Thursday, February 28, 2013

"Leap" Year



"The Lord God is my strength, and he will make
my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make
me to walk upon mine high places.."
(Habakkuk 3:19)


It's time to dance,  jump, and leap children!  

The Lord will make our feet like hinds' feet, and those high places we will traverse easily.  One commentary says we will, "spring from height to height."  We will end up on a high rock looking down on the whole world below our feet and upward on high.  Beautiful. isn't it?  For the child of God, every year is "Leap" Year!

Hinds and harts, are called by the poets, "the brazen footed hinds or harts," because of the firmness and stability of their going, and it has been observed that the feet of the females stand firmer and more upright than the feet of the males.  We can make the application then, for this writing, that the "Bride" of Christ, the Church, will move in high places, will climb to heights of splendor and glory, will soar in the Spirit of mountain altitudes  ...  and sure-footed shall she be, standing on the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, no matter how treacherous the terrain of the world shall become.  She has hinds' feet; she will tread upon serpents and scorpions, and nothing shall by any means hurt her. (Luke 10:19) She is equipped with the full armor of God, and she has angels on either side  ...  She is The Church, and she will prevail!



Persecution doesn't thwart the Church, it only makes her stronger; she sings in the prison cell, worships in the lions' den, dances in the fiery furnace, jumps over walls of doubt and ridicule, shouts with a voice of triumph - because death has no sting, and she stands with the Holy of Holies inside of her, speaking with the tongues of the Spirit.  She's a Hallelujah Anyhow, a raider of the Enemy's Camp, a Saint Marchin' In, a "Fly Away" girl, a receiver of Amazin' Love, a singer of the Revelation Song, and she rises in prayer early, because There's A Little Bit O' Mornin' Outside!  




We have reached the mountain top, Saints, and it's time to look up and practice our flight.  What flight?  The Rapture of the Church.  LEAP for joy, rejoice in the Lord your God, praise Him in the sanctuary, Worship Him in the fires of the altar, dance before your King, and Shout to the heavens  ...  The tabernacle of David is with men; and lovers of God are joining the angels with the Holy, Holy, Holy in the ethereal heavenly chorus  ...  It's time to leap  ...


We are lofty mountain dwellers,  all ye children of the King; we "Breathe In" the oxygen of High places; we have hinds' feet that hold on because Nobody Told Us The Road Would Be Easy; Amazing Grace steadies us on the crags; and we've climbed this far, so we'll Go Tell It On The Mountain that Jesus Christ was born!




It's time, Church!  We have come to the pinnacle, and now we can hold nothing back.  We must cooperate with the time, the season, the appointed moment, the leap of faith, the leap for joy, the leap of worship, the leap because you know that you know, the leap in practice for the "Thief" ...  It's always "Leap" Year!




(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.)

Pastor Kenneth Phillips
(He preaches and the whole world leaps!)

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas
Services Sundays 10:30 am and Wednesdays 7:15 pm
~~~~~~~~~Live Streaming~~~~~~~~~

{Special thanks to cooltext.com for the use of 
graphic text generaotr}

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

"Let Him Part Your Seas"



"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
(I Corinthians 10:13)

We've all been there, done that!  What?  We needed a way of escape, a pardon, a way out of debt, a miracle healing, a touch of the Master's hand, a blessing, a light to shine in our darkness, and those who know and serve the Lord Jesus Christ have seen His provision; we've received the miracle; we've watched the gas tank needle move up without any gas; we've stood astounded as we gathered the brand new 10 and 20 dollar bills scattered in the front seat of the car to cover the $70 tuition; and where did it all come from?  The hand of God  ... through obedient people of God, through angels unaware, through  ...  but we know this  ...  God makes a way where there is no way!  Why don't you make Him your Lord and Savior, and "Let Him Part Your Seas."

Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes

The miracle of the loaves and fishes is a known Bible story about the lad who gave his lunch of five loaves and two fishes to Jesus Christ, who fed 5,000 people, besides women and children, with one lunch  ...  and afterwards, there were 12 baskets left over.  Now that's leftovers you don't grumble about  ... because it's miracle leftovers!  What if the boy had not had the lunch?  Jesus would have sent them to catch a fish and multiplied that, or He would have done something with anything, or with nothing?  He's Jesus; problems and needs don't thwart Him, don't stop Him, don't deter Him, don't puzzle Him, don't dissuade Him  ...  He's God!  Seas don't get in His way; diseases can't escape His hands; devils and demons obey and flee in His presence; meal barrels rumble and have to overflow at His Word; blind eyes become visual with a dollop of the Jesus mudpack; and, hey, you don't even have to be there sometimes for His Word to hunt you down and "heal" you!  That's "MY" LORD, Jesus Christ!

Jesus, Healing

What about you?  What "seas" do you need parted?  You say, "Well, I've prayed and prayed; nothing's happened."  Cast your net on the other side?  What?  Ask Him what He wants You to do to bring Your miracle?  You've prayed and asked; now it's time, perhaps, for "Your action" to seal the deal.  There always has to be an action on our part, however small it may be, to make way for His part.  The lame man was told, "Take up your bed and walk."  The leper was told, "Go, show yourself to the priest."  The blind man was asked, "What do you see?"  The man with the withered hand was told, "Stretch forth your hand."  It was in the man's faithful attempting to rise and take up his bed; it was in the "going" to show himself to the priest; it was in the blind man's words, "I see men walking as trees," (it was blurry, but he was endeavoring to see); it was in the forceful try to stretch that bent paralytic hand  ...  in all of these, there was an "action" on the part of the person needing the miracle.  

You say, "Why is that so? Why doesn't the miracle just happen?"  It is a principle of God; the Bible says if you don't work, you don't eat."  (2 Thessalonians 3:10)  In the old testament, the gleanings were left in the fields for the poor, but the poor had to glean it themselves.  It was not biblical that people got something for nothing; they did not  ...  not food, not healings, not provisions  ... all things required an action on the part of the recipient.  

Jesus, turning water to wine

When Jesus turned the water to wine, remember that Mary, Jesus' mother, said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."  They were told to fill the vessels with water; then, Jesus turned the water to wine, or luscious grape juice, as it were.  

We're waitin' on Jesus; He's waitin' on us!  What is needed?  First, we must be in His family.  What?  If Jesus is not on board your boat, He can't calm your storm, part your sea, or speak to your dilemma.  This is salvation I'm talking about; ask Him into your heart, ask for forgiveness of your sins in sincere humility, ask Him to fill you with His Spirit and you will speak in tongues when it happens, and then be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins.  Then, He's on your boat; you're in the family.  So, to part your seas, it may take a walk to the altar, a three-day fast, a "parting" of your own money to receive His miracle of money, a blessing to another to reap your blessing; the key statement is: "Whatever He says to you, do it!" 

The Lord Jesus Christ wants us to be blessed, to prosper, to do well in this life, but that's in direct relation to "our soul prospering."  "I would that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers." (3 John 1:2Could it be that we're not prospering, because our soul is not prospering?  Prosper means: to flourish or thrive; to grow vigorously.  How do we make our souls grow?  Prayer, fasting, reading the Word, giving, ministering, sowing, and "weeping."  (Psalm 126:5) 



Does the Lord "always" heal; does He always give a miracle; does He always deliver us totally; does He always give us a smooth path?  No.  The honest answer is No.  Sometimes we must endure the process, the potter's wheel, the Job trial of faith, the Joseph's false imprisonment, the Daniel's slumber party with hungry and growling ferocious lions, the walk with the fourth man in the fire, the Ruth change of beliefs to realize our Boaz, the prison cell of Paul to write the Book  ...  but, as the song says, "Through it all, I've learned to trust in Jesus, I've learned to trust in God." 

You say, "If we don't get what we want, why bother?"  The bother leads us to the "pearl," the treasure is one step below the other; the vessel realizes honor after humility; the eternal prize lies beyond the skies; the essence of us comes from the "Thus" saith the Lord; our existence is paved in gold only after our persistence  ...  In other words, we're not spoiled brats; we're children of the King, we're becoming the image of Him  ...  and the closer we get to His image, the more miracles we see, the more deliverance's occur, the more angels appear, the more fiery altars abound, the more we expect and see His glory, the more we experience "in earth as it is in heaven"  ... 

O, it's a long mysterious journey, this life in God  ...  sometimes we're healed immediately when we call; sometimes we struggle through pain and sorrow; sometimes the money's in the mailbox; sometimes foreclosure papers are in our hands; sometimes the child dies; sometimes "life" is a miracle; sometimes we dance; sometimes our tears are as oceans; sometimes we burn with fire shut up in our bones; sometimes the heavens are walled over; sometimes we embrace the vision; sometimes the vision embraces us; sometimes home is where the heart is; and ALL the time, for the blood-bought, water-baptized, Holy Ghost filled, tongue talking, God called, Rapture-ready bride of the King  ...  this world is not our home  ...



The bottom line?  We don't walk alone; sometimes He carries us, when we're too weary to go on.  Faith is knowing no matter what, the Lord is our Shepherd; in sickness and in health, in wealth and in less, in the desert and on top of the mountain, in the valley and by the brook, we KNOW that our God will see us through.

One definition of "part" is "somebody's participation or essential involvement in something."  Ah, it comes down to letting our Lord have the involvement HE wants in our lives, letting HIM be God in our lives, giving HIM the decision of participation  ... or not  ...  What?  Seas and waters in the Bible often refer to people; we need to "let God be involved with His people" however, whenever, and in whatsoever way He chooses.  In other words, Let go and Let God; He's your Maker and you're the partaker; "Let Him Part Your Seas."


(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.)

Pastor Kenneth Phillips
(He's a personal friend of THE Water Walker!)

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas
Services Sundays 10:30 am and Wednesdays 7:15 pm
~~~~~~~~~Live Streaming~~~~~~~~~

{Special thanks to cooltext.com for the use of
graphic text generator}

Thursday, February 21, 2013

"The God Squad"



"We then, as workers together with him, beseech you 
also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain."
(2 Corinthians 6:1)


Barnes' Notes says it perfectly and very beautifully, "It may mean that they cooperated with God, or were engaged with him in endeavoring to secure the reconciliation of the world to himself."  In laymen's terms; it means "WE" are laborers with God, you and me, and everyone in the body of Christ, those bought with a price, the group of ONE who are His hands and feet in earth, the filled up and sold out to Jesus Christ our Lord, those who believe and prove it with their love to the hurting and heartbroken; we are "The God Squad."

There were several of us, from my Church, who worked at the same place, and one of the other employees nicknamed us "The God Squad."  We, as members of The God Squad, rather liked it!  We were extremely happy to be noted, named, and ascribed as "associates," and Holy Ghost apostolic ministers of our lovely Lord and God.  And, even though the nickname was meant to offend, it caught on and the employees embraced it, so much so that they never hesitated to come to us for prayer or help whenever they were in trouble or in need.  For this, we were grateful and humbled.  We must work while it is yet day, for the night cometh when no man can work  ...

The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ must be preached 
in all the world as a testimony to all nations, 
and then the end shall come.  
(Matthew 24:14) 
                                                           
When the rains fall, the thunder rolls, and the lightning flashes, we are reminded of the price Jesus Christ our Lord paid for all mankind.  He was beaten, nailed to a cross, bleeding and pierced, for the sins of every man, woman, and child in earth.  For this, we go forth, spreading the Word, that "Your sins are forgiven; you don't have to carry around the heavy load of guilt and shame; you can have joy, peace, and life eternally with the lover of your soul, because He lives!"  He didn't stay on the cross; He was buried in a tomb, but rose the third day; He is alive and coming back very soon!



Such a happening, such a Grace event, such love for mankind, are the reasons we sing His praises, walk the path of righteousness, climb the craggy mountains of faithfulness, fast the days of sacrifice, yield our bodies and souls as willing vessels of holiness  ...  for the Master's work in earth; we are joint heirs, fellow ambassadors of truth, guardians of the gospel, and we are a squad with God, His Church, His bride, His hands of salvation and His feet of deliverance  ...  to a world reaching for help, crying S.O.S. in the shadows of mourning from valleys of despair, and WE have the answer.  Peace is in the hands of the Spirit living in mortality, walking around in shoes of Grace, prophesying power and love, from souls sanctified by the blood of the lamb  ...

  
                                                     
You say, "It's a new year, and time to party; we don't want to talk about pain, blood, and dying; we want glitter and glitz."  I hear you, but it's the best time of all to talk about Your Lord and King, and what He did for You.  It could be the best, most prosperous, most exciting, most wonderful year of your life  ... if You start it off with Jesus Christ as Your Savior and Lord.  Your life will take on new meaning, purpose, and love.  You have never been loved until You are loved by the Lord Jesus Christ!  He will never leave You, nor forsake You; He ever lives to rescue You  ...


A Prayer for 2013:
                                             
O, Lord, God of heaven and earth; I come to You with 
heartfelt repentance of all of my sins.  I don't want 
to take these sins into this new year; forgive me, I pray; 
cleanse me of all unrighteousness, wash me in Your 
blood; I lay every sin I have ever committed at Your
feet; please forgive me.  Fill me with Your Spirit; I 
know I will speak in tongues as Your Spirit enters 
my body.  I will be baptized in the name of the Lord 
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and I will 
come out of the water a new creature, a new
 creation, forgiven, clean and holy, and I will be
 a witness for You.  Thank You, Lord; I bless Your 
Holy Holy name forever and forever.  Amen.



It works every time; His promises are new every morning; His love is a Holy consuming fire; and His peace is an overshadowing dove dispelling all darkness.  He IS what He IS; He loves because He does: and He Was for Us!  That's the way it is! 



You say, "Hey, I wasn't ready for all this prayer, theology, and urging toward God, but I feel better!"  Oh Yes, You do!  And, You'll be back for more, because the love, power, and ecstasy of the Lord Jesus Christ is addictive  ...  and I'm always ready to give you more  ...  Well, what do you expect from a certified Holy Ghost filled, baptized in Jesus' name member of  "The God Squad?"



(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.)


Pastor Kenneth Phillips
(He's the Father of the worldwide God Squad)

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas
Services Sundays 10:30 am and Wednesdays 7:15 pm
~~~~~~~~~Live Streaming~~~~~~~~~

{Special thanks to cooltext.com for the use of 
graphic text generator}