Why You are in the Battles that you are in

Now that I have been allowed to mourn and praise, back to the Faith and your Faith walk.  As we walk along the path that He has chosen for us, we face many challenges.  One of the most powerful opponents we face is doubt.

Esther 4:7-17 (Amplified)

⁸ [Mordecai] also gave him a copy of the decree to destroy them, that was given out in Shushan, that he might show it to Esther, explain it to her, and charge her to go to the king, make supplication to him, and plead with him for the lives of her people.

⁹ And Hathach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai.

¹⁰ Then Esther spoke to Hathach and gave him a message for Mordecai, saying,

¹¹ All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that any person, be it man or woman, who shall go into the inner court to the king without being called shall be put to death; there is but one law for him, except [him] to whom the king shall hold out the golden scepter, that he may live. But I have not been called to come to the king for these thirty days.

¹² And they told Mordecai what Esther said.

¹³ Then Mordecai told them to return this answer to Esther, Do not flatter yourself that you shall escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews.

¹⁴ For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance shall arise for the Jews from elsewhere, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows but that you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this and for this very occasion?

¹⁵ Then Esther told them to give this answer to Mordecai,

¹⁶ Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast for me; and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. I also and my maids will fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.

¹⁷ So Mordecai went away and did all that Esther had commanded him.

Until we are challenged, we may not always be sure that we are fully equipped and ready for the appointed task.  The doubt of Esther was substantial – if the King became angry when she went before him, he could have her executed immediately (v11).  But, as it is with each of us, very often God uses those around us to speak to us.

Mordecai spoke (v14) to Esther’s head AND her heart when he reminded her that she was one of God’s anointed. The first part of the verse speaks to her head – reminding her of her heritage and culture. The second part of the verse is where God’s Wisdom speaks to her heart and to her spirit – “you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this”.

Let this verse speak to you as well. When the noise and clatter of your circumstances seeks to overwhelm you, hear Mordecai whispering in your ear. Hear his words speaking straight into your spirit – YOU were born with a PURPOSE and a PLAN from GOD. He put you where He did on purpose and fully equipped you to handle your situation. No matter what it looks like, you have access to the power to handle and overcome your situation.

Blessings,

Bryan       

What Happens when we Go Home - to Uncle John, Aunt Judy, Dad, and all of our Elders

Team,

As I stated previously, my uncle was called home last week, and he will be laid to rest next week. This sometimes difficult event is, however, another example of the power of our Faith and the Promise of being set aside by Him. I wrote this message last year, when another family elder passed, and it is still as true and relevant as it was then.

Revelation 22:1-6

22 Then he showed me the river whose waters give life, sparkling like crystal, flowing out from the throne of God and of the Lamb

² Through the middle of the broadway of the city; also, on either side of the river was the tree of life with its twelve varieties of fruit, yielding each month its fresh crop; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing and the restoration of the nations.

³ There shall no longer exist there anything that is accursed (detestable, foul, offensive, impure, hateful, or horrible). But the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall worship Him [pay divine honors to Him and do Him holy service].

⁴ They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.

⁵ And there shall be no more night; they have no need for lamplight or sunlight, for the Lord God will illuminate them and be their light, and they shall reign [as kings] forever and ever (through the eternities of the eternities).

⁶ And he [of the seven angels further] said to me, These statements are reliable (worthy of confidence) and genuine (true). And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His messenger (angel) to make known and exhibit to His servants what must soon come to pass.

This is a look at the "source" of Heaven - The River of Living Water. This is as Jesus promised when he spoke of us never going thirsty because His living water flowed (John 7:37-39) without end.  The river of Life flows from God, thru Christ, and to each of us via the Holy Spirit. The Water gives each of us a modicum of His Power and Love that we can tap into. In heaven, there is No Darkness. In our ability to tap into Him through the Water, there is No Defeat - we are assured of our victory in Christ and in His Plan for us. 

When you are faced with the departure of a loved one, take this scripture to heart, and lean on His Promise and His Word for us. Know that your loved one residing in verses 3 & 4 - continuously in His Presence for all eternity! Take whatever comfort you can find in these words, and in His promises to each of us.

Blessings,

Bryan

Expect Miracles, to be sure - but they Don't Happen Every Time you want them

Sometimes, we don't get a chance to get things straightened out on our timeline. Sometimes God moves the pieces on the board before we are ready. These disappointments and interruptions are a part of life's journey that we all take, but this does not make these moments any easier. Previously, I sent a message out concerning a Lazarus moment with my mother. Yesterday, I found out that my Uncle John has moved on to heaven over the weekend. 

Psalms 56:1-2, 8-13 (Amplified)

¹ Be merciful and gracious to me, O God, for man would trample me or devour me; all the day long the adversary oppresses me.

² They that lie in wait for me would swallow me up or trample me all day long, for they are many who fight against me, O Most High!

^.....

⁸ You number and record my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle—are they not in Your book?

⁹ Then shall my enemies turn back in the day that I cry out; this I know, for God is for me.

¹⁰ In God, Whose word I praise, in the Lord, Whose word I praise,

¹¹ In God have I put my trust and confident reliance; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

¹² Your vows are upon me, O God; I will render praise to You and give You thank offerings.

¹³ For You have delivered my life from death, yes, and my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life and of the living.

Loss is a part of life for every single one of us. It teaches us the importance of now. I have always assumed that I had some more time to mend relationships, apologize, forgive, and to be forgiven. The sense of unfinished business can be a particularly difficult one. What we need to remember is actually a simpler question - did I give and receive Love?  There were things that I wanted to do and say, to be sure. However, I CAN say for sure that we did have and show not only the family love, but also the Agape Love (v8) for one another.  

I think that most of us have been in a valley when it seems that rocks are raining down on our heads as we try to press forward. At such moments, it is too easy to take your eyes off the path and feel the pain of the rocks rather than the strength of His Hand (v11-12) on our shoulder. Grief is, of course, a process - to be sure. But it is VERY important to remember that His Love is a constant, not a process. I lean and depend on His Love to hold me up.

Blessings,

Bryan

Kneel Before God - Sword in Hand, and EXPECT Your Miracle

Team,

This message is on Faith in Action. It is also from a VERY personal place. I am sending this because I experienced a Lazarus moment in my own life. 

John 11:20-23, 26-27, 33-36, 39-44 (New Living Translation)

²⁰ When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. ²¹ Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”

²³ Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.” .....

²⁶ “Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

²⁷ “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.” .....

³³ When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. ³⁴ “Where have you put him?” he asked them.

They told him, “Lord, come and see.” ³⁵ Then Jesus wept. ³⁶ The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!” .....

³⁹ “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them.

But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”

⁴⁰ Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” ⁴¹ So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. ⁴² You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” ⁴³ Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴ And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”

Wednesday afternoon, my mother became sick with congestion and perhaps some sort of infection. She was admitted and they ran the usual battery of tests. When I left the hospital that night, she was resting comfortably and I was not concerned or worried. Yesterday, as the clouds and rain rolled through Montclair, she took a turn for the worse. From what I was told, her breathing had slowed to the point of 1 breath every 2-3 minutes. 

I got a call at around 12:30PM from her at-home aid telling me to hurry to the hospital. Meanwhile, the weather had cleared and the heat wave of the last 2 days began to break. It took me 20+ minutes to get to the hospital, and in that time my mother went from death's door to not only awake, but dramatically improved! When I arrived, she recognized me and called me by name. They asked her if she was hungry (she had not eaten in 2 days), and she replied "is the Pope Catholic? - Get me a sandwich!". Everyone smiled and set about feeding her. She is still being treated for an underlying infection, but now she is expected to make a complete recovery. She is still a frail and elderly woman, but her spirit has returned in full effect. A quick wit and a lack of patience are the sure signs of a full recovery.  

Jesus told His disciples that they would perform greater miracles than He did, because they would receive the power of the Holy Spirit. This is Real Proof in our time that God remains in the Miracle Business. Expect your prayers to be answered, your petitions to be heard, and your longings to be made manifest. I have seen First Hand once again that God hears us when we cry. Walk forward with NO DOUBT IN YOUR HEART that you will receive the Victory in His Name!

Blessings,

Bryan

Your Harvest Season MUST coincide with His Plan for Manifestation

Team,

Today's Message is one about dealing with things after you have prayed and been heard by God. Manifestation can be immediate or it may wait for you to be ready - your season must coincide with His plan for you in order for the manifestation to occur.

1 Samuel 18:5-15 (New Living Translation)

⁵ Whatever Saul asked David to do, David did it successfully. So Saul made him a commander over the men of war, an appointment that was welcomed by the people and Saul’s officers alike.

⁶ When the victorious Israelite army was returning home after David had killed the Philistine, women from all the towns of Israel came out to meet King Saul. They sang and danced for joy with tambourines and cymbals. ⁷ This was their song:

“Saul has killed his thousands,
    and David his ten thousands!”

⁸ This made Saul very angry. “What’s this?” he said. “They credit David with ten thousands and me with only thousands. Next they’ll be making him their king!” ⁹ So from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.

¹⁰ The very next day a tormenting spirit from God overwhelmed Saul, and he began to rave in his house like a madman. David was playing the harp, as he did each day. But Saul had a spear in his hand, ¹¹ and he suddenly hurled it at David, intending to pin him to the wall. But David escaped him twice.

¹² Saul was then afraid of David, for the Lord was with David and had turned away from Saul. ¹³ Finally, Saul sent him away and appointed him commander over 1,000 men, and David faithfully led his troops into battle.

¹⁴ David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him.¹⁵ When Saul recognized this, he became even more afraid of him. ¹⁶ But all Israel and Judah loved David because he was so successful at leading his troops into battle.

See that God is with David, even though his manifestation has not yet come. David became humble (a necessary trait for God's manifestation to find you) in verse 5, and his success became assured (not Easy, but Assured!).  The indications that manifestation was on its way is in which Saul responds to his successes. Saul is NOT a humble king at this point, and he is in the clutches of the Evil One. 

See that Saul is getting more and more afraid of David (v 8-9) and he is then beset by a tormenting spirit (v10) that turned from jealousy to rage. Keep an eye out for changes in those that you deal with after you have prayed about a situation or problem. Changes that may seem to be for the worse (v10-12) is an indication to you (others will see it first) that God has His hand on you and that your manifestation is on its way! Look at verses 13-16, even when Saul tried to rid himself of David, it was of no use (v16) because God was with David.

God is with you - especially when the attacks get ramped up! See these times as the prequel to your victory in His Name - Glory To GOD!! Redouble your humility, exercise your servanthood, and prepare additional praise and glory to Him for the certain victory that is now VERY Close at hand.

Blessings,

Bryan  

What Happens When Manifestation Begins

Today we examine what happens as manifestation begins for us. The moment that changes begin to happen, we may not be aware of it. Too often, we don't even believe that it is happening - since we have been disappointed and delayed for so long (in our opinion). Let's see what happens when our prayers ARE answered:

Acts 12:6-17 (New Living Translation)

Peter’s Miraculous Escape from Prison

⁶ The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. ⁷ Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. ⁸ Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered.

⁹ So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening. ¹⁰ They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him.

¹¹ Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!” he said. “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!”

¹² When he realized this, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer. ¹³ He knocked at the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it. ¹⁴ When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, “Peter is standing at the door!”

¹⁵ “You’re out of your mind!” they said. When she insisted, they decided, “It must be his angel.”

¹⁶ Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed. ¹⁷ He motioned for them to quiet down and told them how the Lord had led him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers what happened,” he said. And then he went to another place.

See that Peter is stunned when the angel appears. The worldly situation seems completely inescapable (v6). At this stage, many people (non-believers and believers alike) will quit their journey. They will look at their surroundings (chained to 2 guards - additional guards at the door) and allow the moment to swallow them up. This is what I call the first filter. It removes about 80%-90% of the crowd on the path. The journey must be completed, whether it is by you or by someone else - God's Plan will be achieved.  God will not be mocked, and His promises for His people are going to be fulfilled. Even though He has tapped you for the journey, He requires that YOU decide to be the one who will go the full distance. 

Now let's see how manifestation unfolds. Beginning in verse 7, Peter is walking out the manifestation of his escape from not only jail, but from a trial that may have sentenced him to death. The angel comes to him and commands him to begin his manifestation (v8-11). Believe it or not, even at this point, the filtering is still going on. After leaving prison and walking into freedom, another 5%-7% will fall short. The second filter is seen in other lessons in the bible as well (see Mark 8:23-25). It is a place where the change is clearly evident, just not yet complete. 

Getting past this second filter may still not be enough. Depending on the calling on your life, still more may be required. Look at verses 12-16. Peter is out of prison, escaped from his pursuers, and he has made his way home. Now he is faced with convincing his friends and supporters who have been praying for a manifestation of his release that their prayers have been answered. This is the final step that MUST be taken for God to see His Plan achieved (in this case to strengthen the faith of Peter's supporters). Peter will stand at the gate (v13) and call until someone comes for him. Additionally, he will not stop knocking and calling until all of them see him and they can see him - and their Faith is strengthened 1000% or more.

Make sure that God can depend on you to not only walk through the manifestation, but take your success and walk further down the path until God achieves His Purposes and Plans! Let Him use you for His purposes and your manifestations will be FAR beyond what you could have imagined.

Be Persistent and Be Blessed,

Bryan

How to show Humility AND Expectation when using your Faith

Since the exercise and use of Faith is so crucial to our ability to follow His Plan for us, it is very important to know how Faith works - and for WHOM it can work:

Luke 7:1-10 (New Living Translation)

The Faith of a Roman Officer

7 When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people, he returned to Capernaum. ² At that time the highly valued slave of a Roman officer was sick and near death. ³ When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent some respected Jewish elders to ask him to come and heal his slave. ⁴ So they earnestly begged Jesus to help the man. “If anyone deserves your help, he does,” they said, ⁵ “for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us.”

⁶ So Jesus went with them. But just before they arrived at the house, the officer sent some friends to say, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. ⁷ I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. ⁸ I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”

⁹ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” ¹⁰ And when the officer’s friends returned to his house, they found the slave completely healed.

See that the blessings that were sought were made manifest as a result of a great exercise of Faith from a Pagan Commander. This tells us that Faith is a matter of the heart and soul, not about being schooled and born into it. 

Now look at the text - verses 3-4 indicate that the Roman Officer did not treat the Jews under his charge with anything but respect. Their belief systems were different (at the time), but he did not dismiss them out of hand simply because they worshipped differently. Verses 6-7 Shows that the Commander is open to Jesus and to God, and that he approaches Him with great humility and reverence. Verse 8 explains how our Faith works. This is also a prime example of God's ability to use ANYONE to get His message understood by each of us! A Pagan who understands authority is ready to understand and utilize Godly Faith - so why do we often have such a hard time doing the same? 

Faith in God and in His power to make things happen is within each of us. If we refuse to use our Faith until we receive proof, then we are denying that He has toe power to do what we are asking. If, however, we Step Out on Faith and we make the choice to believe BEFORE we see it, then we are placing our Faith in Him and in His Plan for us. 

Make sure that your Faith bet is in the right place and be Ready to Receive from Him!

Blessings,

Bryan

A Warrior is Patiently Ready to use his Sword

As your steps grow closer to manifestation, changes in your spiritual maturity will emerge.

Joshua 5:8-15 (Amplified)

⁸ When they finished circumcising all the males of the nation, they remained in their places in the camp till they were healed.

⁹ And the Lord said to Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you. So the name of the place is called Gilgal [rolling] to this day.

¹⁰ And the Israelites encamped in Gilgal; and they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at evening in the plains of Jericho.

¹¹ And on that same day they ate the produce of the land: unleavened cakes and parched grain.

¹² And the manna ceased on the day after they ate of the produce of the land; and the Israelites had manna no more, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

¹³ When Joshua was by Jericho, he looked up, and behold, a Man stood near him with His drawn sword in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, Are you for us or for our adversaries?

¹⁴ And He said, No [neither], but as Prince of the Lord’s host have I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, What says my Lord to His servant?

¹⁵ And the Prince of the Lord’s host said to Joshua, Loose your shoes from off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy. And Joshua did so.

I have included these passages to show a significant set of changes to Joshua and to the Israelites. See that the nation was forced to stop and wait to heal (v8), and the encampment worshipped as was their custom (v10) prior to going to work - prior to reasserting themselves as Ready, Willing, and Able to work under His Eyes and by His Plan (v11). 

 

We know that they are on target with His Plan because the manna stopped falling (v12). It was to stretch the people and command that they Use their newly disciplined gifts! God called for the Children to show that they had grown and were ready for the next steps and the new manifestations! The people and their leaders had reached a new level of maturity. They had basked in His Presence and stopped crying to go back to the old ways - a new spiritual and physical generation was ready to move ahead. 

 

Look at verse 13 & 14 to see how far Joshua and the Israelites had come. Step 1, Joshua sees a man - a stranger no doubt, and approaches him. Joshua walks in the boldness that comes from following God and knowing that He will deliver you. Step 2, Joshua questions the stranger to see where his allegiance lies. Asking such a question also tells us that Joshua's own sword was drawn when he asked the question. After all, the stranger was armed (see v13 again), and men of the Old Testament were not likely to remain vulnerable when talking to a stranger in their midst. Step 3, Joshua Waited for his Answer. He had learned to engage the stranger instead of lashing out at him - he only acts in Response to Information, not to a hail of assumptions and feelings. By following these steps, Joshua was able to stand in the Presence of God and the hear from the Angel (v14-15).

 

Be loving, bold, faithful, prudent, humble, equipped, and patient - and You shall see God made manifest in your own life! If the manna has stopped in your life, you have NOT been abandoned - You are deemed READY to move to the Next Level. Be Excited, because a Manifestation Harvest season is officially upon you - its your Spiritual Graduation Day! 

 

Be Real and Be Ready,

 

Bryan 

A Warrior Takes Hold of his Power

We are called to prove our perseverance on occasion. These are the times between manifestations when discouragement can look to get a foothold in your emotions. This is when we start to "feel like it will never change..." or something to that effect. Know that these are the times when you have the awesome opportunity to show your Father how far you have come. Your chance to take the test and graduate to the next level of His Grace and the unfolding of His Plan for you!

Genesis 32:23-29

²³ And he took them and sent them across the brook; also he sent over all that he had.

²⁴ And Jacob was left alone, and a Man wrestled with him until daybreak.

²⁵ And when [the Man] saw that He did not prevail against [Jacob], He touched the hollow of his thigh; and Jacob’s thigh was put out of joint as he wrestled with Him.

²⁶ Then He said, Let Me go, for day is breaking. But [Jacob] said, I will not let You go unless You declare a blessing upon me.

²⁷ [The Man] asked him, What is your name? And [in shock of realization, whispering] he said, Jacob [supplanter, schemer, trickster, swindler]!

²⁸ And He said, Your name shall be called no more Jacob [supplanter], but Israel [contender with God]; for you have contended and have power with God and with men and have prevailed.

²⁹ Then Jacob asked Him, Tell me, I pray You, what [in contrast] is Your name? But He said, Why is it that you ask My name? And [the Angel of God declared] a blessing on [Jacob] there.

See that this may come with a price to be paid on some occasions. See that the results of your determination (v24-26) will cause the Angel to respond to you according to God's Plan and you will be transformed by the might of your Faith (determination - v25) and the Power of God (transformation - v28) to completely change you in an instant.

In the quiet times, when the doubt is screaming to you in the silence, it is your turn to be Jacob! It is your turn to make it plain and clear to the doubt that you are too busy keeping a hammerlock on your Blessing to be bothered with the pity party that the doubt is trying to invite you to join! 

See also that Jacob went into the match alone from the earthly perspective (v23-24), but his Faith was Always there with him. Without Faith, Jacob cannot hold on, especially after being hurt by the Angel - Show Your Faith and Receive Your Transforming Blessing (v28-29). Look at the last half of verse 28 - the transformed you has "contended with God, and have POWER with God and Men"!! 

Press In and Take Hold of Your Promise - YOU HAVE THE POWER within your Faith!

Blessings,

Bryan