Christian Living

God Is ALWAYS Watching!

by Jean PAPP

August 17, 2010

"For He looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens" (Job 28:24).

In my business, buying and selling scrap metal, you deal with a lot of dishonest people. Everyone is out to make an extra dollar somewhere, and they don’t care who it will affect. I always tell my customers that I have to answer to the Lord for whatever I do. God is ALWAYS watching!!

Last year the Lord blessed me with a new account. The way it works is: the manufacturing company has some of my metal containers to fill up with their scrap metal. They call me when they are full, we pick up and sell it, get paid for the material, then I pay the customer accordingly. On this one occasion we went through the normal routine. This was the very first pick up with this new account. I went and sold the material, picked up the cash. I then figured out what to pay my customer, counted out the cash, and delivered payment. I usually have my customers count the cash out and sign for it. Richard is the name of the man I deal with. He counted it out and said to me: “Count with me.” After counting again I realized it was $1000.00 over paid. I said, “We have to count again.” I thought for sure it was the correct amount in that envelope. So we did, and sure enough it was $1000.00 over. Richard could have just kept his mouth shut and pocketed the additional $1000.00 and no one would have ever known. Why? When I was paid, they over paid me, but the weight ticket was correct. There would have been no way to trace the additional money.

 I thanked Richard many times for being honest and pointing it out. Little did I know at the time Richard is a Christian. He knew that the Lord sees everything. "For His eyes are upon the ways of a man, and He sees all his steps" (Job 34:21). Over the next few months we started talking more and I realized he is a Christian man. About 9 months later I was in Richard’s office and he was on the phone. I overheard him ask someone for a character/reference letter. I asked if he was leaving for another job. He told me that he was trying to rescue some children from a bad living situation and the judge needed a letter because when Richard was a young man he had a drug problem and spent some time in prison. I was shocked! I would have never known. I offered to write one also. I had never written one. I told Richard I had to pray about what to write. When I got in my car, I asked the Lord to show me what to write. I wanted to bless Richard for blessing me by being honest. Quickly the Lord reminded me off the money situation. I was so blessed because I had forgotten about that at that moment. I was thinking that I had to write something like Richard is a kind, loving and dependable man. The Lord told me to write about the over payment and I did! I prayed that the Lord with give me the words. He is so faithful in doing that!!

I sent it to Richard and hadn’t heard anything for a few days. I called him and he said he “couldn’t speak due to being so blessed by this letter.” He was so emotional he couldn’t speak.

I knew that God had blessed us both in this situation. Later I found out Richard was awarded custody of the children.

Richard knew that God was always watching. God sees everything. Don’t try to get away with something (thinking no one will see) just to get ahead; it won’t work.

God is ALWAYS watching!

Jean Papp

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I was sitting on the passenger side of our car as my son, eighteen years of age, was driving home from school. He was mentioning something about his small business of 'media promotions' when all of a sudden I experienced like a raging fire burning inside of me that I have never felt in my whole life. I said to the Lord, "What is this fire that is burning me up on the inside as though it would consume me?" I sensed the Lord saying, "I am allowing you to feel your son's passion to promote businesses that is burning like a wild fire inside of his bones. He represents a generation who will be used like no other generation in the market places of the earth!  My fire inside of this chosen generation is burning up every mold and every boundary of limitation that has been ingrained in them by this present world. I can only allow you to experience a small flickering of the flame of that fire, for any more would literally consume you!"

"I WILL GIVE THEM WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE BEYOND THE ELITE OF THIS PRESENT GENERATION!"  Psalm 119:98-100

Psalm 119:98 "Lord, through thy commandments, you have made me wiser than my enemies: for they are ever with me. 99. "I have more understanding than all my teachers; for thy testimonies are my meditation." 100 "I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts."

I sensed the Lord saying, "My fire is burning up the molds of generational thought patterns that have told them, "you must do it this way or that way." I am going to use them in unusual, unique ways like no other generation. I will scatter them into the highways and byways and market places of the earth. I will give them wisdom and knowledge beyond the elite of this present age. I will use them to break open the fountain of wisdom of witty inventions and things not yet created. Some will begin to lead leaders of this present generation at a young age in the fields of technology and industry."

"THEY WILL BE USED AS 'BATTERING RAMS' TO BREAK DOWN THE WALLS BETWEEN THE OLDER AND YOUNGER GENERATIONS!"

These young firebrands will seem to have the blood of both the young and older generation mixed in their DNA. Their zeal of child-like faith and simplicity will produce a re-firing in the older generation while their ancient wisdom will infuse spiritual stability and maturity into the younger generation. This will act as a cohesive agent igniting love and understanding, bringing both generations together in unity. This younger generation will begin to see visions of older people's dreams and will help their dreams come true.

Recently, my great nephew who is twenty-one, went with me on a ministry trip to two churches. I thought I would let him get his feet wet since he has never shared his testimony out side of the little church he attends. As he stood up and began to share a five minute testimony, his countenance shone as the glory of the Lord came upon him. He shared how he had been raised in a terrible disfunctional family, yet influenced by praying grandparents. God had kept him and used the brokeness and struggles he endured to create the fire of God he now carried. An anointing of deliverance fell like lightning upon the people, breaking whole families free from their bondages and prisons. It seemed that that whole church had families who were struggling with loved ones in bondage to sin. Since my nephew was an overcomer, his prayer carried the key of God's power to unlock the prison doors for many of those families, setting them free. 

PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS MUST RELEASE THE YOUNGER GENERATION...THE LORD HAS NEED OF THEM!

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"Diamonds in the 'Rough' are Rising in Demand in the Jewelry Market and in God's Kingdom!" 

by Bill Yount

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March 1, 2010

"MANY BOOKS, SONGS, SCREENPLAYS AND ARTWORK THAT WERE REJECTED--WILL NOW BE RELEASED!"

by Bill Yount

Psalm 102:13, "Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favor her, yea, the set time has come."I saw angels scavenging through trash cans, old filing cabinets and dusty warehouses, picking up rejected manuscripts of books, songs, screenplays and artwork, and then declaring, "THESE HAVE BEEN WRITTEN AND CREATED AHEAD OF THEIR TIME--BUT THEIR TIME IS NOW!"

Ahead of your time? Have you written a book, a song, a screenplay or have drawn artwork and thought that something was holding it back or thought it was seemingly unnoticed by man? I want to encourage you--you may have had an angel hiding what God has given you to do--keeping it for its divine timing. You may have written or created a divine project that was not meant to be released in your time frame, but I am sensing God's timing for many of His overlooked creations--IS NOW!

The waiting and the aging of these creations which seemingly brought "death" to these dreams have only caused God's anointing to increase greater upon them. Through man's "rejecting," God is now "injecting" them with resurrection power!

You May Have a Best Seller!

I saw angels checking out books and manuscripts that have lain dormant in authors basements; and these angels are now proclaiming, "THERE'S A 'BEST SELLER' IN THAT CELLAR!"

I saw "publishing" angels sitting on stacks of books that were written ahead of their time, but these angels are now arising! These authors were strongly anointed as those who were seemingly "born out of season" and their divine projects were ahead of their time, but--their time has now come to be published and to be heard abroad.

Going to High Places

Some writings will ultimately end up in kings' palaces, as well as the prisons and rescue missions of the earth, for kings sit in both places. World leaders will find these divine writings in their laps delivered by the hands of "dignitary" angels. Some rejected and forgotten artwork will now be adorning the walls of government buildings and the palaces of world leaders!

I saw angels picking up discarded forms of divine artwork from the storage rooms of art stores and closets. These artworks are from original artists who have given up hopes and dreams of their artwork which God had called them to do. These same paintings and forms of prophetic artwork are now finding their way into the halls of justice to hang on the walls and will prophesy into the governments of the world. Some artwork have the address of the "Oval Office of the President of the United States" written on them, and some are also destined to the hallways of the White House.

Other paintings and artwork will find their way even into Middle East palaces to adorn their walls with justice and help break the powers of darkness off of the minds of world leaders who assemble in these renowned palaces in the earth. Some of the most profound artwork are coming from the prison cells of prisoners and will be found in mansions of the richest men in the world.

Multiple Births

Some authors, whose difficult projects have given them great labor pains, will discover that there is more than one dream in their womb! I sense some novels and screenplays that have taken so long and have had great difficulty in finishing, have God's timing in them after all. The patient labor of these projects has only increased the size of their destiny and having been carried full term--are now nearing God's delivery room.

With surprise, some authors will give birth unexpectedly to twins--a "novel" and a "movie!" From trash cans to theater screens, from filing cabinets to governmental cabinets, and from the warehouse to the White House--DEAD DREAMS ARE RISING!

Bill Yount

http://www.BillYount.com

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Proverbs 22
by Jean Papp

Proverbs 22:6; Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will NOT depart from it.

The Spirit Life bible defines this scripture best with: Train up has the idea of a parent graciously investing in a child whatever wisdom, love, nurture, and discipline is needed for him to become fully committed to God. It presupposes the emotional and spiritual maturity of the parent to do so. In the way he should go is to do the training according to the unique personality, gifts, and aspirations of the child. It also means to train the child to avoid whatever natural tendencies he might have that would prevent total commitment to God (for example, a weak will, a lack of discipline, a susceptibility to depression). Hence, the promise is that proper development insures the child will stay committed to God.

Training is not just a one time deal. Training is an ongoing process. I don’t think parents realize just how important it is to train up a child in the Lord.

A few years back my sister’s neighbor, who was a young man in his early 20’s seemed to have his act together. He had a girlfriend whom he was madly in love with. One night she was killed in a car accident and he found out later she was pregnant. Needless to say, he was completely devastated. About two weeks went by and all of a sudden the police and the coroner were at the house. We found out that he had committed suicide. How sad is that?  I felt really bad for him.

One day while praying the Lord spoke to me and said: “If he would have KNOWN me, he wouldn’t have taken his life.” I started thinking about that. It really makes sense.

The definition of know is: to be convinced or certain of.

When we know the Lord and have a relationship with him, even when things get REALLY bad – we still have some hope (even if it is deep down). This is one reason that it is so important that people train their children up in the Lord from the very beginning of life. They need to know how to handle every kind of situation that life will throw at them whether it is physical, spiritual, emotional, financially, or in relationships. When children are brought up in the Lord and know him, when bad times come, they will know how to sit back and rest in the Lord.

Children need to learn at a very young age how to pray.

When I was about 16 yrs old I was riding my quad (a 4-wheel motorcycle) in Glamis Sand dunes. I got stung by a bee and didn’t realize it. As I was riding, I started to feel weird; my hands, neck and face were getting really itchy. I thought, wow, what is wrong with me? I stopped the group and took a drink of water. My body was starting to feel different also.

I thought to myself, we are almost at the hill, I will be fine. As I kept riding, my chest started to feel a lot of pressure, like an elephant was standing on it. Finally, we arrived at the hill. I took a ride up the hill and when I got to the top I knew there was a real problem. It was hard to breathe.

I went back down to the group where my parents were and took my helmet off. I was very swollen. I was in Anaphalytic shock. Breathing was getting difficult. I was really scared.

My parents got me in the jeep and rushed me back to camp where we had some paramedics with us. On the way back to camp my parents were praying over me. I would say my breathing was not getting worse, but the pain in my chest was getting more painful. I started to pray out loud. I said: “Satan, you are NOT going to take my life. I told him that I am going to preach one day, and started to tell the devil to give up!” At that point, the pain in my chest started to get less.

So, I continued the praying out loud along with my parents. To make a long story short when we got back to camp the paramedics knew exactly what was wrong with me. They opened 3-4 benedryl’s and put the medication under my tongue, so it would get into my system right away. We called 911; they advised up to either stop at the ranger station and wait for an ambulance or drive directly to the Brawley hospital. It was faster to go straight there so we did. I was much better after the benedryl and was released from the hospital.

Learning as a small child how to stand up to the devil and know my authority in the lord made a real difference in praying that day.There was great power!

I know of a group of state workers, who this last year in 2009 experienced more than normal suicide attempts and successful suicides. They seemed to be mainly about the same reasons of divorce, stress etc. It is so sad.

When being told about it, I said “they didn’t have the hope they needed because they didn’t really know the Lord.” Then I was told, Oh, no they were big in going to church and stuff.

Personally, I think it doesn’t matter how much you go to church, it doesn’t mean you KNOW the Lord. Some people go to church 2-3 times per week, give their tithe, etc. That still doesn’t mean they KNOW the Lord. If you truly KNOW the Lord it is because you spend a lot of time in prayer, reading the word, worship and one on one time with him, having a relationship.

I believe if these people would have really known the Lord, they would have had the hope to get through it, they would have known there best friend Jesus was right there with them, they would have known the promise in Jeremiah 29:11: For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

If people would train their children up in the Lord from the very beginning to know and always depend on the lord for everything we wouldn’t have these tragic endings/suicides.

Jean Papp

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Running With The Wind, or Against It?

Hi everyone, it’s Bob today.

I hope you all enjoyed the podcast with Bruce McNicol, co-author of Bo’s Cafe last week.  If you didn’t have a chance to listen to this broadcast, I’d urge you to listen online here on the website, or download and listen to it on iTunes.  Without question, it was one of the most impactful interviews we’ve done. We touched on a number of topics, but the central theme was grace, and what that looks like lived out.  Bruce, Matt, and I all spoke about personal experiences where we’ve successfully, and unsuccessfully tried to live out grace in our lives as business owners.

I hope you’ve been impacted in some way by the things we’ve been sharing with you all lately.  Sometime around the holidays, Matt and I just felt moved to stop trying to teach and preach, and just simply start sharing our lives with you and allow you to read and listen about real-life experiences – the good and the bad – and the journey that God has invited us into.  As always, we welcome your comments here on the blog, or on our Christian Business Daily Facebook Fan Page, whether you agree or disagree, or simply just want to share your own experiences.

For me, I’m still stumbling my way through what my wife and I are calling our “new normal“.  12 months ago, things were changing, but they were certainly different than they were today – financially, spiritually, physically.  I had a growing business, growing staff, growing status, growing confidence, and unlimited opportunity.  On the surface, you could say I was doing pretty well.

Fast forward to the present, and our new normal is a struggling business, shrinking staff, shrinking status, shrinking confidence, and seemingly limited opportunity.  A little over 5 months ago, I was in the hospital, completely burnt out, suffering from physical and emotional manifestations of stress and anxiety.

Looking back, it was certainly a low point, but more of a turning point.  That started my road to caring more for myself. Physically, I started to exercise again,  eat right, and get enough sleep.  Emotionally, I started to deal with issues of confidence, pride, and happiness.  Spiritually, I’ve been led away from a performance-based lifestyle – at home, at church, at work – basically all aspects of my life.  God has been slowly and painfully chiseling away a lot of rough edges, and I’m honestly telling you it’s longer than I want, and more painful at times than I care to admit.

I figured September 28 was the lowest day I’d have to experience, but I was in for more.  Many more very low days since then, and a very significant low day on January 28 of this year when I had to make the most dramatic and painful business decision of my life that dramatically affected many people that I dearly love.

Fortunately, Papa had a release for me, and that was a 5 day trip to Florida to visit my dad.  It was both the worst time and best time for a trip.  But I was sure that the trip was all part of a plan, and timed perfectly to take me out of the fire for a few days.

The trip was amazing in so many ways, both on a personal and spiritual level.  A few weeks ago I shared an experience here on the blog where God showed me a picture of what spending time with him looked like.  It was so cool. (If you didn’t read it, I invite you to – here’s the link).

There was also a very powerful experience I did not share with you yet, and I felt led to do that today.  It was an experience for me that struck at many levels, and like many powerful experiences, it hit me physically, spiritually, and personally.  It was an experience that spoke to me about my personal life, my relationships, my business, and my “walk with God”.

Let me set the scene. It was a crisp, 50 degree, sunny Florida Gulf day in early February.  Warm by my standards, freezing by local standards.  The “breeze” that day was stiff, and better characterized by terms like “wind” or “gusts”.  There was a constant breeze of at least 10 MPH, with frequent gusts into the 30 MPH range.  I’m on the beach stretching, ready for a run.  The surf is crashing the beach and the waves are topped with white caps.  The pelicans who are flying into the wind appear to be hovering, not getting anywhere until they turn and head the other direction.  Since I’m running the beach, I’ve got a choice to run “up the beach” or run “down the beach” to start, and then will have to reverse my direction on my way back.

Because I’m just starting to run again after MANY years, I choose the wise path to run “up the beach” against the wind to start, and then have the wind with me as I head home down the beach.

Starting out, I begin to understand what the pelican was going through.  As I attempted to run, I felt like that wind was not only sanding me up, but actually pushing me back and I wasn’t making much progress.  I might as well have been running up a steep hill because it didn’t take more than 500 yards for my legs and my lungs to burn like fire.  I slowed my pace from a jog to a fast walk, and decided to just face the winds at a walking pace for a couple miles.  It was just no use fighting the wind, it was going to wear me out too soon.

So I trucked up the beach with the wind at my face for a good 2 miles, if not more.  My mind wasn’t really too occupied at the moment.  I think I was even listening to a podcast of Darin Hufford or Wayne Jacobsen at the time.  But as I reached a point near the end of the beach, I sat down and just stared out into the ocean for 10 minutes.  (Hey, I was quite winded even though it was a walking pace!) I don’t recall the details of what I was thinking or doing, to be honest.

Once I got my own wind back, I set to start running back down the beach.  Boy, did I feel like Forrest Gump – “I was RUNNING!“.  My pace was swift, and my stride was solid.  I felt good.  But because I am still working my way back into shape, and because I already walked about 2 miles, I started to get fatigued and winded.  I had run about a 1/2 a mile at this point, and I figured that I might just walk a couple hundred yards and then start jogging again.  As I was about to stop, a gust of wind came up from behind me and felt like it picked me up off my feet.  As I was feeling light on my feet, I kept running.  About a 1/2 mile later, I was starting to get really tired again, I figured I deserved to slow down and catch my breath.

Again, a swift “breeze” hit my back and pushed me again – so I kept running.  Over that last mile, every couple hundred yards I’d think about stopping, yet each time would be swept up by the wind and carried further.  Sooner than I imagined, I had reached the condo, and I had run the whole 2+ miles back without stopping.  As I hunched over with my hands on my knees, watching the sweat bead off into the sand, I said to myself, “God, thank you for that wind.  It really pushed me.”.

At that moment, as I was hunched over and enjoying the moment, a voice welled up from my heart and said, “Son, you’ve been running into the wind far too long. Wouldn’t you like to run with the wind at your back from now on?”

Whoa.

Boy did I know what Papa meant by that.  It was a flood of emotion, and I just stood there stunned.  In that moment, I was reminded of the struggles of the past 5 months, the disappointments, the unmet expectations over the years, the feelings of 1 step forward, 2 steps back – all of it.  Right then and there, I just said, “Yes, I’m really tired of running against the wind.  I want you to show me how to run with your wind at my back“.

It’s only been about a month, and I’m going to confess – I haven’t figured it out yet.  I find myself falling back into old habits, old mindsets, and old routines.  And I have to tell you it’s as if I was running smack into the wind.  Yet, there have been a few surprises personally in our family that could only have been God, and didn’t have a single thing to do with me.  It was all him – running with the wind at my back.

So as I reach the end of this post, I’d like to have a silver lining, a proverb, or a happy ending for you to tie it all together.  But I don’t.  I’m adjusting to a new routine within our family, opening up fresh revelations in regards to God, fighting constant struggles and trials with my business, and fighting with a loss of confidence and security I enjoyed for 39+ years.

Just yesterday, God spoke to me about my focus and my depth.  I’m just trying to sort that out, because that’s a painful word that’s going to involve a lot more change, I think.

Peter writes in his letter, “In this life, you will have troubles”.  Amen, Hell Yeah, and No Kidding.  He was writing from experience folks, and I (and probably you too) can testify to that.

So as I work out what “running with the wind at my back” looks like for me, I’d love to hear from you: What does it mean to you to have the wind at your back?  I want to hear your personal experiences and so would our readers.  What has that looked like in your life?  What about running against the wind? Ever done that?

I’d love for you to comment on the blog, Facebook, or via email.

Peace.

[Bob Regnerus is part founder of Christian Business Daily and believes he is called to raise up an army of Kingdom minded business owners and entrepreneurs who run for-profit companies that take back territory from the enemy in the business world. More information can be found online his website and blog at www.christianbusinessdaily.com .]

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In The Zone
By Deana Van Fleet

But let those who boast boast about this: that they understand and know me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight, “ declares the LORD.  Jeremiah 9:24

Are you “in the zone”?

For days I have been asking myself that question.

But then I had to clarify what “in the zone” meant.

For me, this week, it has meant to be “in the Will of God”.  I don’t mean that as a generalized statement of ‘fluffy thinking’; I mean it as something very specific, very focused, very intentional.

How do you know if you are IN THE WILL OF GOD?

Right, smack dab in the middle of His Will. 

How can you (or I) be sure?

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. (Ephesians 5:17)

What is God’s Will, exactly?  Is it as simple as James 4:7 which says to “Submit yourselves, then, to God.”?  If we have submitted our lives to Him and His Will for our lives, it stands to reason that the largest part of us that needs to be ‘submitted’ is our own will, our own ‘rights’, our own personal agenda.
What happens when we lay down our own personal agenda in lieu of His Way and His Will for us?

Unless our personal agenda is ONLY to follow God, live like Christ and stay in the center of His Will for our lives, our personal agenda is in direct opposition to the Will of God. As Christians we are meant to forego (lay down) OUR Will and let it be replaced by HIS Will.  We cannot have some of ours and try to mesh it with some of His, because our ultimate goal is to have less and less of us and more and more of Him showing through our lives.  And the only way that can happen is to allow Him to prune us and pull out the weeds and roots and hurts and fears until His personality shines through us and it is our actual born-again Christian nature of HOLINESS and RIGHTEOUSNESS that we are living.

At that point, His Will is our will.  That means that our will, which we were born with, has been transformed into His Will.  And we are living out what He wants us to live out for our lives.

Also at that point, something amazing happens that pleases the Lord to no end  -- He is given the chance to mould our lives into exactly the masterpieces He designed us for.  Doesn’t that sound exciting?  Isn’t that truly what each of us became a Christian for, in the first place: to REALIZE the manifested glory of God in our own personal lives and families?

I have contemplated recently as to the many ‘what ifs’ in my Christian walk. IF I had made other choices, IF I had prayed longer (or fasted longer) or IF I had listened closer to Holy Spirit’s guidance... would I have been closer to the Will of God?  Would things have turned out better, would we have been better protected or have experienced a better quality of life during those times?

The Lord spoke to me about this over the last couple of days, saying: “As long as your choices line up with My Word, and as long as you are following Me in your life, I will not allow you outside of My Will.  When more of YOUR free will gets into your decisions instead of asking me first about MY WILL for your circumstances you may not be living out and experience MY BEST for your life at that time, but I still do not let you far from the center of My Will before drawing you back to Me.”

I am in awe of God’s grace, that even in our momentary times of allowing our own will more in the foreground than His Will, He still honors our HEART to walk in the Will of God. He loves us THAT MUCH, that as long as our heart is in line with His Heart and we desire to be holy and righteous and totally free from our own fleshly self, He keeps us close.

Praise GOD for His Grace. And His Wisdom. And His Leadership.  All to His Goodness!

So, how do we know we are in the Will of God?  We need to stay ‘in step’ with the Lord, every day connecting with Him in prayer, staying in praise and worship, spending time each day in His Word and maintaining relationships with fellow Christians who can walk with you, talk with you, cry with you and celebrate with you – and keep you on track with Godly counsel along the way. 

God’s Will is for THE BEST for you!  Health, happiness, prosperity, security, love, strong relationships – and a good, clean heart that can reach out to the world around you and win souls for Him!

Pray for Today: “Thank you, Father, for wanting the best for my life and my circumstances. Thank you for keeping me close to you and not allowing me far from the center of Your Will. I ask, Father, that You allow Your Word to speak to me in ways that open my eyes and my ears and cause my heart to beat with the very beat of Your Will.  If I wander from Your Will, please draw me back to you and line me up with Your Perfection.  Your Will is the only place I want to be and want to stay, and it is from that place that I want to honor and praise and worship Your Name for the rest of my days.  In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

Praying for the words of the prophets to flow,

Deana Van Fleet
Banner Word.ca

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Weeding your garden

by Jean Papp

Matthew 13:7   And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.

One day while pulling weeds after the rain, while the dirt was still soft, I came across a much larger weed than all the others. I tried to pull it by hand, but the roots were very large and deep. I had to get my little shovel and dig it out. I couldn’t just pull it because the top would have come off, leaving the roots in the dirt and still able to grow.

I looked up some interesting facts about weeds. It says: pulling a weed is the most effective way of killing it, the only way to ensure it won’t come back. The entire root system has to be removed. Some weeds store up reserve food in their root system and continue to sprout again and again after their tops are destroyed (pulled off). Weeds will continue to thrive as long as the condition permits. Weeds choke out the growth of fruitfulness (Matthew 13:22).

The Lord began speaking to me about how some things in life need to be dug out. For some things you have to dig deep, to remove the root system; otherwise the appearance is gone but deep down the main root is still there and growing. You have to change the condition, so it is not thriving. You don’t want to give weeds a lot of water and sun, or they will sprout up everywhere.

Matthew 13:22: “ The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard and nothing comes of it.” We become unfruitful.

Matthew 7:16: “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistle?”

Matthew 7:20: “Therefore by their fruits you will know them”

We don’t want to be unfruitful.  We as Christians need to be that sower in Matthew 13:23: “But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces.”

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you the “weeds” that need to be pulled in your garden.

Everyday we need to “hoe” our spiritual garden.

As we submit our lives to the Lord by spending time in worship, prayer and reading his word, serving Him instead of ourselves, we will see the weeds die.

With regular maintenance and care, we can have a healthy garden. We must tend to the weeds or they will choke the fruit that God intends to flow from us.

Jean Papp

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Worship at Night

by Deana Van Fleet

Extol the Lord our God and worship at His footstool! Holy is He!  Psalm 99: 5

For a week now I have awoke during the night and again in the morning with worship songs going over and over in my head.  Each night is a different song, but each one is about the greatness of God, how much in love with us He is, and the breakthroughs that are coming.

Waking up with worship songs in my head has been an amazing change for me this last week, because a spirit of expectancy in the Lord has come with it.  I am waking up truly excited to get out of bed and start a new day and see what God is going to do!

It has been such a long, hard past season we have just come through.  Never in my life have I been in such a tight situation that is ALL GOD.  I have been in man-made tight spots that have been the result of unwise choices and decisions, but this last season has been something totally different from that.  Spring of 2009 I gave myself over to the Lord and said yes to three things He asked me:

Are you willing to follow me?
Are you willing to die to yourself for me?
Are you willing to trust me?

They seemed easy things to say yes to when the going was good.  But I soon realized just how serious God is when He asks you direct questions and you answer Him.  I had said yes to Him doing whatever He chose to do to change my life.  And He’s been so faithful in continuing the process of renovation within me day after day after day no matter how many times I tell Him that I sure think I’ve had enough!

So, needless to say, my nights and mornings haven’t exactly been filled with joy about the day ahead.  I’ve tried to get to that point, because I know it’s important to praise the Lord in all we do, in all seasons, in all circumstances.  But it’s been a battle for me with how long this transition between last season and this new season has dragged on.

At the beginning of this past week, a friend told me (prophetically, I believe) that ‘breakthroughs are coming through worship’.  And this week, things in my spirit changed!  I am waking up in the middle of the night and again in the morning already praising God in my head with a joy-filled, expectant spirit that literally cannot wait to get the day started and wait on the Lord! 

After the first few nights of it, I finally asked the Lord what had changed and why it is happening.

He very clearly repeated what my friend had said, that ‘breakthroughs are coming through worship’.  And then He said that the night hours while I am asleep are the only hours that He has to be able to cause worship in my spirit, in order to cause breakthroughs in my life.

I speak this Word from God over everyone that is holding on for dear life from the tragedies, traumas, disappointments and unfulfilled promises of last season.  I truly know how hard it has been because I have lived it.  This new worship is GOD causing breakthroughs without us trying to figure it out, ‘do something about it’ or getting in His way!

He is CAUSING BREAKTHROUGH! It’s HIM causing it, HIM taking care of it, HIM bringing answers to prayer and HIM fulfilling promises.

Hold on, hold on, hold on!  Don’t let go and don’t look away because HE IS BREAKING THROUGH!

Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.  1 Chr 29:13

Praying for the words of the prophets to flow,

Deana Van Fleet
Banner Word.ca

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by Deana Van Fleet