Instead of your listening to the Father of Lies, make him listen to your praising God for His promise!

“Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord” (Ps. 150:6). The sick man has breath. In other words, while you are still sick, praise Him because you are going to recover according to His promise. “Let not your heart be troubled” (John 14:1, 27). “In nothing be anxious [distracted]; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Phil. 4:6, RV). “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Pet. 5:7).

Every sick Christian, while sick has a thousand times more to be happy over than the most cheerful sinner in perfect health.

Praise God because “faith without works is dead” (James 2:20, 26). “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thess. 5:18). “I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Ps. 34:1).

Since everything that has breath is commanded to praise the Lord, the only scriptural excuse for not praising Him is to be out of breath. “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Heb. 13:15).

By Benny Hinn

Many people attempt to comprehend what God is doing in the world without intimately knowing the God of the Bible.

Their minds may be filled with knowledge, yet they cannot understand what they have read because they don’t seek Him diligently through His Word.

When a relationship is established, a revelation also grows, as Evangelist Dwight L. Moody once said, “A Christian on his knees will see more than a philosopher on his tip toes.”

Here’s how:
1. The Word reveals God to mankind.
2. The Word provides the answers for every challenge we face.
3. The Word brings God to earth and brings us into fellowship with Him.
4. The Word reveals what will happen next.

The Lord stands ready to provide answers to our deepest desires: “For I am the Lord: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass” (Ezekiel 12:25), yet how can we know what God has in store for us during coming days unless we are willing to spend time in His Word seeking His wisdom, His knowledge?

2 Timothy 3:16 explains: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

When we want to move into a deeper dimension of anointing, we must commit ourselves to knowing Him more.

That knowledge and His wisdom, as well as a lifetime of victory, comes only through a diligent study of His Word.

The term “prosperity teaching” or “prosperity Gospel” is one of the most misunderstood and misused terms in today’s language.

I believe biblical prosperity is scriptural, and it is taught throughout the Bible. Giving to the Lord is so important that God has promised that those who give for the work of the Gospel will be blessed and protected.

Today I want to share with you what the Scriptures have to say about biblical prosperity, because I believe we are coming into a time of great abundance for the sake of the Gospel. The Gospel is being preached around the world, and a great harvest of blessings is coming to those who are supporting the cause of Christ around the world.

Prosperity Results from Righteousness and Faithfulness

The Word of God declares: “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (3 John 2). Prosperity is not an accident but the result of the Word of God being in our life.

Righteousness puts us in line to receive great blessings from the Lord: “In the house of the righteous is much treasure” (Proverbs 15:6), and “By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life” (Proverbs 22:4).

Faithfulness to God is the key to prosperity, and only faithfulness brings us into that place where God can begin to bless us financially: “A faithful man shall abound with blessings” (Proverbs 28:20).

The Lord has given each person certain abilities and gifts, and He expects us to be faithful with them. He expects us to tend to and nurture these abilities and gifts so we might produce fruit for His glory and kingdom!

The Word of the Lord tells us clearly that only as we keep and nurture our gifts will we be able to reap their benefits: “Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: so he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured” (Proverbs 27:18). As we stay faithful with the gifts God has given us, we will receive fruit in abundance.

Prosperity Results from Obedience

To receive God’s blessings and abundance, we must obey Him!

The Word of God tells us, “Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do” (Deuteronomy 29:9).

The Scriptures clearly say that it is not God’s will for any to perish, nor is it His will for any to live in sickness or poverty.

Poverty comes when we refuse the Word of God. Proverbs 13:18 declares, “Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured.”

But when we obey the Lord’s Word, prosperity will be ours immediately, and for all of our days: “If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures” (Job 36:11).

The Word of God says clearly in Proverbs 15:6 that in the house of the righteous is much treasure, not much poverty! Poverty does not belong to the righteous. It belongs to those who disobey God. Abundance and blessings belong to God’s children.

Debt is not God’s will. In fact, it is bondage: “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7).

The Lord wants to deliver His people from all bondage and all debt, and only as God’s people seek Him and obey Him will liberty from bondage come our way: “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.… That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures” (Proverbs 8:17-18, 21).

God’s Word is clear that He takes pleasure in our prosperity! He rejoices when we prosper: “Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant” (Psalm 35:27).

Prosperity Results from Diligence

Look at what God has given you in the way of abilities, physical assets, and spiritual blessings. Care for them and cause them to increase. God will surely bless you:

Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds. For riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation? The hay appeareth, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered. The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field. And thou shalt have goats’ milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens. (Proverbs 27:23-27)

As we are diligent before the Lord to nurture what He has given us, only then will we have abundant supply, for the Word of God tells us that He delights in the one who is not lagging behind in diligence: “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men” (Proverbs 22:29).

Look at Joseph. He was sold as a servant then became a prisoner. But because he was diligent before God, the Lord promoted him not only to stand before a king but to be second in command.

We have another great example in the prophet Daniel. He was a prisoner of war in a heathen land, but he was diligent in serving a heathen king. Daniel, too, was promoted and ended up counseling kings.

Nehemiah, another example of diligence, was promoted from his job as cup-bearer.

God’s promotional hand is upon the diligent! Jesus told us to be faithful in little things and He will make us ruler over many things (Matthew 25:21-23). The Word of the Lord also tells us, “The hand of the diligent maketh rich” (Proverbs 10:4), and “The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness” (Proverbs 21:5).

The Lord warns that we will be blessed and prosper only as we are faithful and diligent!

Stewards must be found faithful. As you give to His work again this month, remember that it is your faithfulness to the Lord that will reap abundance.

The Word of God declares, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever)” (2 Corinthians 9:8-9).

It is the Lord who gives you seed to sow, and it is the Lord who will multiply that seed and increase the fruits of your righteousness!

The Lord will enrich you in everything to all bountifulness, which will bring Him great honor and glory in these last days around the world.

And as you give, you are declaring the Gospel to the nations of the world. You are bringing the message of salvation to multitudes throughout the earth!

The Reason for Biblical Prosperity

The reason for biblical prosperity is clear: the Gospel must be preached! This is why a wealth transfer is coming.

From Genesis to Revelation, the principles are taught.

The Lord said to Abraham, “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2).

God surely wants to bless you and make you a blessing to others. To finance the coming harvest, God is looking for a people whom He will bless, for the coming harvest is the winning of the lost around the world. Surely, it is on the way, and God is preparing all of us for that glorious day.

I know that the most glorious harvest of God is just around the corner, and He is preparing you and me for a glorious move! I also know that the Lord is preparing us for the most incredible move of the Holy Spirit!

Remember, everything you do today for the Lord will affect what God will do with you when that day of wealth transfer begins: “If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?” (Luke 16:11). I believe that God Almighty is watching everything we do for Him today to see if He can trust us when that blessed move begins!

For truly how can God trust those who are not faithful with His glorious power and anointing—the invisible—unless He can trust them first with the visible?

The Lord is watching everything we do for Him today. He is looking for a people He can trust, for the day will come when true riches will be committed to believers who are faithful. These true riches not only are the invisible power of God but also the coming wealth transfer on earth that will finance the end-time harvest!

That is why our Lord Jesus said, “Give, and it shall be given unto you” (Luke 6:38). Not only will it will be given now, but I believe He also means that it will be given on that day, and “it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.”

What You Do Today Will Count Toward Tomorrow

Paul the apostle declared, “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6), not only presently, but also on that day when the wealth transfer begins!

God Almighty will give us accordingly to the measure we sow today. That is why Jesus said, “For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” (Luke 6:38).

What we do today will count toward what happens tomorrow, in the future, and on that day when that wealth transfer starts!

So give today faithfully. Give today with obedience. Give today with all your heart, with a cheerful heart. And God has promised not only to take care of you today and tomorrow, but also to trust you one day with the wealth of the sinner.

Remember as you sow your seed, God’s promise: “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread” (Psalm 37:25). You will never lack—no, not for one minute—because you have been giving and continue to give to the work of the Gospel.

The glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ is being preached because of faithfulness of God’s people.

Biblical Prosperity and You

Divine prosperity is God’s will for every believer!

Now it is time that we as believers obey the Lord, and even ask Him for prosperity. Like David we, too, can pray: “Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord: O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity” (Psalm 118:25).

It also is time that we sow for prosperity: “Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine” (Proverbs 3:9-10).

God wants us to prosper because the nations are calling and God continues opening doors. We must respond now before it is too late! As God orchestrates our steps with divine perfection and sends a powerful financial outpouring, we must go forward as a mighty army, obeying the Lord’s command to “go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

Now, more than ever, we must preach the Gospel to all the world, for Jesus said, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matthew 24:14). That time is now!

May God bless you and the seed you plant in obedience to His Word, for He promises, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” (Luke 6:38).

Prosperity is biblical. Prosperity is God’s will. Most of all, prosperity is given to take the life-saving, miracle-working Gospel of Jesus Christ to the nations!

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This week I sat at my computer with a thought in my head about how the Moslems are constantly exalting God. (By the way, the ALLAH that Islam is constantly referring to is God (YHWH.) They will say something like, “You cannot fight God (may his name be exalted…).” Christians don’t do that, and I was wondering why so, I typed in the phrase exalting God.

I’m not sure what happened, but what the search engine brought up were a few thousand pages of atheist and agnostic sites, spewing their hatred, and so called proofs that the concept of God is ludicrous, and it’s a horrible plague on the world. Several sites spoke of how we have to free ourselves of the “Sarah Palin Affect.” Arrested by what Sarah Palin had to do with all this, I had to dig deeper.

Apparently, there are those out there who seem to believe that Sarah Palin (I’m neither for nor against this woman), is (according to them) the Elijah who is to come to confront the Antichrist. Well, actually, they have her battling with the Antichrist, who, I was surprised to find out, is suppose to be President Obama. (I think we will get into all that nonsense in a different article. Allow me to stick to what is on my mind today.)

That day was an awaking to me. Where in the world do people come up with this stuff? I’m convinced people who have excessive time on their hands write these things. I’m not going to name sites, because I will not fall into that trap of arguing with someone who claims there is no God and that is what I want to talk about in this article

THE ATHEIST
I sat there for hours reading blog after blog from atheists/agnostics who railed against “religion” and the superstition of God. The ineffectiveness of prayer seems to be one of the prime factors that prove to them that God does not exist.

I don’t know, maybe it is just the Indian in me that has me wired in such a manner than when I don’t believe in something I walk away. I find the Atheist don’t do that. I am suspicious of them because they expend far too much energy, time and money fighting something they claim doesn’t exist. I mean, if you don’t believe in God, if you think He is simply a myth, a fairy-tale, and a lie, then walk away and don’t worry about Him again. Who, in their proper mind fights something that isn’t there? I know the popular craze right now is vampires, however, I don’t believe in them so I never give them another thought. I hear people talking about them it simply goes in one ear and out the other. Do you know what I mean?

If you can fight it, then it must truly be there. At least Don Quixote had a windmill to fight. The fact that the atheist/agnostic will expend their time and wealth fighting to prove there is no God declares to me that they actually do believe in God, but simply hate Him, and want others to hate Him too.

In all the years that I have been a theologian, I have never written anything concerning atheism. Why? Because I’m not sure, there are any atheists. The atheist declares there is no God/god, but everyone has a god. An agnostic simply hates God. Here is another thing I think: people don’t hate God as much as they hate religion. What most are actually fighting against is religion, because religion should demonstrate God, but has failed miserable.

CONFUSED MESSAGE
The other revelation I had that day, reading so many agnostic web sites, were all the so-called Christians who participate in their web site, making the site far more popular than it really is.

When I landed on the atheist networking, I was on Google, and it recorded “647,000 for atheist social network.” The majority of these sites at the top of Google’s search were nothing more than some Christians arguing with a bunch of Atheist. I couldn’t help but wonder why a Christian would do that. If your God is too weak to defend Himself, He has a problem. I do not have to defend God nor can I possibly protect Him. My God is too big for a mere human to shield.

Here is something else I found even more surprising each comment is date recorded, and I discovered these “Christians” continued arguing for days. The longer they went on the more the “Christian” became like the ones he/she were fighting. They were just as nasty and bitter, with a lot of name-calling. The “Christian” within their heart soon wished the “Atheist” were dead. Where is Christ in that, and where do, you find Christ or Paul commanding us to destroy or even fight against people who don’t agree with us.

The Apostle Paul went into the city of Ephesus, stood before the crowd, and declared Christ, as God in the flesh, and they shouted him down. Did he fight them? No, he didn’t say another word to those people. God does not need a mere human to defend Him. What the Apostle did do was pack up his mental pulpit, and went to individuals. Many rejected his message, but others accepted it one, by one, by one.

Since that eye-opening day on the Internet, I have thought about this and I know there are those who believe the Atheist are winning the world. Are they really? Travel back up the article and see what Google’s search result was. Now type in Christian networking and Google records “31,200,000 for Christian networking.” Who’s winning the battle? Tell me by numbers, who’s winning.

THE RESOLVE
We need to become wiser than the world, and learn to recognize the traps. Like a true warrior, be aware of what is going on around you, and allow the Spirit to give you your wisdom. If you want to fight, join the army, they have many wars, but as Christians let’s stop fighting, and begin to live the faith, and share the New Testament with this modern world, and get out of the Old. We are not under the Law anymore, but under Grace. Live it, teach it, and the world will flock to it.
Again, we repeat the popular quote from Mohandas Gandhi: “I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.

I am Gray Eagle, a retired pastor, but still an active theologian. I graduated from Liberty, Trinity, and Andersonville with my doctorate in theology in 1986. I presently work in the home office of a national retail chain corporation. My book on angels can be found at www.simpletheology.com

We all seek for deeper things, we all yearn to know God more, to be soaked in His presence to be privy to the mysteries that He has about us and life. But deeper things call for you to dip yourself into God’s things more wholesomely not half heartdly. This must happen for each and every one of us in a personal way.

The Feast of Tabernacle was celebrated at the end of a Jewish year and the priests would pour water down the steps of the temple as a show of the Holy Spirit. This feast was celebrated annually. In our midst are Christians who operate like secret service agents and are only seen annually in churches; this may be on Christmas day or on Easter. As a result they do not have the joy and overflow of the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. For this, one must personally connect daily because it is not possible to expect any other Christian to collect this joy for you when you stay away from church.

When the Jewish priests poured the water, it could only go so far and at some point away from the source of the activity, the ground remained dry. The further one walked, the drier it got. In Ezekiel 47:1-12 the prophet talks of water that flowed from underneath, not by humanly effort, but by God’s. In verse 5 he says how the further he moved, the deeper it got, finally becoming a river that he could not cross, except by swimming through. As Christians, how thirsty are we for God? How do we live our lives? Are we afraid of those who are too spiritual and prefer to be ankle deep on Christian matters? Are we the kind that would rather wear four inch deep shoes than get wet? Are we afraid to get wet with God? Are we really ready to dip ourselves into God through Christ and be enriched?

The more you get deep into God, the stabler you become because you have to get rid of the baggage that is weighing you down in order for you to swim and stay afloat on His affairs. The more you learn to depend on God, the stronger you get and the more you give up. 1Peter 1:5-8 asks that we may add faith to goodness, which will proceed to knowledge, to self-control, to perseverance, to godliness, to brotherly kindness and then to love which will then stop us from being ineffective and unproductive in our knowledge of Jesus Christ. This translates into growth.

In Ezekiel 47:7-11 we see the enriching effect of the river on the plantation and fish, verse 9 tells of how everything will live where the river flows. Everything is healed but for the marshy and swampy areas mentioned in verse 11. As Christians, we can be at a place for so long that we think that we do not need change and just like marshes look green from afar yet murky when one is close, our Christianity may be the same. God may even have connected us to people who can help us move towards Him but we remain stagnant in our Christian lives. Psalms 1:1-3 talks of the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked but delights in the Law of the Lord-he is like a tree planted by stream of water which yields its fruits in season and whatever he does prospers. In John 7:37 Christ calls whoever is thirsty to himself for a drink.

We may be afraid of worship or afraid of being considered too spiritual but Christ is asking us to be totally soaked in him so that he anoints us. When we have an anointing, we swim in the deep waters of favor because he makes us winners. God wants to change our stories, our status, our history, our testimonies, our cries and our hopes through Christ. He requires submission and commitment from us. He wants us to grow spiritually into maturity and not remain baby-Christians. Only He knows what worries us or what we hide from the world, be it our insecurities, our addictions, our bad marriages or our private anguish.

We should therefore seek Him in prayer and fasting through Christ and not compromise on our beliefs. We should seek to dip ourselves deeper into Him.

Beatrice Ofwona

Writing is my calling and I use it to honor God. More on:-
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So here they were; the army of Egypt closing fast upon their heels and a dead end on the other side at the Red Sea. But never fear, God had a plan. Moses was to stretch the rod his rod over the sea. When he did a wind began to blow and it continued all night. The next day miraculously the sea had parted and the people of Israel were able to cross that impassable boundary on dry land! To make the miracle even more spectacular, when the army of Egypt followed across the sea, after the last Israelite stepped out on the opposite shore, the water began to fall. It was like two great waterfalls clashing against each other as it swept over the Egyptian army, leaving them dead. God had delivered His people.

But that’s not all. It happened again. After forty years of wandering in the wilderness because of their sin and disobedience, under the leadership of Joshua the people of Israel were finally allowed to enter the Promised Land. But the river Jordan was overflowing its banks due to the rainy season. Now what? One again God worked a great miracle. When the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant stepped into the water it was miraculously dammed up a few miles upstream. Once more the people of Israel walked across a great body of water on dry land. Some believe this second miracle took place to confirm that God had appointed Joshua as leader after Moses had died. That could well be. But I also believe that it was God’s way of confirming to this new generation that He was still with them and His power was just as effective as it had been with their parents.

Now we don’t have too many instances of seas and rivers parting for God’s people today. That’s not to say that God couldn’t do it if He took a mind to; He’s God and He can do anything He wants to do. But in another way, God parts these great barriers for us each and every day. He’s always there protecting, leading, and guiding us. Many can testify of miracles, some magnificent, and some that may seem mild and almost unnoticeable, that get us through our days. A miracle is a miracle whether we think it to be large or small. It is still God’s hand on our lives. Take hope today. Rest assured that your problems and troubles will be met with deliverance of one kind or another, and know that God is going to get you through this on dry land.

Jerry D. Ousley is the Author of five books, “Soul Challenge”, “Soul Journey” “Ordeal” “The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional” and his first novel “The Shoe Tree.” Listen to the daily broadcast Spirit Bread. Find out more by visiting www.spiritbread.com

I am in a personal journey where I am pursuing God like everything is brand new; like I know nothing. It seems like I am learning all over again. What I thought I knew I really did not! I must accept that it is a humbling process, but I am experiencing a personal awakening that is blessing me in the mix of the fire, in the mix of the lions and in the center of a great desert of pain and suffering.

Your Christianity is not defined by your denomination, the building you went to do “church” on Sunday, how anointed the pastor was, the size of the congregation, the home group that you are a part of or how long the service lasted. Your Christianity is defined by your personal relationship with God, your commitment to pursue living life according to His ways, trusting HIM in-spite of how the circumstances look like and having a constant willingness to mature while you die to self and be more and more like Jesus. This, my friends, challenges us to do more than just go to church! I am afraid that we have become spiritually lazy and morally irresponsible as we believe that we are able to delegate our spiritual exercises to others in leadership, to our moms, our dads, our pastors, etc. The spirit of the Samaritan community must be develop in our hearts as they stated in John 4:42 “Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
This is an hour where the Spirit is making it clear that in order for us to be able to face the challenges that are coming our way; we must be in HIM and not full of ourselves. We must be able to recognize the voice of our Daddy by ourselves, above the voices of opinions, cultural values, family traditions, political preferences, intellectual approaches, religious confusion, denominational compromises and whatever Hollywood has to say. It is time to walk with God; it is time to talk things over with Him, listen to what He has to say and stop just carrying our Bibles for our Sunday Services or engage in One Year reading programs of Scripture without taking the time to wait on the revelation of the Spirit. It is time to study and to show ourselves approved. (2 Timothy 2:15) God is calling us to get closer today!

Angel Casiano

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