HIS WILL OUR REASONABLE SERVICE

HIS WILL NOT OURS


God is able to raise up and bring down leaders in every sphere whether government or the church.  God is also able to entrust his anointing to whomever he pleases. Truly it is God that assigns people to a place in the body!  Everyone is not anointed to do the same thing.  It's God that places people in the body! It's God that gifts people! It's God's will, not ours.  The body of Christ can not function as a free for all with each individual choosing his place, but rather is must function according to his will and his pleasure.

OUR REASONABLE SERVICE IS HIS WILL

Romans 12:1 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. 2And 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.

As we seek God, he's working his will and his plan in our lives. The quicker we yield to him, the quicker we'll find ourselves satisfied with his will! He's doing the work so we may as well yield!

Philippians 2:13
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

JESUS DESIRED HIS WILL 

Even Jesus had one desire and that was to do the will of God. He didn't go his own way or do his own thing but rather he was one with the Father carrying out the Father's will!

This scripture prophesied of Jesus:

Psalm 40:7-9 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, 8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. 9I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest.


May we like Jesus desire the will of God for our lives, submitting and allowing him to conform us. He is working in us to will and to do his good pleasure! The key word there is good! Whatever God wants is the good thing. If we will approach God and say, "Have your way Oh God in my life," he surely will do a good work!  Amen!

A BEAUTIFUL COLLISION

This past week I had a collision!  Before I explain, let's ask about what a collision is.... as if it needs explaining! :)

From www.dictionary.com

col·li·sion

1.the act of colliding;  a coming violently into contact; 

2. a clash; conflict: a collision of purposes.

3.Physics . the meeting of particles or of bodies in which each exerts a force upon the other, causing the  exchange of energy or momentum.

My collision was between what I see coming and what I know is!

WHAT'S COMING: THE PROPHETIC

I told my pastor I was having this collision and all he said was....

"Congratulations on your collision."

This was my heart meditation:

We as prophetic people often find ourselves looking forward.

         

God shows us things before they come to pass.  He does it so we can release it from our mouths, sowing the Word seed into earth, into the hearts of people:

Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.

Anyone that knows me knows I have a love and appreciation for the prophetic! I have loved the gift of prophecy since rededicating my heart to Jesus in 1986 and finding out about the beautiful gifts of the Holy Spirit that were given to build up and edify the saints; yes to profit the church!

Prophetically, I see a great move of God just on the horizon- I can't help it that I see this and it IS in the future- but closer than we think!  God reveals things to us by his Spirit; things to high for our knowledge!  This move of God will be both wonderful and devastating at the same time!  It will shake world systems but turn hearts and minds to the one who matters.  Know for certain God says,

"Once more I WILL shake heaven and earth!"

Haggai 2:5 ‘According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!’  6 “For thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land;7 and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the LORD of hosts.

I believe we are in the midst of this move but people have not turned to Jesus in mass as they will.  I say, "What more will it take? When will people realize what they've placed their trust in is sinking sand!"  God will shake this earth until they come to the Desire of All Nations!  As people hunger and thirst and chase after God, they will be filled with his glory, their true desire!

I know this is God- he's coming to me repetitively to reveal it and speak it to my heart and surely he wants it released!

God shakes things up so people will turn to him.  Foundations that are unreliable must shake for people to make the true "Desire of all Nations" their sure foundation!

We also see the promises God has given us and as we prophetically see and hear these things, we desire to see them come to pass in our lives.  This had to be the case of Joseph who was in transition for 13 years, headed to a future God showed him as a boy!  He had to walk through 13 years of processing before coming into the place of authority God had shown him.

We know that we've heard and we know that we've seen and therefore we know there are greater things coming that what our current circumstances are testifying to!

MY COLLISION

I am experiencing a collision between what I see coming as a prophetic person and what I know I have full and complete access to as a born again Christian!

We have this treasure in earthen vessels!

Christ in us the hope of glory!

2 Corinthians 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

Colossians 1:26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. 27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which[a] is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

We need to know that as we walk through this journey called life, we have access to an unlimited God, who is full of glory! 

We do have to walk through the journey and the processes of life as we pass from season to season and chapter to chapter, fulfilling each purpose God has for us but we don't have to go alone! We have Christ in us and the hope of Glory! We have the very glory of an unlimited God with unlimited resources living inside of us and he surely will see us through every step we take when we follow him!

While we are waiting, we need to also be enjoying!  While we wait for things to come, and while we press forward in faith, we need to enjoy what currently is! 

While we press onward and upward in faith believing for the future we need to be pressing into the presence that is HERE NOW IN THE PRESENT!  HALLELUJAH! 

While we are confident in a future we need to bask in his PRESENCE in the PRESENT.

Moves of God DO come!  Charismatic history bears out the moving of God in waves- some bigger than others and in ebbs and flows, like tides that rise and fall and come in and out!

LET US BE THE CARRIERS OF THE MOVE OF GOD

There was ALWAYS a group of faithful that carried the charismatic gifts of God and the move of God into the NEXT move of God!

THAT'S WHERE HUNGER AND THIRST COMES IN!

Every move of God has been in response to someone's hunger!

THE HISTORY OF GREAT REVIVALS OF THIS CENTURY ARE WITNESSES TO THIS TRUTH!

REVIVAL ALWAYS STARTS WITH HUNGER AND THIRST!

God has always moved in response to hunger!

The hungry ones and the thirsty ones are the ones filled!

Matthew 5:6 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. 

An individual has always had the option to be in their own personal revival while others are waiting for a corporate move of God!

Moves of God come and go but the presence of God always is!  He is ever present!

GOD IS I AM- NOT I WILL BE at some future time.  He never says you have to wait for my presence.

In fact it's his presence that carries you through the seasons.

GLORY IN THE MOMENT

We can want our season to change so bad we press in more for that than we do to enjoy the God of the moment!

The best two examples I can give are:

A.     The children of Israel

• They wanted so badly to have things another way that's all they thought about- having things different than they were.

• The children of Israel had the glory of God manifesting on a mountain yet they feared to hear his voice.

• The children of Israel had the voice of God speaking from the mountain yet they wanted Moses to hear for them.

• The children of Israel had the glory of God in a cloud by day to keep them cool and refreshed.

• The children of Israel had supernatural food falling from the sky.

• The children of Israel had bread just appearing on the ground and quail falling from the sky!

• The children of Israel wanted the fruit of the earth more than bread from heaven!

• The children of Israel had the glory of God in a fire by night but still complained!

• The children of Israel had a cloud of fire to separate them from their enemies!

• The children of Israel desired the promised land more than they desired the one who promised!

Can you imagine what a privilege it was to actually live and see God do some of the most notable miracles of all time? 

• 10 plagues in Egypt gave them deliverance
• A cloud by day and fire by night
• Glory on a mountain that must have been so far beyond awesome we can't even imagine!
• An entire sea parting!
• Water from a rock!
• Quail and bread falling from the sky! 

How glorious were the sights they were able to see!

There's nothing wrong with desiring the promised land but there is something wrong with not desiring the PRESENCE IN THE PRESENT LAND!

The promised land is a promise from God and we should be looking forward to possessing all God has promised without sacrificing all God is!

It's the PRESENCE in the PRESENT LAND that gets us to the PROMISED LAND ! We have this #treasure

GOD SAID TO MOSES- "My presence will go before you.... and behind you!" We have this #treasure

B- The example of Joshua. 

Joshua followed Moses up the mountain, desiring to experience the one that was meeting them in the desert.

Joshua lingered in the tabernacle, desiring the present glory!  After Moses and the children of Israel built the tabernacle, they would go there and meet with God.  Moses and all the others left, yet Joshua would linger behind where the glory of God was filling the tabernacle.

Joshua recognized the presence of God in the present circumstance and desired that above anything. He desired that even above being in the presence of Moses- the greatest leader on the face of the earth at that time! Hallelujah!  Joshua wanted to be in the presence of the one leading the leader!

Surely if Moses and Joshua could taste of the glory, we as Glory Filled Christians can!

NOW WE HAVE this treasure in earthen vessels. This is something we don't have to wait for!

The treasure in earthen vessels is more valuable than any increase in salary.

The treasure in earthen vessels is more valuable than any mansion or material thing.

Sometimes we as prophetic people can be so focused on the future we miss out on the presence in the present!

The treasure in us is more valuable than any move of God!  Why?  Because we already have what the move of God brings to those that don't have!

I have had the wonderful experience of being IN revival since 1993 but I can remember when the whole world was waiting for revival I was in my own personal revival.  In fact I can only remember a few years of my entire Christian walk I was not in revival!

My finances were bare to the bone, and my earthly circumstances looked bleak but I was having encounters with the LIVING GOD!

Your earthly experiences can be abased- all while you are encountering the living God!

GREAT JOY COMES FROM HIS PRESENCE- NOT FROM HAVING EVERYTHING JUST SO!

I thank God for the moves of God and I thank God for what I see coming but the thing I'm most thankful for is:

Christ who is in me and who is the hope of glory! 

If Moses can experience his glory in the middle of a wilderness how much more can I a New Testament Christian with the glory of God inside of me taste of his glory NOW?

AMEN, let's get hungry and thirsty and press in for more of God, more of his presence and more of his glory than we've ever known or seen!  He is I AM and his goodness is here now!

Let us look forward to what's coming while fully enjoying what has already come! Let us have a beautiful collision!  Amen!

Arise and Shine

WHEN WE ARISE HIS GLORY IS SEEN

When we ARISE, we are allowing the Lord to shine and be seen as he has already done! The glory of the Lord has already arisen upon us. It's time to arise and be of strong courage like Joshua and advance the Kingdom of God! It's not time to be sitting around waiting for something to happen!

We are in a new season of advancement where the body of Christ is arising.

In that arising we are diminishing the ability of the devil to advance the kingdom of darkness!

Praise God saints! It's time to Arise!  When you arise, people will come to you. The glory is already here!  

DON'T LET THE ENEMY HOLD YOU IN FEAR

Don't let your enemy keep you in a place of fear and intimidation! Arise, shine and proclaim with a loud voice what he has done for you! It's time to advance the Kingdom of God! Many do not advance because of fear and intimidation.  Be of good courage and take a step forward doing all he's called you to do!  God is already with us and already inside of us.

Your arising and walking forward puts fear in the devil and diminishes his work! As you arise in Christ, darkness flees and diminishes!  

People are in darkness but they see light in you!  They come to you to take part and be in the light they see in you!  All you have to do is shine! All you have to do is arise!  All you have to do is let Jesus live through you!  However, this is about more than JUST living the life.  People respond to a message heard.  Faith comes by hearing. We must be in the business of both living AND proclaiming. The gospel message was designed to be told.  

When Jesus came on the scene, those around were told to "God and tell!"

Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.  2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people;  But the LORD will arise over you,  And His glory will be seen upon you. 3  The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.    4 “ Lift up your eyes all around, and see:   They all gather together, they come to you...

ARISE AND WALK- GET UP AND MOVE FORWARD

Like Jesus says to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your sick bed and walk," so it is time for us to get up and move forward in the Word of God!  We are not sick!

We are full of the presence and power of Jesus himself!  It's time to arise and move forward.  When we move forward, we diminish the motion of the devil. Remember, the devil can't multiply.  

That's why all he can do is try to hold people back from serving God! As you move forward and win hearts and minds for Jesus, you cut off the devil!  Praise God I want to be in the business of diminishing the devil!

CUT OFF THEIR VEHICLES-MOVE FORWARD IN YOURS

Look!  God told Joshua, "Don't worry!  I'll give you the slain and you will hamstring the horses.  You will burn their chariots with fire!"  What God was saying was, "Go forward Joshua! Don't fear and don't worry!  I will make you victorious!  In your forward motion you will cut off your enemy's vehicles and you will cut off their ability to multiply! As you move forward your enemy will diminish!"  

Joshua 11:6

6But the Lord said to Joshua, Do not be afraid because of them, for tomorrow by this time I will give them up all slain to Israel; you shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.

I could expound on what it means to "hamstring" a horse but let's keep it simple. A hamstringed horse can no longer multiply!  

That's good news!  That means these enemies would be limited in number and ability!

In that day horses and chariots were vehicles by which the enemies of Israel came against them.  By hamstringing the horses and burning tClosehe chariots, their ability to multiply and their ability to move forward was cut off!  What has God put in your heart to do?  We are to go into all the highways and byways.  These are the roads the vehicles travel.

Whatever your highway and your avenue is, use whatever vehicle you have in your hands to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ converting the hearts and minds.  

Now is the time! Now is the season! We can not take lightly or miss this opportunity to advance!

Spreading the gospel and taking over hearts and minds is the New Testament truth of the Old Testament foreshadow of taking land!  I don't want to diminish the promise that the land of Israel is also important and God does have a plan for that physical land but that's another subject.  We are to be in the business of advancing the territory of Jesus in the hearts and minds of people!  Arise and shine and do not fear. Be of good courage and rise up to become all he's called you to be! Take your place in the body of Christ and let the light of Jesus Christ, the very glory of God be seen upon you! Praise God, it's time to advance and take over every highway, every avenue and every vehicle for getting the gospel message out! Be blessed today in Jesus name! Amen! 

THE GLORY OF THE LORD REVEALED

THE GLORY OF THE LORD HAS BEEN REVEALED

One day, after seeking the Lord for a period of three years for restored joy, and after much pressing into God and seeking him for all he had for me, he touched me in a way I'll never forget!  The God that was already inside of me, filled me with a great joy and with a glory I had never experienced before. He rewarded my hunger and he rewarded me by filling me with the joy of the Lord!  I will never forget that moment his glory was revealed in ways I had never seen before.  He touched me with glory and no man can take that from me!  I continue to press in and have since grown in the glory of the Lord.  I don't have the time or space to go into that testimony now which is for another time - but I just want to say that when God touched me in that moment, he lifted my pain and sorrow  & he made me laugh again.

He filled me with his presence in a way I had never experienced before; he filled me with such glory I had no more questions (at that moment,) and he left me hungering for even more!

Since then I haven't stopped hungering to know him more and to experience him from glory to glory!  I hunger and thirst for his Word and I hunger and thirst for his presence. I want to know him more!

For born again Christians, the Glory of the Lord HAS BEEN revealed and abides in us.  No matter what season you find yourself in, you can still live and breathe and move in him.  You still have the glory of God abiding in you and resting upon you. You still can truly say you are blessed with all spiritual blessings, and because of him, you live a life of no limits where you are in him and seated with him in heavenly places.  No matter the season, you are seated with him & the glory of God is seen in you and is released through you when you allow him to use you!  Amen!

Ephesians 2:6  and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

The prophet Isaiah prophesied that through the first advent of the coming of the Messiah (Jesus,)  the glory of the Lord would be revealed.

Isaiah 40:5 The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” 

The word glory in the Old Testament means "heaviness," and describes one's honor, majesty, abundance, splendor and heart. 

The heavy, weighty, splendous heart of the living God! 

The heavy, weighty honor, majesty and splendor of God is revealed in Jesus Christ.

Truly the heart of God is revealed in Jesus Christ.

The glory of a person or a thing is the thing about it that makes it what it is.  The glory is not only the presence of the glorified one but the manifestation and realization of all the glorified on is.

All of that is found in Jesus Christ!

Jesus outweighs them all!

If placed on a scale with any other, Jesus Christ outweighs them all.  Anytime I think of glory, I see a balance/scale with Jesus on one side and any other on the other and Jesus tips the scale every time!

WE'VE OBTAINED GLORY

2 Thessolonians 2:14  to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

To obtain means to preserve and possess.  Through the glory of God we are preserved and through the glory of God we possess all that he is.

I'd so rather be possessed by the glory of God and I'd rather possess the glory of God than to possess or be possessed by another!

Because of Jesus, we have been given the indwelling, Spirit of God, the presence of God, the treasure of God in earthen vessels, the very glory of God, inside of us!

We have his likeness, his image, his glory living right inside of us.

THE KNOWLEDGE OF GLORY

2 Corinthians 4:6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Because of Christ we can know God! Because of Christ the glory is revealed just as was prophesied in Isaiah 40.  In the face of Christ, through the indwelling of the precious Holy Spirit, the glory of God is known. 

WHAT IS GLORY

What is glory?  It's all that is God. It's his manifested presence.  It's all he is that can not be shared. He says he won't share his glory with another. It means weighty in Hebrew and in comparison with another, there is none like him; there is none that carries more weight and when present the glory will rest upon you like a weighty blanket.   It's the manifested, tangible, presence of the living God that is seen, revealed, made clear and known.  One day the whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God.  Today it is reserved for the hungry and thirsty.  If you want to experience more of God and if you want to experience the glory of God you must press into his presence with a sincere desire to know him.  You must abandon yourself and all of your selfish motives and agendas and press into him.  You must cast aside anything that will stand in the way of you pressing in to know him!  You must be willing to have him revealed even if it means you have to change!  You may very well be hanging onto a belief that you have to let go of, a sin you have to let go of, a desire you have to let go of.  You must turn to him with ALL of your heart and hunger and thirst for him like your very life depends upon it.  You must be willing to change in his presence if you are to experience the true glory of the living God because it is through his glory we are changed!

2 Corinthians 3:18  But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

You may have experienced the glory of the Lord at one level or another but according to the above scripture, we are transformed from glory to glory.  There is no stopping to experiencing and being changed by the glory of the Lord.  There is always more of God and there is always greater glory.  About the time we think we've seen or felt it all, God will reveal himself in a whole new way. We must remember God is God and we are not.  It is his glory and we are the ones needing the transformation.  How bad do you want to know him?  How much to you want to grow in relationship with him?  Do you want to know him more intimately than you ever have before?  You must hunger and thirst and press in to your relationship with him. 

The glory is tangibly felt because God is real and God's presence can be felt.  Believe me, when God's presence is manifested in fullness, you will know he is there.  God is forever omnipresent but there are times he makes his presence known and felt.  The glory is revealed in the moment.  Just imagine Ezekiel- one moment sitting by a river and the next moment he looks up and sees the glory of the Lord.  Imagine the moment Jesus takes Peter, James and John to the Mt. of Transfiguration and one moment they are in the presence of Jesus in the way they have known him and the next moment he is shining in brightness in all of his glory.  Imagine Moses, walking around a mountain and the next moment a bush is burning and the voice of God thunders from the bush.  Imagine the children of Israel, at one moment standing in the wilderness and the next moment there is a cloud hovering over millions of people or a huge cloud of fire coming between them and their enemies.  One moment he is ever present but not felt and the next moment, everything changes as he makes his presence known in power!  Glory is felt and when felt, leaves no questions as to who is felt because his presence can't be duplicated.  When released from inside of the born again Christian,  it is weighty and when present demons tremble and flee.  Your flesh may even tremble in  his presence as the atmosphere around him changes and no flesh can glory in his presence.  Yes, when the presence of God fills a temple, whether you or a church, the atmosphere changes!  The glory is the manifested, real, tangible presence of God.  The glory comes with power, presence and revelation. The glory comes with  revelation and manifestation of holiness and goodness.  The glory will cause the humble heart to repent of sin if in sin.  God is real.  God is not an imagination.  God is tangible.  God has substance and can be seen in his glory. The children of Israel saw the glory. Ezekiel saw the glory in an enfolding fire, a whirlwind and a powerful vision.  Moses saw the goodness of God pass before him. The disciples on the Mt. of Transfiguration have seen glory and even at times modern day Christians have had their eyes opened to SEE and have their senses sensitized to FEEL the manifested glory of God.  God is real and not an imagination and God IS ABLE to manifest his presence and make his glory KNOWN! The glory of God is the manifested presence of God that can be felt, sometimes seen, and can not be compared with another.  That's why it's so hard to explain.  You can't say it's like this or like that. There is no comparison.  How do you compare God to anyone or anything?  You don't!  That's why it's glory! It can't be compared and it carries genuine, manifested weight and presence!  The glory of God is the glory of God and when present, there are no questions in the heart of those who are filled or those who are genuinely seeking.

WE HAVE HIS GLORY

John 17: 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:

2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the Excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

The glory is a treasure we have been given to possess.  We hold the excellency of his power inside of us. What an honor and a privilege to be a born again Christian.  Before Christ, man was not able to have the excellency of God on the inside of them.  This is truly a treasure we should be hungry and thirsty to both experience and share.

Because of this treasure, the power inside of us is not our own.  It's his and only he gets glory for anything done through and by him.  Even the new life that we are able to live is all due to his strength and power working in us.  There is nothing in ourselves alone that we should deserve him but because of his great love, he has saved us and changed us and given us his Spirit!

LIFE BY GLORY

Our old life is passed away and in the same way the glory of God raised Christ from the dead, so the glory of God causes us to walk in newness. It's not according to our own strength but according to his glory we are able to live for him!

Romans 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

STRENGTH BY GLORY

Ephesians 3:16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.

Because of the glory of God, we are made rich in him. Because of his glory we are strengthened daily by the might of God.

JESUS IS THE GLORY OF GOD

To know Jesus is to know God. To understand Jesus is to understand God.  To see Jesus is to see God.  To see Jesus in his fullness and his glory is to see the express image of God!

Hebrews 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:

TO BE FILLED WITH GLORY IS TO BE FILLED WITH JOY

JOY AND GLORY GO TOGETHER

If you don't like joy and if you don't like the voice of joy you will not like glory. The two go together.  If you reject the joy of the Lord you are rejecting the Lord himself and if you reject the joy of the Lord, you are rejecting glory. To reject the joy of the Lord is to say, "Lord, I don't want your glory. I want your salvation and a little dab will do you Christianity but I don't want your joy which is full of glory!"

The joy that comes from God is unspeakable. The joy that comes from God is full of glory. When a vessel is full, it spills over to others.  Every time you see great joy in the bible it comes with a sound!  In fact, in Nehemiah 8:10b where the famous scripture, "The joy of the Lord is your strength," was first written there was great noise heard because of the joy of the Lord.  It says they made great mirth that day and mirth is a word meaning great joy usually with a loud voice!  The joy that comes from God may be manifest in a shout, or laughter, or overwhelming expressions of praise but when the glory of the Lord is present with exceeding joy, there will be a joy that goes beyond earthly joy.  It is joy unspeakable.  It is joy beyond and joy above.  It is joy that is also full of glory.  It is joy with great noise and voice!  It truly is exceeding joy!

The children of Israel had just had the Word of the Lord read to them and they had gained understanding of the Lord in a way that had been lost during their captivity.  The Word of the Lord, revealed in glory, always brings great joy.  Even Jesus said he had spoken words that joy might be full and that his joy might remain in us!  The revealing of the truths of God bring great joy! That's the way it is with us- before Christ we are in captivity and then the light bulb comes on and we see the glory of the Lord revealed.  With the revealing of the glory of the Lord, great joy comes!  You can't separate the revealing of the Lord from the joy of the Lord because when the Lord is revealed there is great joy!

One Christian should never criticize another for how they express their joy!  I just say, "Try rejoicing! You may like it!"  That reminds me of a cheer from my school days,

"Try it, you'll like it! Take a tip from me! I tried it. I liked it- a Jesus victory!"

When Jesus is revealed in all of his glory, there is great joy and it is full of glory inside of you!

1 Peter 1:8  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

GLORY AND EXCEEDING JOY GO TOGETHER

Jude 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy

Exceeding joy is extreme joy with exaltation.  Exaltation is extreme elation in raising of another and comes with rapturous excitement.  When you are filled with exceeding joy, you may praise, shout, spin, dance, jump, laugh or display great emotion.  This exceeding joy is not a quiet joy.  The true bible scholar, genuinely seeking truth, who searches this out will find in the most joyous moments, there was always a great noise. This is truly one of the deepest treasures in the bible and is a treasure available to the hungry and thirsty.

God will truly fill your innermost being with joy and laughter and that's good news for those that are or were hurting!!!!!

• I tell you the truth, the joy of the Lord is the answer to all depression and sorrow! 

• The joy of the Lord will turn sorrow into joy.

• The joy of the Lord will completely heal a broken heart. 

• The joy of the Lord will cause you to want to sing, dance, shout, laugh and celebrate the goodness of God!

• The joy of the Lord will cause you to laugh like you've never laughed before!

• The joy of the Lord is far better than anything any drug or drink could ever offer! The joy of the Lord truly is your strength!

Just in case you still don't believe me about noise and celebration take a look at the following scriptures (and there are many more:)

Psalm 126:2  Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”

Psalm 30:5-12 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.....11-You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, 12- To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.  O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

There is never silence with great joy.  The joy of the Lord will cause you to laugh, sing, dance, shout- it will cause you to do anything but be silent about God!

Praise God! I thank God that he will fill my mouth with laughter-that he cares enough about me that if I will seek him and press into his presence, desiring his glory, he truly will turn my sorrow to joy and fill my mouth with laughter. That's so much better than depression. 

If you are hurting and if you are depressed, don't let anyone hold you back from believing this!

If you are hurting and depressed, the joy of the Lord is what you need and with glory comes joy because when the glory of the Lord is revealed there is great joy!  This truly is the cure for sorrow and depression and I don't have the time or space right here to share my full testimony but God filled me with his joy and it's too late for anyone to try to tell me God won't make you laugh again!  He'll make you laugh and he'll do it beyond your wildest imagination!

HIS GLORY RESTS UPON YOU

As a born again Christian, his glory rests upon you and can be seen upon you when you allow him to shine through you.  Your stand for Christ and his glory in a public fashion may bring criticism or persecution but don't worry- happy are you because of the glory!

1 Peter 4:14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 15- On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.

You see, because of the glory, criticism doesn't matter.  The glory is far better than the approval of man! 

The glory is far better than acceptance in circles. 

I'd rather have God's glory and joy than anything this life can offer. 

That's what it's all about.  When you are willing to abandon all and abandon the approval of all to find him, you will find not only the knowledge of him but you will find glory and you will find great joy!

CALLED TO GLORY

2 Peter 1:3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.

God's glory is virtuous because he is virtuous. God's glory will never lead us into ungodliness or un-holiness. There may be many that are claiming they walk in glory but if they're living and ungodly life full of deceit, selfishness, wickedness and all kinds of ungodly acts and fruits outcropping from their life, they are not walking in glory.  God's glory will call you to holiness and purity.  God's glory is good.  God's glory is the answer to everything.  Like the Psalmist, I say, "Taste and see that the Lord is good!"  We are called to glory! Amen!

VICTORY!

God always gives us the victory!

All that's required in faith and it only takes a little a little, the amount 

about the size of a grain of mustard seed! 

A- grain! One- grain! That's a tiny grain!  Just a little faith is all it 

takes to be victorious!

Matthew 17:20  for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as 

a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 

Move from here to there,’ 

and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 

You may think you don't even have faith that size but

if you are born again, you do!  Every child of God whose faith is in 

Christ is victorious in God!

1 John 5:4 or whatever is born of God overcomes the world. 

And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

As long as you cling to Christ, it's your faith in him that will bring you

to victory!

 It's our forward motion in our walk with him!

God always gives the victory!

1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the 

victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

OUR POSITION IN CHRIST

Sometimes we just need to understand a little about our position 

with him:

Ephesians 1:19-23  ¹⁹ and what is the exceeding greatness

of His power toward us who believe, according to the working 

of His mighty power ²⁰ which He worked in Christ when He 

raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in 

the heavenly places, ²¹ far above all principality and power 

and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not 

only in this age but also in that which is to come. ²² And He 

put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over 

all things to the church, ²³ which is His body, the fullness of 

Him who fills all in all.

• It's his power not ours that has already won for us the victory!
• It was won for us when he rose from the dead!
• He is seated far above all principality and power!
• We are seated in heavenly places w/ him because we are his body!
• We ARE blessed with all spiritual blessings IN heavenly places!
• All things ARE under our feet because we are in him...
• And all things are under his feet! 

A little faith and a little forward motion

AND WE CAN'T LOSE! WE ALWAYS WALK IN VICTORY!

BATTLES IN THE PROMISED LAND

Joshua was in the promised land. Right in the middle of what they 

were blessed with there were battle to fight and nations to dispossess. 

Today we are in a battle for the hearts and minds of the people 

of the world. 

As long as we are on this earth, there will be battles to fight- 

some short, and some long!

As we fight:

• In this life we have tribulation!
• In this life we have trials!
• In this life we have hills and valleys!
• In this life we will fight battles!

THE MOMENT OF VICTORY

In every battle that moment comes when we are able to rest!

In every battle that moment comes where we win and the battle's over!

Our posture has to be forward motion, faith, courage & Trust in 

God's Word, (which me must read and digest in order to understand,)

believing it's true and confession of what he's said!

Forward motion is what brings us to the end of the rope the dog is on! 

(Pastor Howard Bass- www.howardbass.com)

As we walk forward believing and obeying God, the battle does end!  

Even when we are sifted, Jesus says he has prayed that our faith fail not!

Sometimes we need to remember we have an intercessor, Jesus Christ!

JOSHUA'S EXAMPLE

Joshua was right in the middle of the promises of God but still had to 

fight battles.  The moment came when the battles were won! 

I love it when it says after the battle at Gibeon, Joshua returned to 

what he was doing!

Josh 10:43  43 Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, 

to the camp at Gilgal.

The very next chapter shows Joshua continued in forward motion with 

faith in God. His faith was not in himself but in the one who had been 

with them all along, the same one who had been with Moses!

Josh 11: 15 As the LORD had commanded Moses his servant, 

so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing 

undone of all that the LORD had commanded Moses.

Sometimes we may feel the battle will never end but each battle has an 

end. In the same way the battle came, the battle will also end!

• Don't lose faith because it seems like a long time!  
• Just a little faith will get you through.  
• Trust God and fight to the end!

Fight to the end- which does come!  Be strong!  Josh fought to the end, 

having faith in God and God gave Joshua rest!  The end did come and so 

it will for every battle we fight!  Amen!  Be strong and of good courage and 

trust in the Lord Jesus who always gives us the victory!

Joshua 11:  23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all 

that the LORD had said to Moses; and Joshua gave it as an 

inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes.

Then the land rested from war.

Amen, let's believe God, have just a little faith, stand fast and fight to 

the endand he will give us victory in every battle!  Amen!