The Word of the Lord came during yesterday’s service. One thing we heard was that times of refreshing are here, and that the Holy Spirit will be for us like clear, clean, and strong water as a clear, clean, strong river. The level of the river needs to be higher than any dams in the river so the river can overwhelm and wash the dams away.
The call to action for every believer is to spend more quality time in the presence of the Lord, and to maximize the infilling of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit is filling us totally and is flowing freely, He will wash away all the dams of doubt, tradition, and sin.
I encourage all of us to meditate on Ephesians 5:17-21, and to do what it says:
Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.
Keep yourself filled up, and let the Holy Spirit flow freely in your life!
We can eat well, but if we don’t exercise well, we still won’t be healthy. Jack LaLanne said, “Exercise is king, but nutrition is his queen.”
Here are a couple of websites that have helpful information about fitness.
1. Dr. Mercola. www.mercola.com. He has great articles and videos on fitness in the fitness section. www.fitness.mercola.com.
2. Dr. Al Sears. www.pacerevolution.com. The workout videos are quite good.
3. Darin Steen. www.fatlosslifestyle.com and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/fatlosslifestyle. He has some great workout videos.
The bottom line is to get our bottoms off the line and exercise!
I’m still teaching the series entitled, “Satisfied With Long Life.” If you want to hear what I’ve been teaching, click on the “Resources” tab at www.theabundantlifetoday.org. You can click on the messages you want to hear, and can even subscribe to the podcast via iTunes.
BE blessed!
I’ve been preaching a series entitled “Satisfied With Long Life.” It’s based on Psalm 91:16 (NKJV): “With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.” That promise belongs to those who fulfill verses 1-2: “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in Him I will trust.’”
These are people who don’t have a casual and careless relationship with the Lord. No, these are people who stay so close to the Lord that they can hear His every whisper, and who order all their ways to line up with His instructions. They’re also people who open up their mouths and declare their total dependence on the Lord.
I freely admit I am completely dependent on the Lord. For everything. My family, my health, my food and shelter, my job, my profession, what I preach on Sunday – everything is a gift from Him. Even my breath is a gift from God.
A baby who is still in her mother’s womb doesn’t even have to consider how dependent she is. Whether she knows it consciously or not, every ounce of oxygen and food come through the umbilical cord that connects her to her mother. That is a picture of total dependence.
Once we’re born, we often think we’re really independent. We think we’re smart, talented, resourceful, clever, rich – whatever – because of ourselves. That attitude is prideful. It’s dangerous. It’s nonsense! And it moves us far from the shadow of the Almighty. In fact, God resists the proud, and only gives grace (favor, empowerment) to the humble. (1 Peter 5:5).
I’m convinced that anyone who received Jesus as Lord at an early age, became a student of the Bible, and ordered everything his or her entire life by what the Lord instructs in His Word (including diet and “lifestyle” choices), would inevitably live a long, healthy, and satisfied life. I’m also convinced that anyone who has lived far from the shadow of the Almighty can call on Him, repent, move into that secret place, live life His way, and begin living a longer and more satisfying life than they would have thought possible.
Are you living in the shadow of the Almighty? Are you really trying to live life His way? Do you regularly declare your total dependence on Him? Or are you filled with pride and rebellion, living way outside His shadow? The honest answer to that question will determine whether the promise in Psalm 91:16 belongs to you. My prayer is that you’ll run to Him and never, ever leave.
Have you ever thought about this? Our life circumstances right now are the direct result of decisions – large and small – we have made in our lives.
We decided whether to study or watch TV, whether to go into debt or wait until we had the cash, whether to use drugs and alcohol or stay clean, whether to go to church or stay home. We decided whether to eat healthy food or junk food, whether to exercise or just sit on the couch, whether to have sex before marriage or save ourselves for our future spouse. We make political decisions, financial decisions, family decisions, work decisions, time decisions, spiritual decisions.
Every day we make decisions. Some seem inconsequential. But each decision is important.
God gave us some guidance when He spoke to His people through Moses, as recorded in Deuteronomy 30:19 (NKJV): “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.”
The Lord must have thought we needed some help. After giving the choice, He gave the answer: choose life!
We have that choice every moment of every day. Most people don’t even realize it, but those decisions either lead to life and blessing, or to death and cursing.
Jesus said this as recorded in John 6:63 (NKJV):“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life.”
Solomon, inspired by the Holy Spirit, put it this way in Proverbs 4:20: “My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.”
When we think we can ignore the instructions – the commandments – the Lord gave us in the Bible, we choose death and cursing. When we think we’re so self-sufficient and smart, and don’t need any help from God, we choose death and cursing.
When we are humble enough to acknowledge that God is smarter than we are, and to do things His way instead of our own way, we choose life and blessing. When we acknowledge that even in the seemingly smallest decisions we need His direction, we choose life and blessing.
We can and should seek the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness, but can’t change the decisions we’ve already made. We can, though, change the way we make decisions in the future. The decisions we make will determine where we end up – in life or in death, in blessing or in cursing. He gave us a big hint: Choose life!
Does this sound like you? Something’s gone wrong. Terribly wrong. Maybe sickness has hit your body. Or maybe the bills have been piling up while the money has been leaking away. Or maybe hurt and strife have hit your family in a big way. And all you can do is think about the problem. It looms like a big monster in front of your eyes.
David had days like that. While he experienced the zenith of fellowship with the Lord, he also slipped into the depths of despair. Even his own son wanted to hunt him down, take his throne, and kill him. Here’s what David said, and it’s recorded in Psalm 121:1-2 (NKJV):
I will lift up my eyes to the hills— From whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.
Here’s what David is telling us – or really what our Heavenly Father is telling us through David. Stop looking down. Stop putting all the focus on the problem. There isn’t a lot you can do by yourself anyway.
Just think about taking a walk. If you spend all your time looking down at your shoes, you won’t see what’s in the distance in front of you. All you’ll see is your shoe leather and the pavement right in front of you. You’ll miss seeing how the path ahead of you is bending. You’ll miss the beauty of the sunrise, and the scenery around you.
What would happen if you lifted up your eyes. Start looking up at the LORD, the same one who made heaven and earth. If He can put a complex planet together in a complex solar system in a complex galaxy in a complex universe, if He can make a human being in all our complexity, then He can take care of what looks like a mountain of trouble in your life.
Look up. Search His promises in the Bible. Spend some time worshiping. Get quiet and pray, just you and Him all alone. While you’re with Him, He’ll invite you to cast your care over on Him and carry it for you. He’ll show you the way out. Before you know it, what looked so big will begin to shrink in comparison to how awesome He is, and how faithful He is to perform His promises.
Look up! Remember – He loves you! And unlike any person you’ve ever known, He will always be faithful to His Word.
Look up!!
In chapter 13 of the gospel according to Mark, Jesus instructs disciples of all generations about the signs of His return. In Mark 13:33, after describing the signs, He winds it all down to this: ”Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.”
Why did He tell us to watch? For at least two reasons.
First, Jesus wants us to watch so we will see and know the signs of the times. We’re now seeing signs of what He referred to as the “beginnings of sorrows” in Mark 13:8 and Matthew 24:8: wars and rumors of wars, nations and kingdoms rising against each other, earthquakes, famines, and troubles. The beginnings of sorrows will usher in a string of prophetic events culminating in Jesus’ return.
Disciples of Jesus should not be surprised by His return. We’re supposed to watch so we will see. In Matthew 24:37, Jesus says the coming of the Son of Man will be like the days of Noah. How is that significant? Noah knew a flood was coming. No one else even knew what a flood was. But Noah knew because the Lord told him, and Noah prepared – despite the ridicule of his family and neighbors. If Noah knew, so will we even as the rest of the world sits in darkness!
In fact, in 1 Thessalonians 5:2, the Apostle Paul by the Holy Spirit tells us that the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. But in verses 4-5 he tells us that day won’t overtake us as a thief because we are not in darkness, but are children of light.
We should not be surprised! In John 16:13, Jesus announces that when the Holy Spirit comes He will reveal things to come! Every Spirit-filled believer should be turning inwardly to see what the Holy Spirit is revealing.
Why should we watch? So we’ll see and recognize the signs of the times.
There’s a second reason for us to watch. Jesus told us to watch – and pray! We must watch so we’re thoroughly equipped to pray to the Father, in the Name of Jesus, effectively and with great precision.
If we as members of the Body of Christ step up, keep our eyes open, and pray with power in these days, great things will happen in the earth. Will you take your place? Will you watch and pray?
I’ve started preaching a series on the prophecy the Lord spoke through me for 2010. This past Sunday, I preached about the attitude we should have during the coming time of intense judgment.
Our attitude must be one rooted and grounded in love. Love is our commandment. Love is how people will know we’re the disciples of Jesus. If we judge other people, we won’t be loving.
Jesus put it to us this way in Matthew 7:1-2 (NKJV):
Judge not that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.
In the New Living Translation, verse 2 is translated like this: “Whatever measure you use in judging others, it will be used to measure how you are judged.”
That’s really sobering. If we don’t want judgment to be piled on us, we must refrain from judging others. If we’re critical in judging others, then when it comes time, we’ll be judged critically. If we exercise mercy, we’ll receive mercy. James put it this way:
Judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:13 (NKJV)
In fact, Jesus told us that even He didn’t come to judge (the same Greek word can be translated “condemn”), but to save. (See John 3:17 and John 12:46-48.
That doesn’t mean we turn a blind eye to sin, or equate sin with righteousness. After the last of the adulterous woman’s accusers dropped his stone and walked away, Jesus didn’t turn to the woman and say, “OK lady, go ahead and keep committing adultery. It’s not a big deal. Adultery is as good as being committed to your covenant of marriage.” No, He gave her instruction in righteousness. He told her to go and sin no more. He didn’t do it to be judgmental. He was loving, encouraging, and helping her to stay close to God and live in the Blessing instead of the Curse. He was helping her avoid judgment.
We must also be absolutely brutal with ourselves about our motives when we see people whose life decisions will lead to judgment, and we’re prepared to say something to them, or to someone else about them. Are we preparing to wag our finger in disapproval? Or are we really trying to encourage them in their walk with the Lord?
And if someone’s conduct does lead to judgment, and they fall, are we poised to say, “I told you so?” Are we at the ready to tear them down and preach at them? Or will we step in and encourage them and help them to be restored. Galatians 6:1-5 gives us our instructions – restore them gently, don’t be puffed up about our own righteousness, but examine our own work.
Here’s the bottom line. If we act like Jesus, we’ll love. If we act like Jesus, we’ll grow and develop and live in the fruit of the Spirit. And if we act like Jesus – if we love instead of judge, minister instead of condemn – then as judgment rains down all around us, we’ll be kept safe. If we really act like Jesus, we’ll win people to Jesus by the thousands, because they won’t be able to resist His love.
Let’s resolve to intensify our efforts to live the life of love this year. Let’s be radical for Jesus. Let’s love people instead of judging them. When we do, we’ll unleash the power of God, and lives will be transformed – including our own!
“’What about 2010?’ says the Lord. What will the year 2010 hold? 2010 will be a year of judgment. It will be a year of judgment for the nations. It will be a year of judgment for churches. It will be a year of judgment for people. But you need not fear because remember what my Word says: Judge yourself and you will not be judged. So you must judge yourselves that you be not judged. 2010 will be a year of judgment and my Word says that judgment begins at the House of God. There will be judgment in the Church and you will see and there will be revealed things that are happening in the Church – in the Body of Christ – that are not pleasing and are not consistent with my Word. There are some who are high who will be brought low, and there are some who are low who will be brought high. 2010 will be a year of judgment.
2010 will be a year of sifting. There will be sifting among the nations. There will be sifting among churches. There will be sifting in your life. There will be sifting of people. And as I prayed for Peter I pray for you that your faith fail not.
Do not put your trust in man, but put your trust in Me, says the Lord, for I will not allow you to fail. If you put your trust in man, you will fail. 2010 is a year where you need to stay close to Me because those who stay close to me will not be judged. And if they are judged they will be judged righteous because of the blood of Jesus. If they are judged they will be chastened, but they will not be brought down, they will not be brought low, they will not be touched, they will not be brought low. Keep yourself close to Me and you will have nothing to fear.
Pray for the mountains of Israel. Pray for the mountains of Israel. Watch and pray. Watch what is happening in the Middle East. And what people call the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are not what I call them. Keep your eyes on Israel. Remarkable things will happen in 2010. I have said it, says the Lord, and it will come to pass. But pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and pray for Israel. Watch and pray.
Do not be discouraged. There will be times of judgment in 2010, but you, if you stay close to Me, will not fall into judgment. You will rather find yourself in your wealthy place, in your spiritual wealthy place. So I say to you, fear not! And I say again, fear not! If you are my sons and if you are my daughters, then be led by my Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit that searches the deep things of Me, says the Lord, and you will never fail.”
What a weekend it was. Court Street in Athens, Ohio, was filled with costumed revelers for the annual Halloween block party.
This year was different. Sure, there were plenty of people who were drunk. As always, we saw silly, offensive, and clever costumes. Loud rock bands played at both ends of Court Street. What was different?
402 people received Jesus! In the midst of the revelry, the Gospel of Jesus Christ was offered in love, and 402 people responded.
How did it happen? Riley Stephenson, Minister of Evangelism for Kenneth Copeland Ministries, trained and led teams from Abundant Life Church into the fray. Danielle Dallas and Kelly Cates, two experienced members of Brother Riley’s soul winning team, dove in as well. The Holy Spirit moved, and lives were changed forever.
This was a snatch and rescue mission. Jude 23 (NLT) says this: “Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. There are still others to whom you need to show mercy, but be careful that you aren’t contaminated by their sins.” That’s what Brother Riley and Sisters Danielle and Kelly helped us to do. They trained us to overcome fear and live a “lifestyle of evangelism.” The lives of those who prayed will never be the same. We will never be the same.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that soul winning is only for the five-fold ministry, or for people who have a special calling. If you’re a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, then you’re called to be a soul winner. In Mark 16:15 (NLT), Jesus made it about as plain as He could: “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere.” That includes you. It includes me.
If you want to know more about what to do, check out Brother Riley’s web site: www.rileystephenson.com. His site has lots of great materials. Also, his YouTube channel (rileystephenson) is chock full of great videos, including a few from this last weekend’s Halloween. Or contact us at Abundant Life Church. We’ll hook you up with our new evangelism director, Lola Reardon.
Become a soul winner. Someone’s eternal life is depending on it!
Yesterday I posted a blog about Kenneth Copeland Ministries’ 2009 Southwest Believers’ Convention and the New York Times article covering it. I want to be sure that what I wrote is not misinterpreted.
I’m not condemning the Times or the religion professor who is quoted in the article. That’s not an appropriate response from a true follower of Jesus Christ, and that’s not what my response was intended to be.
Matthew 5:44 (NKJV) says this:
But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.
As one who considers himself one of the Copelands’ spiritual sons, I consider an attack on the Copelands to be an attack on me. What must be (and is) my response? To love, to bless, and to pray. And when a contrary thought pops up, it’s my job to cast it down, and to love, to bless, and to pray.
I pray for the Times reporter, for the religion professor, and for all those who have been so critical of Brother and Sister Copeland. Will all of you who confess Jesus as Lord you join me?