The following excerpt is taken from Dressed to Kill by Rick Renner:

BE STRONG IN THE LORD

Before Paul begins his message on our spiritual armor, he first urges us to receive supernatural power! Continuing in Ephesians 6:10, he says, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord….” In this chapter, we are going to see what Paul has to say about this supernatural power that God has made available to us.
So what exactly does it mean to be “strong in the Lord”?

First, the word “strong” is taken from the word endunamoo, which is a compound of the Greek words en and dynamis. The word en means in and the word dunamis means explosive strength, ability, or power. The word dunamis is where we get the word “dynamite.”

When these two words are compounded together, the new word endunamoo describes an empowering or an inner strengthening. It conveys the idea of being infused with an excessive dose of dynamic inner strength and ability.

Because the first part of endunamoo means in or into and the second part depicts explosive power, it is easy to conclude that this word portrays a power that is being deposited into something, such as a container, a vessel, or some other form of receptacle. The very nature of this word emphatically means that there necessarily must be some type of receiver for this power to be deposited into. This is where we come into the picture!

We are specially designed by God to be the receptacles for His divine power. This is the reason Paul urges us, “finally, my brethren, be strong….” His words carry the idea, “Receive a supernatural strengthening, an internal deposit of power into your inner man.” God is the Giver of this explosive power, and according to Ephesians 6:10, we are the receptacles into which this power is to be deposited. [Read more…]

The Power of Forgiveness.(Mark 11:20-25)

The instruction to forgive others who have hurt us is very difficult to keep.  Our natural human tendency is to hold on to the hurt inflicted upon us, to nurse our wounds and hold grudges. Or, at the very least, we separate ourselves forever from the individual who is the source of our pain so that we cannot be hurt by that person again.

There are times, such as in cases of abuse, when physical separation is necessary. When a crime has been committed, justice and forgiveness go hand in hand. The courts of law must hold a perpetrator accountable and God will hold that person accountable in the final judgment, but we must still forgive that person. In these verses, Jesus was talking about the spiritual obligation that we have to forgive each other because we have been so graciously forgiven by our heavenly Father. To refuse to forgive others reveals that our hearts do not understand the level of forgiveness we have received. [Read more…]

1 Great Way to Change Your Mind

1 Corinthians 2:16 says that we have the mind of Christ.

The other day I was in a group of people and we were talking about all kinds of things. It was a lot of fun. But I started to notice that I was hearing some things over and over again, like “God is control” or “after all, God’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts” or “yes, amen, but you know that’s the way the Bible says it will be”.

Sometimes people can be very puzzled by all the things of and about God, because  if that’s all it says and you say that all the time, it will be difficult for us to expect that we will be able to do something special and leave it all up to God. It is a good thing then that the Bible doesn’t stop there.

But praise God, the Bible doesn’t stop there. According to Isaiah 55:11, God says, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

In other words, you don’t have to stay below God’s thoughts. Your thoughts can come up to His level. How? Through His Word. God’s thoughts are His Word, so if you’ll think His Word, you’ll think His thoughts.

“But wait a minute. To think God’s supernatural thoughts, you’d have to have a ‘supernatural mind,’ wouldn’t you?”

Yes—and if you’re a believer, you already have one. You have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). I read that for years, but I didn’t really understand it until I translated the word Christ. It means “the Anointed One.”

So to have the mind of Christ is to have a mind that is under the influence of the Anointing of God. A mind that’s not under the influence of God is in opposition to Him. It always goes contrary to His ways. And since God’s ways are right, then a mind without the anointing will think wrong.

But hang on…just because you’ve made Jesus Lord doesn’t mean you’ll automatically think God’s thoughts. You only begin thinking God’s thoughts when you begin to fill your mind and heart with the Word of God and make yourself subject to His Anointing.

Romans 12:2 calls that process “the renewing of your mind.” It also says that process will transform you. Why does it have such a dramatic effect? Because when you change your mind, you change your choices—and that changes everything.

So learn to stir up the anointing on the inside of you. Subject your mind to it. Allow the anointing to transform the way you think. Allow it to change your mind!

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 55:6-11

Stirring the Waters

Excerpt from “seven pillars of health” by Dr. Don Colbert

For many people, exercise is the most difficult part of healthy living. Even people who are paid to be physically fit slack off. Stirring the waters with exercise is essential for you to prevent bodily stagnation. Our bodies are approximately two-thirds water; remember? And we said that when water moves, things grow and thrive.

On the other hand, when water that is not stirred (stagnant water) and nothing can survive and thrive in it except for microscopic bacteria, viruses and other microbes. Exercise is the remedy to prevent death and stir the waters of life in our bodies. All excuses are gone now, isn’t it? It’s time to take your health into your own hands and stir the waters of life with exercise.

ACTION STEP: If you haven’t been exercising on a regular basis, get a walking partner and begin walking. Star by walking for only five minutes three times a week and gradually build up to thirty minutes three times a week. Walk slow enough so you can talk but fast enough so you can’t sing.

Your body was designed to move. It needs water, rest, food and exercise to run smoothly. When you park yourself in a chair and don’t exercise, eventually you may ruin your own engine. Many people these days are sick because they haven’t stirred their water with movement and action.

They have become cesspools of disease due to stagnation. Soon they will come to the point where they can’t exercise because their bodies are so broken down with heart disease, arthritis and other degenerative diseases. “Stirring the waters” with exercise has a powerful effect on your health.

A study by Joslin Diabetes Center researchers showed that obese adults who lost just 7 percent of their weight and did moderate intensity physical exercise for six months improved their major blood vessel function by approximately 80 percent, regardless of whether or not they had type 2 diabetes.

Exercise lowers stress; regular exercise enhances neurotransmitter production and helps to lower cortisol levels, which helps you feel less stressed. One researcher conducted an experiment with rats. He took some rats, shocked them with electrodes, shone bright lights and played loud noises to the around the clock. At the end of one month, all the rats were dead from the stress. He then took another group of rats and made them exercise on a treadmill. After they were well exercised, he subjected them to a moth of the same shocks, noises and lights. These rats didn’t die – they ran around well and healthy.

If life is stressing you out, it’s time to add exercise to your day. Exercise literally burns off those stress chemicals.

By Dr. Don Colbert

Paul’s Prayers

Prayer # 1

Ephesians 1:17-20 AMP

Father, I pray that You would grant me a spirit of wisdom and revelation – of insight into mysteries and secrets in the deep and intimate knowledge of You. Flood the eyes of my heart with light so that I can know and understand the hope to which You have called me and how rich is your glorious inheritance in the saints – Your set-apart ones. And so that I can know and understand what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of Your power in and for me, who believes, as demonstrated in the working of Your mighty strength which You exerted in Christ when You raised Him from the dead and seated Him at Your own right hand in heavenly places. [Read more…]

Use Wisdom Wisely!

Wisdom has built her spacious house with seven pillars.

Proverbs 9:1

James describes these seven pillars of wisdom (James 3:17) and contrasts them to the wisdom that is “earthly, unspiritual, and motivated by the Devil” (v. 15).

First, wisdom is pure. Living a mixed, compromised lifestyle may appear smart, but it is not wise.

Second, wisdom is peace-loving. This attitude is in direct contrast to the world’s envy and selfish ambition, which results in “disorder and every kind of evil” (v. 16).

Third, wisdom is gentle. A wise person practices gentle courtesy and always considers the needs, desires, and feelings of others.

Fourth, wisdom is submissive. A person’s willingness to yield his will to the overall good of the family, community, or local church is a mark of true wisdom.

Fifth, wisdom is full of mercy and good fruit. A wise person will demonstrate obvious marks of goodness, charity, and forgiveness toward those who have injured him.

Sixth, wisdom is impartial, never valuing the face or status of someone instead of that person’s actual deed or need.

Finally, wisdom is sincere. A wise person is not hypocritical, but possesses a deep, inward authenticity. With him, what you see is what you get!

Establish your life on these seven pillars, and you will “plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness” (v. 18).

Edify Yourself

Speaking with tongues is a means of spiritual edification. And if you want to be able to edify others, you’re going to have to be edified yourself!

I believe this is the reason that many people are not the blessing to others that they could be – they don’t edify themselves. They don’t take times to build themselves up spiritually by speaking in tongues. But when believers get themselves built up, they can then help and bless others.

When we pray and speak with other tongues, it helps us to be conscious of God’s divine, supernatural presence in our lives through the Person of the Holy Spirit.

Howard Carter was one of the pioneers of the Pentecostal Movement and the founder of one of the oldest Pentecostal Bible schools in the world. He once said: “We must not forget that the speaking with other tongues is not only an initial evidence of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling, it is a continual experience for the rest of his (the believer’s) life to assist in the worship of God. It is a flowing stream that should never dry up, and that will enrich the life spiritually.” [Read more…]

No One Can Keep You From Reaching Your Destiny But You!

No One Can Keep You From Reaching Your Destiny But You!

by Olga Hermans

I believe people have a destiny. But to a lot of people, that word is one that only belongs to another world. Can you remember the last time you talked about your destiny? Maybe with you family or your best friend? In today’s world, destiny is a word that isn’t used too much because it is lofty and can seem “beyond” us.

I want to tell you something “Destiny is real”. Every day, people just like you are living out their destiny all around the world. I will tell you what they are using, they are using the Sword of the Spirit and moving through their lives with something way more effective and that is “FAITH”!

We’ve all got a destiny or some might call it “destination“.You might want to use Noah Webster‘s dictionary as well. Any way, some people might have seemingly “larger” destinations to reach than others, but all of us are important.

We all have something to do that matter, whether it appears that way or not. If all of us would help just one person in this world and help him along in some way, it’s worth it. Some people are running toward their destiny by teaching children in a classroom. They are opening minds and teaching future generations.

Others are running toward their destiny by creating new and helpful things for the public’s use. They are inventing methods and objects that will change the way our world works! Still others are running toward their destiny simply by helping others to fulfill their dreams. They are the champions of dreams that can only get done with team effort.

We all have a place in this world; a destiny to achieve and a destination to reach. It’s a place rooted in goodness that, I believe, we should run toward in faith.

People are so busy with their own lives today. They are going to church, but their mind is on that, what they planned for the afternoon. They are driving past people, who need Jesus desperately. (this link shows you an awesome video).

Just a very few people are thinking about their destiny, not just in terms of their occupation, but their destiny as a son/daughter of God. It seems that there aren’t as many people who really hunger for God-like faith – the kind of faith that heals and moves mountains of problems into the sea. Think about it.

We recently attended a seminar with Peter Daniels here in Vancouver, BC; he encouraged all of us to read biographies. I love to read them and books about the faith-filled men throughout history. They were not perfect and each was still a product of his time and generation, but they were fiercely committed to bringing the Gospel to the world and fiercely committed to their faith in God. What a Destiny!

Will you be a next faith giant? Why not? It can be you! It can if your faith has a destination. You never will fulfill God’s plan for your life if your faith doesn’t have the destination. Faith is not your destination. It’s not the finish line. It’s the beginning line. Faith is like the perfect pair of running shoes. It is going to get you to the finish line quicker than running barefoot. Faith will  carry you to your destination. Go for it!!

One more thought:
“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” – Jesus Christ

by Olga Hermans

What does it mean to blaspheme the Holy Spirit, and can a Christian can blaspheme the Holy Spirit.

Is There An Unpardonable Sin?
Obviously, blasphemy against the Spirit has nothing to do with cussing; it has to do with mocking the works of the Holy Spirit, with the intent on keeping others from wholeheartedly following Christ. The term blasphemy may be generally defined as “defiant irreverence.” The term can be applied to such sins as cursing God or willfully degrading things relating to God.  To those Christians who think they may be guilty of having committed the unpardonable sin; it would be good to watch this video to find your answer and be released form all  your guilt.