The Knowledge of His Will

Col 1:9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. What is the will of God? First, it's His good pleasure: Ps 103:21 Bless ye the Lord, all ye His hosts, ye ministers of His, that do his pleasure or His will. Second, His purpose: Isa 14:24 The Lord of Hosts has sworn, saying, surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass, and as I have purposed (or willed) so shall it stand. Third, it's that which He has determined: Luke 22:22 And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined (or willed) but woe that man by whom he is betrayed.  Finally, that which He desires: Ps 37:4 Delight thyself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of thine heart.  Matt 13:11 says: and Jesus answered them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them (the world) it is not given. The whole chapter of Romans 12 is for the purpose of you and I finding our place in the body of Christ. but to start lets read verses 1 and 2.  "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God."

The Ascent of Worship

I don't really believe that any individual can truly be a true worshiper of the true and living God until they first of all opened up the treasure house of their heart, surrendering their all at His feet and presenting unto Him these gifts of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. First, one can go through all the motions of worship and not necessarily be a true worshiper. Why? Because worship is a thing of the heart. It is a heart connection, the surrender of the heart. Second, the bible teaches us that man was created to worship, but not everyone is willing. It seems to me that worship always demands an attitude and a posture of humility in that it's always connected with bowing down, kneeling down or falling prostrate with their faces to the ground upon the pavement. The surrender, the offering up of these three precious gifts(gold, frankincense, and myrrh) is what qualifies a person as a true worshiper of the living God. Why Gold? When God truly has your heart, then he also has your gold (money, first fruits, substance), the attitude of a true worshiper is all I have is yours, Lord.  II Cor 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly or of necessity: for God loves a cheerful giver.  Prov 3:9-10 Honor, glorify, worship the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase so shall thine barns be filled with plenty and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. Why Frankincense? When God truly has your heart then He also has your service. Frankincense is symbolic of the surrender of your life on the altar of service. Why Myrrh?
Myrrh is symbolic of our suffering. Aren't you glad that we serve a God that not only requires our gold and our frankincense in worship, but also bids us to bring our suffering, our pain, our headache, our misunderstanding, our disappointments,our sickness and disease to Him in worship as burnt or holocaust offering in order that He might totally consume the offering with His all consuming fire and in it's place or in return give us Beauty for ashes, the Oil of Joy for mourning, and the Garments of Praise for the spirit of heaviness. A true worshiper will never be broken hearted or sorrowful for long, for he or she knows where to take their pain and hurts and heartaches to, and knows that gossip, murmuring, complaining and unforgiveness will only deepen the wounds but worship will heal and make whole. In Zechariah 2:8 God said, he that touches you touches the apple of His eye.

Teaching on Spirit, Soul and Body

1 Thess 5:23"And the very God of peace sanctity you wholly: and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." You are a Spirit being-you have a Soul and you live in a physical Body. Your Body is not the real you. It is the earthly house you live in. One day you will have a Glorified body. Your glorified body will not be subject to sin, sickness or death. It will be Eternal, just like your spirit. With your body you contact the physical world. Your physical body is literally the vehicle that God has given your spirit man to exist in. Your Soul is the intellectual part of you. The social part of you. When God said, "It is not good that man be alone", He was not talking about man's spirit, because God's fellowship and presence was more than enough for man's spirit to be complete and totally satisfied forever. However, because God had made man a tripartite being, he needed other humans to socialize and fellowship with. Now your spirit man is the part of you that needed to be born again. Your Spirit is the part of you that is in direct contact with God. Just as your physical man has a language, so does your spirit man. That heavenly language was lost at Babel, but restored to man at Pentecost in the Upper Room. Zephaniah 3:9 "For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one consent."  I Cor 14:2 "For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries or divine secrets."

What Drives Your Life

The word drive means to urge, push or force onward. Everyone's life is driven by something. You maybe  driven by a problem, a pressure, or a deadline. Perhaps you are being driven by a haunting fear, an unconscious belief, or a painful memory. Here are a few circumstances and emotions that can drive your life. Some people are driven by guilt. They painfully spend their entire lives running from regrets and hiding their shame. Guilt is the feeling of responsibility for wrongdoings. The deception of guilt is that it keeps you running away from God, telling you, God wants to punish you, he wants nothing to do with you. While the opposite is true. If you run to God when you mess up and ask Him for forgiveness, He will forgive you. God is our refuge and strength in times of trouble. People driven by guilt often unconsciously punish themselves by sabotaging their own success. Learn to say NO to these familiar spirits.We are all the products of our past, but we don't have to be prisoners of it.God's purpose is not limited by your past. He is the God of a second chance. Some people are driven by resentment and anger. They hold onto hurts and never get over them. Instead of forgiving,or receiving healing, they rehearse it over and over in their minds, allowing the roots of resentment and anger to grow deeper until it becomes a root of bitterness. That's toxic emotions, and is unhealthy. Believe that by setting others free, you set yourself free. This is the power of forgiveness. God wants to set you free from your painful past and release you into your God given future. Jer 29:11"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Some people are driven by fear. Their fears maybe a result of a traumatic experience,unrealistic expectations, growing up in a high control home, or even a genetic predisposition. Regardless of the cause, fear is a devastating force. Fears grow larger, if you start nursing them. Fears lie, and make us not go where we might have won. Living a life of fear is like leaving the parking brake on when you drive your car, it causes you to slow down and lose momentum. Remember, the word says, " For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." II Tim 1:7

Power to Get Wealth

Hosea 4:6"My people are destroyed (cut off) for lack of knowledge." You must be convinced from the Word of God that he wants you to prosper and succeed. The desire for prosperity should not be born out of greed, but from a revelation of the Heart and Word of God. The heart of God is revealed through His word. III John 2 says "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." Notice that God wants prosperity for the total person, and He takes pleasure in your prosperity. He wants you to prosper with a purpose. He longs to establish His covenant on the earth with you. Part of God's redemptive plan included Jesus Christ becoming poor that you might be rich as the Word says(II Cor 8:9). When and where did Jesus become poor? At the crucifixion. You need to know that every Great Achievement requires a willingness to begin small. An oak tree began as an acorn. A six foot man began as a tiny embryo in his mother's womb. Start with whatever  you have. That's your starting point. Do not be like the man in the Bible who had one talent and refused to use it.  Jesus began in a stable, but he did not stay there. David had a slingshot, but became a King. Joseph was sold as a slave, but became the Prime Minister of Egypt. The widow of Zarephath had a small pancake, but she sowed it into the work of God and created a continuous supply during the famine. Whatever you have been given is enough to create anything you have been promised. "Jesus said, where unto shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: but when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shootheth out great branches: so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it." Mark 4:30-32.

The Armor of God

Be strong in the Lord or be empowered through your union (your time in the Word, meditation, prayer and worship) and communion (a sharing together of ideas, feelings, heart to heart talks) with Him: (this is the place where divine exchange takes place. During this time of communion is where I trade my weakness for His strength, my sickness for His health, my inability for His ability) Draw your strength from Him (that strength which His boundless might provides). Put on God's whole armor ( the armor of a heavy armed soldier which God supplies, that you may be able successfully to stand up against all the strategies and the deceits of the devil. His number one source of strength is deception. Take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand,(remain, abide, continue) stand therefore or hold your ground! Keep reading, studying, and meditating on the Word. Hold your ground, don't give in, or give out. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth or having tightened the belt of truth around your loins. The belt is what held many of the other parts of the armor securely in place. The word girt in the scriptures many times means, prepare yourself, or get ready to do something difficult. Loins are the part of you where you possess your procreative powers. This is the part of you that  fathers or give life. Keep praying, fasting, giving, loving, persevering, pressing on.....read Ephesians 6:10-20

Nevertheless at Thy Word

Have you ever failed, and felt like a failure! Peter said, I have worked hard all night long, and have caught nothing! Nevertheless at Your word, I'll try again. You may be one try again away from your breakthrough. Look at men like the Wright Brothers, Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford. Because they did not give up, but tried again,and again, they made great breakthroughs in history. If you've experienced rejection, remember it's merely someone's opinion. Jesus experienced more rejection than anyone. He was willing to experience a season of pain in order to create a permanent gain. You need to courageously move beyond your scars into your future. Perseverance in prayer is powerful. If you will be a champion for God, you will have to reprogram your thinking for distance. Reprogram your life for endurance. Have you ever turned away from the plan and purposes of God? Have you ever grown cold? Just ask God to revive you again. Restore, resuscitate, and renew you again. Ask God, set me Lord on fire once more. Have you ever felt as if the Heavens were brass, and your prayers were insignificant? It may seem like a defeat, but in the end, you will find that what seemed to be a defeat was a type of golden seed that would eventually produce an eternal harvest. The Cross seemed to be a defeat, but the resurrection was the harvest or the irreversible final victory that broke the devil's back once and for all. Don't give up. Nevertheless, pray again. Nevertheless, try again. Nevertheless, give again.