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A. DEVOTIONAL STUDY (To be used in teaching) Go directly to the Blble and read over a few times the portion to be taught. Then try answering the following questions: 1. What does this portion teach about God the Father...the Son...the Holy Spirit? 2. What does it teach about man? 3. Are there any warnings to heed? 4. Are there any commands to obey? 5. Are there any promises to claim by faith? When completing this exercise, draw some conclusions you can apply to your life or to the lives of those you are teaching. Then read over the teacher's manual or a Bible commentary to see if it agrees, clarifies, expands or qualifies what you have discovered. You will find this process will make the material more your own. You will be able to remember it better and share it with greater confidence. Be sure to give homework assignments -- to give the students introspection and reinforcement. eg. Questions to Ask Myself? Two or three questions that apply to WHO THEY ARE IN CHRIST, limitations they may be putting on their spiritual advancement, and seeking their DESTINY in Christ. The work they do alone in answering these questions will benefit them more than many hours of Sunday School teaching. Also give them several verbal affirmations highlighting their inheritance in Christ which will be from points in the lesson. By verbally affirming their re-created status they will not be as likely to skim over the lesson and eventually forget it. B. TOPIC TECHNIQUE (To be Used Individually) 1. In this Bible study technique you CHOOSE A TOPIC--not a random topic but a topic that you feel the you need further revelation of. Examples of Topics: High Calling Boldness Fruitfullness Sanctification Love Compassion Spiritual Gifts Worship Praise Deliverance Healing Wisdom Humility Discipleship Growth Restoration 2. Pick out several books to study in the New Testament. 3. DEVELOP A CONSCIOUSNESS of the topic by meditation on it and by arousing some eager expectation of revelation to come. 4. As you focus on the topic begin reading the scripture. Write out the passages that have to do with the topic and ask the Holy Spirit for a deeper understanding. 5. At the end of the study session WRITE OUT A LIST OF AFFIRMATIONS that affirm the written out scriptures and carry them with you throughout the day to say out loud and meditate on. 6. Share any revelation you have received with others in the body of Christ. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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Man was created to be inhabited by God through His Spirit. With a sincere devotion to God through the Holy Spirit, people can live in a place of overflow in His presence. God desires our revelation to become reality. The things that He has given us in our dreams He desires to make manifest in our lives. We have been given the ability to determine the path that we will travel through the our actions and the words of our mouth. REVELATION TO REALITY THROUGH DECREEING James 3:4 "Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires." James speaks of our tongues being like the rudder of a ship. As small as the tongue is, it has great control of where we end up. If we can learn to bring what we say under the influence of the Holy Spirit, good, eternal fruit will come of it. SEASON OF PRUNING Many have been in a season of pruning so that they may be even more fruitful in the next season. Pruning is not pleasant in the beginning, but later it yields a greater increase of fruit. "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit." - John 15:2 During the season of pruning it is all the more important to keep integrity in what we do and say. We need to "Hold our rudder in right position" and "Stay the course." Even now promises are being possessed and there is more to come. As we experience a gradual increase in promises being possessed it will propel us into an remarkable season where doors will fly open to an abundant possession of promises. BE ACTIVATED This is a great time to be activated in the spirit. This means that we see opportunities at every turn. There are opportunities to demonstrate God's love to people. Don't assume that everyone has heard the truth of the Gospel or has experienced "His life". Take time to share the life of God with others. God wants us to expand beyond the borders we have preconceived in our natural mind. Don't say, "I can't do this" or "That is not me", because God wants to put something new in you. God continually "adds to us" things that would not be our "natural inclination". 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 "Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given US THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation." Do you realize that we are all ministers of the Gospel? The pulpit is just one very small outlet of ministry. Jesus did close to 99% of His ministry outside the walls of a building. The five-fold ministry is just to get the saints equipped to go out into the world. PULL HEAVEN'S REVELATION INTO REALITY God is continually giving us inner vision to encourage us to believe and DECREE these things into existence. Take time every day to "pull down" those inner visions that God has given to you. Luke 11:2 - So He said to them, "When you pray, say: Our Father in Heaven, Holy is Your name. Your Kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven..." If God has shown you an inner vision, enter into worship and thanksgiving with DECREES –pulling down that vision and combining it with actions that will activate it. It is our part to make revelation reality in the earth. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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"And he said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation....And these signs will accompany those who believe; in my name they will cast out demons...they will lay their hands on the sick and they will recover.' And they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it.'" - Mark 16:15,17-19 Jesus delivered a spiritual force of faith that we can release, through revelation, in the Word of God – which will produce in our life the God-quality of living. FAITH HAS TO BE ACTIVATED - BE A CONTENDER This spiritual force of faith will not have the same measure of power for the passive as it will for the contender – the champion. Neither is it a faith, but it is THE FAITH; so the definition of how it works must be predominately examined in the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ and the early Church. If He operated in a faith that worked expeditiously, accelerated and without limits, and then handed that over to men and women – then it is His intention for us to safeguard and keep that faith in our life. Why? Because we cannot live the way God wants us to live without implementing the power that God has given to us. That is why you have chosen not to be just an attender, but an earnest contender. THE ANSWER TO THE WORLD What kind of answer is He? Jesus is the answer for the world, for every problem in the world, for every handicap in the world, for every limitation in the world! Make up your mind to be a contender and not just an attender! We need to demonstrate that greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). Who is going to make the right choices and choose to believe that He is the answer? Whether it's a broken back, whether it's someone in a coma, whether it's a generational experience of object poverty, whether it's a mental disorder, whether it's nations gone amok, whether it's economies that are unstable; it does not matter what the problems are – Jesus is the answer to the world! But in order for that answer to work, FAITH HAS TO BE ACTIVATED because faith is the access to the mercy of God. BLIND BARTIMAEUS There was a man that didn't even own a Bible, couldn't even read, but he had enough sense to know that although he was born blind what he heard about Jesus was the truth. So blind Bartimaeus "began to cry out and say, "'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!' Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, 'Son of David, have mercy on me!'" - (Mark 10:47-48). In other words he began to say, "I will not be a pretender. I will not be an attender, but I will be a contender, Jesus Son of David have mercy on me." And he began to shout like a radical. God is not looking for a quiet people, He's not looking for a passive people, He's not looking for an inactive people; He's looking for a radical people who will contend for their miracle in God. Bartimaeus didn't know; he hadn't even been to one intensified training session. But he had one ounce of sense in him and he knew that, Jesus was the answer to his problem. BE THE CONTENDER - BE THE CHAMPION What's the world's problem? Many are either bound up, torn up or in a mess. But if somebody would lead them to their solution -- Jesus -- and to the anointing that is in the Word which will take the burden off of their shoulders and the yoke off their neck, like Bartimaeus, they can have enough sense to contend after the reward of what God has. There are men and women rising up to raise the dead, heal the sick, cast out devils and invade the world with the most powerful Name! The Name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow of the things in Heaven and earth and under the earth. Stop saying: "Well, let's get down to reality." No! Let's get up to revelation! AFFIRMATIONS: I am not going to sit on the sidelines and allow the enemy to limit me. I am not going to live in repetition. I am of the end-time generation of God. I contend -- I fight for the faith that was delivered for the saint's safekeeping. I am the champion God created me to be. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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Luke 8:14 - "The seed among the thorns represents those who listen and believe God's words but whose faith afterwards is choked out by worry and riches and the responsibilities and pleasures of life. And so they are never able to help anyone else to believe the Good News." Your enemy wants to subdue your awareness and release a slumbering spirit. In this state he can sell you on giving in to a confortable life thereby causing a corpse-like complacency. You will always avoid the challenges of "breaking out of the box" into the maximum life that Jesus died to get you into. The phrase "out of the box" means that someone or something has broken out from it's barriers. It also means that someone has outgrown their history and has gone beyond their limitations. Luke 2:48,49 - "Behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them. 'How is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?'" The pharisees had no understanding of the Father's heart. Much of christian activity exists that has no relationship to that supreme value. The gospel is the story of the Father wooing the hearts of mankind through His love. We can travel the globe and preach the gospel, but without a personal revelation of the Father's heart we're carring around second hand news -- a story without a relationship. The Father's business flows from His heart. The church is to be a manifestation of the Father's heart to the world. We are to be carriers of His presence -- doers of His will. Giving what we have received releases Him into situations previously held in the grip of darkness. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever." - Ephesians 3:20-21 Our very best days are right before us, not behind us! Consider the Message Bible's version of this Scripture: "God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, His Spirit deeply and gently within us." God can do anything. And what's more, our mighty King has outstanding plans for each and every one of us, plans that are more wonderful and sure than we could "ever imagine or guess or request"! The Lord assures us in 1 Corinthians 2:9 that, "No man has ever seen, heard or even imagined the wonderful things God has in store for those who love the Lord." BELIEVE FOR A STRONGER ANOINTING God's spectacular plans for you are only for your good (Jeremiah 29:11). Even if you are facing great hardship, take heart! We have His precious promises as our comfort, joy and security. No matter what trial you are experiencing in your health, finances, marriage, children or with your loved ones, God has unimaginably great blessings in store for you as you simply turn to Jesus, to His Spirit within you and His living Word. We know that each and every one of His promises are true and His Word promises a certain, divine turnaround. All of Heaven and earth may pass away, but God's Word never fails us. God desires to take us to new levels of victory in every area of our life. The Lord Jesus Christ wants to give us more of His wisdom so we can make better decisions (James 1:5). He longs to give us a stronger anointing so we can advance in His purpose for our life (our DESTINY in Christ) (Psalm 92:10). The Lord also wants to bless us financially so we can be a blessing to others (2 Corinthians 9:6-8). LIFT OUR VISION UP We need to avoid the old ruts of fear and unbelief. Submit to the God of peace, resist these demons and they will flee from you (James 4:7). Instead of receiving fear and unbelief, receive His precious promises as rock-solid truths and begin to act accordingly, CONFESSING OUT LOUD and giving thanks that your Father is certainly doing "exceedingly more" than you can even imagine. The Lord Jesus Christ is inviting us to lift our vision up, above our circumstances and situations, to fix our eyes on Him and His Word. As we do this we can expect to see the glory of God fill our lives and those who we touch. We accept His invitation to come up higher (Revelation 4:1-2) by focusing on Christ our Redeemer, Deliverer and Healer, not our difficulties. God has new frontiers of the spirit for us to explore and higher mountains of faith for us to climb. There is so much more to life in Christ than we can ever imagine! In His Presence we find true fulfillment and lasting joy (Psalm 16:11). ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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The love of God is manifested in me so that I might live through Jesus. - 1 John 4:9 He has put His own Holy Spirit into my heart as a proof to me that I am living with Him and He is with me. - 1 John 4:13 As I abide in love, God abides in me. - 1 John 4:16 Since I am a child of God I am able to defeat the world. The way I have victory over the world is with my faith. - I John 5:4 Since I have the Son of God I have eternal life. - I John 5: 11,12 I can approach God with confidence for this reason: If I make requests which are in accord with His will he listens to me: and if I know that my requests are heard, I know also that the things I ask for are mine. - I John 5; 14,15 I know that Christ, God’s Son, has come to help me understand and find the true God; and I am in God because I am in Jesus Christ His Son, who is the only true God; and He is eternal life. - I John 5:20 ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord....for he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river...nor will cease from yielding fruit..I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings." - Jeremiah 17:7,8,10 As we pursue God's PURPOSE for our life (Matthew 7:7,8), His Kingdom and righteousness--all things--are added to us. We move ahead in the army of God, advancing His Kingdom. As long as we keep marching, we're changing because faith moves us ahead, step-by-step. If we don't give up, eventually we walk into the Promised Land. The last command of Jesus while on earth says, "Go!" That's why we often see the anointing increase as we go, moving with the cloud. FROM NARROW - TO TRANSITION - TO ENLARGEMENT We are in a process of change. Our gifts are being drawn out of us in stretching dimensions. We have been and are going through places of testing and confinement in the Body. What is this place of testing and confinement? This is a place less wide than we are accustomed to or have expected to be in. If we respond properly to the "narrow or confined place," we will enter into the phase of "transition" to be brought into a "larger place" in the Spirit. The new place is like the camel going through the eye of the needle (Matthew 19:24). One school of thought was that that was a narrow gate. The only way the camel could get through was to be unloaded. This is the needle – the narrow gate. This is a place of unloading the weights of the past and a place of fresh commitment to the Cross where we die to self all over again. The "narrow place" (Matthew 7:14) can lead us out of captivity into a new and open field. HOW CAN WE MAKE THE TRANSITION? Transition times are when the Lord redefines and makes adjustments necessary for us to move forward. He gives us new focus and direction. He teaches us about Himself in a new way. We must seek the Lord for both revelation and the ways of God in times of change. His revelatory perspective bridges the past season with the new one. Without clear revelation and communication during transition, we can lose the strength and wisdom of our past victory. But we desperately need His strength to go from glory to glory. It isn't the new thing coming that is so hard to deal with, it's the transition from the old state of affairs to the new one. As you travail in this season, ask the Lord to give you strategy to protect your vision. Remember, the dragon attempts to steal new birth (see Revelation 12:4). Press forward! Cry out for greater grace to be granted to keep moving forward. When these changes manifest, enlargement occurs. To "enlarge" is to expand, to set free, become greater in size and intensity. Enlargement – or going through the new open door – is a process, not just a proclamation. Press through the narrow, withstand the transition, and receive enlargement. THE PROCESS OF CHANGE 1. A new level of revelation is released, 2. Your present vision starts to be adjusted, 3. New vision is secured and established, 4. Fresh strategies are revealed to you, 5. You see a greater fullness of your inheritance before you, If you are experiencing a "narrow place of confinement," or you sense you are in transition, be assured, He is about to visit you with a fresh demonstration of His Spirit. May your resources increase and your trials become stepping stones to renewed power and revelation. When you have come through the "new door," there are others who have been watching your pilgrimage. When you are strengthened, you will be enlarged to give spiritual succor to others in Jesus' name! "Each one's work will become clear; for the day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work...If anyone's work which he has buit on it endures, he will receive a reward." - 1 Corinthians 3:13,14 How exciting to know that change originates with the Creator of the Universe. "For we all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:18). Press forward! Going backward is not an option -- "We go from glory to glory, and glory doesn't go backwards." ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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Hi all. My friends and I just finished a new video. It's an attempt to provide some rational explanation as to how the rise of Isis could fit in with Bible prophecy. I look forward to some stimulating discussion on this issue.
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"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight..." - Ephesians 1:3-4 NIV It is vital now for every Spirit-filled Believer to start exercising the spiritual senses, particularly the eyes, to see what God has for you! It may be dark in the world, but the Light of the World will make darkness light to you if you allow Him to open your spiritual eyes (the eyes of your heart) to the truth of the reality of Himself in the existing and coming challenging days. As a result, at daybreak, your path will shine ever brighter until His glory arises in your midst. "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see..." (see Hebrews 11:1-2 NIV). You can be sure of what you hope for when you realize that it already exists with God in the heavenly realm, which you have access to through Christ Jesus (see Colossians 1:12-14, 27; 3:3-4). SEE VICTORY "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 If you are in a battle, your spiritual eyes will help you to see victory, as Joshua saw his prayers answered in the Spirit as he pondered in anguish the conquest of Jericho, which to the natural eye, spelled d-e-f-e-a-t. In scanning the heavenlies – that is, opening his spiritual eyes – Joshua saw victory assured (see Joshua 5:13; 6:2). If you can see what God has promised, even in light of your circumstances, and receive it as truth by faith, you have the reality of Heaven's answer for you. SEE BEYOND LIMITATION Healthy spiritual vision will help you to see beyond limitations. Such godly vision is insight into how to move into purpose. Every Believer has a God-ordainedCALLING and PURPOSE, a DESTINY in Him. His desire for you is to anoint, equip, and mature you to fully walk in the fullness of your purpose in a manner that impacts and transforms your life, your family, your community, your city, the world around you. Imagine seeing that impact beyond the gigantic "Jerichoical" walls of limitation that in the natural seem to preclude the possibility of Promised Land possession (PURPOSE). You may face huge barriers of impossibilities in the natural, but the Lord can show and give you heavenly blueprints for the tearing down of those limitations. SPIRITUAL EYES -- A GOD-GIVEN ADVANTAGE Our natural eyes see rejection, lack, and roadblocks. Our spiritual eyes see favor, provision, and new ways. The eyes of understanding are our advantage in these days – a God-given advantage to see by the Spirit of the Lord, to understand what the world cannot, to pull on Heaven, on joy, on our future hope, that we might glorify Him, break through, break out, become victors and not the victimized, and bring His light to the world. Yes, we can pull on the hope of the future, the future's accomplishment, and bring it into the present; even in our sadness for lack or despair over our barren state, we can be glad! Isaiah told the barren woman to break forth into singing, to rejoice over her barrenness as though she had many children: "Sing...break forth into singing." Why do you suppose Isaiah counseled her this? Because God wanted her and us to see the promise, to experience the thrill of victory now, the joy of salvation now, contentment in our calling now, on earth as it is in Heaven now. Rejoicing rends the Heavens for major breakthrough. With spiritual eyes open we can see what should, could, and will be, and by faith bring it forth into the here and now. The precious Holy Spirit illumines our eyes to see into this realm of yes and amen. Unlike our natural eyes, which tend to be near or far-sighted and limited peripherally, our spiritual eyes can see limitless scope – whatever the Father chooses us to see. GRAB HOLD Improve your spiritual eyesight by way of studying what the Holy Spirit has revealed of God and of His promises in and throughout the Word, by: diligently staying in fellowship with God, daily confessing and meditating the promises to the believer in scripture -- pronouncing them over your specific situation and, praying specifically for God to illuminate your own heart to His truths. Believe and relish the truth! The truth will set you free, and transform your life! Ask God for more of what you cannot see. Reach out in faith, and take hold of it! ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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The third place Jesus shed His blood broke the curse of poverty. Genesis 3:17-19 - "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying 'You shall not eat of it': Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both THORNS and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground." Thousands of years after Adam sinned, Jesus Christ, the second Adam, was taken before the religious and political authorities to stand trial as a fraud and a heretic. On the way to Pilate, as they were mocking Jesus, "All hail, King of the Jews," they saw a THORN bush --the symbol of the curse of poverty on the land. They took some of the THORN branches, wove them into a crown, and placed them on the brow of Jesus until the blood flowed from His head. The symbol of poverty was placed on the brow of Jesus, the second Adam. When those THORNS pierced His brow, He shed His blood for our redemption from poverty. We were cursed with poverty by the sweat of Adam's brow, but we were redeemed from the curse of poverty by the blood on Jesus' brow. Now, by the power of the blood of Jesus, not only is the curse of poverty broken, but those who take the name of Jesus and claim His blood are anointed to prosper. 2 Corinthians 8:9 - "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich." Jesus never was poor. When the Bible says, Jesus became poor, it means He was poor in comparison to what He had in His heavenly home. Before Mary and Joseph went to the barn, they first went to the inn to get a room. Mary and Joseph had plenty of money to get a room at the inn. The problem was, the inn had no room for the savior. Yes, Jesus was born in a manger, but not to teach us poverty. He was showing us that we were not making room for the Savior to be born in our lives. Affirmations: I MAKE ROOM FOR JESUS EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE. THROUGH THE BLOOD THAT THE LORD JESUS SHED FOR ME, I AM ABUNDANCE. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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Many people are crossing spiritual frontiers. People are leaving old seasons of life and entering new ones. One of the most profound crossings ever made was when the nation of Israel walked across the dry riverbed of the Jordan River under the leadership of Joshua. More than one million people camped at the water's edge waiting for the word of the Lord to part the water. First, God would need to speak to Joshua and let him know what this passage would entail. Joshua 1:1-9 - After the death of Moses the Lord's servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' assistant. He said, "Moses My servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses -– from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.' No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. "Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is My command – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." EACH CROSSING WILL BE DIRECTED BY A WORD FROM GOD -- "THE LORD SPOKE TO JOSHUA" Joshua was told to walk anywhere within the land God had defined. Wherever Joshua chose to step would be his, within the boundary of the promise. He was a man living under the direction of God's revelation. Each area of our lives has a word from God assigned to it. Each of our families has a word. Each financial decision we make has a word assigned to it. Each relationship we enter into has a word from God assigned to it that will direct how that relationship will develop. It is wisdom to discover these words before we begin the journey. Joshua obeyed the word of the Lord. He didn't deviate to the right or to the left. He stayed true to the word of the Lord and the Lord stayed true to the promise He made to Joshua and the nation of Israel. EACH CROSSING WILL REDEFINE THE NATURE OF OUR CALLING -- "THE TIME HAS COME FOR YOU TO LEAD THESE PEOPLE" Obedience to the CALLING transformed Joshua, revealing more of what God saw in him, had planned for him, and wanted to do through him. Each time we take a step of faith our life manifests more clearly of who we already are in Christ. Like a chisel in the hand of a master sculptor, God fashions us with each step we take. Under the hand of the Master we begin to resemble the person who we already are in Christ. EACH CROSSING WILL BRING A REMINDER OF GOD'S FAITHFULNESS -- "FOR I WILL BE WITH YOU AS I WAS WITH MOSES, I WILL NOT FAIL YOU OR ABANDON YOU" We never do what God calls us to do alone. He is always present with us in each moment of the passage. As Joshua called the people forward to cross the Jordan, that move could appear to be, at the very least, naïve, if not foolish. The decision to cross the Jordan River at this season of the year, would ride on the shoulders of this new leader. It was a fearful and stressful moment. In that moment God assured Joshua that He would not fail or abandon him. Jesus chose to forgive His tormentors amidst the pain of His crucifixion. He told us to bless our enemies even as they wage war against us. When we do this, our future will be defined by the heart of God, not the fear of what can happen to us as the result of human brokenness. EACH CROSSING WILL TEST OUR CURRENT LEVEL OF STRENGTH AND COURAGE -- "BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS." Three times in the first verses of Joshua 1 the Lord tells Joshua, "Be strong and courageous." Why would God say this to Joshua three times? Because Joshua, the great warrior-leader, would experience both fear and weakness as he faced the prospect of crossing the swollen Jordan River and the enemies beyond. This fear and discouragement have faced the people of God in the past and it will have to be addressed by each of us now and in our emerging future. A repeated theme in Paul's ministry was his strengthening and encouraging of the churches. He strengthened and encouraged these churches because they were feeling weak and discouraged when he arrived in their midst. Likewise we are to exhort, encourage, equip, and DISCIPLE those who God places in our path. Today, believe that God is taking you into a new future (His PURPOSE for your life) amidst all the pain and obstacles that are now standing between you and what God has promised. God is your passage-maker and He will never leave you alone in the crossing you are about to make. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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Psalm 40:17 - "But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art, my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God." It is clear that king David was very rich, so far as worldly goods are concerened. The eyes of his inner man were not set on earthly wealth, so it was as though he really was poor -- poor in spirit, as the Lord would have us. Matthew 5:3 - "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for their's is the kingdom of heaven." Galatians 6:7,8 - "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." Observation: He has revealed the endless crop of boredom I will harvest when I base my life on pleasure-seeking instead of sowing acts of goodness and love for a harvest of eternal life. Luke 21:31 - "But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you." Affirmations: I ASK THE LORD TO PROPEL ME INTO THE NEXT LEVEL OF MY GROWTH AND DESTINY. I AM DETERMINED THAT I WILL COOPERATE WITH HIM. Matthew 5:6 - "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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"Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." - Matthew 10:16 A TRECHEROUS FOE Before we engage in spiritual warfare, we should know this about satan: he is an ancient and extremely treacherous foe. Therefore, be bold but never arrogant in your prayer life Whatever lofty spiritual plane you imagine that you are on, remember: Adam was in Paradise when he fell. Before your increased knowledge and religious experiences make you overly self-confident, recall that Solomon wrote three books of Scripture; he actually gazed upon the glory of God, yet he fell. Yes, even in your deepest worship of the Almighty, do not forget in long ages past lucifer himself was once in Heaven pouring out praise to God. WISE AS SERPENTS "Prepare plans by consultation, and make war by wise guidance" (Proverbs 20:18). "Wisdom is better than strength... Wisdom is better than weapons of war" (Ecclesiastes 9:16, 18). "There was a small city with few men in it and a great king came to it, surrounded it and constructed large siegeworks against it. But there was found in it a poor wise man and he delivered the city by his wisdom." - (Ecclesiastes 9:14-15) Ephesians 3:10 reveals God's glorious plan, that "through the Church" God has purposed to make known His manifold wisdom to the principalities and powers "in the heavenly places." You see, as the Body of Christ on earth agrees with its Head in Heaven, the Spirit of Christ Himself displaces the powers of darkness in the heavenly places. When the Church on earth is aggressive in its agreement with the will and Word of God, then the presence of God increases in the spiritual realm, proportionally displacing the influence of Hell on earth. Shortly thereafter, manifesting in the world of men, we see revivals, healings and miracles. But when the Church is passive, indifferent or carnal, the powers of Hell increase their rule over the affairs of men: marriages break up, crime increases, and wantonness becomes unbridled. We must see that our prayers, attitudes, and agreement with God are an integral part of establishing the reality of the Kingdom of God on earth! KNOWING GOD'S WORD Our fight is the fight of faith: Do we believe, affirm and meditate on what God has promised? Our war is against principalities and powers. Jesus said His words "are spirit and are life" (John 6:63), which is to say that the substance or meaning in Christ's words represents an actual reality -- the living Spirit of the Kingdom of God. CHRIST CAME TO TRAIN AND EMPOWER WARRIORS Jesus prepared His disciples for everything, including war. They saw Him casting out demons. In fact, He sent them forth doing the same. Christ not only came to set captives free, He came to TRAIN and EMPOWER the recently freed to be warriors. How can we, imperfect Christians, walk triumphantly? The Bible says we overcome "because of the Blood of the Lamb and because of the word of [our] testimony, and [we do] not love [our lives] even when faced with death" (Revelation 12:11). Many Christians are awakened spiritually, but they do not know God's promises in the Bible. To be successful, we must know God's Word, believe it, MEDITATE on it, and SPEAK it with faith. We overcome by the "word of our testimony." Proclaim the Word of God with authority. Indeed, the Holy Spirit tells us to take up "the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God" (Ephesians 6:17). If we advance protected by the Blood of the Lamb, if we war armed with the Word of God, and if we shoulder in our hearts the Cross of Christ, we will truly be "more than conquerors through Him that loved us" (Romans 8:37). CONSIDER HIS PROCLAMATION "So will My Word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it" (Isaiah 55:11). No matter how the battle rages, God's Word shall not return to Him void. Consider also His commitment: "I am watching over My Word to perform it" (Jeremiah 1:12). "The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' – that is, the Word of faith which we are preaching" (Romans 10:8). ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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Growing In Grace And Knowledge - Meditations
Albert Finch posted a blog entry in Albert Finch Ministry
Galatians 1:16 - "To reveal his Son in me, that I might present Him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood." Many believers have lost the glory because they have been taken up with the natural. If we are going to accomplish in the Spirit the thing God has purposed for us, we can never turn again to the flesh. If we believers are to go forth and fulfuill God's PURPOSE for our life, the Holy Spirit must be constantly filling us and moving upon us until our whole being is on fire with the presence and power of God -- walking in the divine likeness, having no confidence in the flesh, but growing in the grace and knowledge of God, and going on from one state of glory to another. The believer that is a "partaker of the divine nature" has come into a relationship where God imparts His divine mind for the comprehension of His love and of the fellowship of His Son. We are only powerful as we know that source, we are only strong as we behold who we are in Christ and all the wonderful things and graces of the Spirit. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY -
1. How do you know that God wants us to reign in life?Answer: Romans 5:17 "For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive th abundance of grace and of the gift of reighteousness will reign in life through the One Jesus Christ. - Romans 5:17"For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And you are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power." - Colossians 2:9-10"for you are all one in Christ Jesus, and if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise." - Galatians 3:28-29 2. List 3 ways Jesus is victorious over Satan. Answer:(1) He healed and deliverd all that were oppressed of the devil.(2) He destroyed the power of Satan at the cross of Calvary.(3) Through the new creation the believer is set free as he receives Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Satan's spiritual hold on the believer is severed as he is set free. "Since we, God's children are human beings -- made of flesh and blood -- He became flesh and blood too by being born in human form; for only as a human being could He die and in dying break the power of the devil who had the power of death." - Hebrews 2:14-15"...for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me." - John 14:30"therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come." - 2 Corinthians 5:17 3. Why is His victory our victory? Answer: What God wrought in Jesus is wrought in us. Jesus was made sin with our sinfulness that we could be made righteous with His righteousness. We were crucified, died, made alive, and raised together with Him. "I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me." - Galatians 2:20"And what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might....and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." - Ephesians 1:19; 2:6"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." - 2 Corinthians 5:21 4. What has God given us to walk victoriously in this life? Answer: We have His nature, His armor, His power, His Spirit, His name, and His word and the authority to use them for His purpose in the earth. "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you." - John 14:16,17"Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." - Ephesians 6:11,14-16"For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline." - 2 Timothy 1:7 5. How does a man sever himself from satan's hold on his life? Answer: 2 Peter 1:3,4"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. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust." - 2 Peter 1:3,4"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." - Ephesians 2:10"Our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him." - Romans 6:6,8 INTO ACTION:Affirm and meditate on the indicated scriptures several times daily until the renewing of your mind is made real to your spirit. AFFIRMATIONS:Since I have received God's overflowing grace and the free gift of righteousness, I reign as king in life through Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:17) I am born of God and have victory that conquers the world through faith. (1 John 5:4) Just as Jesus cursed the fig tree, I curse those things in my life that are not bearing godly fruit. (Mark 11:21) ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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Spiritual abortion or spiritual birthing are facilitated by what?
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1Peter 2:5 - "Come and, like living stones, be yourselves built into a spiritual house, for a holy, dedicated, consecrated priesthood, to offer up those spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable and pleasing to God through Jesus Christ." Colossians 1:27 - "To whom God was pleased to make known how great for the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you , the hope of glory." When we realize that we are the House of God, then God is everywhere we are. He is just as powerful in us, whether we are on a mountain top, by the sea, amongst unbelievers in the world, or in an organized church meeting. The Kingdom of God wants so much to impact every aspect of our lives: every day, every minute, every breath, every step, every territory, every person, and every system we engage with. When someone disappoints us we look to Jesus and press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling (our DESTINY) of God in Christ Jesus. We need to have the mind of Christ, living out the life of Christ through us. Wherever Jesus walked, ministry happened. Whatever Jesus did there was ministry. Whomever Jesus met, there was ministry. Whomever He touched,there was ministry. When he walked into a building there was ministry. When He loved unconditionally, it was ministry. His life was ministry from the time He woke, until the day was done, and so, likewise should our lives be. Since we are "Kingdomized" we get up each day excited for what the Lord has for us that day. We begin to walk and flow in His "now" presence all day long. We begin to hear what the Father hears. We begin to see what the Father sees, regardless of what we hear and see in the natural. When we go into a meeting, we expect His presence to break down walls while bringing divine insight. When we walk into a potential business deal, we expect divine favor. When we encounter hostility, we realize that this person is hurting and needs a healing word spoken--but mostly needs love. When we drive through neighborhoods we pray for the residents and ask the Lord for His desire and love to reach them. God begins to touch them and open up opportunities for divine relationship. Affirmations: I EXPECT REVELATION, EXPECT IMPARTATION, AND EXPECT MIRACLES WHENEVER I SHOW UP. WHAT A GLORIOUS KINGDOM, WHAT A GLORIOUS GOD! ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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"Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of Thy waterspouts: all Thy waves and Thy billows are gone over me." - Psalm 42:7 "Deep calls." Our Lord is a seeking God who desires a satisfaction that can be found only in us – our worship and our times of fellowship with Him. We were created for this purpose, which became marred by our association with the world. "At the noise of Your waterspouts." Our initial response may seem to us as being "noise," but as we continue to worship and spend time in fellowship with the Lord, it will become as a "song." "The Lord is my strength and song, and He is become my salvation: He is my God, and I will prepare Him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt Him." - Exodus 15:2 If we will be patient and not become discouraged, we will be immersed in His presence – "all Your waves are gone over me." Now, we are no longer in control. Others will notice the change in us and ask: "Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?... " - Song of Solomon 8:5 "Deep calls." -- In order to rightly respond, we must become spiritually hungry. LET OUR PRAYER BE "DRAW ME" "Draw me, we will run after Thee: the King hath brought me into His chambers... " - Song of Solomon 1:4 This prayer, "Draw me," relates to our spiritual hunger. It is the most important request that we could ever set before the Lord. If we do not have this spiritual hunger, our interests will settle upon earthly pursuits, and we will seek satisfaction in them alone. Ministry can feed hunger, but only the Lord can create spiritual hunger. This prayer for us to become spiritually hungry will be effective only after we commit ourselves to rightly respond to the Lord – "We will run after You." The written Word is to become a present reality, and experienced. Thus, we must determine that we will steadfastly seek a closer relationship to the Lord. When He responds to our prayer and begins to draw us to Himself, all of our other needs will fall into their proper place and order, including His CALLING on or life. "But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. " - Matthew 6:33 The greatest privilege and blessing that we can have is for the Lord to become active in our spiritual life experience and begin to progressively guide us toward our DESTINY in Christ. THE DEEP CRY OF THE LORD "My Beloved is mine... " - Song of Solomon 2:16 We tend to seek the Lord for what He can do for us. The Lord knows this, but patiently works within us so He will be able to take us further. "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." - Ephesians 2:10 Therefore, He begins by revealing to us our present condition and spiritual need to know HisPURPOSE for our life. After He has accomplished the needed deliverance and correction within us, we will begin to seek the Lord for Himself. "I am my Beloved's..." - Song of Solomon 6:3 Now we are putting the Lord first, though much of our self-seeking is still intact. "Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth; for Your loves are better than wine. For Your ointments have a lovely fragrance; Your name is as oil poured out; therefore the virgins love You." - Song of Solomon 1:2-3 Notice that we are telling the Lord that we love Him because of all that He gives to us. We are saying, "I love You because I enjoy Your blessings." But again, the Lord looks beyond our self-centeredness and continues His work within us, until we see our need and confess it to the Lord. "Do not look on me, that I am black, that the sun has looked on me. My mother's sons were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but my vineyard I have not kept." - Song of Solomon 1:6 We realize that we have worked very hard "for" the Lord, even in the heat of the day, so that we have become "sun burned." But we have ignored the "deep" cry of the Lord, and have neglected our CALLING in His kingdom (vineyard). Therefore, He allows our circumstances to become a problem to us, which will result in "our mother's sons" (those we are close to) becoming angry with us. All of the things that we had depended on have suddenly become an enemy. Now we realize that we must have the Lord Himself, and we cry out for satisfaction. FEED MY SHEEP "Tell me, You whom my soul loves, where do You feed, where do You lie down at noon? For why should I be as one who is veiled beside the flocks of Your companions?" - Song of Solomon 1:7 Finally, we discover that we can no longer be satisfied to drink from the overflow of another's blessing, or to feed upon the testimony or experience of another, and we began to look for the Lord Himself. Immediately, the Lord responds: "If you know not, most beautiful among women, go in the footsteps of the flock, and feed your kids beside the shepherds' tents" (Song of Solomon 1:8). The Lord is telling us that we should feed the sheep he has put in our lives ("feed your kids"). Without the mentorship of someone who has an active, personal relationship with Him, the spiritual path can be obscure to "baby Christians". "He saith unto him, 'Feed my sheep.' He saith unto him the third time....'Feed my sheep.'" - John 21:16,17 "THERE I WILL GIVE YOU MY LOVES" Now, there is a complete change in our expression, as the Lord Himself has become the goal that we seek. "I am my Beloved's and His desire is toward me." - Song of Solomon 7:10 I have come from a salvation experience in which I had been satisfied to escape from eternal punishment, into a relationship in which my life is sold out to Jesus and His PURPOSE for my life. As I long for His fellowship, He can say to me: "Come, My beloved, let us go out into the field; let us stay in the villages. Let us rise up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flowers, whether the tender grape appears, and the pomegranates bud forth; there I will give you My loves" (Song of Solomon 7:11-12). We will be sent only after we have first come to Him. Now, as we commune together in the vineyard, we will find all that we have longed for (co-laboring with Him in our CALLING) , as we respond to the "deep" cry of the Lord – "There I will give you My loves." ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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I impart my own life to others, exhorting and encouraging them with boldness in advancing God's Kingdom in word and power and in the Holy Spirit. - 1 Thessalonians 1:5; 2:2,11,13 As I fight the good fight of faith and take hold of eternal life, I confess my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to others. - 1 Timothy 6:12 God did not give me the spirit of fear but a spirit of power, of love and of self-dicipline. - 2 Timothy 1:7 Through grace I am saved with a holy calling in Christ Jesus, to fullfill God's purpose from all eternity. - 2 Timothy 1:9 The Lord grants me understanding in everything. - 2 Timothy 2:7 I convince, rebuke, and exhort others in the Word through teaching and patience. - 2 Timothy 4:2 I fight the good fight of faith, finish the race, and keep the faith. - 2 Timothy 4:7 The Lord rescues me from all evil and takes me safely into His Heavenly Kingdom. - 2 Timothy 4:18 As a priest unto God I further the faith of God's elect and theirknowledge of the truth. - Titus 1:1 Through God's grace I give up everything that does not lead to God and renounce godless ways and worldly desires. - Titus 2:12 God poured out His Holy Spirit abundantly on me through Jesus Christ my Savior, so that by His grace I might be put right with God and come into possession of the eternal life I hope for. - Titus 3:6,7 I keep from friendship with the world as the Holy Spirit watches over my spirit with tender jealousy. - James 4:4,5 Christ personally bore my sins in His own body on the cross, so that I might cease to live for sin and begin to live for righteousness. It was the suffering which He bore which has healed me. - 1 Peter 2:24 I have received a spiritual gift to serve others faithfully, administering God's grace. When I speak I speak words that seem to come from God; I help as though every order was done at God's orders, so that in everthing God may receive the glory through Jesus Christ since to Him belongs all glory and power forever and ever. - 1 Peter 4:10,11 He has granted to me His exceeding great and precious promises, that through these I might escape from the corruption that is in the world through lust and become a partaker of the devine nature. - 2 Peter 1:4 I have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness through the kinowledge of God who has called me to glory and virtue. - 2 Peter 1:3 ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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Luke 18:5,6 - "The judge ignored her for a while, but eventually she got on his nerves. 'I fear neither God nor man,' he said to himself, 'but this widow is so great a nuisance that I will see her righted before she wears me out with her persistence.' Then the Lord said, 'if even an evil judge can be worn down like that, don't you think that God will surely give justice to his people who plead with Him day and night?" The parable concerns a widow who desperately implores a judge to give her legal protection from an adversary, but she receives NO IMMEDIATE HELP. She refuses to be DISCOURAGED from her quest: she persists until she gains her BREAKTHROUGH. The goal of Christ's teaching was to immunize His followers against DISCOURAGEMENT. Jesus assures us that God will hear us as we turn to him in PERSISTENT prayer. Affirmations: I BELIEVE THAT WHAT GOD HAS PROMISED HE IS ALSO ABLE TO PERFORM. GOD IS GREAT, GOD IS ABLE, GOD IS GOOD, AND GOD IS FAITHFUL TO HIS WORD. SINCE CHRIST IS IN ME I AM UPHELD BY THE "SPIRIT OF GOD" Hebrews 1:3 - "Who being the radiance of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY
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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
