The Spoken Word

It takes pressure and heat to make diamonds. These two turn ordinary coal into one of the most valuable gems on earth. However, too much pressure can bust a pipe. God knows our substance and what it takes to make us fit for His use, He uses life’s trials and hardships to build character in us and He knows exactly how to do it without destroying us.

Impacting lives for eternity through the teaching of God's word that His people might be established to express and advance His kingdom in the earth.

Impacting lives for eternity through the teaching of God's word that His people might be established to express and advance His kingdom in the earth.

Impacting lives for eternity through the teaching of God's word that His people might be established to express and advance His kingdom in the earth.

Impacting lives for eternity through the teaching of God's word that His people might be established to express and advance His kingdom in the earth.

Paul teaches us in 1 Corinthians to be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know that your labor is not in vain. Isaiah taught us that they who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength and that if we are willing and obedient we shall eat the good of the land. Are you willing to trust, wait and obey? Do not therefore cast away your confidence it has recompense of great reward.

Impacting lives for eternity through the teaching of God's word that His people might be established to express and advance His kingdom in the earth.

God creates everything intentionally and with purpose. When we know God's purpose and intentions then we will use the things He has created and established correctly and if we don't then we will misuse the thing, regardless of what it is. When we lack wisdom and ask God He will give us wisdom and He will not upbraid us, but this is to those who know Him, who are in relationship with Him. These ones will be strong and do exploits.

Impacting lives for eternity through the teaching of God's word that His people might be established to express and advance His kingdom in the earth.

Impacting lives for eternity through the teaching of God's Word that His people might be established to express and advance His Kingdom.

God’s blessing is not dependent on how we look, but on our heart’s condition, our character, and our relationship with Him. So in spite of what we suffer, what others think and all other outward appearances God is for you and you are blessed. God will prove that by prospering the things He entrusts to you care and how He blesses it. Stay faithful, keep walking in integrity and don’t give in to temptation and God will elevate you in due season.

There is no place that you can find yourself in that God’s favor, grace and glory cannot impact you. Just remember to represent God well wherever you are and know that in due season He will raise you up to what He wants you to be. Stay focused, stay faithful.

God doesn’t need our help to make our future secure He has already determined before the foundation of the world that Jesus would bear in His body the penalty of our sins. Now that He has revealed His purposes to us, we must take care to trust, obey, communicate His good plan of redemption to a sin sick world.

God is working behind the scenes in all things, even our human choices, to bring to past the things He has planned for us according to His purpose. It’s amazing that He is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all we can hope or even believe. Not my will Father but Your will be done, but work in me to conform all my desires Your purposes.

God is working behind the scenes in all things, even our human choices, to bring to past the things He has planned for us according to His purpose. It’s amazing that He is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all we can hope or even believe. Not my will Father but Your will be done, but work in me to conform all my desires Your purposes.

Impacting lives for eternity through the teaching of God's Word that His people might be established to express and advance His Kingdom.

In Matthew 16:18 we are told that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church. Despite all opposition, regardless of its source, what God has intended for us will come to pass. God has created good works in Christ, before the foundation of the world, that we should do. He called us intentionally and purposefully, He sanctified us and set us apart and He placed His glory upon us and within us, giving us all things necessary and essential to fulfilled what He has purposed, so nothing in hell, heaven, the earth or beneath the earth will prevent God’s kingdom from coming and His will being done.

But you have an anointing from the Holy One [you have been set apart, specifically gifted and prepared by the Holy spirit], and all of you know [the truth because He teaches us, illuminated our minds, and guards us from error]. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie [nothing false, no deception] is of the truth. (1 John 20-21) I will cost you to walk in and live truth, are you willing to pay the price? Live a life that God can use.

Impacting lives for eternity through the teaching of God's word that His people might be established to express and advance His kingdom in the earth.

Where God guides, He also graciously provides. God’s provision goes beyond food, drink, and clothing, the creature comforts of life. God gives everything necessary and essential to live the life He calls us to successfully and to fulfill that which He has purposed for us. Even still that does not negate our human responsibility, remember we are co-laborers, ours is a stewardship and like God is faithful to us we too must be found faithful, first to God, then to the ministry assigned us and then to those we called to. If we deviate, we shift the focus from Him to us. Following God’s direction safeguards the church and it helps us to be effective in guiding others toward the life He has planned for us.

The Bible says, in 1 John 4:18 "Fear has torment", it can be the source of agony and emotional agony, but it also says "Perfect love casts out fear." There's a place where fear has to face the God you know." He is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in times of trouble. We have to learn and practice the act of casting our cares on Him, because He cares for us; doing this can transform us forever.

Impacting lives for eternity through the teaching of God's word that His people might be established to express and advance His kingdom in the earth.

Impacting lives for eternity through the teaching of God's Word that His people might be established to express and advance His Kingdom.

God watches over, cares for, and works all things together for good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. He involves Himself in their affairs intervening in their affairs to bring the resolution that leads to the a good end that positions the righteous to fulfill their destiny.

God is sovereign, He controls all things in creation. He is faithful to His Word, His compassionate nature, and as such He will fulfill all that He has spoken; He can be trusted. We then should seek Him, His will, and His provision, which He willfully supplies to those who are called by His name. But, we must learn to be patient, content and of good courage as we trust in the unfolding of His plan.

God is able to fulfill all His good promise for us apart from our manipulative efforts, our flaws and imperfections, but we need to learn patience, contentment and we need to wait on Him and be of good courage.

Impacting lives for eternity through the teaching of God's word that His people might be established to express and advance His kingdom in the earth.

Impacting lives for eternity through the teaching of God's word that His people might be established to express and advance His kingdom in the earth.

Impacting lives for eternity through the teaching of God's word that His people might be established to express and advance His kingdom in the earth.

We have to learn to trust in God’s promises, we need to be able to recognize moments, times, seasons, places and spaces in life that are sacred and hold them in proper esteem. We have to commit to our faith walk and learn to embrace the transformative power of these encounters.

God has made a choice to us the man Abraham to bless mankind. He promised him a seed, despite Abram’s ability to reproduce. God is working in creation to eventually redeem us from the power of sin. Despite all external opposition, despite our own flaws and failures God’s faithfulness remains steadfast. God can and will fulfill all His promises and we can rest in the assurance of His unwavering faithfulness.

We learn from Genesis 27 that despite our efforts as human beings God’s purposes will prevail. God, before the birth of Isaac and Rebekah’s children predetermined that the blessing should go to Jacob. Isaac desired for Esau to be the recipient of the blessing and Rebekah thought she needed to help God fulfill what He had purposed. Jacob’s eventual blessing aligned with what God had purposed, but the way it was achieved was the cause of friction in the family dynamics. As Christians we put on Christ, but we make no room for the flesh. God favors the righteous, but He offers salvation to all, because loves us all equally and Christ’s offering is open, perfect, and gracious.

There is a way that seems to right to us, it seems right but it’s not and it leads to destruction. We need to learn God’s will and give Him opportunity to bring His purposes to completion. We have to take the word God sends and mix it with faith, wait on Him and be of good courage. God doesn’t need our help; He needs our obedience and submission to His plans. He is both willing and able to bring to pass what He has purposed, He will in fact complete the work He starts in our lives.

The Bible shows us that our need of help is normal, it's by design of God, as aspect of human life and not failure. God is our ultimate helper and our asking for His help is a show of humility. Also, by design of God we can co-labor with God, but God does not need our help, in the way we need His, to bring to pass the things He desires, He is not like us, yet we are like Him. Whenever we determine to help God bring about what He has already purposed we get in the flesh and trouble follows.

God Himself is holy and He calls us to be holy. God is faithful and He calls us to likewise be faithful. We are to walk in the light as He is in the light, then we can have fellowship with Him and other saints. He calls us to this manner of living even when we are without strength to perform it, why; because He gives us grace, divine enablement. God is sovereign, His is a covenant keeper, and by His providence He establishes for us a pattern of faith and patience, even in a challenging environment that He expects us to follow by the power He makes available by His Spirit.

No matter where we are, what we’re up against, God is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all we can conceive; but it is according to His power that works in us. The power of God that works in believers is the immeasurable, active energy of Holy Spirit. It’s not any human effort, but rather divine power which enables us to desire and to act according to God’s purpose and to live out our faith, overcoming all obstacles and walk in victory. Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it entered into the heart all the good things God has in store for those who believe, trust, and obey Him.

When we are willing and obedient God is able to make all grace abound toward us and He can even make our enemies live a peace with us. But, we must commit our way to Him, trust in Him and live a life totally committed to Him. Others will be observing, make the choice to walk upright, let your words be seasoned with grace and guard your testimony by speaking truth. God will watch over you to insure what He has purposed for you comes to fruition.

God works sovereignly in all things for our good, according to His purposes. God prepares us, He prepares our place, and He prepares people to be receptive of us; but He does it all for His glory and the fulfillment of His purposes so that His will can be accomplished. He pulls one down and sets up another as He moves in time to complete the work He has started, all the while we are navigating our lives. Therefore, it is important that we lean not to our own understanding but rather, trust in Him with our whole heart and acknowledge Him in all our ways and then allow Him to direct us along the path He has ordained.

The only thing I need I already have. The fullness of His mercy in my hand (4Him). Let me explain it to you, hopefully in words you will be able to understand.

We learned earlier that God has spoken and yet speaks to mankind, He is persistent is His efforts to guide His people. He has used prophets, visions, similes, allegories, metaphors, hypo catastasis, types and analogies (see Hos. 12:10). In Job Elihu said that He speaks once, twice and men do not perceive, Peter said that some of us are willingly ignorant. The truth is we can be rebellious and disobedient, not due to ignorance, but through willful defiance. But God remains committed to revealing truth through the diverse methods and He seeks to prompt repentance, while warning that ignoring the warnings will lead to accountability. Today’s lesson seeks to reveal truth given in a type.

Grief is a natural part of life, but as Christians we are not to grieve as if we don’t have a future hope. Likewise, death is a natural part of life, but if we die in Christ our future is secure. While we live we are to operate in integrity, be honest and just in our transactions, make plans to leave an inheritance for those who come after us, but the greatest legacy we can leave is a godly hope; knowing that God will fulfill every promise made and those we leave behind will lay hold to it if they walk worthy of their call in Christ Jesus.

Impacting lives for eternity through the teaching of God's Word that His people might be established to express and advance His Kingdom.

The Bible calls for us to examine ourselves to test whether we are truly living in faith and if Jesus' Spirit abides in us. This evaluation ensures that our trust is in Christ rather than our own works and can lead to repentance or assurance. In today's lesson God calls Abraham to such an examination, which results in him being found faithful and leading to God showing us how He will provide the necessary sacrifice for our sin in the future.

Trusting and obeying God in seasons of transition will lead to establish of the promise and new beginnings; it will also secure your standing, validate your authority, and the divine blessing. God remembers every word He has spoken, He sees and hears you regardless of your location or position in society or ministry and He has made provision, even for outcasts. Trust God, walk in integrity and know that your future is secure.

I believe that before we enter into a wilderness, a desert, trials or tribulations, God seeing ahead, will give us a word to encourage us, to fill us with hope, to help us recognize His hand in our lives when it comes to past. We have to remember and cast away our confidence despite any opposition we may encounter. Trust in the Lord, seek Him daily, be receptive to godly counsel and be doers of the word and not hearers only and we can lay hold to the promise, by faith

Take heed how you interact with others. Walk in the light as God is in the light in order that you might represent Him well before others. Avoid being deceitful and encouraging others to be deceitful. Let every action and every response be born of righteousness and a desire to maintain justice, through a clear conscience and a commitment to doing what is right in the eyes of God, that He might be glorified before all men.

The Bible admonishes us to be watchful and to examine ourselves to make sure that we are operating in faith. That means, hearing God, trusting Him, and obeying His commands. We have to take care to put to death all the deeds of the flesh because it is easy to resort back to our old ways and that could be catastrophic, not only for ourselves but for others as well. Fear, which has torment, can lead to distrusting God and our attempting to resolve our issues through the flesh. Abraham resorts to his old ways, putting Sarah, Abimelech, his nation and God’s plan in jeopardy; but God demonstrates His grace and faithfulness in upholding His covenant with Abraham.

Learn to walk in love, to be hospitable, to take advantage of opportunities to present and receive the love of God. Avoid sinning because it has serious consequences and be prayerful and willing to be available to make intercession for others. Listen, to hear from God and immediately obey what He commands, don’t look back longingly for yesterday when God offers you a bright future or you just might miss it. Live in hope, let God’s great and precious be the basis of that hope and keep your eyes open, remain vigilant and aware of the moral and spiritual realities around us.

In today's message we see the angels sent to destroy Sodom, Gomorrah and the plains, because of their wickedness, but they cannot perform their assignment until Lot, and his family are delivered out of harm's way. This is one of the testimonies that lead us to believe that God will deliver the Church out of the wrath to come upon the world. God always makes a way of escape, and He makes it known to His people, but we must hear and respond in the day of His salvation and not turn back to the world. Only those who persevere to the end will be saved!

The stage is set, the curtain goes up, the scene is one of depravity, perversion, and wickedness. The hearts and motives of all of Sodom is laid bare and God’s agents are going to respond accordingly. How can we escape the wrath of God? We can escape solely through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, Who God has sent to us, even as He has sent the angels, for Abraham’s sake to save Lot. What then is required of us? Today we begin to look into the key aspects to escape the wrath which is to come: 1) Repentance, 2) Faith in Jesus Christ, 3) Acceptance of grace, 4) Following Christ’s teaching, and 5) Urgency.