Reigning From A Place of Rest
Reigning From A Place Of Rest
The keys to effortless victory
Part 1: Reigning From A Place Of Rest
Part 2: How To Reign From A Place Of Rest
Recorded at Transformers Christian Church
The God of Suddenlies
The God of Suddenlies
Cooperating with Heaven to bring Heaven to earth
Recorded at Transformers Christian Church
Creation vs Evolution
Creation Vs Evolution
Creation Vs Evolution
Recorded at Transformers Christian Church
How to Handle a Crisis
How To Handle A Crisis
How To Handle A Crisis
Recorded at Transformers Christian Church
Fulfilling Your Destiny
Fulfilling your destiny
The dictionary defines destiny as ‘a predetermined, inevitable & irresistible course of events’ but this is not how the bible defines destiny. According to the bible your destiny is not set in stone, it’s not inevitable. It’s completely in your hands and wholly dependent on the choices you make. "Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” Deut 30:19 (NLT).
We can choose to experience life or death, blessings or curses. Your destiny is not dependent on your level of education, the sort of family life you experienced, how much money you have in the bank or which side of the tracks you were born. You may have experienced a tough family life or an unfair teacher during your childhood and while that can’t be changed, the way you respond to it and move forward is totally in your control. Your past doesn’t need to control your future.
Your destiny is intricately entwined with where you work, where you live and where you worship. God will use your workplace, home and local church body to teach you, train you, grow you and refine you. There are many things that God wants you to receive that you will never receive except through your workplace, home or local church – and many of these things will shape you and equip you to fulfil your destiny.
A sense of destiny is so powerful that it will
- Give you confidence to move into the future
- Pull you through the toughest of times
- Cause you to draw on the greatness of God within you
There is much more to be said about this topic and the notes above are a quick summary. Feel free to download the messages below to get a fuller picture.
Fulfilling your destiny
Fulfilling your destiny Part 2
Recorded at Transformers Christian Church
How to receive the promise of God
How to receive the promise of God
Have you discovered that receiving an answer to prayer is not always instantaneous? In fact, most of the time, the answer to prayer does not come immediately. Well actually, technically speaking, the moment we pray in line with God’s will, He answers with a resounding ‘yes!’ At that moment, divine forces are set in motion to bring what we’ve prayed for into manifestation. But for a whole variety of reasons, there can be delays and so the answer to most prayers are not instantaneous. God is not the One who delays the answer; He wants us to have what He’s promised even more than we do. If we maintain our posture of faith, and stay attentive to what He wants to say to us, He will lead us to where the delay is minimized and the answer manifest.
How can we stay on the right track to ensure that we receive what God has promised? Hebrews 10:35-36 gives us some guidelines:
Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. (36) For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise Heb 10:35-36 NKJV
There are three things we’re exhorted to do in these two verses if we want to receive God’s promise:
- Don’t cast away your confidence
- Learn to be patient
- Do the will of God
Let’s look at them one at a time. Firstly, if we want to receive the promise of God then we must not throw away our confidence. The word translated ‘confidence’ in the original Greek means ‘outspokenness’ or ‘boldness of speech’. So this scripture is saying ‘Don’t cast away your outspokenness and boldness of speech’. One of the first things the enemy will try to do in order to stop the promise of God manifesting is stop you speaking in line with the Word. The devil understands that deliverance comes to us through the words of our mouths (Rom 10:10).
So be outspoken in your declaration of God’s Word concerning what He’s promised you. If you’re believing for healing, then talk like you’re healed and be outspoken about it. ‘But what will people think if they see me talk like that and see that I’m still sick?’ Don’t worry about what others think; you’re not being outspoken for their sake, you’re being outspoken for your sake. You’re being outspoken because the bible says don’t cast away your outspokenness.
Remember though, this boldness of speech is not just a false sense of bravado. It’s not self confidence or confidence in your abilities; it’s a confidence in God’s faithfulness and the integrity of His Word. Put your confidence in Him and what He’s promised you and not in yourself. What if you don’t feel confident about His promise to you? Then spend time meditating the Word until you can see it coming to pass in your imagination and then be outspoken about it.
Secondly, if we want to receive the promise of God we must learn to be patient. This doesn’t mean that we need to hang on for dear life, white knuckling it until we get through the storm. The word translated ‘patience’ or ‘endurance’ used in Heb 10:36 means ‘active resistance to defeat’. In other words, when it says ‘you have need of endurance’ we can also say ‘you have need of active resistance to defeat’. When the enemy is attacking our life, we’re not supposed to endure it in the sense that we put on our seatbelts and hope we get through. No, we’re supposed to actively resist defeat.
How do we do that? Well, let’s say there’s pain in your body and you’ve prayed for healing. Don’t just silently endure the pain. Be outspoken about the healing because it belongs to you. Be active in resisting the symptoms in your body. Speak to your body: ‘Body! You’re free of all sickness, disease and pain! Jesus has healed you.’ Speak to the pain: ‘Pain. I resist you! You have no right to be on my body because my body is healed. Pain, get off my body now!’ This is boldness of speech and active resistance to defeat.
Finally, if we want to receive the promise of God then we must do the will of God. The last part of Heb 10:36 says ‘after you have done the will of God you will receive the promise’. This means you do whatever God shows you to do – not just in the area you’re believing God to change. Too many believers become one dimensional when they’re believing God for something important in their life – they allow that one thing to dominate their thinking and they abandon all other responsibilities. They display an attitude of ‘I’m not doing anything else until I get this prayer answered’. This is not good. This scripture exhorts us to do the will of God and then we’ll receive the promise. In other words, if there are responsibilities you have, or there are things the Lord has already spoken to you about, then it’s important that you fulfil them.
If you’re praying for healing and the Lord talks to you about forgiving someone then do the will of God and forgive them. If you’re praying for wisdom and He tells you to bless someone with a gift then do it. Don’t make the mistake that a lot of believers make where they pick and choose what they’ll listen to the Lord about. Many times what God is telling you to do is directly linked to what you have asked for in prayer but its connection is not completely clear.
The following audio file goes into greater detail on how to receive God’s promise. It’s a free download so help yourself.
How to Receive the promise of God
Recorded at Transformers Christian Church
How to disperse darkness
How to disperse darkness
We live in a world that is immersed in darkness to such an extent that many have lost their way. It’s a darkness that has twisted our standards where that which is wrong is celebrated and that which is right is despised. God has called us to be light in the midst of darkness.
But darkness is not just a loss of values; it’s anything that robs us of enjoying an abundant life. Therefore, darkness also includes sickness, financial shortage, addictive behaviours, condemnation, fear, worry, depression or even strife. God doesn’t want any of these things dominating our lives; they are all darkness.
How do we disperse darkness from our lives? There are three principles we can apply to disperse darkness. This isn’t an exhaustive list; so they are not the only things we can do but I have implemented these three in my life and have seen great results.
The three principles can be summarized in three words:
- Contemplate
- Celebrate
- Initate
1. Contemplate: God does not bring darkness into your life. This would almost seem self evident to some but it’s surprising how tempting it can be to think that God is somehow at the root of the problem when we’re experiencing difficulties. Well if He didn't cause the problem, why couldn't He just stop it before it became a problem?
When we think that God causes darkness we will begin to express sentiments such as “God is dealing with me and that's why I have financial problems.” or “This sickness I have in my life is for the glory of God” or “My depression is my cross to bear”. None of these is true and a person who recognizes that God does not cause darkness will never utter nonsense like this.
We must contemplate that God is not the author of darkness - this is critical for every believer to understand. Otherwise, when you go through a difficult time you won’t know if you’re meant to accept it or resist it.
2. Celebrate that God is light and He lives in you. The bible says that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). If we allowed this truth to grow in us, we would see that darkness cannot remain in our lives. How can darkness remain where there is light?
A great way of allowing the light within us to shine is through praise. We need to celebrate that we are children of light, that His presence dwells in us. One reason why many people remain in darkness is because there is very little thankfulness in their lives. When we spend time celebrating the goodness of God, we draw His presence to us. And since God is light, as His manifested presence increases, the darkness disperses. This is why the biggest book in the bible is the book of Psalms and it is predominantly filled with exhortations to give thanks to God.
3. Initiate your authority to bring light. As believers, we have been authorized and empowered to bring the Kingdom of God into peoples’ lives. We have authority and power from God to cast out demons and heal sickness and disease (Matt 10:1; Luke 9:1). In other words we have been authorized to disperse darkness.
But unless we exercise our authority, we will remain in darkness whether that darkness is sickness, lack, depression, fear etc… How do we initiate our authority? By our words. This is the biblical pattern.
- God commanded and creation responded (Gen 1)
- Jesus commanded and creation responded (Mark 4:39; Mark 11:14)
- The apostles commanded and broken bodies responded (Acts 3; 14:8-10)
When we speak and believe what we say is true, then forces are released to bring what we said to pass. This is why the bible says that death and life are in the power of the tongue (Prov 18:21). There is much more to be said about this and the audio file goes into greater detail.
How to disperse darkness
Recorded at Transformers Christian Church
Encounters with the One above all
Encounters with the One Above All
This is a selective summary of some of the most significant points in my life and how it revealed the love, mercy and faithfulness of the One Above All. Not only did it reveal His character but also His deep desire to be intimately involved in my life. God doesn't have favorites - we are all His favorites so if He wants to bless me then He also wants to bless you.
The key is: Put the One Above All, Above All.
If you're struggling to know God's direction for yourself, or if you'd like to be reminded of just how big our God is, then this message is for YOU!
Encounters with the One Above All
Recorded at Transformers Christian Church
Just Keep Swimming - Joy Gomes
“Just keep swimming!” were Dory’s famous words of encouragement to Marlin as hope seemed to fade in his desperate search for his lost son in Finding Nemo. And these are words that we can use to encourage ourselves as we journey through life. There will always be moments that will challenge us in one way or another. But I strongly believe that you don’t have to let your moments become the frame work for your whole day.
Choose to dwell on thoughts that empower you, inspire you and encourage you; thoughts that give you faith, hope and joy. If you’ll keep your mind filled with the right thoughts, there won’t be any room for the wrong thoughts.
To keep swimming is not a show, it’s not an act, it’s having real peace from God that causes you to be able to keep moving forward, to be able to laugh from the heart, and sleep peacefully at night, and look forward to what the next day has in store.
Understand that God’s favour surrounds you like a shield. Every setback is a setup for a comeback. Every bad break, every disappointment, you haven’t touched the surface of what God has in store for you.
Think of something that's in your world right now that is causing you problems. Jesus has already overcome it! I like to say it this way, "Don't give up, Cheer UP!" By faith you can release the force of joy (the strength of God) and be of good cheer. Rejoice!
Just Keep Swimming by Joy Gomes
Recorded at Transformers Christian Church
Living Under Divine Protection
Living Under Divine Protection is an amazing offer that God makes to everyone. It’s a situation in which He protects us from sickness, financial shortage, depression, worry, fear and stress. Living under divine protection also insulates us from physical harm to ourselves and our family, our success and promotion at work is protected, God sends angels to guard us wherever we go. This doesn’t mean that we’ll never experience setbacks in any of these areas; what it does mean is that if we stay in the place of divine protection, we’ll push through the setbacks into victory.
Before you think that I’m just daydreaming or making this up, let me show you a passage of scripture to confirm what I’m saying. It’s Psalm 91.
Psalm 91:2-12 NLT This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust Him. (3) For He will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. (4) He will cover you with His feathers. He will shelter you with His wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. (5) Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. (6) Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. (7) Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. (8) Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished. (9) If you make the LORD your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, (10) no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. (11) For He will order His angels to protect you wherever you go. (12) They will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone.
This psalm promises divine protection from all the things that I listed earlier. And look at verse 7: ‘though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you’. Everybody at work may be getting the flu but it won’t touch you. The economy may be impacting businesses negatively but it won’t impact your business. Living under divine protection means you don’t have to be a statistical average in life.
But what qualifies us to live under divine protection? The answer is in the first verse of the psalm: Psalm 91:1 NKJV He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. If we want to enjoy all of the benefits of Psalm 91 then we need to fulfil the conditions here in the first verse:
- dwell in the secret place of the Most High,
- abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
The first speaks of God’s presence and the second speaks of God’s authority. Therefore, to live under divine protection requires us to dwell in His presence and to abide under His authority. Dwelling in God’s presence will be the topic of another series. This series will deal with abiding under God’s authority.
The thought of being under authority, causes instinctive recoil in the minds of many. For some, this may have developed as a result of negative experiences with a harsh leader or boss, while others are not accustomed to allowing someone else to have a say in how they do things. Some express sentiments such as: ‘I’ll submit to authority as long as I agree with them’. But as we shall see in this series, submission doesn’t really begin until there’s disagreement. The word submit means ‘to cease resistance or conflict’. The word implies there is at the very least a difference of opinion. What submission is there when you agree? None! Submission is only active in areas that you disagree.
An essential concept we must understand is that Kingdom authority cannot be understood with a democratic mindset. We live in a democratic society; it’s a rule of the people for the people by the people. In a democratic society, people discuss and debate, study opinions, take surveys, create alternative proposals to solve problems and then cast votes to decide which proposal should be approved.
While this may be the most effective way of governing without God, it’s not the way God’s Kingdom operates. God doesn’t query peoples’ opinions when He gives commands; He doesn’t check with us if it’s a good time to ask us to do something. He gives directives and expects us to carry them out. We do what He says because we recognize He knows more than we do, He can see what's ahead of us and He loves us infinitely more than we can comprehend.
But people move into confusion when they begin to analyse Kingdom authority with a democratic mindset. Let me give you a couple of examples of the sort of fuzzy thinking that can develop when we approach the Kingdom of God with a democratic mindset:
- ‘I don’t understand why God is against homosexual relationships. I mean if they love each other and it won’t hurt anyone else then what’s the problem? I just don’t agree with the bible on this issue.’
- ‘Why does God want to stop women from having abortions? It’s their life and so it should be their choice.’
These are issues plainly laid out in scriptures but when we think our opinion is at the same level as God’s thoughts, we’ll move into confusion and disagreement with the Lord.
God’s authority is not just evident in His direct dealings with us but also through the leaders He puts over us. This includes, the politicians, police, teachers, instructors, coaches, bosses and pastors. Living Under Divine Protection comes only when we abide under God’s authority – direct or delegated. There are many questions that arise when we begin to talk about submitting to authorities.
- Does God expect us to submit to authorities even if they're unfair?
- What about if they're corrupt?
- What if they tell us to do something that we believe is wrong?
- What if I don’t agree with my leader’s decision?
- What if they want us to sin?
- Where do we draw the line?
- Can't we all just be led by the HS?
This series will tackle all of these questions and more from a biblical standpoint. There is nothing more liberating and secure than living under God’s divine protection!
Part 1: Is it possible to live under divine protection?
Part 2: The Secret Power of Lawlessness
Part 3: The Consequences of Disobedience
Part 4: Does God Appoint Every Leader
Part 5: Honoring Leaders 1
Part 6: Honoring Leaders 2
Part 7: Handling Unfair Treatment
Recorded at Transformers Christian Church
Finding Your Happy Place
Finding Your Happy Place - What is it?
Doing life is not meant to be something that wears us out or overwhelms us but how many people feel like that’s exactly what doing life produces? Whether it’s problems in the family, at work or health challenges, the end result is becoming overwhelmed and worn out. Many times, it’s not even major problems that can bring these feelings; the emotional scales can often tip at the smallest of things. The traffic, having to wait in a queue, trying to find parking, the irritating colleague you have to see every day – all of these things are examples of little things that when added to our day become the straw that breaks the camel’s back and so we’ve become overwhelmed or worn out.
In the midst of this, and in stark contrast, stands an amazing invitation made by Jesus: ‘Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.’ – Matthew 11:28-30
Is it possible to find rest for our souls in the midst of difficult and even overwhelming circumstances? Certainly it is – this is your happy place! But what sort of rest is it? Jesus invites those who labor and are heavy laden to come to Him and He will give them rest. So if we can understand what He means by ‘labor’ and ‘heavy laden’ we will have an idea of what it means to experience rest since Jesus contrasts them.
The word labor means to toil, to become weary through work, worn out. The phrase heavy laden means to carry heavy burdens and loads, being burnt out. So Jesus’ invitation can be read as follows: ‘Come to Me all you who are worn out through working and burnt out by problems and I will give you rest.’ Therefore the rest promised is a freedom from being worn out from overworking and burnt out by problems.
It’s important to recognise that resting in Christ is not absence of work or problems but freedom from work and problems. There’s a big difference. Absence is when these things are no longer in your life. You will never live in a place where you will not need to do any work or ever face any problems. Even Jesus worked and faced problems while on earth so if He did then so will we. Freedom on the other hand, means that you’re no longer chained to work and problems. You will have work to do and you will face problems but they won’t drag you down or overwhelm you when you find the place of rest in Christ.
But resting is more than freedom from being worn out and burnt out. Resting is also the realization that God has already provided everything you will ever need in your life. You’re not waiting for God to give it because He’s already given it. You don’t have to beg God to heal you or plead with Him to provide for you or hope that He will protect you. All of these things have been gained for us through Christ and that’s why we can rest.
The bible says ‘For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.’ – Ephesians 2:8-9 The word saved literally means healed, delivered, protected, provided for, prospered. In other words, by grace you’ve been healed, delivered, protected, provided for, prospered – through faith. Notice also in this scripture that you have been saved. That’s past tense which means we’re not waiting for God to protect us or provide for us or heal us or deliver us; He’s already done it. By grace you have been saved. Resting is therefore the realization that everything we will ever need in this life and beyond has been secured by Christ and place in us and all we need to do is use our faith to manifest what God has already given us.
Finally, resting in Chirst is ceasing from self-effort. This is an important point. If God has already provided everything we will ever need then why are we trying get God to give it to us? Why would you try to get something you’ve already got? It makes no sense. And yet there are millions of believers all around the world trying to get God to give them things He’s already given. People mistakenly think that if they pray more or read their bible more or attend church more faithfully or do good things to others then God will give them what they want. This is wrong and will only lead to heartache and failure. The scripture we just read from Ephesians 2:8-9 says God’s provision does not come because of our works lest anyone should boast. Resting is ceasing from self-effort.
Now this doesn’t mean that when we’re resting we are inactive. No, there is a work that God calls us to carry out but it’s not to get things from Him. It takes work to love the unlovely, to forgive those who have let us down, to minister grace to a broken and dying world. It takes work to believe the promises of God. There is so much more to this topic. If you’d like to know more, feel free to download the message below.
Part 1: Resting In Christ (Your Happy Place)
Part 2: How to Find Your Happy Place
Part 3: Barriers to Finding Your Happy Place
Recorded at Transformers Christian Church
Becoming A Person Of Influence
Influence is the power to affect or change someone. A person of influence is a person that has clout, leverage or even impact with others. It doesn't necessarily mean that they're in the public eye. There are many people of influence that have been relatively unheard of.
Elizabeth Everest is an example of a person of influence who is virtually unheard of. I'm confident that the majority of the people reading this would never have heard of Elizabeth Everest. And yet, she influenced Great Britain and the Western World more than most people. Who was Elizabeth Everest? She was the woman hired to be Winston Churchill's nanny when he was a young boy.
Churchill's parents were high flying socialites amongst England's aristocrats and the demands of their socialite lifestyle meant they needed a nanny to look after Winston and his brother. Enter Elizabeth Everest; a young woman with a deep and sincere love for God. She modelled a living and vibrant relationship with Jesus to an impressionable Winston who until then had only witnessed the outward ceremonies and protocols of a traditional church.
It's not surprising then that at the end of a long and arduous war with Germany, Winston led the entire parliament to Westminster Abbey for a time of worship and thanksgiving. In fact, the Abbey was opened all day and over 25,000 people attended hourly services of thanksgiving to God for the protection and victory. All of this coming from the influence of a young Elizabeth Everest.
Just like Everest, God desires that each of us become people of influence. But how do we become people of influence? There are three essential keys to becoming a person of influence (and you will find every person of influence will be in possession of these).
- A person of influence must be authentic
- A person of influence must be passionate
- A person of influence must demonstrate compassion
Want to know more? The audio recording below reveals more about how to become a person of influence.
Becoming A Person Of Influence
How To Stay Full On For God All The Time
How To Stay Full Of God All The Time
For many Christians, their relationship with God can be likened to a roller coaster or a yo-yo; it's filled with ups and downs. They attend church, or a Christian seminar/ conference and experience a wonderful touch from God. It seems like the heavens opened up for them and their lives were impacted in a significant way. After a week or so, they get distracted by the cares of this world and their encounter with God becomes a distant memory. A little later, they once again experience a wonderful touch from God and their enthusiasm for the Kingdom is renewed until another distraction knocks the wind out of their sails. This is what's called yo-yo Christianity and it can be a great frustration for many.
This was never God's desire for you and me. God doesn't want our spiritual experience to be like a roller coaster where we're on top of everything and enjoying His presence and then when circumstances change, we're down so low and feel like God's nowhere around.
Firstly, let's be clear about this: God is never the one who changes. He doesn't release and withdraw His presence from us. And yet there are many Christians who cry out to God to 'pour out' His Spirit upon them and give them a 'fresh touch'. They beg God to show them that He loves them because they can't feel His love anymore. To pray like this is unbelief because God the bible says God has already manifested His love to us by sending Jesus (1 John 4:9). Not only that, but He also promised that He would never leave us nor forsake us and this promise was sealed in the blood of Jesus. God is always broadcasting His presence, His goodness, His healing, His provision, His protection. The problem is not God but us; we are not always tuned in to receive from Him.
If you were to turn on your tv and there was no signal, you wouldn't call the tv station and beg them to broadcast their programs. You would probably change the channel first and check if you're receiving the other stations. If you aren't receiving any stations, then you'd check the connection from the tv to the antenna. Contacting a station is the very last thing you would do because the problem is more often the receiver rather than the broadcaster. In the same way, we are not tuned in to God's broadcast of provision and so instead of begging God to broadcast, we need to be checking our receivers.
The bible reveals there is a way we can avoid the roller coaster experiences and stay full on for God all the time and it's found in the following verse:
Rom 1:21 NKJV because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
This verse describes a process where people steadily move away from God. They stop glorifying God, they become unthankful, their imaginations become negative and their hearts become hardened. If this is the process by which people move away from God, then it stands to reason that doing the opposite is a process by which we can stay full on for God all the time.
What then is this process that can help us stay full of God all the time?
- Glorify God
- Practise Thankfulness
- Harness Your Imagination
- Maintain a soft heart
Let's examine these one at a time.
Glorifying God
The words 'glory' and 'glorify' come from a Hebrew word 'kabod' which means to give weight to in a good sense. It's a bit like when I was younger if someone said something profound we would stop and consider what was said and then usually one of us would say something like 'Woah, that was heavy!' The thought was 'heavy' in a good sense, it was deep and had a powerful impact. Glorify means the same thing. It means we're giving weight to the value of something, or we're giving weight to the power of something.
To glorify God means to value what He values. You can't say that you glorify God if your life shows that you don't value what He values. To glorify God means that we value what He says more than what others say, more than what our circumstances say, more than what economists say, more than what our families say etc... To glorify God is to put what He says as the highest authority in our lives.
So if the doctors tell you that you have a condition that's incurable and you know Ps 103:3 says that He heals all of our diseases, then to glorify God is to value what God says more than what the doctors say. This doesn't mean the doctors are evil or that we shouldn't consult medical advice; doctors do the best they can but there are times when they don't know what to do; it's beyond the scope of their experience. If however, we learn to glorify God and value what He says more than the doctors, there will not be a situation we will find ourselves in where we are without hope or eventual victory.
Glorifying God also means to magnify Him. Ps 34:3 says 'Oh magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together'. When we look through a magnifying glass, we're making an object appear larger. In the same way, magnifying the Lord is to make Him appear larger in our vision. This does not mean that God is actually small and we need to pretend that He's much bigger than what He really is. What it means is that God is in reality much bigger than what we can ever imagine but oftentimes we get so caught up in a situation and focus on the problem so much that we actually enlarge (or magnify) our problem and in the process we also shrink God in our perception and so have difficulty imagining that He could really turn the situation around.
The audio recordings below provide greater detail
Part 1: Glorifying God
Part 2: Practise Thankfulness
Part 3: Harness Your Imagination
Part 4: Maintain A Soft Heart
How Long Before You Take Possession?
How Long Before You Take Possession?
Imagine a homeless person that lived under a bridge in the city. Every day this person gets up and finds a strategic position where they can sit with a sign that asks passers by if they would take pity and give him some money for food. This is how he lives everyday and on a good day he has enough to eat well but then on other days he barely has enough for one meal.
Imagine now if this same homeless person were to discover that he was in fact related to the wealthiest family in town and there was an inheritance left for him years ago that meant he actually owned the entire town! I wonder how he would feel when that realization would dawn on him that he never needed to sleep under the bridge because the bridge and everything either side of the bridge belonged to him. I wonder how he would feel when he realized that all those years where he went hungry were needless because he owned a thousand farms overflowing with produce.
This is a parallel to our situation. As children of God, we've been adopted into God's family (the wealthiest family in the universe) and there's an inheritance that has been given to us that means we never have to live under the curse of sickness, depression, fear, worries or even financial troubles.
And yet, how many children of God are waiting for God to do a miracle? How many are waiting for their deliverance? How many are waiting for God to do something about their health, finances, employment etc...?
One of the most exciting revelations I've ever received has been the discovery that God has already given us everything richly to enjoy. I'm not waiting for God to give me healing or finances because He already has. All I have to do is take possession of what He's already given. But how do I do that? Listen to this message to discover some keys.
Resting In The Storm
Storms will come and go in everyone's life. Even Jesus encountered opposition, persecution and pressure. But how you handle storms can make the difference between success and failure. Your attitude in a storm will either cause you to fall apart like a $2 watch or sail on through as if it was nothing. Learn the keys to Resting In The Storm.
God's Fast Track To Success
Have you ever received a promise from God and it seems to be taking ages to come to pass? You know that He’s called you to do great things but you feel like you’re trapped in a no man’s land, drifting aimlessly. You know He wants you to succeed but the success seems to be flowing so slowly towards you. In this message you will discover the major reason why success manifests so slowly for some and how to stay on God’s Fast Track to Success
How to Receive your Harvest
How to receive your Harvest
Everybody loves breakthroughs. Whether that breakthrough is a promotion at work, a financial windfall, a healing or an opportunity that you’ve sincerely desired, breakthroughs bring with them a sense of celebration because that which we’ve been expecting and believing for has finally manifested. Breakthroughs often appear quickly (sometimes even instantly). That means that most of our lives are spent journeying from one breakthrough to another. Since most of our lives are spent this way if we don’t know how to journey properly, we’ll fail to enjoy most of our Christian life.
How can we journey from one breakthrough to another more effectively? I’m glad you asked! Jesus shared vital keys to experiencing breakthrough in the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-20). In this parable, he shared the four major heart attitudes that will determine your capacity to receive and the six major things that will derail your journey to your breakthrough. If we take note of these things and make the adjustments in our lives, we will not only experience breakthrough but also enjoy the journey there.
What are the four major attitudes of the heart that will determine our capacity to receive breakthrough?
Wayside = A Hardened Heart
A heart that is hardened finds it difficult to discern when God is speaking. That’s because a person with a hardened heart is more sensitized to their circumstances and feelings than they are to the Word of God. When a person with a hardened heart considers the things of God, they don’t get it; it’s confusing to them. Jesus warned that when this happens, the enemy will come and steal that Word from their heart so that it will never produce fruit in their lives. You never want to harden your heart to the things of God.
Stony Ground = An Inconsistent Heart
The stony ground is not as hardened as the wayside. The problem with stony ground is that there is little depth and so such a person cannot stay on the Word for long. That’s why I call it an Inconsistent Heart; they’re up and down because they don’t allow the Word to take root in their lives. Meditate the Word and let it sink deep into your heart so that it has roots. How do you know when it is rooted? When you're not easily phased by pressure or persecution.
Thorns = A Crowded Heart
Those with thorns are those whose hearts are soft but they become crowded out and overwhelmed by the cares of this world, the love of money and the desire for other things. The Crowded Heart will bear fruit but not to maturity (Luke 8:14). If Satan can't harden your heart then he will try to suffocate it with distractions.
Good Ground = A Receptive Heart
Good ground is a Receptive Heart. These are people who hear the Word and understand it (they get it, they’ve joined the dots and can see what the big idea is). Receptive Hearts receive/ accept the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience (Luke 8:15).
There is much more to say about this vital topic. The free audio file goes into much more detail.
How To Receive Your Harvest
Recorded at Transformers Christian Church
Discover the ancient secrets that unlock Heaven's resources for you.