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Matthew 17:4 - "Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah." Peter wanted to come up with a program to organize what God was doing; but God would have us to forsake our various porgrams and gimmicks and, instead, simply listen to Jesus. The same glory is just as close to us as it was to Peter -- as is the same instance to revert to dead works in spite of who we have seen. Matthew 17:5 - "While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him". Deuteronomy 28:1 - "If you will listen diligently to the voice of the Lord your God, being watchful to do all His commandments which I command you this day, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth." We must come out of old mind-sets and into the mind of Christ where the blazing glory of His glorious presence literally rests upon us as we minister first unto God, and then receive His strategies to touch and impact. It excites Him that we move with Him as He moves. As we follow His move—as we follow Him He opens the way, and we go! We never again settle for what was yesterday; this is our time, the Church's time for impact for today. The past is not our reality! The realm of His grace is our reality as we ascend, descend, move and function in it for victory -- proclaiming the wonders of His grace to a world of lost people who need to be pointed to Him. Affirmation: I MAKE A QUALITY DECISION TO DILIGENTLY LINE UP WITH GOD'S WORD SO I CAN RELEASE THE BLESSINGS OF GOD INTO THE EARTH. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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We all have areas where we are in great need of the Lord of Breakthrough, but remember that before God broke through David's enemies, he returned to the stronghold and inquired of the Lord. "And David enquired of the Lord.....And David came to Baalperazim, and David smote them (the Philistines) there, and said, The Lord hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters." - 2 Samuel 5:19,20 RETURN TO THE STRONGHOLD Breakthrough is found in our private devotion and personal pursuit of God when no one is watching. If you are in need of breakthrough, make it a point to "return to the stronghold" and watch what the God of the Breakthrough does for you. When He breaks open, we break out. "The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the Lord on the head of them." - Micah 2:13 "Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope. Even today I declare that I will restore double to you" (Zechariah 9:12). Jesus modeled this profound truth in His own life. We see in Luke 4:14 that His time of fasting in the wilderness produced great power as well as preparing and positioning Him for His next stage of life and ministry. Great miracles along with public demonstrations of tremendous power and authority were often preceded by significant time spent hidden away with His Father in secret. When we purpose to live a life of sacrificial devotion to our Father in the secret place through contemplative prayer and fasting, we and the world we live in will become greater for it. This is one way that we can say "yes" to the ebbing pull of the Spirit in our daily life. "The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in him." - Nahum 1:7 David found the God of the Breakthrough in the stronghold, not on the field of battle. He is our stronghold. It is in our returning to Him that He restores, breaks through, and gives back more than what we had lost and better than we had! A DOOR OF GREAT HOPE "So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water." - Exodus 15:22 For many of us, we have experienced a wilderness while fulfilling God's PURPOSE for our life. We feel lonely, barren, and unfruitful. We have been so dry and thirsty that we find ourselves crying out to God in desperation. Our life is in disorder, and at times we are confused and irritated. God has a purpose for our wilderness -- He does NOT plan for us to stay there! God brought the Israelites out of Egypt for the purpose of not only proving their hearts, but also to give them an opening to be delivered from old thinking. Many of us feel that we have been pulled into a place that at first we did not see as necessary in our apprehension of God's CALLING in our life. Truth be told, it is in this place that we are prepared to inherit and fully occupy the promises. For some of us, it may feel like a wilderness, but if we can embrace His pull we will begin to know and experience the Lord in a new way. It is in the "valley" of our troubles that He establishes a door of great hope (see Hosea 2:14-23). Properly recognizing and engaging in the wilderness experience is as vitally important to our divine DESTINY as when the "walls came down" for Israel. There we begin to see God and the treasures of His PURPOSE for our life in a way that we have never seen before. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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"But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" - (Ephesians 2:4-6). As our minds are renewed and our faith grows, we take these realities as fact and live in the light of them. We come to know that we are above our enemies and refuse to walk in the flesh realm but take our place in Christ in the spirit realm. No longer will faith be a struggle, but a normal living in the realm of God. The spiritual realm places man where communion with God is a normal experience. We are not going to grovel in the earthly realm, but we are seated in the heavenly places with the Lord. Every Believer has the right, authority, and ability to minister out of the throne room just as Jesus did. "Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily" - (Colossians 1:28-29). ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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2 Corinthians 10:4 - "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds." A STRONGHOLD IS A SATANIC FORCE THAT STARTS AS A THOUGHT, THEN LAYS ITS FOUNDATION IN A PERSON'S MIND, BUILDS ITSELF UP AND MAKES ITS ABODE THERE. YOU CAN'T SIMPLY CAST DOWN A STRONGHOLD AS YOU WOULD CAST DOWN AN EVIL THOUGHT OR IMAGINATION. YOU NEED THE WORD OF GOD TO BECOME LIKE A HAMMER IN YOUR LIFE IN ORDER TO TEAR DOWN THAT STRONGHOLD AND GET IT OUT OF YOUR SYSTEM. HOW CAN YOU GET RID OF A STRONGHOLD? BY HAVING A STRONG TOWER! Psalm 61:3 - "For thou has been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy." Proverbs 18:10 - "The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe." Affirmations: THE WORD OF GOD CAN BECOME THE STRONG TOWER IN MY LIFE THAT CAN DEMOLISH STRONGHOLDS. THE LORD THROUGH HIS WORD CAN PUSH OUT THAT SATANIC FORCE THAT'S BEEN HOLDING ME CAPTIVE. GOD'S WORD IS STRONGER THAN ANY STRONGHOLD! I FIND THE WORD OF GOD THAT APPLIES TO MY STRONGHOLD AND SATURATE MYSELF IN IT BY: AFFIRMING IT FREQUENTLY, MEDITATING ON IT AND SEEING MYSELF COMPLETE IN THE WORD AS I GO THROUGHOUT THE DAY. I THANK GOD THAT THE STRONGHOLD HAS BEEN DEMOLISHED AND I CAST DOWN ANY WRONG THOUGHTS. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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To walk in overcoming victory we need a spiritual "brainwashing" to rid ourselves of "ungodly thinking." Our minds need to be thoroughly cleansed of the lies and filth of the world so we can put on the mind of Christ, learning to think as He thinks and to see as He sees. A cleansed and renewed mind will completely change our perception of life and the world around us. The Spirit of God is calling each of us to a higher standard: "...walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Colossians 1:10). This is not a season to be apathetic and loose about our lifestyles. We must pursue our destiny in Christ and God's purpose for our lives. God calls all His people to a life of fruitfulness, which is the path to DISCIPLESHIP of others. As Paul writes: "Mark out a straight, smooth path for your feet so that those who follow you, though weak and lame will not fall and hurt themselves, but become strong." - Hebrews 12:13 (Living Bible) It is time for us to lay everything on the altar and embrace the holy fire of God's presence! We must present a mind that is wholly consecrated to Him. Like David, our cry must be: "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10). When we do, we will discover that the Lord transforms our worldly mind into a spiritual mind—His mind. THE SPIRITUAL MIND The apostle Paul contrasts the natural mind with the spiritual mind. The natural mind, corrupted by sin, is dulled and darkened to spiritual things, however brilliant it may be in its own natural sphere. There are many intellectually brilliant people who haven't a clue regarding spiritual realities. They are "...always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy 3:7). It takes a spiritual mind to comprehend spiritual truths. Paul goes so far as to say that it is impossible for the natural mind to comprehend the things of the Spirit: "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Corinthians 2:14 As contradictory as it may seem, many true children of God remain dominated, for the most part, by the laws of their natural or carnal minds. One reason the Church struggles so much today, is because many Christians still think like the world, and thoughts give birth to actions. BELIEVING IS SEEING For example, some say, "I won't believe it until I see it." This is the exact opposite of a spiritual mindset. The natural mind says, "If I see, I will believe." The spiritual mind says, "If I believe, I will see." Paul clearly recognized our desperate need for a Spirit-enlightened mind, praying: "...that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power." (Ephesians 1:17–19) Only in His light can we see light (Psalm 36:9). We should cry out to God for spiritual eyes to see what we believe even as we seek each day to walk in the light of His revealed Word (Psalm 119:105). No matter how intellectually brilliant we may be, we cannot understand even the simplest concepts of God without the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 36:26). The knowledge of spiritual things does not come by intellectual effort. Rather, it comes only by divine revelation. This is why, when Peter declared to Jesus, "'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in Heaven'" (Matthew 16:16–17). WE HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST God's desire is for all His children to possess a spiritual mind and He has given us the capacity through the indwelling Holy Spirit (Nehemiah 9:20). What Jesus said to His disciples applies also to us: "Blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear" (Matthew 13:16). Do you want to cultivate your spiritual mind? Then immerse yourself in God's Word (Psalm 119:9). Pray for revelation and ask the Spirit of God to open your eyes to behold awesome things from heavenly realms (2 Kings 6:17). There is nothing wrong with intellectual knowledge and pursuit. God gave us our mind and expects us to use it. However, we should never depend upon mere human intellectual wisdom to advance us in the realm of the Holy Spirit (John 16:13). ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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Revelation 12 7 And there was war in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength , and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ; for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before God day and night. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
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Only spirit can serve Spirit. Romans 1:9 - "For God whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you." Romans 7:6 - "But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.. " Romans 12:11 - "Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;" Only spirit can know Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:9-12 - "But just as it is written, THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE THAT LOVE HIM. For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God." Only spirit can worship God who is spirit. John 4:23-24 - "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." Philippians 3:3 - "For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh." Only spirit can receive revelation from God who is spirit. Revelation 1:10 - "I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet."1 Corinthians 2:10 - "For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God." ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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In Luke 4:1-13, satan tempts Jesus with the offer of rulership over all the kingdoms of the world... Jesus rejects this proposal. Jesus' Kingdom in this age is not a kingdom of this world (John 18:36-37). He refuses to seek a kingdom for Himself by the worldly methods of compromise, earthly power, political maneuvering, external violence, popularity, honor and glory. Jesus' Kingdom is a spiritual Kingdom ruling in the hearts of His people, who have been taken out of the kingdoms of this world. As a Heavenly Kingdom, we can operate and maintain in this realm but it comes with a cost. It is gained through: Suffering, self-denial, humility, and meekness.It does require giving our bodies as a living and Holy sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2). Fasting is a key here that enables us to stay on target;We know we have complete devotion and obedience to God whenever we are struggling with spiritual weapons against sin, temptation, and satan (Ephesians 6:10-20). As Christians we resist conforming to this world. "But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." - Matthew 6:33 Those who follow Christ are urged to seek, above all else, His Kingdom and His righteousness. Jesus points out HIS Kingdom and HIS righteousness in HIS Kingdom. We pray every day that God's Kingdom will come in the mighty power of the Holy Spirit to save sinners, to destroy the demonic, to heal the sick, and to magnify the name of our Lord and that we be given daily revelation of our CALLING on how to facilitate this. QUESTIONS TO ASK MYSELF: What are 3 areas of my life that I am adversly conforming to the world. 1. 2. 3. What actions am I going to take to re-align my priorites. 1. 2. 3. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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"I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes so you can see. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will go in and eat with him, and he with me." - Revelation 3:18,20 It was to the last Church the Lord addressed in the Book of Revelation, the Church of Laodicea, that He gave His greatest promise to. Those promises are for His people today. When most people think of the Church of Laodicea, they think of the negative rather than the positive. We need to consider these great promises. First, we need to see why they are so great. Then we need to understand how overcoming the negative things this Church confronted will produce some of the greatest overcomers, the greatest saints, the world has ever known. The Church of Laodicea was so temporally prosperous that it caused them to become lukewarm, and made the Lord so sick that He would vomit them out of His mouth (Revelation 3:15-17). Being lukewarm is the worst condition a Christian can fall into. It reveals an ultimate contempt for the Lord. Indifference is the greatest affront to any relationship. ZEAL FOR THE LORD "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent." - Revelation 3:19 The Lord called the Church at Laodicea to "therefore be earnest and repent" . We must recover and keep our zeal for the Lord if we are going to make it through these times. How do we do that? The Lord sent fire from His presence to light the fire on the altar in both the Tabernacle of Moses and the Temple that Solomon built. He then commanded the priests to KEEP THE FIRE GOING. God has lit every fire in every heart that has ever turned to Him. However, He expects us to keep it going. WE DO THIS BY: prayer, worship, studying and affirming His written Word to us, fellowshipping with others who have the fire, being the witnesses we are called to be, and embracing God's PURPOSEfor our life. We lose the fire when we give ourselves to sin and wickedness. This leads to lawlessness as described in Romans 6. The Lord warned that lawlessness would cause the love of most to grow cold. THE REMNANT PRINCIPLE The remnant principle was at work when the resurrected Lord told five hundred people to go to Jerusalem to wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit. However, just a few weeks later, there were only 120 gathered there. Yet that remnant was in "one accord" or unity. As Abraham demonstrated, true faith grows stronger with the passage of time, not weaker. The passage of time between when the promise is given and the fulfillment of that promise will usually thin out the crowd by removing those who do not have true faith, but are just caught up in the excitement of the moment. This does not mean that those with true faith will not waver sometimes too, but overall, true faith grows with the passage of time. Is our faith growing stronger, or are we going to slip into the majority that drifts away? People tend to draw their security by how many people are with them. True faith doesn't. True faith is faith in God, not how many people are with us. True faith is demonstrated by patience, which is why we are told that it is through "faith and patience" that we will inherit the promises. "Then, knowing what lies ahead for you, you won't become bored with being a Christian, nor become spiritually dull and indifferent, but you will be anxious to follow the example of those who receive all that God has promised them because of their strong faith and patience." - Hebrews 6:12 (Living Bible) ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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1 John 3:16 - "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethern." Observation: WHEN I WANT GOD ABOVE ALL, I AM WILLING - AS CHRIST WAS WILLING - TO FOLLOW THE HOLY SPIRIT, EVEN IN THE MOST DRY AND DARK AND PAINFUL TIMES. WHEN I SEE WITH THE EYES OF FAITH THAT THIS IS THE SPIRITUAL MEANING OF THE CROSS, I WILL KNOW HOW TO IMITATE CHRIST AND DO WHAT HE DID. Matthew 15:29 - "And He said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus." IN THE PUREST SENSE PETER DID NOT REST HIS WEIGHT UPON THE WATER; HE STOOD UPON CHRIST'S WORD: "COME!" PETER TRUSTED THAT IF JESUS TOLD HIM TO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE - EVEN TO WALK ON THE WATER - THE POWER TO OBEY WOULD BE INHERENT WITHIN THE COMMAND. Hebrews 10:24 - "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works." Observation: BECAUSE I CONSTANTLY OBSERVE AND CONTEMPLATE OTHERS TO KNOW HOW TO ENCOURAGE AND PROVOKE THEM TO LOVE AND TO GOOD WORKS AND AS I REACH OUT TO ASSIST THEM WITH WORDS OF STRENGTH - THEY ARE BECOMING BETTER, STRONGER, AND BOLDER IN THE LORD. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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Some people think their calling is to sit in church and support someone else's vision. While it's good to do all you can to encourage someone and support them – each of us has our own CALLING in Christ Jesus. And at the end of the road, Jesus is going to ask you, "What did you do with the anointing I put in your life?" WHAT IS GOD SAYING TO YOU? Everyone (all born-again believers) has the witness of the Spirit, or the anointing, within them. That's why the apostle John said, "You don't need any man to teach you, because the anointing (or the Anointed One) is within you," - 1 John 2:27. Does that mean that we don't have teachers in the Church? No, of course not – there are teachers, pastors, prophets, apostles, and evangelists – all given to equip the Church. But you have to listen to the anointing or witness of the Spirit within you to discern what God is saying to you personally. For example, someone could come to your church and prophesy or teach or preach – but you have to discern what God is saying to you – even if there are just a couple of sentences that are for you personally. Paul prayed for Philemon that "[Your] faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus." - Philemon 6 When you acknowledge the gift and calling in someone, you cause it to be brought forth and activated; for example, telling someone, "That was a great word you gave." When you tell someone that, they are encouraged and it makes them want to do that again. Out of one message, maybe there are different things that the Holy Spirit brings out to each individual present, and perhaps He says a different thing to 20 different people. Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). Not every word you hear, nor every Bible verse you read, is proceeding a word for you today. What is God saying to you NOW? Today? This week? The proceeding word imparts life and faith and has power to move you to the next thing that God has for you. One thing is for sure – we have to move on. We have to continually discern what is He saying to us now (today) -- today's manna. WHAT SHOULD BE YOUR RESPONSE TO GOD? We can sit there forever in our comfort zone or we can rise up and say, "I'm going to go for it. I'm going to be all I can be in God." You can't aim at what you can't see. By faith we have to see our DESTINY. We don't have to wander around and around the mountain, wondering where we are supposed to be going and doing a kind of "hit and miss" attempt at fulfilling the will of God. God will show you what He has for you if you start to see by faith and believe YOU CAN HEAR FROM GOD. By faith He can release a word to you if you need confirmation – but He also puts His desires in your heart so that when you fulfill the will of God, it's delightful to you because it's in your heart. What's in your heart? Where do you want to go? What is it you really want to do? You only have one life to live down here on earth. What kind of life do you want to live? A mundane, in-my comfort-zone, occasionally-stepping-out kind of life? Or, an on-the-edge, exciting, what's-going-to-happen-next kind of life? It is your Heavenly Father who is stirring you up. He made an awesome deposit in you. Jesus deposited His life in you. He is looking for a return on His deposit. His deposit will bring forth your DESTINY if you let it run its course. WATCH OUT FOR THE DOGS THAT LAY AT THE DOOR OF YOUR DESTINY There are dogs – religious spirits -- having a knowledge of God, but denying His power -- negative spirits -- that make God's people have to "qualify" to be used by God. But Jesus already qualified us 100%. Dogs can also be jealous spirits in people that don't want you to go further than them. A good teacher or instructor is proud when a pupil begins to accomplish something. Jesus has made you perfect in the sight of His Father. It is His righteousness that you are covered with – not your own. Jesus switched with you. He took your righteousness, which is like filthy rags, and took it to the Cross – then He gave you His robe of righteousness in exchange. What a great "swap"! Your rotten rags in exchange for the beauty and awesomeness and righteousness of the Mighty Son of God! How awesome is that? To be clothed in the holiness and beauty of the perfect Son – Jesus. Don't be afraid of the dogs (religious spirits) – Jesus has given you power over them. The dogs can only minister to you through lies – you have to choose not to believe those lies. Now is the time to be all you can be in God – you don't have to qualify – you just have to learn how to yield to the anointing. God sees a great big vision for you. He is not limited. He is not limited by your inability. He is released through your believing in His ability. Don't let the dogs keep you from the doorway of your destiny. They are liars and thieves. The dogs can howl and scream and bark all they want, but they can't touch you if know who you are and what is your CALLING and DESTINY on your life. Have a spirit of abandonment to the purposes of God. God wants to send the winds of the Spirit to take you where you are supposed to go – His plan and PURPOSE for your life. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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Predestined For Glory (Read 2 Corinthians 3 & Romans 8) Romans 8:29-30 29For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. (By understanding how God is outside of time we understand how He chose us long ago to make us glorious like Him. Romans 8:28 is a popular quote when we are in trouble or are having a bad day. What most believers have not understood is WHY all things work together for good. Those who He “foreknew” He also predestined for glory. God has already gone into our future and worked out all the circumstances so that we can become more glorious! That’s why all things work together for good, because He created us with that end in mind. God starts from the end and works backwards. He has looked at the finished product of His finest creation and said, “ you are awesome!”) Romans 9:22-24 22What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? 23And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, 24even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles. 1 Corinthians 2:7 7but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; (He prepared us before hand for glory. Paul said that we are being transformed by going from glory to a greater glory.) Ephesians 1:4 4just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love. (Romans 8:29 says, “whom he foreknew”. God knew what we would be and do before we were ever conceived. He did not make our choices for us but He knew what they would be because in His world they have already happened. He knew that we would choose Him so He chose us first. It is powerful to think that He knows us so well that He knew to choose us before we ever knew whether or not we would choose Him.) Affirmations: I was created for glory. Before the foundation of the earth I was made and predestined for greatness because He already knew that I would choose Him. By choosing me first He gave me an inheritance for greatness.I am conformed to be like Him and He is glorious. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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"Finding the sweet spot" could be a phrase for living in a place of enjoyment, peace and rest in relationship with God, and staying in balance and harmony with His design for our life. This is where the maximum Kingdom result is accomplished. It isn't about trying harder or spinning the wheels faster, but about relaxing into all that God has given and then joyfully working with Him in the Kingdom. HIS WAYS VS. OUR WAYS Proverbs 16:9 - "a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." We know that God's Kingdom works in a very different manner than man's world and that His perspective is much higher than ours (Isaiah 55:9). Human thinking is often focused on the fastest way to get from A to B – the shortest line between two points. It is often all about the destination, getting things done, and accomplishing our goals and agenda. God's thinking is much more relationally focused, and His concern is our transformation along the journey. He just isn't that concerned about us getting from A to B in the shortest time possible! God wants to meander along the trail with us for a while, more than being in a race to get to our next stop. His focus is to spend time with us so we get to know Him and His ways. His goal is to transform us into His image, rather than just have us check off the next item on the "dreams and goals" list. In other words, He wants us to ENJOY the journey WITH Him, taking in the many nuances that a relationship with the Most High involves: seeing Him in His goodness, experiencing His kindness along the way, reveling in His love, and dancing in His joy. These inward characteristics are all accessible to us no matter what is being accomplished on the outward journey of goals and pursuits. LEARNING TO REST Even when the outside pressures squeeze in. We are learning how to say, "It's been a good and fulfilling day," even when we can't check off all the things on our to-do list. When we don't perform to meet other people's expectations, or even our own, we can still live in the love and acceptance of the Father. It isn't about striving, performing, or accomplishing. It is about finding our pleasure in Him, living in the overflow of who He is and His pleasure toward us. We learn to live in the space of God's love, grace, peace and joy, and maximize the results of our energies spent. It's not so much about WHAT we accomplish, but HOW we live life during that process. ENJOYING THE JOURNEY As we step back and take the pace of life down a notch or two (maybe even three), we take time to reflect on His love and His good pleasure, no matter what the outward journey looks like. Are we operating in His agenda or ours? "Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you'll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want." - 1 Peter 4:2, The Message We want to be free to pursue what He wants and not be driven by what WE think needs to be done. We hear the still, quiet voice that says: "Stay by My side and enjoy the journey, regardless of whether or not you can see where it's going." "What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way He works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how He works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met." - Matthew 6:31-33, The Message AN EASY YOKE In this age of adrenal fatigue and living a driven life, perhaps we all need the Spirit to show us which purposes are really our own agenda, and just how driven we, as a Western society, have become. Is it possible that our "goals and good activities" are running us ragged as we pursue God'sPURPOSE for our life (our CALLING in Christ), serve other people's needs, and try to achieve a host of other goals? If these not done from the right place and at God's pace, we may lose the peace and enjoyment of the Kingdom life. Contentment is a good measuring stick. Like Paul, can we have an abiding sense of being content regardless of what is happening around us? (Philippians 4:12) ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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THE FLOODING OF GOD'S GLORY AND POWER - Meditations
Albert Finch posted a blog entry in Albert Finch Ministry
"Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord'" (Ezekiel 37:4). Everywhere the Living Water flows, life will suddenly spring up! The more the Word is preached, prophesied, declared, affirmed, discipled and confessed the more the dry bones will rattle and rise from death to resurrection power as an exceedingly great army. THE FLOODING OF GOD'S SPIRIT IS COMING Let's all draw near to Him and ask Him to flood our individual lives and the lives we touch and minister to -- for everything the water touches will spring to life. Let's spend more time raising our spiritual consciousness with the truths of our inheritance in Christ from the Bible so that there are no "empty places" in our souls. Let's spend more time worshiping the Father and praying each and every day, letting the Living Waters fill us and then flow out of innermost being to the people whose lives God has given us to affect and change. Let's flood the atmosphere around us every day with the glory of God! For He is the Kingdom and the power and the glory. As we do this, then we will see exactly what Habakkuk 2:14 says - "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY -
I minister to others as a leter from Christ, not written with pen but with the Spirit of the Living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. - 2 Corinthians 3:3 I am a minister of the Spirit since God has made me fit and worthy and sufficient as a minister and dispenser of the new covenant. - 2 Corinthians 3:6 As the Spirit of the Lord works in me, I become more and more like Him. - 2 Corinthians 3:18 Since God, in His mercy, has given me this wonderful ministry, I never give up.- 2 Corinthians 4:1 For God who said “let the light shine out of darkness”, made His light shine in my heart to give me the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. - 2 Corinthians 4:6 Every day I experience something of the death of Jesus, so that I may also show the power of the life of Jesus in my body. - 2 Corinthians 4:10 My eyes are fixed, not on the things that are seen, but on the things that are unseen: for what is seen passes away; what is unseen in eternal. - 2 Corinthians 4:18 I live by faith and not by sight. - 2 Coirinthians 5:7 The love of Christ controls me. - 2 Corintians 5:14 He died for me so that I who live - having received eternal life from Him - might live no longer for myself, to please myself; but to spend my life pleasing Christ who died and rose again for me. - 2 Corinthians 5:15 Since I am ingrafted in Christ I am a new creature altogether: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. - 2 Corinthians 5:17 God has given me the ministry of reconciliation, that through Jesus Christ, I might bring others into harmony with Him. - 2 Corinthians 5:18 I am an ambasador for Christ. - 2 Corinthians 5:20 God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him I might become the righteousness of God. - 2 Corinthians 5:21 I am the temple of the living God. - 2 Corinthians 6:16 ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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"Therefore, since we are receiving a Kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire." - Hebrews 12:28-29 Even though things are being shaken where we currently stand we have access to a Kingdom that is shaken by NOTHING. If He has spoken that we win, then, we must continue to fight in FAITH until we win! Our God is with us and He is an all-consuming fire! Part of our mandate as Christians is to raise the breathing dead who have no life and no hope - they exist everywhere. (Ezekiel 37) ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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Luke 8:47 is the story of the woman who had an issue of blood who desperately pressed through the crowd to lay hold of the hem of Jesus' garment: "Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at His feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched Him and how she had been instantly healed." When she reached out and touched Him, full of faith and expectation, Jesus stopped and said, "Who touched Me? His disciples replied, "Lord, many are touching you...we are in a crowd!" But Jesus said, "No, someone purposely touched Me because I felt virtue/power go out of Me." (See verse 45-46). And the woman was immediately made whole. GOD IS WAITING ON US TO SET THE TIME Most of the time when Jesus was healing the crowds of people He was doing that which He saw the Father doing. But in this instance it wasn't Jesus that "set the time" for this woman's miracle, but rather the woman "set the time" through her faith, desperation and determination. Many times when we are believing for a miracle we may feel we have positioned ourselves and we are waiting on God, when in fact, God is waiting on us to activate our faith to "set the time" for the release of the supernatural turnaround. In the words of John G. Lake, "If the Spirit doesn't move me, then I move the Spirit!" Now is the time for us to "set the time" and put a demand on the anointing of God to release miracles of provision, turnaround and healing. Pull your future miracle into the NOW by activating your faith and pressing into His presence as never before. Remember, every day is Jubilee when you are in Christ! ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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Since the moment we first came to Christ, there has been an updraft of the Holy Spirit, a constant drawing from God lifting us upward toward the fullness of His Presence. Lets surrender to this wind of God and allow Him to carry us into our holy future (our DESTINY). The disciples did not just pray and sit around waiting for God to enter the "playing field" to convert the world on His own. They went out into the world so that the Holy Spirit might go into the World. "The Lord worked with them." - Mark 16:20 God plants His purpose in our lives in the epicenter of our heart and it will fuel new exploits in our lives. The first step to getting out of the box is to fellowship with the God of the breakthrough.The Holy Spirit will charge you with fresh vision and boldness. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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Psalm 91:1 He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. The secret place of the Most High is the human spirit which is the habitation of God. The spirit is deeper than man’s consciousness: it is the place unreachable by man’s findings. It is the place that man fellowships with God. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. God’s order is spirit, soul, and body – the spirit controls the soul, the soul controls the body. The fallen order is soul, body, spirit. John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. Jesus tells us that the spirit gives life and that is why we want the spirit to control the soul. Luke 1:46-47 And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. My soul ‘magnifies’; my spirit has exalted. The spirit must first exalt before the soul can magnify the Lord. The spirit firsts communicates the exaltation to the soul; the soul expresses this exaltation through the body. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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It's time for your DESTINY to be set in motion. Nothing will stop you now! His Love for you overshadows you and those dreams that were incubating in you almost birthing at times will now come forth. There is a glory - a glory of love coupled with your faith that is bringing in that which He has promised. What price can be put on this glory realm? The entrance to the door of this realm is your 'overcoming spirit', wanting at times to give up but not giving into that. You will ride the wave of an overcoming spirit. You overcome in the onslaught of the thoughts of your mind. You overcome in the mundane daily activities. You overcome in the rejection of man. You overcome in the betrayal of those who persecuted you. You overcome in the darkness. You overcome when all you could see was the opposite of what you had living inside of you. He has hidden manna for you (Rev. 2:17) ,that will sustain you and nourish you in ways you have not known. He has given you big dreams to dream and walk out and greatness of heart and bounty of spirit. There is a readiness -- you will go forth NOW and overcome. You will conquer, and as you go and as you pursue, you will increase and you will overtake, for He is with you and His Word is in you! You thought you lost it all but carry this as you go: today you are recovering your dreams He gave you, for you will see what He has said all along become your reality. No more backing up and no more backing down. IT'S TIME! It's yourDeuteronomy 1:11 that says -- "....He will bless you just as He has promised you." ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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One of the dimensions of living the way of Christ, besides living a life of love, forgiveness, and service is embracing the spirituality of DOWNWARD MOBILITY. This is a willingness to modify our career, change our location, or whatever other sacrifices we are called to make, for the sake of following Christ's purpose for our life (our destiny). Jesus came so that His Blood may cover our sins. His grace and mercy overflow to us so that we may be all that He has created us to be. He is determined to help us find our destiny into His perfect plan for us. His grace has made it possibe for us to see our destines fulfilled. SIEZING OUR DESTINY Nothing takes the place of stepping out of your comfort zone and out on the limb. Faith is always spelled R-I-S-K! In order to seize your destiny -- step out, God's not only good, He will catch you if you fall and help you to get up and try again! Don’t worry about the people in your past, for the Lord placed them there. He has an important reason why they won’t appear in your future. "Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 3:13-14 Are we willing to spend and be spent; not seeking to be ministered unto, but to minister? ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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http://www.christianityboard.com/blog/48/entry-1050-1-corinthians-inheritance-affirmations/
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http://www.christianityboard.com/blog/48/entry-1049-the-reward-of-seeking/ The true supernatural flow of the Holy Spirit gives you.......................
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Hi all, My friends and I have made a short video giving a brief update on our thoughts regarding how the Brexit could relate to prophecy. We're not interested in sensationalism, but we do see that there are significant developments in world politics happening which bear a strong resemblance to what we see in prophecy. The video is a few minutes long and represents only a brief introduction to how we view this event as possibly being important. I look forward to hearing what others think of our suggestions.
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http://www.christianityboard.com/blog/48/entry-1044-a-testimony-of-jesus/ The ultimate quest of every Christian is to................................
