John 7:38

"Rivers Of Life"



What does the heavenly "River of Life" look like?  I imagine that it would be reflective of the Golden streets; it would be peaceful and exotic; it would look as though it had no bottom; and it would portray the very Glory of heaven.  Until we arrive in heaven, though, we in earth, have the honor of diving into the essential waters of the "here and now" Rivers of Life!

"He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said,

out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."

(John 7:38)

Rivers are waters, and water is a necessity of Life!  So it is for the soul and spirit of man.  There are three rivers every human being must swim in for eternal life, the river of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the waters of baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the life giving waters of the Word of God.  That river that flows out of the belly of man is the Spirit of the Lord, the Holy Ghost and fire!  When one is filled with the Holy Ghost and speaks with other tongues, "life" emerges in the spirit of the person filled, because suddenly the Spirit of the Creator comes to dwell in a human being  ...  everything looks different, smells different, feels different; beauty has come to live in the human spirit and earth becomes heaven for a moment in time and we get a taste of our eternal home  ...  "in earth as it is in heaven!" 

Then Peter said unto them, "Repent, and

be baptized every one of you in the name of 

 Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and 

 ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

(Acts 2:38)

Why are so many people depressed, down, discouraged, and so without hope in this day and age?  The have no "rivers!"  They are dehydrated!  Water is essential for life; the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit is the "living" water that flows out of the belly of man when filled with God's Spirit; waters of baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ are a likeness to the burial of Jesus Christ; and the waters of the Bible are life giving strength renewing us day by day.  We participate in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ by repentance (His death), baptism in His name (burial), and receiving His Spirit, the Holy Ghost (His resurrection).

"With joy you will draw water from the

wells of salvation."

(Isaiah 12:3)

The wells of salvation are life's golden rivers; they are the ecstasy of the human existence.  What have you got to lose?  Maybe you've tried everything else, and nothing has brought lasting, real, undeniable Joy!  Do you know what absolute, ethereal, mind-boggling, heart thrilling, soul leaping, exciting, glorious, all-consuming, powerful, and utterly beautiful JOY is?  It is "that" spoken of by the prophet Joel; it is dynamite; it is unspeakable and full of Glory; it is the epitome of heaven in earth; it is the never-thirst energy drink of eternity; it illuminates the vision, deepens the senses, thrills the psyche, and explodes the nerve cells  ... it is the Holy Ghost and fire!

"The LORD will guide you always; He will satisfy

your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen

your frame.  You will be like a well-watered garden,

like a spring whose waters never fail."

(Isaiah 58:11)

Life's waters are within our grasp here in earth, and they prepare us to live in an imperfect world, but afford us a heavenly peek in a human experience of the "Garden of Eden!"  They are the glorious preview, the Bible command, and the "salvation ticket" to the eternal, and greatly anticipated "Rivers of Life" that are just a trumpet blast away  ... Heaven's Gates! 

   

                                                                    By Sheryl Fowler

                                                    (Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

                                               PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

Matthew 26:40

"SOUL CALL"

The Lord asked His disciples, "What, could ye not watch with me one hour?"  The Lord was about to die for the sins of the world, and the disciples were asleep!  How does anyone sleep when it's "Midnight?"  Thousands of years have ticked away and now we are but moments away from Midnight  ...  the Lord will come as a thief in the night  ...  the trumpet will sound for those who are ready  ...  it will be a "Soul Call!"

"Watch and pray so that you will not 

fall into temptation.  The spirit is 

willing but the body is weak." 

(Matthew 26:41)

The key word is "Watch!"  The "soul call" is beckoning the angel with the golden trumpet and the Word is on the lips of heaven's participants: "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."  (I Thessalonians 4:16-17)  This is referred to as the Rapture of the Church; "rapture" meaning 'caught away' in the air to be with the Lord forevermore. 

"In a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last

trumpet, for the trumpet will sound, the dead will

be raised imperishable, and we will be changed."

(I Corinthians 15:52)

The Rapture of the Church will spare the Lord's own from the terrible judgments coming upon the earth and upon those who did not receive Him as their Savior.  The judgments will last seven years and this period is called the tribulation period.  This is documented in the Book of Revelation and occurs after Revelation 4:1.  In Matthew, the Lord said that as it was in the days of Noah and before the flood, so shall it be in the days of the coming of the Lord.  People will be eating and drinking, marrying and given in marriage, and the Lord will come as a thief in the night.  A thief comes for something valuable; the Lord is coming for those vessels of honor who have obeyed Him; they have received Him as their Savior; they have been filled with His Spirit and spoken with other tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance; and they have been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.  All of these will be counted worthy to escape the horror that will come upon the earth  ...  and we know the time is near, for the Lord said there would be mockers saying, "Where is the sign of His coming?"  These comments were made just this week by television personalities, and they are even doing skits to mock the Lord's coming  ...  the time is near  ...

The scripture in I Thessalonians 3:13 states, "May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones."  This is the "hope" for the Christian; there "WILL" be a Rapture of the Church; there WILL be a day when the News commentators will break into programming to announce that millions all over the world are missing and unaccounted for.  People standing together will realize their mate, father, daughter or mother just disappeared before their very eyes; planes will crash with no pilots; cars will be wrecked, littering the freeways by the thousands with no drivers; and all manner of transportation will have people missing with huge pile-ups and unthinkable accidents  ... because drivers are gone, Engineers have suddenly disappeared, pilots have vanished from their cockpits.  People will be wandering the streets looking for their loved ones, their neighbors, and their friends.  There will be no so-called mocking hilarious skits of the coming of the Lord  ... then ...

Look up; your redemption draweth nigh!  Lord, please forgive me of all of my sins; wash me in Your blood, cleanse me of all evil and unrighteousness; give me a pure heart.  Fill me with Your Spirit; I'm going to stay right here praying until You fill me and I speak with other tongues.  I must be ready!  I will be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and I will live for You all of my days.  Protect me from all harm and evil; lead me in the paths of righteousness for Your name's sake.  Amen!

I heed the "Soul Call!"  It's almost Midnight ....

                                                                                                                      By Sheryl Fowler

                                                      (Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

                                                 PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

I Peter 2:17

"Boots And Bibles"

Here's a nugget of Wisdom from Pastor Kenneth Phillips of PromiseLand Church:  "Without God, we cannot; without us, God will not!"  In other words, and in Texan terms, the work of God requires "Boots and Bibles," and I'm not talkin' about Cowboys! ... or then again, maybe I am  ...



Yep!  I'm talkin' about Cowboys  ...  Americans, Chinese, Japanese, Asians, Indians, Greeks ... everyone in the world  ... if you wear shoes; I'm talkin' about you!  The head scripture says, "Honor all men.  Love the brotherhood.  Fear God.  Honour the king."  It's about loving one another in the faith.  One translation says, "Show proper respect to everyone."  That's sometimes tough to do, since we are not always afforded that reciprocal respect.  However, that's what motivates the God of the universe  ... loving others, laying down one's life for a friend, preferring our brother or sister, eating with the publicans and sinners, feeding the hungry, helping those in need  ...  and taking the Gospel to every living creature on the face of the earth  ... that's America!  America has always been the most benevolent Nation, and we don't crow and beat our chest for that  ...  it comes from our love for the eternal God, who teaches us all how to love.  And, that's God, Himself, in operation!  He passes the baton to us to carry on His work and if the operation happens to be passed to a boot shod, slow-talkin', rodeo belt-buckled cowboy-hat-clad Texan ... so be it!  

"Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God

what is God's."

(Matthew 22:21)

Clarke's commentary says it brilliantly, "This answer is full of consummate wisdom.  It establishes the limits, regulates the rights, and distinguishes the jurisdiction of the two empires of heaven and earth.  The image of princes stamped on their coin denotes that temporal things belong all to their government.  The image of God stamped on the soul denotes that all its faculties and powers belong to the Most High, and should be employed in his service."  In Texan, that means, "Not plum, but pert near ..." what I would say!  One thing you should know; Texans are BIG on America, and Texans are Texans through and through  ...  some of 'em say things like, "on the eighth day, God created Texas!"  ...  I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here quick as I could!"  ... 

If there's one thing you don't wanna do, it's "mess with Texas."  We believe in God, Guns, Country, and Barbeque!  And, if you mess with us on this very patriotic day, we'll say things like, "Well that just dills my pickle;" "That's about as useful as a trap door on a canoe;" "You look about as happy as a tick on a fat dog;" "I'm finer than frog hair split four ways;" "She was so tall if she fell down, she'd be halfway home;" "You're lyin' like a no-legged dog;" "You could start an argument in an empty house;" "a bird in the hand causes a big mess;" "Why are you smilin' like a goat in a briarpatch?"  You get the picture  ... Texans have a "sayin" for everything!  

"Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth

so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one

another deeply from the heart."

(I Peter 1:22)

You've heard of "Deep In The Heart of Texas?"  We've got deep hearts, and Hey, you gotta love us  ...  God said so!  It's for sure; if you ever come to Texas, you'll see "Boots and Bibles!"  And, don't be surprised if the first hour you're here, somebody walks up, tips his hat, smiles, and says in that good ole friendly Texas drawl, "Well, don't you look prettier than a glob of butter on a stack of wheat cakes!" 

Happy 4th from Texas!

                                                            By Sheryl Fowler

                            (Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

                                                PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

Isaiah 40:31

"America's Fire"

America!  The land of the brave and the free!  What has made America great?  The strength of our great Nation lies in its underlying "faith;" the belief that we are a Nation "Under God;" the "humble pride" of our Nation, an oxymoron of Spiritual proportions   ...   we are symbolized by the power of the Eagle and the force under our Eagle's wings is the Fire of the Holy Ghost!

America doesn't fly alone; she is buoyed up by the winds of the eternal Holy One of Israel, the God of all Creation, the Lord Jesus Christ!  Her foundation is faith; her impetus is "In God We Trust;" and her divine motivation is to bring truth to the world.  The Eagle is an appropriate symbol for the greatest of Nations, because she flies freely and her people enjoy the unencumbered wafts of clear lonely air  ...  she flies above the rest, upon the winds of liberty borne up by the words "We The People."

America is only 6% of the world, yet the Fire, the Passion, the "Spirit" of America influences every other Nation on planet earth.  Her influence has sparked the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in all of the other 143 Nations, and hundreds of millions of people have been baptized with the Holy Ghost and FIRE!  The Eagle has spread her wings in every direction, North, South, East and West for the Glory of God in the earth.  

The storm clouds hover and have sought to destroy America, but still the Eagle flies!  A foundation built upon Truth cannot be easily destroyed!  Proverbs 29:2 says, "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn."  We must always vote righteous people into positions of authority, because when the righteous rule, the Nation will be blessed.  

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew

their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles;

they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

(Isaiah 40:31)

Mount up, O weary one, Saint of God, Eagle in flight, by the power of the Holy One of Israel, and rise above earth's dilemmas.  The Holy Ghost is our strength; it is the "Fire" that gives us energy, passion, stamina, and courage to fight on!  We must have the Fire of the Spirit to overcome, to stand against evil, to repel temptations and lusts of the flesh; it is the power beneath our wings!  

America's Fire is burning outside its boundaries; it's burning among every Nation, kindred and tongue; it is jumping the fences of communism, dictorial reign, and spiritual untruths.  It's the Fire of the Holy Ghost and it will land upon all flesh, Joel 2:28, until the last "number" speaks the last word of unknown tongues and the door is shut.  The clock is ticking; the days turn to moments; the Nations are feeling the "crush" of destiny's talons   ...   the Eagle is flying and seems to find no resting place, for the "Fires" are consuming the world, infiltrating the Nations, crossing the seas, and filling dry, parched, hungry souls by the millions ...

It seems there's a sound from the portals of heaven, to the Church of the living God  ...  My Saints, My Mounted Up Eagles; the winds of My Spirit are blowing  ... Don't just fly  ...  it's time to SOAR!

                                                                                                                                           By Sheryl Fowler

                                                       (Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

                                                 PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

Psalm 23

"I Shall Not Want"



Psalm 23 is the most beloved of all the Psalms; we cling to its words and meaning as the very motion of clinging to our Lord Jesus Christ!  It seems to say everything we feel toward the lover of our souls, and everything He feels toward us.  The Shepherd gives His life for His sheep  ...  Jesus Christ our Lord and Shepherd did just that for you and me  ...  As the storms swirl, rage and scream all around us; we need to make sure our Shepherd is carrying us, and if He is, "we shall not want."

The question is, "Want what?"  People "want" for all kinds of things  ...  and the first in the category IS "things."  But, what does it really mean when the Lord whispers through the Spirit, "You shall not want."

"He tends his flock like a shepherd: he gathers the

lambs in his arms and carries them close to his

heart; he gently leads those that have young."

(Isaiah 40:11)

The New Living translation of the Bible seems to make it clear: "The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need."  That's it!  That's what the Lord means when He says we shall not want!  When you have the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ living within you, you have peace, joy, love, power to overcome and repel evil, and the strength to endure anything that comes against you or attempts to overtake you.  In other words, you have all you need!  And  ...  that translates to "all you want"  ... if .... "if" we are looking through the eyes of God!

To be protected by our Shepherd ranks uppermost on our "wants" list, or rather it should.  Sheep scare easily; they can get lost in their own pasture; they tend to wander and end up on a ledge where there's a bit of lush green grass, not realizing they won't be able to climb down.  Sheep can drown in moving waters with their heavy wool coats, so the Shepherd goes upstream and dams up the waters, so that the waters are "still" for the sheep to drink.  The Shepherd puts oil in the snake holes and then oil on the sheeps heads and noses, so that the snakes won't come near when they smell the oil.  The Shepherd checks the sheep at the end of the day for burrs and foreign matter in their wool.  The Shepherd's life belongs to His sheep.  No one  ...  no one cares for the sheep, like the Shepherd!  Jesus Christ our Lord gives us direction, goes ahead of us and prepares the way, anoints our heads with oil, and touches us with the brush of angels' wings in our weariest struggles.

This actually occurred in Palestine.  A couple of shepherds ended up on the same road with all their sheep and none of the sheep had brands to distinguish whose sheep belonged to whom, so one of the Shepherds went down the road a bit and called to his sheep.  All the sheep that belonged to him came running, leaving all the rest of them with the other Shepherd.  The Lord said, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me."  (John 10:27)

Are you a sheep without a Shepherd?  Do you long for "peace that passes all understanding?"  The worse thing you could imagine can happen to you; maybe it already has, and you don't know where to turn or what to do.  Maybe you have even considered taking your own life  ....  STOP!  Don't do it!  The Lord Jesus Christ loves you!  The words "I shall not want" mean that your soul will be satisfied perhaps for the first time in your life.  Jesus Christ will hold you in His arms, calm your fears, and as you walk with Him and talk with Him, He will work out every situation in your life.  Call out to Him; tell Him you're sorry for every sin; ask Him to fill you with His Spirit, and you will speak with other tongues as the Spirit of God fills you.  Then, be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.  He is your Shepherd!  Underneath are His everlasting arms!

You've been walking on your own long enough.  The Lord Jesus Christ wants to carry you!  He will be all that you need; He will give you joy unspeakable and full of Glory; He will satisfy that longing you've had your entire life for real peace and real comfort.  Try it .....reach up to the arms that will never leave you, never forsake you, and experience something very unique and utterly beautiful  ... Rest in the arms of "Real Love" and for the first time in your life  ...  "you shall not want."

                                                                                                                                 By Sheryl Fowler

                                             (Visit Promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

                                       PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

John 5:35

The Night



We can be a candle, or we can be a torch, but we should all be like John, who was a burning and shining light!  The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is the torch, the lighthouse, the killer of darkness, for a lost and dying world.  The saints of Almighty God are here to "Light The Night."

"Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the

heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness,

like the stars for ever and ever." 

(Daniel 12:3)

Planet earth is grower darker and darker, but there's good news to behold, because the Church of the living God is grower brighter and brighter!  From North to South and East to West, we can feel a new wind blowing; it's the wind of the Spirit raining power and Glory on a dry, parched, barren land of lost and starving people searching for the reaching hand of God.  Sooner or later, every soul will kneel before Him and call Him LORD!  "Him, who?"  you ask.  He is Jesus Christ our Lord, the Holy One of Israel, the Savior of the world, the Lily of the valley, the bright morning star, the Creator of all things, The One true and only God, our soon coming King!

"And we have the word of the prophets made more certain,

and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light 

shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the 

morning star rises in your hearts."

(2 Peter 1:19)

What should one do in this shaking, rocking, fighting, terror ridden, storming world?  Get out the roadmap, and follow the appointed route  ...  the Holy Bible!  The Lord left detailed instructions of what has happened, what is happening, and what will happen.  Prophecy is still in operation, and it is unfolding with astute accuracy from the roaring words of Prophetic voices of the Bible to the powerful Prophetic voices today, as the light of God's Word fills the whole earth.  

"The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,

shining ever brighter till the full light of day."

(Proverbs 4:18)

 The Lord Jesus said in John 8:12, "I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."  Have you ever felt as though you were filled with darkness, surrounded by darkness, sitting in darkness?  Come to the light  ...  come to Jesus Christ the Lord!  Receive Him as your Savior, repent of your sins, ask Him to fill you with His Spirit and speak with tongues, be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and experience the most glorious, beautiful, peaceful light you have ever known!

The more people walking in the light, the lighter and brighter our world becomes!  We're all fires of the omnipotent Flame!  We can only dispel the darkness by the proliferation of being filled with the flame and pouring fire to fire!  And, soon the darkness will have trouble with its ebony torment, because the burning flares of Glory will cover the world and "Light The Night!"

                                        

                                                                                             By Sheryl Fowler

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

                                              PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

Luke 8:2

"Passion's Paradox"

".. And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils .."   Mary Magdalene is the focus of the day.  She is an example of, and represents, a paradox of the highest proportion,  the extent of the Lord's passion. 

The Lord Jesus Christ IS the essence of "Passion."  The word Passion by definition means "intense overpowering emotion such as love, joy, hatred or anger."  The Lord embodies all of those emotions.  You say, "Jesus doesn't hate!"  I beg to differ;  He "hates"  SIN!  Then, you say, "But, how can a loving God be angry?"  Hide and watch!  He threw out the money changers in the temple, because He was angry; He burned Sodom and Gomorrah in anger; He opened up the earth in the old testament and swallowed up evil doers  ...  He always punishes SIN, and SIN makes Him angry  ...  because SIN destroys the very creation He formed by His own hand!  So, where is the Paradox?  He destroys to protect; He tears down to lift up; He covers to reveal; He dies to live; He leaves to come; He asks us to lose to receive; He moves us to bow lower to climb higher; He says "sing" when we're in the very throws of bankruptcy  ...  need I go on?  He IS the Holy One, the Creator, God Almighty in the flesh, Jesus Christ our Lord, the soon coming King, "Passion's Paradox."

"When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week,

he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom

he had driven seven demons."  (Mark 16:9)

 Why did Jesus appear "first" to Mary?  She was always "there" first!  The one who is forgiven much, loves much!  Herein is the gist of the matter.  "Passion's Paradox" is an expression that Jesus Christ never goes for the obvious; He never chooses the One WE think He would choose.  You may think you could never do or be anything in God because of your past.  You may have done the most horrific sins, but you have been forgiven, and now you stay in the dimly lit shadows, worshipping from afar, sliding in to pray when no one is looking; you dance before the Lord in darkened corners of your bedroom; you "sing" Him love songs in the early morning hours; you speak sweet nothings into the listening ears of the One whom your soul loves  ...  and you think God would never choose "you" to be exalted in the church  ... Hello, Mary!  This article is for "you!" 

We are moving into a period of time when "the last will be first."  The "forgotten" ones are not "forsaken" ones; The Lord will bring them to the forefront.  Why?  They have been forgiven much, so they love much!  It's not that God loves those who were raised in the Lord and their lives have always been the purest any less; it's just God's incomprehensible, unreasonable, indecipherable, illogical, paradoxical "Mindset."  And, by the way, He's God; He can think any way He wants to!

It's intriguing, isn't it?  To think that God would raise up those whom society might think less deserving.  It's actually beautiful, profound, and very very humbling to all of us!  We look back ... out of all of Jesse's children, God chose smelly David, out tending the sheep, singing love poems to the Lord and strumming his harp.  No one else would have chosen him ...  Paul was a paradox, "singing" in the midst of a dirty, dark, hopeless prison cell  ...  God always hears "the song"  ...

 

How many Mary Magdalenes are out there?  Maybe you're reading this and you have a dream in your soul for the work of God, but you have never been chosen; in fact, you feel like your life was too bad, before the Lord saved you, to qualify you for any kind of ministry.  Hello, Mary!  Don't be surprised if you hear the Lord calling your name!  He heard your "song" in the night!  

The humble are exalted; the meek inherit; the losers become winners; the so-called ugly are crowned as most beautiful; those who are deemed "the can't do its" will "do it better than anyone else;" those on the back seat will be ushered and prominently seated on the front seat.  Why?  Because there's One who sees all, knows all, hears all, IS all  ...  Listen intently  ...  there's every reason for you to SING; you are the personification of Passion's Paradox and you can hear the faintness of a passionate loving whisper, calling, calling  ... "Mary?" 

                                                                             By Sheryl Fowler

 (Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

                                                PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)