GENESIS 37:5 " DREAM SNATCHERS "

Have you ever been hated for your dreams, desire to excel, ambition , or just want more out of life. I'm not talking about trying to be better than everybody else but just wanting all that God has to offer. Something that God has made you aware of in a dream, vision, or just taking God at his word and believing you are who God said you are. This was the case with Joseph.  Joseph could not help himself when it came to feeling successful because his name means "JEHOVAH HAS ADDED" it is from the root "Yacaph"=increase ,do again, to do more:                                                                                                                                                                The bible reads "And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more." GENESIS 37:5) The first mistake Joseph made was he told his brothers. That's what some of us do we tell everything, some of the things God will share with us we need to keep to ourselves. Now the thing that puzzles me the most is how can you hate some one for dreaming? Dreams are free everyone has them and it doesn't cost you anything to be a dreamer, unless that's all you do is dream? Isn't it something that Joseph's brothers wanted to kill his dream so bad that they were willing to kill him, remember it was just a dream! The only thing that sparks hatred like this is that haters believe in your dream coming to pass as much as you do. And what they don't understand is that God will use their hatred "THE PROCESS" to allow your dream to come to pass. Everything that Joseph dreamed came to pass. I sense in my spirit that some of you have given up on your dreams because of "the process God has chosen."                                                                                                                                                                      Can I tell you this it is God that will kill a dream, and one of the reasons is to build your faith. The second reason is so he will get the GLORY, after you go through everything and finally have your God given dream come to pass you will known "if it had not been for the Lord on my side". God will "SNATCH YOUR DREAM" and bring it to pass in his own timing. The bible says "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abidith alone : but if it die , it bringth forth much fruit:" ST.JOHN12:24) Let God "snatch your dream" and kill it, because after he does that" HE WILL MULTPLY IT AND IT WILL BRING FORTH MUCH FRUIT. DON'T GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAM, SO THIS TIME DO MORE, DO IT AGAIN, AND BELIEVE FOR THE INCREASE!!"

COLOSSIANS 1:17 "HELD TOGETHER"

There is an energy known as "CENTRIFUGAL FORCE"=from Latin centrum=center, and fugere,=to flee, force pulling away from center: an apparent force that seems to pull a rotating or spinning object away from the center. Everything in the universe is made up of  atoms. Scientist don't understand how the atom can stay together, how electrons and neutrons and protons  stay in orbit around the nuclues of the atom . The bible says in HEBREWS 1:3 "And upholding all things by the word of his power" . That's the reason , JESUS CHRIST holds all things together . Scientist can't explain it but the word of God can it's Jesus!! The apostle Paul writes to the COLOSSIANS " And he is before all things , and by him all things consist. The word CONSIST is from the root HISTEMI=to cause or make to stand ,to place , put , set, to bid to stand , be kept intact, stand unharmed: Since all things were created by him and for him then he JESUS can keep everything in tact, the whole universe, put , set , stand, unharmed by the word of his power!! And even in your crisis, your worst situation, your hardest trial HE WILL HOLD YOU TOGETHER, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT HE DOES. HE HOLDS THINGS TOGETHER!! BE ENCOURAGED WITH THE FACT THAT HE WILL HOLD YOU TOGETHER , KNOW MATTER WHAT YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH HASN'T HE KEPT YOU TOGETHER?

PSALM 119:89 " SETTLE DOWN "

 It is hard to put your confidence in anything today, there is hardly anything you can depend on. Every kind of institution in this world is failing, what do we have to rely on? Is there anything we can SETTLE DOWN and believe in? I'm glad you asked that question , we can rely on God and his word! Everything will fade away but the word of God ,(Isaiah 40:8).  One of my favorite persons in the bible is David , the sweet Psalmist of Israel, the Shepherd boy, the main after God's own heart. David is the chief compiler of the book of Psalms. In David's writings he focuses on different theme's in each number=chapter. There are Psalms on Praise, Lamentation, Exaltation, Worship and some on more then one theme.  But in Psalms 119 David makes it clear what he's talking about and it's The Word !!                                                                                                                                                        Our srcipture says " FOR EVER , O LORD , THY WORD IS SETTLED IN HEAVEN " .  SETTLED=to stand , take one's stand , stand upright ,be set (over) , establish , erect, to fix, appointed ,be determined, . What God has said about you is SETTLED IN HEAVEN !! What He has spoken over your life before you were born will stand upright , be set (over) , appointed and determined. What God has communicated to the universe about you stands erect, fixed and established in the heavens and nothing can stop it!!  And this is something you can SETTLE DOWN ON !!                                                                                                                                                                 

PSALM 138:8 "PERFECT"

 I believe everyone has a desire to be perfect, to experience perfection in some type of way. The world we live creates images of perfection. Every movie star wants to appear flawless on screen. What does it mean it be perfect? It means without faults , errors, flaws, complete and whole, excellent or ideal. It's hard to live up to those type of expectations, who do you know without faults or flaws, know one but God. God doesn't even demand that we are perfect only that we live holy. The word perfect appears 99 times in the bible so there is a message God is trying to convey. 1 PETER 5:10 "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his enternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen , settle you." Here the word perfect is "KATARTIZO"=to render, to fit , to be sound, complete: It's God's desire that we are complete and sound in every area of our lives.                                                                                                                                                                It's It's so important to know that "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me:" PSALMS 138:8). That God will "perfect" fit, allow things to become sound and complete in him. The God that controls the cosmos will complete that that concerneth you. Lets deal with what God is concerned about "YOU". The word "CONCERN"= be on the mind of, that your on the mind of God , to bear on, cover, that God will cover you: PSALMS 91:4)" He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler." Itsn't that amazing that God will cover you!!  Concern also means to "deal with"God will deal with every situation that concerns you; Concern also means "go into" that HE will go into the deep things in you, things you haven't told anyone but God!! Our last definition of this word is " something that interests you because it is important or affects you". Because he is a loving and caring God things that affect us, affect him. How gracious is our God, his word will let us know how deep his love is for us. So stand up and cheer that God " will complete that which affects you"!!

COLOSSIANS1:16 "A COLOSSIAN PROBLEM"

Everything that happens in life there is a negative or positive reaction to it. The bible says " But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:" ROMANS5:20) God will not allow the devil to out do him with sin, God said where there's sin I'll supply more grace! Grace does not give us a license to sin, it is "the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance." ROMANS 2:4) Repentance is a change of thinking to go in another direction, not that I'm sorry but, I'm sorry enough to change the path that I'm on and go in the right direction.                                                                                                                                                                      The Colossian church had a problem and it was three fold a syncretistic heresy. The heresy had elements of paganism, judaism and christianity. Epaphras was believed to be the pastor of this church according to COLOSSIANS 7. Epaphras takes a trip to Rome to visit the apostle Paul in prison and gives him a heads up on the condtion of the church in Colossae. The Pagan heresy was an early form of Gnosticism=gnosticism asked about the personage of Jesus Christ" If he was God how could he die and if he died how could he be God". The second part of this heresy was an element of Judaism retained the law of Moses and was legalistic in nature . The third part of this heresy was elements of Christianity they didn't deny Christ they dethroned him and this took away his power to be the savior of the world. When Epaphras told Paul these problems the apostle started writing. The difficulty of this problem brought the greatness out of Paul and he began to reveal things through the Holy Spirit that we would have never known without the Colossian Problem? The apostle Paul wrote in verse 17 " And he is before all things, and by him all things cosist". Cosist= to hold things together , that Jesus Christ is holding you together. Your greatest problem will bring God's greatness out of you, don't allow circumstances to discourage you there is greatness on the inside of you and your problem will bring it out!!

JAMES 1:12 " THE BLESSED MAN "

A few years ago I asked my congregation the question what is the definition of a blessed man? Some responded and said to have a lot of money, to have a nice home and car, to have a good marriage and good health. The blessed man is a person that has everything, no wants or cares, he or she has everything. There are a few definitions for the word blessed in the bible , but we will just mention two. Blessed=EULOGETOS=from eulogeo=to bless-eu-good, well and logos=word. English=eulogize, eulogy=commendatory formal statement or set oration , high praise; to extol= means to be well spoken of or inherently worthy of praise. Now another meaning of the word blessed is=MAKARIOS, to be happy, but not in the usual sense of happiness based on positive circumstances. Makarios describes the person who is free from daily cares and worries because his every breath and circumstance is used to describe the kind of happiness that comes from receiving divine favor. When Jesus used this word MAKARIOS  blessed, Jesus knew what he was doing, he was bringing about a paradigm shift in the people's thinking.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      The people of that day knew the meaning of this word, Makarios it was used to describe the life of the Greek God's and their lavish life style that they where above pain, poverty, sickness and death. Jesus was saying that the blessed man was happy inspite of his external circumstances because his trust is in his God. And this is the same word MAKARIOS that James uses in (JAMES 1:12 when he says "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation : for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life , which the Lord hath promised to them that love him."  In other words " HAPPY is the man that ENDURETH= remain, not recede or flee, TEMPTATION= trial, adversity, trouble, affliction for when he is TRIED= accepted, pleasing, proved, he shall receive a crown of life:"  According to James this is the BLESSED MAN!!

ACTS 19 " RELENTLESS FAITH IN THE FACE OF FEAR"

The apostle Paul was fearless in his quest to obey the Lord. Once he received his instructions from the Holy Spirit he could not be moved, discouraged or hindered in the purpose of spreading the gospel. What if the church today had the same commitment and fire that the apostle Paul had, we would be unstoppable! Paul was totally about doing the will of God , and whatever territory he went in he brought change. People's lives were changed by the power of God , and that came from a life of surrender. Nothing can stop a man that's not afraid of die, hence we have the apostle Paul.  That's why he wrote "For to me to live is Christ , and to die is gain." PHIL 1:21)                                                                                                                                                         How many people you know that will say they gain in death? Not to many, because everybody wants to live. Again the apostle writes in (ROMANS 14:8 " For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die , we die unto the Lord; whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's". The apostle Paul hit Asia with a bang and preached against the main principality there the goddess Diana. The whole area was controlled by this stronghold called Diana. So in "ACTS 19" The apostle Paul goes in to Ephesus and begins to preach and dispute and persuade the people concerning the kingdom of God. Verse 10 says " so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks." The people received the word and had a bond fire burned their arts and books worth fifty thousand pieces of silver.    In our money the estimated value of this bond fire was worth one million dollars. Because of the fearless pursuit of the apostle Paul the silversmiths that sold miniature statures of Diana were going out of business. The apostle Paul faced all odds and evangelised the whole continent of Asia because he was fearless! Imagine what you can do if you refuse to be stopped by fear? 

POURING WATER!!

The stories of the bible are so interesting and encouraging at times it's hard to even put the bible down. The word of God is a rich spiritual encounter with a SOVEREIGN GOD, Jesus said "the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit , and they are life."( St John6:63)  I'm so glad God knows the end from the beginning. Isn't it great that we serve a God that will tell you the end of a thing before the beginning, before you start I'll tell you the finish . (Isaiah 46:10 )" Declaring the end from the beginning" , "It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth" (Isaiah 40:22,)  that's why God can show you your future and I'm here to tell you no matter what happens your future looks bright!!  The word of God will breathe life and purpose into your life when you allow his empowering presence to witness through you . The story of Elijah and Elisha begins in (1 Kings 19: 19-21) where Elisha received his call to  minister. In (2 Kings chapter 2:1) the bible tells us that Elijah will be taken to heaven in a whirlwind . Elisha refuses to leave Elijah and watches his translation  and receives a double portion. Elisha was such a gifted prophet that the kings servant let the king know that Elisha the prophet was stealing his secrets in his bedchamber !! (2 Kings 6:12 ) What a powerful gift and anointing to hear what they were saying in there bedroom ! Here are some of the miracles Elisha did.  Elisha purified a spring (2 kings 2:19-22 ) , he raised the Shunammite's only son (2 kings 4:18-37),  he provided an antidote for poisonous stew (2 kings 4:38-41) , he healed Naaman's leprosy (2 kings 5:1-19 ) , he recovered a lost axe head (2 kings 6:1-7), he provided water to a thirsty army (2 kings 3:4-20).  There are other miracles Elisha did even when he was dead the double portion yet operated in his dead bones (2 kings 13:21) . What an awesome prophet of God who ministered for about fifty years in total  victory.                                                                                                                                                     What I thought was interesting was the way the kings servant describes Elisha  " But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may inquire of the Lord by him? AND ONE OF THE KING OF ISRAEL'S (SERVANTS) ANSWERED AND SAID , HERE IS ELISHA THE SON OF SHAPHAT, " WHICH POURED WATER ON THE HANDS OF ELISHA"( 2KINGS 3:11). Notice the servant didn't say , the miracle worker, the prophet, the leprosy healer, he said " which poured water on the hands of Elisha .What an awesome description of the man of God . How many men of God today want to be known  as a "Water Boy"?  This is how Elisha got his DOUBLE PORTION being the servant of Elijah, ARE THERE ANYMORE SERVANTS IN THE HOUSE OF GOD THAT ARE WILLING TO POUR WATER? IT SEEMS TO ME EVERYBODY WANTS WATER POURED ON THEM. If you are willing to pour water or be a servant because minister means (to serve) God will pour his SPIRIT on you!! Jesus said "If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all." (Mark 9:35) The kings servant reveals a secret here the source of Elisha's power came from him pouring water or being a servant to Elijah!! TRY POURING SOME WATER!!

EPHESIANS 4:8-13 " GIFTS TO THE BODY "

Everybody like to receive gifts and some of my warmest memories are around christmas, because that's the time we received the most gifts. I have fond memories of staying awake all night , in eager anticipation of that morning. I remember taking the wrapping paper off the gifts we would receive. It was exciting to receive something so special as a surpising gift.  The word GIFT= something given to somebody usually on order to provide pleasure or to show gratitude, is the transfer of something without the expectation of receiving something in return. The Greek meaning of GIFT= didomi= to supply, furnish, to reach out, to appoint to an office: When God thought about a gift he sent his son Jesus Christ to die and redeem man back to himself. But he did not stop there for in Ephesians (4:8) " Wherefore he saith, WHEN HE ASCENDED UP ON HIGH , HE LED CAPTIVITY CAPTIVE , AND GAVE GIFTS UNTO MEN: (verse 9) says; And (verse 11)Paul says "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evagelists; and some, pastors and teachers; When God thought about gifts he gave us the five fold ministry.                                                                                                                                                  The church cannot function properly without these ministry gifts and God would not give us these gifts and discontinue them? The reason for these gifts are told to us in (verse 12) " For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Why would God discontinue something that will  bring perfection? He hasn't , these gifts are alive and thriving in the church today! God calls them gifts= to supply,furnish , to reach out, to appoint to an office in the body of Christ. If the apostle Paul was right about everything else, than why was he not right about these five fold ministry gifts?
 For the perfecting of the saints, it is the error of man to change something that God has established. His gifts will bring us" in the unity of the faith (verse 13) unto a perfect man". Let's allow these ministry gifts to operate and do what they were created to do make us" a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ". Let's continue to honor and cherish the five fold ministry gifts God have given us!!

GENESIS 32:24 " LEFT ALONE "

The holiday's are a time of celebration I love the holiday's especially Thanksgiving and Christmas . It's a time you spend with family and friends enjoying fellowship with each other reminiscing about past holiday's and times shared together. Unfortunately the holiday's are a  time when people who don't have any family and are left alone. Christmas and New Year 's are holiday's when people commit suicide. With no one to share these times with people feel abandoned and end their life. Isn't it sad that some of the most joyous times are the saddest times for some people because they are left alone. Just about everybody desires companionship and the warm feeling we get when those we love are around us.  God said "it is not good that man should be alone" (GENESIS 2:18). Adam had fellowship with the creator of the universe and it wasn't enough, he needed someone on his level so God created  Eve. Is it possible to be surrounded by people and still feel alone?  You can be marrried have children, friends and family all around you and still feel alone and empty.                                                                                                                                                       Jacob had come to a cross roads in his life and was alone all by himself , is it possible to say that it was God orchestrating the events in his life and he was about to come head on with destiny. Jacob was left alone and alone he met God! There are times that God will bring us to a place of isolation, because it's hard to hear God in a crowd. At times we get so busy with the cares of life we won't even spend time with God, so God has to create an atmoshere so we can wrestle with ourselves alone. The benefit of Jacob being alone with God is that God changed his name from "Deceiver" to "May God Prevail" Thus , he was now recognized as " Prince with God ". Do you need a name change? The bible says "A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold" (PROVERBS 22:1 NIV). A good reputation is more important than wealth! What's in a name, The bible says " And hath given him a name which is above every name ; That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow," PHIL:2:9-10). Don't you agree it's time to get alone with God!!

NEHEMIAH 8:1 "REVIVAL SPARKED BY THE WORD"

Nehemiah stands as one of the greatest builders in the word of God! In hearing the condition of the walls in Jerusalem Nehemiah was moved with compassion that work on the walls had not been completed. So he began to weep, fast and pray to bring about change in Jerusalem, he asked God for favor with the king to go back and work on the walls. In todays society it is very rare to see someone who is moved with tears with something that directly does not involve them, to be so passionate about God's purpose for his people that he is willing to risk his life to see the walls restored. Nehemiah worked against enemies , opposition on every side to finish the work and when it was completed " that there enemies would perceive that this work was wrought of our God. (Nehemiah 6:16).                                                                                                                                                            So in the 8th chapter of Nehemiah the people gather in the streets as one man gathereth to hear the word of God. It is believed that this gathering was sparked by the people's hunger to hear the word of the Lord. The word of the Lord is read from morning to midday and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. For about six hours the people stood and listened to the word of the Lord. Several things have to happen for true revival to take place 1.) The people thanked God (by saying Amen when Ezra blessed the Lord.)  2.) The people submitted to the Lord (by lifting their hands, which was a sign of submission)  3.) The people worshipped (by bowing down their heads to the ground)  4.) The people wepted ( when they understood the word)  5.) The people had joy ( they rejoyced)  6.)  The people had (understanding of the word)  7.) The people had (Great Gladness):  True revival  happens when people hear and understand the word of God and it brings true repentance. The first message Jesus ever preached was to repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. Nehemiah refused to let anything stop him, he was relentless in his pursuit of accomplishing the rebuilding of the walls. Are you relentless about the things of the Lord? Do you want to see God's purpose wrought in the earth? Get passionate about the fact that you want to see the kingdom of God worked in you first and then see it operate in the earth!!