Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace and of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with justice from henceforth even for ever.
Merry Christmas and a Happy , Happy New Year!
Three virtues of good character come to my mind in relation to this subject and to introduce these three virtues I will be discussing the text, Micah 6:;8. Here Israel is disobedient like we were before we entered into relationship with God. Israel earlier in this chapter questioned what could they do for the Lord or bring to the Lord, mentioning sacrifices of rams, burnt offerings, rivers of oil and they even considered sacrificing their firstborn. God shared that he sought the virtues of justice, mercy and humility. Micah shares, " He hath shewed thee O man what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God" Bad character is derived from the sin problem. The answer to the sin problem is a change of heart, not sacrifices. This is what God desires today...a change of heart.
When God told them to act justly he meant living with a sense of right and wrong while portraying innocence. Justice is one of the four cardinal virtues. It is the moderation or mean between selfishness and selflessness-having more and having less than ones fair share.
Along with justice God ask us to provide mercy, liberality, bigheartedness, generosity and forgiveness. God wants us to show love and mercy towards our fellow man and towards him in the manner he did for us.
Lastly, God desires us to walk humbly, a description of the hearts attitude toward God. It is also depending on God rather than, recognizing dependence on our abilities.
In closing the response of a good godly characterized heart is outwardly to do justice, inwardly to love mercy and upwardly to walk humbly. These characteristics can only be reached by us through suffering, while being molded,fashioned and shaped into the character of Christ and overcoming such suffering with God's help, triumphing over it all victoriously through our faith (1 John 5;4).
First let us define the word justify. The word justify means to "make right." when something is wrong. It does not only mean to pardon, to acquit and vindicate. In biblical terms justification is a divine verdict of not guilty, labeling you as fully righteous. It is actually the reversal of the attitude of God towards the sinner. The law of God formerly brought condemnation but now justification by faith through the Word of God brings vindication. Although the sinner once lived under the wrath of God, as a believer he or she is now under the grace of God. Therefore, whenever a sinner experiences justification by faith, God grants righteousness as well, as with Abraham , the father of faith (Romans 4:22-25).
The infinite merit of Christ grants every believer a foundation that he or she can stand upon, before God the Father.
Justification by faith restores the believer to a place of full acceptance, righteousness, and divine favor in Christ (Romans 5:19, Corinthians 1:30, Philippians 3:9).
Therefore, because of justification by faith, believers have not only been acquitted from all guilt (Romans 8:33) but they have also the full acceptance as sons and daughters of the Most High God (Romans 5:17).
In a culture where grace is truncated to "getting saved," let us be counter-cultural. May glorious grace be demonstrated by our grace. empowered lives. not merely as something that covers our godlessness rather as something that enables our godliness. For it is God who works in us both to will an to do for his good pleasure! For it is God who works in us both to will and to do for his good pleasure! Oh that we would let this world see grace that not only pardons sin, but fuels change. John Newton penned a famous hymn, "Amazing Grace." This grace has brought me safe thus far, and this grace will lead me home." facebook/workingfaithworksministries. workingfaithworksministries.org
Dread not, neither be afraid of them. Deuteronomy 1:29 Dread is a close relative of regret. Dread places us in the future and regret places us in the past. Dread is also closely related to fear. We often dread doing something for fear of what might happen.
We know that God has not given us the spirit of fear.(11Timothy 1:7) Since fear did not come from God we are therefore conscious that dread did not come from Him either. We must reject fear and dread banishing them out of our lives forever.
Decide today that you will no longer accept a mindset of fear and dread. Become a now person living in the now....not living in the past or the future. God has a plan for you and it is for the now. Trust Him today. Fear and Faith cannot operate together. If you are fearful then you are not trusting God. So, Grab hold to Faith and Relax.
Prayer of Thanks
I believe it is your will Father, for me to live a life of peace and contentment. Thank you that I don't have to look back with regrets or look ahead with dread. I will from this time on live in the now which you have given me making the most of and appreciating each day. Thank YOU.
Amelia Bassano was an unacredited, poetist, playwriter and literary genius. She was a black woman whom has been proven to be the true writer of all of William Shakespeare plays. Shakespeare's Dark Lady by John Hudson states Bassano wrote the sonnets about herself; as with the plays Shakespeare was simply a front used to hide her identity. Bassano was born in 1569 She could not publish her work because she was black and a slave. She died in poverty because she never received a dime for her work Shakespeare was illiterate and could barely write his own name. I found it worth it to look into Shakespeare's Dark Lady...an amazing character well worth the study....Mark Rylance. The book is a controversial and provocative well researched book....says Dr. Catherine Alexander, editor of the Cambridge Shakespeare Library. I'm sorry it is to late to accredit and salute Amelia for her amazing work. If the truth was always only told....Shalom.
Sometimes, we want to hurry God. We may even move ahead of God like Abraham and Sarah in the Bible. We ask of God," how long...when and where?" There is a season and a time for everything under the sun. This is our season and our time. According to your faith be it done unto you. Often times we are in position to receive. We are not waiting on God but God is waiting on us. As I said we may be in position, however God is waiting on those that will impact God's plan, vision and destiny for us to get into position. God will see that they are in position at the right time and in the right place. It has been my experience that God is never late fulfilling His promises right on time. So what do we do? Keep confessing His promises and being confident in this very thing that if you asked according to His will you know that He heareth you and if you know that He heareth you, you know that you have the petitions that you desired of Him, keep offering up thanksgiving and praises for every promise confessed, keep walking upright before Him because he said that He would withhold no good thing from those whom walked upright before Him. Trust Him. Rest. Relax. Be Still. When you are still you can hear Him. Stay in position. What am I saying? Be Still and Know that He is God!
Five Hundred years ago, a new form of slavery, transformed Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Multi-Millions of African slaves in number. were transported to America on slave ships, to develop this nation at minimum cost. For the majority of their contributions, African Americans were not accredited, even though they excelled while being exploited in their endeavors. For the first time, people saw other human beings as commodities-things to be bought, sold and exploited to make enormous profits. This system changed the world.
The United States was created in this context, forged by slavery as well as a radical new concept, freedom.
This is a shared story, a shared past, told through the lives of African Americans who helped form the nation.(1400-1877) One cannot truly understand America without understanding the Historical experience of black people in this nation. Simply put, to get to the heart of the country, one must examine it's racial soul. (Eric Holden)
History despite it's wrenching pain cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.
Jesus is the reason for the season. May the Peace of God reign in your hearts and minds while you remember the reason for the season. Christ came that we might have eternal life, prosperity, love joy and peace as well as to destroy the works of the devil. Be mindful to show love, share the ministry of caring, and concern for one another as well as those that you love during this holiday season. So many are without hope. Let's be ready to share the reason for our hope this season. Merry Christmas! Shalom (Peace).
Dream Big! God is a Big God! God's ideas, plans and purposes for you, are large. Don't limit God. He will do the impossible, if you only have faith for the impossible. However if your dreams are small, then you have limited God. If you can fulfill your dreams and aspirations and you have the plan to do so then God can get no glory. Gideon was told that he was a man of valor and that he was more than able to defeat the enemies of the people of God. As long as Gideon had a plan for the number of men that he would use to battle the enemy....God could not get the glory. However when Gideon's army was reduced to only 300 men, God stepped in and defeated the enemy on Gideon's behalf. Again, as long as you have all the answers and you are working your plan God has not place to move. Someone put it like this, " When you are working, God is resting, and when you are resting ...God is working.
God gives us big visions and large dreams and huge aspirations because due to the size of the vision we recognize that there is no way that we can achieve it on our own. In other words if the vision is something that you can achieve there is no glory in it for God. God gives you an impossible vision, so that when he brings it to pass and I do say when he brings it to pass, because he will.....then there is no doubt in your mind, nor in the mind of the onlookers that it was God. When you step out and trust God, God will do exceedingly and abundantly above all that you can think or imagine, all the time.
I was believing God for the marketing of a book that God had led me to write. I did not know how that I would advertise the book to get it in the hands of the public. God led me to sow a seed of $2800.00. to TBN broadcasting network in approximately the year of 2002. Fast forward to December 2015, the book is completed and I do not know how I am going to get this book in the hands of the masses. I received a prophecy that I would author two books and the publishing, marketing and advertising would be paid for and I would be known worldwide as these books went global. January 2016 I received a check in the mailbox covering the cost of the publishing and advertising. The book after 2 months made national and international internet news. In March, a television studio contacted me and asked me for an two week interview on their television show. The show aired on sixteen different stations with over about 2 billion prospective viewers. Now tell me....won't He do it! I just finished the 2nd book and the same show has invited me for another interview after my new book is released. I said, " Won't He do it! The vision was greater than me, so God fulfilled the vision.
God also revealed to me in a vision that I would reach thousands of souls and that I would be used as an vessel to deliver His message overseas. I am excited. The vision is greater than me. As far as my eyes could see their were fields and fields of natives that had come to receive a word from God. I am waiting, and anticipating, God's next move as He ushers in His Latter Day Revival with a Downpouring of the Holy Ghost! So, do what you can, and God will successfully execute what you can't. God specializes in the impossible. I said, " Won't He do it! Dream Large. Dream Big.... and watch our God Do it Again!
*Ephesians 3:20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.
Proverbs 3:25-26 Do not be afraid of sudden terror, nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; for the LORD will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught.
There was a parable about a mountain giant that was mean, cantankerous and violent. The folks in the town said whatever you do , don't go up to the top of the mountain because that is where the old giant lives. During the summer there were a brave group of men that decided that they were going to go up to the top of the mountain to confront the giant in battle and defeat him. They took with them guns, bats, and long sticks. Upon reaching the halfway mark up the side of the mountain they heard a loud roar and smelled a terrible stench. Out of thirty-two men, twenty of them took off running back down the mountain as quickly as they had climbed it, screaming. The twelve men noticed that at a glimpse the giant was smaller than what they had expected. The giant continued to roar and the smell was so bad that the other eleven men also ran away. As the one man took a few more steps and looked at the giant again the giant had shrank in size to the size of a man. He go closer to take a closer look and the giant shrank again. The giant was ugly and the stench was unbearable. Evenso, the man came even close enough now to see clearly as he bent down and picked up the once so-called giant in the palm of his hand and asked him, "who are you?" The giant squeaked, "my name is Fear."
If you submit to the plan of the LORD for confronting fear you will find that the issues that you have been frightened of in the past were really nothing at all.
Lord, help me to begin to confront fears I've been running away from. I want to silence the roars that keep me from moving ahead with my life in Jesus name. Amen.
We've all heard clichés, where God guides , God provides, or what God ordains God sustains. Even though there is a element of truth in these statements, they can give an false impression, that if you are in the will of God then everything will be smooth sailing. This misunderstanding can cause you to constantly question God's will and his call. What happens when the bank account is empty and you are faced with challenges on every side? Are you to then conclude that God is no longer with you? Should we give up or turn back when the going gets rough? Following God's call does not guarantee that we will not have difficulty or hardships. In fact, the reality is quite the opposite. Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble (John 16:33). Paul shared that everyone who lives godly shall suffer. I would like you to know however that in the midst of the suffering is peace, and every hardship that we encounter will mold, fashion and shape our character to be like the Son of God.
Many people are familiar with the text, All things are working together for the good of those that love the Lord, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). When the Paul penned those words he was talking about suffering and hardships. He was sharing that even the hardships and the difficulties work together for our good if we love God and are called according to His purpose.
Being in God's will does not guarantee that we will avoid suffering and hardships, but it does guarantee that every trial we face will be a representation of God's love, actively working for our good in the end.
The resistance, hardships and adversity are wilderness experiences and God will use these experiences to mold us into heroes of the Faith.
Jesus will do the work for you however, he cannot do the believing for you. Remember, Heart Faith grows out of God's Word. If you want to condition your heart to be in the habit of believing, then you must give God's word first place in your life. You must feed God's word into your heart constantly. You must realize that the word is actually God speaking to you....personally. It is not just a lot of information for your head to carry around. Then you must make the quality decision that your body and all it's physical senses will never override the word of God in any given situation.
If your body screams I am sick,...don't allow that natural physical evidence to be the final authority about what you believe. Go to the Word which is your final authority about what you confess and believe. The word says, " by his stripes you are healed"(1 Peter 2:24).
If you are living in lack, the word says, " my God shall supply all my needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus"(Philippians 4:19). His word also says, "the Lord is my shepherd and I shall not want " (Psalms 23:1).
So abide in the word and let the word abide in you (John 15:7). It will get you out of the impossible and into the possible. You will get into the habit of living on the believing side of life. Finally, His word will get out of your head and into your heart. Heart Faith!
Some visit the psychiatrist to try to obtain peace. However without Christ the psychiatrist needs a psychiatrist due to his or her lack of peace.
When the antichrist makes his debue he will stage himself as God promising to bring peace but there will be no peace until the Prince of Peace sets on the throne of David and upon the hearts and minds of mankind.
We have sought to manipulate our emotions....shoot it...snort it....smoke it...but it won't bring peace.
The bible says, whosoever repents, confesses and forsakes his or her sins receiving Jesus Christ and his finished works shall have peace. If you just merely confess it still won't save you granting you peace. But if you forsake your sin it will.
Adam and Eve rationalized what they did and accused someone else for their sin, disobedience and rebellion against God. They failed to confess and forsake it. That is one of the main reasons why we enter the world in the sinful condition that we do today. Quit trying to adjust to sin and forsake it. The word of God says blessed is the man whose sin is forsaken and forgiven. Jesus said, "My peace if give unto you, not as the world give , give I unto you, a peace that passeth all understanding. When Jesus said this he was not speaking from an ivory tower. It was the night he was beaten and bruised and crucified. That night he said my peace I give unto you. This is the kind of peace that you want. The son of God went to the cross that we might know his love and peace. There will be no gift of peace until we bow our knees to the son of God.
Christianity is peace in conflict. Christianity is peace in the midst of the storm. Peace is the fruit of righteousness. The word says, Peace on earth, goodwill to men. Wjll there be universal peace on earth? Not until there is a righteous revolution. Seek righteousness and peace will come. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. We want the gift of peace without the righteousness and rule of God. Teddy Roosevelt said, " I'm for peace as long as it doesn't stop the fighting. That's the way the most of the world thinks.
If you want peace you won't find it fornicating , in adulterous relationships, in the bottle , in a needle, crackpot nor at Harry's Bar.
Hell is hot and eternity is forever. That is a long time to be in torment without the peace of God.
Are you one that would say I don't know Jesus and I don't know peace but I would like to know his love and peace now. Are you one that do not have peace in your home, marriage, relationships or on your job. The Son went to the cross that you might know that peace!
Songwriter said Peace Peace, Wonderful Peace coming down from the Father of Love. Sweep over my spirit forever I pray in fathomless billows of love.
Let us Pray
Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus
I come to receive that peace that passeth all understanding. I place my burden in your hands. I ask forgiveness for my sins and will forsake them now. I believe that you died on a cross for my sins and on the third day you rose and is alive right now. I know now that, that peace will come because I have met your conditions in Jesus name.
Favor is a part of your rightful inheritance as a believer. It allows God, who is supernatural, to make you a success. Now you can live believing that all things are possible, unto them that believeth in Him, expecting riches and honor, promotions, opportunities, answers, and even battles won that you didn't have to fight. Why? Because of the divine favor of God that is on your life. Remember, these blessings and advantages don't come just because you " go to church" or may be a fairly good person. They come when you stand on God's word in faith and expect Him to move. God said, " Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not" (Jeremaih 33:3).
Greater favor will allow you to take on bigger opportunities, new responsibilities, and achieve higher goals in your life. Therefore start today confessing success and favor as part of your daily devotion. Commit to doing this until Jesus returns. Also, remember there is a "growth factor" involved in favor. " But Grow in grace (and favor) and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ..." (2Peter 3:18). This greater favor will allow you to take on bigger opportunities as I shared. Someone said never allow yourself to reach the point of having arrived. Mary had more than favor. She had much favor, and so can you. Favor can grow. Can you imagine the doors that will open,, the opportunities that will come, the business deals that will close, and the life that you can live when God highly favors you, the way that he does!
How does cultivating your faith work? To understand the answer to this question we need to examine how God functions more closely. In Jeremaih 1:12, God declared, " I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled." In other words he is watching over His word to perform it. God had an idea or vision for the universe. After visualizing the universe, he spoke it into existence. The vision that God had in His heart and in His mind's eye for the universe then became a physical reality by the spoken word. God spoke His thoughts into being and created everything. There is nothing on earth more important than a thought. Words are produced from thoughts, therefore thoughts are more important than words. However words are more powerful than thoughts. Even though thoughts design a future, it takes words to create that future. You can think about an idea for centuries however, nothing happens until you speak a word concerning that idea. Thoughts will never bring anything to pass. Creative power will never be unleashed in simply a thought alone. However creative power is in the words and actions that come from thoughts. Words that are spoken and written are full of creative power. Our spirits were designed to operate the same way God does. God is a speaking Spirit. God said in the Bible in the book of Genesis 1:26 " Let us make man in our image, in our likeness." The word "image" here refers to moral and spiritual character and the word "likeness", means to function like him. To cultivate the faith of vision, and create first , we must see with our heart what the Lord has promised us and create by faith that we see by speaking the Word over our situation, being confident that the Lord will bring it to pass. Job 22:28 says, Thou shalt also decree a thing,, and it shall be established unto thee.
Secondly, we must recognize and be confident that in the spiritual realm, every prayer, every petition and every promise that you will ever request of God has already been fulfilled, over 2000 years ago when Christ died on Calvary. He paid it all. When he said it is finished, that is what he meant. We simply ask because it is a means of excercising our faith and transferring every prayer , every promise, every petition from the heavenly realm down into the earthly realm. How do we do that? Again we like God are speaking spirits, with creative power through the words we speak. So we like God say, Let it be, believe.....and then sit back and watch the power of God manifest our petitions. It is so exciting to put the word of God in action and simply do what God says we can do! Create!
God's presence is with you to direct you, lead you and guide you making you victorious in all your endeavors. Something very unique happens when you recognize that God's presence is with you. Ask the Lord to open your eyes to his presence as Elijah requested of the Lord, and the more you see him, the more he will manifest himself to you. If you are about to make an important business decision, recognize that God's presence is with you and His wisdom will flow through you and he will grant you supernatural insight, identifying loopholes or exit clauses that are missing from that contract that you are about to sign. He will guide you in your relationships and anoint you to stay or exit at the appropriate time. Once you involve Jesus and acknowledge His presence, you will sense him intervening in any decision you are about to make through the absence or presence of His peace.. Everything can appear to be in order on the surface, but somehow if you sense a discomfort rising up in you every time you think about your decision, my advice to you would be not to rush into anything. Once you have involved the Lord your lack of peace that you feel is often His leading to protect you.
He is Emanuel (God with us). He will never leave us nor forsake us. There was a time under the Law in the Old Testament when God would be with you only when you were in complete obedience. But when you failed he would leave you. Today however, we are under the new covenant and God will never leave us, because of the cross. He became our burnt offering. He bore our sins and carried our punishment. God's judgement against our sins fell upon Jesus, who was forsaken at the cross by His Father so that today, we can have God's constant unceasing presence in our lives. Jesus cried out,"My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? so that you and I will know exactly what happened on the cross. That is where the divine exchange took place. At the cross, Jesus took our sins and gave up the presence of God, while we took Jesus' righteousness and received the presence of God that Jesus had. God's presence is now ours for eternity. What a divine exchange. God's Presence is with You!
Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
Notice it says "through patience and comfort of the scriptures. The scriptures are where patience comes from. Patience is simply faith applied over a prolonged period of time. Instead of a momentary faith, patience is prolonged, enduring faith. Patience is when you just believe and keep believing. Romans 15:4 says that patience comes through the scriptures. Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Just as patience comes through the word so does faith. They are also both fruit of the spirit. Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is longsuffering (patience)....faith. When we were born again God gave us faith and patience. They are fruit of your brand new spirit causing you to endure whatever challenges that life brings your way.
Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life. St John 14:6. Jesus is the reason for the season. May the heart of Christmas - the love of Jesus, the joy of grace, and the peace of God be yours today and always. Happy Holidays!
Evangelist T. A. Koonce and Family
Working Faith Works!
After I accepted Christ for years I struggled, not recognizing nor understanding the plight of grace. Immediately after I felt conviction of something wrong that I had done I would rush to repent thinking that I was out from under the blood and if Jesus came before I repented I would be left behind. I found that almost everyday I had done something that was not like Christ. Sometimes it was a presumptuous sin, a hidden sin, or just my attitude. I would with so much guilt and shame cry out for forgiveness. Then something happened. I read in the scripture where it said where sin abounds grace superabounds much more. I also found that in the old testament they had to go to the priest and transfer there sins to a sacrificial lamb by laying there hands upon the head of the lamb while being mindful of their sins. This they had to do every year. It was called a sin offering. However after Jesus came and offered himself, under the new covenant He was our sacrificial lamb to be offered once and for all. Now I understand that all of our sins have been nailed to the cross. This includes our past sins, present sins and future sins. God is omniscient and therefore he already knows the sins that we will commit in the future and he already made a way that we are covered by the blood. There is no need for me to feel guilt or shame any more. Jesus took all the shame upon himself while enduring the cross. In 1 john 1:9 it states if you confess your sins he is faithful and just to forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. So now as believers it is not a matter of asking for forgiveness because we have already been forgiven. However there is a need to confess. For me that means if you say," Lord, I have committed sin," and share what that sin was. The bible then says he is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. So I no longer meditate on the sin because that forms a root in my heart and a stronghold as well, making it more difficult to overcome. Now I meditate on the truths that I am declared justified, and the righteousness of God even when I stumble. Now that is good news. That is what I call grace, grace and more grace for we are not under the law but under grace. It is not about what works I can do (constantly repenting) to save my self, which means you are still under the law, but it is all about what Christ did for me. He has saved me. How about you? If you have not accepted him or you were waddling in guilt and shame pray this pray with me. Lord, I am not perfect, but you are and that is why you came and suffered, offering yourself as a sacrifice on my behalf. I accept your sacrifice. Instead of wallowing in shame and guilt and shying away from you, I will come running to you, for you are my Savior and my Lord. Help me to remember that I am the righteousness of God and my life is in your hand and no man can pluck me out of your hands in Jesus name. Amen.
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