Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'jesus bible'.
-
In His Presence Are the Answers That You Seek. Wear the crown of glory that He would have you wear uprightly. Lay down any identity that man would come with. Man would come and try to push His crown off your head, and put upon it a counterfeit identity. Lay down all these things that rush into your mind – to where you cannot even come into His presence, because your mind, your spirit, is somewhere else. Call everything that would command you to give up dreams and visions and hope – command it to be cast behind you, for it is of the enemy. Let His Spirit rule and reign. Let Him begin to flow out of you – with discernment, with knowledge, with worship. Practice this when you're alone. "My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us." - Psalms 62:5-8 ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
-
Isaiah 43:1-3 - "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you: and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." TROUBLES AND AFFLICTIONS ARE OFTEN AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF OUR TRANSFORMATION; AS THEY COMPEL US TOWARD GOD, HE COMPELS US TOWARD CHANGE. EVER MINDFUL OF TRANSFORMING OUR LIVES INTO HIS IMAGE, GOD REDEEMS THE ADVERSITIES WE FACE. WHY DOES THE LORD ALLOW US TO PASS THROUGH CONFLICT IN THE FIRST PLACE? BECAUSE IT IS HERE THAT HE TRAINS HIS SONS AND DAUGHTERS IN CHRISTLIKENESS. Ephesians 1:4 - "He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love." MAN IS CALLED TO REST IN GOD, BUT WE MUST ALSO LABOR WITH GOD. IN THIS LABOR, WE MUST FIND WHAT HE CREATED US TO DO. We were foreknown and chosen by God before the world was even created. The God who is so particular and specific also knows what he created us for. We each have a very specific job to do - a very specific calling (DESTINY). We will never know a true peace and fulfillment in our hearts until we are doing our callings. Affirmations: GOD HAS CREATED ME AND CALLED ME TO DO THE DEEPEST DESIRE OF MY HEART. I REJECT THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE WORLD AND BEGIN TO DISCERN THE YOKE THAT GOD HAS CALLED ME TO CARRY. When Jesus first came to the disciples on the shore, after the resurrection in John 21, He was ready and waiting to prepare a feast for His beloved. It's time for us to become like Peter in this passage, and stop waiting for Jesus to come out to us, but rather that we need to rush to be near Him! As soon as Peter was back on the shore, a feast was there waiting that had been prepared for him by Jesus Himself. It was also at this point when Peter had the deepest conversation he'd ever had with Jesus, which regarded love and his relationship with God, as well as his CALLING. (to feed the "sheep"). As you run to Jesus, and dive into your pursuit after Him, He will most definitely pour out His Spirit and presence on you like never before. He has a banquet feast waiting for you, which includes the new wine and manna of Heaven (also known as His joy, His PRESENCE, and His revelation). ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
-
In Psalm 81:10 God challenges us with these words, "Open wide your mouth and I will fill it!" What will God fill our mouths with? This is not about God giving you food. The Hebrew text actually reads, "Open wide your mouth and I will FULFILL it!" God wants to FILL our mouths with HIS Word then FULFILL it when they speak it forth! Get ready...now is the time to "Arise and Shine" with the Word of the Lord in our mouth. We come to see the folly of being consumed with hobbies, hype, and hiding our faults. We are consumed with holiness and declaring the Word....embracing the required expectation of God's PURPOSE for our life. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
-
"And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him." -- 1 John 5:14,15 You cannot ask with confidence until there is a perfect union between you and God, as there was always perfect union between God and Jesus. The moment you pray you find that the heavens are opened -- having a fidelity and confidence to believe that He will not fail, and cannot fail. We shall never get anywhere if we depend upon our feelings. There is something a thousand times better than feelings, and it is the naked Word of God. You must be yielded to the Word of God. The Word will work out love in our hearts, and when practical love is in our hearts there is no room to vaunt ourselves. We see ourselves as nothing when we get lost in this divine love. The confidence comes from our fellowship with Him. There is a wonderful fellowship with Jesus. The chief thing is to be sure that we take time for communion with Him. There is a communion with Jesus that is life and that is better than preaching. PRAYER OF FAITH There is a rest of faith -- there is a faith that rests in confidence on God. God's promises never fail -- "Faith cometh by hearing and hearing, by the word of God." (Romans 10:17).The Word of God can create a resistless faith (through continually speaking it and meditation) -- a faith that is never daunted, a faith that never gives up, and never fails. God has a plan of healing -- it is on the line of perfect confidence in Him. You can never pray "the prayer of faith" if you look at the person who is needing it; there is only one place to look and that is to Jesus. May God help us today to get our eyes off the conditions and symptoms, no matter how bad they may be, and get them fastened upon Him, and then we shall be able to pray the prayer of faith. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
-
"For the Kingdom of God is not in word but in power." - 1 Corinthians 4:20 God gives us the power of the Holy Spirit to break the curse. When we lift our hand against the darkness, we have the authority to break every curse of the devil. The curse represents every evil thing that tries to lay hold of us or anyone else because of the fall of man. When Adam sinned against God, he gave over the authority God had given him. Through the work of the Cross our authority has been restored. It still remains that WE MUST TAKE AUTHORITY and break these things through the power of the Holy Spirit. God is going to plant His purpose for your life in the epicenter of your heart and it will fuel new exploits in your life. "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple." - Luke 14:27 The true Christian life, which is to be a disciple of Christ, is a life of sacrifice. This "taking up of our cross" means that we 'die' to SELF (the right to do as we please, and surrender 'unconditionally' to the Lordship of Jesus.) It was on the Cross that Jesus suffered the ultimate injustice, but He did not retaliate or ask the Father to retaliate, but rather to forgive. This is one of the most difficult tasks for any human being, but it is the basic responsibility of the disciple – to forsake RETALIATION when it may be just, and to forgive instead. As Christians, we may often resolve to forgive but secretly hope for justice from the Lord, but Jesus went beyond that. HE DID NOT WANT THE FATHER TO GET EVEN for Him – He even asked the Father to forgive them. That is ultimate forgiveness and ultimate love. Forgiveness can be one of the most difficult of all things to do, but it is the most basic discipline of Christianity and the SUREST SIGN OF CHRISTIAN MATURITY. As we are told to take up our crosses daily to follow Him, we should also daily look for opportunities to forgive. As we go inward in growing communion with Him, we learn how to call forth the living water within us and release it in an outward flood that transforms lives. Luke 18:1 - "Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." SINCE HE HAS GIVEN HUMANITY AUTHORITY OVER THE EARTH, HE REQUIRES THE PERMISSION OR AUTHORIZATION OF MANKIND IN ORDER TO ACT ON THE EARTH. THIS IS WHY, WHEN WE STOP PRAYING, WE ALLOW GOD'S PURPOSES FOR THE WORLD TO BE HINDERED. Matthew 16:19 - "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." We need to avoid the old ruts of fear and unbelief. Submit to the God of peace, resist these demons and they will flee from you (James 4:7). Instead of receiving fear and unbelief, receive His precious promises as rock-solid truths and begin to act accordingly -- CONFESSING THE SCRIPTURES OUT LOUD and giving thanks that your Father is certainly doing "exceedingly more" than you can even imagine. The Lord Jesus Christ is inviting us to lift our vision up, above our circumstances and situations, to fix our eyes on Him and His Word. As we do this we can expect to see the glory of God fill our lives and those who we touch. "And John bore witness, "I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on him." - Mark 1:10 Being a person on whom the Holy Spirit can remain has a cost. (Cost in this context has nothing to do with church attendance. It is passion for Him and a reverence for His presence where EVERY MOVE WE MAKE (bearing fruit) has Him in mind.) As we pursue God's PURPOSE for our life (Matthew 7:7,8), His Kingdom and righteousness--all things--are added to us. We move ahead in the army of God, advancing His Kingdom. As long as we keep marching, we're CHANGING because faith moves us ahead, step-by-step. If we don't give up, eventually we walk into the Promised Land. The last command of Jesus while on earth says, "Go!" That's why we often see the ANOINTING INCREASE as we go, moving with the cloud. Now is the time for every child of God to BEHOLD THE LORD JESUS IN HIS REVEALED GLORY (see John 1:14). The Word of God plainly declares that the entire earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Glory of God: "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." - Habakkuk 2:14 Paul often spoke of patience and perseverance; they are necessary virtues for evangelism. Jesus says, "Follow me" (Matt. 4:19). Well, He has gone ahead. So somebody must follow Him. Why not you? "Christ changes us from enemies into His friends and gave us the task of making others His friends also." - 2 Corinthians 5:18 He promised that they would see Him again. This is clearly not merely a promise that they would see Him in heaven, because that was a given. Jesus has given us these promises explicitly that we might seek Him with abandon, confident that He will be found by those who love Him and seek Him with all their hearts. The Lord is not impressed with how long we have known Him, how many times we have read the Bible, or by how much we pray -- what matters to Him is if we are abiding in His Son and bearing fruit. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
-
"So may all Your enemies perish, Lord! But may all who love You be like the sun when it rises in its strength..." - Judges 5:31 There is a rising coming for the Body of Christ – a rising within Him, in His ways and in His love to be free in Christ. We are rising up in the glory of the Son. A "rising" can also mean a revolution or revolt – it is time to rise up and push back the powers of darkness trying to encroach and violate our lives! We are being called to rise up and take our places in history; to rise up and seize the day. We are being called to rise to the occasion for which we were created (God's PURPOSE for our life). Rise to believe that you can overcome, because much greater is He that lives in you – the One who has overcome the world – than the one who is under your feet! The force that is holding the world together lives inside of us! With the grasping of this truth comes the revelation that nothing is or can be impossible to those who believe in Him. EMERGING FROM THE CRUCIBLE OF FIRE After death comes resurrection. There are a people hearing the sound and they are rising, coming out of graves where strongholds and circumstances have kept them bound. The cry of the Lord can be heard -- "Be loosed and arise to life, to the upward call in Christ." People are coming out of the crucible of fire, prepared as agents of transformation. God is saying, "This is the time to make your voice heard!" - Esther 4:14 This is an hour to make our voices heard, to be very courageous and bold (with wisdom). God is listening. He desires to hear our courageous voices proclaiming His Word, that we become living testaments of His truth: "You who dwell in the gardens, the companions listen for your voice – let me hear it!" - Song of Solomon 8:13 It is time to speak and shout and let our voices be heard. It is time to LIVE but to live as ones who do not love our lives so much as to be afraid of death (see Revelation 12). Dead men don't fear, dead men don't get offended. Dead men become fully alive in Christ! Jesus said that if we were willing to lose our lives we would gain it! CREATIVE CONTAINERS OF GLORY We have been in a new time to run a race of strength. It is time to run with all our might; time to live, time to speak, time to write if you are called to write; time to sing that song. It is time to truly live like we have never lived before. Time for our God-ordained container, representing our life's vision and call, to come forth. There are many unique containers, designed specifically to fit our portion of the harvest. Ask God, "What is my container? What is its structure, its dynamics, its purpose in the harvest?" God is trying to break through our old mindsets to conform and transform us to see and understand in new ways. He wants us to have the renewed mind of Christ to meet the challenges of the harvest with innovative and creative containers of glory. He is shaking things that are stagnant and old that cannot serve Him in this distinctive hour. A container is a vessel created for reflecting your light that has come (see Isaiah 60:1). You are a container of God's glory, carrying the treasures, goods, and supplies of the Kingdom to a parched Earth. You are an exceptional vessel, with a specialized call and a matchless container God has fashioned just for you. Let your light shine, let your container fulfill its call in preparing the highway for our God! "Listen! It's the voice of someone shouting, 'Clear the way through the wilderness for the LORD! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!'" - Isaiah 40:3 NLT ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
-
"Jesus answered, 'Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.' The woman said to him, 'Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty...'" - John 4:13-15 Jesus boldly told the Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob that she could come to Him and He would give her living waters. He was speaking figuratively of the Spirit of God. We cannot live without natural water and so we cannot spiritually live without the water of the Spirit of God. Jesus taught the disciples in Matthew 5:6 that "blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied." He promised that we would be satisfied. How does this happen? The only way it can happen is if we have the indwelling presence of God in our hearts via His Holy Spirit. David said in Psalms that his heart and flesh longed and thirsted for God in a dry and weary land. Again David mentioned the life-giving power of the Spirit of God in Psalm 51, "take not your Holy Spirit from me..." LIVING WATERS David loved the Presence of God and the Holy Spirit. He knew that if he grieved the Spirit of God He might leave him and then the Presence of the Lord would diminish. David lived in the days of the Old Covenant and so did the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus came along and told this woman that she could have living waters inside her and she would never be thirsty again. Jesus risked much to minister to her and probably stirred up some controversy as people heard what He did. God has been inviting mankind to fellowship with Him since the days of Adam and Eve. He walked and talked with them in the garden when He came to visit them. He was about cultivating a relationship with them. He made it easy for them to know Him. His heart has never changed and He has again made it easy for us to experience Him by the sweet indwelling presence of His life-giving Spirit. Come and drink of His living waters and allow them (Holy Spirit) to well up in you like the well where Jesus invited the woman to drink of His living waters. Jesus gently shared love and hope with her and she was so transformed that she went to her village and told people about her experience and many people found Jesus that day. Regardless of how we feel about ourselves, He is always telling us, "Come and Drink." "Come to Me and I will give you living water and you will never thirst again!" ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
-
1 Corinthians9:24,26 - "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fit I, not as one that beateth the air." WHEN YOU'VE GOT THE WORD OF GOD HIDDEN ON THE INSIDE OF YOU AND THAT WORD IS WORKING MIGHTILY IN YOU, YOU'RE NOT AFRAID OF THE DEVIL. Affirmations: I AM NOT AFRAID OF DEVILS, DEMONS, SICKNESS, DISEASE, POVERTY, OR ANYTHING! I AM NOT AFRAID OF THE REPORTS THAT COME VIA THE NEWS MEDIA, THE DOCTORS, OR THE ECONOMISTS - BECAUSE I HAVE INSIDE INFORMATION. I KNOW THAT I HAVE ALREADY WON. I AM A WINNER - A VICTOR, NOT A VICTIM. John 12:36 - "While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light." Jesus came as the light of the world. He then passed the baton to us announcing that we are the light of the world. Jesus Came as the miracle worker. He said that we would do "greater works" that He did (John 14:12). He then says "right now the Holy Spirit is with you, but he's going to be in you (John 14:17). AFFIRMATIONS: In my walk I place a higher value on the presence of God that others do. I have a passion to give Him preeminence in everything. That passion brings me into a supernatural life -- one with the constant activity of the Holy Spirit working through me. We are delivered by the blood of Jesus alone. If we think that it is because of our faith, then we will always be wondering, "Do I have enough faith? No, it is the blood alone that saves. Saves from what? -- anything that doesn't match up with heaven. Matthew 6:10 -- "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." If we think that our deliverance depends partly on God and partly on us, we will not have a settled peace in our heart. But when we know that its the blood alone that saves, we will have an unshakable peace. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
-
Awake and arise, for you have slumbered long enough on the bed of disappointment, rejection, pain, and abandonment. He will cause you to want to live, to declare the glory of the Lord your God in the land of this living. Cast aside everything that holds you back, whether it is a broken dream, a broken vision, a broken promise. He has seen the tears, the pain, and the confusion, but He promises you in His Word that He makes a way where there seems to be no way. CROSSOVER TO THE BLESSED PATH Watch Him part the sea in front of you. Be alert to see Him when He comes and parts the sea, for He has a particular place for you to cross over. It will be a place of safety, a place of position, a place of authority. It will be known as 'A Blessed Path of the Highway of Holiness.' Others will not want to draw near to Him, for they will want to keep both feet in the world but their hands raised up in mockery, for it will not be in agreement with their heart. Come out of the world. Come in to His Spirit. He longs to talk to you, Spirit to spirit, heart to heart, so you will learn to rise up to high mountains, to the new vision, to the new pathway, to the new purposes, blessings, and provisions. Provision is so at hand, but you must be close enough to receive it. Draw near to Him, and as He has promised, He will draw near to you. GOD IS BLESSING YOU AND OPENING DOORS FOR YOU Wake up. Cast off busyness, discouragement. Do not try to make your own way through the storms of life, but let Him give you His eyes to see, and let Him give you His ears to hear. Soon you will recognize what is of His Spirit, and what is of man, and you will soon draw closer to His Spirit, and man's will, will fall -- always to the side. Let His name rise up in you, to open doors that seem only to appear closed, because He is the way, the truth, and the life. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
-
"Your dead will live; their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awaken and shout for joy, for your dew is as the dew of the dawn, and the earth will give birth to the departed spirits." - Isaiah 26:19 Let's awaken out of sleep, out of prisons, out of old mindsets, and out of old wineskins. Awaken into a new creative code. Awaken into the greater works. Awaken into the reality of being a new creation. Awaken chosen generation, mind, soul and spirit into our calling in Christ. Awaken! Man, made in the image of God has a purpose - man neglects his purpose in Christ and thus he forgets who he is and what life means. As the Lord responds to the hunger of His people, He is revealing the Person of Jesus in the inward parts of our spirit. What we've understood with our "head knowledge," we will begin to experience through spiritual revelation. And as the eyes of our heart become enlightened, our character and lifestyle will be transformed (see Ephesians 1:17-18). Integrity and honesty will become paramount. We will live each day pursuing God's PURPOSE for our life. (see Colossians 1:9-10). This is not a time for Believers in the Body of Christ to be humdrum, expecting only what we have seen and experienced before. We have never been where we are going now (see Joshua 3:4,5). We all must prepare for what is ahead: The call to embrace the awe of Almighty God. We shut the door on all the distractions of this life, the cares of this world, the busyness of our daily affairs and anything else that would keep us from pressing into God. "His power at work in us who believe. This power in us is the same as the mighty strength which He used when He raised Christ from death...." - Ephesians 1:20 You have resurrection power attached to your prayer life! You can look to things that are absolutely dead and pray forth eternal LIFE! The same power in us is the same potency God demonstrated when He raised Jesus out of the grave. Ask the Holy Spirit to make you increasingly aware of any negative things you say to yourself - turn those hurtful thoughts into positive affirmations. The healthier and stronger a believer's spiritual life is, the less he joins the crowd (Jeremiah 15:17). Worship is the spiritual equivalent of the power of magnification. When you begin to worship, you ascend to join the Object of your adoration. If you are soaring in His presence, then you are looking down on your problems. "Oh, magnify the Lord with me." - Psalm 34:3 The Word again desires to become flesh and live among us, doing the same works through us that He did while on the earth in human form. "I tell you the truth: whoever believes in me will do the works I do -- yes, he will do even greater ones, because I am going to the Father." - John 14:!" Expectation pulls virtue out of God because one of the foremost keys in hearing from God is living with expectation toward Him. Expectation places a demand on the Holy Spirit. He is willing to commune and speak to us every moment of our lives and He is as close as our own breath. Affirmations: I confess that the Holy Spirit is my partner! With Him as my helper, I am getting better and better in prayer every day! I confess that I am following the voice of Jesus. I have been given spiritual power, spiritual weapons, and the wonderful word of God. I maintain the attitude that never gives in, never gives up, and never surrenders to defeat. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
-
Luke 3:16-17 - "John answered and said to them all, "As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." Now the question is, who will burn in this generation? Who will press and receive a revelation that has the power to affect an entire group of people? The Father wants to empower His people with faith and insight that activates His plans in the earth now! He is raising up a people that will burn with revelation and release the Kingdom. In Exodus 3, Moses is on the mountain of God when he encounters a burning bush. From the midst of fire, the voice of the Lord spoke, calling him back to purpose. There is a desperate need in this hour for people to hear clear direction and encounter the fiery presence of God. A sense of lethargy and confusion has gripped the hearts of many. BURNING FOR HIS GLORY God's voice dwells in the midst of the fire! We are not just to look for burning bushes but we are actually to become burning bushes for His glory! Fire consumes the sacrifice, and inRomans 12:1-2 we are told to surrender our bodies and renew our minds. As we lay our flesh upon His altar, we are consumed! "For our God is a consuming fire." - Hebrews 12:29 We are called to burn for Him and be voices of awakening. The Father desires to set regions ablaze with holy fire, but it will take surrendered ones who have been in His presence and are burning. There are heavenly plans for transformation, awakening, and outpouring, but the plans look much different than the wisdom of man. It will take those who fully yield and obey to give birth to Heaven's agenda for this hour. Mark 9:49 - "For everyone will be salted with fire." We must advance with our spiritual eyes open and carry a strong spirit of faith and authority. Bind up all false spirits and shake off their attacks. We are called to burn for Him! We are called to fuel the fires of revival and advance forward. We are called to be Heat Seekers! ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
-
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me." - Revelation 3:20 "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. - 2 Corinthians 3:14 There is fellowship – sweetness in His presence – the Bride and the Spirit, both crying out in song, and in worship, in praise, and in stillness, 'Come, Lord Jesus, come.' Lift up His name. Lift up your heart. Allow Him to take the scales of disappointment and fear away from you. Draw close, and He promises you, He will draw closer to you. Draw close in stillness. Listen for His voice. Be trained to hear. Be in season – ready to listen, ready to speak, ready to laugh, ready to weep, ready to run, and to be still. Be willing to become all things within Him so that He can bring you through all things, for He will strengthen you. For He has promised you in His Word, you can do all things through Christ Jesus who will strengthen you? He is your Strengthener. PRAYER: Come, Lord Jesus, come. Take over all circumstances. Heal my unbelief. Heal my doubt. Heal my misunderstanding and my fears. Take me, just as I am. - Amen. Not only will He take you as you are, but He loves you so much that He will not leave you as you are, for He will cause you to be hungry for His Word. For He will remove competition from around you; for your eyes will be fixed upon Him, and not upon another. 2 Timothy 4:2 - "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage -- with great patience and careful instruction." ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
-
"So may all Your enemies perish, Lord! But may all who love You be like the sun when it rises in its strength..." - Judges 5:31 There is a rising coming for the Body of Christ – a rising within Him, in His ways and in His love to be free in Christ. We are rising up in the glory of the Son. A "rising" can also mean a revolution or revolt – it is time to rise up and push back the powers of darkness trying to encroach and violate our lives! We are being called to rise up and take our places in history; to rise up and seize the day. We are being called to rise to the occasion for which we were created (God's PURPOSE for our life). Rise to believe that you can overcome, because much greater is He that lives in you – the One who has overcome the world – than the one who is under your feet! The force that is holding the world together lives inside of us! With the grasping of this truth comes the revelation that nothing is or can be impossible to those who believe in Him. AFTER DEATH COMES RESURRECTION There are a people hearing the sound and they are rising, coming out of graves where strongholds and circumstances have kept them bound. The cry of the Lord can be heard -- "Be loosed and arise to life, to the upward call in Christ." Come out of the crucible of fire and be prepared as an agent of transformation. You are a container of God's glory, carrying the treasures, goods, and supplies of the Kingdom to a parched Earth. You are an exceptional vessel, with a specialized call and a matchless container God has fashioned just for you. Let your light shine, let your container fulfill its call in preparing the highway for our God! "Listen! It's the voice of someone shouting, 'Clear the way through the wilderness for the LORD! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!'" - Isaiah 40:3 NLT ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
-
1 Kings 19:10 - And he said, "I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, torn down Thine altars and Killed Thy prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." MUCH OF ELIJAH'S DISCOURAGEMENT CAME FROM THE FALSE EXPECTATIONS HE HAD PLACED UPON HIMSELF. IN HIS DEJECTION, ALONE AND HURTING, ELIJAH WITHDREW INTO A CAVE. FOR US, SELF-PITY CAN ALSO BE A "CAVE," A DARK HOLE OF LONELINESS AND PAIN, WHERE ALL WE REALLY HEAR IS THE ECHO OF OUR OWN VOICE MAGNIFYING AND DISTORTING OUR PROBLEMS. WHEN WE BECOME SICK WITH DISCOURAGEMENT, IT IS EASY TO LOSE OUR PERSPECTIVE. FOR ELIJAH, MIGHTY MANIFESTATIONS HAD BEEN SIGNS OF GOD'S APPROVAL. BUT SOMETHING "NEW" WAS COMING THAT REQUIRED A FRESH SUBMISSION TO THE LIVING GOD. THERE ARE TIMES WHEN THE LORD MUST EXPAND OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HIS WILL, ACTUALLY LIBERATING US FROM THE CONTAINER OF OUR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES. THE CRY FOR A FRESH EXPERIENCE OF GOD IS AT THE CORE OF BEING OPEN TO BELIEVE FOR SOMETHING "NEW." NEWNESS IS ALWAYS POSSIBLE TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE. Things on Which to Meditate: I MUST BELIEVE GOD IS WORKING A NEW WORK IN ME. NEW THINGS REQUIRE A NEW LANGUAGE. MY SELF TALK DRAWS ME CLOSER OR DRIVES ME FURTHER FROM EXPERIENCING NEW THINGS. THINGS HAVE NEVER BEEN THE WAY THEY ARE GOING TO BE BECAUSE BECAUSE GOD IS DOING A NEW THING IN ME. In Joshua's day, before crossing the Jordan River and moving into their inheritance, God said to the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you" (Joshua 3:5). This is an exhortation for us today! If you rearrange your busy schedule over the next few weeks to pray and fast and spend more time in worship and the Word, your life will radically change. No matter what level of relationship you currently enjoy with the Lord, He wants to transform you into a more passionate and zealous Believer. As you draw into His depths, His cleansing stream will prepare you to advance in His PURPOSE for your life. "For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land." - Song of Solomon 2:11-12 ESV The Lord takes us gently by the hand to lead us into a deeper place, into the very garden of the Lord where He dwells. In that place, His fragrance lingers and saturates the hungry hearts that search for Him. In that place the barren see a new season of the flowers blooming and flourishing. It's in that place where the Lord longs to look our way and consume all our dross in His love. As we experience a new desperation birthed in our heart for more of Him, the time we spend in His presence makes the singing of the birds to come forth, producing a new sound of heavenly worship that transforms regions and cities with its powerful, prophetic flow. This leads to an abiding prophetic anointing that rests upon us so we can speak a message in season and become an expression of His very life. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
-
"If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?" - Jeremiah 12:5 NIV Have you been stumbling? Have you been stumbling with the footmen? Well the Lord is wanting to upgrade you to the horses. It's time for you to compete with the horses! The Lord is moving you up from running with the footmen to now racing with the horses. God is about to bring you up to the next level of things. He's bringing you to a whole new ball game. He is bringing you to a new tier. RUNNING WITH THE HORSES You will be moved from running with the men to running with the horses. You will move from the natural to the supernatural. You will go from the first heavens to the third. You are being promoted. Discouragement is fleeing from you. Sadness is leaving you. The disappointments and the depressing lies of the devil are being extinguished. The Holy Spirit is strengthening you with fresh revelation and you will now move forth in the spirit of power and might! It's time for you to ride on with the Rider on the white horse. Get renewed and get refreshed, for the Lord is about to accelerate you into the best season of your life! ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
-
"For our God is a consuming fire." - Hebrews 12:29 God's voice dwells in the midst of the fire! Fire consumes the sacrifice, and inRomans 12:1-2 we are told to surrender our bodies and renew our minds. As we lay our flesh upon His altar, we are consumed! Mark 9:49 - "For everyone will be salted with fire." We are called to burn for Him and be voices of awakening. The Father desires to set regions ablaze with holy fire, but it will take surrendered ones who have been in His presence and are burning. It will take those who fully yield and obey to give birth to Heaven's agenda for this hour. We must advance with our spiritual eyes open and carry a strong spirit of faith and authority. Bind up all false spirits and shake off their attacks. We are called to burn for Him! We are called to fuel the fires of revival and advance forward. We are called to be Heat Seekers! ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
-
Genesis 4:3,4 - "And in the process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering." CAIN'S OFFERING WAS REJECTED BECAUSE HE OFFERED THE FRUIT OF HIS OWN LABORS WHILE ABEL OFFERED A BLOOD SACRIFICE THAT PROPHESIED OF THE COMING OF CHRIST. THIS LED TO A RAGE IN CAIN THAT CAUSED HIM TO SLAY HIS BROTHER. THE CROSS IS THE BASIS OF OUR ACCEPTANCE TO GOD AND REMAINS THE PRIMARY POINT OF CONFLICT BETWEEN CHRISTIANITY AND EVERY OTHER RELIGION, WHICH ARE ALL BASED ON MAN'S ACCEPTANCE THROUGH WORKS. Ephesians 2:10 - "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." In the world "self-made" men and women are esteemed, but not so in Christ. Our goal is to be fashioned and established by the grace of God, not our own efforts. In this way we are his workmanship, devoted to becoming what he wants us to be. We are not working in order to gain approval, but because we love the one who loved us, saved us, and works through us. Hebrews 10:12,14 -- "But this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God...For by one offering He hath PERFECTED FOREVER them that are sanctified." God sees us with no flaw, spot or imperfection, so we honor His Word and the finished work of Jesus by saying "Amen!" To see ourselves as being far from perfect is not modesty, but a failure to understand the perfect sacrifice that Jesus has made for us. The Bible tells us, "For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified." We have not only been sanctified, that is, made holy; but by the same offering of His body, we have been perfected. We are both holy and perfect in God's eyes! AFFIRMATIONS: When I find myself conscious of my sins, I say, 'Thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your wonderful work at the cross. It is a perfect work that has removed all my sins completely.' I expect good things to happen to me because blessings are on the head of the righteous! (Proverbs 10:6) I don't doubt my perfection in Christ. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
-
"Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." --Romans 13:14 When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.” -- Psalm 27:8 Seek His Face at the beginning of your day. This practice enables you to “put Him on” and “wear Him” throughout the day. Most people put on clothes soon after arising from bed. Similarly, the sooner you “put Him on” by communing with Him, the better prepared you are for whatever comes your way. To “wear Him” is essentially to have His mind: to think His thoughts. Ask the Holy Spirit to control your thinking; be transformed by this renewal within you. Thus you are well equipped to face whatever people and situations He brings your way. Clothing your mind in Him is your best preparation for each day. This discipline brings Joy and Peace to you and those around you. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. -- Colossians 3:12 ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
-
Matthew 9:36 - "But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd." COMPASSION IS A DEEP YEARNING THAT RESPONDS TO THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE. JESUS' LIFE ON EARTH WAS A PICTURE OF COMPASSION IN ACTION. HIS WHOLE MINISTRY WAS DRIVEN BY IT. IT WAS COMPASSION THAT CAUSED HIM TO MULTIPLY THE LOAVES AND FISHES, HEAL THE SICK, CAST OUT DEMONS AND RAISE THE DEAD. IT WAS COMPASSION THAT COMPELLED HIM TO GO TO THE CROSS. Observation: HE NOW LONGS TO POUR OUT THAT SAME COMPASSION THROUGH ME. HIS COMPASSION MOVES ME TO PROVIDE FOR THE HUNGRY. IT COMPELS ME TO CAST OUT DEMONS AND SET THE CAPTIVES FREE. I REACH OUT AND TOUCH A LOVE-STARVED WORLD WITH COMPASSION. Matthew 28:19-21 - "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age." God's covenant promise "I will be with you" has always been linked to mankind's need for courage to face the impossible. The great commission provides more interesting reading for those who remember what kind of men God was giving His charge to -- greedy, prideful, angry, and self-centered. Yet Jesus called them to change the world. QUESTION TO ASK MYSELF: Do I believe that Jesus can overcome my shortcomings and still use me to do His kingdom work? "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna..." - Revelation 2:17 As we spend time resting in the presence of God there is an abiding prophetic anointing that begins to rest upon us. Hidden manna and mysteries are revealed supernaturally by the Holy Spirit when we invest in His presence and behold Him as He is, and we become one with Him and begin to understand the way He thinks and feels as well as His deepest heart yearnings. We overcome and become an expression of His very life—a reflection of His heart and feelings toward others. When we are one with Him in heart and mind, we can't help but be in tune with Him as we relate to those around us, available to speak a word in season to minister to a needy heart in the moment. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
-
- 1
-
-
- jesus bible
- prayer points
- (and 7 more)
-
Our thoughts are actually prayers; they are living and powerful. When our thoughts are connected to the throne of God, they have the ability to create substance in our lives. Psalm 100:4,5 - "Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations." Satan’s plan is to make us somehow accept, either through our upbringing, our experiences or through Church dogma that certain portions of the life of Christ are untrue or not valid in our case. Every battle we face in life is over the word and whether or not we can build our lives upon the faithfulness and integrity of God. Hebrews 10:23 - "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is FAITHFUL;" "For she said within herself, 'If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.'" (Matthew 9:21) The word "touch" in this passage refers to a "clinging to." It means "to fasten oneself, and adhere to." Once you pour out your heart to Him in intimate prayer, then you just cling and adhere to Him and not let go! Another meaning of touch is to "set a fire," and "to fasten fire to a thing. This is how we can become His "firebrands" upon the earth and set our environment ablaze with His glory! It is abnormal for a Christian to not have an appetite for the impossible. It has been written into our spiritual DNA to hunger for the impossibilities around us to bow at the name of Jesus. "And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their TESTIMONY." - Revelation 12:11 You must hold fast to the things that you receive from God! How can you hold fast to them? You hold fast by the blood of the Lamb and the word of your TESTIMONY. Whenever we share a TESTIMONY of what the power of Jesus has done -- any miracle, healing, salvation account -- the Spirit of prophecy is loosed over the people who are hearing it. This means the Spirit of God is actively moving on them to create faith. In 1 Corinthians 2:16 we are told we have the mind of Christ. This statement overwhelms many believers. But Paul was not saying we’re perfect or we’ll never fail. He was telling us that we can think spiritual thoughts because Christ is alive within us. Thankfully, we no longer have to think the way we once did; we can begin to think as He did. "God was pleased to reveal His Son IN ME so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles." - Galatians 1:15,16 God reveals Christ IN US so that we might preach Him among the nations -- evangelizing -- DISCIPLING and equipping others for Christian service. Once we meet Christ, then others can see Christ IN US. The life we live, we live by Christ IN US. Is there not deep inside you a longing for His continuous presence? Do you not crave an increase of God's love, God's joy, God's peace, God's power? Right now, God is releasing a fresh wind upon us, the wind of destiny, to blow us into our PURPOSE and into our CALLING! Winds are the vehicle of the spirit realm. From Moses to Elijah, even to the Day of Pentecost, the winds of God have all played a part in bringing God's will into the earth! Ezekiel 37:9 - "Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man.." Declare today that the four winds are about to bring you into your place of purpose, power, prosperity, and passion as you are delivered into your DESTINY! When we catch a glimpse of this new identity we have in Jesus Christ, we see sin to be the boring, useless, and stupid thing it really is and we turn more easily away from it. This other side has to do with the rich inheritance that we share in with Jesus Christ as co-heirs (seeRomans 8:17; Ephesian 1:7, 11). We need to spend much more time confessing, not our sins, but who we are in Christ according to the teachings of the apostles. "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10:23). People with a spirit of faith believe God to help them do exploits. They're builders. They cultivate the dry land. They turn deserts into oases. They create something out of nothing. They call things that be not as though they are. When people experience Christians preaching the Word without us ALSO BECOMING THE WORD, the Gospel gets reduced to a mere philosophy -- principles to be argued and words that can be wrangled over. But when the Word becomes flesh and dwells among them, they find themselves pierced to the heart and convicted in the depths of their very souls. Hebrews 1:7 - "Who makes....his servants flames of fire." ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
-
In Ephesians 5 Paul is speaking about redeeming the time. We need to come into agreement with what Heaven is saying, echoing the decree. Ephesians 5:8-11 (paraphrased) says, "You were once darkness but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light... Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. All things are exposed, therefore, awake." This is a call to revival and resurrection. Rise up out of apathy and complacency. Then Christ will give you life. "See that you walk wisely, not as fools, but wise. Redeeming the time because the days are evil. Do not be unwise but understanding" (Ephesians 5:15-17 paraphrased). Understand the will of God for your life. He is revealing His PURPOSE and DESTINY. We need to understand what God's word is to us: "Do not be drunk with wine...but be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18). How do you redeem lost time? When you understand, that before the foundation of the world was laid the Lamb was slain in the realm of eternity, all your promises are done. In the realm of eternity, God has made provision for everything you need to walk in and what He has called you to walk in. C.S. Lewis said about redeeming the time, "We can actually buy back times in our past when we have felt abandoned, abused, betrayed, and fearful. We as Believers cannot only be forgiven of our past but we can travel back in time with God and see God as an ever-present help in that situation in the future." YOU CREATE WITH YOUR PROPHECY Hebrews 6:5 says we can taste of the powers of the age to come. We have not yet experienced Kingdom fullness. There is a Kingdom that is at hand, and a fullness of the Kingdom coming. A prophetic word not only gives you hope and promise, but it has the ability to pull you into the future message that has already come to pass? It is a creative prophetic word that literally calls forth things that are in the realm of eternity. You create with your prophecy; you have an ability to pull people into their future potential and connect them to their future. CHOOSE TO LIVE IN CHRIST'S REDEMPTION Many feel like they lost time and missed the opportunity of grace due to foolishness or sin with the idea they have to get back on the highway of holiness and start all over again? In the story of the prodigal son not only did the father see the son afar off and kiss him and embrace him, but he did so even though the son had squandered away his inheritance. Have you ever felt you squandered away something God gave you and you came to your senses and said, "I have to go back to the Father"? The father said, "Let's give him the robe and ring." The ring and the robe are a sign of authority and position. He said, "Let's give him back the inheritance." Redemption has to do with the recovery of what was lost and the ransomed price, the Blood, the precious price that was paid for you to be bought back in every area that you were once a slave. You can choose life and blessing, or death and cursing. You can choose to be free and live in the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, or you can choose to live in that bondage and believe you can never be free. Ephesians 1:7 says we have the forgiveness of sin and the redemption by His Blood. How many in the body of Christ understand He is still redeeming? Some have accepted forgiveness, but you didn't get your ring or robe back. You never let the Lord complete the story of the prodigal son or daughter and bring you back into the fullness. You get forgiveness and redemption. You get the chance to get the ring and robe and go back and do what the Lord CALLED you to do. PROCLAIM LIBERTY! Isaiah 61:1 says, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because..." Let's remember the purpose of the anointing. Why do we have the anointing come on us in this moment? We are anointed to proclaim, not ask God for freedom. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon us to proclaim liberty. Command those that are oppressed to be free. Jesus is the one who proclaimed the liberty of God, and we have been sent into the world to do the works that Christ did. Isaiah 61:2 says, "[He has anointed Me] to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord..." The Spirit of the Lord is upon us to proclaim, decree, and prophesy others into the acceptable year, not moment! How about a whole year of abundance, overflow, and advancing in our CALLING in Christ resulting in fruitfulness? MINDSET TO RECEIVE THE NEW God wants things to be so at rest and settled in order to make room for the oil and receive the whole new thing God is doing in your life. He has pruned and cut away so that He has made room to fill you with the new. Whatever you bring to the altar, do not pick it up again. If you allow the Lord to increase and enable your thinking, little by little you will be in double of where you are today. We can proclaim the acceptable year and come into it. Others are proclaiming fear, judgment, anxiety; we need to begin to hear what Heaven is saying. We are moving in the time where we can only be led by the voice and Spirit of God. Let's step into the NEW thing. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
-
Romans 8:11 - "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." Our purpose is to utilize all of our resurrection authority that resides within us as followers of Christ. As we understand that our spirit is "quickened" by His Spirit, in the same way we should be "ACCELERATED" to go further and faster now on earth otherwise impossible through mere human effort. We must – as God's design for Kingdom citizens – take dominion and multiply God's Kingdom on this earth as it is in Heaven! That is indeed the Believer's resurrection authority. Moreover, Christians should grow in this authority and begin resurrecting forgotten prophetic words, sidelined destinies, dead dreams, shattered relationships, and physical diagnoses for healing and complete wholeness in every area of our lives! There is no limit to this abiding Resurrection Spirit within every Believer! "The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds have come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land." - Song of Solomon 2:12 The "voice of the turtledove" is a prophetic voice that speaks God's heart cry into the empty, dead places on the earth. God is raising up the voice of the turtle dove in His Church, using the voices of those who have become mature, deeply humble and meek after their time in the wilderness with Him. This "singing of the birds", also known as (sincere) harmonious prophetic worship, is the key that opens the very windows of Heaven so that fresh revelation comes forth. This will happen wherever the Holy Spirit is welcomed. A new realm of spiritual understanding and experience is available to anyone who will say, "Yes, Lord. Give me ears to hear. Give me a hearing heart." "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna..." - Revelation 2:17 2 Corinthians 4:17 says, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." When we are fighting principalities, powers, and ungodly, wicked spirits in this world we can protect our vision by keeping a heart sensitive to God through PRAYER, FASTING, AND THE MEDITATION ON HIS WORD that applies to your situation or problem. God's Word must be our balance and our love for God and people must be our motive for reaching souls. We must protect our vision. We must not grow weary in well doing. Breaking through into the spirit realm at first may seem very difficult, very tough. The struggle of one day of fasting pales in comparison to the benefits that we receive in destroying the works of the flesh and submitting ourselves to the law and direction of the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it." ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
-
Matthew 15:14 - "If the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch." When you start pursuing God's vision for your life, sometimes you have to change who your close friends are because you're not speaking the same language anymore. Some people say that it doesn't really matter with whom they associate, that they wouldn't want to hurt anybody by disassociating from them. Yet Jesus was telling us not to be foolish by following those who are spiritually blind. Some people literally sacrifice their dreams and their lives because they are afraid of having conflict and disagreement with others. The devil's strategy is to constantly flood our being with earthly information and noise, thereby thwarting our focus and thoughts on God. The world and all its stimuli have NOTHING to offer the spirit man. Hebrews 5:12 - "For by this time you ought to be teachers...." To spiritually inspire is to guide, affect, or arouse by the divine influence of the Holy Spirit. 2 Timothy 2:2 - "You should teach people whom you can trust the things you and many others have heard me say. Then they will be able to teach others." Discipling others (individually) is essential to the advancement of the Kingdom of God. Are you willing to spend and be spent; not seeking to be ministered unto, but to minister? There are many who will respond when the blessings are flowing, but when it comes time to "eat His flesh," (PARTAKE OF HIS LIFE) they say, "This is a hard saying, who can hear it?" and they disappear. A witness of Jesus Christ is one who knows Him and is interested in introducing Him to others. Any person who says, "I don't need to witness; I just let my life speak," is self-righteous. Psalm 91:1 - "He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." To dwell in the secret place of the Most High is to rest, remain, and stay there. Every moment we are there, God is overshadowing us with His protection and glory. We are, therefore, constantly living under an open Heaven where everything becomes possible, where we are protected from dangerous and destructive circumstances (spiritual and natural), and where spiritual and natural blessings and promises manifest. The apostles received the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room and went out on fire to set the world on fire. They didn't stay in the Upper Room enjoying their experience and trying to prolong it. Nor did they keep coming back for more of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not given for self-indulgence. They went out full of His power and proclaimed the truth of what they had received. Pray that the Lord would release a fire in you, and ask Him to release the sure word of the Lord in you that will release a holy inner confidence through you for yourself, your family, your business, and your ministry. 1 John 5:14 - "We have this confidence, that if we pray anything according to His will, He hears us." It is easy to go to sleep reviewing negative ideas and pictures in our mind and wake up in the morning with a poisoned and negative spirit. Instead, we choose to fall asleep loving and receiving from Jesus -- our Lord and Savior. Psalm 63:6,8 - "When I think of thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the watches of the night; My soul clings to thee; thy right hand upholds me." Faith is stronger than belief. To believe is to give intellectual assent; to have faith is to be inseparable from the object of your devotion. Belief can be changed or lost by a more persuasive argument. True faith is so much a part of the person it can only be taken by death. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." - Hebrews 11:1 Fear imprisons one's heart and releases the power of Satan's destruction in their life. By yielding to fear believers descend into Satan's range of attack. Are we prepared to set ourselves apart for the Holy Spirit's ministrations in us? Faith is where you take the biggest spiritual risks in your life, especially within your CALLING. Exercising faith is fundamentally a risk. Each and every time you "step out" within your call to obey God you take a risk.- Ephesians 5:17 - "So do not be foolish but learn what the Lord wants you to do." How can you hear God speak, in His soft and tender way, when your hurried thoughts create a whirlwind within? Be quiet, and He will soon be heard. "For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation." - Psalm 62:1 ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
-
We are being presented "suddenly" moments, for such a time as this, to step into a BREAKTHROUGH that is bigger than our hope can comprehend. These might be moments that look like immense risk or require vulnerability, but we have to seize that incoming wave at the opportune time with fresh courage. We must realize the breakthrough starts within us – so it can be brought to life all around us – by stepping outside our comfort zone and recognizing the new thing that He is doing now. BREAKING OUT OF OUR COMFORT ZONE "I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?" Isaiah 43:19 Often, the hardest thing about receiving something new for us is that it almost always requires something new of us. Those breakthrough waves we pray and believe for rarely flow through our familiar comfort zone. They don't stay within our boundaries or control, rather, they are the move of His Spirit calling us to jump outside our self-imposed box and ride the wave of a lifetime. How often do we turn a deaf ear to the question the Spirit asks us each day when He inquires,"Shall you not know it?" (Isaiah 43:19) Will we know the new thing God is doing in, through and around us? Will we recognize His fresh move, beyond our insecurities, critiques or judgments? Will we be able to embrace the very thing we've been praying for when it passes by just outside familiar waters? If we will, it will take COURAGE. It will require us to be lion-hearted, found among those through the ages who have – like Gideon – lived a courage that is not so much about a valiant charge into battle but about a radical step of obedience that joins God in what He is now doing. YOUR MESSENGER OF COURAGE The Lord doesn't just send us into such a leap out onto the waters without equipping us. Like with Gideon and Mary, there are different times throughout Scripture where we see the Lord send a messenger to one of His chosen ones to call them over the chasm that lies between the promises they hope for and the PURPOSE they are created to live. God goes all in to help us be who He has created us to be, and to prove it, He sends us messengers of courage to strengthen our leap. "Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree...Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress...And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, 'The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!'" Judges 6:11-12 "Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 'Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!'" Luke 1:26-28 Gideon was addressed as "mighty man of valor." Mary as "highly favored one." It is not coincidence that God called them by such terms not after they completed their purpose, but before. This is how they were addressed from the outset; then God called them to step into the appointed time of their DESTINY. You have a Messenger of Courage within you, a Helper, the Spirit of Truth, and He is calling to you like He did Gideon and Mary, already addressing you as beloved and a victor, not just hopeful of such. He wants to visit you, meet you, and call to the courage He already sees within you. He wants you to see yourself as He does, and He is imparting to you the courage necessary to leap out and seize the moment that is only just beyond your reach. The Lord has aligned timing. He has aligned circumstances. He is calling you by a powerful name like "Mighty" or "Favored" to remind you who you are in Him, and that He is with you. For when you know who you are, you'll also know what you are supposed to do. He calls you by your identity before you discover your victory. So, what is your messenger of courage saying over you? "Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord." Luke 1:45 ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
-
"You also, as living stones are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." - 1 Peter 2:5 Our cry for a fresh experience of God is at the core of being open to believe for something NEW. Brick by brick, life by life, God is creating a kingdom, a "spiritual house. The Holy Spirit gives assignments to people, "to each according to each one's unique ability (Matthew 25:15). As He calls, He equips. To discover this assignment we must be open to something NEW. We have an uncommon call to an uncommon life. "The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others" (1 Corinthians 12:7). We are to "Kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you" (2 Timothy 1:6) We have built up in our reasoning faculties lots of support for not being convinced that NEW things can happen, even if we deeply want them to. OBSERVATION: Newness is always possible to those who believe -- I must believe God is working a NEW work in me. New things require a NEW language. Our self-talk draws us closer or drives us further from experiencing NEW things. AFFIRMATIONS: I kindle afresh the gift of God which is in me. I have an uncommon call to an uncommon life. Things have never been the way they are going to be because God is doing a NEW thing in me. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
