A Decision Not To Doubt

Through the Lord's grace this brother has seen many miracles in his life.  In my mind, seeing prayers answered and seeing miracles performed are one and the same thing.  Every answered prayer is in truth a miracle.  It is a transference of  power from the supernatural to the natural.  How do we get prayers answered and how do we see miracles in our own lives?  The Lord has said many things on this, here I will cover one of them:

MT21.21Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

There are no secrets, nor any hidden wisdom needed.  We just have to do what the Lord clearly told us to do, thats it.  You do not need any pastor, priest or spiritual guru of any kind what you need is your faith and the Word of the Lord.  That's it.

What did the Lord say above?  If you have faith and do not doubt you can tell whatever mountain you face to go throw itself in the sea and it will be done.  The key is to fave faith and not doubt.  You may ask, "okay brother D that may be easy for you but I may be feeling some doubt."  Here is the key, our "feelings" are worthless and meaningless and completely counterproductive when it comes to faith and answered prayer.

Our Lord did not "feel" like dieing on the cross, but He did it.

Mark 14:36  "Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."


What does our Lord show us here^^?  All things are possible for our God.  He (our Lord) did not feel like going to the cross (take this cup from me) but that was not the deciding factor.  What was the deciding factor?  Will and decision.  Our Lord Jesus accepted the will of the Father and decided on that will.  What is a decision?  de-cision=to cut off from any other possibility, to decide.

So back to where we started:

MT21.21Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Is our Father's will for us to have faith?  Yes, so I decide I will fill myself with faith.  You will it, you make a decision.

Is our Father's will for us to not doubt?  Yes, so I decide to not doubt.  You will it, you make a decision.

And remember this is war.  The enemy will continually try to come in to kill, steal and destroy your answer to prayer and miracle.  What do we do?

Eph 6:10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

and

2 Cor 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.


Yes, so every time a flaming arrow comes your away trying to kill, steal and destroy your answer and miracle the shield of faith comes up and every argument and pretension that sets itself up against what we are praying for (the knowledge of God-what does the Word say?) is demolished and taken captive to make it obedient.

Our feelings do not extinguish flaming arrows of the enemy, our faith does.  What is the Lord's will?  It is what the Word says it is.  What does the Word say?  What does your faith say?  What does your peace say (your spirits sense of resonance with the Spirit of the Lord) over what you are asking for?

If the Lord has not clearly told me no for what I am asking for then the answer is yes/wait.  I know how the Lord speaks to me, you have to know how the Lord speaks to you.  We are not playing games, if He has said no about something then drop it immediately.  If not, then fight the good fight of faith with all patience and endurance for what you are asking for.  Forget what you feel about it.  What does the Word say?  What does your faith say?  What is the will of the Lord?  What have you decided as an act of your will?  These are the questions that matter.

And when you have received your answer how and when He has decided to answer you, you will have a testimony to encourage others and build your faith for your next miracle.

Glory to God.

grace and peace

A Time of Prosperity

According to what the Lord tells us, this writer believes "the snare" will come at a time of prosperity:

Luke 21:34And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be weighed down with carousing, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

35For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

36Watch therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

What did the Lord warn us about to avoid the snare?
1. Carousing
2. Drunkenness
3. The cares of this life

What did He not warn us would weigh our hearts down?
1. Grinding poverty
2. Being hunted down by the anti-christ
3. Global economic meltdown
4. etc etc

Do you think if the anti-christ was hunting you down every day to take your head off, that might weigh your heart down a little bit?  Uh...yea.  No warning of that though.  What do carousing and drunkenness and the cares of this life appear to point to?  A normal time, a time of relative prosperity.  How can we arrive at this conclusion?  When people have what they want from this world, they forget the Lord

Hosea 13:6 When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were ...

When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.

According the the Word, we should be on high alert when we are living in days like today.  When do people cry out to the Lord?  When they are in trouble and oppressed

Exodus 3:7 The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my ...

... Then the LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters.

When do they forget the Lord?  When they have what they want from this world.

These are the days, today when our eyes should be carefully trained on the Lord.  Who knows when the Lord will show up and call us to account?

Matthew 24:44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man ...

So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

The Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.  Not the world, you...

The signs are all around us that this world is circling the drain of history and the wrath of the Lord will soon be upon it.  For years, we followed those signs here but the Lord instructed this writer to give it a break.  Why?  Long suffering and patience were not served by it.  How so?  Nobody can stay on the razors edge of preparedness all the time.  We have to find a sustainable, every day level of readiness that can be maintained until a. we die, or b. the Lord shows up.

Raising our expectations over and over only to have nothing happen over and over leads to discouragement.  The enemy loves this, it does not serve us well.  Should we pay attention to the signs all around us?  Sure, they were sent for a reason but we must temper them with longsuffering patience.  What did the Lord tell us?

Rev 3:7And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things says he that is holy, he that is true, he that has the key of David, he that opens, and no man shuts; and shuts, and no man opens;

8I know your works: behold, I have set before you an open door, and no man can shut it: for you have a little strength, and have kept my word, and have not denied my name.

9Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.

10Because you have kept the word of my patience, I also will keep you from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

11Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which you have, that no man take your crown.

Because we have kept the word of His what?  Patience.......We are running a marathon, not a sprint.  Great is our reward if we finish the race "in Christ."  Keep the faith, expect to suffer in your patience expecting a payoff for your efforts.  The absolute best this world has to offer, money, power, sex, whatever does not even compare to a shadow of what we have waiting for us.

1 Cor 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

  grace and peace

Perseverance, Patience, Led by the Spirit of God

The bible has much to say on the words perseverance and patience:

Romans 5:4
..... perseverance, character; and character, hope. ...
James 1:4
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may bemature and complete, not lacking anything. ...
Ephesians 6:18 ... With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view,be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints ...
2 Peter 1:6
and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control,perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness ...
Revelation 2:2
..... I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. ...
Romans 5:3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, becausewe know that suffering produces perseverance ...
2 Thessalonians 1:4 Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faithin all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. ...
2 Corinthians 12:12
The things that mark an apostle--signs, wonders and miracles--were done among you with great perseverance. ...
Revelation 2:19
I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance,and that you are now doing more than you did at first. ...
James 1:3
..... because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ...

James 5:10
Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ...
2 Corinthians 6:6 in purity, understanding, patience and kindness;in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love ...
Proverbs 25:15
Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone. ...With patience you can persuade a ruler, and a soft tongue can break bones. ...
Proverbs 19:11
A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense. ... The learning of a man is known by patience and his glory is to pass over wrongs.

Then we add this:

Romans 8:14
because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

I am impressed today by the need for perseverance, patience and most of all being led by the Spirit of God. For some reason the Lord is not allowing me to elaborate on this, I'm hitting a stone wall trying to go beyond the words: patience, perserverance, follow the Spirit of God. Since it appears the Lord will not allow me to write more on these things I will leave them for your consideration today.

Whatever it is you have going on in your life today, think about the perseverance and patience necessary to be a follower of Jesus. Also consider the need to follow the Lord's Spirit instead of the ramblings of men. We are to follow the Spirit of God wherever he may lead us, and we are to do this following with patience and perseverance. That is a simple recipe but not always easy one to follow.

done for today, grace and peace

Unlimited Power

Ephesians 1:18 And that having the eyes of your heart full of light, you may have knowledge of what is the hope of his purpose, what is the wealth of the glory of his heritage in the saints, 19 And how unlimited is his power to us who have faith, as is seen in the working of the strength of his power, 20 By which he made Christ come back from the dead, and gave him a place at his right hand in heaven, 21 Far over all rule and authority and power and every name which is named, not only in the present order, but in that which is to come: 22 And he has put all things under his feet, and has made him to be head over all things to the church, 23 Which is his body, the full measure of him in whom all things are made complete.

The Lord reminded me recently of how he likes to do things in this world. I've seen this way in my own life as well as throughout the bible. In stark contrast to men, the Lord is not troubled in the least by "overwhelming odds" here on earth. Remember the story of Gideon:

Judges 7 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. 3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.
4 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. 5 So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. 6 And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. 7 And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place. 8 So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.

What happened there? The Lord basically says its not "how much, how many" or whatever else you have to fight with, its the Lord's power that wins the day and he can cause you to win out in any and every situation. Remember Psalm 91? 10,000 fall at your right hand, 1,000 at your left, but the danger won't touch you? Numbers don't matter, the situation does'nt matter. A failing economy does'nt matter, the housing mess does'nt matter, what does matter is that you believe...19 And how unlimited is his power to us who have faith, as is seen in the working of the strength of his power, 20 By which he made Christ come back from the dead

These days, either we get out of the boat and walk on the water with Jesus, or we get swamped by the storm and waves. There's less and less "wiggle room" these days. All the grey area is being sorted into black and white by pressure, by the storms of life. Playing church isn't going to cut it anymore. "Going to church" isn't going to cut in anymore. We have to BE the church, not "go to it." People don't have a problem with "going to church" but they seem to have real troubles "being" the church. Being the church=being "in Christ" because the church is actually the living, breathing body of the King of Kings. The church is not some man made organization, or social club, or feel-good society. It is an organic, living body.

Exercise your faith today, strengthen it for today and the days to come between now and the arrival of our Lord. The same power that was displayed to the world when Jesus was resurrected from the dead, is there for you if you believe. Your faith is worth more than all the riches and glory this world has to offer. We have a fortress, we have an ark, we have a King who is our shelter from the storm around us.

Do you believe he can and will do the things he said he would do? The way you answer that question will determine whether you stand above the storm and raging sea, or whether you sink below the waves. Testing is a part of this life, set your heart to pass the tests of life today. Refining by fire is part of our world today, the less impurity found within you, the less pain when the fire is applied. The escape is still ahead of us. The door in heaven (Rev 4) has not opened yet, but it will soon, be ready for it. Be found "in Christ" when Jesus arrives. Be a wise servant, a wise virgin (Matt 25). Time is short, grace and peace

Faith, Patience, Demonic/Angelic/Superhero/Alien Invasion, The Escape

Psalm 91:2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

I woke up with the same gut level sick feeling I did last night after watching all the demonic commercials embedded in the superbowl. The propaganda machine has kicked into high gear to basically marinate people's brains in the "new reality" that is basically an age of demonism. You cannot turn on the TV or see a movie these days without seeing some kind of superhero/angel/demon/alien theme. Why? They are getting people ready for the unveiling of these things in plain view of everyone.

Last nights "Hulu" commerical was so demonic and so "in your face" its unbelievable. They are getting bold, which means (at least they think) we are close, very close to some kind of major demonic event. The thing to remember in all of this is that our Lord's timing is what prevails, not satans. The enemy cannot take a single step forward without permission from our God.

The restrainer continues to hold back the demonic horse that is chomping at the bit to really get at this world. The thought occured to me last night, that the Lord never told us how the restrainer would be removed, all we know is that the most obvious sign of the restrainers removal would be the revealed anti-christ. It is obvious to me that already the demonic activity to lay the groundwork for anti-christs appearance is in high gear.

Remember as I write these things to you that our choices are fear or faith, and fear is not an option...Psalm 91:2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. I can see it and feel it coming, men's hearts melting inside of them from fear. Those who think they are "in Christ" because they 'made a decision' 15 years ago or whatever, will be exposed. Ever heard that phrase "trial by fire?" Well, thats whats coming and there is no possible way to fake your way through it. There's no way to fake walking on water outside the boat with Jesus. If your faith isn't real, below the waves you go. Jesus does'nt want that, I don't want that, you don't want that. Prepare your hearts today for what's coming.

The Lord told us that an escape from "all that's about to happen" is coming. We are told to pray for that escape. Like I've said before, it appears we are going to walk our way right up to the minutes and seconds just before the tribulation starts, the evidence of that is all around us. The signs that the tribulation is in near proximity are all around us, which means the escape is not far off. Let us be ready and watching today. Put your full faith in Jesus Christ, and in his word. What he said he would do, he will do, that's FACT. If he said there is an escape coming, I guarantee you there is an escape coming..from ALL thats about to happen. The "all" that Jesus said we would escape from is listed above Luke 21:36, in the verses that precede it. Basically its a panoramic view from start to end of the entire tribulation period, laid out in Luke 21.

Today is a day to pray in faith, to speak in faith, to think in faith. Doubt is your enemy and its the first weapon satan and his servants throw at you ..."did God really say...?" So recognize it when you see it. Time is short, very short. Our Lord can drag things out as long as he wants to, which requires patience on our part. Just realize that we could be with Jesus in heaven before today is over... BE READY.

grace and peace