June 07, 2014–Break Through The Wall

June 9, 2014 By

break through the wall(Be blessed by this DWOD for June 07, 2014 by guest contributor Kenneth Copeland)

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)

 You’re running the race set before you, moving full speed ahead with God’s blessing overtaking you at every step. Then suddenly, wham! You hit the wall. It may be a wall of sickness or financial trouble, of spiritual failure or family problems. But, regardless of the form it takes, the effect of “the wall” is always the same. It stops you cold.

The question is, once you hit a wall like that, what will you do? You’ll be tempted to quit, to turn back in defeat. But don’t do it. Because God will enable you to break through that wall and keep right on going.

I’m not going to tell you it’s easy. The truth is, it’s tough. But you have to push on through the tough times if you’re ever going to have a breakthrough.

Ask any athlete. He’ll tell you that! Because if he’s a winner, he’s been there. He’s pushed his body to what seems to be the maximum. His side has hurt. His lungs have ached. He’s had cramps in his legs and thighs. And just when he felt like he couldn’t go on, he’s heard some coach yell, “Come on! Move it!”

Athletes call that “hitting the wall.” It’s a time when the body says, “That’s it. That’s all I can do. I can’t go any further. I can’t go any faster. I quit.”

But the seasoned athlete knows that “the wall” isn’t the end. It’s a signal that he’s on the verge of a breakthrough. If he’ll toughen up and push himself a little more, he’ll get a second wind. Suddenly, he’ll go faster than before. He’ll reach a level of excellence he couldn’t have reached any other way.

When you feel the worst, when failure is breathing down your neck, press into the Word as never before. You may meditate on a particular scripture for days and even weeks sometimes, trying to get a revelation of it, seemingly without success.

Then suddenly, like the dawn of the morning, light will come pouring in. You’ll see the way to break through. All you have to do is punch one little hole in that wall of problems, dig one tiny hole in it with your faith and with the Word of God.

Then keep tearing away at that hole. Don’t quit! And, before long, the forces of God will come bursting through, demolishing every obstacle in their path!

Once that happens you’ll never be the same again. You’ll be hooked. It will only take one breakthrough like that to make a never-dying, never-quitting champion out of you.

(This post appeared first in “From Faith to Faith”, a daily guide to Victory. To subscribe to this daily devotional and access other great resources, please go to www.kcm.org)

Filed Under: Guest Authors

June 06, 2014–Are you Part of the Posse?

June 9, 2014 By

The Sams Valentine's Day 2014And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. (Hebrews 10:25)

The gospel accounts make it very clear that Jesus was not a Lone Ranger. He started out his earthly ministry by forming a posse of 12 disciples. In Luke 10:1 we read that when He sent them out on a ministry trip, He made sure they went “two by two” and not solo.

In Matthew 18:20, Jesus says: “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

Yes, our commitment to follow Jesus is personal and most of our witness is on an individual basis. But Jesus lets his disciples know that something special happens when they are together that does not happen when they are by themselves.

Case in point. In John 20:19 we see how the recently resurrected Jesus appears to disciples who are huddled behind locked doors. They get to see Him in person, hear Him say: “Peace be with you”, see His wounds and enjoy an incredible spiritual experience when “He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’”

It is worth noting that only those who were gathered together that evening were privy to this private encounter with Jesus. v. 24 says: “Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.”

By not being there with the rest of the disciples, Thomas missed out on that first appearance of the Risen Lord to His disciples. Why was he not there? We do not know for sure. Scripture offers no clues. No matter what it was—disappointment that it was all over with Jesus, disagreement with fellow disciples, his tendency to be a loner—one fact is clear. He missed seeing Jesus and experiencing all that the ones who were in the room did.

The narrative goes on to say that Thomas was present the next time Jesus showed up. Obviously, Thomas realized the value of being together with the rest of the disciples. He was rewarded with a personal encounter with Jesus. Thomas would then go on to make one of the greatest declarations of faith ever made by anyone: “My Lord and my God!”

On the Day of Pentecost we are told that there were about a hundred and twenty believers (Acts 1:15). They had the joyful distinction of being present when Holy Spirit descended upon them. In I Corinthians 15:6 we read that the Risen Jesus appeared to 500 followers at the same time. Notice the discrepancy in numbers? 500. 120. Where did the other 380 go?

We’re not sure about their whereabouts or their reason for not hanging around the others. What we can be sure about is that they missed out on the incredible experience of that day. By not meeting together with other believers, they lost their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be present at the “birthday of the Church.”

What a shame, eh? All they had to do was be there. And they would have experienced it.

No wonder the writer of Hebrews encourages us to “not neglect our meeting together.” My research of revivals over the years reveals that mighty moves of God always began when believers were gathered together. Yes, there were times when an individual was touched in a powerful way while they were praying or walking all by their lonesome, which then birthed a revival.

But, that was the exception rather than the rule. It was in the corporate setting that Holy Spirit showed up in incredible ways—be it Azusa Street, Pensecola or Toronto. Lives were transformed, gifts imparted and destinies accelerated as a result.

Dear DWOD friend, the destiny towards which you are advancing is your own. Your journey is personal, individual, unique and Lone Rangeresque at times. But, do not let that keep you from meeting together with the posse of other believers. You could end up missing out on a significant move of God…and wouldn’t that be a crying shame?

Filed Under: Pastor Jeeva Sam