A word of encouragement for you all in this hectic time

I just want to send a word of encouragement for you all in this hectic time.

I believe the Lord is sending new miracles and wonders to everyone of us. When we pray and ask for change, we expect it to come somewhere along our everyday lives and everyday schedules. But the truth of the matter is that change comes in God’s perfect timing.

Currently a lot of our minds are more compact and fuller than our closets/wardrobes. We need to know and stand steadfast on the fact that our God is always on the move and that he won’t just protect us and our loved ones from the Coronavirus, but bring us out stronger and closer to God than ever before.

By allowing our minds to panic and lean only on the understanding of the Government, we are closing our minds off from change and not allowing any room for new perspectives and levels with Christ. We all need to stay in God’s presence and make room for the new.

We need to be stationary in the will of God and the peace of God, and be planted by the streams of living water and then God will come to us and favour will come to us.

“I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came to me.” Acts 11:5 (New King James Version)

Let us all be calm and courageous in this opportunity to break the limitations that bound us to this earth. As the scripture says in the Bible, God came to Peter while he was praying, heaven came to him. We all need to be still and know that God is God. Let Him show us and the world that everything; new and good, comes from our King and Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us not look for things to go back as they were but instead look forward unto the unknown and be expectant that our God has something more for our lives and glorious for us.

“Remember [carefully] the former things [which I did] from ages past;
For I am God, and there is no one else;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
Declaring the end and the result from the beginning,
And from ancient times the things which have not [yet] been done,
Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,
And I will do all that pleases Me and fulfills My purpose,’” (Isaiah 46:9-10 Amplified version)

– Troy Reid

On Bended Knee

ON BENDED KNEE

BY STACEY SPENCER

On Bended knee;

I’m going back to the place where Christ first spoke to me.

My life of strife must come to an end.

It’s time to turn back and make my amends.

I never said it would be easy,

Or that trials and temptations wouldn’t come your way.

But if through the power of my Holy Spirit

You can remain on a holy plane,

Then you’ll receive My crown of glory.

You’ll be alright.

My baby years were easy you see;

Drinking from the milk of those who lay their foundation way before me.

Living my life of little responsibility,

With very little, to no, accountability.

Christ came to set me free!

But pride is a killer,

And I’m swimming in mine but I just can’t see.

I never said it would be easy,

Or that trials and temptations wouldn’t come your way.

But if through the power of my Holy Spirit

You can remain on a holy plane,

Then you’ll receive My crown of glory.

You’ll be alright.

Life became harder.

My spiritual warfare a lot more intense.

Lust masquerading through things around me;

Branded bottles of emotional mental offence.

Milk could no longer sustain me,

Or my battles with sin.

I had to draw closer to the Cross,

Reminding myself of the Christ within.

I never said it would be easy,

Or that trials and temptations wouldn’t come your way.

But if through the power of my Holy Spirit

You can remain on a holy plane,

Then you’ll receive My crown of glory.

You’ll be alright.

I’ve learned to become satisfied by the meat of His Word.

To walk with the Holy Spirit in order to stay spiritually stirred.

Stripping off the old man to render the new,

In order for Christ to be revealed -

Not just in me but also in you.

I never said it would be easy,

Or that trials and temptations wouldn’t come your way.

But if through the power of my Holy Spirit

You can remain on a holy plane,

Then you’ll receive My crown of glory.

You’ll be alright.

.

On Bended knee;

I’m back to the place where I can truly be me.

No more pretending or contending with His voice.

He’s silenced my serpent,

So I ask you today, “What will be your choice?”

“And I will send you another…”

The beautiful thing about God is that He always has a plan – reconciliation (restoring man back to Himself). From the very beginning (Adam, Eve, Serpent and sin – Genesis 1-3) until NOW; God’s plan is to always restore us back to Himself.

 After the death of Jesus; before His passing he said,

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

John 14:16 (King James Version)

God’s ways and plans can sometimes be forgotten by man (universal context), even after we have acquired of them. We don’t always intend or desire to, but things get in the way – people, circumstances, situations.

God’s Word can also slip from our eyes, even though it should forever be before us (Deuteronomy 11:18) and not forgotten (Proverbs 4:21). But thank God He ALWAYS has a plan!

The Bible says,

“If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

John 14: 15-18 (New King James version) 

We have the GREATEST gift of all… the HOLY SPIRIT. Let us turn to Him and get back to our rightful place in God.

What do we need for 2019?

-       What truth do we need to be led into?

-       What do we need to return back to?

-       What do we need help with?

-       What do we need guidance on?

-       What have we forgotten or not yet learned? Etc.

Let us ask Him; the Spirit of Truth - He knows EVERYTHING.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Matthew 7:7 (New King James version)

 Don’t walk in 2019 or beyond without Him.

BY STACEY SPENCER

GIVE UP the Ghost

“And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, ‘Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit:’ and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.” Luke 23:46 (KJV)

At the end of December 2017, I heard the words “give up the ghost.” During that specific moment in time, I had absolutely no idea what that meant but I KNEW God was speaking to me personally. That’s the thing I love about God, He gives you a Word in every season. He gives the Word to you in whatever way He speaks to you before you go into something or as you are going through something – a snippet before its fullness unfolds.  

Since that day; and even now, my life has become more of an INTERNAL battle. I can literally feel the war. The temper has flared up, frustration has climbed new levels, patience and tolerance are itching me, the tongue goes wild every now and then… BOOM! The bomb has really gone off. Paul’s words in Romans 7 & 8 resonate in my whole being. They’re becoming ALIVE on the inside.

At first, I was like “Lord, what is happening to me?” I automatically assumed that everything that was happening to me was a bad thing. Then I remembered the words of Pastor Philip, “let it come up and come out,” messages spoken by our Pastors and other ministers in church about our flesh being strong; we ourselves being too strong… DING DING DING!!! #LightBulbMoment.

The Word I heard came to mind again – give up the Ghost. Even though Luke 23:46 is referring to Jesus giving up His spirit; dying on the cross to move into the next phase of God’s divine plan for us, what God has been saying to me through this Word is GIVE UP YOUR FLESH. The scripture now takes on a new meaning for me. 

Through this Word, God is saying, “Stop fighting me. Give up your flesh.” I must give up MY WAYS. In order to go to the next level, the flesh MUST die. I must give up my ghost– my soul (will, mind, emotions), heart and spirit. EVERYTHING I am, I MUST give to Him. I must STOP FIGHTING HIM.

Welcome to the process friends… or as Pastor Isaac calls it, METAMORPHOSIS.

Of course the battle is intense because the flesh doesn’t like the spirit and the spirit doesn’t like the flesh – they’re at enmity with one another (Romans 8:7). The flesh doesn't want to die! You really begin to meet your other side… your Mr.Hyde. However, we must still give up our flesh. 

God has been telling us as a house that the Holy Spirit is coming in a greater measure and the Church will not be able to hold Him. Isn’t it ironic that this is one of the Words for 2018, but just before it God tells me to, “give up the ghost?”

I’m here to say that the struggle is real but SO IS GOD. God tells us to pick up our cross daily and follow Him (Luke 9:23). As hard as it can be; especially when we don’t want to, WE MUST stay connected to God and daily give up our ghost – our flesh. It’s challenging but the more we find ourselves in His presence, the easier it will become because there is more of Him and less of us (John 3:30). 

Be encouraged to die and keep dying to your flesh… give up your ghost to receive His.

BY STACEY SPENCER

He Was Moved With Compassion

‘But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.’

Matthew 9:36 (King James Version)

It’s awesome how five simple words of a language can change a person. Who ever thought that five words could articulate what it means to be human? What human is to look like on the Earth… pretty amazing right?

Over the past few months these five words have been laid on my heart. Whether I am walking down the street, socialising with family and friends, writing, eating, sleeping; whatever it is that I am doing, these five words whisper to my spirit and circulate my mind.

What captivates me about them is that Jesus was moved with compassion. He wasn’t moved BY it but He was moved WITH it. Compassion was Him, built in Him; innate. God has been challenging me to move with and not by compassion, and it is this which I would like to share with you today.

If you know me then you will know that I am a lover of words and meanings. The key word that sticks out to me within these five words is with, which simply means, ‘accompanied by, characterised by, or having’ (Dictionary.com). Jesus functioned with the power of perceiving by touch, His whole being (EVERYTHING in Him) was compassion – ‘a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering’ (Dictionary.com).

Jesus’ compassion moved beyond what we know as our human emotions. He perceived (to become aware, discern) and desired (to wish or long for, request) change for others with His whole being. It was this characteristic in Him that allowed Him to move from one place to another to bring change, to move from one person to another to bring change, to be the sacrifice and die for us to bring change; ultimately to bring reconciliation (to cause a person to accept or be resigned to something not desired, restore – Dictionary.com). WOW, what love is this?

Jesus wasn’t moved by compassion because to be moved by something is not merely enough to bring a consistent, everlasting, internal change for yourself or another. The word by means, ‘to the extent or amount of, within the extent or period of’ (Dictionary.com). This means that there is a limitation when we are moved by something or someone, rather than moved with something or someone. It will only last a certain amount of time because it is not something that is built within our nature.

As humans we all have moments where we operate in our own strength when it should be the Lord’s strength, grace, and mercy we walk and operate in (Matthew 10:8, 2Corinthians 12:9). Our own forgiveness, tolerance, and grace towards people and situations can run slim because we are limited, which is why it is by the Lord’s that we must go in (Zechariah 4:6).  

In Luke 6:36 it reads, ‘You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate’ (New Living Translation). We are commanded; it being an absolute, to be compassionate. As we are to be it, it must be built within us (our minds and hearts), as it must last and not tarry only for a season. We must allow the Holy Spirit to build compassion in our hearts and minds. We always talk about renewing our minds (Romans 12:2), but we forget that we also need God to work on our hearts (Luke 6:45, Proverbs 4:23, Proverbs 21:2). God said that He would give us a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26), but we must partner with the Holy Spirit to continually pursue and keep it renewed (Psalm 51:10, Romans 2:29). The heart is important, and before we can touch others we must be touched in heart too. 

So, considering all of this: Are you moved with or by compassion? What is the state of your heart today? Question yourself and invite God in… HE LONGS TO BRING YOU CHANGE; to restore you, to bring a better, everlasting change. It’s never too late, so let’s assess, change, and move forward in His grace together as one; the way we were created to.

BY STACEY SPENCER

Built to Last

Over the past few months I have been overwhelmed by the leading of the Holy Spirit. There is a call for us to come higher, to mature and give more of ourselves to God. This call requires a response not by word but by action. Sometimes I find giving God more of me or stepping out deeper in faith is overwhelming.

In order to manage this overwhelming feeling and to navigate through the tornados of life to climb higher with the Lord, I have been trying to learn to take selah moments. A selah moment is taking time to pause, reflect, assess, and then respond. I would like to invite you as the reader to use this time as a selah moment. Let's pause, reflect, and assess your walk with the Lord. So I pose the same question I have been contemplating for the past month:

Are you building to last? Are you building your spiritual life to last?

The word build has been used a lot within our church over the past few years. We call our Bible study Building in the Spirit, and we have also spent a lot of time on the topic ‘building a strong spirit.’ The word build is defined as, ‘to construct (something) by putting parts or material together; or to make, become stronger or more intense.’

So are you constructing your life to last? Are you building your spiritual life to become stronger so that you can overcome daily challenges with God; not with sin? Do your daily decisions and what you spend your time doing help you end your day connected to God? Are you as passionate and determined for the things of God, or are you now just going along with the form of Christianity denying that God is living and powerful?

In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus teaches His disciples about building themselves on the right foundation. A person who builds himself on a rock is a person who hears what God is saying and does it. Jesus calls this man a wise man, he is able to stand in every type of weather and not fall. A person who builds himself on sand is a person who hears what God is saying and does not do it. Jesus calls this man a foolish man, he is unable to stand in bad weather and will fall.

Question: Are you a wise man or a foolish man? Are you building yourself on the rock or on the sand? Are you hearing what God is saying, and doing it; or are you hearing what God is saying and not doing it?

It is the action of doing or not doing that determines whether you are building to last. Let us not be ignorant to the enemies devices. Many have been a part of the body of Christ and have fallen away for this very reason; they built wrong. They heard but did not do.

We must think soberly so we do not fall into the same wrong pattern because let's be honest, it can easily be done. In 1Corinthians 3:10-11, Paul informs the church of Corinth that as a wise master builder he has laid the foundation, but he then warns them, ‘let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.’

Let us hear the same warning today, ‘take heed how you build on your foundation.’ For your only foundation should be Jesus Christ and what He is saying because anything else cannot stand against the arrows of the enemy. We must build our spiritual life to be able to stand in every season. Regardless of how things may look or feel, we are called to trust and obey. There is no other way to STAND in Jesus.

Selah

BY CHARLENE-KERR-SPENCER

References

Definitions: http://www.dictionary.com/browse/build

Images: Pixabay.com 

Let Your Will Be Done

'I have glorified you on the Earth: I have finished the work which you gave me to do’ (John 17:4). This is the scripture I received after hearing myself pray, ‘Let your will be done in me as it was in Christ Jesus’.

For me, the best moments of prayer are hearing God speak through you in English, not knowing what’s coming but being blown away as it comes revealing that it hasn’t been pre-conceived by you; in fact, in that moment my mind was saying, ‘that’s not the scripture Riss!’ But when God speaks you feel the substance of His words and I am learning that when He speaks its always an invitation to walk into something new.

I was seeking simplicity and as always, God the Father points to His beloved Son. The beauty of their relationship wonderfully illustrated through love, sacrifice and dependency. Let Your will be done in me as it was in Christ Jesus. We have been endued with the power to choose and even when we try to seek an alternative way out, through Jesus we find the nevertheless grace.

Nevertheless, not my will but Your will be done. Nevertheless, my grace is sufficient for you because in your weakness I am strong. I am afraid; nevertheless, if I perish I perish. In the Son, all eventualities have been covered and every path He leads you on, He desires to walk with you. Choose to do nothing without Him, choose to wholly abide, choose to surrender your heart. Let the will of the Father be done in you as it was in Jesus.

What’s your something new in this season? What is God inviting you into? What word of His is He asking you to stand on?

BY LARISSA MATTHEWS