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Showing results for tags 'prayer points'.
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The cave of Adullam is where David hid with his band of distressed, indebted and discontented men (1 Samuel 22). From these 400 came David's mighty army. After David was anointed King, the Philistines came against him and he went into the "hold" (2 Samuel 5:17), which 1 Chronicles 11:15 indicates was the cave of Adullam. David sought the Lord and had victory. The Philistines regathered and David once again sought the Lord. "Therefore David inquired again of God; and God said unto him, 'Go not up after them; turn away from them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees. And it shall be, when thou shalt hear a sound of going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt go out to battle: for God is gone forth before thee to smite the host of the Philistines.'" - 1 Chronicles 14:14-15 KJV It is time to come out of the caves of hiding, the caves of "lowland" thinking, and renew our minds to the highest realms – the mind of Christ. The veil has been torn and we have access to all. Our "lowland" thinking is creating the bars of the cage holding back the glory of God from manifesting in our lives! We needed to be in the cave for a time of healing and building, but it is now time for His glory to be manifested in the earth. The sound of the "going" in the mulberry trees (according to Strong's Concordance) is "marching." The armies of the living God are on high alert, waiting for the sound to come forth, and He will go before us and fight our enemies! It is time for the new sound to be birthed. It will cause a vibration that will affect every born again Believer to come forth in His Glory. It is time to go forth and subdue the land. The subduing is not a laying down under, subduing will come when His sound rises as thunder. All will see and all will know that Jesus is Lord -- let His glory flow. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
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John 5:17,19-20 - "My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I, too, am working. I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees His Father doing, because whatever the father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does." Worship is more than just music or art; it's a lifestyle (Romans 12:1). We need to live like Jesus did, open our eyes and see what the Father is doing, and then do it. Not just to see the need, but also to meet the need. Anyone can be a THERMOMETER and just gauge the spiritual temperature, but we're called to be THERMOSTATS and to change the spiritual temperature! We're not called to just point out sickness, poverty, and sin; we're called to change those ashes into beauty. After all, it's Christ in us that is the hope of glory! Observation:WHAT JESUS ACCOMPLISHED ON EARTH, HE ACCOMPLISHED IN HIS HUMANITY, NOT HIS DIVINITY. OTHERWISE, HE COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MAN'S REPRESENTATIVE AND SUBSTITUTE. HE RELIED ON THE GRACE AND SPIRIT OF GOD. I CAN DO THE SAME. AFFIRMATIONS:I arise and walk in dominion power, and lay a hold of the promises of God. The Holy Spirit who lives within me is greater than the spirit that is at work in the world (1 John 4:4). God is calling for me to arise and take a strong stand against the works of darkness (Jude 1-4). I am to take the land. Each day I seek to draw ever nearer to Christ, seeking to yield, ever deeper, my will to His will. (2 Corinthians 3:18) Hebrews 12:29 - "For our God is a consuming fire". OBSERVATION: If I am truly getting closer to Him, the fire in my life will be growing. Song of Solomon 2:1,2 - "I am the flower of the field and the lily of the valleys. As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters." YOU ARE LIKE A PURE AND PLEASANT LILY AND A SWEET FRAGRANCE BEFORE HIM (JESUS). THERE ARE OTHER DAUGHTERS, HOWEVER, WHO ARE NOT YET PLIABLE AND SUBMITTED TO HIS SPIRIT. THEY ARE LIKE A DEEP, IMPENETRABLE THICKET OF THORNS - THOSE WHO ARE SELF-POSSESSED AND STILL TAKEN UP WITH THEIR OWN WILL. THE LILY, HOWEVER, PERFECTLY PRESERVES ITS PURITY AND ITS PERFUME, EVEN WHEN SURROUNDED BY THORNS. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRYhttp://afministry.ning.com
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2 Corinthians 1:20 - "For as many as are the promises of God, they all find their Yes in Him (Christ). For this reason we all utter the Amen (so be it) to God through Him to the glory of God." The Master has handcrafted each one of us for a specific PURPOSE and a precise time, making sure we've been carefully polished and are ready to soar. With practice comes the testing. This will happen until what the psalmist said of Joseph's testing in Genesis will be true of us: "Until the time that [God's] word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him (Psalm 105:19 NASB).But God is always faithful, and everything He promises will always come to pass, thus thrusting us into our DESTINIES as we bring glory to His name! Observation: THE WORD IS THE GUARANTEE OF ANSWERED PRAYER. GOD IS ASKING ME TO BRING HIM HIS WORD, TO PLEAD MY COVENANT RIGHTS. I AM NOT TO PRAY TO GOD IN IGNORANCE BUT AS A PARTNER IN HIS PURPOSES. 2 Timothy 1:11,12,14 - "God has appointed me to proclaim the Good News as an apostle and teacher, and it is for this reason that I suffer these things. Keep the good things that have been entrusted to you, through the power of the Holy Spirit, who lives in us." Affirmations: I STAY FOCUSED ON MY CALLING AND REMAIN DETERMINED TO DO WHAT GOD HAS TOLD ME TO DO, EVEN IF I AM ASSAULTED BY OUTSIDE FORCES THAT SEEM TO BE BEYOND MY CONTROL. I KNOW THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT WORKS MIGHTILY IN ME, GIVING ME ALL THE POWER I NEED TO RESIST EVERY ASSAULT THE DEVIL TRIES TO BRING AGAINST ME. I AM COMPLETELY DETERMINED AND COMMITTED TO KEEP PUSHING AHEAD AND TO NEVER LET GO UNTIL I'VE ACCOMPLISHED MY GOD-GIVEN MISSION! Song of Solomon 1:14 - "My Beloved is unto me as a cluster of cypress, in the vineyards of Engedi." I AM DISCOVERING THE NEARNESS OF MY BELOVED (JESUS) TO BE LIKE A "CLUSTER OF CYPRESS" (A FRAGRANT SHRUB). HE IS THE ONE WHO GIVES FRAGRANCE AND VALUE TO EVERYTHING THAT IS DONE BY THOSE WHO SEEK HIM. AS I LEARN TO FIND MY JOY IN HIM ALONE, I CAN NO LONGER DELIGHT IN ANYTHING ELSE. TO SEEK ANY OTHER SOURCE OF SATISFACTION IS TO LOSE QUICKLY ALL THAT IS FROM HIM. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRYhttp://afministry.ning.com
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2 Corinthians 1:20 - "For as many as are the promises of God, they all find their Yes in Him (Christ). For this reason we all utter the Amen (so be it) to God through Him to the glory of God." The Master has handcrafted each one of us for a specific PURPOSE and a precise time, making sure we've been carefully polished and are ready to soar. With practice comes the testing. This will happen until what the psalmist said of Joseph's testing in Genesis will be true of us: "Until the time that [God's] word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him (Psalm 105:19 NASB).But God is always faithful, and everything He promises will always come to pass, thus thrusting us into our DESTINIES as we bring glory to His name! Observation: THE WORD IS THE GUARANTEE OF ANSWERED PRAYER. GOD IS ASKING ME TO BRING HIM HIS WORD, TO PLEAD MY COVENANT RIGHTS. I AM NOT TO PRAY TO GOD IN IGNORANCE BUT AS A PARTNER IN HIS PURPOSES. 2 Timothy 1:11,12,14 - "God has appointed me to proclaim the Good News as an apostle and teacher, and it is for this reason that I suffer these things. Keep the good things that have been entrusted to you, through the power of the Holy Spirit, who lives in us." Affirmations: I STAY FOCUSED ON MY CALLING AND REMAIN DETERMINED TO DO WHAT GOD HAS TOLD ME TO DO, EVEN IF I AM ASSAULTED BY OUTSIDE FORCES THAT SEEM TO BE BEYOND MY CONTROL. I KNOW THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT WORKS MIGHTILY IN ME, GIVING ME ALL THE POWER I NEED TO RESIST EVERY ASSAULT THE DEVIL TRIES TO BRING AGAINST ME. I AM COMPLETELY DETERMINED AND COMMITTED TO KEEP PUSHING AHEAD AND TO NEVER LET GO UNTIL I'VE ACCOMPLISHED MY GOD-GIVEN MISSION! Song of Solomon 1:14 - "My Beloved is unto me as a cluster of cypress, in the vineyards of Engedi." I AM DISCOVERING THE NEARNESS OF MY BELOVED (JESUS) TO BE LIKE A "CLUSTER OF CYPRESS" (A FRAGRANT SHRUB). HE IS THE ONE WHO GIVES FRAGRANCE AND VALUE TO EVERYTHING THAT IS DONE BY THOSE WHO SEEK HIM. AS I LEARN TO FIND MY JOY IN HIM ALONE, I CAN NO LONGER DELIGHT IN ANYTHING ELSE. TO SEEK ANY OTHER SOURCE OF SATISFACTION IS TO LOSE QUICKLY ALL THAT IS FROM HIM. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRYhttp://afministry.ning.com
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In the flesh, we are confined in time; but not when we get into the spirit. When we are in the spirit, we can see both backward in time and forward. It is then that God can show us a word of knowledge about a person or situation or a "forward" which is a prophecy. A word of wisdom for us, or someone, could also be considered a "forward." This is because we have His Spirit in us and Ecclesiastes says that eternity is in us. "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity in their hearts..." Ecclesiastes 3:11 THE MEMORY OF ETERNITY He has put eternity in our heart. As we get into the spirit and search the deep things of God, He will show you things to come, but the fact is that it has already been done in eternity -- we have a memory of eternity in our born-again spirit! Sometimes what the world calls Deja Vu (which means "already seen" in French) is simply you experiencing a word of knowledge about something in eternity that you already have within you, and has been there the whole time. The Holy Spirit is bringing all things to your remembrance. John 14:26, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." TIME TO CALL IT FORTH Many times, we see future things that have been there all along—settled in Heaven -- but it is time to call it forth into this place called time. That is why when we seek God and get into the spirit that we begin to get revelation for the future that is relevant for such a time as this! The key of David was intimacy with God -- entering into His presence. It was there that he would gain revelation. "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. "But as it is written, 'Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.' But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. "For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so, the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God." - 1 Corinthians 2:7-12 If the enemy had known that when they crucified Jesus He would multiply Himself in all of those who received Him, the enemy wouldn't have done it; because now, we are all filled with eternity and have access into that which is beyond this world—unbound by time. We now have access into the mysteries of God and to these eternal things. There is no veil holding us back any longer from the access to all that the eye has not seen! HOW DOES THIS HELP US NOW? This knowledge helps us when we get into the spirit. We can now see what is already finished in Heaven and bring the eternal realm into this place called time. This happens by saying what we hear Him saying and doing what we see him doing! Rev. 19:10 says, "For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." You see, the testimony of Jesus was that He only did what He saw the Father doing, and said what He heard the Father saying. This is why Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 18:18, "Truly I tell you, whatever you forbid and declare to be improper and unlawful on earth must be what is already forbidden in Heaven, and whatever you permit and declare proper and lawful on earth must be what is already permitted in Heaven." SUMMARY: It is already settled in Heaven! Enter into the place where He has seated you, where there is no time! Enter into His rest and you will see and hear and will decree that which is finished in eternity, into your situation on earth! For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things that are not seen are eternal and will last forever! You have the authority to bring eternity into time through your worship of what He has already done! It is time to decree what you see! It is time to decree a thing and so shall it be established on the earth! It is time to bring the eternal into this place called time!" ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
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Hebrews 4:9,10 - "There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his." We may have perfect rest -- that we dare to cast ourselves upon God, and have no care because Christ has: put away sin, has rent the veil, and has sat down on the right hand of the throne.Because all is finished and perfected, we have received the Holy Spirit from heaven in our hearts to make us the partakers of that glorified Christ -- we may with confidence, with boldness, rest in Him to maintain and perfect His work in us in our individual CALLING in Christ. Affirmation: THE REST THAT I SEEK IS NOT A REJUVENATION OF MY ENERGY, IT IS THE EXCHANGE OF ENERGY: MY LIFE FOR GOD'S, THROUGH WHICH THE VESSEL OF MY HUMANITY IS FILLED WITH THE DIVINE PRESENCE AND ALL-SUFFICIENCY OF CHRIST HIMSELF. "Great peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall offend them." - Psalm 119:165 How can we do that when we feel hurt or angry? When we feel justified being offended? We are to trust God as the lawgiver, the judge, and enactor of justice. God desires to increase His Government in the earth and His Government must be increased in us first. We are instruments of blessing, trusting GOD to judge justly. If we are truly wronged, God will vindicate in His timing and in His ways (perhaps after we learn what we need to learn). Personal offenses are one of the main tools the adversary is using to keep us from moving into our land of promise -- the fullness of our destiny in Christ -- the enemy is trying to keep us from going through our new gates. God allows this. He will reveal the trickery so that we can correct our vision and overcome! "Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in." - Psalm 24:9 Song of Solomon 1:12 - "While the King was resting on His couch, my perfume sent forth its fragrance." YOU EXPERIENCE A SENSE OF THE DEEP AND CENTRAL PRESENCE OF THE BRIDEGROOM (JESUS). THE BRIDEGROOM IS EVER IN THE CENTER OF YOUR SPIRIT. AS AN EARTHLY KING RESTS ON HIS COUCH, SO THE ETERNAL KING RESTS IN THE MIDST OF YOUR SPIRIT. THE PERFUME, YOUR FAITHFULNESS, SENDS FORTH A FRAGRANCE THAT IS SWEET AND PLEASANT. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRYhttp://afministry.ning.com
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"...He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature..." - 2 Peter 1:4 Promises from God are met with contradiction in the natural realm. God is announcing a reality to you that will most likely appear very distant and disconnected from your present situation. God's promises are prophetic glimpses of the realities He wants to release into and through your life. SUPERNATURAL BENEFITS OF THE PROMISES OF GOD 1.) Promises Call You to Pull Tomorrow Into Today. Promises will always contradict your present circumstances because God wants you to collaborate with Him, through faith, to bring His promised reality into the present, so that His will can be done. 2.) Promises Teach You to Prophesy. Whether it's a prophetic word, a passage of Scripture the Holy Spirit is highlighting, or some expression of God speaking something to you, you have an assignment—when you receive a promise, you need to align your words with what God is saying. This is the essence of the prophetic: You saying what God is speaking. 3.) Promises Demand Lifestyle Adjustment and Accommodation. The reason there are so many unclaimed, unreleased promises is that the transaction is a two-way street. We just want God to do everything and us do nothing. God, in His glory and love, entrusts promises to us. That's His part. At the same time, we need to steward and carry the promises to fruition. It's not enough to get a prophetic word in a gathering; some people think that just because they "got a word," God is obligated to fulfill it. The Word of the Lord places a demand on your life. Will you adjust everything—your habits, your thought processes, your relationships, your pursuits—according to the promise you received, or will you continue with "life as normal?" Normal will never be invaded by the supernatural as long as we are content to continue with status quo rather than accommodate the promises of God. WHAT GOD IS SAYING TO YOU ABOUT HIS PROMISES 1.) The Lord wants you to inherit new promises: Position yourself and live in expectation! He is not looking for perfect people; just yielded ones. Mary was surely not perfect—she was simply willing to say "Yes" to an impossible promise. 2.) The Lord also wants to send the renewing wind of the Spirit to those of who you received promises in past seasons. He brings resurrection life to past-season promises. Ask the Holy Spirit for a fresh visitation of His resurrection power, breathing life upon those post-season promises and reviving them! "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" - Numbers 23:19 ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
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Matthew 13:26,28-30 - "But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay: lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest." THE QUESTION WE NEED TO ASK IS NOT "WHO IS A TARE?" BUT "AM I TRULY A WHEAT?" WE HAVE NO RIGHT TO JUDGE, UPROOT OR EVEN TRY TO "DISCERN" THE TARES BEFORE THE HARVEST TIME; EVEN JESUS WILL NOT REMOVE THEM UNTIL THEN. Affirmations: I REALIZE THAT LIKE SEEDS, WORDS ARE VERY LIKELY TO MULTIPLY. I CONSIDER EACH DAY THAT MY WORDS WILL BEAR FRUIT. I DETERMINE THAT I WILL ONLY SOW THAT WHICH BRINGS FORTH THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT. Proverbs 18:21 - "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit." "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'" - John 7:38 We are living wells and it is important to steward, guard, protect, deepen, and open that well. Wherever we go, out of our bellies will flow rivers of living water. God wants us to stay full of the oil. It's so important that we spend time deepening our relationship with Jesus so that when the time comes to enter into greater depths with Him, we are ready (Matthew 25). When you find Jesus in the midst of the whirlwinds surrounding moves of God, keep your eyes fixed on Him no matter what's going on around Him. As we stay focused on the one thing, our heart will burn with greater passion and fire for Jesus than ever before (Psalm 27). The origin of the word "focus" is influenced by the Latin word used for "fire". What we focus on shapes our lives and determines who we will become. When we focus on Jesus and on those things He has entrusted us within each season, this will help make us ready. Prayer: GOD, SEND YOUR FIRE IN EVERY AREA OF MY LIFE AND BURN AWAY ANYTHING THAT IS NOT OF YOU FOR THIS SEASON. REFINE AND BRING TO THE SURFACE THE GOLD. It's important to steward holiness and a consecrated life because the pure in heart will see God (Matthew 5:8). Song of Solomon 1:11 - "We will make for you chains and ornaments of gold, studded with silver." GOLD CHAINS REPRESENT PURE LOVE WHICH HAS ONE PURPOSE; TO DO EVERYTHING FOR GOD'S PLEASURE AND GLORY. THE INLAID SILVER SIGNIFIES THAT NO MATTER HOW WONDERFUL PURE LOVE IS, LOVE MUST STILL BE MADE VISIBLE IN GOOD WORKS. HE EXPECTS YOU TO NEGLECT NOTHING, IN HIS SERVICE OR IN THE SERVICE OF OTHERS. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRYhttp://afministry.ning.com
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1 John 1:9 - "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Observation: CONFESSION DOESN'T MEAN BRINGING UP MY PAST. IT MEANS AGREEING WITH GOD ABOUT WHAT HE SAYS TO ME AND ABOUT ME. WHATEVER I TRY TO JUSTIFY, I HAVE NOT REPENTED OF. WHATEVER I TRY TO EXPLAIN, I AM NOT SORRY FOR. WHEN I AGREE THAT GOD IS RIGHT, THAT IS CONFESSING. 1 Corinthians 4:1 - "Let us be looked upon as ministering servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God." The kingdom of heaven is planted within us as a seed and it is intended to grow and expand within us and on the earth. We are called to glory and virtue; We show others how to be neither barren nor unfruitful in the ways of God.Since we are rooted and built up in Christ Jesus we are able to teach others (saved and unsaved) of a higher life in the Lord Jesus. Affirmations:I CONFESS THAT I HAVE TAKEN MY PLACE IN GOD'S PLAN. THE ASSIGNMENT GOD HAS GIVEN ME PROBABLY WON'T BE ACHIEVED QUICKLY. IT WILL TAKE UNBELIEVABLE STRENGTH AND ENERGY TO MOVE THAT VISION FROM THE REALM OF DREAMS TO THE REALM OF REALITY. BECAUSE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN ME, I HAVE THE STRENGTH Song of Solomon 1:10 - "Your cheeks are lovely as a turtledove's; your neck as jewels." The cheeks represent both the inner and the outer life. Here they are compared to the beauty of a turtledove. The dove marries for life. If the dove's partner dies, the dove remains single without seeking another mate. If you were ever separated from you God, you could find no pleasure in anyone or anything else. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRYhttp://afministry.ning.com
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1 Corinthians 2:2 - "For I resolved to know nothing (to be acquainted with nothing, to make a display of the knowledge of nothing, and to be conscious of nothing) among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." The Holy Spirit within the believer ministers truth by revelation. In other words, it is revealed, not figured out. God does not talk to our brains! He speaks to the spirit of man. Jesus never said that water would flow out of your head, but that, "Out of your innermost being would flow rivers of living water." John 7:36 Observation: NOTHING THAT I SEEK CAN BE AS SATISFYING TO MY SOUL, NO OTHER ANSWER AS BENEFICIAL, AS SEEING CHRIST WITH THE EYES AND UNDERSTANDING OF MY INNER MAN. Ephesians 1:17,18 - "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened." Ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten the eyes of your understanding. Ephesians 6:17 - "And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God." Affirmations:I HAVE THE EXACT WORD I NEED FOR EVERY SITUATION - A SPECIFIC, QUICKENED WORD FROM THE SCRIPTURES, PLACED IN MY HEART BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. BECAUSE THIS RHEMA FROM GOD IS IN MY HEART, I HAVE REAL SWORD POWER TO USE AGAINST THE ENEMY! Song of Solomon 1:7 - "Tell me, you who my soul loves, where you feed you feed your flock, where you rest at mid-day." YOU BEG YOUR BELOVED (JESUS) TO SHOW YOU WHERE HE FEEDS HIS FLOCKS; YOU WANT TO EAT THE FOOD THAT HE GIVES THOSE THAT ARE UNDER HIS CARE. YOU DESIRE TO BE LOST IN GOD WITH JESUS WHERE YOU WILL WANT TO REST FOREVER. SIN CANNOT DECEIVE YOU THERE, AND HE WILL KEEP YOU FROM WANDERING AWAY. Psalm 23: 1,2,6 - "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." ALBERT FINCH MINISTRYhttp://afministry.ning.com
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2 Timothy 2:8 - "Don't ever forget the wonderful fact that Jesus Christ was a Man, born into King David's family; and that He was God, as shown by the fact that he rose again from the dead." You may be barren now. Some seasons that we go through are seemingly filled with desolation, but take comfort in knowing that every season has a time frame and a divine seed. God is alerting us to raise our expectancy. Our expectancy will become our spiritual currency to allow transactions with heaven. Affirmations: I REMEMBER THAT WHEN JESUS AROSE, I AROSE. WHEN HE CAME OUT OF HELL AND DEFEATED THE ENEMY, I CAME OUT OF HELL AND DEFEATED THE ENEMY. HIS VICTORY IS MY VICTORY BECAUSE I AM IN HIM. Colossians 2:15 - "And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it." "Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." - Matthew 16:6 Religious spirits endeavor to interfere with the free flow of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Believers. They can be hard to discern precisely because they are religious; they are pious, even hyper-spiritual. Their influence can pervade a person's life andchurch -- like yeast pervades a lump of dough. In New Testament times, the Pharisees were the watchdogs of religious purity, chastising any Jewish person who transgressed even slightly, promoting the perfectionistic performance of their strict interpretation of the requirements of the law of Moses. They held to "a form of godliness, although they...denied its power" (2 Timothy 3:5). We need to discern and look out for FIVE TELLTALE ATTITUDES: 1) Legalism, 2) Criticism, 3) Debate, 4) Opinion, and 5) Judgment. Let's apply that measure to ourselves and take the log out of our own eyes instead of pointing out the splinters in others' eyes. (Matthew 7:4-5.) THREE EARMARKS OF THE RELIGIOUS SPIRIT: 1) Guilt, 2) Fear, and 3) Pride. A proud demeanor often masks the fearful, insecure soul of someone who is trying desperately to make the grade. Yet looking for security within oneself just perpetuates the anxiety, because self-centered security is such a poor substitute for God-centered security. In contrast, we need God's grace to shine where we are weak. That will make more of an impact for the Kingdom than perfectionism ever would, and will equip us for the deliverance of other people (see 2 Corinthians 12:9). Song of Solomon 1:5 - "I am black, but lovely, daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon." THE GREATEST EXPERIENCE OF THE GRACE OF GOD WOULD NOT COME FROM HIM IF IT DID NOT GIVE YOU A CLEAR VIEW OF YOUR MISERABLE STATE APART FROM HIM. AS YOU COME OUT OF THE CHAMBERS OF YOUR KING (JESUS) YOU DISCOVER THAT YOU ARE BLACK. WHAT MAKES YOU BLACK? SUDDENLY YOU SEE ALL YOUR FAULTS BY THE LIGHT OF GOD. NOW YOU SEE THAT YOU HAVE NOT BEEN CLEANSED FROM YOURSELF. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRYhttp://afministry.ning.com
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Psalm 42: 1,2 - "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?" A poverty of soul must eternally torment that believer who is satisfied merely to reason about eternal life while remaining without the real possession and power of the indwelling Son of God manifest in his daily experience. If we are always reasoning, then we cannot cultivate the silence in which God speaks. Hunger for God is one of the greatest signs of life a person can have. We must press past intellectual awareness to hunger for heartfelt encounters that change and transform. OBSERVATION: RELIGIOUS FLESH IS CONVINCED THAT GROWTH IS MEASURED IN RELIGIOUS FACTS. TRUE SPIRITUALITY, HOWEVER, IS MEASURED IN THE DEPTH OF OUR HUNGER FOR GOD, WHERE OUR SOUL PANTS "FOR THE LIVING GOD" LIKE THE DEER PANTS AFTER WATER. 14 1 Timothy 5:21 - "Never be in a hurry about choosing a pastor; you may overlook his sins and it will look as if you approve of them. Be sure that you yourself stay away from all sin." Confessions: I CONFESS THAT MY CHARACTER, ATTITUDE, AND ACTIONS ARE BEING REFINED BY THE FIRE OF GOD IN MY LIFE. GOD IS CHANGING ME, TEACHING ME, AND PREPARING ME FOR GREATER RESPONSIBILITY. SO, TODAY I YIELD TO THE HOLY SPIRIT SO HE CAN DELVE DEEP INTO MY SOUL AND EXTRACT THOSE TRAITS THAT WOULD KEEP ME FROM THE BLESSINGS AND POSITIONS GOD WOULD LOVE TO GIVE ME! Song of Solomon 1:4 - "We will remember Your love more than wine; the upright love You." TRUE UPRIGHTNESS LEADS YOU TO LEAVE ALL THE WINE OF THE PLEASURES OF THE WORLD AND ALL THE ENJOYMENTS OF HEAVEN TO BE LOST IN GOD ALONE. HERE IS PURE AND PERFECT LOVE. FOR NONE BUT THE UPRIGHT CAN LOVE GOD AS HE DESERVES TO BE LOVED! ALBERT FINCH MINISTRYhttp://afministry.ning.com
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2 Peter 1:3 -- "seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence." Zechariah 9:12 - "Return to the stronghold, O prisoners who have the hope; This very day I am declaring that I will restore double to you." The word of breakthrough and double portion is our inheritance. It is ours. And yet, it will not be without a fight. It will be won first by prayer and then by action. There are some promises and blessings that come into our lives that come easily. But there are others that will only manifest when we stand and say, "I'm not leaving here until You bless me." - Genesis 32:22-31 Jacob contended for a miracle because he was desperate. As he contended for that blessing he gained something more. It changed him and strengthened him. In that encounter, the Lord changed his name to Israel which means "to contend and to prevail." Where is there an area of lack in your life? It is not what He has promised you. Contend for the Promise Land. It is yours—but you have to take it. When we refuse to let go, we will see breakthrough for He is the God of breakthrough. INTO ACTION: CLEAN HOUSE -- Go before the Lord and make sure there is nothing that stands in the way of your breakthrough. Unforgiveness, offense, and sin all can hinder blessing. "This is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God." (Matthew 5:23-24 MSG) LISTEN -- It is important to spend time not just praying, but listening. Spend time in His presence to what He wants to share with you and write it down. We can miss a moment when we don't listen OR when we don't take the time to write down and preserve what He is saying to us (see Jeremiah 33:3). FIND YOUR PROMISE -- We have an entire Book given to us full of promises. Let the Holy Spirit illuminate His Word to you today and the promise He is breathing on in this season. Sit and read the Word until you sense the Spirit stirring something in your heart as He speaks it into you and brings it to life. As you speak it out, it will renew your faith and it will set in motion the very provision pregnant within that Word. CONTEND -- Don't stop. We don't stop until we see the blessing. Like Jacob, we wrestle and don't let go until it comes. When we start to see breakthrough, don't stop contending. It may have started to rain, but don't settle for just a trickle, pray for the overflow He has promised. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
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1 Peter 1:23 - "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever." POWER IN PRAYER IS NOT BASED ON EMOTIONS, FEELINGS, OR THE THEORIES OF MEN, BUT UPON THE WORD OF GOD, OUR AGREEMENT WITH IT, OUR ONENESS WITH CHRIST, WHO IS THE LIVING WORD, AND OUR UNITY WITH GOD'S PURPOSES AND WILL. Hebrews 10:38 - "Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." Knowing that you are on the rock foundation of Matthew 16:18,19 and able to bind and to loose -- having that living faith that you can pray and know you have the answer because of God's promises, and the fact that Jesus said, "If Ye believe." It is on this rock that our faith must be based, and this will never fail; God has established it forever. Affirmations: I REFUSE TO RELINQUISH ANY OF MY GOD-PROMISED TERRITORY! MY FAITH IS TOUGH, RESISTANT, PERSISTENT, OBSTINATE, AND STUBBORN. MY SPIRIT IS SO TENACIOUS THAT IT REFUSES TO LET GO! IT ISN'T A QUESTION OF "IF" MY VICTORY WILL COME - IT'S ONLY A QUESTION OF "WHEN" IT WILL COME! Song of Solomon 1:4 - "Draw me (The Believer)! We (The Church) will run after you (Jesus)! The king (Jesus) brings me into his apartments! We will be glad and rejoice in you! We will recall your love, more fragrant than wine. The upright love you." NOW HIS BRIDE IS FILLED WITH UNSPEAKABLE JOY FOR SHE KNOWS THAT SHE IS FOUND IN HIM (JESUS). SHE PREFERS THE BRIDEGROOM (JESUS) OVER EVERYTHING ELSE. HERE IS THE HEIGHT OF HER JOY AND PLEASURE. Psalm 105:4 - "Seek, inquire of and for the Lord, and crave Him and His strength; seek and require His face and His presence continually evermore." ALBERT FINCH MINISTRYhttp://afministry.ning.com
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We have an enemy who wants free access to our lives...and we have angelic hosts to guide, guard, and protect us here on the earth (Psalm 91:11, Psalm 34:7). As we become more aware of both, while living in this day and time, living a lifestyle of victory becomes our daily norm. "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them." - Psalm 34:7 The enemy has many tactics to prevent us from stepping into our destiny. One of those tactics is distraction. Distraction can be a hindering spirit sent to draw us away from our God-given assignment and is a decoy sent to interrupt the flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Distraction can be described as mental distress, a diversion sent to lead us off course, or something dividing our loyalties away from the will of God. Distraction is a ploy by the enemy to delay the fulfillment of our prophetic promises. A spirit of distraction has one main intent: to hinder! An oppressive spirit is always sent to kill, steal and destroy. "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." - John 10:10 NEHEMIAH'S DISTRACTION In Nehemiah Chapter 6, Nehemiah had all but finished the wall of Jerusalem, except for installing the doors to the gates of the city. When the enemies of Judah realized that Nehemiah had completed the restoration process, they plotted against Nehemiah to stop his progress. Judah's enemies – Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem – devised evil schemes to hinder Nehemiah through distraction, conspiracy, and physical threats. "For a great and effective door has been opened to me and there are many adversaries." - 1 Corinthians 16:9 When Nehemiah faced opposition from his adversaries, he discerned the strategy of the enemy and avoided being drawn into the snare of verbal discourse and distraction. Nehemiah chose his battles by recognizing distraction as the main attraction sent by the enemy to halt and hinder his progress! Nehemiah didn't engage in a verbal dispute with his enemies because he believed that if God was for him, who then could stand against him (Romans 8:31)? Nehemiah used wisdom and undistracted focus to defeat the foe before him. Even when Tobiah and Geshem (which represents carnal thinking and the ways of the world) rose up as adversarial cohorts, Nehemiah didn't fall prey to the stress and pressure to perform to their demands. In Nehemiah chapter six, scripture says there was an entrance left open for the enemies of Judah to pass through and enter the city. The walls were erected as a fortress to protect them from outside opposition, yet there was still an opening through the doors to the city that left them vulnerable to an attack. When we leave an open door for our adversary to enter in wherever he pleases, he is more than willing to oblige us by occupying our unguarded territory with his presence. One of the keys to closing off unwanted spiritual warfare is to check the gates of our city! When access to the enemy is denied, there's no room for him to wreak havoc. We are careful to protect our ear gate, eye gate, heart gate, and mouth gate -- not giving the devil an opportunity (Ephesians 4:27). POSSESSING THE GATES OF OUR ENEMIES When Abraham believed by faith that God would provide a sacrifice to lay on the altar in place of his son Isaac, God blessed Abraham through his act of obedience by promising Abraham's descendants would possess the gates of their enemies (Genesis 22). We are descendants of Abraham! Galatians 3:29 in the NKJV says, "And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." To possess the gates of a city represents power. In the Word of God, business was established at the gates. Prophets stood at the gates of the city to make declarations from God (Jeremiah 7:2; 17:19). Kings sat at the city gates to dispense justice (2 Samuel 19:8). To possess the gates of our enemies means to conquer and defeat our adversaries by the power of the Holy Spirit. The word "possess" is the Hebrew word "yaras" which means to drive out previous tenants, cast out, succeed, to expel, and to utterly dispossess. God has given us all power and authority over the enemy, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against us (the Church) (Matthew 16:18-19). VOCALLY AFFIRM YOUR BREAKTHROUGH We occupy a place of authority by making declarations of breakthrough, casting out the works of darkness wrecking havoc upon the earth, and disarming the enemy at the gate! God is bringing turning points into the Body of Christ with His signature all over them. NOW is the time to claim your inheritance and possess the gates of your enemies. Blessing and multiplication is your portion. What the enemy meant for evil, God is turning around for His good. "Blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the Heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore, and your descendants shall possess the gates of their enemies." - Genesis 22:17 ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
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Only with God-given discernment can we tell apart the good and evil influences that surround us. We often come up against "demonic influences". This influence is a spiritual force that twists and taints and pollutes God's ways. It is like a spider web, and people get stuck -- writhing in their captivity, they act out of a "web mentality". Religious spirits endeavor to interfere with the free flow of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Believers. They can be hard to discern precisely because they are religious; they are pious, even hyper-spiritual. Their influence can pervade a person's life and church -- like yeast pervades a lump of dough. That's why Jesus said, "Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees" (Matthew 16:6). In New Testament times, the Pharisees were the watchdogs of religious purity, chastising any Jewish person who transgressed even slightly, promoting the perfectionistic performance of their strict interpretation of the requirements of the law of Moses. They held to "a form of godliness, although they...denied its power" (2 Timothy 3:5). Generally, the religious spirit promotes a works-based or performance-based lifestyle. Although the Cross of Jesus has made performance-based religion a thing of the past, the religious spirit likes to keep it alive so that people will labor under a triple burden of guilt, fear, and pride. Every person on earth rightfully seeks a sense of acceptance, but the religious spirit keeps the ultimate acceptance—God's—just out of reach. The motivation of a religious spirit demands that we need to earn God's approval. By His death and resurrection, Christ Jesus has secured our acceptance with the Father once and for all as we place our faith in Him. SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT Yet when we live and breathe in an environment tainted by the religious spirit, it is difficult for us to discern that we're being affected by that demonic influence. It can be easier to spot the religious spirit in someone else, and to judge them, than it is to recognize it in ourselves. We need to discern and look out for FIVE TELLTALE ATTITUDES: 1) Legalism, 2) Criticism, 3) Debate, 4) Opinion, and 5) Judgment. Let's apply that measure to ourselves and take the log out of our own eyes instead of pointing out the splinters in others' eyes. (Matthew 7:4-5.) Watch out for the big THREE EARMARKS OF THE RELIGIOUS SPIRIT : 1) Guilt, 2) Fear, and 3) Pride. A proud demeanor often masks the fearful, insecure soul of someone who is trying desperately to make the grade. Yet looking for security within oneself just perpetuates the anxiety, because self-centered security is such a poor substitute for God-centered security. In contrast, we need God's grace to shine where we are weak. That will make more of an impact for the Kingdom than perfectionism ever would, and will equip us for the deliverance of other people. (see 2 Corinthians 12:9). THE HOLY SPIRIT -- OUR HELPER IN DISCERNING THE RELIGIOUS SPIRIT As passionate Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are each called to be "Worshipper of God and Deliverers of Men." As we worship God and surrender ourselves to Him, He meets us with freedom. As we ask the Holy Spirit to cast His light on the hindrances that keep us from receiving and discerning His revelation and acting upon it, He answers our prayers and sets us free, and we are empowered to give away what we have received. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
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Ephesians 6:16,17 - "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God". Some are willing to spend hours in prayer asking for a miracle instead of planting the Word of God in their hearts, which in time would produce the miracle. Prayer is what water and fertilizer are to a seed. They help the Word release its life. But if you haven't planted the seed, it doesn't matter how much water and fertilizer you apply, the soil still won't produce fruit. It's the seed that has life! Affirmations: I CONFESS THAT I WEAR MY SALVATION TIGHTLY AROUND MY MIND LIKE A HELMET. IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW HARD THE DEVIL TRIES TO HACK AWAY AT MY MIND, I STILL STAND STRONG BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT JESUS' DEATH AND RESURRECTION PURCHASED FOR ME! Hebrews 4:1 = "Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it." "What is rest? -- It is abandoning the need to control -- The worries whichincite you to control keep you from resting. When you try to make everything happen your way, you have no rest. The worries which make you doubt other people multiply in your imagination as you think about all the things they might do wrong. Even when you curtail your activities, you find no rest when you worry. Resting is not a matter of physical stillness; it is peace in the inmost being, which comes from trusting Him with all your circumstances. Change the way you think in life-giving ways. It won't work if you do it on a performance basis because it's a lifestyle change. Think of it as changing your style to receive life – a lifestyle. You're not at the mercy of your emotions; your emotions are subject to your righteousness. You are a righteous person. (2 Corinthians 5:21). You can do this. Learning to rest is a process. Pick one thing that you struggle with and make an effort to commit it to Him. Then, whenever you find yourself failing to do that, recommit it to Him with greater fervor. Gain one victory like that and the others will become simpler.Hebrews 4:3,11 - "For we which have believed do enter into rest...Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest...." Song of Solomon 1:2 - "Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth." Observation: GOD UNITES HIMSELF WITH MY SPIRIT, AND I AM ABLE TO BEGIN TO EXPLORE THE FULLNESS OF GOD. THE JOURNEY TOWARD THIS COMPLETE UNION IS A PLACE WHERE MY SPIRIT IS COMPLETELY POSSESSED BY GOD. CONSIDER THAT JESUS IS CALLED "THE WORD." THE "KISSES OF HIS MOUTH" IS NOTHING LESS THAN THE VITAL COMMUNICATION OF THE WORD OF GOD TO ME. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRYhttp://afministry.ning.com
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Matthew 5:3 - "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for their's is the kingdom of heaven." We empty oursouls, and seek to be filled with the attitude of Christ, which is a sure wellspring -- unending, and brimming with life eternal. We count all that the proud flesh desires as worth less than nothing. There is a present urgency and need to present ourselves as being available to become a "place of habitation" for the presence and glory of the Lord, beyond anything that has previously been experienced or seen. According to Paul, God bestows to us strength and power according to the riches of His glory. His glory is abundant, it's bountiful and it's endless. We cannot walk in the fullness of our destiny or calling until we KNOW the strength of God and live daily by the strength of who He is in our inner man (Ephesians 3:16). Philippians 3:8,9 - "I reckon everything as complete loss for the sake of what is so much more valuable, the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have thrown everything away; I consider it all as mere rubbish, so that I might gain Christ and be completely united with Him." Genesis 15:5,6 - "And God brought Abram forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and He said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord; and He counted it to him for righteousness." Observation: I think about and reflect on the word of God -- pondering a particular scripture and mentally applying it to my own circumstances again and again until that scripture permanently marks my consciousness. As God putvision in Abram through His word, He will also bring up into my consciousness His vision for me. AFFIRMATIONS: I see God in a new way as HE comes to lead me forward -- I feel a stirring in my emotions -- God is knocking on my door -- God is calling me to a new place. The Spirit of God is creating a desire for the NEW - I thank the Holy Spirit for helping me to press through into this new place. My provision is waiting at the next level. I refuse to sit any longer in a low place. Mark 16:15 - And He said unto them, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." OBSERVATION: Jesus expects me to invade every sphere where I have influence and to use that influence to share the gospel with the people who live, work and function in those places. I choose this day to invest my time and energy into fulfilling that divine assignment. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRYhttp://afministry.ning.com
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Numbers 13:27,28,33 - "We came unto the land where thou sent us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Nevertheless, the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great. And there we saw the giants." There is a wonderful grace offered for us to advance in the times of adversity! The invitation is extended to all saints; however, by a lack of commitment, many will disqualify themselves. This is a time to be desperate for the revealed glory of God. One of the marks of these overcomers will be hunger and complete dissatisfaction with business as usual. This holy hunger will drive us to seek the Lord on a much more increased level. Jesus states“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, uprightness, and right standing with God, shall be completely satisfied!" - Matthew 5:6 AMP It’s time to remove all lids of limitations off -- believe God for big things (see Ephesians 3:20-21). The promise is that the whole earth shall be filled with the knowledge of God’s glory (see Numbers 14:21 and Hab. 2:14). The Spirit of God is stirring our soul and awaking our heart to seek deeper depths and higher heights. This is the time for us to go all out for Christ and the Kingdom of God. We don't hold back -- we surrender ourselves completely to the control and guidance of the Holy Spirit. The statement is so true -- deep is calling to deep (see Psalms 42:7). Observation: THE EXODUS FROM THE MIND TO THE HEART DEMANDS THAT WE MUST FACE AND CONQUER THE GIANTS OF SIN, CONDEMNATION, AND IGNORANCE. AS WITH ANY JOURNEY TO A DISTANT LAND, THE PRICE TO ACTUALLY TRAVEL TO THAT COUNTRY, TO TASTE ITS WATER AND BREATHE ITS AIR, FAR EXCEEDS THE PRICE OF MERELY READING OF ITS BEAUTY IN A BOOK. 2 Corinthians 12:12 - "Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds." Affirmations: I CONFESS THAT GOD IS FILLING ME WITH SUPERNATURAL ENDURANCE TO STAY PUT UNTIL I HAVE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE ASSIGNMENT HE ASKED ME TO DO. I DECLARE THAT I AM STRONG; I AM FILLED WITH FORTITUDE; AND I WILL DO PRECISELY WHAT GOD HAS ASKED ME TO DO! Song of Solomon 1:2 - "Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth: for thy love is better than wine." The "kiss" is the union of God's Spirit to our spirit. When a person is first converted, he is united to God but he has not yet come to experience Him deeply. There is a deep and abiding union with Christ that we can come to know. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRYhttp://afministry.ning.com
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Psalm 104: 1,4,30 - "Bless the Lord, O my soul, O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honor and majesty. Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire. Thou sendest forth thy Spirit." Prayer: LORD JESUS, YOU ARE THE ONE WHO WALKS SILENTLY IN THE INNERMOST SANCTUARY OF MY SOUL. SO CAREFULLY YOU WEAVE YOURSELF INTO THE FIBERS OF MY BEING. TOUCH ME WITH YOUR CLEANSING, RENEWING FIRE. AFFIRMATIONS: I set myself on God’s altar today to allow myself to be consumed by His fire of purging and His fire of love. I refuse to allow the move of God in me to be miscarried. "You yourselves write a decree concerning the Jews, as you please, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's signet ring; for whatever is written in the king's name and sealed with the king's signet ring no one can revoke." - Esther 8:8 Jesus became a curse for us, so we don't have to live under a curse. He was the master of divine reversal. All He did demonstrated God's power to turn death to life, sickness to health, lackto blessing, etc. We have been given the power to act as intercessors -- those called to get in the way of the enemy's plan. We need to decree our freedom and our blessing and extend that freedom to others by reversing the curses of darkness. We need to write a new decree! The enemy has declared things over our personal lives, over the Church today and over our nations. He is filling the airwaves in the spirit realm and in the natural realm with decrees of fear, death, defeat, destruction, and intimidation. This is an Esther moment! We must make a decree in prayer. Write it down. Let it be your confession. We must decree God's Word in truth knowing the penetrating power of truth can make others free. We must change our language to speak what God is declaring. We must allow our prophetic words to be in our mouths as decrees. Say what God says! Job 22:28 says, "You shall decree a thing and it shall be established for you, so light will shine upon your way."In this time of great darkness in the earth, the people of God need to flood the atmosphere with decrees that bring life and light which will drive out death and darkness. Galatians 5:22,23 - "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." Peace is Spirit power. Your peace, your immovable stand upon the Word of God is a sign that you are positioned correctly in perfect submission to the will of God. The very fact that you are not frightened by your adversary is a sign that you have authority over him. Prayer: LORD, THANK YOU FOR SOWING YOUR SPIRIT AND WORD INTO MY LIFE. THANK YOU FOR THE LIFE OF GOD THAT IS FLOWING UP FROM MY SPIRIT RIGHT NOW, PRODUCING THE LIFE AND THE NATURE OF JESUS CHRIST IN ME! ALBERT FINCH MINISTRYhttp://afministry.ning.com
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Galatians 5:16 - "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh." He has put an unlimited potential within us by His Spirit. Don't think about what you can't do. Think about what you can do through Christ. Exercising faith to fulfill your call will always result in permanent spiritual results - "fruit which remains" measured by the lives you have dramatically changed. Affirmations: I AM DEVELOPING MY OWN HUMAN SPIRIT, AND I AM BECOMING MORE SENSITIVE TO THE SPIRIT OF GOD. I HAVE ACCEPTED THE CALL OF GOD TO LEAVE THE LOW LIFE BEHIND, AND I AM FOLLOWING THE SPIRIT OF GOD TO A HIGHER REALM, WHERE I WILL LIVE IN CONTINUAL PEACE, JOY, AND VICTORY. "And God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light." - Genesis 1:3 Our voice, anointed and inspired by the Holy Spirit, is one, if not the greatest, weapon God has given us to shift atmospheres. We've been created with a voice. In the beginning, God said, "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3)! The first thing God did was speak with His voice. This is a clue for us to see just how powerful the voice is – how powerful OUR voice is. We are created in the image and likeness of God. When we speak through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, there is power to shift atmospheres from darkness to light. Our voice, like a sword, is to decree and manifest His Kingdom and will in the earth. Because of this, there is always an attack on your ability to praise, prophesy and release God's presence through your voice. God is wanting to invade the earth through your voice! Romans 6:18 - "Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness." Affirmations: SINCE I HAVE GIVEN MY LIFE TO JESUS, THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD HAS BEEN IMPARTED TO ME. BECAUSE, THROUGH JESUS, I RECEIVED GOD'S NATURE. SIN AND THE DOMINION OF SATAN CANNOT HAVE AUTHORITY OVER ME BECAUSE JESUS IS MY LORD. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRYhttp://afministry.ning.com
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2 Timothy 2:22 - "Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart." IT IS BETTER TO DEVELOP GODLY VIRTUES THAN TO SPEND MY DAY PRAYING AGAINST THE DEVIL. VICTORY BEGINS WITH THE NAME OF JESUS ON MY LIPS. IT IS CONSUMMATED BY THE NATURE OF JESUS IN MY HEART. Matthew 6:9-11 - "This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed by Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Observation: HEAVEN NEEDS ME TO GIVE IT LICENSE TO IMPACT EARTH. I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND CHANGE THE COURSE OF HISTORY IF I WILL JUST UNDERSTAND THE PURPOSE AND POWER OF PRAYER. Romans 8:14 - "As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." God's Higher Ground is where you stop arguing with yourself and others, cease struggling with your flesh and move into His perfect will for you. It's the place where you have made the decision to live a holy life in a temporal unholy world, and although you are quite aware that you will never (in this life) avoid occasional stumbling, you must get up and go to HIGHER GROUND. Higher Ground is the only place where 'Super-grow' soil exists for your spirit to grow (Mark 4: 20). It is the place where you are determined to fulfill the PURPOSE God placed you here for. Blessings abound in that place......are you willing to go to Higher Ground? Affirmations: I CONFESS THAT I AM LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD! THE HOLY SPIRIT TUGS AND PULLS ON MY HEART, AND I COOPERATE BY FOLLOWING HIM AS HE GENTLY LEADS ME WHERE HE WANTS ME TO GO. HE SEES AND KNOWS WHAT I CANNOT SEE. HE IS LEADING ME EXACTLY WHERE I NEED TO BE IN ORDER TO REACH GOD'S PURPOSE FOR MY LIFE. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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Psalm 59:9 - "O my Strength, I will watch and give heed to You and sing praises; for God is my Defense." The soul that is not recollected in one appetite alone (the desire for God) loses heat and strength in the practice of virtue. Affirmation: I WILL CONCENTRATE THE STRENGTH OF MY APPETITES ON GOD ALONE. "I will go before you and make the rough places smooth; I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars." - Isaiah 45:2 As we are yielded to the Lord, He makes the path straight before us. Once we understandour CALLING in Christ He equips us for the journey. At times we have limited vision of the path ahead and what we are going through, but the Lord has the big picture and He calls us to trust in Him. He takes even our failures and disappointments and reconfigures them to work together for good. God invites us to hold onto the promises He has given us in scripture of our inheritance in Christ, our right standing with God, and to believe He is able to do the impossible for us.Hold onto faith as small as a mustard seed, because that alone is enough faith to see mountains move and giants fall. We need to deal with any area of unbelief in our lives. Faith and unbelief both come by what we are hearing or giving attention to. We choose to have faith come into our heart by "hearing and hearing" the Word of God. The power of God is unleashed in the lives of those with true faith. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6 "Truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move and nothing will be impossible to you." - Matthew 17:20 NASB James 3:8 - "But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." Affirmations: I BOLDLY DECLARE THAT MY TONGUE IS UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. MY WORDS ARE SEASONED WITH GRACE, AND MY LIPS ARE CONSTANTLY GIVING THANKS TO GOD! THIS IS WHAT MY TONGUE SPEAKS BECAUSE IT IS SUBMITTED TO THE LORDSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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2 Timothy 2:20 - "In a large house there are dishes and bowls of all kinds: some are made of silver and gold, others of wood and clay: some are for special occasions, others for ordinary use."CERTAINLY THERE ARE GOING TO BE SOME GOLDEN VESSELS IN THE KINGDOM AND THERE ARE GOING TO BE SOME CLAY POTS, BUT WE ARE THE ONES - NOT GOD - WHO DETERMINES WHICH KIND WE WILL BE. 2 Timothy 2:21 - 'If anyone makes himself clean from all these evil things, he will be used for special purposes, because he is dedicated and useful to his Master, ready to be used for every good work." 2 Kings 6:17 - "And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." In spiritual warfare, the battle is never limited to an "us against them" human affair. It always includes "those with us" against "those with them." 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. 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). Mark 11:23 - "For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith." Because great power is released when my heart and mouth start working together, it's extremely important that I put the right things into my heart. OBSERVATION: Once I find the will of God in a situation I will know how to pray. If I need a mountain moved out of my life, I believe God with my heart and speak it out with my mouth. AFFIRMATIONS: Jesus came that I might have life and that I might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10) I shall have whatsoever things that I desire when Ipray, since I believe that I receive them.(Mark 11:24) Seeing that I have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, I hold fast to my confession. (Hebrews 4:14) ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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In Luke 13, "Jesus saw a crippled woman who had been bent over for 18 years; He called her to Himself and healed her. The ruler of the synagogue was indignant, not because He healed her but because He healed on the Sabbath. Jesus replied, 'Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?'" (vs. 15-17). Think of the people you know who are bound by satan, suffering, and in desperate need of a touch from God. Are we willing to get out of our comfort zone, past our old way of thinking and let go of whatever traditions or ways of man that hold us back from allowing the Lord to use us to bring His Kingdom onto this earth as it is in Heaven? What are we afraid of? Are we afraid of OFFENDING the people around us? Are we afraid that the sick won't be healed? Are we afraid that those bound by satan won't be set free? Are we afraid that those bent over won't be made straight? You see, if we pray and it doesn't happen, we'll be disappointed, feel embarrassed, feel like a failure, or worse, our faith may even be challenged. THE PRAYER OF NO FAITH With these fears brewing in our minds, it's easier to pray, "Lord, if it's Your will..." This is how we rationalize it in our minds. If we pray with that (no faith) phrase as our safety net, then we won't get our hopes up, and if we don't get our hopes up, then we won't be let down. But our hope is in God, it doesn't have anything to do with us, but it has everything to do with Him. Unfortunately, the devil is trying to get us to lose sight of this. It's a very subtle shift, but may we hear what the Spirit is saying. In Acts 5:12, Scripture tells us that through the hands of the apostle's many signs and wonders were done among the people. Hallelujah—that's just what Jesus said would happen (see John 14:12). The only place in the Bible where we see the phrase, "Lord, if You are willing..." is coming out of the mouth of someone stricken with leprosy (Matthew 8:2). For the Hebrews, leprosy was a dreaded condition which left its victims ceremonially unclean—that is, unfit to worship their King (see Leviticus 13:3). BELIEVING IN THE FINISHED WORK OF THE CROSS Jesus told us that if we believe in Him, we will do these greater things. Believing in Him means that we believe He has done it all. Believing in Him means that we can't mess it up and we can't conjure it up, because it's all about Him. It means that we know that we have nothing to add or subtract from the finished work of the Cross in order to gain our salvation or to see a miracle manifested. He has done it all, and all He is asking us is to do is to take His place as His priests. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com
