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Matthew 3:7 - "But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, 'O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?'" WHAT THE PHARISEES MOST FEARED WAS THAT JOHN THE BAPTIST WAS NOT PROCLAIMING ANY VALUE IN THEIR ROLES; IN ESSENCE, JOHN'S MESSAGE DETHRONED ANY REAL AUTHORITY TO BE HAD IN RELIGIOUS IDENTITIES. JESUS TOOK IT ONE STEP FURTHER. BUILDING ON JOHN'S FOUNDATION, HE SAID THINGS LIKE: "IF YOUR ARE TO BE GREAT IN THE KINGDOM, YOU WILL BY LIKE THE LEAST OF THESE." HE ESTABLISHED A NEW GOAL THAT WOULD LIBERATE HUMANITY FROM CHERISHED STATUS AND RESTORE THE HEAVENLY POSSIBILITY OF UNION WITH GOD. Affirmations: I DO NOT ESTEEM THE SAME VALUES AS THE WORLD DOES. I DO NOT NEED ANYTHING ELSE TO COMPLETE ME. I AM SUSTAINED IN GOD'S LOVE BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. Luke 20:46 - "Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts". Joshua 1:9 - "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." COURAGE COMES FROM TRUSTING GOD'S WORD. IT CAN'T BE MENTALLY DRUMMED UP. IT COMES FROM BELIEVING WHAT GOD SAYS REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE CIRCUMSTANCES LOOK LIKE. DISCOURAGEMENT COMES FROM FEAR THAT GOD IS NOT GOING TO PERFORM HIS WORD ON YOUR BEHALF. FEAR IS THE DARKROOM WHERE NEGATIVES ARE DEVELOPED. FEAR COMES FROM NOT BELIEVING (DOUBT & UNBELIEF) GOD'S WORD. Affirmations: I REALIZE WHO I AM IN CHRIST AND WHAT I'VE BEEN GIVEN BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS. I STOP LISTENING TO SATAN'S LIES. I STOP RECEIVING EVIL REPORTS. WHENEVER SOMEONE TELLS ME THAT GOD IS NOT GOING TO DELIVER ME, I JUST TELL THEM "HE'S ALREADY DELIVERED ME IN THE NAME OF JESUS." I AFFIRM AND MEDITATE ON THE PROMISES OF GOD IN HIS WORD DAY AND NIGHT. "I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?" Isaiah 43:19 Often, the hardest thing about receiving something new FOR US is that it almost always requires something new OF US. Those new breaker waves we pray and believe for rarely flow through our familiar comfort zone. They don't stay within our boundaries or control, rather, they are the move of His Spirit calling us to jump outside our self-imposed box and ride the wave of a lifetime. Will we know the new thing God is doing in, through and around us? Will we recognize His fresh move, beyond our insecurities, critiques or judgments? Will we be able to embrace the very thing we've been praying for when it passes by just outside familiar waters? If we will, it will take courage. You have a Messenger of Courage within you, a Helper, the Spirit of Truth, and He is calling to you like He did Gideon and Mary, already addressing you as beloved and a victor, not just hopeful of such. He wants to visit you, meet you, and call to the courage He already sees within you. He wants you to see yourself as He does, and He is imparting to you the courage necessary to leap out and seize the moment that is only just beyond your reach to STEP INTO THE APPOINTED TIME OF YOUR DESTINY. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

1 Kings 19:10 - And he said, "I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, torn down Thine altars and Killed Thy prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." MUCH OF ELIJAH'S DISCOURAGEMENT CAME FROM THE FALSE EXPECTATIONS HE HAD PLACED UPON HIMSELF. IN HIS DEJECTION, ALONE AND HURTING, ELIJAH WITHDREW INTO A CAVE. FOR US, SELF-PITY CAN ALSO BE A "CAVE," A DARK HOLE OF LONELINESS AND PAIN, WHERE ALL WE REALLY HEAR IS THE ECHO OF OUR OWN VOICE MAGNIFYING AND DISTORTING OUR PROBLEMS. WHEN WE BECOME SICK WITH DISCOURAGEMENT, IT IS EASY TO LOSE OUR PERSPECTIVE. FOR ELIJAH, MIGHTY MANIFESTATIONS HAD BEEN SIGNS OF GOD'S APPROVAL. BUT SOMETHING "NEW" WAS COMING THAT REQUIRED A FRESH SUBMISSION TO THE LIVING GOD. THERE ARE TIMES WHEN THE LORD MUST EXPAND OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HIS WILL, ACTUALLY LIBERATING US FROM THE CONTAINER OF OUR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES. THE CRY FOR A FRESH EXPERIENCE OF GOD IS AT THE CORE OF BEING OPEN TO BELIEVE FOR SOMETHING "NEW." NEWNESS IS ALWAYS POSSIBLE TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE. Things on Which to Meditate: I MUST BELIEVE GOD IS WORKING A NEW WORK IN ME. NEW THINGS REQUIRE A NEW LANGUAGE. MY SELF-TALK DRAWS ME CLOSER OR DRIVES ME FURTHER FROM EXPERIENCING NEW THINGS. THINGS HAVE NEVER BEEN THE WAY THEY ARE GOING TO BE BECAUSE BECAUSE GOD IS DOING A NEW THING IN ME. In Joshua's day, before crossing the Jordan River and moving into their inheritance, God said to the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you" (Joshua 3:5). This is an exhortation for us today! If you rearrange your busy schedule over the next few weeks to pray and fast and spend more time in worship and the Word, your life will radically change. No matter what level of relationship you currently enjoy with the Lord, He wants to transform you into a more passionate and zealous Believer. As you draw into His depths, His cleansing stream will prepare you to advance in His PURPOSE for your life. "For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land." - Song of Solomon 2:11-12 ESV The Lord takes us gently by the hand to lead us into a deeper place, into the very garden of the Lord where He dwells. In that place His fragrance lingers and saturates the hungry hearts that search for Him. In that place the barren see a new season of the flowers blooming and flourishing. It's in that place where the Lord longs to look our way and consume all our dross in His love. As we experience a new desperation birthed in our heart for more of Him, the time we spend in His presence makes the singing of the birds to come forth, producing a new sound of heavenly worship that transforms regions and cities with its powerful, prophetic flow. This leads to an abiding prophetic anointing that rests upon us so we can speak a message in season and become an expression of His very life. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

Acts 1:4,8 - "He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for what the Father had promised. But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." This power came through an encounter with God. Some because of their fear of error, have said it's improper to seek for an experience with God. For decades the church has been guilty of creating doctrine to justify their lack of power, instead of crying out to God until He changed them. The lie they came to believe has given rise to an entire branch of theology that has infected the Body of Christ with a fear of the Holy Spirit. It deceives under the guise of staying undeceived. The word must go forth with power. Power is the realm of the Spirit. Will you bury your gifts and tell the master when He comes that you were afraid of being wrong? Matthew 25: 25,26,30 - "So I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is your own. But the master answered him, 'You wicked and lazy and idle servant! And throw the good-for-nothing servant into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and grinding of teeth."' Jude 24: "Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy." John 15:7 - "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." JESUS WALKED IN UNION WITH HIS FATHER. WE TOO MUST DO THE SAME WITH HIM. WE ONLY HAVE TRUE SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY TO THE DEGREE THAT WE ARE ABIDING IN HIM. THE ANGELS DO NOT RESPECT US AND THE DEMONS DO NOT OBEY US BECAUSE OF WHO WE ARE, BUT BECAUSE OF WHO IS IN US. 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 DISCOURAGEDfrom 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" ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

Matthew 6:11 - "Give us this day our daily bread". IS ANYONE STARVING IN HEAVEN? HEAVEN SETS THE STANDARD FOR A CHRISTIAN'S MATERIAL WORLD - ENOUGH TO SATISFY THE DESIRES BORN OF GOD AND ENOUGH "FOR EVERY GOOD WORK." OUR LEGAL BASIS FOR PROVISION COMES FROM THE HEAVENLY MODEL GIVEN TO US IN CHRIST JESUS: "AND MY GOD SHALL SUPPLY ALL YOUR NEED ACCORDING TO HIS RICHES IN GLORY BY CHRIST JESUS." ACCORDING TO WHAT? HIS RICHES. WHERE? IN GLORY. HEAVEN'S RESOURCES ARE TO AFFECT US HERE AND NOW. 2 Corinthians 9:8 - "And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need, be self-sufficient - possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation." Ephesians 2:8 - "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." Paul says that grace saves us "through faith." Faith unlocks the power of grace and releases it to function in our world--and faith itself is another gift of God. The difference between both gifts is, the grace-gift must be activated by the faith-gift. WE MUST: 1. Believe that God is "rich in mercy". 2. We must accept as true that God loves us with "great love." 3. We must not doubt that He atoned for "our transgressions." 4. We must be confident we are "alive together with Christ." John 1:16 - "For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace." AFFIRMATIONS: I don't postpone my breakthrough -- I believe that God's grace is here to release me! I don't run from the mountains in my life -- I face them with faith -- and shout "Grace, grace" to them and let God make my mountains into "a plain." I speak to the mountain of discouragement, sickness or financial need -- GRACE, GRACE! John 17:17 - "Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth." Jesus was saying, "Father, purify them of the lies and illusions of this age through your penetrating word." Paul tells us that Christ sanctifies the church by cleansing her "by washing of water through the word....that she should be holy and blameless." (Ephesians 5:26,27) This then, embracing that truth and allowing the word of truth to do its work of sanctification (THROUGH AFFIRMATION, MEDITATION, AND SEEING YOURSELFIN THE TRUTH), cleansing and purification in our lives, is the process through which we become holy. Loving the truth is the beginning of our freedom from sin. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

1 Corinthians 1:9 - "God is faithful (reliable, trustworthy, and therefore ever true to His promise, and He can be depended on)." SEEDS OF AFFIRMATION, MEDITATION, PRAYER, WORKS, GIVING AND OTHER ACTS OF OBEDIENCE ARE READY TO BURST FORTH IN BUD AND FRUIT. HARVEST AWAITS THOSE WHO DO NOT YIELD TO DISCOURAGEMENT AND REMAIN CONSISTENT IN OBEDIENCE AND DILIGENCE. GRASHOPPERS OF DISCOURAGEMENT WILL ASSAULT US WHEN WE'RE WEARY. OUR STRENGTH IS DIMINISHED WHEN WE ALLOW OUR MINDS TO ENTERTAIN AND DWELL ON INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO OUR SENSES. WHEN FOCUSED ON THE TURMOIL AND UPHEAVAL OF THE TEMPORAL WE'LL BE OVERWHELMEND. IT WILL NOT BRING US STRENGTH, BUT DRAIN US. CONDITIONS AND CIRCUMSTANCES WILL COUNSEL US TO GIVE UP. Affirmations: MY SEASON OF HARVEST AWAITS ME! I DON'T ALLOW THE GRASSHOPPER OF DISCOURAGEMENT TO DESTROY ALL I'VE SOWN. GOD'S PROMISE IS SURE AND BACKED BY HIS CHARACTER. Psalm 89:8 - "O Lord God Almighty! Where is there anyone as mighty as you, Lord? Faithfulness is your very character." WHAT ARE TWO DESTRUCTIVE THINGS MY SENSES ARE TRYING TO TELL ME TODAY. 1. 2. LIST 2 AFFIRMATIONS FROM SCRIPTURE THAT I AM USING TO OVERCOME THIS THINKING. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY