March 12, 2014–A Sound from Heaven

March 12, 2014 By

Darren Woodvale

Day 2: Acts 2:1-21

This passage of scripture is probably one of the most exciting in the entire bible.  When I read it I am filled with awe and wonder at the mighty work of God.

This passage says that “a sound came out of heaven, like a mighty rushing wind that filled the entire house” (Acts 2:2).

Think about the construction of this thought for a moment.  It says–emphatically–that the sound originated out of heaven.  There was no question in their minds.  It was no man- made sound.  Those who encountered it understood undeniably that the source of this wild wind was heaven itself.

This is pretty normal when it comes to encounters with the Holy Spirit.  The one who encounters heaven is never the same.  Doubts have a way of disappearing.  Thoughts have a way of changing, especially those that are opposed to the ideas in the word of God.

This sound produces a radical shift in character and in beliefs.

“Peter stood up and raised his voice.” 

Only 50 days prior he was a coward when questioned about his relationship with Christ.  He denied his Lord three times.  His character encountered this sound from heaven and then he begins to proclaim the gospel with power.

Paul on the road to Damascus was a hard covetous sinner.  He was a murdering, legalistic Jew bent on destroying anything in the path of his holy orthodoxy, and yet when the sound came out of heaven, he was changed instantly and became a brand new man.  The rest of his life he recalled that encounter to congregations, to religious leaders and to kings.

We need to pray and ask God to open the floodgates of heaven and let people experience the sound of heaven all across the earth. In fact we need to advance as the army of God into the earth, trusting the sound will meet our feet on the path toward destiny.

This is the way I go out in ministry.  I know that wherever I go, the sounds of heaven will come with me.

We need to leap up like Peter and boldly proclaim the message of Christ.  The sound of heaven is the message of Christ and when we proclaim it without worrying about those who might oppose it, it has a way of producing that which it was sent to do.

There are times when I preach that I simply pray: “God you better come because what I just said needs backing up with power from on high.” That is when the sounds of heaven come and people are changed from the inside out.

It is not about me, but it is about the sound that God wants to make in the earth.  When we encounter it, it transforms us and we are never the same.  We couldn’t even be the same if we tried.

Filed Under: Pastor Darren Canning

March 11, 2014–How long will you Wait?

March 11, 2014 By

Day 1—Acts 1:1-26

Jeeva & Sulojana Woodvale March 2014“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:4-5)

Today we begin a series of 40 reflections based on passages from the Book of Acts. Holy Spirit highlighted the verses listed above as I read and reflected on this passage.

According to Acts 1:3: “He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” On the very last day of His physical stay on earth, Jesus tells them “to wait for the gift my Father promised.”

He is reminding them of what He had told them earlier: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever–the Spirit of truth… But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:16-17, 26)

There is only one thing He asks them to do, that is, to WAIT. So “they all joined together constantly in prayer.” (v. 14)

Jesus does not specify how long they would have to wait before they receive the Holy Spirit. He leaves it at a cryptic “in a few days.”

It would appear from the biblical record that the only other thing they did besides waiting in prayer was to choose a replacement for Judas. Otherwise they simply waited.

Imagine that, eh? Waiting day after day, not knowing which day He would show up. How long would you be able to sustain such waiting?

Let’s calculate how long the disciples had to wait. Since Pentecost is the 50th day, that would be 10 days.

10 full days of simply waiting…just because Jesus said they should…and if they did, they would receive the Holy Spirit. Aren’t you glad they did?

It would also appear that not all who started out the waiting period lasted all 10 days. In I Corinthians 15:6 Paul says that Jesus “appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time” during those 40 days. Yet, the head count that day identified only 120 “wait-ers.” (v.15)

Gary Oates, author of “Open my eyes, Lord” was ministering in Toronto a few years back. Most of us at his meetings were struck by how clearly he could see in the spirit realm as he described angels and other realities in great detail.

When pressed to reveal his “secret”, Gary shared about the time he spent soaking in God’s presence on a regular basis. He shares it in an article on The Elijah List: “I cannot overemphasize the importance of waiting on the Lord until I experience His manifest Presence daily. I don’t come out of that private room until I have experienced His Presence.”

I also recall him saying that, at times, this could mean waiting for a few hours. Frankly, I was not excited to hear that! I would’ve much preferred a defined time period, say 33 minutes and 27 seconds…lol!

Those gathered in the Upper Room were prepared to wait regardless of how long it took for the Father to deliver the gift He had promised. Ditto for Gary Oates and countless others. Father always keeps His word.

How about you, dear friend? Would you make waiting on the Lord a regular part of this 40 Day Fast? You will be glad you did!

(Pastor Jeeva Sam serves Morgan’s Point and Forks Road East United Churches in Wainfleet Township in the Niagara Region. He and Sulojana, his partner in life and ministry, love to co-labour with Holy Spirit, particularly in prophetic and healing that produces breakthroughs. The Sams are passionate about activating, equipping, releasing and mentoring others into their destiny)

Filed Under: Pastor Jeeva Sam

March 10, 2014–“I will not rest UNTIL…”

March 11, 2014 By

 

missing ringSuppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it…Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? (Luke 15:4, 8)

I woke up this morning to a horrible feeling. Where there should’ve been a ring on the fourth finger of the right hand, there was none.

Of course, this immediately brought back memories of the last time said ring went missing was late in the Fall one year. My sons and I had raked what seemed like literally millions of maple leaves off our front lawn and the ditch. They filled up quite a few bags, perhaps 10 or so before nightfall.

Now it was my turn to put the rest of them away and have them at the curb for pick-up the following morning. Off I went to work, rake in hand, sporting garden gloves to soften the impact on these anointed hands 🙂 Every once in a while though, I would take the gloves off, and just enjoy the feel of the dried leaves as I placed them in the lawn bag a few hundred at a time.

It was only when I was cleaning up and reaching for the body wash that I noticed that the ring was missing. Fourth finger. Right hand.

What is so significant about this ring? It had been passed down the generational line on my pastor father’s side from his father who was also a pastor. Dad gave it to me at my ordination and let me know that it was my responsibility to pass it on to the fourth generation pastor in the family.

I am not sure of its monetary value, but its spiritual and personal value was simply inestimable, as it was irreplaceable.

What do I do now? Having used two different brands of bags, I could narrow it down to the 13 that had been filled to the brim by yours truly. One of them surely would contain the missing ring. But which one?

We had no metal detector. I did not want to attract attention. I chose to bring the bags one at a time to a slightly secluded spot in the backyard and dump them on to the cement patio. I couldn’t wait for that “clink” to signal the discovery of the ring.

First bag. No ring. Second bag. No ring….and so on. Disappointment upon disappointment. More back-stretching labour as the leaves went back in. Finally, as Bag #8 was emptied, I saw the shiny object and heard the noise. It us unmistakeably the same ring that I had lost. Hallelujah!

All those memories came flooding back as I wondered what I would have to do to retrieve it this time. Being winter in Ontario, the possibility of the ring slipping off my finger when I removed the gloves somewhere was very real. But where? Did they fall off while I washed my hands with soap at one of two different coffee shops?

I started praying that perhaps the ring had landed on our driveway, or better still, inside the car or best case scenario…inside the house!

As I started to get changed, I heard a small ‘thud” on the carpet in the closet. Voila! There it was. Staring me in the face. My precious ring. Thank you, Lord! Don’t ask me where it fell from or how it got there…but it did!

I don’t want to go into a deep exegesis of the first two parables in Luke 15…but the focus for me was on the fact that neither the shepherd nor the woman would rest until they found the missing sheep and coin respectively.

The Lord caused me to pray right away. ”Lord, make me like the shepherd and the woman and even me. Let me search relentlessly and not rest until I’ve found that which is of immeasurable value…a precious soul. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Would you make this prayer yours as well?

Filed Under: Pastor Jeeva Sam

March 09, 2014–God is in the Contradictions

March 10, 2014 By

contradictions“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9)

One of the more interesting ideas presented to my mind recently is that God can be found in the contradictions of theology, meaning that there is truth presented in all Christian ideas of God and yet each is only a glimpse of His total being.

Theology is man’s pursuit to understand a God who is understandable and unknowable at the same time.  Each time we examine a part of God’s nature we come to see Him a little more, and yet the polar opposite idea of who He is can be true at the same time.  I can hear you saying now, “My God what a strange thought!  Are you saying that the Roman Catholic and the Protestant expressions of faith are both correct?”

Yes, I am.  I am trying to suggest that each has only embraced a glimpse of His nature.  God is highly organized like the Catholic Church in hierarchy, and yet He is also very much free-spirited and non-hierarchical like the house church movement.  Each expression of the Christian faith is really a prophetic glimpse into the nature of our God.

God is both near and far at the same time.  He is both loving and severe.  He is both father and mother.  He is Jesus, the Son of Man who could be hung upon a cross and the One who sits eternal upon the throne with fire in his eyes.  He is like the fire, but he is also like the rain.  He is in the earth and in the sky.

We can understand God by making generalizations about His character and by describing what He isn’t.  He is both the seed and the tree.  He is the beginning and the end.  He roars like a lion and yet is as meek as a lamb.  He is in the light and he is in the darkness.

As soon as you think you understand God, He reveals Himself to you again.

I have had encounters with His humility and His severity.  I know what it is like to desire Him near and to desire Him to be far off.  I know what it is like for His Spirit to touch me like a gentle rain and I know what it is like to be completely bent in fear by His presence.

There are some things that we know about God.  We know what He calls holy, because it is defined in His word.  He will not argue with you about what constitutes sin.  You cannot negotiate with Him.  All you can do is turn from sin toward Him.  You can have one or the other, but not both.

And yet God is with the saint and with the grossest of sinners at the same time.  He is touching them both, drawing them closer, constantly in communion with each.

He is with the Republicans and the Democrats.  Wherever man lives, God is found in the midst of them.  And while we may not understand how this might be, God is comfortable with each one of us and our differences, even when we war with one another.  He is in the prayers of opposing forces.  He is in the prayers of opposing teams. He loves each one the same.  He loves you enough not to let you stay in the place where you are currently. He is drawing you deeper unto Himself, constantly feeding you His manna from heaven.

God is in the contradictions, and as we embrace the contradictions, we come deeper into wisdom and into God.

Filed Under: Pastor Darren Canning

March 08, 2014–Give and it shall be given unto you

March 8, 2014 By

sulojana(Be blessed by this inspiring DWOD for March 08, 2014 by guest contributor, Sulojana Sam)

Recently, Jeeva and I were ministering in Picton, Ontario.  We had a free Saturday morning and decided to go out for brunch with a pastor friend of Jeeva and his wife. The place he had in mind was shut down, so we had to find another restaurant.

Our friends decided to stop at a store owned by his relative to get a review of another restaurant.  While they were chatting, I started checking out the beautiful First Nations paintings, carvings, jewellery, clothing and accessories.  I had been looking for a silver choker for a few months now…I finally found one to my liking. I also picked up a beautiful bamboo basket.

Before we realized what was happening, they grabbed my selections and promptly paid for them. I’m sure the total was at least $70. I was so grateful for their generosity, thanked them profusely and thanked God for them.

That evening, while eating dinner before our ministry assignment, God reminded me of something that happened about a year and a half ago.

I was shopping at Sears one day when one of the employees asked me to pick a number from a brown bag, so I could be entered into a draw to win a necklace and a pair of earrings. I did not want to pick a number at first, but she insisted that I do. Just to satisfy her, I picked a number.

When the time came, we were “treated” to a sales presentation. I still remember standing at the back, not very interested at all in all the hype about this new product line.

When it was time for the draw, guess what?  They pulled out my number.  Now I was excited.  I had a choice of three sets and picked the one with white stones worth more than $35.00. On the way home, I was thinking of all the outfits it would enhance. (You ladies know what I’m talking about, amen?)

Things changed after we got home, though. This little voice kept telling me that this set was not for me to keep, but to give away.  At first I thought to myself, forget it, God wouldn’t want me to do that. The next day, the same voice was telling me again to give it away.  After a few times of hearing this voice, I thought to myself, this sounds like God is telling me to give it away. Okay God, to whom should I give this jewellery? God gave me a name right away.

Just to confirm that I was hearing clearly, I told my husband Jeeva to pray about it and he got the same name.  I was so tempted to still keep this jewellery, but decided to be obedient and gave it away to this particular person that God had showed both of us.

As we went to the evening meeting, this verse came to mind: “Give and it shall be given unto you–good measure pressed down, shaken together and running over…”  (Luke 6:38). I gave away what was worth $35.00 and got something that was worth at least twice as much!

I was also reminded of the rewards of obedience.  The temptation was there to disregard that ‘inner voice’ and keep the jewellery to myself. I’m glad I did not give in. In return, I received something better, even though I had to wait a while.

Dear DWOD friend, many times we don’t want to do what God is telling us to do, because it may not be in line with our plans or it is something uncomfortable for us to do or because we want to hang on to something.  As my experience illustrates, being obedient to God opens up the heavens and releases the flow of blessings!

Let this be your experience also as you advance toward your destiny.

(Sulojana Sam is an anointed woman of God who is being used mightily in the prophetic and in healing. While she is not working for the government,  she also doubles as Jeeva Sam’s partner in life and in ministry and mothers their three awesome children, Priya, Sathiya and Jaya).

Filed Under: Guest Authors

March 07, 2014–Change your Words…Change your World

March 7, 2014 By

Mave Moyer(Be blessed by this DWOD for March 07, 2014 by guest contributor Mave Moyer)

CHANGE YOUR WORDS…CHANGE YOUR WORLD

He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life…but he that opens wide his lips shall have destruction. (Proverbs 13:3)

Recently, the Lord kept quickening my spirit to the importance of speaking His word…and the importance of proclaiming and calling things that be not as though they were…we are His voice and we need to be decreeing His purposes and plans…

So often the devil or our own opinion or our emotions and feelings can convince us to speak what we think or “what we have” instead of realizing that we can have “what we say.” We have to “choose” to speak right things over situations and circumstances…We can in faith speak destiny over Cities and Nations as well as over our own life and the Iives of others.

Many times we much more readily access the negative realm and begin to speak carnal and faithless things. We can be so quick to say things like…”You’re never going to make it”…”You’re not good enough”….or “This is just the same old thing…nothing’s changed…”

How many times have our words discouraged and made us a judge when we should be encouraging and speaking God’s way? “You’re more than a conqueror”…”You’re an overcomer.”…and calling forth the new thing in God…that this will never be the same…that change is on the horizon…These are words of “faith” and destiny…the other ones are words of “flesh” and destruction.

God gave us a mouth to deliver ourselves…and we need to be using the tool of our tongue to our maximum benefit…When we face an unfavourable situation…we must teach our mouth to speak “right” things and respond to the situation with the right words.

When Jesus awoke on a boat to an unfavourable situation called a stormy sea, He “spoke” to the wind and waves and they heard Him…and obeyed (Mark 4:39)

Colossians 3:16 says: “Let the word of God dwell in you in all its richness.” We are rich in ALL things when we study and meditate on God’s word and commit it to our heart. By ourselves we cannot tame our tongue…but through God’s word and the power of Holy Spirit…we can “put pressure on” our tongue to change and tame it.

As believers we should never use our mouth to say unauthorized, unholy or negative things about ourselves or others.

As we spend time in the word every day and obey it and confess it…our words will be empowered by the Spirit to produce changes wherever they are sent. We can address situations that need a change with our words…and we can confess our way to our desired breakthrough. We can use the “tool” of our tongue to also speak destiny over others…We will NEVER hear God speak negative or hurtful things about one of His children…and neither should we…

Our words are creative…they bless or they curse…they bring death or they bring life…We will never live above the standard we set with our own mouth…

When God looked down on the earth and it was dark and void…He didn’t say that place is hopeless…it’s never, never going to be anything…there’s nothing but darkness and destruction…NO…HE spoke forth faith filled words and “commanded”…let there be light….and there was…and there still is….

When Abraham went up the mountain to worship

When The Lord asked him for Isaac his son…

He told those travelling with them:

“The lad and I will return when WE are done.”

The Shunammite woman whose son died

Moved in faith and wouldn’t tell…

When others questioned what was wrong

She said: “All is WELL.”

Mary asked “HOW” shall this be…in innocence

And Zachariah asked “HOW”…in doubt…

So the angel shut his mouth

So nothing negative could come out…

Jesus said to “speak to the mountain”

And it would be cast into the sea…

Whatever you…believe and say…

That is what…will come to be…

James said our tongue can be a dangerous fire

Or can speak blessing instead of strife

It’s up to us the way we speak…

And we bring death or life…

The things we think and the things we say will change the way we live today!!

Change your words….and change your world!!

(Reverend Mave Moyer and her husband Brother Russ Moyer are the apostolic leaders of Eagle Worldwide Ministries. Pastor Mave is an anointed teacher and preacher who moves powerfully in the gift of faith, healing, and the prophetic.)

Filed Under: Guest Authors

March 06, 2014–The School of the Holy Spirit

March 7, 2014 By

School of the Holy Spirit(Be blessed by this DWOD for March 06, 2014 by guest contributor, Shyju Matthew)

Have you ever wondered which Bible College Moses attended? Or from where King David got his theology right? Or what school of the prophets Elijah studied at? Well, I can go on, but I am sure you are getting my point. You see, these great men of God did not get a chance to enrol in Bible schools, rather their life itself became a Bible school!

Before Moses could lead the generation of Israelites for 40 years through the desert, he himself had to go through the wilderness for 40 years.

David, after he was anointed to be the King of Israel, was led straight to the forest and caves for the next 14 years of his life. Now wait a minute–don’t people step up to the throne after they are anointed for it?

Have you read the article I wrote sometime ago on GTH where we learnt that there is no price you can pay for the anointing? Anointing is God’s appointment and overflow of His grace–no one can be worthy of God’s anointing because of the depth of the pain we go through. But the pain only prepares us to be stronger and carry God’s anointing in those moments, at the school of the Holy Spirit.

Last night, talking to a leader who was offered lot of benefits of ministry, I encouraged the young man to keep His eyes on Jesus and not the benefits. Because promotion is the last thing we children of God should be worried about.

God can snap His finger and you will be dining with the presidents. But God’s eyes are not on the reward, but in the end result of your life. He’s not interested in you getting the gift more than in shaping your character that’s going to keep your gift. While we worry about reaching the throne, God is working on keeping us on the throne.

Look at Joseph, it was “immediately” that he was in the palace with the king. But before that “immediately” came he went through years of character shaping. In that school of the Holy Spirit of trials and pressing, he learnt to trust God alone. There in that school he learnt not to exact revenge on his brothers in order to receive God’s favour.

There in his lowest and loneliest times, Joseph learnt that God was his closest companion. In the face of allegations, he renewed his mind to not be deterred. His emotions strengthened to believe in the One who had called Him. All in all, through the school of the Holy Spirit, God was preparing Joseph to be the second in command over all of Egypt.

The school of Holy Spirit is not like the cushioned chair of an esteemed university. The school of the Holy Spirit is found in the valleys of the shadows of death, loneliness, and brokenness. This school of the Holy Spirit is hidden in the caves, besides lonely streams, forests and wilderness. And there you realize what you are going through is not worrisome, because you are still in God’s hands!!!

And all that shaping and pressing and the uncomfortableness we face will all make sense when we see the other side of the mountain!

I’ll let you be with just one more line: Don’t fear the school of the Holy Spirit, embrace it, and praise His holy name for you are anointed by God for this hour!

(Born in India and presently living in Montreal, Canada, Revivalist Shyju Matthew continues to demonstrate God’s mighty Word through the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit in crusades and conferences all over the world. This post first appeared on his blog Guarding The Heart)

Filed Under: Guest Authors

March 05, 2014–Arise and shine!

March 5, 2014 By

arise and shine“Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see.  For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you. Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you.  All nations will come to your light;     mighty kings will come to see your radiance.” (Isaiah 60:1-3)

I am sensing urgency in this hour.  I believe that God is about to move in glory across the nation of Canada.  I feel that He will open the eyes of the blind and heal the ears of the deaf.  He is going to make the lame walk and the oppressed will be set free. All of this is for His glory.

No man can hope to share in the glory of God. While the Word does say that the righteous shall be known in the earth (this is the blessing of Abraham), it won’t be for their own glory or the glory of their churches that they will be known, but for the glory of God.  When He shines they will shine.  They will be like rarefied jewels under the glory of His brilliant presence.

It is easy to think that a jewel has value in itself, but a stone such as a diamond is beautiful, not in and of itself, but because of the way the light interacts with it.  We like to put such stones underneath the sun to see them sparkle and glow in their natural glory.

The righteousness of Christ shines in those who allow Him to touch their lives.  They become the fragrance and brilliance of His righteousness for the world to see.  This righteousness is not their own, but a gift that comes from God.  They get to share in His Glory as He shines inside of them.

There are many people that come into my meetings: the hungry, the curious, the distracters and some who have no idea how they got there at all.  When the glory of God begins to move, sometimes people get up and walk out of the meeting.  In one recent meeting with 40 people, 10 walked out as the meeting progressed.

I was in another place recently where there were a number of demon-possessed people.  When the glory came down, they started getting antsy.  A spirit of intimidation rose up in that meeting.  When the evil spirit began to speak calling the glory a lie, I rebuked it and told it to be quiet.  When it persisted, I removed it from the meeting.  Afterwards healings began to break out.  One lady who had a migraine headache for three weeks was healed.

There was a young man in another meeting around the same time who saw glory dust upon his hands and his hat. You could see the Holy Spirit at work inside of him.  He was being touched and impregnated with faith.  As his heart was touched with joy and faith, his mouth began to proclaim praises to God.

We cannot allow intimidation to hold us down.  We must continue to seek the Lord.  We must become a habitation for His glory.  Only then will we see the move of Christ that we have been longing for in the earth.

I was in a meeting with one of my colleagues recently when the glory showed up and he saw it.  That Sunday he went to church for the first time in a long time.  He is still filled with joy today.

The devil, if he could, would stop these manifestations of glory completely. But I continue to press forward for greater manifestation, because I know that this will not only change individual lives, but entire nations.

So rise up, dear DWOD friend, and begin to press into the glory realm. Then watch as salvation flows into the lives of those you love.

Filed Under: Pastor Darren Canning

March 04, 2014–Avoiding the Pain of Regret

March 4, 2014 By

Sam Williamson(Be blessed by this DWOD for March 04, 2014 by guest contributor Sam Williamson)

AVOIDING THE PAIN OF REGRET

Last week I heard an old quote: There are two types of pain you will go through in life, the pain of discipline and the pain of regret. Discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.

I asked myself what “tons of regret” weigh on me. So I made a list, bulleting every substantive regret I could remember. I listed words I’ve spoken, decisions I’ve made, actions I’ve taken, and relationships I’ve harmed (or not formed).

It took less than an hour to fill two pages. I regret never doing this before. (There’s another one for the list).

Then I examined my list for underlying themes. What triggered each regretted action? Why had I said “X” inappropriately (or not said something needed)? Why did I act as I had? What were the common causes?

The ache of regret arises when the pain of our action is paired with the painful disclosure of our self-deception. For some reason, we bowed in fear before Nebuchadnezzar’s idol, and we now stand alone in the furnace of an ugly self-revelation.

My deepest regrets are relational. Oh sure, I also made bad business decisions that cost money or prestige; but years later, that money or prestige matters little compared with the agony of relational hurts:

  • I never addressed a serious distress in my family when I was in High School.
  • I was silent about harmful practices in a large prayer group that I belonged to.
  • My marriage experienced deep adversity because of my passivity.

The biggest mistakes of my life would have been avoided—at least minimized—had I practiced the discipline of being real. I regret it. I bet your regrets have the same root. I wish that I had shared openly in my family, in that prayer group, and in my marriage. I regret not being real.

I don’t mean uncontrolled gushing of emotions. I mean disclosing my beliefs, questions, doubts, affirmations, and disagreements. I mean open expression; no more hiddenness.

I could have prevented terrible pain to my wife and kids; I could have protected dozens, maybe hundreds, of people in that prayer group; I could have forestalled relational shallowness with a sibling…

If I had only been real. But I cowardly kept quiet. And I regret it.

I no longer wish to live with such regrets. This life without regret will take courage, a bit of self-disclosure, a sense of what’s happening in our own hearts, and a leap of faith; the leap that knows the pain of being real today is better than the pain of regret tomorrow.

Let’s jump. Shall we?

(Raised as the son of a pastor, Sam Williamson has served overseas in missions and operated a successful software company in Ann Arbor, Michigan, before leaving the business world to speak and write. This abridged post is from his blog: http://beliefsoftheheart.com)

Filed Under: Guest Authors

March 03, 2014–Use Your Authority

March 4, 2014 By

lancewallnau(Be blessed by this DWOD for March 03, 2014 by guest contributor, Lance Wallnau)

Jesus said He is like a man “going to a far country, who left his house and GAVE AUTHORITY to his servants, and to EACH HIS work…” (Mark 13:34)

It is YOUR work and no one else can do it. It’s the devil’s business to stop you—if he can. He is good at his job—be equally good at yours.

Satan will seek to hinder you. The more dangerous your call, the higher the rank of demonic opposition. But you can exasperate him. You can embarrass the demon assigned to you.

AUTHORIZE ANGELS

Put your authority to work and you AUTHORIZE ANGELS. Lay your heartache before the Lord, but don’t stop there. Set your angels up for a good fight. What’s that? A fight they can win. (Give them something to talk about later when you meet them…lol!) It’s a fight of faith because it starts out as a fight over your faith…

ENDURE THE CONTRADICTION

The book of Hebrews says of Jesus, “He endured the contradiction of sinners against Himself.” Powerful. During the period of contradiction, Hell will assault you with slander, torment you with false accusations, set you to work defending yourself, employ pious persons to repeat rumours about you, even hire editors and journalists to assail you.

When God’s work seems slow, Hell will give a worldly offer, an open door. A fast-track to a better life.

You may have Pilate and Herod, Ananias and Caiaphas all combined against you, with Judas standing by jingling a better offer in his pocket. All he had to do was agree with your enemies….and you have many.

And you wonder “Why are all these things happening?”

Can you not see that the whole thing is brought about through the cunning of the devil? Don’t you see it’s a trap designed to draw you off from your work? A snare to discourage your confidence?

CLICK YOUR HEELS, DOROTHY!

USE THE AUTHORITY given to you to get things done. Stop looking for miracle money and unrealistic big breaks and the next prophetic word, dream or conference. Don’t look for the “sure” thing. Seek wisdom.

Stop wasting time, caught up in chasing other people’s rabbits. Get away from “empty talkers” and find the “doers.”

Do YOUR work. Cultivate YOUR garden. Work YOUR field. See to it that the devil does not distract you from fulfilling the work God has given you.

WISDOM IS PROFITABLE

God didn’t call you to sweat over making money, either. That’s the wrong part of your field to always focus on. Heaven called you to something higher than that in your business. Think of Abraham. Sharpen your sword. Wisdom is a spirit as well as a gift, did you know that?

Put Wisdom to work and this spirit will go forth and get you the wisdom you lack! Wisdom attracts wisdom. When wisdom shows up “Wisdom is PROFITABLE to direct.” Wisdom generates profits.

YOU MAY BE assaulted, insulted, slandered, wounded and rejected. You may be chased by foes, abused by strangers, forsaken by friends, rejected of men…

But it will all work to your advantage if you make it your life mission to say: “I HAVE FINISHED THE WORK WHICH YOU HAVE GIVEN ME TO DO.”

Why? It’s like the old success author once said: “EVERY ADVERSITY CARRIES WITHIN IT THE SEED OF AN EQUIVALENT OR GREATER BENEFIT OF SUCCESS!” That’s a powerful statement. You can convert the currency of any attack into an equal currency of promotion. How? Make it deepen your “life message.” Even your sins and failures can work to your advantage when they produce wisdom and pathos. (That is especially maddening to the devil)

Handle the contradiction correctly and your battle will make you an Oracle!

You are no plastic Christian with a pasted-on smile and disingenuous handshake or hug. You carry a supernatural voltage and it ‘hums.’

(Dr. Lance Wallnau is a world-class trainer and consultant whose students span the globe. From bestselling authors, pastors, and billion dollar CEO‘s, he has helped to transform the lives of thousands. Please check out his resources at www.lancelearning.com)

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