Author Archives: samuelaurie

Romans Reviewed Overview

13 Wednesday Apr 2022

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My published book, Romans Reviewed, is out! You can buy it on Amazon: Romans Reviewed Laurie Kay Rodriguez

Do you desire to know the Bible, be secure in who you are, grow more confident in your purpose and find abundant life? If so, this book is for you.

In the midst of one of the most unchurched and Bible-illiterate generations, Romans Reviewed explains the book of Romans, and brings life lessons you can apply to your life today.

Paul, the author of 13 of the New Testament books, writes to new converts in Rome. Paul’s writing is eloquent and thought-driven through the power of the Holy Spirit. We see God’s full love story to humanity come together as Paul highlights the importance of the Old Testament Jewish ways in the New Testament.

Paul explains why we are here,
what our purpose is, and where we are going.

The book of Romans is filled with a rich theological understanding that provokes us to live a godly life! We see teachings of faith, transformation, love, obedience, freedom, destiny, mystery, joy, sanctification, justification, and more.

Paul incites the Romans to change from living their own willful ways into walking in the ways of Jesus. What’s encouraging is that he even calls himself out with his own struggles. Paul had his own issues. He wanted to do the right thing, but instead, he was trapped in sin (Romans 7:24). Have you ever felt that way? If so, you’re not alone.

Read along as Paul gives us the solutions to overcome. He encourages us to mature as a follower of Jesus. He paints a picture of who we are in Christ and shows us how to share the good news in a courageous and loving way!

We see God’s full love story to humanity come together as Paul highlights the importance of the Old Testament Jewish ways switching over to the fulfilled purpose of Jesus in the New Testament, in our Story Book Fairy-Tale Reality of the Kingdom of God.

In His Grasp

13 Wednesday Apr 2022

Posted by in The Dominican Report

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PHYSICAL HAPPENINGS

Well it’s been three weeks since we stepped foot in the Dominican Republic.  Two weeks were spent with Darnel and Ronnie (Pastor Juan and Mia’s oldest daughter and son in law) and their two beautiful children Amy (2) and Arturo (2 months).  It was a great transition from our home to theirs.

At the end of week 2, last Monday, the eaglets were kicked out of their comfy nest (by our good God) and we moved to our studio apartment. Please hear every word and know that not one of them is a complaint only the facts. We moved in with a bed, that’s it.  We had no stove and no refrig.  In the DR all your appliances you buy.  We have no car so getting to stores, church and other activities involves getting a taxi.  To buy a stove and refrig we went to a second hand store a ways out of Santiago.  We picked the ones we wanted, hoping that they would work, but we didn’t buy it yet.  We were told it would be picked up that night and delivered to us. No, that didn’t happen… day one, without food (a good time to fast).  Then the next day we were told that someone would pick us up and then go get it.  No, that didn’t happen.  So, Sam took things into his own hands and hired a truck and picked it up and got it home.  The gas container didn’t work.  Day two, no cooked food (PBJ’s worked for us!)

We spent all day Saturday with a sweet sister from the church helping us with our errands and hers.  We left at 10:30 am and got home at 9:30 pm. Every errand you run, you have to go in and visit for at least 30 minutes.  We visited more than we ran errands!  Ha! Finally on Saturday night we had our stove and refrig working.  Food!  It’s the little things we take for granted, huh?

As soon as we moved in we discovered we had no water.  Hmm, what do we need water for?  To drink, that’s okay we bought drinking water at the corner market. What else do we need water for, to bathe, to clean the house, to cook, to wash dishes, to flush the toilet, yes we began to see the preciousness of water, something in America we took for granted, because it’s always there.  Mind you, it’s 85~90 degrees with high humidity, so showers are twice sometimes three times a day. So to live without water is frustrating to say the least.

So the first few days we have a plumber coming in, with ancient tools, and looking for the problem.  He installed a pump so the water could reach the third floor, which is where our apartment it.  Great, we took showers, cleaned dishes, flushed toilet, etc… Then we woke up the next day, no water… the pump had broken the plastic pipes.  So they came and fixed it for a moment… and now we have been without water for three days.  When I say the service is slow around here, I mean slow.  “Hello Landlord, there is no water…”  “Ok, Ok, Ok, we fix it…”  Next phone call the next day… “We have no water…”  “Oh there’s a problem with the neighborhood.”  Ok we wait. Then we ask the neighbors if they have water, “Yes” they said. We call again to our landlord, he says, “I called the plumber but he can’t make it till the next night.”  So, Sam and I, like our forefathers before us who did not have water, brought large bottles of water from downstairs and worked sparingly to make whatever water we needed last for our household chores, showers, cooking and toilets.  Instead on focusing on what we didn’t have, we did what we could to make it.  As I write we still have no water flowing out of the faucet.  One day?  Yes.  As well as the water, our electricity is off.  The whole neighborhood has no electricity.  So we do what we can with the natural light.  At night, candles or flashlights. It’s like permanent camping…

So we have been in our little, adorable apartment with no water, and no furniture except a bed and four folding chairs. Then yesterday Jennifer and Adon (Pastor Juan and Mia’s middle daughter) brought us a small plastic table and today someone from our church brought us two rocking chairs for our balcony.  Sweet!

Oh yes, did I mention the bat that almost attacked Sam? Picture it.  Sam with a broom… He’s okay!

 

SPIRITUAL HAPPENINGS

God has definitely been showing up in our meetings.  We have seen heaven open and the Spirit descending on people.  Lives have been changed and God is receiving His due worship.  Some of the happenings are:

Sam and Pastor Juan were at church on Saturday, when a man came into the church acting desperate.  As he unfolded his story to them he said he had done some pretty bad stuff for the police here in the DR; that he was tired of doing corrupt things and needed help.  Sam and Pastor Juan prayed with him and he seemed relieved.  A week later, Pastor Juan got a call from him.  He asked, who was that missionary who prayed for me, how did he know all about my life?  P Juan said it was the Holy Spirit revealing it to Sam.  He said since he left the church he has had a peace in his heart.  He said he was leaving the country so he could start his life over, this time with God.

Sam preached the second week we were here.  The title to his sermon, “God is the Center of our Storms”.  He did great with an interpreter and there was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit with prophetic words going out to many.

I was asked to teach the ladies on Monday for our church.  Ivette (Pastor Juan and Mia’s youngest girl) interpreted. I choose Dorcus and God gave me some beautiful words to share with them.  Afterwards, I asked if anyone suffered from depression… Yes, many ladies stood up and we were able to pray for them and there were many deliverances!

Everywhere we go we have had divine appointments.  God has been amazing.

EMOTIONAL HAPPENINGS

As much as we know we are meant to be here, in the Dominican Republic, it doesn’t stop the ache in our hearts for our children and especially grandchildren.  We want to do what God wants, but I think… I’ll miss out on all the Tati moments I used to have with her.  I won’t get to share all the things we did together.  I am sad that Josiah doesn’t have his Papa to cuddle him in the morning.  I do feel the ache in that.

Sometimes I wonder, “What am I doing here?”  The language difference is hard. Even though Sam tries hard at interpreting, I still know I miss a lot. I have wanted to get on a plane and go home to where it is safe and comfortable.  Then I realize I wouldn’t be happy at home in the comforts of my family, because we were made to be a voice for Him.  In my devotions each morning He gently reminds me of all the people that need to hear about Him.  Is it hard? “Yes, definitely yes!”  I have had melt downs in the middle of stores, in my room at night and on our balcony just last night, but I am not going to quit and I am not going to give up and run home, I am going to stay and tough it out with my husband and my Jesus.  There is much to be said about leaning on the One you Love (Songs of Solomon 8:5)

He can do all things through us if we only let Him,

Sam and Laurie

PRAYER REQUESTS:

Pray for our emotions to fall in line with Jesus

Pray for our beautiful DR Church.  We want God to move by His Spirit so we work His Agenda

Pray for the injustice here in Santiago.  There are reports of 1-6 murders a day of women being killed by their spouses or domestic partners.  It reminds me of Jesus when he was two and Herod had all the babies 2 years and younger killed.  Please pray for Justice to be revived here.  “In the last days He will pour out His Spirit on all flesh” (Joel and Acts).

Pray that God will supply all our needs according to His promises, which are, “Yes and amen!”

The First Five… Part 1

14 Friday Nov 2014

Posted by in School of Ministry Papers

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The first five books of the the Bible are called the Pentateuch simply because it means the first five books of the Torah, the Hebrew Scriptures also known as the Old Testament. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy are the Pentateuch. These five books are written by God to introduce Himself and to show us how we were created and to lay out a plan for how our lives fit into His Kingdom. We are all interconnected to the people in the Bible. We are a family. If we read the Pentateuch as only a history book of the Jewish people we miss out on the complete reason God writes to us, yes us. He wrote this book to His Family. I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God, I’ve been washed in the fountain, cleanse by His blood, joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod, for I’m part of this family of God, the family of God (Bill Gather).
Every book written has a purpose. When we read a book, most of the time we may not be moved or interested in the whole book, but parts of it will jump out to reveal something either to us or about us. We hear so often how boring the Old Testament is because we are looking at it as a history book, but it is so much more. Every book of the Bible is telling us something about Jesus Christ, God the Father and the Holy Spirit, each book reveals who God is to us. As we read each book, we need to come to it as an invitation to know God. This book isn’t proving God exists, it is the proof that God exists, it is His autobiography. Each person who writes his own story, doesn’t go on for pages about how he exists, we know he does because he is writing the book. The same story will not mean the same to each person. God knows that, so He wrote stories that would entice us to want more. My recommended advise as we read the Bible is to see what God is telling us, His children, every single day. Go past the surface and see the secret hidden words that are for your eyes only. What an intriguing God who would code 66 books for us to search out to see how much He loves us.
The last recommendation is to see each book from the heart of a loving God. If something seems harsh or unjust, we should base that behavior coming from a loving heavenly Father that only looks for the best for His children. Search out why this punishment/discipline was given. We should never take the side of humans who are sinful and evil. If there was a punishment it was because a loving God saw fit to deliver what was best for those involved. If we can read the Word based on this one thing, we will see every time that God is love, He is good and He only does what is best.

Genesis (Begin to be)
Beginnings. God has always had His Kingdom (us) in mind from the dawn of creation. When we think of beginning we think of designated time. Class beings at 8:00 am. Not here in Genesis, for the word genesis or ginomai is ‘begin to be’ (http://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Genesis.html#.VCMAkNm9LCQ). God was before our time on earth began. God existed before creation. In a simple, yet crude, explanation. We are before we are known. Before we come into existence in breath we exist in birthing fluid. We begin our beginnings at birth when time begins to count our years and yet our existence began at conception, and if we want to get technical our beginning began with a thought from God who has always existed. We ‘begin to be’ at birth. Unlike God who has always existed, we have a beginning as the egg meets the sperm. So, in the beginning, is only stating the beginning of created things. For with God there has never been a beginning.

First Mentions. There are many principles in the Bible which come from the first five books of the Bible. There is a saying, “Every New Testament principle has an Old Testament picture.” The law of first mention is our guideline to the entire Bible. First mentions helps us decode the significance of understanding the Word. The law of first mention is simply the first time something of importance is mentioned. “Scripture gives that word its most complete, and accurate, meaning to not only serve as a “key” in understanding the word’s Biblical concept, but to also provide a foundation for its fuller development in later parts of the Bible.” (http://www.netbiblestudy.com/00_cartimages/thelawoffirstmention.pdf).
An example is the word Worship [bow down] in Genesis 18:2, it gives us the law of first mention. Abraham bowed down to the ground in worship towards God. In this picture we see the principle of worship which is spontaneous, willing and total surrender to Someone greater than ourselves.

Promises. God promises redemption in Genesis. Man was created, tempted and blew it. We were all destined to failure unless Someone came to pay for our mistakes. Genesis 3 promises the serpent will bite the Seed’s heel, but the Seed (Jesus) will crush the serpent’s head. This promise is fulfilled at the Cross and resurrection in the New Testament. The other promise is God would birth His own nation through Abraham. This was fulfilled and today we continue to have His people, the Jewish nation. He also gather into His family those who would believe in His son, us (the Gentiles), together we form God’s Kingdom Family.

Favorite Story. Joseph is one of the most amazing and encouraging stories in Genesis. It is uplifting and eye-opening how whole and complete God is. Adam and Eve were created to form a people group that God could love and serve, but it failed at the beginning because of man’s weaknesses (greed and unbelief). Noah was the sign of man’s depravity, showing us all how low we will go without a higher being (God) directing us. We are all in ourselves greedy, depraved people. Abraham lends us hope we can become the people God wants. Abraham was a friend of God, showing us it is possible to be His friend. We can learn from Abraham how to be a friend of God. We can also learn from God how completely He loves in spite of Abraham’s weaknesses (compulsive liar, selfish, eager to obey when it worked best for him, etc… Genesis 12- 25). Abraham’s story can help us understand that we do NOT have to be nor will we ever be perfect, in order for God to love us. He loves us completely yesterday in our worst state, today in our redeemed state and tomorrow (meaning the Kingdom life) in our resurrected state. Unlike us, who love conditionally, God’s love is always perfect even when our lives aren’t. What a concept to ignite joy in us. So Abraham begets Isaac who begets Jacob who begets Joseph. In the four generations mentions there are numerous stories of lessons we can learn, but my favorite story is in Genesis 37 – 50, the life of Joseph.
From the beginning of his life, Joseph is set apart. His is the first child of a mother who bore him late in life. He was treasured not only by his mother, Rachel, but by his father, Jacob, for he loved Rachel more than his other wives, Leah, Bilhah or Zilpah. This created tension in the home for Joseph and his other ten brothers. When Joseph turned seventeen he went to work in the fields with his brothers. Joseph told on his brothers when they misbehaved. One night he had a God-dream about his brothers serving him, in his immaturity he shared it with his already angry brothers. Needless to say it didn’t go over well. It just gave them more venom in their hearts towards Joseph. If all that wasn’t enough his father made a special coat for Joseph. The other brothers had workers coats, Joseph donned a leader’s coat. Jacob saw leadership quality in his son at an early age and display his delight by giving Joseph a coat of many colors.
Genesis 37: 2-4 “Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the son of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them. Now Israel (Jacob) loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.”
His brothers filled with envy and strife plotted to get rid of this younger nuisance. They decided to take him and say an animal killed him, but then a caravan on the way to Egypt came by so without thinking they removed Joseph from the pit and sold him as a slave. Years go by, Jacob, Joseph’s father, is never the same with the alleged death of his favorite son. During these years, Joseph is put in charge of a rich man’s house, then accused of sexual harassment and sent to prison where he lived for many years. In all the scriptures that speak on Joseph there is never a time he complained. He just made the best of every situation, good or bad. He somehow trusted God to lead him in his life. There must of been times he remembered his own dreams and thought, was that real? He assumedly held onto them, because at the end of his story he reminded his brothers of the dreams, but I am getting ahead of the story. In prison, Joseph once again finds favor from God.
Genesis 39: 20-23 “Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison., the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.”
Joseph’s work ethics were so honest in whatever he did even in the worst of his situations he was put in charge. Joseph meets the Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker in prison. They each have a dream of which Joseph interprets. One will die the other will live. Exactly as he said happened. Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember him when he went into the presence of the Pharaoh. Two years later… Pharaoh had two dreams no one could interpret. The cupbearer remembered the guy that interpreted his dream in prison; Pharaoh called Joseph in to interpret his dream. Joseph explained what the dreams meant and was given a place of leadership second in command of Egypt. Genesis 41:41 “So Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.’ “ From the favored son to the dusty pit to the young man in charge of Potiphar’s house to pitiful prison to the head of all of Egypt. It was an up and down journey to creating and ruling his world. Joseph at any time could have checked out with a great big bad attitude rejecting the lessons in each bad situation. He could have run away and lost out on the bigger purpose of his life (to save his people). Joseph hung in there in every good and bad situation because he trusted God. How do we know? At the end of his life he said, what man intended for evil God turned it to good. Genesis 50:20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” God’s intention for each of us is to save us so we can save others. I absolutely love this story for a few reasons. I love the way Joseph trusted God and trudged on with a quality work ethic even in bad times. We should want to be like that. A great quality to have, a great way to please our Father. Second, God seems to always have the bigger picture in mind, saving a people. Out of Abraham was to come God’s chosen people to be preserved through time. Joseph saved God’s people. Moses delivered God’s people out of the bondage of Pharaoh. Esther was called to save her people. Eventually the real Savior, Jesus came to reconcile God’s people (Jews and Gentiles) to the Father. The theme throughout the Old and New Testament is save the people. We too can learn from Joseph, Moses and Esther, but especially Jesus, to look to each day and to see who we can save. It may take on a different form than Joseph’s. It may be that we save someone from depression by simply smiling or listening to someone discouraged and share a word of encouragement. It may be we can share the good news of Jesus and change someone’s eternal status. Whatever it is, we too are put here to be save. I like how Joseph lived with such a trust and great work ethic, with an attitude to create and rule his world. We can do the same in influencing those around us in our own world.

What Does Genesis Mean to Us. Genesis is our understanding of our beginning. Genesis is important to us, it teaches us that failure is not the end all. If Adam could sin in the face of the Father and be forgiven, we too have forgiveness in the Father from our failures. It also teaches us God’s plans for our lives are bigger than we realize. God uses failure and bad events to create His perfect and acceptable will. We have a higher purpose and it is up to us to know why we are here, who we are and to live each day with a Joseph mentality. God’s mandate for Adam and Eve was to “Be fruitful (productive) and increase in number (multiply yourself), fill the earth and subdue it (let the earth be filled with godliness and be in control, not controlled by the earth). Rule over the fish… the birds… and every living creature” Genesis 1:28. May we be the extended version of the Genesis family and do the same.

Destiny

11 Wednesday Dec 2013

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“Everybody’s got a dream, what’s your dream?” is a saying in a popular movie. It is a true saying, everyone was created with a destiny, but how many people accomplish it? God designed each person on purpose for a purpose. We are all destined to be someone and to do something because God has already planned it.

Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you: A prophet to the nations—that’s what I had in mind for you.” Our journey did not begin in a hospital room. “God knew us before we were born.” He knew us and set us apart. Have we reached our destiny? Part of our problem in not reaching our destiny is our character, we make excuses why we have not reached it. We are without excuse, the scriptures declare our destiny. Our destiny is more powerful than our negativity – What is our excuse? There should be none.
Psalms 139:13-16 “Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.”
The Lord of our destiny is our Creator, God. When God decided our destiny, He set the plans for us, He spoke our destiny over us while He waits for us to manifest our destiny here on earth. Our part is to search out the destiny He has placed inside of us. What are our gifts? What would we do without being asked because we are so passionate about it, something that needs no motivators? We are inclined to do this thing without outside influence. An example of this is Jon Courson, a minister of the Word. He studies the Word, he preaches and teaches the Word, he does it because he is passionate about the Word. He doesn’t need anyone to motivate him. It is his destiny to be a teacher of the Word.
God places our destiny in us, it is our job to SEE IT, SAY IT, DESIGN IT, PERFORM IT, and PROTECT IT! “It’s not good enough to have a dream. We have to be willing to co-labor with God. We have to look for the pattern, be proactive to accomplish your God dream. If God has placed something in your heart, then you have to go after it,” Pastor Keri encouraged us.
We must not limit ourselves or our potential. It is not about us, it is a God thing. Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
In order to reach our destiny we first need to know or be reminded who God is:
God is Lord God, Elohim, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” When God was creating the heavens and the earth, we were in His thoughts and plans for the His Kingdom! He was not only creating the earth but He was setting in each of us a destiny as part of the big plan of His Kingdom. If we don’t fulfill our destiny the problem is us. God has everything we need to fulfill our destiny in His Kingdom. “Your faith will release the resources, help and manifestation in His timing” (p. 6). So, again, we must not limit ourselves or our potential. Our destiny is bigger than us, God plans our destiny to affect generations and nations. Look at Abraham, God destined him to be a nation with as many children as the stars in the sky and and sands on the shore (Genesis 22:17). Ecclesiastes 3:15, “That which is has already been, and what is to be has already been; and God requires an account of what is past.” What is to be has already been (in God’s eyes our destiny has already been). We can stop our destiny by not moving forward with what God has already placed in our hearts. In order to fulfill your destiny, what matters is your VALUE… what do you have to offer…. Show your value – how you can bring more profit and organization. If your gift is not known, then you will not be promoted. If you have an idea, and the boss takes it as his own, let the boss take the glory. What you sow, you will also reap, God sees what you’re doing. If you don’t share your ideas, they will die with you.
God is the Most High. Genesis 14:22, “But Abram said to the King of Sodom, ‘I have raised my hand to The Lord, God MOST HIGH, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath.” God is higher than any mountain of trouble trying to come in between you and your destiny. God is higher than anything that comes in the way of our destiny. He is our God, Most High, and He will protect our destiny from any attacks, we can be sure of it. Trust is the key. We must trust God Most High to make a way for us.
God is the Source of our power. Genesis 26:12-13, “Isaac planted crops in that land and took in a huge harvest. God blessed him. The man got richer and richer by the day until he was very wealthy. He accumulated flocks and herds and many, many servants, so much so that the Philistines began to envy him.” During the time of famine, God was Isaac’s Source. God’s power was upon Isaac, it was the continuation of the destiny God has started with his father, Abraham. Destiny was moving into the next generation. God is the Source of our Power- our abilities, concepts, revelation, favor, positioned; Jesus is the Source. Your destiny is POWERFUL. It is what you will do. We must understand the package of our destiny, if not we will get frustrated. We will have ups and downs. Joseph was learning in his pits to know how to rule the kingdom.
God is unchangeable. What God did for Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David and Joseph, He will do for us. His love and destiny for us is not different than it was for them. We must believe that God’s favor is on us as well. The Fathers of the Old Testament must have felt the same way as we do, will God deliver His promises? They are an example to us that He does. He will fulfill His promise in us, He will provide for us and see us through as He did for them. Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”
God is The Lord God Almighty. In 1 Samuel 17:45-47, David answers the call of Goliath to send someone out so he could destroy him. Goliath was cursing the Israelites’ God and people. David was not going to let this continue, he knew God and would not stand for Goliath to insult Him. Emotional intelligence is stopping the curses the devil throws our way. How quickly can someone paralyze our destiny by saying something. Goliath professed what he would do based on his own strength. David knew The Lord of His destiny. David conquered a giant. Giants say negative things about us… we still hold on to the old words spoken. It’s called “Frozen in Time”. My Mother was adopted as a baby and then readopted as a 9 year old. In her growing years she was treated more like a servant than as a loved child. Recently, before she passed away, she had loaded our dish washer with liquid detergent instead of dish washing soap. The dishwasher poured out bubbles like a waterfall. It was funny to the family, but Mom said, “Oh I am so stupid.” “Frozen in Time”, she must have been told that and she still believed it. I reassured her she was not stupid and it could happen to anyone and we all had a good laugh. David didn’t let Goliath’s words paralyze him. David professed what he would do based on what God had done. David understood God to be The Lord God Almighty through past experiences, now David was basing his next victory on what he had seen God do already. When we know our God we can do giant exploits. Lord God Almighty… he is bigger than negativity, bigger than prejudice, bigger than your problems.
God is our Source of Blessing. Psalms 3:8, ” From The Lord comes deliverance. May your blessings be on your people.” Our blessings and favor come from God. We are blessed because God is good, not because we deserve it. Psalms 84:12, “O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trust in you.” When we fulfill our destiny we have to say, “God you did it!” You are my source of encouragement, mercy, and blessings!
God is The Lord of our destiny. The Lord is really powerful. Even our mistakes He will use. His power will give us confidence. No one can stop our destiny because we belong to God. God is too powerful. Our destiny is not only important to us, but it’s important to God. There is always a reason not to succeed. We have to endure and overcome our past. We can choose to be a success right now. Prophesy over ourselves based on what He has done (David and Goliath). Our destiny is greater than our past mistakes. He knew us before we were even born and He still chose a destiny for us. When we really know God it eliminates our excuses. David possibly had a bad upbringing but he based what he did on God, not himself. We need to produce character in our times of enduring. “God is Supreme over all the plans for our destiny. As our Alpha, He controls its beginning; and as our Omega He controls its timing and fulfillment. God is able to do what He says He will do through us. As Lord of our destiny He is able to keep our destiny in its development stage and He brings fulfillment in the fullness of time” (p 8).
There are a number of factors that will help us understand and design the destiny God has for us. Jeremiah 1:4,5: The word of The Lord came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a…” For each of us, God has appointed us for a specific time, for a specific purpose. In Jeremiah’s case his destiny was to be ‘a prophet for the nations’. Jeremiah’s destiny was not only for him, but for the people’s sake and for God’s Kingdom’s sake. What have we been appointed for? “Our dreams, whether in sleep or in our heart, are shadows or glimpses of our potential destiny. Your dreams and destiny is important to you, to God and to others who will be affected by your destiny” (p. 9).
Since this is God’s destiny for us, God will give us the:
Power to See our Dream: What you SEE you can achieve… Envision it!
Power to Say our Dreams: What you SAY you will create… Create it!
Power to Design our Dreams: What you DESIGN becomes your blueprint… Blueprint it!
Power to Perform our Dreams: What you WORK becomes your reality… Work it!
Power to Protect our Dreams: What you value you must PROTECT… Rule it!
“Your dream and destiny are important to God. God by His own choice has chosen that human agents will be key participants to fulfill His will and Kingdom purpose on earth” (p. 9). We need to protect our dreams. The enemy will try to get us to abort our dreams/destiny. We can destroy our dream. At the end of the day our destiny is ours and we can work towards it or kill it. We have to co-operate with God for our dreams/destiny.
Seven Factors Concerning Our Dream and Destiny
Faith – Satan will try to destroy our dreams and he will use human packages to discourage us and make us doubt our own destiny. It takes faith above human thought to believe enough to walk into our destiny. To fulfill our dream we have to be disciplined in our dream. An athlete with a six pack didn’t get it by hoping and wishing but by working out and eating right. He had a dream and fulfilled it by taking his own actions towards that dream. As we search out our destiny and discipline ourselves towards that destiny then we, by faith, believe God will help us attain the very destiny He placed in our hearts. It’s a partnership with our Creator to achieve the highest dreams He has for us. Mark 11:22-25 “Jesus was matter-of-fact: “Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you. This mountain, for instance: Just say, ‘Go jump in the lake’—no shuffling or shilly-shallying—and it’s as good as done. That’s why I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you’ll get God’s everything. And when you assume the posture of prayer, remember that it’s not all asking. If you have anything against someone, forgive—only then will your heavenly Father be inclined to also wipe your slate clean of sins.”
Confidence – Putting our confidence in Christ and not in ourselves will bring about better results. Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” The process looks like this: God calls us, we way ‘yes’, God equips us for our dreams and destiny and we do the leg work, God then gives us power to dream, design and fulfill our destiny. Hebrews 13:21 God will “equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
Words of Faith – We are condemned by what we say about ourselves- Jeremiah 1:6,7 But I said, “Hold it, Master God! Look at me. I don’t know anything. I’m only a boy!” God told me, “Don’t say, ‘I’m only a boy.’ I’ll tell you where to go and you’ll go there. I’ll tell you what to say and you’ll say it. Don’t be afraid of a soul. I’ll be right there, looking after you.” God’s Decree. Watch our confessions. If we negate ourself, then others don’t have to negate us. People are what they say. We must say words of faith. We can become, “Frozen in Time,” when we are caught with what someone said to us, “You are dumb”. We live out their words over us. People who always say, “I am sorry,” who told you you can never do anything right? We need to recreate our mind and thinking and become who God says we are (Romans 12:1-2). God sees greatness in us, but we have to see the greatness in ourselves. We don’t need an enemy, sometimes we are our worst enemy. We need to hit the “refresh” button and believe in who God says we are. God told Jeremiah not to use the excuses that he was to young or he didn’t know how to speak (Jeremiah 1:6,7). “God gave Jeremiah a clue: ‘Dream your destiny, create it by what you say, design and work it by what you DO” (p.12) In other words: watch what you say, be careful of negative confessions and begin to “work” your dream. Note, God told him what NOT to say and what to say. He was to “say” what God says. What God says is the “Word of Faith”. When we speak what God says we are declaring the Word of faith that activates God to perform what we say is in agreement with what He said in His Word” (p.12). Romans 10:8-11 “The word that saves is right here, as near as the tongue in your mouth, as close as the heart in your chest. It’s the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching. Say the welcoming word to God—“Jesus is my Master”—embracing, body and soul, God’s work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That’s it. You’re not “doing” anything; you’re simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That’s salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: “God has set everything right between him and me!” Scripture reassures us, “No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it.” Negative confessions will build a negative world around you. Positive words of faith will allow God to do what He says He will do.
Creative Power – God’s creative process is by what He said (Genesis 1:24, 26-27). Our creative process is by what we say. Never say a negative word about yourself. Don’t repeat what others say about you that is negative. Im fat, I’m fat… anorexia – leads to suicide, slowly killing ourselves with our words. People who sees themselves as fat, see what their mind is seeing, not with their eyes. We are what we think we are. We have poor self-image, people say things about us and what we think of ourself. Voices are fighting to paralyze us for life. We need to help others and ourselves to see what God’s eyes see. We need to hit the refresh button! We need to not be “Frozen in time”. “As we are made in the image and likeness of God, we too have the ability to declare the Word and Will of God so He can release His creative power to perform as we speak” (p.13).
Courage – Jeremiah 1:8 “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares The Lord.” God encourages Jeremiah to have courage. Don’t be afraid of “them”… who are the “thems” in our lives? Our mistakes, those who attack us, people discouraging us, the enemy of our soul? We need to have the courage to overcome the lies and believe who we are in God. God’s truth is our ultimate truth. We are to keep up our courage, if we fail, get back out there. Don’t quit! Our attitude will affect those around us. Courage will help us in the tough times to reach our destiny.
Power – I have put my words in your mouth. Jeremiah 1:9 “Then The Lord reached out His hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, I have put My words in your mouth.” We are made in the image of God to create our world and speak truth and rule our world. If we are weak we need to say what God says, “You are strong!” If you can’t break barriers you can’t accomplish your destiny. When you speak I am strong you are declaring the Words of God. In police academy and bootcamps they us psychological warfare… they try to get you to quit. The enemy of our soul does the same thing, he messes with our mind and tries to get us to quit. We need character to continue until the end. Those who quit have no endurance, have a chip on their shoulder, and offend easily. Talent will get you through the door, but your character will keep you there. “The Ultimate Secret is: We are made in the image of God to speak like God, words of faith and rule our world” (p.13).
Authority – The ability to rule your world. The ability to rule demonic powers. Jeremiah 1:10 “See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.” The ability to rule the circumstances around you; uproot your stronghold and destroy evil schemes through prayer; addictions can be overthrown. We need to rule ourselves, if we can’t rule ourselves, how will we run a company, be a parent? If we can’t control ourselves how will we rule our children. We do it because we want to do it, not because we have to do it. Our destiny has an enemy who uses human elements to derail us, to speak things to get us off course. There is power of confession (“Life and death is in the tongue.” Proverbs 18:21). When was the last time we prophesied over ourselves? How does our mind work? Maybe it’s what I am thinking that is stopping my destiny? The conversations in the mind, “not sure if it will happen…” Are we creating a pattern of destruction? We need to profess what HE SAYS about us. “DO NOT SAY…”, God said to Jeremiah. Will you co-operate with me, asks God? We are co operating with Him when we are in agreement. When we don’t we are malfunctioning.
Abraham made four altars during his time of waiting for his promise to become a great nation. Abraham was not slack in his actions towards that promise, he did waver at times which can be an encouragement to us, but he walked towards his promise. He built an altar of promise. Altars are places where we reach out to God, stopping to place God first in our daily activities. Genesis 12:6-7 “To your offspring I will give this land. So Abraham built an altar there to The Lord, who had appeared to him.” When we are promised something from The Lord, we must build an altar of acknowledgment and trust what God says, He delivers. We need a close relationship with God in our journey to our destiny, He has to be more real to us than what we see and hear from this world. We must not take God’s promises lightly. We are mere man and He is God. If He has promised us something, we must see it as a great privilege to protect and fulfill.
Abraham also built an altar of intercession. Genesis 12:8 “…There he built an altar to The Lord and called on the name of The Lord.” Abraham’s established a relationship with God. He didn’t just look for the promise, He wanted to know the One who gave the promise. His family alter of intercession was an integral part of his life. He was an example to those around him. He called out to God often and left his son with a desire to do the same, Genesis 26:25 “Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of The Lord.” Abraham’s promise was passed down to his son and for generations to come.
Abraham built an altar of confirmation. Genesis 13:14-18 “The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, ‘Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.’ So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to The Lord.”
At times we go through a disappointment and think our promises or destiny is not going to happen. Here, God confirmed his promise to Abraham after a broken relationship with his nephew, Lot. Abraham built an altar of reminding himself that God’s promises do not stop during difficult times. His mind and heart were on The Lord. We have to follow Abraham’s ways and remember during hard times God will not withhold His destiny over us. This takes faith and courage to keep on going even when it’s dark.
The last altar built by Abraham was an altar of testing. Genesis 22:1-2 “Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, ‘ Abraham!’ ‘Here I am,’ he replied. Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” Genesis 22:9-14 “When they reached the place God has told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the alar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.” Abraham’s promise son had come and now God wanted Abraham to kill him? God wanted to show Abraham, that the Gift of his Son was not to come first, but Abraham was to love God first and foremost. God wants us to love him more than our destiny, our spouses or our children. He will put our promises and destiny to the test. “Will you give them up for Me?” He will ask. We must love God over our desire for what He has for us. We must love looking at His eyes and not what is in His hands. Abraham passed the test, his love and commitment to God was greater, and seeing this, God stopped Abraham from killing Isaac (Genesis 22:11-14).
Your destiny is greater than your enemies. Joseph had two dreams which showed his destiny and yet it was many years until those dreams was fulfilled. In the time span between the dream and the fulfilled destiny there were many enemies out to get him. His brothers were against him (jealousy). They sold him to merchants going to Egypt (treachery). He was sold as a slave (temporary restriction). Joseph was tempted by lust but refused to give in and was falsely accused (victim of lies and slander). He was thrown into prison (bondage). He had continued disappointments and his dreams/destiny were attacked. Joseph’s destiny was greater than its enemies. God did fulfill Joseph’s dreams (Genesis 37-50)! As He did for Joseph, He will do for us. We must persevere each attack and see that our destiny is greater than our enemies. “Destiny carries with it intrinsic power. God is Lord of your destiny and is committed to the preservation and its fulfillment for your sake (the privilege), for God’s sake (to advance His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven) and for others’ sake (lives will be restored into the family of God and their destiny fulfilled) (p.24).” “You are not an accident. You are not an incident nor an experiment! Your destiny is greater than its enemies. Your destiny is powerful and shall effect generations” (p. 29).
“Talent will get you through a door but only character will make you stay there.” – Pat Francis
“Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There’s plenty of movement, but you never know if it’s going to be forward, backwards, or sideways.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
There will be those who will not fulfill their destiny, like King Saul, who chose to disobey God and follow his own ways (1 Samuel 15:10-11, 23). It is a choice we all have to make. We have to believe God has given each of us a destiny. It is up to each individual to search out his destiny and allow God’s direction to lead him to its fulfillment. There will be obstacles in our way. We have to overcome them by the Word of our mouth and the power of God’s Word. The enemy will try to stop us from reaching our destiny. Our destiny is more powerful than our enemies. We can not stay “Frozen in Time” as my Mother did. We need to allow God to rearrange the thoughts of ourselves and believe His thoughts of us (Psalms 139).
The BE-Attitudes we need to fulfill our destiny are:
BE an overcomer – 2 Corinthians 2:14 “Now thanks be unto God, who always causes us to triumph in Christ.” Think like an overcomer when times get rough. God already won the war of defeat through Christ Jesus, His Son, it is up to each of us to take on what is already ours and be victorious. Have an overcomer mentality.
BE Focused – Isaiah 26:3 “He will keep in perfect peace, those whose eyes are stayed on Him.” Self development (education and training), hard work and determination are important factors in keeping us focused on our destiny (p. 41). God wants us to naturally stay focused on Him and everything else will fall into place supernaturally. Matthew 6:33 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
BE a Solution – Our value makes us a solution. Our developed gift and potential will open doors for us that no one can close. What gifts do we have that is needed by another person or company. Be a solution for someone else. (I Samuel 16:14-17 David’s gift of music calmed King Saul’s tortured soul.)
BE Wise – (Proverbs 4:7-9) Wisdom causes us to react in certain situations with dignity and poise. Wisdom teaches us how to answer correctly and when to be silent. Those who carry wisdom are more likely to be listened to.
BE Ready for favor – Expect God to open doors from other people who are attracted to our destiny (1 Samuel 16:19-22).
BE Faithful and Trustworthy – Being faithful to God will keep us in right-standing with man. Being trustworthy will cause doors to open continually (1 Samuel 24:9-10). “Good character is the sustainable power that keeps talent and continuous favor for the fulfillment of its destiny” – Pat Francis.
BE Consistent with God – Nurture the Presence of God (1 Samuel 16:13, 18). God will bless our endeavors as we stay connected to Him. He does not want us reaching for our destiny without Him, for it is in Him we move and breath and have our being (Acts 17:28). If God gets us there, only God can keep us there!
Our destiny awaits us. It is a reality waiting to happen. Like Jeremiah, God has set in each one of us a destiny to fulfill, with a seeking spirit to the things of God and a willingness to work towards our destiny we can partner with God to further His Kingdom agenda. The enemy is smaller than our destiny. There is power in our destiny. Our destiny is bigger than ourselves. Our destiny is important to God because He loves us and wants us to be complete and fulfilled here on earth. Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
God designed each person on purpose for a purpose. We are all destined to be someone and to do something because God has already planned it. Everybody’s got a dream. What’s your dream?

Two Destinations

12 Tuesday Jun 2012

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Romans 5:21: Sins final destination is death; even greater is grace reigning in your life through right standing with God, leads to eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

There are two destinations in life: the second death or eternal life.  That’s it. Verse 21 tells us that if sin reigns in our lives we will end up in eternal death.  It also says that if Jesus reigns in our lives we will have eternal life.  This is a serious decision we each must make.

Sit and think about your relationship with Jesus.  Are you a follower, but not a believer?  Do you follow from afar because you want to have eternal life, but you don’t do all that is in the Word?  Are you obedient to the point of death, or to the point of just making it into heaven?  Do you really want to know Christ and make Him Lord of all your life or do you still want to call the shots and have Him bless your endeavors?  Do you believe what the Bible says is true?  Consider your answers and evaluate your relationship.

We Need Not Worry… God is in Control!

26 Saturday May 2012

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Exodus 14:17-18 “Meanwhile I’ll make sure the Egyptians keep up their stubborn chase—I’ll use Pharaoh and his entire army, his chariots and horsemen, to put my Glory on display so that the Egyptians will realize that I am God.”

God uses Evil Pharaoh to show His Glory!  God knows just what is going on in all the political arenas.  He is the Master pulling all the strings.  Rest assured that Our God is bringing things to an end.

19-20 The angel of God that had been leading the camp of Israel now shifted and got behind them. And the Pillar of Cloud that had been in front also shifted to the rear. The Cloud was now between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel. The Cloud enshrouded one camp in darkness and flooded the other with light. The two camps didn’t come near each other all night.

GOd is either with us or against us… It’s our choice!

Darkness or Light…

Psalms 2  Why the big noise, nations? Why the mean plots, peoples?
Earth-leaders push for position,
Demagogues and delegates meet for summit talks,
The God-deniers, the Messiah-defiers:
“Let’s get free of God!
Cast loose from Messiah!”

Heaven-throned God breaks out laughing.
At first He’s amused at their presumption;
Then He gets good and angry.
Furiously, He shuts them up:
“Don’t you know there’s a King in Zion? A coronation banquet
Is spread for Him on the holy summit.” Psalms 2

Can you see little ants with their fists raised at us, trying to be free of our dominion over them?  First we laugh at the silliness of these little-minded beings thinking they could ever lead the way… then with simply cast them out of their arrogant mind-set.  God is watching our political leaders, the power forces of the world and laughing.  While they think they are in control, God is using them as tools to bring about His glory; to further His Kingdom!

7-9 Let me tell you what God said next.
He said, “You’re my son,
And today is your birthday.
What do you want? Name it:
Nations as a present? continents as a prize?
You can command them all to dance for you,
Or throw them out with tomorrow’s trash.”

God gave His Son, Jesus, full control over all the earth.  Yes, the Devil has dominion over the earth, but only as much as God the Father allows.  Sin was conquered, Death defeated… now we wait for the finally victory… Satan and his demons put away for good.
Psalms 2:10-12 So, rebel-kings, use your heads;
Upstart-judges, learn your lesson:
Worship God in adoring embrace,
Celebrate in trembling awe. Kiss Messiah!
Your very lives are in danger, you know;
His anger is about to explode,
But if you make a run for God—you won’t regret it!
Revelation of the Wonders of God is about to take place. God is in control.  His grace is abounding and open for all.  We will not regret honoring Him by being in the Army of God.  God’s Wrath is equally as powerful as His Grace and He will destroy Sin and Arrogance and Pride and all who have attached themselves to evil.
We need not Worry if we stand with God who is in control of all things…
 

Be Assured God is in Control

25 Friday May 2012

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Who could confront me and get by with it?
I’m in charge of all this—I run this universe! Job 39:11

No matter what is happening in this world, no matter what people say or what doomsday theory is out there… we, as God’s Believers, need to remember that God is in control of it all (even the evil) and He turns it all for good!  In the midst of your trials; on the worst of days; with the world going wild… remember God is good (Psalms 73), God is love (I John 4:8) and God only teaches us what is best (Isaiah 48:17).

 Job 40:1-6 Job answered God: “I’m convinced: You can do anything and everything.
Nothing and no one can upset your plans.
You asked, ‘Who is this muddying the water,
ignorantly confusing the issue, second-guessing my purposes?’
I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me,
made small talk about wonders way over my head.
You told me, ‘Listen, and let me do the talking.
Let me ask the questions. You give the answers.’
I admit I once lived by rumors of you;
now I have it all firsthand—from my own eyes and ears!
I’m sorry—forgive me. I’ll never do that again, I promise!
I’ll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor.”