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Confession of Faith:
“ I am filled with joy and victory because God has taken me over; He is fighting my battles. I am not afraid of circumstances because I can do all things in Him who strengthens me. He is not only my strength, but He is at my right hand. He is my salvation; whom shall I fear? “ He throws light upon life's problems so that I know I can act intelligently. He is my salvation, my deliverance from every trap that the enemy sets for me, from every snare in which he would enslave me. "God is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?" I am not afraid of anything. I have no fear because this God of Omnipotence is on my side. This is my continual confession. I confess… that I have a Redemption that God planned and wrought in Christ. I am a New Creation of which He, Himself, is the Author and the Finisher. I Confess… I have a righteousness that permits me to stand in His presence as though sin had never been. I not only have righteousness reckoned to me, but I have righteousness imparted to me in the New Nature that I have received from Him. I have received His nature, His Life; and in this Life and Nature is the Life of God. This makes me righteous even as He is Righteous. This is my confession. This gives me boldness in prayer. This builds faith. This makes my way sure. Read this aloud: I am no longer hemmed in by limitations because I am united with the Limitless One. He is the Vine and I am the branch. As a branch I bear His fruit because the Vine is imparting to me the fullness of His Life. I know the reality of this because it has become a part of my very being. I know I love because He has shed abroad His Love in my heart through the Holy Spirit, and I know that His Nature in me is Love. His Love ability has gained the mastery, for now I can love in whatever circumstances I am placed. I can say with joy, "Sin shall not have dominion over me." It can no longer lord itself over me. Circumstances can no longer hold me in bondage and hinder my usefulness in the world. I have not only God's life in me and this great Spirit Who raised up Jesus from the dead in me, but I have the use of Jesus' Name. GLORY TO GOD!!!!!! He has given to us a legal right to use the name of Jesus. Our confession is that whatever we ask of the Father in His Name He gives to me. He has given us the power of attorney. We are using that power to help men. We are taking Jesus' place now. He is working His own work through us. He is living His Own Life in us. Jesus said : "In my name you will cast out demons." We are exercising our rights. He said : "In my name you will lay hands on the sick and they will recover." Our hands become the medium through which His Life pours. We are living the abundant life. His words broke the power of death, of demons, and healed the sick. They do the same thing on our lips. Confession is faith's way of expressing itself. Faith, like love, is only revealed in action and word. Now we know how Faith comes… Rom 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Faith grows with your confession. The more you hear yourself confess the Word the more you will grow in Faith. Confession does several things to the believer: It locates him. It fixes the landmarks of his life. It mightily affects his spirit, the inner man, when he makes his declaration. For instance, there is Romans 10:9-10: 9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. There are two confessions involved here: First, a confession of the lordship of Jesus. And second, that we have become the Righteousness of God and are saved. These are positive confessions. The reason that the majority of Christians, though they are earnest, yet they are weak, is because they have never dared to make a confession of what they are in Christ. What they must do is to find what they are in the Mind of the Father-how He looks upon them-and then confess it. This can be found in the Epistles. When you find this, you boldly make your confession of what the Word declares you are in Christ. As you do this your faith will abound. The reason your faith is throttled and held in bondage is because you have never dared to confess what God says you are. Remember that faith never grows beyond your confession. Your daily confession of what the Father is to you, what Jesus is now doing for you at the right hand of the Father, and what the mighty Holy Spirit is doing in you will build a positive, solid faith life. You will not be afraid of any circumstance, of any disease, or of any condition. You will fearlessly face life as a conqueror. After a while you will find that Romans 8:37 is true: "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors." You will never be a conqueror until you confess it. Acts 2:1-4 And suddenly there came… Unawares, Unexpectedly Even though Jesus had told them of the coming Holy Spirit many times, when He came, He came suddenly, with no other forewarning If you were there when He came you got in on the outpouring There is one sure way to miss out on a move of God… Be somewhere else when He comes Not necessarily physically somewhere else, but mentally or spiritually somewhere else One device satan uses are distractions They are the things that get our attention off of what is important Hebrews 12:2a Priority Something that is more important than other things and that needs to be done or dealt with first Priorities : the things that someone cares about and thinks are important What Takes Priority In My Life? Your marriage and family are to be a priority in life If you have suffered the loss of someone you love you know how important love, marriage and family are Matthew 6:33-34 The Distractions Of This World Want To Dictate Your Priorities There is nothing as important as your spiritual wellness Spiritual wellness will heal the other issues of life There is a promised outpouring of God’s Spirit on this generation But this generation is the most distracted generation of all time Diligence in seeking God is out of fashion Holiness is “old school” In This Generation… Faithfulness to one’s spouse is optional but so is marriage But the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon those who are seeking Him will spill out and overflow on a generation that has had no time for God Our passion for Christ will become contagious It Is Up To The Church To Get This Right So The World Can Be Affected Mark 16:15 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Can we be the stewards of God’s power?
Can we ask Him to trust us with more? Then Be Ready For A Suddenly Recently I have preached two messages at our Church. One was entitled "Times of Refreshing" and the other, was entitled, "Another Wave". Acts 3:19 says... Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. Let’s define two words, Time and Refreshing: Time: signified "a fixed or definite period, a season," sometimes an opportune or seasonable "time“ Refreshing: a recovery of breath, revival We need times of refreshing We need times of His presence We have to be ready for these times by staying pure before Him How often are these “times”? How often is there “revival”? Is it a random act of God? Do we have anything to do with these times of refreshing? Do we have a part to play in revival? Our part is to be hungry and thirsty for His presence Our part is to seek Him with our whole heart Jeremiah 29: 11-14 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back from captivity. Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Acts 2:15-18 These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: "In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy." The Outpouring Of The Holy Spirit Upon Man Is Scriptural. It has been prophesied from the Old Testament into the New Testament. This outpouring has been prophesied by men and women of God through the centuries. He will not promise an outpouring of the Holy Spirit with signs and wonders and settle for a watered down, half-hearted substitute for His plan. However, I must make a statement at this point about “Times of Refreshing” that concerns you, the individual believer. I am an advocate of Revival. I know that there is Another Wave of the power of God like we have never known coming to this planet. Joel chapter 2 is very clear that the first wave was a moderate outpouring. (Pentecost Acts 2). But there is coming an outpouring that combines the “former and latter rain in the same month”. Oh, how we pray for this wave of the spirit.
In the meantime, as we live each day, this “Times of Refreshing” from the presence of the Lord is how we live. Are we experiencing a refreshing in our daily prayer life, Bible study and worship? We should be. If these things are done out of duty rather than love to the Lord we are missing it. The Church has been led to believe that even the “Times of Refreshing” are only meant for a special event once or twice a year at church with a special speaker. No, we are to LIVE REFRESHED because that comes from the presence of the Lord of whom we are filled. Are you hungry? Are you Thirsty for God? Do you need HIM? Then call on Him and develop a relationship with Him and every day enjoy a Time of Refreshing. From My Heart, Pastor Dave Courage is the strength of purpose that enables one to withstand fear or difficulty. Physical courage is based on moral courage which is a reliance on the presence and power of God and a commitment to His commandments. It is the moral convictions we hold in our hearts that causes us to stand boldly and courageously in the face of danger, spiritual as well as natural. Philippians 4:13 Joshua 1:1-5 Jesus said the same thing to the disciples: Matthew 28:19-20 Joshua 1:8-9 Because God is with us we can do whatever is put before us. Our success is based on the presence of God in our lives. Our courage is not natural, but supernatural. God told Joshua to not let the word depart from his mouth. He also told him to meditate on the word. What you meditate on is what you will speak. Speaking the word will build your faith. Faith will cause you to stand with courage Our courage, our boldness is based upon the Word of God. If the Word says we can, then we can! Confession of faith… I am what the word says I am. I can do what the word says I can do. I have what the word says I have. More on this topic coming soon. Be Blessed!
Our Final Thought… What time is it?
Peter stood up and preached this scripture on the day of Pentecost.
What time is it? Peter said it was the time of the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy.
What time is it? It is the age of the favor of God upon man, Jesus said… “Today This Scripture Is Fulfilled In Your Hearing.” WHAT TIME IS IT? It Is The Time Of The Fulfillment Of Prophecy. Jesus Announced It, Peter Declared It, We Live And Demonstrate It. Be Blessed!
Pastor Dave From the book: "The Life and Teachings of Jesus, volume 1" by Gordon Lindsay.
Brother Gordon writes.. God became man that he might save man. Nothing is more obvious than the fact that humanity, to survive must have a savior. The wise men of this world, the philosophers and intellectuals, are preoccupied in devising ways and means for man to save himself. The utter failure of mans best efforts to become his own savior is reflected by today’s appalling breakdown and the disintegration of the very foundation of society. Today, we see law and order and even the basic principles of common decency rapidly giving way to lawlessness, anarchy, crime, immorality, perversion and wickedness of so revolting of nature as to shock the sensibilities of all but the most depraved. The corruption of society proceeds at an ever accelerating pace, although never before in history have the masses enjoyed such affluence or such educational opportunities. Notwithstanding, the proliferation of psychiatrists, psychologists, and physicians of the mind, all appear helpless to stem the tide of social disintegration. The number of emotionally disturbed persons in proportion to the population continues to increase at an alarming rate. Man has indeed proven beyond all shadow of doubt that he cannot save himself. Vainly he tries to lift himself to heaven by his boot heels. The only answer to the world’s ills is Christ. In him alone is the secret of redemption: in him alone is the power to regenerate fallen human nature and to heal and restore the sin-sick soul. To Be Continued. Be Blessed! Pastor Dave What Is The Issue At Hand? Man in his unrighteous state is not acceptable to God. Only when you are born again into his kingdom are you acceptable to him. So what is going on around us? Is this message of the Kingdom relevant today? Are the things we see in the world today able to change? Is there a way to get answers from the Word and the Holy Spirit? The majority of the world’s population is going after the things this world offers. It is a drive that is unholy and devilish. It drives them to suicide, to divorce, to commit crimes and to crush everyone around them to satisfy their lustful cravings that are completely out of control. It Is Maddening! It Is Hellish! It Is Rampant! It Is Sin!
Greed driven societies are seeing something and it is making them nervous. The economy has been shaken up for several years. Housing costs and the ability to pay debts has driven our nation to record foreclosures. We are an energy consuming planet. So now we are making fuel from the products that have been used to feed us. Now there is an increase in beef and pork prices because the demand for corn is so high so it can be made into ethanol. These costs are passed down to the consumer who are paying more to drive and more to eat and in our human brilliance the worlds system is failing.
Meanwhile… The government is trying to keep the country afloat to avoid mass chaos in our streets. As Of December 3, 2014 The National Debt Of Our Country Was…. $17,992,315,964,995.85 And Increases By: $2.43 Billion Per Day And all the while our nation and the nations of the world are spiraling out of control and the heart of man is crying out for something real and Jesus Christ is the answer and we have to give them the answer. Families are in turmoil. Marriages are under attack. People escape reality by filling their minds with sinful pleasure and these pleasures result in mass addictions to pornography and uncontrolled fantasies. Man thinks if he can escape reality for just a few moments he will feel better. But these things only compound the problem. There is a price to pay to redeem man and Jesus paid that price. The blood of Jesus shed on the cross paid our sin debt. In This Crazy World There Is A Message That Makes Sense! Jesus Christ, The Son Of God Loves You And Has A Plan For Your Life! To Be Continued. Be Blessed! Pastor Dave
When the Gospel is preached there will be either a reaction or a response. A reaction could be like the one when Paul preached and a riot broke out:
Even the unrighteous declared that the message of Jesus Christ as king of Gods kingdom had turned the world upside down. That is exactly what this message will do. But actually, it turns the world right side up. Man cannot change his state with God on his own. The message of the kingdom is a message of hope for the hopeless, deliverance for the bound, healing for the sick, joy for the brokenhearted.
To be continued.
Be Blessed! Pastor Dave Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem. He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success. The Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread as far as the border of Egypt, because he had become very powerful. Uzziah had a well-trained army, ready to go out by divisions according to their numbers as mustered by Jeiel the secretary and Maaseiah the officer under the direction of Hananiah, one of the royal officials. The total number of family leaders over the fighting men was 2,600. Under their command was an army of 307,500 men trained for war, a powerful force to support the king against his enemies. Uzziah provided shields, spears, helmets, coats of armor, bows and slingstones for the entire army. In Jerusalem he made devices invented for use on the towers and on the corner defenses so that soldiers could shoot arrows and hurl large stones from the walls. His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful.- 2 Chronicles 3,5,8,11-15 His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful. But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the Lord followed him in. They confronted King Uzziah and said, “It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the Lord God.”Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the Lord’s temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead. -2 Chronicles 26: 16-19,21 Isaiah had an encounter with God that changed His life. That encounter with God had a direct effect on Israel. When the presence of God came Isaiah’s first words were… "Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips." The presence of God shook the temple, filled it with smoke or cloud, and brought the fire of God to burn up the impurities of Isaiah’s words That encounter propelled him into his ministry to Israel… Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Facts Regarding An Encounter With God Unscheduled by Man The word encounter conveys the idea of an unforeseen meeting. When Isaiah went to the temple that day, he had no idea that something life-changing was about to happen. The Presence of God Will Come “Suddenly” Man can not schedule a suddenly of God. We cannot manipulate this kind of experience, but we do have something to do with it. We need to be hungry for Him and put ourselves in a position for Him to encounter us. Still Happening Today Bible accounts describe God having unexpected, life-changing interactions with people. Since the Lord never changes, He continues to deal with humanity in powerful, unanticipated ways. Our hunger for Him, our pursuit of Him, our faith in Him attracts Him What Hinders An Encounter With The Lord? Too Many Distractions We need to position ourselves and hunger for Him. When He comes in a dramatic way it will produce in you an overwhelming awareness of His presence. When you encounter God there will be an awareness of His holiness. When the Lord appeared to Isaiah, He was accompanied by angelic beings who covered their faces and feet in utter reverence for His absolute purity and perfection. They cried out, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." This glimpse into the spiritual realm overwhelmed Isaiah with an awareness of God’s glory and holiness. Too often we attempt to bring Him down to our level, but an encounter with God opens our eyes to recognize His holiness and we elevate to His way of being. Think about it. Every great leader in the Bible is someone who had a Life-Changing encounter with God! The apostle Paul was transformed from a legalistic Pharisee into an anointed Apostle of Christ, why? An encounter with Jesus! One God encounter changed timid Gideon into a warrior leader. A burning bush encounter with God changed Moses from a directionless shepherd into a leader of millions. Their vision, their faith, their authority, and their anointing all came from an encounter with the presence of God! The Apostle John had a post-resurrection encounter with Jesus that gave us the book of Revelation: After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this. At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. -Revelation 4: 1-2 This Is An Invitation!
The door is now open in Heaven. Jesus is the door. (John 10:9) The door to Heaven has been open since Jesus reconciled us to the Father. That’s an invitation to all of us! Immediately, John was “in the Spirit”, going farther into an amazing God encounter. Every Bible passage is an open door – an invitation – to your next encounter with God. Jesus said, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."- Matthew 7: 7-8 Be Blessed, Pastor Dave
The Presence Of God Will Command A Response There are two responses shown in this verse: The Pharisees Response The Disciples Response The Pharisees response is to not acknowledge Him and to stop anyone who does acknowledge His presence. They said “rebuke your disciples”. A religious spirit opposes the passionate cry of heart felt worship. The disciples joyfully shouted with a loud voice. They made much to do about Jesus coming into Jerusalem. Jesus did not stop them and He still to this day inhabits the praises of His people. Mark 10:46-52 The gospel has been watered down so much that it is normal for the church to go through the motions and never have a manifestation of the Holy Spirit.
Confession: Father, I Will Praise You With My Whole Heart, I Will Follow You With All My Strength, And All My Might And All That Is Within Me. The disciples response is to erupt in praise and worship and cry out His Name and magnify His glory. 1. We must respond to the presence of God with praise and worship 2. We must respond to the word of God with verbal acceptance as well as accepting it into our spirit. 3. We must respond to the gifts of the Spirit when the gifts are in operation. If you don’t respond because you are too embarrassed, or shy, you cut yourself off from your victory. Sometimes a word of knowledge is given and the Holy Spirit does not prompt us to have you come down front for prayer. That is because the person the word was for is receiving with their faith. Sometimes we ask you to come to the front so we can lay hands on you, this is because the Holy Spirit is going to manifest another gift like the working of miracles or gifts of healing. When the gifts are flowing, faith is flowing as well, learn to respond quickly to the Holy Spirit. The greater the response the greater the manifestations of the Spirit. |
AuthorPastor Dave White is Senior Pastor of WOLCC, founded in April of 1995. Archives
November 2015
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