Author: angied

EPISODE 337 SPIRITUAL WARFARE – PRAYER AND FASTING

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: SPIRITUAL WARFARE – PRAYER AND FASTING

Prayer is our connection to God. Many do not believe that fasting is for the church of today. Many do not believe that having an active prayer life is necessary. Both are necessary.

Fasting is not just a process of doing without food. There is a movement in our society that fasting is healthy for our bodies. I do not deny going without food will have certain health benefits in the natural. But that is not the only thing fasting is when we think about it in the biblical sense. Jesus did not fast for forth days and nights while doing other things. It wasn’t to prove how long he could go without food. It wasn’t so he could go to the synagogue and brag about how many days he had fasted. He was alone with God in prayer, praying for strength to do what he had to do for mankind. He was praying for all of his followers, even us. When we fast and pray, we are telling God, drawing closer to you Lord is more important than even the food I eat.

Matt 17:15-21 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. 16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. 17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. 18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. 19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? 20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Little prayer equals little power.

Many think that spiritual warfare is having to walk through a rough spot when the enemy is oppressing us. Sometimes circumstances in life can be difficult, simply because it is difficult. Other times it is an attack of the enemy. Only those on fire for God can discern the difference.

I understand why it is not taught from the pulpit as much as it should be, people are afraid. People want the feel-good messages about being overcomers and how we will have a home in heaven.

It is time for the church to wake up. It is not about what color the choir robes should be and if there is carpet or hardwood floors in the sanctuary. It is not about someone else getting to sing the opening hymn instead of you. It is not about someone looking at you disapprovingly when they don’t like something you did or said. We are at war. Our enemy is on his game. He has divided the body of Christ too long over ridiculous things. While we are being distracted, the enemy is plotting to destroy us.

The enemy is plotting with his minions to take us out. The church world is oblivious to the fact that we are at war. A large portion are asleep. It is time we wake up and get serious about our faith walk. God doesn’t want us to be lukewarm. It is time to catch on fire with the power and anointing of the Holy Ghost.

When we get our hearts in a position of desiring God’s will in our lives more than anything else. We will come through it stronger in the spirit. The enemy is a liar and tries to cause fear. We cannot allow his lies to cause us to fear.

Acts 19:13-17 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. 14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. 15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? 16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

Stories like this are why people are afraid of the spirit realm. Because the spirits know if you have been on the mountain with Jesus, praying. Prayer equals power and anointing in the Holy Ghost.

17 And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.

They tried to cast out devils, which was demons, but the demons said, Jesus we know and Paul we know, but who are you?

Why did this happen, it caused fear among the people? Because the name of the Lord was magnified. This was a healthy fear, a reverence of the Lord. The person oppressed by these spirits has been set free. The enemy has power. The same power that the early church had lives within us, if we are born of the Spirit. Why do we walk around defeated? Because we have not connected to the power source in prayer.

It is time for us to decide how serious we are about our faith walk. Are we going to be on fire for God? Are we going to continue to be lukewarm? I am going to tell you that being lukewarm is not a state we want to find ourselves in right now.

Rev 3:14-17 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

We do not want God to find us in the state of being lukewarm. The lukewarm damage the body of Chirst. They are the bertha better than you’s that hurt those who are starting out and make them feel like giving up. The lukewarm are those that the world looks at and says, “I am as good as they are, if they are a Christian then I will make it to heaven too.” Being lukewarm shows the world weakness. We do not want God to spew us out of his mouth.

2 Tim 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

We cannot be lukewarm and have a form of godliness, but deny the power of God. We cannot be caught unaware of what is going on around us. So get on your knees and pray, not just say word, but pour all you have out to God. Ask for his help to walk out your faith.

Again, I encourage you to be vigilant and watch for the enemy’s attacks. Ask God for his direction, he will direct you how to fast and pray. We have to use common sense, I have heard of people that have never fasted even a day, taking on the task of fasting forty days and nights like Jesus did. God doesn’t require us to take on a task we are not ready for, that is why we have to hear his voice and be lead by his spirit. Maybe start with a meal or a day. Work, up to two or three days.

As we walk with the Lord and pray more, we will have more revelation about what God want’s us to do. Just don’t be caught in a state of being lukewarm. Now is the time to pray

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 336 SPIRITUAL WARFARE – RECONNECTING TO THE POWER OF GOD

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: Spiritual Warfare – Reconnecting To The Power Of God

Over the next few days, I will be talking to you about Spiritual Warfare. We recognize that outside of the things we see, hear, smell, taste and touch in our physical world, there is another realm. The realm of the spirit cannot be experienced with our natural senses.

God is in the spirit realm with his angels that he sends to protect us. We often think about the angels protecting us from things like car wrecks and accidents. But they war in the spiritual realm with the powers of darkness. They war for our very existence at times. The enemy would like nothing more than to take us out. But God draws a line and says, You can only go so far.

It takes God’s revelation through His Spirit within us to see into the spirit realm. The enemy through witchcraft and santanic rituals will give people counterfeit revelations. I am told by those whom God has saved from the life of witchcraft and satanic rituals, however, that the things they see are different than the things God’s children see.

Those dealing in darkness can only see children of God surrounded by light or a fire of protection. They know who is real in the kingdom of God and who is not. We do not understand the power we have as children of God. When we receive the Holy Ghost, we are given power to stand against the enemy.

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

I know that many say that we will have the power to witness. That is how this verse is normally explained. But it goes much deeper than just being able to tell someone about Jesus.

Notice the picture on your screen, it is from my Hebrew/Greek Study bible the number 1411 is the strong’s concordance number beside of the word power, which leads to the original Greek word, dunimus.

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance

ability, power, strength

From dunamai; force (literally or figuratively); specially, miraculous power (usually by implication, a miracle itself) — ability, abundance, meaning, might(-ily, -y, -y deed), (worker of) miracle(-s), power, strength, violence, mighty (wonderful) work.

Copied from bible hub online.

This says that when we are born again or receive God’s spirit, we will receive miraculous power, ability, abundance, meaning, mighty deed. We will be workers of miracles, power, strength…

Why are we not seeing miracles among believers any longer? Some would tell you that it was just for early church. It is easy to explain away. Maybe it could be that we have lost our ability to connect with the Spirit of God on that level. We have become so sophisticated that we lost the connection.

We cannot battle the enemy without the power of God. The early church went about with signs following them, casting out devils, miracles. This connection showed the world that they knew God.

This is what it is going to take reach the world today the power of God. We have no hope of pulling people out of darkness without the light of God within us. Many may listen to what I am saying and will be skeptical. But I have seen miracles, I have experienced them and when God see fit to release that power within me, I will be a vessel he uses to heal others.

Every believer can have God’s power within them to work miracles and free people from demonic oppression and possession. If we pray and are willing to give up the distractions of this life and commit fully to the cause of Christ. But most are not willing to fully sell out to the cause of Christ. But we have to be led by the Spirit of God that is within us. Unless we are fully sold out to the cause of Christ, nothing else in this life matters. We will never be the effective witnesses we should be in the earth.

Some of us have been running our spiritual lives on battery power, what little bit we have stored up is how our light is shining. But if we plug in the charger and connect to our power source through prayer and fasting. We will be able to allow God to use us in miraculous ways. Suddenly, we have a new spiritual spring in our step, and we feel like we can make a difference in this world.

We can not afford as the body to be lukewarm and lacking power. The enemy has intensified his attacks on our society. It would stand to reason that the Body of Christ is going to have to intensify our prayers and prepare for battle.

The enemy will not win, if we equip ourselves with the armor of God. If we bind together in God’s love, unity and the power of His Spirit. The enemy doesn’t stand a chance. God will win the battle. I want you to ask yourself who’s side do you want to be on? The winning side or the losing side? We can win if we reconnect to the power of God.

Thanks for watching,

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 335 BATTLE FOR HOLINESS

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: BATTLE FOR HOLINESS

The enemy will try to get us to fall into sin. He will lay every trap he can to trip us up. If he can cause us to sin, it opens the door for him to sneak past our armor. Then he can really cause us problems. The only way to make sure he doesn’t get a foothold is to be aware of what is happening in our lives. We need to pay attention and ask God to make us aware of anything that is in our lives that is an attack of satan.

Living a life of holiness will give us the strength to combat the enemy. But we cannot live this life fully on our own.

Matt 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

This verse tells us that the weakness is in our flesh. That is why the word tells us to walk in the Spirit. We will not fall into sin as long as we stay in the spirit. I know that statement may sound simple, but as long as we are in these fleshly bodies it is anything but simple. That is why God is faithful to forgive when we repent and why he gives us his amazing grace.

We should all aspire to be able to say what Timothy said at the end of his life.

2 Tim 4:7-8 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

How do we fight a good fight of faith? As with every spiritual battle. First, we have to know that we have protection from the enemy.

Eph 6:10-13 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

This passage tells us to put on the whole armor of God. The complete covering of protection. This is the only way we will be able to stand against the enemy. Verse twelve tells us that this is not a physical battle. We wrestle with principalities, powers, darkness and evil in high places. If we keep on the whole armor of God, we will be able to withstand the enemy. This is the only way we will be able to take a spiritual stand against the enemy.

2 Cor 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

This verse tells us that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. We have to fight this battle with spiritual weapons. We can pull down the strongholds of the enemy with God’s power.

We can win the battles one at a time, by the power of God that is within us. We can have victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot win if we do not look the Lord. The enemy is stronger than our flesh. But with the Holy Ghost on the inside of us, our flesh is reinforced and strong enough to stand against the enemy.

Learning to walk in the Spirit is a lifelong journey. Overcoming our flesh is one of the biggest challenges we have as Christians.

Gal 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

As children of faith, we have to understand the weapons we have in our arsenal.

Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Prayer is one of our most effective weapons against the enemy. We fight our battles on our knees. But also, we can do like Jesus did in the wilderness and use the word of God. It is our sword. To combat the enemy’s words in our minds. When he tells us lies, we need to say the scriptures that combat the lie.

Just as Jesus told satan to get behind him, we have the authority to resist him and tell him to leave.

But if we have sin in our lives, that leaves an opening for the enemy. This is why I called this episode the battle for holiness. The whole bible is about making the right choices and choosing to be holy. If we can walk in the spirit of holiness, we will not leave a foothold for the enemy.

Eph 4:23-27 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil.

We renew our minds with the word of God. When we are saved, we put on the new man, one created in righteousness. This tells us to not give place to the devil. It is so important to cut off his attacks immediately. When those thoughts come into our minds, this is why we need to take them captive and cast them down.

Stay alert, looking for his attacks, stay strong by building up your faith through prayer. He may be roaming to find someone to devour, make sure it is not you.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 334 KEEP WATCH FOR THE ENEMY

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: KEEP WATCH FOR THE ENEMY

If we look at the world with natural eyes only, we miss a large part of what is going on around us. Every day, spiritual battles are being waged. People often do not even know when they have been oppressed by an evil spirit. The enemy will send many our way to distract, deceive, and destroy us.

We have to have godly wisdom and discernment. Camouflage is often worn by armies in order to blend in with their surroundings. Sometimes soldiers even put on face paint to blend into their surroundings.

Our enemy will often come to us disguised as a good person. Many people have been taken down by people that were possessed or oppressed by the spirit of Jezebel. Many people at church have been hurt by those whom they believed were good people. Only to find out they were soldiers in the enemy’s army, who were planted in the church by satan.

Look at when satan tempted Jesus, he first questioned his identity. The enemy will often make us question if we are truly a Christian, he will attack our belief in our salvation. He questioned Jesus’ sonship. He will use others to pick at little things that mean nothing, to plant a seed of doubt in our identity as a Christian.

If he cannot get us to question our identity. He will move on to his next tactic. The second temptation of Jesus. He tried to get Jesus to prove that God’s angels would protect him if he threw himself off the high pinnacle. Again, Jesus quoted Scriptures to him. I am sure everyone has had a random thought go through their head. Something that would cause harm. The enemy will keep those thoughts coming, if he can make you feel unworthy and like you will never measure up.

He offered Jesus power and status on the earth. A short cut to what Jesus would have after his mission on earth was complete. Satan will often offer people money, status, powers of influence, in exchange for their denying God. It is sad to say a lot of preachers have fallen into this category. This is only one reason we need to pray for those in the ministry, they are attacked in ways we cannot even imagine sometimes.

Satan attacked Jesus after he had reached a point of baptism and God declaring how pleased he was with Jesus. It was an act of God giving Jesus authority. According to Jewish tradition, when a son gets to be at a certain level of maturity and age the father will declare that he is pleased with his son and that he has authority to speak for the family. That is what happened when God’s voice came out of the clouds on the day Jesus was baptized.

We cannot be ignorant of the enemy’s tactics. There are too many lives hanging in the balance. We have to be wise enough to see through a person’s actions and recognize that they are actions of someone being lead by our enemy.

Many people avoid the subjects of spiritual warfare because they do not want to believe it exists. They are afraid they will have to confront the enemy. The lessons that we need to know today are not being taught in our churches. The enemy is real, witchcraft is real, demons and satanism is real. These things have power, but God has given us more power. If the power of the Holy Ghost lives within us, we have power over the powers of the enemy. We will be able to pray, and God will respond.

We have to be wise enough to know when the enemy is trying to tempt us. Jesus knew he was dealing with his enemy. Often, we do not recognize until it is too late that we are dealing with an attack from our enemy.

The only way we are ever going to know when the enemy is trying to cause us trouble is to have discernment. This only comes by building up our faith in prayer. We can ask God for discernment to know when things are not of God. He has promised he will be with us and will lead and guide us.

The hard part for us often is that we ignore that still small voice that is telling us that something is not right. The enemy with his camouflage will sneak up on us. Most people do not get bitten by the snakes they see. Most of the time it is the snake that is hidden in tall grass or under a rock that they don’t see, until it is too late.

Being vigilant to watch out for the enemy is very important when it comes to combat. If the enemy can’t sneak up on you the less likely you are to be hurt by his weapons. Stay strong, be spiritually awake and vigilant, we will win the battle if we faint not.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 333 ANTICIPATION

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: ANTICIPATION

The word anticipation means to be expectant, have hope, be ready for an event. Some synonyms include suspense, excitement, and hopefulness.

The church has much to be in anticipation about in our modern age. This is the best time in all of history to be alive. We wake each morning with the expectation that soon we are going to see the next great awakening. God is going to flood the earth with his spirit. We will see things that generations before us have only desired to see.

We should be hopeful, even though things may appear to be smothering and dark. The enemy is on the prowl to cause fear, anxiety and depression. He wants to paralyze the believers with these things. He is also using fatigue and illness like never before to distract the body of Christ.

But we have hope. Our hope is in Jesus. We can be excited and have anticipation about the good things to come on the other side of the darkness. I have often thought about the early church after the day of Pentecost. They added three thousand souls to the body of Christ in one day. What an amazing thing it will be to have a great revival and add several souls.

Once the gospel has been preached to all the world and everyone has had an opportunity to be saved. Then comes the end. Jesus will come and gather up his bride.

Most women can remember how excited they were on their wedding day. Many hours and some even months and years went into planning the perfect day. The morning, they were to walk down the aisle, the anticipation was almost unbearable.

The bride of Christ is in this waiting place a short time before the rapture. I understand that the word rapture is not in the bible. However, it says we will be caught up into the air with him. The anticipation is getting real.

Now is not the time to be distracted by the things of this life. We cannot allow life to overwhelm us. Often the way to manage large tasks is to break them down into smaller ones. We have a period of time before this revival sweeps the land. If the anticipation and pressure of the enemy gets overwhelming, we can break it down to one day at a time. We can concentrate on the tasks we have to get done for that day.

Anticipation is a theme of the Bible to live in hope and readiness of God fulfilling his promises. There are different places in the word that God’s people acted with anticipation and hope of God fulfilling his word.

Instead of the anxiety that the enemy tries to give us, we need to cast it down and accept God’s anticipation. He has amazing things for his body. We have that hope to cling to with fervent excitement and anticipation.

The things we focus on will shape the course of our lives. If we focus on the evening news and how bad they tell you things are, it is easy to get down and depressed. Negative thoughts and words can get us in a position of being paralyzed.

When our enemy is about to lose his grip, he will throw everything at us at once. We have to know how to navigate the storm. But the great thing about the enemy’s storm is that God is above it. We will be elevated above the storm, because our God will lift us up.

What do we do to prepare for the storm? The best thing we can do is pray and ask for God to give us wisdom to navigate the upcoming days. We will ride out the storm because we are sheltered under God’s wings. It comes back to us getting in the secret place of the Most High God.

Psalm 91:1-3 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

If we dwell in the secret place of the Most High, we will be protected under his shadow. He is our fortress, which is a safe place that has been reinforced against the enemy. God will deliver us from the traps and snares of the enemy and from pestilences, which are diseases.

Psalm 91:4-8 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. 8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

The key to being protected and covered is to get into the secret place with God. I read this out loud over my home almost every night.

Psalm 91:9-12 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; 10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. 11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Because thou hast made the Lord thy habitation, no evil will befall thee. He has angels that watch over us and protect us. Think about hiding under God’s wings, the enemy will not be able to touch us. Because of this, we have no reason to fear.

In summary, it is good to anticipate our future; God will show up with his glory. The enemy will not win. Do not be discouraged, do not allow anxiety to overtake you. We are living in a great time to be alive, and we have to hold onto our hope and anticipation of what our God will do.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 332 HUMBLE AND JUST

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: HUMBLE AND JUST

There is a portion of our society that is all about gaining power and influence. They will lie, cheat, steal, and in some cases kill to get their way. The name of the game is elevation to more power. But their type of power is an illusion. Because it is all based on a lie. Truth is the only sure thing. We can rely on the truth.

Some of the greatest influences in my life have been people who had power and influence but didn’t wield it like a weapon. Most of them were humble, and only a few even realized that they had great power.

Prov. 11:1-3 A false balance is abomination to the Lord: but a just weight is his delight.

Think about the old scales that had two baskets or platforms. On one side, they put an exact weight, then in the other basket, they would put what they wanted to weigh. When the two baskets or platforms were balanced, you could say that the thing you were weighing was of a certain weight.

Often, dishonest merchants would have false weights in order to cheat their customers. People often do things dishonestly to as we would say, tip the scales in their favor. But the dishonest will not get away with their cheating forever; the truth will come out. They will be ruined; no one will want to buy from them once the truth is known.

However, if you are humble and honest, God will make things work out in your favor. You do not have to brag about yourself. God will do the bragging for you. He will lift you up and make you prosperous in every way.

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

James was repeating what Jesus said to his disciples.

Matt 23:11-12 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

Jesus was our example; he was the Lord of everything. He was God Almighty wrapped in flesh, but he never acted like he was anything more than a humble servant of God.

Jesus told his disciples that if they sought to be elevated, like people today want wealth and political power, then they would be humbled. But if they were humble, God will exalt them.

Micah 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

We are to do that which is just and true. We are to love mercy, embrace it at every turn, when the opportunity arises. And walk humbly with our God. We do not have to walk this road or any road alone. He is there to help us and be our guide, but we have to humble ourselves and allow him to lead us.

Prov 11:2-3 When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. 3 The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.

Many times the word talks about pride. Pride goes before a fall. When we allow pride to enter our hearts, we will do anything to save face. These types of people do not want others to know they are not the person that they are perceived to be; they end up falling by trying to cover their pride.

Those who do not seek to be exalted have wisdom. They value other things over the pedestals in which people can elevate one another.

Proud and exalted people never slow down to notice those around them that are hurting and need a kind word or deed. The humble person notice others pain and are willing to do what they can to make life bearable.

To be exalted and prideful is a lie, because they pretend to be something they are not. Those that are humble, are full of truth because they do not pretend to be something they are not.

Even children can understand the difference between real and make-believe. But as adults, if we pretend too long, we believe our lies. This is why getting our identity from the Lord is so important. He will never lead us in the wrong direction, but will keep us grounded in truth.

That truth being that we can do nothing without God. We are nothing without God. If we keep the proper perspective on our focus on God, walking humbly will be possible. Because all things are possible with Jesus.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 331 WHAT IS IN YOUR GARDEN?

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: WHAT IS IN YOU GARDEN?

I was reminded today of something that a friend told me they experienced in a vision. They had been feeling guilty about the things they did when they were backslidden. Months after they had asked for forgiveness the enemy was still throwing up the sins of the past.

To God, once we have asked for forgiveness, he sees it all through the blood. Our sins are forgiven.

Heb 10:15-17 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, 16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

Does this mean that God has a bad memory? No, it means that he chooses to look at us through the blood of Jesus and those sins, He chooses to not count them against us. They are erased and, as far as God is concerned, are not there to be remembered against us.

Heb 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

How can the enemy still use something that is wiped away? Because we still have a memory of what we have done. He tries to make us believe that we are really not forgiven. As long as he can torment us with the past, we are distracted from concentrating on God’s plan for today.

God gave her a vision of two gardens. One was the garden of the past and one was the garden of now. God said to her, “Quit trying to plant seeds in the garden of the past. That garden is now empty.”

In other words, don’t beat yourself up for things you cannot change from the past. Today is a new day. What kind of seeds are you going to plant in your garden now that you have chosen to walk with God?

She saw another garden full of vegetables and flowers in all states of growth with some ground left to still plant seeds. It is in the fruitful garden that we plant seeds of righteousness, love, kindness, forgiveness and grace.

I want to be found planting seeds in the garden of God’s will for my life. I want to plant all the good things. I never want to be stuck in the things of the past. Today is a new day, he will be with us to help us plant only good seeds.

We often talk about the parable that Jesus shared about the seed we sow. It can be found in Matthew chapter 13, if you want to read it.

The enemy will try to steal our seeds. This is what happens when he is trying to distract us from the good garden and get us to pay attention to the barren plot of the past. God has uprooted what we planted there so that it will not grow.

When seeds fall on good ground the plot that is under the blood of Jesus, they will take root and grow in our lives. We nurture them by watering them with prayer.

Hosea 10:12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

Fallow ground is a plot of land that has been left unplanted for a season. Farmers used to rest the land and allow it to absorb nutrients. They would often burn the plots to help the earth be more productive when something is planted there. God is saying that now is the time to seek him. He will give us righteousness.

Do not look back at what is behind, the past is gone. But look to the future and plant good seeds in your good garden. There was a quote that I want to share with you. I don’t know who said it first, if I did I would give them credit. But it goes, “He who plants a seed beneath the sod and waits to see, believes in God.”

When we plant seeds they do not grow immediately. Some spiritual seeds take years. But we are still called to plant them and let God do what he does to make a miracle happen. He takes that tiny seed and multiplies it into much fruit.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 330 KNOW THE ENEMY

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: KNOW THE ENEMY

This morning, I sat and pondered all that is happening in our world. People are blinded to what satan is doing. A large portion of the Body of Christ is blind to the tactics of the enemy. We need to be wise to his tactics to keep us from falling into a trap.

Matt 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

Jesus told his disciples he was sending them forth as sheep in the middle of a bunch of wolves. Sheep are vulnerable animals, they do not have many built in natural defenses. It is not like they have razor sharp fangs or sharp claws. When a predator comes around sheep are vulnerable without their shepherd. They do not have much chance of survival. They will be consumed by wolves. Just like satan, he is a predator, he will devour us if we do not stay close to our shepherd.

Understanding the enemy will give us wisdom on how to avoid his traps. However, we do not have to go down the proverbial rabbit hole and study satanism to know how to avoid his traps. God’s word tells us all we need to know.

I Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

We think sober just means not drunk on alcohol. But it also means: serious, solemn, clearheaded, temperate. Temperate means mild, balanced and self-restrained. Vigilant means to be watchful, careful, alert to danger.

The word is telling us to pay attention and not be distracted, be clear headed and self-restrained. The enemy’s biggest tool in his arsenal is to draw us away from God, he tempts us with something that our flesh desires. If we lack self-restraint it is easy to get caught in the trap of the enemy. Satan is out there, roaming and watching for us to get in a vulnerable place for him to try to pounce on us. Everyday, we have to make sure we have on the whole armor of God. We have to be watching out for the enemy’s attack.

Think about all the evil that is on open display in our society today. We cannot even imagine the evil that is being hidden from us all. God is going to expose the evil. All the evil will not stand if we pray for exposure and for God to remove it.

Luke 12:2-3 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. 3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

God will reveal every evil plot and plan of the enemy. Part of God’s protection as our shepherd is to reveal the plots of the enemy to us. He has given us discernment. Which is an instinct that we know in our spirit with deep understanding the plans of the enemy.

We can overcome it all by resistance. We can resist the things he is plotting and planning. If we resist him, he has to flee.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

We resist by being temperate or self-restrained enough to say no to satan’s temptations. In resisting we take away any right he has to overpower us. He has to leave us.

We overcome the enemy with the blood of the lamb and the words of our testimony. We need to speak out of our mouths how great God is, when we speak it, we reinforce it in our own belief system. Our testimony will encourage others as well as ourselves.

Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

We have power over the powers of the enemy. We are wise to his devices. We have to stand together and stand strong. Hold onto our faith and nail scared hand of our shepherd.

2 Cor 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

We have to know the tactics of our enemy and how to combat them. Our Lord is there to keep us safe. God will not allow us to be overtaken by the enemy as long as we look to him. He has promised to be our protector, savior and friend. So be vigilant, keep watch for the enemy so that you are not caught in his trap.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 329 MOUNTAINS OF HOPE

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: MOUNTAINS OF HOPE

Our faith walk is often referred to as being on the mountain top or in the valley. Each strategic place has something to offer. It is in the transition times that we find life to be the most difficult. When we are climbing to the top and are no longer in the valley. Or when we are moving fast almost in a free fall to the valley. All is important for our journey. Mountains all through the bible are significant places of revelation, hope and spiritual growth.

We cannot be too down when we find ourselves in the valley. All stages of our walk are necessary. In the valley, there is a place of rest. Often God will isolate us from people to spend time with him. He is the lily of the valley. He goes with us through all the stages of our faith walk. In the valley, we can find peace and strength. We can get into the secret place with God and allow him to pour into us. He will strengthen our spirit and equip us for the next stage in life. He will strengthen us to climb up the mountain once again. He knows what we are facing and will prepare us to handle the climb.

Today, I want to focus on the mountains of hope. Some are in the word of God, others are in our path. When Noah’s Ark landed on Mt. Ararat. It was a sign of hope that God would take Noah’s family and replenish the earth. All was not lost in the flood.

Just as Abraham took his son up Mt Moriah to sacrifice, I am sure the climb was hard. But once on the mountain top, God provided a sacrifice to spare his son. Abraham called that place Jehovah Jireh meaning the Lord would provide. So this was another example of a mountain of hope.

Jehovah Jireh people use often to just mean financial. But he will provide whatever we need, encouragement, health, healing, strength, peace. He will not let us go without what ever our need may be. He sent ravens to feed Elijah during a famine. He will not let us down.

Although Golgotha is referred to as a hill, it may have been the most difficult to climb. Jesus climbed that hill, knowing that all that he was struggling through would be worth it to save mankind from sin.

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

He endured the cross to give us all the greatest hope of all, a hope of eternal life and peace.

Another mountain of hope would have been Mt. Olivet or the mount of olives where Jesus often taught. The top of the mountain was also where he ascended into heaven.

I am sure the sadness of his departure was hard to walk through. It was with heavy hearts that his disciples followed him to the top. Knowing he would leave them; however, he promised that he would not leave them comfortless. He promised to send his Spirit to lead and guide them.

His ascension into heaven made Mt. Olivet the greatest mountain of hope. Because it was on this mountain that he promised to come again and receive his people into heaven with him.

If you find yourself in the valley, thank God. Praise him in the valley. Ask for his guidance and wisdom. It is in the valley that we gain strength for the climb. Remember, when climbing, we have an expert survival guide. The Holy Ghost lives within the believer. He will be our guide.

John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Our expert guide will lead us in the path we need to walk. He is our protector, comforter, teacher and will show us things to come. We can find hope in our Lord. He has promised to never leave us. Even in the lowest valley, the highest mountain or somewhere in between; we are safe. We know there is hope for the proper outcome. It doesn’t matter how big a mountain is in front of us. We can call it a mountain of hope, because God has already gone before us. We will never climb alone; we have security and hope. And our hope is always in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 328 STANDING IN THE GAP

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WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING

The title of today’s episode: STANDING IN THE GAP

All through the Bible we find stories of people who stood in the gap for their nation, people, and family. Standing in the gap means we fill the void space between those who are in need of God to reach God. Jesus is the ultimate example, without him standing in the gap for our sins, we would not even have a right to ask for God’s help. The largest gap ever created was the one Adam and Eve made when they sinned. Jesus came and filled in that gap.

John 14:6-Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Moses interceded on behalf of the children of Israel several times. Asking God to give them mercy when they deserved punishment. Many times God was weary of their idolatry and disobedience, but Moses prayed for God’s mercy.

Esther called a fast and prayed for God to save her people from Haman’s evil agenda to kill all of her people. Once the time of fasting and prayer was over she went to the king at risk of death. She asked for her people to be given into her hand to do as she wished. When his plot had been revealed to the king. Evil Haman was hung on a gallows he had prepared for Mordecai a Jew that would not bow to him. God’s people were spared because of Esther and her call for prayer.

Nehemiah was grieved by the news that the walls of Jerusalem lay in ruins. Because of his intercession and excitement of rebuilding the wall. Others got on board. Nehemiah stood in the gap and the people were lead into a time of repentance and renewal. The walls were fortified and once again Jerusalem was a strong city.

Sometimes all it takes is for one person to get excited about something. Their vision can become the vision of others. Nehemiah wanted to rebuild the walls, but it took a group of people to accomplish it.

Abraham pleaded with God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah. He asked God to spare it if he could find fifty righteous. He did not. Abraham kept bargaining down to ten people who were righteous. God could not even find ten in all the city that was righteous.

After Lot, his wife and his daughters left the city, fire and brimstone started falling from the sky on the evil. God told them to not look back, but Lot’s wife turned and looked back, she was turned into a pillar of salt.

It is safe to say that God spared Lot and his daughters because of Abraham’s prayers.

For years, there has been a movement in our country of intercessors who have prayed for our country and the world to be free from evil rulers. Many have cried out to God for mercy on our country, our states and local areas.

Being an intercessor takes time and energy. It means going beyond the words and feeling the emotion of the weight of where our country is spiritually. We have been taken over by evil agendas and the worship of satan.

I am sure that the only thing that has spared America is the large group of God’s people that feel compelled to intercede. Now more than ever we need for God to reveal the evil, make know satan’s agenda. God will spare our country, but we have something to do, we need to intercede.

I am sure we all have someone in our lives that needs us to stand in the gap of intercession for them. They are bound in sin and need God to intervene on their behalf. There are people that are dying of sickness and bad choices that need God.

We cannot be the church of recent years where we look at these situations and say a surface prayer and go on about our lives. Now is the time to get serious and get down to business. We need to allow our prayers to penetrate heaven. Many prayers never leave the earth. The difference one is saying a prayer. “Lord help that situation. Amen.” The other is getting on our face before God and praying until we feel like we cannot pray any longer. We need to P.U.S.H, Pray Until Something Happens.

Are you willing to stand in the gap for that loved one or friend? Are you willing to invest time in crying out for our country? God is needing us to keep pushing and praying. We are so close to our breakthrough but we need to keep going. Keep walking by faith.

Heb 4:14-16 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Because of what Jesus has done for us, we can come boldly to the throne of God and petition for mercy and grace. We can be bold in our prayers and intercession for those in need of God’s intervention.

Until next time,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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