New Song Impact

I was reading my old journals tonight and I came across some notes I had made about new songs from Ray Hughes.  You see, I got some dvd's on a course he taught, called "The Sound of Breakthrough"  and he shared about music and song -- his passion.

Ray's statement, "that we become what our song is or our song becomes us" got me thinking.  I wish I had been in the class to ask him some questions. I have songs to grow in character traits, I have songs that are to heal the past, I have prophetic songs that I sing over areas and people.  I also have songs of worship and praise and adoration, I have songs of war and triumph... so I really don’t know if I have any particular song.  All of these songs are mine in one respect, gifts from the Lord.  Some of them have brought such healing to my heart, and many of these songs have helped me change the way I think about God.

It has happened that I get a song as I read a page in a book or see a scripture verse. Sometimes  I hear someone preach and come away with a song about it... that is a part of who I am in the Lord.

For the last couple of years Holy Spirit has been having me sing the song of the Lord during the worship times at church. Usually it’s a harmony to the song the congregation is singing and it’s what God wants said or declared over the congregation. I haven’t been on the worship team for years, so I have freedom to sing and not interrupt the service. 

Ray’s words about how the song changes and rearranges the Heavens and the earth really blessed me.  It is confirmation that I am moving mountains as I sing and declare God’s heart.  The Lord even gave me a little chorus about moving mountains.  Hallelujah!

I highly recommend Ray's teaching.  I got so much encouragement about my little songs.  You know he has an exercise to get you started singing a new song.  Every morning you write down as many attributes of God as you can think of. Then you pick three of them and sing them to God in any melody you choose.  It's a quick way to open the Heavens over you and your life.  Have fun! I declare that Holy Spirit is helping you to sing a new song to the Lord today! 

http://youtu.be/VCgL-gUMvCE

Let me bless you now. "Lord, the anointing I've received to sing the song of the Lord I give to them.  Let them sing songs that will bless Your heart too. Amen!"
Big hugs,
Brenda Gale Thompson

P.S.   'New Song' occurs 9 times in the KJV.  Psalm 33:3. 40:3, 96:1, 98:1, 144:9, 149:1, Isaiah 42:10, Rev. 5:9, 14:3.
-Ray Hughes is on you tube teaching about the Symphony of Heaven.  Here's the link...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-tYXUSVy64

Carve Out Your Zone

I know we are supposed to be God's glory carriers but have you ever wondered how that pans out in  real life?

I did.  I remember worshiping and asking the Lord to flow through me one day and then I got told to go to the mall.  I thought, "What's this about?", but I obeyed.

I got to the mall and I had stopped to ask the Lord where to go next, when a lady appeared in front of me, all of a sudden, to ask me something.  When she got close there was, what I would describe as an explosion in the air between us. She immediately burst into tears and kept telling me, "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

I replied, "You're welcome. God bless you."   As she walked away, I asked the Lord, "What was that all about?

He told me that the demon had to leave because I was carrying His presence around me.  Cool eh?  I immediately declared that she would be free forever. 

I know this stuff is real.  At work this week I asked the Lord how to help the people because there are so many colds going on around me.  The Lord told me to heal them.  So,  I claimed healing for all the people close to me  and I cast down any negative, idle words that they had spoken.  They don't know better after all.

Guess what?   They were all better by Friday.  I just kept ignoring their negative confessions and when one lady said that she toke some vitamin c and she was not getting sick, I said, "I can agree with that!"

So there you go. I grew in this ability over time and so can you. I started taking authority over stuff affecting my own body first.  (1 Pet. 2:24, Rom. 5:17,  Phil 4:6, 1Cor. 2:16, Psalm 103:3-5) Then I started helping my family. Then once I knew how to stand and resist the devil for my whole family,  I started helping my friends and my work-mates. (James 4:7, Matt. 10:8, 1Pet. 5:5-10)

For example,  one time at work, I started to notice that after breaks, strange, weird things would happen on the production line.  I got tired of all the problems this was causing and started asking God what was going on.  The Lord told me that these people were picking up their evil spirits on break, while outside the plant and bringing them back in.  Something in me rose up and said, "No way! This is God's turf while I am here."  And I realized that I was affecting the spiritual climate of the whole plant.  Amazing eh?  It's true. We are destined to be more than conquerors through Him.  We are spreading the fragrance of Him everywhere we go. Hallelujah! (2Cor. 2:14,16, Rom. 8:37)

In conclusion, I want to encourage you to start where you are at.  Learn to walk tight with Holy Spirit; like He's your best friend, and He'll show you how to take authority over all that would try to come against you and what angels to release to fight for you.  Believe you receive when you ask Him specific questions.  He wants this for you.  As you learn to trust Him and obey Him you will grow in authority.  The best part is you are destined to win.  You get to keep batting till you get a home run! (2Cor. 2:14)

Lord, I ask that you bless the person reading this.  May they grow in revelation regarding Your plans for their lives.  May they hear Your voice more clearly and know Your great love so much more, each and every day.  Go ahead of them Lord and prepare the way for them, (Eph. 2:10).  Help them to expect divine appointments every day. Give them a hunger to wait on You and seek You every day. Thank You for giving them the right words to speak to each person. Thanks. Amen!

Russ Moyer at Summer Camp... on Deliverance

Share me

Anointed teaching spoken from a humble, yet powerful Saint.  Enjoy the video!

Swords and Psalm 29

Hi there.  I love this Psalm.  It took me a while to dig out the nuggets, but as I kept thinking about it and reading it, Holy Spirit highlighted some things.

I talk about verses 1-4 in the last post I wrote. The link is here... http://greatcommissionhow2s.blogspot.com/2010/09/you-cant-always-win-with-another-mans.html

Starting at verse 5, " The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. vs 6. He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox.

First point I want to make is that we are God's spokes-people right now.   His voice is heard through us and as we consecrate our mouths to speak faith, trust and blessing, Holy Spirit will be able to add power to our words.

Cedars represent strongholds and the building blocks of fortresses in the Spirit realm. Also, we know that we don't fight flesh and blood.(2Cor. 10:3-5)  We fight spiritual battles with spiritual weapons.  The cedars of Lebanon were so huge, they were considered the biggest and mightiest trees in the middle east.  So we can conclude that even mighty strongholds will come down as we learn to speak what the Lord wants.

Let's re-coin this verse with the new background information we have.
"The Lord's voice (through us) breaks the strongholds of the people, The Lord, (through us) breaks in pieces the strongholds of the devil."   That put's it into a new perspective, eh?  The Lord is looking for us to use any victories we have gained over the devil to benefit other people.  Freely we have received, freely we give." (Matt. 10:8)  Hang on, it gets better.

Vs. 6, "He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox."  The Lord told me that the enemy would take off like a calf and that the strongholds represented symbolically by the country of Syria would  jump off the people like a young wild ox.  Young , wild, oxen are fearsome, unpredictable creatures. You wouldn't  want to be near them, or have to rely on them.   I also believe that the Lord was showing me that there are territories that have strongholds over them and He wants us to perceive what's going on so we can take care of business for Him.

This applies to our territories.  Recently, I asked the Lord what was over our town that I had not dealt with and He told me Absalom.  I looked up Absalom, to refresh my memory and realized that he was the son that tried to steal the kingdom from his father David.  He used cunning and deceit to turn the people's hearts away from David.  He looked so good on the outside; did all the right things, said all the right things, but he was wicked, with a seditious mind inside.

So now I am praying the opposite for our town, decreeing that God will pick the people that will surround leaders and that they will be loyal and not split the church up.  There have been enough church splits.  I want to see family style churches, where we are all different but we've grown to love each other despite our differences.

Let's move on.  Psalm 29:7  "The voice of the Lord, (through us) strikes with flashes of Lightning. vs. 8, "the The voice of the Lord (through us) shakes the desert, the Lord (through us) shakes the Desert of Kadesh.

I really believe that in this time the Lord wants His voice through us to be so powerful that it looks like flashes of Lightning.  John G. Lake prayed for the lightnings of God... maybe we should too. Another translation mentions 'forked lightning'.  One day the Lord showed me that a believer's words at an aimed target were like forked lightning.  Pretty awesome eh?

Deserts are dry places where we are supposed to send the devils to. (Luke 11:24)  I really believe the Lord wants to use us to shake the devil's kingdoms.

I remember one time that we were trying to get some hay in and there were thunder storms coming at us.  I spoke up and said, "NO WAY! Storms go around us!"  I didn't think any more of it.  Our hired help could not help but notice that the black thunder storm circled our property all afternoon.

Another time we had cut hay on the ground when thunder storms approached.  I commanded it to stay away from my property.  Later on  we had sheet lightning on three sides of our property  and it was quite the aerial display.  I found out that our neighbors down the road had a flood in their basement that evening.  At our place we only got a little bit of spray that blew in. It wasn't even enough to make the deck wet.   That's my God! We baled the hay the next day to the amazement of all our neighbors. This in your inheritance too, as you learn who you are in Christ.

Now let's look at vs 9 from another translation. In the New American Standard we read, "The voice of the Lord makes the deer to calve, And strips the forests bare; And in His temple everything says, "Glory!"

I love it.  Have you got any dead dreams that need reviving?  Have you given up on anything in your life? Well God is saying here that His voice through us will make the deer to calve.  I don't have any deer, but the Lord said that this is a comparison.  His voice through us will bring dreams to pass! No more still-born dreams!

It's true, His voice through you will bring your dream to pass. And as you stand in your dream you will be able to help other people  birth their dreams.  Somebody shout!  That's good news. 

The next point from this verse was about 'stripping the forests bare' which to me means clear cutting to make a profit (in their times).  So this phrase is talking about resources coming to us. His voice, through us causes the resources to come to us!  No lack or famine allowed in His Kingdom.  No wonder the people cried out, "Glory!"  I would too!

This is one of the ways that the world will see His glory on us. As we walk in our dreams, with all our needs met, we are a huge billboard advertising that the Lord is good.

The final two verses are interesting. From the Amplified, vs.10  "The Lord sat as King over the deluge; the Lord (still) sits as King (and) forever! 11. The Lord will give [unyielding and impenetrable] strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace."

A couple of points: first the Lord sits as King (through us/through our words).  We are bringing Heaven to Earth as we speak His will right now.  This enthrones Him in the here and now.

Second,  speaking to your mountains, daring to renew your mind to who you are in Christ will cause you to grow into a mighty warrior that no one will mess with. Your reputation will precede you. The final result will be peace because nothing wants to tangle with you.

So, mighty warrior, praise and worship till His presence is around you and then ask the Lord what to speak over your strongholds, your resources, your dreams, your family. Bring His kingdom into your life by aligning your mouth with Heaven. Then watch your enemies shudder when you wake up in the morning. Ha! I love it! Go with God and have fun.  Greater is He that is in you, then he that is in the world. (1John 4:4) You rule and reign with Him (Jesus). (Rom. 5:17,19) Amen!

Big hugs,
Brenda Gale Thompson

You Can't Always Win With Another Man's Sword

The only sword that is going to work for you 100% of the time is the sword you carry.   In the same way you can't stand 100% of the time as a Christian unless you have a revelation of God's promises that pertain to your situation.

The good news is  that you can sharpen your sword anytime you want.  The word is always available. As you start to personalize it and apply it to your situation, revelation will come and then you won't put up with anything less then victory.

As you use your sword and realize that God won't put you in a battle you can't win, you will get the chance to win battles for others that don't know the Lord or don't know the word of God. (2Cor. 2:14)

I'm going to share the revelation the Lord gave me years ago.  Sometimes the Lord gives you a word or a chapter that He wants you to dig into.  Well this time it was Psalm 29.

"Ascribe to the Lord, O mighty  ones, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness."  (Psalm 29:1-2) That's our job.  As we choose to speak out loud all the thanks and praise God deserves he inhabits our praise.  This is the prerequisite for the rest of the psalm. Are you interested?

Verse 3 was highlighted to me. It goes, "The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of Glory thunders over the mighty waters."....

As I started to ruminate over this verse and ask Holy Spirit questions  I realized that He wanted me to start declaring this. We are the ones speaking  for the Lord as we offer ourselves living sacrifices and obey Holy Spirit's prompting. (Ps. 103:20, Rom 12:1-2, 2Cor. 4:13)

This is how the Lord told me to personalize  this Psalm.
The voice of the Lord though me is over the waters; the God of glory thunders through me, the Lord  thunders over the mighty waters through me.
The voice of the Lord through me, is powerful; the voice of the Lord through me is majestic... etc.

You get the point.  God wants us to get stronger in Him. Reading Colossians,  chapters 1 and 2 are really helpful.  Holy Spirit, the anointed one and His anointing is in us. (Col 1:26)  Also, the anointing we have received abides in us. (1John 2: 21,27)  We have been given all authority and power, (Luke 18:19) and the victory that Jesus won He wants us to enforce. He is waiting till we make all His enemies His footstool. (Heb. 10:13)   He bet the devil so bad, he (Jesus) led them in a triumphant procession and He's given His victory to us. (Col 2:13-15, Acts 2:8, 1John 4:17)  He is the first born of many brothers/sisters. (Rom 8:29)

Therefore I exhort you to sharpen your sword.  There is so much more that I want to share about this Psalm... all for other day.

Let me bless you: Lord give us a hunger for You and Your word.  Show us how to apply the promises to our lives and get so good at using our sword that we can set other people free too.   We won't despise the day of small beginnings.  We give you all the glory in advance. Amen!

Big hugs,
Brenda Gale

Living for His Smile

I just started praising the Lord as I was cleaning up the kitchen.  I am doing my serenade game with the Lord; asking Holy Spirit what He would like to hear then singing it to Him as a love song.

I just got the song, "Great is His faithfulness".  I was at the part, "all I have needed, thy hand has provided..." when I heard Holy Spirit ask me, "What do you need?"

I don't really know the answer to that one.  I'm living in my childhood dreams. I have had a career and now  I am happy to work at a less stressful position and enjoy my family.

I want His smile, more than anything else,  because God measures success differently then we do.  We think it means the fame and wealth of this world, and that maybe a part of it, but there is much more.  For example, King Saul had just won two battles when God said, "I'm sorry I made him king." (1Sam. 15:1-11)  Imagine, everyone is singing his praises, yet the Lord was sorry he was king.  That really goes to show that we can't go by this world's standards.

My hubby's grandmother used to say, "If you don't have your health, you don't have anything."and to some extent that is true.  How do you measure success?  Is it how many trips you take, the car you drive, who you associate with, the size of your house?

I know what matters to me,  His smile.  There's nothing like knowing you helped God during your day.

Anyhow,  I've got to finish cleaning up the kitchen.  Have a good evening.  I'm going to continue serenading my King.  After all,  as we seek Him first, all these other things will be added to us. Hallelujah!
Lord, please go ahead of us tomorrow and prepare the way for us. We want to make a difference for You. Amen!
Bless you!

Staying Strong

Somebody was expressing concern about working weekends, where they would not be able to attend church except on their days off.

I completely understand as I worked weekends for many years.  You can stay strong in the Lord if you want to though.  I used to write scripture verses on sheets of paper, as thankful confessions and speak them over myself during my day.  That was in the days before they had mp3 players. I know I am dating myself now. Ha ha.

During the week I would attend a prayer group or bible study if I could. This gave me the opportunity to grow in spiritual gifts and how to flow with others in a meeting.

Another thing I did was record some ministry tv programs and then watch them when it was convenient.

Daily time with the Lord really helped me too.  Many times I would listen to a teaching cd and then realize they were sharing something the Lord had taught me privately.  God honors the heart's cry.  He promised that those who seek and thirst for righteousness will be filled.

I was also blessed with the ability to sing a new song to the Lord.  I could never remember the lyrics of popular songs right, so I would make up my own words to them as Holy Spirit led.  The end result was that while I was working my mind was being transformed.  This is a powerful principle.  Martin Luther used it to great advantage in his days and many revivals  spread and had lasting impact because of people singing Christ centered songs.

Nowadays with the advent of mp3 and ipod players almost anyone with computer access can stay strong in the Lord.  There are many websites that offer free pod casts that teach great revelation.

I heard someone once say that they didn't like to listen to other preaching as they felt they had to get it all for themselves. That's so sad because we don't have time to reinvent the wheel.  If we are ever going to get the job done we need to stand on the shoulders of the people who have gone before us with all the revelation they've received and press in for more.

Finally,  the last thing I make sure to do every day is pray in tongues a lot.  Paul said that he prayed in tongues more than any of them. I don't know how long that was for, but I am trying to match him.  Jude says that we build ourselves up in our most holy faith praying in other tongues. (Jude 23)   I also like the verse in Timothy about stirring up the gifts that God has placed inside of you. (2Tim 1:6)

In conclusion,  I wouldn't stress out if you have to work weekends and miss church for a while.  If you put a couple of the ideas I mentioned to work you will come out the stronger for it.

Let's pray: Thank You Lord for helping us to stay strong in you.  Thank You for giving us a hunger for Your word and supernatural recall so we can always remember it. Show us who to get teaching from and what to study.  Let us study to show ourselves approved, workmen that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing Your word. (2Tim. 2:15)

Bless you in Jesus' name!
Big hugs,
Brenda Gale

No Time To Argue

I quoted Joshua Mills on my Face Book page and I looked today and a Christian decided to argue with me.

Sigh... I don't have time to argue!  I'm too busy listening to teaching on my ipod or doing the stuff, whether it be handing out a tract, putting tracts on car windshields, praying for sick people at work and at the grocery store, or speaking an encouraging word to someone on the street.

I wish people would get off their band wagons about correctness and just do the kingdom stuff.  There's precious little time!  I do not want to get involved in a argument about semantics because there are people dying out there without Jesus and I know that it takes about eight witnesses for someone to get saved.

The quote was, "God only has as much control as you will give Him." --Joshua Mills and Joshua was talking about letting God be Lord (boss) in our lives. 

This guy responded, ‎"God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit ACCORDING TO HIS OWN WILL."  This is also true but only after we are obedient.   It goes back to my point. God only has as much control as you will give Him.
It's all about surrendering our will, ie. "Your will be done, Your kingdom come, not mine.

So that's my rant today.

On a good note, I was walking  across the Metro parking lot today to get a few groceries and I had some tracts in my hand that I was distributing.  A fellow had some pizzas and stuff on the trunk of a car while he was talking to another man.  I put a million dollar bill tract on his pizzas as I walked by and said, "Here's a good laugh."   He picked it up and started reading it.  Praise the Lord!

And you know, God will use it to minister to him.  He might have a Mom, girlfriend or co-worker  that has been praying for him to get saved.

So if you see me singing away as I am in the store, you'll know why.  I helped my King with some of the things that matter to Him and there's no joy like His.

 Let me pray for you now.   I Bless you today.  Lord you know what's going on in my friend's heart better than I do.  Help them to fulfill the call You have on their lives.  Give them that revelation that will put them in Your perfect will. Amen.

Church Family

West Carleton Christian Assembly

It's a beautiful day and I am so thankful to have my friends and church family. You see I didn't always go to church.   I started off good and then got judged because I wasn't changing fast enough to suit the religious crowd. Anyhow, because of the deep wounds I experienced,  I didn't go anywhere for a few years.

I remember I stepped into a church once and enjoyed the worship, but then I felt the condemnation again and I left before the message started. I realized many years later that there was a spirit tormenting me at that time.

I am so glad to be in a church that is hungry for God. There is something about the corporate anointing that causes us to reach greater heights then we ever could individually.  We are all one body, one team and we need each other.

Therefore I want to encourage you to get involved with a church body.  They need the anointing and gifts you bring and you need them.  It is worth the bus ride or car ride to go to a church that's hungry for more of God.  When I couldn't find one like that I still went to church, but I went to pour into others and hopefully ignite some passion in them.

You might not think you need to go to church, but there are no lone rangers in the body of Christ.  The bible says that the devil is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. (1Pet. 5:8)  Lone sheep, that are far away from the flock, are easy targets for him. Do not sign up to be his next meal.

If you are hurt  and not attending a church or bible study ask the Lord to bring other Christians around you that will help you and look for small steps you can take to stay in fellowship.  Iron sharpens iron after all. Keep forgiving  and blessing those that have hurt you.  This will prevent a root of bitterness from wrecking your life and will make the devil mad.  Also, you will be able to minister to others out of the well of experience you have gained. I have a good article about bitterness you might want to read.   //greatcommissionhow2s.blogspot.com/2010/02/bitterness.html 

Have a great weekend with Him.  I am going to the healing, miracle, seeking God service tonight at our church.  We have people from all over the valley and Ottawa coming to get touched by God.  I'm on the ministry team and I love it.

I declare that, "You are accepted in the beloved, blessed and highly favored and destined to rule and reign over every part of your life. Go with God!" Amen.

Love and hugs,
Brenda Gale

Praise Is The Voice of Faith

Hi there.   I heard Joshua Mills mention at the Signs and Wonders conference in Ottawa that, "Praise is the voice of faith."  I've been mulling it over and I have to agree with him.

I was just thinking about how I know when I have faith in a promise of God.  99% of the time when I am in faith then it's easy to praise God about the situation.  When I am doubtful then it's really hard to stay positive and thankful about the problem.

Even when I know I have heard from God and I'm waiting on the answer I have to keep a tight rein on my tongue so that I don't mess up my confession.  There is grace though.  If I make a mistake and start getting negative or doubtful I quickly repent.  I'm telling you this so you won't get discouraged.  Learning to live by faith, where your words are powerful, takes some effort, but it is well worth while.

So how do you know if someone is in faith? There are a few clues. If they say they are believing but they keep confessing the problem then, you know you have a double minded person (at that moment)   So what I do (quietly) is claim God's mercy and grace for them and join my faith with theirs so they get the right result.  I cast down every negative, unbelieving word they've spoken and plead the blood of Jesus over them.  They might not be that teachable at the moment so I'm really careful not to step on their toes hard. LOL.

Also, faith isn't faith if you can't leave it with the Lord.  He's not a dead-beat Dad.  He's all over your situation and your praise, thanksgiving and confession release angels to work on it. (Psalm 103:20)  We can be  His little children and leave it with Him when Holy Spirit tells you to.
 It's a lot more fun to wait expectantly for Him to answer.

Here's a quick example.  3-4 weeks ago I got hit with a huge dentist's bill.  They told me it was going to cost almost $1000.00 to fill the cavities in one daughter's teeth, and I have three children at home.  Ouch!  I asked the Lord what to do and He told me His mercy and grace were enough for her and I.

I have to confess that I wasn't sure what to do with that so I told her to claim the word of God over her teeth that by His stripes she was healed, including her teeth. (Is. 53:3-5, 1Pet. 2:24)  When I would praise and worship the Lord I would claim Phil 4:19 that "He will meet all my needs according to His riches in glory."

The day after the bad news the receptionist told me she was going to submit Cassie's name to a gov't agency to see if they would help and would I be ok with that.  I said, "Sure."

Three weeks later, Cassie has had the first apt to fill the worst cavities and the dentist told her that if she keeps flossing that she won't have to have one tooth filled.  Praise the Lord!  I can see the word is working already and best of all she is using her faith.  I am still thanking the Lord for meeting the need and not letting go of the word He gave me.  His mercy and grace is enough.  It's not about how hard my husband or I can work.  His mercy and grace is enough.

Just got a call yesterday... Can you guess?  They are going to pay for all the fillings!  That's my God.  He's a lavish Daddy and He's on my side.  He's on your side too you know.

Let's pray.   Lord we want more victories so we can give You all the glory and testify to your goodness, love and concern.  We want to testify about how well You look after us. Give us a hunger for your word and show us which promises apply to our specific situations.  Help us to trust Your voice and discern the chatter of the enemy.  Thank You for all Your dreams and plans for us.  Amen.

Victory Over Frustration

Hi there.  I had three phone calls the last two weeks by friends that were totally frustrated with their lives and circumstances so after the third phone call  I asked the Lord what was going on.  He told me that the enemy is trying to wear out the Saints so that they will give up or become bitter.

For  those of you who have not read my first response to frustration please use the link and read it as this article will be brief and to the point and I am not going over the same material again.
//greatcommissionhow2s.blogspot.com/2010/09/frustration.html

A) Ask the Lord for a promise for your situation then meditate on it and speak it out over your situation. His word will not return empty. (Is. 55:11) Make sure to watch your words.  Don't cancel out your faith with unbelief. A double minded person does not receive anything! (James 1:5-8)

B) Realize that the battle you are facing is not just about you.  It's about all the people you will influence.   Once you get a victory in an area of your life, you have authority to give your victory to others.  Duet 29:29 says that, "the revealed things belong to you and your children.

C) Check to make sure you don't have a stronghold, a belief pattern that stops you from taking God at His word. (Prov. 3:5-6)  Acknowledge Him in ALL your ways. Spend time daily focusing on Jesus and ask him to heal the wounds of your heart, so that you can have your promise.  Let the sun of righteousness arise with Healing in His wings.  In His light we see light.... and we all know that light has healing properties.  God's light has even more healing in it. (Mal. 4:2, 1John 1:7) God delights in the prosperity of His servants and He has commanded blessing to pursue us and overtake us. Also, He wants us to prosper and be in health as our souls prosper. (Ps. 35:27, Deut. 28:2, 3John 2)

D) Keep up the praise and thanksgiving.  He inhabits the praises of His people.  Every day worship till His glory is all around you or Holy Spirit tells you that He is there and ask Him what to say or do that will bring the answer.  Holy Spirit is the spirit of revelation and you can expect Him to reveal things as you seek Him.

E) Day dream with God. (1Cor. 2:16)  Envision the solution. Plead the blood of Jesus over you before you worship and then as you wait in His presence ask the Lord what He wants to show you.  Use your faith to believe that He wants to show you things and then ask clarifying questions to sharpen your mental pictures.  (Eph. 1:3, 2:6, 1:17)

F) Remember that the vision or the dream is just the beginning.  Once you have a dream or vision then take it to the Lord when you are in His presence and speak it out.  Call in what you are seeing or what you dreamed every day (in His presence) till it manifests.

You know God waited for Holy Spirit before He spoke. If God waited till Holy Spirit was hovering/moving  upon the waters before He spoke... how much more should we? (Gen. 1:2-3)

Therefore, to sum it all up, practice Psalm 100:4, "enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise..." and then speak what the Lord leads.... decreeing the things Holy Spirit has laid on your heart so that they will be established. (Job 22:28 )  Make sure you ask for  joy and strength too! "In his presence there is fullness of joy..." and  "the joy of the Lord is our strength." ( Ps. 16:11, Neh. 8:10)

Remember you are more than a conqueror.  You are called to rule and reign on the earth for the Lord.  ( Rom. 8:37, Rom. 5:17, 19, Heb. 10:13, Heb. 1:13) For example, when the devil tries to attack me with sickness I rebuke it. If the symptoms try to linger I stand with a good confession and I pray for my family. If they still linger then I go on a major assault praying for every single person I know and all those I don't know in town.  Be an expensive target!  Make the devil pay for every second he tries to oppress you.

Be encouraged, He is working while you wait on Him.  I know your life is busy and it's hard to make time to seek Him but it is so-o-o-o- worthwhile.  "Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him" (Is. 64:4)  That is why you keep Him first. The Lord told me once that if I would spend my anointing on Him, one hour a day, that He would work on my situation for me.  I obeyed and found out it works!

Let's pray: Thank You Lord for giving us joy in our journey with You.  Thank You Lord  for protecting our praise and worship times with You.  I declare that no evil comes near our dwelling.  Thank You Lord that You are sanctifying us completely and that we are more than conquerors through You. We command all these trials to turn into blessings for us.  Show us Lord what to decree in Your glory regarding all our situations.  We give you all the thanks and praise and  glory for our victories now. Amen! (Is 61:3, 1Thess. 5:23,  Rom. 8:30-38)

God's Leading

I can remember driving by this company called Computing Devices twenty two years ago. I felt a nudge to investigate it but I ignored it because I thought it was a software type of company.

Now that I think about it the Lord nudged me about that place a few times over the two years that I drove by.

At the time I was working in sales and I was not happy. God was trying to answer my prayer but my preconceived ideas and snap judgments precluded me working at this place.

You want to know what's funny? Twenty one years later I got a job there. It's now called General Dynamics and I love it there. I am kicking myself for not listening to the Lord so many years ago.

Learning to discern Holy Spirit's nudges can take some training so I beg you, "today if you hear His voice do not harden your hearts," as the Israelites did in the wilderness." (ref. Heb. 4:7)

So many times we blame God for where we are and how things turn out in our lives and many times it's not His fault. He's trying to lead and guide us but we are not listening. Or worse still, we figure we know better and dismiss His guidance.

So I say to you (and myself), "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean upon your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will direct your heart (path)." Prov. 3: 5-6

Daily quiet time will help you to hear His voice and discern whether the little nudges are something you should revisit or explore.

I let the devil run me ragged back then and if I remember correctly I was more interested in reading science fiction novels then spending time with God. I was of the mindset that "I deserved a break today." No, actually we all deserve hell apart from God's mercy and grace. I have come a long way since those days and so can you. All things are possible with God. (Matt. 19: 26)

Beware of snap decisions and preconceived ideas because they usually lead to trouble. Act in haste... repent at leisure is a saying I heard many a time. I remember vowing that I would never go out with an Engineer because there were so many boors in my classes. Well guess what? I had to eat those words because I married one! We've been married almost twenty years now. It's too funny.

You want to hear something else? My husband always used to say that he would never go out with someone that had a kid. I had a three year old little girl. God made him eat his words. His friends even reminded him of what he used to say. God's got a sense of humor.

Therefore, let's acknowledge God's leadership in ALL our ways. As we listen for the little nudges we get, we will be blessed because that's God's plan for us. He delights in the prosperity of his servants. (Psalm 35:27) Hallelujah!

Lord help us all to hear Your voice more clearly and not to over rule or dismiss Your gentle nudges. I bless the person reading this blog.  May they be blessed in all their ways, mentally, spiritually, physically and financially in Jesus' name. Amen.

Frustration!

Frustrated

I used to be so frustrated because things were not happening the way I wanted or in the time frame I desired.

It wasn't getting me anywhere except upset and living with no fruit of the Spirit in my life.

I mean lets' face it, when we are frustrated with God thinking that He's holding out on us do we really want to spend time with Him?  Of course not!

If we, being imperfect would not do that to our children, then how can we ever entertain the thought that God would deliberately withhold answers from us?  It doesn't make sense.

When I was worshiping one day I asked the Lord what to do because I can't worship when I am frustrated.  He showed me that He loves me more than I will ever know. He is for me and He supports me.  He will never leave me nor desert me when I need help.

If the problem is not God then it's something else.  Hmmmm, I asked Him what to do and I heard Ps. 112. I started reading and verse 4 caught my eye, "even in darkness, light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man."  Therefore no matter what's going on I can ask for His light to shine on my problem. James 1:5 also gives us ammunition, " If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."

Now that I know I have the right I can pursue God for answers.  The Bible says that," the secret things belong to the Lord our God but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever," (Deut. 29:29)  God wants us to pursue Him for revelation because whatever we get our children will get too.
He is not holding out on us.

We are told to, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." (Matt. 7:7)  We have not because we ask not.  Let's don't waste any more time being frustrated when the answers are with God.  It's time to seek His face.

We can ask any old time but I've found that there's a lot of noise going on down here.  Lots of different voices, including any preconceived ideas we might have.   It's a lot easier to get revelation when you are in God's presence.  I have found that in His presence is when I am the most productive.

So we enter His gates with Thanksgiving and His courts with Praise. (Psalm 100:4) We want to do Psalm 91 and abide in His presence. We want His angels to keep us in all our ways and to guard us.  Also,  we repent for the things we have done wrong, that we know of and trust that Holy Spirit will bring things back to our remembrance that we need cleansing from.

If I am having a hard time focusing then I pray in tongues fiercely till I feel I have a release, usually 5-10 minutes. When the worship songs start to come to me then I know I am getting really close to His manifest presence and glory.

Sometimes His presence will come in like a thick heavy blanket and sometimes it's with tears or laughter.  They are all good.  When I get the inner witness that I am in His presence/glory I ask Him what what to do or say to change things.

He's never failed me yet!  He wants us to have victory!  He gets no glory when we are frustrated and speaking all kinds of junk.

He is for us!  He wants to turn our trials into testimonies! We are co-laborers with Him!  We are His ambassadors living by the rules of the Kingdom of God. We are supposed to be blessed all the time in all ways. We are victors not victims through Holy Spirit! Now that's a lot better than being frustrated.

I want to bless you with  His joy in your journey.  I decree that Your times with the Lord as You seek Him are fruitful and protected from distractions. I speak Life over you. I ask, "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe." (Eph. 1:17-19) Amen.

My Special Children

It's happened again.  World Vision is closing down their work in a village and I am losing contact with another teenager.  It's heart wrenching.  Because it has happened to me before I asked for children in newly started projects in the hopes that I would be able to follow my girls through vocational training or college.

How do you say good bye?  I honestly don't know how.  All I could think to tell her was that I was only a prayer away.  All she has to do is ask the Lord for prayer support and He'll nudge me to pray in tongues and English for her. I told her I would see her in Heaven and that I would give her such a big hug when I saw her.

I've known Rose Marie for 12 years now.  I wasn't sure about sponsoring another child at the time I got her because I had two already at that time so I asked the Lord to confirm it to me.  Well, did He ever!  Rose is my eldest daughter's middle name and Marie is my second daughter's middle name. And if that wasn't enough, in a country of very French names she's got English type names.  God is so good.

Over the years I have sent her a French new testament and many bible stories in French and Creole tracts and how to use them.  I even sent her letters composed of only Bible verses to get her into her Bible more. LOL.

I know that she is anointed for business and I've spoken that into her life many times.  I won't get to see her in business  unless I get a transported in the Spirit like Philip did in the book of Acts.  That would be something. I won't say that it can't happen because with God all things are possible.

Anyhow, I've done what I can.
Now it's up to God.  There are millions of other children waiting for sponsorship and a Godly influence.  I've seen a few cute ones already, 4 and 5 years old just waiting and hoping for a miracle to help them into a better future.  I know the Lord will show me who's next in line for me to love.

Bless you, in Jesus' name.  I like blessing you because it breaks any and all curses off of you.
Bless you again in Jesus' name.  May you know His great, great love in a new and wonderful way this month. Amen.

Puppy Turn Around

The puppies are cute at 4 weeks old. They were not very good at licking up the pablum at first. They started licking it off my fingers initially and then I would draw them to the plate edge. Once they realized the food was there they got excited and tried to climb into the plate. Well that was hilarious as all legs skidded out on them.

It took them a while to realize that walking across the plate was not a good idea. I had to keep pulling them back.
The mother is from a little town way past Kitchener and the Daddy is from Missouri.   I was really happy with their markings and their health, so you can imagine my shock when the vet told me that one of them had a heart murmur.  I had done everything possible to make sure the parents were not related.

"What is that?," I asked in my ignorance.

She replied, "It's when the heart valves don't work properly." 

"Is it serious?," I probed, looking for more information.

"No, 95% of the time they go away on their own by the time the dog is full grown," she explained.

Hmm.  I couldn't get her to try the stethoscope again and she wrote the damning information on the vet report. This was horrible news. Sick puppies don't sell and I was counting on the money to pay off the summer bills because I didn't have a job. Never mind that fact that I was going back to work and didn't have time to look after an additional puppy.

By the time I got into the car to head home I was upset to say the least.  I told the Lord, "This is not blessed. You told me I was blessed, so show me what to say or do to change this into a blessing."

Immediately the words of the vet came back to me.... it goes away on it's own 95% of the time.   So what I needed was for God to speed up the healing process.  She was an otherwise healthy pup and played as hard or harder than the other pups, so I had peace to pray that.

As soon as I got home I got  my son and daughter to agree with me that Ruby was supernaturally healed and that she would never have a heart problem again and neither would her future puppies.
Nothing happened that we could see, no physical witness, tears, heat, tingles.  Therefore we stood by faith. I wouldn't let anyone confess anything but health and blessing over Ruby.

It was the longest 4 days ever.  I had a hard time sleeping at night because so much was hinged on this puppy selling.  I disliked not telling the lady about the situation, but the Lord kept telling me to wait whenever I asked him if I could let her know.  Ruby was scheduled to fly out on Tuesday so we went to the vet on Monday.

The senior vet examined her and when she had the stethoscope on her, she kept moving it.  Laughter and tears hit me as I realized that she couldn't find the murmur.  I had brought two business cards from church and was sharing about all the miracles that had happened recently in the meetings.

She didn't want to acknowledge the miracle and said, "Well, hang on a minute." Bringing out a pediatric stethoscope, she again listened to Ruby's heart from many different angles.

Well it's not there," she stated.  "It could be that it was intermittent," she offered by way of explanation.

We know better.   Ruby got her miracle and I got my testimony and the opportunity to witness to the receptionist and the vet. To God be all the glory!

Incidentally, this is what the vet put on the travel document:
"Innocent Heart Murmur noted on first exam Aug 19/10. 
Unable to detect today - maybe intermittent but unlikely pathological."

I emailed Ruby's new owner with the news and a pdf of the Certificate of Health and gave her the option of taking her or I would refund her money.  She decided to take her and Ruby flew out via West Jet on Tuesday.

I rejoice in how it worked out.  God is on our side and there is a devil/bully on the loose trying to kill, steal and destroy any area of our lives he can, especially our finances.  That is his last stronghold because he knows that money makes the world go around.

So the challenge is to renew our minds and then ask the Lord what we can say or do that will change things.  He says that all things will work together for our good, to those that love Him and that we should have no fear of bad news, so now we have to dig in to the word and put it to work for us. (Rom. 8:28, Ps. 112:7-10)

Rejoice!  Again I say rejoice!  The Lord takes pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.(Psalm 35:27) That's good news in these economic times.

I decree you are blessed with God's wisdom  today. May you have His joy in your journey and may you know His love more and more, in Jesus' name I ask. Amen.

Blessing is ours!

God wants us blessed, plain and simple. We can't bless others if we are not blessed ourselves so it's time that we started believing for more so we can do more for the Kingdom of God.
 
In Psalm 24 we read, starting at verse 3, "Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the LORD, And righteousness/vindication from the God of his salvation." (italics mine)

Psalm 112 we read, "Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands. His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. (Psalm 112: 1-4)

Now don't reason yourself out of God's blessings for any reason. His grace is enough.  God knew that we could not do it so He sent his son, Jesus and Jesus fulfilled all the righteous requirements of the law.

That's how we apply Galations 3:13.  Jesus became a curse so that we could have the blessings he deserved.  He had a clean hands and  a pure heart.  He did all that we could not do so that we can boldly say, "Jesus' blessings are mine, now!"

You might not know how to turn things around so that you can come out blessed in your particular situation but Ps. 112:4 gives us the answer.  Even in our deepest darkness, LIGHT (revelation) dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man/woman. Hallelujah!  

We have the right to ask God what to say or do to command our situation to turn into a blessing. Then we stand with a thankful attitude, having done what He told us to do and watch things turn around. 
Psalm 112 doesn't end there. In verse 7 we read, "He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes."

God wants us to have no fear over bad news!  As things are shaking economically around us and our livlihoods are being affected God wants us to know what to do.    He wants us to trust in Him, to trust in His great and precious promises.  He wants us to look in triumph over all our foes at the end of the battle.(vs 7)

Lack, poverty, famine, sickness, disease, mental infirmity,  all these foes must bow to the name of Jesus!

I love that verse about having no fear over bad news.  If there was ever a time to meditate on that verse it's now. 

For example, we waited too long to make dentist appointments for our 3 children and then I lost my job so we had to postpone them again.  I was starting to claim dental health, but at that point I had not had a breakthrough personally.  I asked the Lord one day if I could make appointments for the kids and I heard yes, so without any money on hand I booked appointments for myself and the kids.  I had no clue where the money was going to come from but I was standing.  Every day I tried to praise and worship the Lord and then when His presence would show up I would ask him to provide for the dentist.

Three days later my husband came home with a cheque for $1650.00 from a completely unexpected source. He started to cry when he told me about it, shocked and amazed at God's goodness and the kindness of the man who helped us.

Isn't God good? I should say so.  We claimed multiplied blessings back to the man who obeyed Holy Spirit's prompting and I set the money aside for the dentist. I want to be faithful with what God has given me.

So I can say this works.  I have many more testimonies to share when I get some time.
Have fun meditating on God's promises for you.  He really does want you blessed so you can be a blessing!

Justice or Grace?

Someone was complaining to me today that God was unfair and that He would help someone and then maybe not.

I cannot agree with that.  God does not have multiple personalities.  He is the embodiment of Love.  His mercy and grace are over all his works and even in the old testament He extended grace to King David, a murderer and an adulterer because he cried out for forgiveness.  Of all people King David deserved to lose his throne, his kingdom and his life, and yet God forgave Him.

So what's the deal?  One thing I have learned is that our mouths get us into more trouble than we ever realize.  What we speak about God limits what we will receive from Him.  God asks us every day to choose life and much of the time we won't.

We want justice, whether it be the person driving without regard for the rules of the road or the coworker that got the promotion we thought we needed.  Wanting justice costs us grace and the price is too high, in my estimation.  We can't walk in justice and grace at the same time.   Wanting justice shuts down our faith and paralyzes our praise and worship.

God has promised that 'all things will work together for our good' and we have to take him at His word. (Rom. 8:28)  If He really is God almighty then it's high time we start asking Him to turn our troubles into blessings.

As we stay in grace the promise of Galatians 3:13-14 becomes available to us. "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree. He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit."  Since we have the blessing of Abraham on us (as we walk in grace) we have the right to ask God what to say or do that will turn this circumstance, that's coming at us, into a blessing.

He's our Daddy and as we run to him, with the right attitude He'll show us what to do.  He wants to help us.  He gets no glory when we suffer with lack and hurt and torment.  Rather, God gets glory when His people get breakthroughs financially, physically and mentally.

Bless you as start to command your troubles to turn around into blessings!

ps. Testimonies are coming. It's been a busy summer and I've been keeping my journal up to date with lots of nuggets from the Lord and testimonies... so check back every so often.
Bless you again in Jesus' name!