The other day I said we need to keep moving. I have dealt with fear my whole life. It has often paralyzed me and caused me to be
ineffective in life and ministry. God
had to take me out of my comfort zone in order to force me to press past that
fear to a place where the fear of missing God’s best for my life was much
greater than any fear of stepping out.
Why am I revealing this embarrassing truth about my character? Because when I fast my natural man ceases to
be in control and my spirit man reigns.
On another post I mentioned Romans 7:15-25 which explains how often we
fail God no matter how hard we try to be faithful. Fasting raises up our spirit man to be able
to accomplish much more than we ordinarily can…even though we are in
Christ. Jesus Himself said, “This kind
only comes out by fasting and prayer (Matthew 17:21).”
Another thing that makes things possible is God’s Word. John chapter one says that Jesus is the Word
of God and was made flesh. Consider
this. God’s Word is so perfect and so
very much alive that by separating its attributes from His own self and
touching those eternal attributes to a young woman it was able to reproduce
itself inside a human being and became pure enough and holy enough to suffice
as a sacrifice for our eternal lives. In
addition it still contained all the power of the Godhead in human form and was
complete enough that this man Jesus was able to grow from a baby to a youth to
an adult without anyone recognizing any differences in him. He chose to live as one of us and the Word
that ruled His life and character was more than able to allow Him to live
through all stages of life without anyone seeing Him as a freak or peculiar in
any way.
So what you ask?
So…if God’s Word is complete enough to live a brilliant human life and
to function flawlessly in that manner and still be so very much more, it must
also be more than sufficient to meet our every possible need in everyday
life. His Word is sufficient to
live. His Word is sufficient to provide. His Word is sufficient to prosper you. His Word is sufficient to begin scientific
experiments. His Word is sufficient to
create the universe (no matter what mankind thinks). His Word is sufficient to judge mankind. When you have a need and that need is far
beyond your ability to obtain help, His Word is there to make up ANY lack on
your part.
Let me give you the example I have received. A couple years ago someone called me up at
Faith Temple to tell me God had a Word for me.
He said that I was to read a portion of scripture every single day for a
month. This Word was, I believe, in
preparation for the ministry I am stepping into now but it came at a time
prior; a time of darkness in my life.
The Word is Joshua chapter one verses one through nine and it reads:
Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came
to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses 'minister,
saying,
2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise (in other
words, KEEP MOVING!), go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the
land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.
3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon,
that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses (It’s YOURS!
No one can take it away).
4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great
river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great
sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast (It is a WIDE place, exceedingly abundantly
above all you can ask or think) (Ephesians 3:20).
5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all
the days of thy life: as I was with
Moses, so I will be with thee: I will
not fail thee, nor forsake thee (You will NOT be alone. You will not FIGHT these battles. GOD WILL).
6 Be strong and of a good courage (Do not accept Satan’s
lies. Do not accept FEAR): for unto this people shalt thou divide for an
inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
7 Only be thou strong and very courageous (I repeat a SECOND
time. Do not accept FEAR), that thou
mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded
thee: turn not from it to the right hand
or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest (Do what I
lead you to do even when it makes no sense.
My wisdom is greater than man’s).
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth
(Herein lies your strength. You have no
strength outside My Word!); but thou shalt MEDITATE therein DAY AND NIGHT, that
thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then
thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage;
be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed (For the THIRD time, do not let FEAR
overcome you): for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest (I am
not sending you out alone. Whether you
see them or not I have sent road levelers and way makers ahead of you. I have prepared your finances and have lined
up those whose needs you will meet.)
In this passage God gave me promises and
encouragements. He did something
else. We all know that seven is the
number of completion. God didn’t tell me
to be strong and very courageous seven times.
The work is not complete in me. I
am not done, finished, perfected. God
told me three times, the number of God, the number of the Trinity. He is telling me that I am not going out as
the complete package. He is telling me
that I am going out but I will NEVER be alone.
He is coming with me WITHERSOEVER I go.
He is coming with me in all the dark alleyways and circumstances. I WILL NEVER BE ABANDONED OR EVEN TAKE A
SINGLE STEP ALONE.
Maybe you don’t need this.
Perhaps you’re one of those bold individuals who has never met a
stranger in their life and is excited to step out in new and fascinating
situations. That’s okay. There are verses in this book for YOU! I’m telling you what gets me up and moving in
the morning. I’m telling you what helps
me stand tall when I can hear knees knock.
When I wear the complete armor of God it is His armor, not something
made for me. It is God’s own armor and
He personally gave it to me to wear and walk in.
I have a friend in Riverside named Greg Sorrells. He and I don’t always agree on everything but
one thing we do agree on is that God’s Word is ALL we really need to face the
worst Satan can throw against us. Greg
has a wonderful uplook. Whenever things
get bad He knows it’s time to look up, up to the Word which is always higher
than we are. Man can fall or stumble but
the Word of the Lord is eternal and never fails.
I would like to add one last point to all this. It is a fact that over four thousand churches
close in this country every year. It is
a fact that hundreds of ministers are fleeing ministry because they just don’t
believe it any more. It is a fact that
it is much easier to get a job doing something you like or even love than it is
to build a ministry for the Lord. All
these things are facts.
It is also a fact that those four thousand churches that
closed have lost their vision. They
ceased to be inspired and empowered by the miraculous God we serve and began to
listen to the whispered lies of Satan as he worked discouragement after
discouragement into their lives. I have
had a few jobs I loved to do. God made
me quit. I have had many ideas for a
future that did not include ministry.
God changed my focus. That word
FOCUS is vital in this life we live.
Without a vision the people perish and it is the leader who brings the
vision. Vision comes from stepping
outside yourself and into God, into the divine, into the eternal. Vision is not normal. Ministry is not normal. Life in Christ is not normal. It is extraordinary, miraculous, faith
filled, passionate, vigorous and lively and above all it is lived with the
eternal one filling every inch of your mortal bodies with His own Spirit.
I am a pastor. I have
only one member and three possibles but I AM A PASTOR. I am responsible for these people and pray
for them daily. I AM A BISHOP. I was ordained so and have been rebuked for
attempting to set it aside. I have churches
in at least four countries who depend on me.
I AM CALLED TO BE AN APOSTLE. One
day I will look in the mirror and see that reflection in my life. All these things and more I am called to be
and by the grace and mercy and love and power of God I WILL BE! The only way I can fail is to cease to be
miraculous, spiritual and peculiar.
Ordinary doesn’t make it in this life.
Beloved, I pray God’s choicest blessings upon you all. I rejoice in you for the sake of the future
God has planned for each of you. His
Word is sufficient. His Grace is
sufficient. His Love is sufficient. Nothing else is. Never forget that. If your eyes ever get dim and your focus is
not what it should be in Christ then there is only one reason. You are TOO FAR AWAY. Move Up!
Bishop J
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