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Acts 28:3,5 - "And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand. But Paul shook the snake off into the fire without being harmed at all." Observation: Every disaster the devil sends is an opportunity to advance the Gospel. Because I keep going and never give up, God's Spirit is always available to help me in every situation. 1 Corinthians 9:25,26 - "Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline; he does so in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last; but we do it for one that will last forever. That is why I run straight for the finish line; that is why I am like a boxer, who does not waste his punches." Affirmations: I AM EXHORTED TO LIVE WITH PURPOSE. I AM NOT JUST TO EXIST OR GET BY; NOR AM I TO MEASURE SUCCESS BY THE WORLD'S STANDARDS, BUT BY HEAVEN'S STANDARDS. I AM ENTRUSTED AS A STEWARD WITH GOD-GIVEN GIFTS, ABILITIES, AND RESOURCES. 1 John 3:22 - "And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight".Isaiah 1:19 - "If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land." This opportunity is given to all who are saved, but not everyone is willing to adjust to a "diet" that is conducive to spiritual growth. We will mature spiritually as we arediscipled into "who we are in Christ," our "right standing with God," and how to "walk in the Spirit". In our identification with the Lord in the outworking of His PURPOSE for our life, we must develop a sensitivity to the Lord's presence, that we might rightly respond to Him as He seeks to guide us toward spiritual maturity. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

John 4:23-24 "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." (It is our destiny to worship God in the spirit.) Galatians 5:25 "If we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit." Ephesians 4:23-24 "And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." (Put on the spirit man – you have to put it on – a decision.) Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." (Fruit of the spirit.) Romans 8:4-5 "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit." (Since I put on the spirit, I chose not to walk after the flesh or senses.) 1 Corinthians 2:13,15 "And we are setting these truths forth in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Holy Spirit, combining and interpreting spiritual truths with spiritual language to those who possess the Holy Spirit. But the spiritual man tries all things, he examines, investigates, inquires into, questions, and discerns all things, yet is himself to be put on trial and judged by no one, he can read the meaning of everything, but no one can properly discern or appraise or get an insight into him." (We are to judge whether a thing is spiritual or of the senses – things coming at us everyday.) John 7:24 - "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." (What am I participating in? Is it spiritual or not?) ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

Acts 28:3,5 - "And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand. But Paul shook the snake off into the fire without being harmed at all." Observation: Every disaster the devil sends is an opportunity to advance the Gospel. Because I keep going and never give up, God's Spirit is always available to help me in every situation. 1 Corinthians 9:25,26 - "Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline; he does so in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last; but we do it for one that will last forever. That is why I run straight for the finish line; that is why I am like a boxer, who does not waste his punches." Affirmations: I AM EXHORTED TO LIVE WITH PURPOSE. I AM NOT JUST TO EXIST OR GET BY; NOR AM I TO MEASURE SUCCESS BY THE WORLD'S STANDARDS, BUT BY HEAVEN'S STANDARDS. I AM ENTRUSTED AS A STEWARD WITH GOD-GIVEN GIFTS, ABILITIES, AND RESOURCES. 1 John 3:22 - "And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight". Isaiah 1:19 - "If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land." This opportunity is given to all who are saved, but not everyone is willing to adjust to a "diet" that is conducive to spiritual growth. We will mature spiritually as we are discipled into who we are in Christ, our "right standing with God" and how to "walk in the Spirit". In our identification with the Lord in the outworking of His PURPOSE for our life, we must develop a sensitivity to the Lord's presence, that we might rightly respond to Him as He seeks to guide us toward spiritual maturity. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

Luke 7:39,40-43 - 'This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth Him: for she is a sinner.' 'There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?' Simon answered, and said, 'I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most.'" Simon saw this woman as one type of sinner and himself as another, much better person, only requiring a little forgiveness. James 2:10 - "Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all." Galatians 5:16 - "Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." OBSERVATION: I must sow seeds to my spirit instead of sowing seeds to the flesh. What I feed on is what will grow in my life. Galatians 6:8 - "He who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the spirit will of the Spirit reap life everlasting." 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. Romans 12:21 - "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." Observation: WHAT I REFUSE TO OVERCOME EVENTUALLY OVERCOMES ME. Revelation 21:7 - "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son." ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

There is something the Church seriously needs to attain to today. Somehow preaching has seeped in that makes one believe that believers have to get good first before graduating from being a baby christian. Well that happy day is never going to come if all they are doing is sitting at home, reading the bible-- trying to please God by improving their attitudes and behaviors, and thereby living unto themselves. The best way to cultivate a love walk is through personal ministry to others (helping others with their spiritual life). That requires action, time, and involvement. At the root of this problem is poor preaching ie. preaching that does not exhort the congregation into equipping its members to disciple new believers -- promoting the idea that they are inadequate or not ready for some reason. This has got to change. Jesus admonished the disciples, "...take heed what ye hear.." (Mark 4:24). We should not sit under teaching we know is in error, because that spirit of error is being transmitted -- ever though we may know that it is wrong-- it will eventually affect us if we hear it long enough. Churches, that are not encouraging and equipping its members to disciple other believers, should be turned away from. Now is the day of salvation! Now is the day of the equipping of the saints! Now is the day of Jesus Christ! ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

James 4:5 - "Surely, you don't think scripture is wrong when it says: the Spirit which He sent to live in us wants us for Himself alone?" Observation: The Holy Spirit within me conflicts with fleshly desire, urging me into service for Him. It still requires my submission and my action. Being led the the Holy Spirit is an ongoing God encounter. A religious spirit is a demonic presence that works to get us to substitute being led by our intellect instead of the Spirit of God. Ephesians 2:10 - "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them." Genesis 1:2 - "And the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters." THE HOLY SPIRIT IS EVER MOVING, WORKING, AND BRINGING FORTH THE PURPOSES OF GOD. THE NATURE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS TO BE MOVING AND GOING SOMEWHERE. 1 Corinthians 1:5 - "That in every thing you are enriched by Him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge." Every time we confess God's word Jesus' enrichment ministry adds another grain of faith, another bit of anointing, to our faith and to our words. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

1 Corinthians 2:10 - "For to us God revealed them through His Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God." Because the Spirit "searches all things, even the depths of God", no one who is truly led by the Spirit will be shallow in their understanding. If we are led by the Spirit, we will love the truth enough to seek it out. We will be compelled to have a depth to our knowledge. Affirmation: THE SPIRIT ALSO WANTS TO MOVE IN ME TO SEARCH THE DEPTHS OF GOD. John 11:44 - "And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, 'Loose him, and let him go.'" Observation: I know that I can be raised from the dead spiritually and yet, still be bound. I can be saved by the power of Christ and yet, still be bound by the tight trappings of life. Isaiah 53:3 - "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not." Affirmation: I OVERCOME REJECTION BECAUSE MY VISION IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN APPROVAL. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

Matthew 18:18-19 “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. 19“Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven." (Two of the most powerful weapons of spiritual warfare are binding and loosing, or forbidding and permitting. Binding stops the enemy’s attacks, loosing releases or permits God’s will to enter the situation because God has willed that His purposes be carried out by asking in prayer.) Proverbs 18:21 - "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it willeat its fruit." (Binding and loosing is in the power of the tongue.) Jeremiah 1:10 "See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant." (It is our destiny to have authority.) Luke 19:46 "Saying unto them, 'It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.'" (Jesus bound or spoke the word of God over the temple and re-established it as a house of prayer again.) Matthew 4:3-11 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”5Then the devil took* Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6and said* to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You’; And ‘On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’” 7Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8Again, the devil took* Him to a very high mountain and showed* Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; 9and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” 10Then Jesus said* to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’” 11Then the devil left* Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him. (Jesus spoke the word of God over and over against the enemy until Satan was so weakened that his power to tempt Jesus was broken. Example of verbage to bind satan (in a case where there is strife and bickering in a situation in the body of Christ) : “Satan, according to the word of God I forbid you to cause any more strife in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth! For it is written ‘Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!’” Psalm 133:1 ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

Jeremiah 29:11-14 - "For i know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord. thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." John 10:27 - "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." It is important to know where we are called to be, who we are called to be with, and what we are called to do (our DESTINY) and how we are to implement the things that God is calling us to. We can fast, pray, strive and do all kinds of spiritual works, but if we are out of alignment, all these things may not have the full impact on our lives that we desire. Sometimes we just need to find out what that one thing is that God is requiring of us. It is usually one thing, not many. God will bring us into a place of utter contentment in His Presence as we come close to the Comforter, Holy Spirit. This implies a life-style of "Walking In The Spirit"; THREE REQUIREMENTS TO WALKING IN THE SPIRIT: Romans 6:11 - "Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus." (1. Consider myself dead to sin.) Ephesians 4:23-24 - "And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." (2. I have to "PUT ON" walking in the Spirit.) ie. I make the decision each day to be led by my spirit rather than my soul (mind, will, and emotions). I walk with my spirit being led by the Holy Spirit. Romans 12:2 - "And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." (3. I have to renew my mind to the word of God.) BREAKING THROUGH TO THE NEXT LEVEL 2 Peter 1:4 "By which we have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." We are called to be sons and daughters of God. As we grow we learn the truth of our inheritance and walk in His promises as mature sons of God. There are SPIRITUAL IMPEDIMENTS that arise in our lives that come to lie, steal and betray us. God is going to eliminate these impediments out of our thinking as we lay hold of the inheritance (affirming, meditating on, and visualizing the precious promises that are ours in Christ) that He paid the price for us to walk in. It is as if we are stuck at a certain level and cannot break through into the next until these impediments are removed. If we tolerate these impediments we become partakers of the nature of the enemy. It is part of the process that our soul goes through in that we must be cleansed of the nature of evil and embrace the nature and life of the Holy Spirit. UNHEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS Example: There are relationships that steal and have only selfish intent -- these will leech the life and anointing off of you. The Lord is going to help us remove these impediments out of our lives as we yield to His heart's desires and ways; He will give us wisdom to know the difference. When we are in proper alignment there is much more ease and grace to accomplish what God calls us to. Sometimes God is speaking and showing us what we need to do, but we just keep doing our spiritual routines rather than the one thing He desires from us. We will find much more grace when we simply yield to that one thing and silence the noise of all the activities. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

To secure our attention and place us on the pathway God desires, there are strategies that He employs that are very effective. As much as we are not to be ignorant of satan's devices (2 Cor. 2:11), we must be even more knowledgeable of the ways of the Lord (Ps. 25:4). Knowing God's ways will result in us experiencing His mighty acts (Ps. 103:7). Three ways God works to move us in a new direction: 1. DISRUPTION OF OUR PLANS When stuck at an impasse, it is a natural tendency to return to familiar surroundings. We see this in the lives of the disciples after Jesus' death. They went back to fishing even though they had clearly been mandated to forsake their vocation and follow Christ (see Luke 5:10-11; John 21:3). Because they were commercial fishermen, there may even have been economic motives behind their actions. Nevertheless, we see clearly that there was no lasting provision and no permanent peace in returning to past environments. When God leads us out of a place of familiarity and the way forward is blocked, what is the solution? There are some breakthroughs reserved for us that can only be accessed through prayer. We must seek God until we receive a clear answer from Heaven. Whether it was Paul's night vision of the man in Macedonia summoning him, or the voice of Jesus speaking to the disciples on the seashore in Galilee, the New Testament Christians received clear direction from the Spirit and were able to regain momentum and experience breakthrough. 2. DISAPATION OF RESOURCES Just as Elijah had foretold, the word of the Lord came to pass. "And there was a severe famine in Samaria ..." (1 Kings 18:2). During the famine, God looked after Elijah. He gave him specific instruction relative to how he would be sustained. "Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 'Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.' So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook" (1 Kings 17:2-6). Cherith which means "place of covenant," was where the Lord demonstrated His faithfulness in taking care of Elijah. However, the day would come when the brook would run dry and the birds would no longer fly (see 1 Kings 17:7). Although Elijah had come to depend on such provision, God seemed to have no compunction at all in cutting off these resources. Has Your Brook Dried Up? Have you experienced something similar? Your streams of resource have dried up. During such a time, trust that the Lord will soon speak to you like He did to Elijah. "Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 'Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you'" (1 Kings 17:8-9). You will see that the place where He leads you will be the place where He feeds you. Where the Lord guides, He provides! 3. DISSOLUTION OF RELATIONSHIPS Here is a powerful truth to embrace when a key connection you value has dissolved for no apparent legitimate reason: The Lord is turning the hearts of men in the direction He desires (Prov. 21:1) and is in fact making it easier for you to let go and move forward into your next assignment. Therefore, do not take the matter personally nor become bitter with people as though they are rejecting you. TRUSTING IN GOD'S GOOD GUIDANCE Sometimes Father God's ways do not make sense to us. Scripture even attests to this reality."For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts" (Is. 55:9). No matter how it may appear on the surface, He is actively involved in the affairs of our lives. On occasion, He may even interrupt our plans resulting in us experiencing a sense of anxiety due to a perceived loss of control. However, as uncomfortable as we may become, we must trust that He is leading us along the best pathway for our lives. "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye on you" (Ps. 32:8). ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

Three Aspects of the Spirit #1 - Conscience The conscience discerns right and wrong and is not influenced by knowledge or outward persuasion. Conscience will condemn sometimes when one’s reasoning condones. Scriptural examples of the functioning of the conscience: John 13:21 - After Jesus had said these things, He was troubled (disturbed, agitated) in spirit and said, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, one of you will betray Me.Acts 17:16 - Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred within him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. Romans 8:16 - The Spirit Himself testifies together with our own spiritthat we are the children of God. 1 Corinthians 5:3 - For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present. 2 Corinthians 2:13 - I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I went from thence to Macedonia. 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

Psalm 91:1 He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. The secret place of the Most High is the human spirit which is the habitation of God. The spirit is deeper than man’s consciousness: it is the place unreachable by man’s findings. It is the place that man fellowships with God. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. God’s order is spirit, soul, and body – the spirit controls the soul, the soul controls the body. The fallen order is soul, body, spirit. John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. Jesus tells us that the spirit gives life and that is why we want the spirit to control the soul. Luke 1:46-47 And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. My soul ‘magnifies’; my spirit has exalted. The spirit must first exalt before the soul can magnify the Lord. The spirit firsts communicates the exaltation to the soul; the soul expresses this exaltation through the body. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

I'd like to present a different version of Galatians 5 I read today. This is the first section... What do you think? God bless, GE Galatians 5:1-6 Christian Liberty - NKJV 5 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free,[a] and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. 2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. 4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. The Life of Freedom - The Message 5 Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you. 2-3 I am emphatic about this. The moment any one of you submits to circumcision or any other rule-keeping system, at that same moment Christ’s hard-won gift of freedom is squandered. I repeat my warning: The person who accepts the ways of circumcision trades all the advantages of the free life in Christ for the obligations of the slave life of the law. 4-6 I suspect you would never intend this, but this is what happens. When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace. Meanwhile we expectantly wait for a satisfying relationship with the Spirit. For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love. Edit: To add The Message.