Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Are you getting drained?

And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?" (Mark 5:30)

                In this morning, I want to call your attention to one question---Are you getting charged up in prayer? God's word has given us the power and authority to thread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy! That is, in itself, exciting, but did you know that you can get drained of that power? If we look at Jesus, who is our example, he took time to pray on a consistent basis, sometimes all night. We, sometimes, can't even pray for ten minutes without letting our minds wander or falling asleep and then we wonder---Where are you, God, when I need you? In this day, God is saying---Are you being charged up?
                   Mark 5:30 says that power(Virtue) went out from Jesus when the woman touched the hem of his garment. When we pray for others and ourselves, the power of God comes out to meet that need. That is why when you pray, you get tired physically, why? Because the power has left you and you need to be recharged.
                  Many minsters, who were once endued with power, have fallen to sin and shame before the world. Why is this? First, with power comes great responsibility. When God raises you up with his power and unction, you are going to draw a crowd.
                    Then, comes the demands of speaking engagements and holding services for hours on end. If you are not careful, the faith from the crowd will drain you. You will start coming home to bed, see the TV and fall asleep. The next day, you get up late and you can't pray because you have a speaking engagement and you are running behind. Soon, you forget to pray for 1, 2 or 3 days and become weak. Then, the serpent tries to come in and destroy you, your family and ministry.
                   It is important to understand how God's power operates. It amazes, angers and frustrates me that there are Christians who focus more on the negative than on the positive. They quote the Hebrews boys who went thru the fire, Paul's thorn or Job. Friends, they are not my example neither should they be yours. Our example is Jesus and he had a good track record on prayer being answered! Let's eliminate the What ifs and focus on we can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! Start edifying yourself by praying in the Holy Ghost. That is where the true source of power is. In this day, decide to not be drained, but filled with the Holy Ghost and power! 

 Scriptures--Luke 10:19, Luke 6:12, I Cor 14, Jude 20                        

Monday, April 1, 2013

Making a demand from God's power!

 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?" ( Mark 5:29-30)

                     I know that title sounds strange, perhaps some may find it disrespectful. The faith message has suffered from grave misunderstandings because people get the wrong message. When we talk about confessing the word, they, immediately, say you are ordering God around. That, my friends, is not true. We are not ordering God around, but we are making a demand on his power. Mark 5:28 indicated that the woman said something. She said that if I can touch his clothes, I shall be whole. The Greek says that she kept saying. 
                     You see, my friends, when you have faith, you say something.That woman was releasing her faith and made a demand on God's power. Remember, in Mark 5:30, it says that virtue had gone out of him. That virtue is translated as God's power. That woman's faith was making a demand on the power of God. In Mark 5:34 as well as other scriptures says..."Thy faith hath made thee whole!" He gave credit to her faith.
                     Throughout my life, I have heard Christians saying---I am waiting on God!" Yes, my friends, there is a time to wait, but what are you doing in the meantime? If you are not confessing God's promises, you may be waiting forever. Now, concerning demand, let's look at it from a different angle. We, all, know that God's promises are Yea and Amen, but did you know that they are stored in the bank of Heaven?  The word is compared as hidden treasures!
          Me and my wife have a joint checking and savings account. She can make any withdrawal to our account at any time because her name is in that account. A withdrawal is a demand on our money. She does the proper paperwork and Voila---The money is there! I don't take offense at that, because what's mine is hers. We are joint heirs with Christ, so if healing and prosperity belongs to us, we can make a demand through faith. We can say in the name of Jesus and withdraw from our faith account.
             That is why it is so important to meditate and confess God's word on a daily basis. We need to build up a faith bank deposit for the evil day. Faith is the currency in heaven that helps us to meet life's toughest challenges. You and I have a miracle in our mouth. Let's start using it and build up our faith account. I like the Greek translation of saith in Mark 11:23. It means Legos in the Greek. We, all, know what Legos is. It is some building blocks that kids play with. As we confess the word, we are building an image of Identification with Christ, healing, prosperity, etc. So, today as well as everyday---Make it a priority to confess God's promises over your life! God bless. 

Scriptures---II Cor 4:13
                 Mark 10:52
                 Luke 17:19