God of Hope Who Keeps His Promises

Bob Hartley:

God of Hope Who Keeps His Promises

 

The Promise Keeper Face of God 
In recent encounters, I find myself seated at the Counsel Table of the Lord with various leaders from the Body of Christ. The Lord begins to share His heart regarding the challenges and the advancement in 2011. He speaks of the hope-filled 2012 that He is walking us into. In this place He reveals His face as the Promise Keeper to me, proclaiming that this is the face, the part of His nature that He desires to reveal to the Body of Christ in 2012. He stands at His table, calling us to press through to engage Him as God, to believe in Him again as the God of all life, to believe both His heart and His strength to accomplish the hope-filled promises that He has spoken over our lives this year.

Looking Back at 2011 Together

He begins to tenderly look back at 2011 with us, speaking about how 2011 was a year of great challenge. It was a year of transition where arrows to the mind and perplexities created a high level of exhaustion in us all. It was a year of transition that required unique hope. Isaiah 58:11 speaks of this transition of unique hope and divine guidance in the midst of perplexities.

Isaiah 58:11 The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

We felt this across the Body of Christ. We felt sun scorched, like burnt living stones in many ways, but despite our experience of challenge and perplexity, the Lord reassured us that there was GREAT ADVANCEMENT in 2011!

The Deeper Revealing of the Promise Keeper Face of God

When we look deeper at this Promise Keeper face of God that He is making known to us in 2012, we see that it is a face of patriarchal love. This is not a face that is stern or harsh or full of expectations we can never fulfill. This is the face of patriarchal love that we see in Luke 15 where the father loves the son more than the wounds of his own soul. The Luke 15 father loves his son so much that he doesn't just receive him back, he doesn't greet him with eyes of disappointment or words of correction, when he sees him "far off" he runs to embrace him and meets him with eyes of love. This is the heart and face of the Promise Keeper God.

An Inheritance of Hope

As the Patriarchal God of Hope, He gives us an inheritance of hope and promises over our lives, and however we treat them and Him, He will remain the love-filled Luke 15 father in our lives. We can know that despite all failings and weakness, if we return to Him, He will always run to receive us back into His arms with eyes full, not of disappointment, but of love for us. The Promise Keeper has bound Himself to us in FAITH, HOPE, and LOVE above all else, and He has the strength to keep His hope-filled promises even when our strength fails. It is not our strength that secures the promises...it is HIS!

He is the Promise and the Promise Keeper

In Proverbs 13:12 it says, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." When we truly see His face as the Promise Keeper, the deep love in His eyes as He proclaims and keeps His hope-filled promises, then we will have our tree of life. The Promise Keeper Himself is our hope, our promise, and our great reward.

Receiving Our Inheritance

When we are secured in His love, when we are fixed on His face, then we will not easily give away our inheritance for convenience or the day's bread like Esau did. We will be like the 2 Kings 4 woman who pursued the return of her inheritance, her son, from God through the prophet Elijah. She believed in the God of the trump card, the God who – when it seems like all the aces are stacked up against us – steps in with the trump card, the thing we can't see, and takes the day for us. When we know this face of God we will, like Abraham, receive our inheritance through faith. Abraham knew God as the Promise Keeper, so much so that he believed God would keep His promise, even if it meant resurrecting that promise, his son, from the dead. Abraham knew the face and heart of the Promise Keeper, Himself, the Promise Keeper who would later give everything in His own Son, to keep His promises to those He loved.

Wise Counsel from the Lord for 2012

The Promise Keeper God now speaks wise counsel to us, showing us how we might walk this out in 2012. He speaks of "double adoration" – where we focus on His face as the Promise Keeper, and on His heart as the Patriarchal God of Hope. He speaks of "acceleration by association," where we walk into the promises together. He speaks of 2012 as a year of communities of hope, healthy hope centers where people are encouraged by living close to one another in true community.

"You can have a mandate, but not an agenda in 2012," He says. In 2012 we are not to operate out of a Nimrod spirit, which extends our own platform and agenda. The Lord says, "My way is not the CEO way where you build more and more divisions and try to control it while building your own name vs. My name."

In John 7:18 it says, "He who speaks of himself seeks his own glory..." In 2012 we are to build not upon who we are but upon who Jesus really is, and we are to focus on building other people's houses this year. This year there will be kings that help other kings, giving preference to the vision of another. It is the Jonathan and David spirit coming alive on the Earth. The Lord also says, regarding disagreements over doctrines, "Don't worry about it, it will all be clear very soon," meaning who's right and who's not. As we put aside our differences and come together at the table of the Lord, we will be strengthened and there will be a revamping of the seven mountains and arenas of influence in society.

The Promise of Isaiah 58:12

In 2012 we will see the Isaiah 58:12 ancient ruins, which is the knowledge of God, restored. He has shown me that the ancient ruins of Isaiah 58:12 are God, not that He has been ruined, but rather that our perceptions of Him have been ruined. The word "ruins" literally means "drought." We have been in a sun-scorched land without the true knowledge of Him. God wants to remove the drought, to clear away these ruins of the misunderstanding of His nature that create doubt and unbelief.

This Isaiah 58:12 "rebuilding the ancient ruins" is rebuilding the knowledge of God on another level, where adoration is established. The Hope Reformation is a restoration and rebuilding of the true knowledge of God in our day. In 2012 He is revealing Himself again as the Promise Keeper with the heart of the Patriarchal father of Luke 15; for when we truly know that we are a son or daughter, we will not become a slave to anything. The Promise Keeper face of God and the other faces of God that have been forgotten through the generations WILL BE RESTORED once again.

The Age of Restoration

The Body of Christ coming to know His Promise Keeper face will usher in an age of restoration where there will be houses like Bethel, houses of God where the gates of Heaven are open and you can see into other dimensions. There will be a restoration of lost inheritances in this time. The "poorest of the poor" will be remembered. The oppressed of Leviticus 26:12-13 will be set free in every way. Part of this transition to freedom is the new hope-filled operating system based in rest that He has given us for 2012. In this, He is showing us how to enter into His promises in rest vs. striving.

Advancing Through the Door of Hope Together

In 2012 we will advance through the "door of hope" together! We will raise up the "age old foundations" as we decree hope together, for to decree is literally to "raise up!" We will remember the hopes and promises fulfilled in 2011, both in Him as our "great reward," and in our lives! We will remember all the faces of Himself that He has revealed to us again and again, of His face as the Builder, Supplier, Redeemer, and Wise God in our lives! We will remember that we have encountered Him again and again as the Patriarchal God of Hope who sees a long way out for us and who speaks hope over our lives as a Patriarchal Father, who teaches us how to live, not as orphans, but as sons and daughters every day! As we remember these things together, we are raising up the "age old foundations." Rising up to decree these hopes and promises together is bringing forth the commanded blessings for 2012!

The Call: Decreeing His Heart of Hope Together

The Lord is calling us to stop and appreciate this season that He is taking us into in 2012. He is calling us to stop and focus on His face, the face of the Promise Keeper. He has been underestimated and misperceived and He wants us to take time to see what He is doing instead of what He isn't doing. We do this by remembering the hopes and promises that He has already fulfilled in our lives. We do this by stepping forth together to decree the hope that is to come for us in 2012: the promises of Isaiah 58:12, the building of healthy hope centers across the Earth, and the transformation of the seven mountains of influence in society. From a place of rest, take time, with us, to pray as we enter into this new season. See that He is the Promise Keeper and Patriarchal Father of Luke 15 and decree the promises yet to be fulfilled as you look into His heart.

Bob Hartley
Deeper Waters Ministry

Email: deeperwatersinc@gmail.com
About Bob Hartley: Bob Hartley is the founder of Hartley Institute/Deeper Waters Ministry in Kansas City, Missouri. Bob served as a pastor at Metro Christian Fellowship with Mike Bickle before entering the marketplace in 1983, with a vision to see the marketplace redeemed and cities established that value and love the person of Jesus. He is also the Chief Executive Officer of the Hartley Group, a "Hope Center" for the marketplace, consisting of Hartley's Executive Cleaning, Swift Chemicals & Supply, Prize Properties and H&H Management in Kansas City, Missouri. Bob is a frequent speaker to youth, churches, businesses and national leaders throughout America and the world. His quest has been to bring the Kingdom of God into every arena of life and give spiritual tools and equipping to those seeking to know and love God in the midst of their everyday lives. Currently, Bob resides in Kansas City with his wife and four children.

Jesus Took Your Place That U Can Take His

Jesus Took Your Place So That U Can Take His

Matthew 27:46 46And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Do you know that it was at the cross that Jesus addressed His Father as “God” for the first time? He had always addressed His Father as “Father”. But at Calvary’s tree, He addressed His Father as “God”. Jesus lost that Father-Son relationship when He was representing you and carrying your sins at the cross so that today, you can call God “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15) and have a loving father-son relationship with God forever. Jesus was forsaken by God and His world became very dark on that lonely hill so that in your darkest hour, God will always say to you, “I will never leave you nor forsake you!” (Hebrews 13:5) At the time when Jesus needed God most, God turned His back on Him. God had to turn His back on His Son because His eyes are too holy to behold all the sin that was in His Son’s body. And because God turned His back on Jesus, He will never turn His back on you. Instead, you will see God’s face of favor shining on you all the time! Jesus also took your place of no protection at the cross. For the first time, He gave up divine protection so that you can have it every day of your life! And because He became sin, He took your curse at the cross so that today, as you take His gift of righteousness, you receive only blessings from God. Jesus received the full brunt of God’s wrath in His body once and for all when He carried your sins. All of God’s anger and condemnation fell on Him, consuming all your sins until God’s wrath was exhausted. Today, God is not angry with you. The body of Jesus absorbed everything — your sins, curses, and God’s anger and condemnation. So live life expecting to see not the judgment, but the goodness and blessings of God!

Jane Hansen Hoyt:

The Government of God is Arising

 

Welcome to 2012... a New Year that has already begun unfolding before us! Twelve is a significant number. It is the number of government and it
symbolizes divine accomplishment and governmental perfection.
 
The year 2012 is about the government of God arising. If we want 2 see the government of God arise in the earth, we must first allow it 2 arise in us, His people, in a greater way.

Because God's work is always a continuum, the new didn't begin with the midnight stroke of a clock on December 31st.  What God has been building in our lives is ongoing and eternal. It is line upon line, truth upon truth, and experience upon experience. Therefore, we have not started something new in 2012, but we are continuing in the path He has set before us.

We must remember that our starting point is the Resurrection.  We arose with Christ 2 a new life. Now, THAT was a new beginning! We begin with who Christ is in us and for us! We are alive to Him and to all that He wants 2 do in establishing His government and His righteousness in us. He is helping us learn 2 live and abide in our new identity.

The Increase

This year, as God continues His work in us, let us allow the increase of His government in these areas:

• Receiving and then expressing His goodness daily. You cannot give away what you have not first experienced for yourself. So, expect and receive His goodness every day and then show someone else that aspect of His government.
  
  
• Living in a limitless way... not measured, showing God's abundant heart toward all.
  
  
• Being more astonished at who God is for us rather than feeling overwhelmed by circumstances.
  
  
• Processing everything through God's majesty.

This is a year to live with excitement and expectation! Expect God's divine work 2 manifest through u on a daily basis. His work in us is part of establishing His government in the earth.

Romans 12:2 urges us to, not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind.
Give up old mindsets and let them be replaced with a renewed mind.

Jane Hansen, President/CEO
AGLOW InternationalEmail: aglow@aglow.org

Jane Hansen Hoyt serves as president/CEO of Aglow International, a global network of more than 200,000 women and men from nearly 170 nations who serve 17 million people a year. As an international leader and mentor, Jane works to empower women to embrace the truth of Genesis 3:15 and the role God has given them. She believes they were created with an innate strength and voice to influence the family, church, and community.
An ordained minister, Jane serves on the America for Jesus executive board, the Eagles Vision Apostolic Team, the Christians for Israel advisory board, and the board of the International Reconciliation Coalition. She is the author of several books including Journey of a Woman, Master Plan, and the newly released The View from Above. Jane is married to Tony Hoyt, former National Director of Leadership of the Future Farmers of America. The couple resides in Washington state.

How Do U See God

Luke 7:9 9When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!”

The way you see Jesus, the revelation that you have of Him, will not affect God’s acceptance of you. But it will affect your acceptance of what God has for you. It will affect how you receive from Him. Consider the Roman centurion who told Jesus, “You don’t have to come to my house. Just speak the word and my servant at home will be healed.” (Luke 7:6–7) Compare him with Jairus, the ruler of a synagogue, who told Jesus, “My daughter is dying. Please come to my house and lay Your hands on her, and she shall live.” (Mark 5:22–23) Do you know that Jesus does not have to go to your house to heal you? So why did Jesus follow Jairus to his house? Jesus had to come down to Jairus’ level of faith. Jairus believed that his daughter could be healed, but only if Jesus came and laid His hands on her. The centurion was different. He said, “Lord, You don’t have to come to my house. I know who You are.” This centurion believed that Jesus did not have to come to his house for his servant to be healed. He believed that Jesus only needed to speak the word. He said to Jesus, “Just speak the word and my servant at home will be healed.” Do you know who Jesus is? The centurion had a greater understanding of who Jesus is than Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, and he wasn’t even a Jew! Jesus asked his disciples, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” (Mark 4:40) He even remarked, “O you of little faith.” (Matthew 6:30) But to the woman whose daughter was demon-possessed, He said, “O woman, great is your faith!” (Matthew 15:28) And to the centurion, He declared, “I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” My desire is for you to have an accurate understanding of who Jesus is because when your revelation of Jesus is big, you will know what has been freely given to you. And when you know what is yours in Christ Jesus, you will be rich in all things! Joseph Prince Ministries

The Year of God's Favor

Mahesh and Bonnie Chavda:

 

The Year of God's Favor!

 

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. Isaiah 61:1-2a ESV

One of the words the Holy Spirit is emphasizing for us in this year is Isaiah 61 – this is the year of the Lord's favor! So what exactly does that mean for you? How can you step into this reality and experience God's favor in your life, your job, your relationships, your nation?

Proclaim

In both Isaiah 61, and later in Luke 4 when Jesus fulfills Isaiah's words, favor is initiated with proclamation! Favor is not passive. Favor is the anointing of the Holy Spirit to proclaim and release healing, deliverance, blessing and prosperity. The Message Bible translates it this way, "This is God's year to act!" (Luke 4:19).

In the year of God's favor, impossible situations turn around. In the year of God's favor, chains that once held you back are loosed. In the year of God's favor, the atmosphere is pregnant with miracles, signs, and wonders. In the year of favor, waste places are restored, missed opportunities redeemed, dreams reawakened. So in the year of the Lord's favor, don't be afraid to take up difficult challenges. God wants to open the doors of favor to you. How do you enter? Let's begin by looking at favor, so we can define this year by what God is saying, and begin to prophetically proclaim it.

Be Specific!

Every time favor is mentioned in Scripture, it is accompanied by a specific picture of what favor looks like. Isaiah 61 tells us what to expect in the year of God's favor: an increase in His presence and anointing; healing, deliverance, salvation, restoration, promotion, increase, joy! Israel experienced God's favor, and her enemies showered her with silver and gold. Joseph walked in favor, and he was promoted from the lowest dungeon to the palace. Esther experienced favor, and the unchangeable laws of the Medes and the Persians were reversed to bring deliverance to her entire nation.

We will share more examples of favor in this and future articles. Take these and begin to proclaim them. God sees your circumstances by what He can do, not what you can't do. Begin to pick up the vibration of God's possibility in your impossibility. God wants you to step into the reality of this word for your life today.

Proclaim a thing, and it shall be established. Job 22:28

Kingdom First

Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4
What do you desire? Choose godly desires, and God will bring them to pass.
It is important that our first priority is the Kingdom of God. Seek first the Kingdom, and all these things shall be added to you. So, as we seek to walk in favor, and all the blessings that accompany it, let us make the things of God first in our life. Delight in His presence, His Word, prayer, tithes, offerings, communion, fellowship in your local church, worship, and the peace of Jerusalem. Love and obey His Word. Bless His house, Israel, and the poor. Be humble. Steward and celebrate the testimonies of what God has done in your life. Rehearse His miracles. Pray in the Spirit and cultivate your relationship with the Holy Spirit. These are some of the things God highlights as His priorities. His Kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy. So if you seek His Kingdom first, you are going to experience more and more the Shalom of God, which is wholeness, prosperity, and peace in every area of your life.

Don't Quit

But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison...The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's charge, because the LORD was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed. Genesis 39:21, 23

Joseph is a wonderful hero for us as we enter this year of favor. He had a God-given dream as a young man that grew more remote with every passing year. He was persecuted, thrown in a pit, sold into slavery, imprisoned. But wherever he went, God's favor rested on him. In every situation, God's favor went before him, promoting him, increasing him, and equipping him for his destiny. So don't quit. Don't let the events of the past discourage you from pursuing the dreams, visions, and goals God has put in your heart. Keep your dreams bigger than your failures. Whatever has happened in the past, you can tell the devil, "It's a new day!"

Relax

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

God has wonderful plans for you. So don't put self-inflicted stress on your life. Be faithful. Keep seeking God's presence and following His cloud. But relax! God's got your plans under control. He wants to prosper you and give you a hope and a future. Your job is to stay close to the Shepherd, listen to His voice, and then rest in the assurance of His grace and mercy working on your behalf. It is His delight to see you fulfill the awesome plans He has for you. He is a promise-keeper.
 
Yes, you will still experience challenges. Scripture says that the very plan God had for Joseph "tested him until it came to pass" (Psalm 105:19). God's plans are not to harm you. So don't be afraid of the challenges, or define your future by your past. When your life seems to be in the pit, God is working behind the scenes to bring you out on the other side in victory.

Give Thanks

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving (Psalm 50:14).

Thanksgiving is not a day on the calendar. It is a daily habit that we must steward every day of the year. It is one of the most powerful weapons in our arsenal, and is vital to experiencing the favor of God in your life.

Thanksgiving is not a feeling, but starts as an act of your will. Leviticus 22:29 says, "And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, offer it of your own free will." It is a choice we make every day. It's like walking into a dark room in the middle of the night. It's dark. You can't see anything. You may even stumble around as you run into furniture or misplaced objects. You can either grumble and complain about the darkness, or simply turn on a switch. The moment you turn on the switch, you see the light. Our switch is thanksgiving. It releases the anointing. And the anointing "breaks the yoke" (Isaiah 10:27). So don't give into the darkness, discouragement, or fear. Turn on the switch with thanksgiving and see God's anointing come to break every yoke and hindrance. Your praise is the key to getting in tune with the year of God's favor.

Get in Tune

Set the atmosphere for favor. The Word of God is living, active and full of power. Meditate on the corporate picture the Lord is giving us in His Word for 2012. The following are some Scriptures the Lord has quickened to us for this year of favor. Put them on your refrigerator, bathroom mirror, or your desk. Let the Holy Spirit paint a picture for you, and then begin to step into it. As you get in tune, then begin to prophesy it over your life, your children, your church, and your nation.

God wants to pour out His favor on you individually, on us corporately, and on our nation. This is a crucial time in history. We need God's favor as never before. We invite you to join us as we prophetically proclaim the Year of God's favor and open the year with a time of corporate prayer and fasting. We want to set up a scenario by which God can pour out His Spirit in a mighty visitation.

Proclaim Favor for 2012

• Blessing
Psalm 5:12 For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield.

• Restoration
Psalm 105:37 He also brought them out with silver and gold, and there was none feeble among His tribes.
John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

• Honor (even from enemies)
Exodus 11:3 And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants and in the sight of the people.

• Increased Assets
Deuteronomy 33:23 O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, and full of the blessing of the Lord, possess the west and the south.

• Supernatural Victory
Joshua 6:20 So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

Psalm 44:1-3 We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, the deeds You did in their days, in days of old: You drove out the nations with Your hand, but them You planted; You afflicted the peoples, and cast them out. For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, nor did their own arm save them; but it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, because You favored them.

• Promotion
Genesis 39:21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

1 Samuel 16:22 Then Saul sent to Jesse, saying, "Please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight."

• Requests Granted (even by the ungodly)
Esther 5:8 If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, then let the king and Haman come to the banquet which I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said."
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• Changed Laws (even those that are permanent)
Esther 8:5 If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor in his sight and the thing seems right to the king and I am pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to annihilate the Jews who are in all the king's provinces.

• Establishment
Psalm 90:17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!

• Help
2 Corinthians 6:2 "In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

• Salvation
Psalm 69:13 But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord, in the acceptable time; O God, in the multitude of Your mercy, hear me in the truth of Your salvation.

• Anointing, Liberty, Healing, Comfort, Praise...GLORY...
Isaiah 61:1-6 AMP The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed and qualified me to preach the Gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord [the year of His favor] and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, to grant [consolation and joy] to those who mourn in Zion – to give them an ornament (a garland or diadem) of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment [expressive] of praise instead of a heavy, burdened, and failing spirit – that they may be called oaks of righteousness [lofty, strong, and magnificent, distinguished for uprightness, justice, and right standing with God], the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. And they shall rebuild the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former desolations and renew the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. Aliens shall stand [ready] and feed your flocks, and foreigners shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. But you shall be called the priests of the Lord; people will speak of you as the ministers of our God. You shall eat the wealth of the nations, and the glory [once that of your captors] shall be yours.

Mahesh and Bonnie Chavda
Chavda Ministries International
Email: info@chavdaministries.org

Mahesh and Bonnie Chavda: With over three miracle-packed decades of experience, Mahesh and Bonnie Chavda lead Chavda Ministries International, a worldwide apostolic ministry. The vision of CMI is to proclaim Christ's Kingdom with power, equip Believers for ministry and usher in revival, preparing for the return of the Lord. For over thirty-five years, the Chavdas have been reaching the nations with the Gospel accompanied by signs and wonders. Hundreds of thousands have come to salvation and thousands have received healing from critical diseases like AIDS and cancer through their ministry. Together, the Chavdas pastor All Nations Church in two locations, ANC in Charlotte, North Carolina and the sister church ANC in Atlanta, Georgia. They also spearhead a global prayer movement, The Watch of the Lord®, where they have been leading their congregation in weekly corporate prayer for more than a decade.

God Has Seen Your Future And It Is Good

Isaiah 54:2  - “Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; do not spare; lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes.

At the end of 2004, during one of our services, the Lord told our church this: “I your God have gone ahead of u and I have already been 2 your future. I have seen it. And I declare that it is good.”

Although this word was given through me 2 our church, I believe that it is not only for our church, but also for every member of the body of Christ.

I tell u, when God declares your future good, it will be good! It will be filled with many wonderfully good days!

So what do u do when the Lord tells u that u are going 2 have a good future loaded with His blessings? You prepare for it! In other words, before the blessings come, b4 the increase comes, He wants u 2 enlarge the place of your tent and stretch forth the curtains of your dwellings.

For example, if u are believing God for a child, start reading books on babies and preparing the baby’s room. In fact, prepare 2 have more than one child. Start looking for a bigger place for your family for God says, “Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; do not spare; lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes.” Get ready for expansion!

My friend, God wants u 2 get ready, and expect such favor and increase in the days ahead that “u shall expand 2 the right and 2 the left, and your descendants will inherit the nations, and make the desolate cities inhabited”. (Isaiah 54:3)

Because God has declared your future good, know that u stand on favor ground today. Expect good things 2 happen 2 u. Expect 2 see the favor of God on u and your family. Expect the blessings and increase of the Lord. Expect many good days 2 show up in your life!

Even Sodom

Francis Frangipane:

Even Sodom!

 

It is not God who hinders the healing of our land. Rather it is our apathy, our own unbelief, that keeps us from grasping the potential offered in the Gospel of Christ! Do not marvel when I say entire cities can be saved. The Scripture tells us that nations will come to our light and kings to the brightness of our rising! (See Isaiah 60:1-3.)

All We Lack is Christlikeness!

"He then began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent" (Matthew 11:20). Jesus has a word to say, not only to us as individuals, but to entire cities as well. In anger He rebuked Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum (Matthew 11:21); with tears, He cried out to Jerusalem (Luke 13:34). If He expected cities to repent in the first century, He expects cities today to repent as well.

It was in this very context of reproving cities, however, that Jesus made a statement which unveiled the scope of God's redemptive power. Listen to His rebuke, but also to its hidden promise. He said, "For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes" (Matthew 11:21).

Tyre and Sidon were Gentile cities known for their debauchery and sin. Yet, Jesus said that His life, revealed in power, can bring even the vilest of cities, places which ought to be destroyed, to "sackcloth and ashes." The strategy, therefore, to win our cities is for the Church to reveal Christ's life in power. Yes, the revelation of Christ in us as individuals, and the power of Christ displayed corporately through us, can turn our worst cities back toward God!

Today, many cities are ripe for revival. What hinders the turning of the people's hearts? Part of the answer lies with the Church, with our sins of self-righteousness, indifference and unbelief. The Lord said if His people would humble themselves and pray, seek His face and turn from evil, He would then heal their land (see 2 Chronicles 7:14). The future does not belong to the world; it belongs to the transformed Church. Indeed, let us never forget: God "desires all men to be saved" (1 Timothy 2:4). With this in mind, Paul taught that entreaties and prayers should be made on behalf of all men, "for kings and all who are in authority" (1 Timothy 2:1-4). The sacrifice of Christ provides for the salvation of all men. Heaven waits only for the Church to act.

One may say, "But, that was then. Our cities are worse. They are beyond redemption." Not so. Jesus continued His rebuke of cities, saying, "If the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day" (Matthew 11:23). Amazingly, when Christ is manifested in power, Jesus said even Sodom could find repentance!

I have heard many ministers compare Los Angeles or New York to Sodom. These cities have seen Hell, now let the Church show them Heaven. They need 2 see Jesus revealed in His Church. The promise of Christ is that even Sodom could repent in the atmosphere and revelation of Christ's power. If there is hope for Sodom, there is hope for your city as well!

The Obstruction to Revival: Complacency

When we picture cities, we tend 2 see skylines and factories, streets and schools. Jesus, however, sees people. He beholds husbands arguing with wives while their children tremble in fear. He sees drugs being sold on playgrounds and teenagers having abortions. He suffers at the bedside of the infirm. The heart of Christ grieves with the loneliness of the elderly and identifies with the struggles of the handicapped.

Jesus does not have a problem with the hot or cold dimensions of life. It is the lukewarm that He will spew from His mouth (Revelation 3:15-16). What stopped the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum – communities that already had the blessing of Christ's healing – from embracing ongoing renewal? They assumed Christ's love was given only to enrich them. All they saw were the rewards of Christ without understanding His requirements.

The Church today is frighteningly similar in attitude to these ancient cities. The majority of the first century saints gave their lives to Christ with the full knowledge they would face persecution, suffering and, possibly, death for their faith. Such was the character and vision of the Church in the first century.

The main emphasis of much of our Christianity, however, is to help Believers become "normal." So much of our contemporary teaching keeps alive the very nature Jesus calls us to crucify! We need to reevaluate our preaching. Are we preaching the Cross and the call to follow Jesus? What are we training our people to become?

Please hear me, the Father's goal is not merely to bless us, but to transform us into the image of His Son! He desires to use us 2 turn our cities back to Him. But God has made no provision for the healing of our land apart from us becoming Christlike! Once we realize this vital truth, we shall return 2 the source of New Testament Christianity, and our cities will have hope for redemption. When the Church demonstrates the love and power of Christ, repentance and revival can occur even in a place like Sodom.

Lord, forgive us for our unbelief and apathy. You have promised that even Sodom would come 2 You at the revelation of Your character and power. Transform us, Lord Jesus, for the sake of your glory and the renewal of our cities.

Francis Frangipane
Ministries of Francis Frangipane
Email: francis1@frangipane.org

Life Above The Sun

Life Above The Sun

John 10:10 10… I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

When u are not enjoying abundant life, u will feel as if life is full of toil. In your heart, life is meaningless and empty. You feel like someone “grasping for the wind”. (Ecclesiastes 2:11) It seems as if nothing you do adds up to much. The Bible calls this life “under the sun”. (Ecclesiastes 2:11) Someone who lives life under the sun may or may not know God, but God is either forgotten or not the center of things in his life. His thoughts are earthly and he does things to gratify his flesh. In the end, he finds life depressing and unfulfilled. Life under the sun is full of despair. But this is not so with someone who lives life above the sun with God. For life with Him is filled with joy and pleasures at His right hand. (Psalm 16:11) Life is abundantly full and good just as Jesus promised — “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly”. When u live life above the sun, your thoughts are heavenward and u become Christ-occupied. You live for Him because u know that all things were created through Him and for Him. (Colossians 1:16) When u live for His glory, your life takes on a new meaning and purpose. God’s Word says, “And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” (Colossians 1:17) The Greek word for “consist” means “held together”. In Christ, all things are held together. And that is why when Christ is the central figure in your life, u will have it all together. Your mind will be held together. Your hopes and dreams will be held together. Your family will be held together by the cords of His love. Your life will not be empty, but full of God’s goodness because “Christ in you, [is] the hope of glory”. (Colossians 1:27) It is a wonderful life — this life lived above the sun. And u will have an even more wonderful life 2 come in heaven!