was recently baptized. His testimony is, "This is what I have been looking for all my life!"

This particular team has a circle of house churches and houses of peace all over that area and has been saving for their own vehicle. Would you help us raise $2,000 to match their funds so that they can purchase a decent vehicle?

Another of the teams has been visiting the capital punishment ward of the prison system of their country. Muslim extremists on death row there would stand outside and chant trying to disrupt the meeting. Then some began to come closer and listen at the door. Over the Christmas season the friends there put on a meal for those on death row and the extremists came to share the meal.

In another country our friends are receiving a significant number of brothers released from prison. Each brother needs proper papers and clothes at a cost of $100. Proper papers are a necessity since they get released from prison with "wolf papers" which are identity papers showing that they are released convicts. The police are always checking papers and when they see wolf papers the often simply rearrest that person and charge him with an unsolved crime and he goes back to jail- unless, of course he can pay the bribe! Plus they cannot get a job or get housing with the wolf papers. Would you help us by being one of ten folks who will each provide $100 so that 10 brothers can get proper papers?

We have had questions about our prophetic word for 2010 and I had thought to send out the same piece as last year which was the same as for 2008 which was our most forwarded piece ever. Never read it? It is on the website, "A Prophetic Word for 2009" and still relevant. However, we did write out a comment on prophetic words for 2010 which you might like to read. It is posted on the website as "Break Through- a Prophetic Word for 2010?"

Are you on Face Book?
So are we, look us up.

Thank you for your friendship, prayer and partnership in 2009
Every blessing in 2010
Steve & Marilyn

_____________________________________________________

www.harvest-now.org

North America
35 Colony Trail Blvd
Holland Landing ON L9N 1C6
+1.905.836.8943

Europe
Hoenderhoeve 23
Houten 3992 XK, NL
+31.30.638.4377

Sabtu, 09 Januari 2010

OBTAINING Real REVIVAL


OBTAINING Real REVIVAL
-Leonard Ravenhill.

Revival..... another definition would be to recover, repair or restore.
Hosea 10:12 says: "Sow to yourself in righteousness, reap in
mercy; break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek the Lord
till He come and reign righteousness upon you." What is fallow
ground? Fallow ground is ground that has been fruitful, and then
it has been plowed over, and no seed has been sown in it, and
therefore it has become unproductive.

Notice, there is a human emphasis here -- it says that we are to
break up -- you break up your fallow ground.

Now take another aspect of it here in Psalm 85:6 - "Would Thou
not revive us again: that Thy people may rejoice in Thee." So,
there is an absence of joy, of vitality -- there is an absence of
ecstasy. The very word "revive" presupposes life. You can only
revive what has already had vitality -- life that has become sick,
weak, or apathetic. I think the nearest analogy I can give you is
a recent case of a man who apparently drowned. He had been
under the water for an incredible amount of time. Then somebody
pulled him out and worked and worked on him, and eventually life
came again. This is actually what it means to revive,
It means to revitalize.
It means to restore lost power.
It means to recover lost energy.

In the Acts of the Apostles 3:19 we read, "Repent ye therefore,
and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the
times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord."
Whatever else we say about revival we have to recognize this,
that revival is an act of mercy in the sovereignty of God. There
is a vast difference between revival and evangelism. When we
speak of revival in America we think of church advertising, "Our
revival will begin next Sunday night at a certain time and it is
going to finish the next Sunday night at a certain time."
Obviously this is something purely mechanical, it is something
which men have engineered. I think that one of the offenses of
revival, in the historic sense, is that it cannot be organized.

As Doctor Tozer said, "When revival comes it changes the moral
climate of a community." You can have revival that covers a church -
Spurgeon had that. You can have a revival that covers a city. You
can have a revival that covers the whole nation -- and I am thinking
in this context more than in the other contexts (though sometimes
revival spreads from here to there -- like fire spreads.) Revival
cannot be organized -- evangelism can be organized. Revival cannot
be subsidized --evangelism can and usually it must be. Revival
cannot be advertised --evangelism can.

It may cost millions of dollars, as it often does, to have one of our
huge, modern, so called revivals. You have to pay vast sums of
money for time on TV, for example -- perhaps a million dollars a
night. That's incredible, that's unthinkable to me in the context of
Biblical revival, or even historical revival. Why doesn't revival need
to be advertised? For the simple reason, that fire is the most self
advertising thing that there is, whether it is a physical fire or a
revival fire. It draws people like a magnet. To bring this down to
modern technology -- revival cannot be computerized. There is
information thatyou can put in computer and presto, you get the
answer predicting an outcome according to the facts that were put
in. But you cannot computerize or predict revival.

There are periods in which one thing predominates.
Sometimes revival is totally taken over by sorrow.
Sometimes revival is totally taken over by joy, ecstasy 'till
you don't know whether you are in the flesh or whether you've
gone out of the earth. Sometimes revival is taken over by
stillness.

There are times when you go to a prayer meeting and the power of
God is there. There is stillness and you feel it is creative. You feel,
"Now something is building up around here, somebody is going to
come out shortly with a heart bursting... with some agonizing
prayer..." Revival cannot be rationalized. Again, one of the offensive
things about revival is you can't put your finger on the spot, usually,
as to how or why or where it began. It is supremely an act of God.

You find a man would go with a series of messages to a community
and before long that community is alive, it's throbbing. He goes to
another town with exactly the same group of men, the same type
of prayer is poured out, the same sweat and soul travail and there
is no response. You can't predict and you can't organize revival.
Why? Because you can't organize where the wind is coming from.
The Spirit, the wind, bloweth where it listeth. If you say it's going
to come this way, it comes that way. If you say God's going to use
that man, very often He doesn't even bother with that man. Revival
so often comes through unknown characters.

I don't think the world has ever been in a greater sense of turmoil
than it is in this moment. I don't think our nation has. Whatever we
shall say about revival we have to recognize this: There are three
things about natural life: conception, gestation, and birth. You can't
alter the program. There has never been revival, that I can trace,
that has not been preceded by agonizing prayer. You might say,
"I haven't got to that stage yet of agonizing prayer. How does is
come?" Well, it comes through VISION. If we are really going to
get a concept of revival we have to get a vision of God's sorrow over
sin. We have to get a concept of how, day by day, we offend God.
As a nation we offend God in millions of ways.

When I was praying in the Bahamas one day, I saw a great
column of smoke, which happened to be coming from tires that
were being burned. It was as black as could be, and over there
I saw a wisp of smoke going up from the ground. I didn't think
much of it until about a year after, I was praying and the Lord
said, "That volume of black, thick smoke is like the volume of
sin that goes up every day." All the blasphemy, all the unbelief,
all the dirty stories, all the lying, all the deception, all sex-
perversion, all drunkenness-- this tremendous column of iniquity
goes up in the sight of God. And here you have a little wisp -- of
what? That is the praise that God gets out of His people. If we are
going to realize how much we need revival we need to recognize
the dimension of sin. We have to recognize that sin offends God.
Psalm 85:4 says, "Turn us, O God of our salvation and cause
Thine anger towards us to cease. Wilt Thou be angry with us
forever?" Psalm 80 verse 3, "Turn us again, O God, and cause
Thy face to shine." Notice, it's repeated again in verse 7 and in
verse 19, "...cause Thy face to shine"..."cause Thy face to shine."

[AMEN!! - This is what we so desperately need today! -ed.]

JESUS ON THE MOVE


Hi all,
Have you ever been in a service when you felt like Jesus was in the room? Have you ever sensed he was ministering to people, walking around, and you could feel his presence? Many have.

Maybe you've been in meetings where the presence of God was so thick you felt even a whisper would violate the sacredness of the moment? And all the while the activities of the service continued along their scheduled course, yet there he was meeting needs in the midst.

Did you sense that too?
Did you notice during those times that he did not interrupt the service nor draw attention to himself? He just went about his business, allowing worship or prayer to continue while he ministered to hearts and minds.

Sometimes he is so subtle a person will have just a fleeting realization that Jesus is in the midst, but it stays with them.

Take the yoke of meekness
He ministers in this way because he is humble, or as he said, "...learn of me for I am meek and lowly of heart..." (Mt 11:29) My experience has been that Jesus and the Father are the most humble people I know.

Remembering that "God is love" look at the humility of love as defined in I Corinthians 13:4-8: "Love is long suffering, does not envy, does not push itself forward, is not puffed up. Love does not behave in an unseemly manner, does not seek it's own, is not easily provoked, thinks the best of people, never rejoices in sin, but rejoices in truth. Love carries, hopes, and endures all things. Love never fails."

Now understand this: The Spirit of God will always flow consistent with the humble, meek, and lowly heart of Jesus, who is the image of the Father, whose IS love. To see Jesus is to see the Father (John 14:9)

Pretty simple really
At his return Jesus will be looking for individuals who bettered the lives of others within their sphere of influence including things like: I was naked and you clothed me, hungry and you fed me, sick and you visited.

Consider also a few verses in Ephesians 4: Walk worthy of your call (in Christ) in all lowliness and meekness, with all longsuffering, making allowances for one another in love; working to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Stop lying, speak truth, don't let the sun go down on your wrath, if you stole then get a job so you have money to give to those in need, let no corrupt talk come out your mouth, but speak things which build up. Let all bitterness, anger, and such be put away from you, be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another.

Pretty simple, pretty humble, pretty down to earth, isn't it?

Hear ye, hear ye! Step right up to see the show!
In II Corinthians 11:3-4 Paul warned of ministers who would corrupt believer's minds from the humble simplicity that is in Christ. He says they will present "another Jesus, another Spirit, and another gospel" through a process of metamorphosis (verses 11-13).

As we know with caterpillars who turn into butterflies, though initially its hard to see a change happening, once you see the completion of the metamorphosis it's plain that it doesn't even resemble the original.

In the same way, if you know the original humility and character of Jesus, you can easily recognize when another Jesus, gospel or spirit is being presented because it doesn't resemble the original "Jesus, Spirit, and gospel".

A Jesus that focuses on what God can do for me, is a different Jesus. A proud to keep-up-with-the-Jones's Jesus is a different Jesus. A Jesus that manipulates for money is a different Jesus. A Jesus that puts church policy or tradition above people, is a different Jesus.

In this passage Paul talked about how his heart and life were open and transparent to them, just as Jesus lived. In all ways he served them, even working a job for 18 months so he wouldn't burden them, the only time in 30+ years of ministry it's recorded he did that; he loved them so!

On with the show: A different gospel
By contrast he talks about people calling themselves apostles and ministers, but are in fact deceitful workers, glorying in the things of the flesh - lifted up with pride and showmanship.

A gospel that appeals to pride of man, is a different gospel. A gospel that uses formulas to manipulate God or man, is a different gospel. A gospel that thinks God is impressed with big buildings built 'for him and his use' is a different gospel. A gospel that turns God into the servant of man and man's fleshly desires, is a different gospel.

A different spirit
Paul says in verse 20 that a false or wrong-spirit based minister "...assumes control of your souls and makes slaves of you, devours your substance, spends your money and preys on you, is arrogant and puts on airs, and even strikes you on the face!" (Amplified Version)

(Paul uses a bit of sarcasm, "strikes you on your face" is a cultural reference saying they are insulted by these ministers yet don't even know their intelligence is being insulted. Paul says these ministers subject people to another spirit though done in Jesus' name, and offend the common sense and the intelligence of the people. They have become prey and fully submitted to that wrong spirit so they don't recognize manipulation when they should. Often it is only after they are out of that spirit's influence or start thinking for themselves 'outside the party line' before they see how dominated and deceived they were.)

While all sorts of ministries will soon be announcing conferences with lofty titles proclaiming what the Spirit is saying, the reality is the Holy Spirit always says that which is consistent with the humble nature of Jesus and the Father.

If anything, this is a year of getting back to basics; the real gospel. Not Hollywood Jesus, but Jerusalem Jesus. The Jesus that met in homes, ate meals with common folk, healed people, fed people, gave so much to those in need that when Judas left dinner around 9pm they assumed he was going to give money to someone. (John 13:29)

Jesus on the move
God is stirring a people who have ears to hear, to take back their faith, to stand on their own spiritual feet in relationship with others on the same page, and then living it out with meek and lowly hearts.

The reality is that Jesus is moving humbly as he always has; quietly in the midst of his body, barely noticed except to those who have ears to hear, hearts that feel, and feet to take action.

While all the hustle and bustle of Hollywood Jesus is being presented with state of the art sound and lights in luxurious buildings and a coffee shop in the foyer, Jerusalem Jesus is in our homes and communities taking food to a sick friend, talking to a couple whose marriage is at the breaking point, gathering money to pay someone's bill, and so forth.

We are to be Jerusalem Jesus, not Hollywood Jesus. Leave Hollywood Jesus to the actors on stage who have morphed the original Jesus, gospel, and Spirit into something unrecognizable from what the New Testament presents. There is a people who want to be conformed to His image, in traditional churches and home based alike, are you counted in that number?

Some thoughts this week, more on the subject next week.
Blessings,
John Fenn
www.supernaturalhousechurch.org

Selasa, 05 Januari 2010

DIGGING YOUR DITCHES



DIGGING YOUR DITCHES



Have you considered the importance of digging ditches? It may someday be the most important work you will ever do! I am referring to the story in II Kings 3, of King Jehoshaphat, King Jehoram and the King of Edom who were going to war against the King of Moab. Their armies had journeyed seven days when they ran out of water. They had lost their way and there was no water for the men or for the cattle.



“But Jehoshaphat said, ‘Is there a prophet of the Lord here?’ And one answered, ‘Elisha is here.’ And Elisha said, 'Bring me a minstrel.' And it came about, when the minstrel played, the hand of the Lord came upon him. And Elisha said, 'Make this valley full of ditches. For thus says the Lord, You shall not see wind nor rain, yet this valley shall be filled with water so that you shall drink, both you and your cattle and your beasts.' And it happened in the morning about the time of the offering of the sacrifice that the country was filled with water."



Such a miracle of provision! But it was a co-operative miracle between God and man. God sent the water, but men dug the ditches. If they had not dug the ditches, the water would have been quickly swallowed up by the thirsty desert sand. The word of the Lord came to them through the prophet. The promise was plain, "This valley shall be filled with water." But their preparation was to dig ditches in anticipation of the fulfillment of the promise. This was their act of faith.



At the wedding feast in Cana, Jesus said, "Fill the water pots with water and take them to the governor of the feast." The men obeyed and filled them with water. While they carried them to the governor, the miracle occurred! The water was changed to wine! This was another example of how God works with men to bring forth miracles. They provided the water pots and the water—Jesus made the wine.



Brother Andrew, God's Smuggler, tells how in the early days of his walk with Jesus, he was given a word of prophecy telling him to take driver's training to learn how to drive a car. He couldn't understand why because he did not have a car nor did he have any access to a car. This was soon after the second world war and automobiles in Holland were scarce. However, after some hesitation, he believed this was indeed a word from the Lord, so he began taking driver's training even though he never dreamed he would ever own an automobile. Within a short time after having completed his training, he received as a gift a Volkswagon Sedan. This was the car he used to begin his ministry of smuggling Bibles behind the iron curtain. He was faithful to dig his ditches and God met all his expectations . . . and more!



Several years ago the Lord spoke to me to take a flight training course and get my private pilot's license. He assured me that this was a necessary part of my preparation for the work He had called me to do. I waited on the Lord for further instructions since I did not have an airplane or any money to take the training, and flight training is expensive! I asked a few of my friends to pray with me about this and after a few weeks a businessman came up to me and told me the Lord had instructed him to pay for my pilot's training. So in obedience to the Lord's clear leading, I began to study and train. In less than a year I not only had my pilot's license, I also had my own airplane to expedite the ministry of traveling and teaching. When God gives you a promise, start digging your ditches!



Several years ago, while living in Southern California, the Lord gave my wife and me what I call a "divine discontent” with where we had been living for more than fifteen years. He spoke to us that He wanted to bless us with a bigger house and a better house in a better location. He kept encouraging us to "dig our ditches." In a little more than a year, we had purchased land and built a bigger house and a better house in a better location. God had spoken, we dug our ditches, and we experienced the miracle of a new house with twice the space for our growing family.



Has God given you a promise? Has He planted a seed of faith in your heart? Has he given you a vision of some "impossible dream?" Perhaps you feel it is altogether too big for you ever to accomplish? But if God has planted the dream in your heart, your part is to do what you are able to do (dig the ditches) and it is His part to send the rain in the highlands which will eventually reach your desert where you have been faithfully digging your ditches and faithfully waiting, perhaps for years, for the floods to come and fill them up!









Robert Fitts
76-6309 Haku Pl
Kona, HI 96740
robertjoni@gmail.com
www.robertfitts.com


Where It All Begins
Out of the womb of prayer, praise and worship all the mighty movements of God in the earth are conceived and brought to birth for the glory of God and the good of mankind.

A Declaration of Unity
I belong to everything that belongs to Jesus and everything that belongs to Jesus belongs to me! It's not us and them. It's just us! There's only one Body of Christ, and the problems of the church, the whole church, are our problems, for we are the church and we can do more united than we can do divided! So let's unify, simplify, and multiply!

Divine Appointment Prayer
Father, give me a divine appointment today with someone who is hungry for God, or sick, or in need, and give me grace to minister the love of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Winning the War on Terror by Prayer
Father, give every terrorist an encounter with Jesus such as Paul had on the road to Damascus.

Living to Give
Father, make me a generous giver today! Show me where to give and what to give, and let all my giving bring glory to the name of Jesus.

Grace, YES! Law, NO!
Law demands, demands, demands
But gives me neither feet nor hands Grace and Truth are better things
They bid me fly and give me wings!