Welcome Happy Advent (Four Weeks of Preparing)

Welcome Happy Advent (Four Weeks of Preparing)
Thanksgiving Casts Out the Stronghold of Familiarity

Today begins the four weeks of Advent, which means "to Come." Thanksgiving not only looks back on our history but helps prepare for God's presence to be manifested (incarnated) both among us and through us in the world. The Kingdom of heaven is begun - heaven is where God fully manifests his presence to bless. Joy to the world.... He comes to make his blessings known. His presence brings blessing which gives purpose and momentum in life. His purpose sharpens our spiritual focus the sharpened spiritual focus leads to accomplishment and that accomplishment leads to contentment and contentment must be expressed with Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is not only response but also a great weapon. As we give thanks for God’s grace in our nation and our personal history, we become even more thankful for looking ahead for God’s coming in new ways to us. God came again and again in American history bringing revival and awakening, and we need Him again-not to take us away but to restore. One of the ways we get ready for his coming is to use thanksgiving as a weapon against an enemy called Familiarity. Familiarity breeds contempt because we take one another and God for granted. It is a stronghold for demonic lies, division, sin and pain.

A stronghold is a thought that has a strong hold on your life. Thoughts are like seeds. If received and nurtured they produce fruit in our life after their own kind. Fear, self-pity, envy, resentment, etc… cannot produce love, joy, peace or righteousness. In this Year of Proper Planting we must block negative and familiar seeds that rob us of a full life in God’s presence.

Use the weapons of Thanksgiving to break down the strongholds of familiarity being thankful for God's history in saving us and our nation and looking ahead to God coming to us and giving us purpose and sharpened spiritual focus that will lead to new accomplishment vision and faith and hope for the coming year.

Although we live with mixture and imperfection of God incarnate in our weak, human condition, remember that “we have this treasure in jars of clay,” 2 Cor 4:7. In Matt 13:53-58 people devalued Jesus’ ministry because of familiarity, but when we honor God and one another we receive and give blessings. God have mercy on us and help us to be thankful and fruitful.

Wilma’s Story

Break Wrong Agreements & Be Delivered
Wilma’s story

During the teaching about demons and agreements, my mind went back to when my husband Don was sick (nearly 8 1/2 years ago!) and how people prayed for him and he died anyway. My statement then was that my faith "was shaken." I still had some faith, but not like it was before. Little did I realize that the demons found a way to get "in" and have been working on my faith level ever since! I told someone once that I didn't have much faith and then went on to explain that there was no doubt God COULD do anything, I just wasn't sure if He WOULD. I really identified with the guy in the Bible who said, "I believe. Help my unbelief." This was brought out to me more when at Young At Heart group they asked for people with "faith for healing" to pray for someone. Well, my immediate thought was "I don't have any faith" so I didn't pray.

The other little agreement I unconsciously made with the devil was this: when Don died, Mother said one of the hardest things for her when my Daddy died was that she wasn't #1 in anyone's life anymore. So, I'm not #1 in anyone's life anymore - and haven't been for 8 1/2 years. You sort of take that for granted until it's not there anymore. You get used to someone "having your back" - no matter what. Now I feel vulnerable.

I also give thanks for the prayer last night for Gloria, Frances and me - that God is our Father and our Husband. He is all we need. I am #1 in His life! "My picture is on His refrigerator!" Isn't it incredible to think that each one of us is #1 in His life and that doesn't diminish our unique status one little bit!? Only God could do that. Hallelujah!

Today when I was praying at home, I felt the spirit of "faithlessness" leave - three big sighs - and then later the spirit of "loneliness" left - with some coughing. Then I asked the Holy Spirit to come in and fill all the empty places and spaces and I felt God told me the Holy Spirit was "moving in, sweeping out and taking over"! What a day this has been and what a difference I think it will make in my life!

Thank you for making me think, and thank you, Father, Son & Holy Spirit for bringing these things to my mind! Amen. The Creator of time and space, the Creator of the Universe knows me by name and loves me! And, in reverence and awe and thanksgiving, I bow before Him.

-Wilma

“How to sow and reap with demons”

What if the devil offered a seminar on incarnating evil:
sinister like “How to sow and reap with demons?”
With all the pop interest in vampire stories and the occult, it almost sounds like it could be the title of a TV “reality” show.

Would Satan advertise like this? Learn how to build strongholds around pain and hurt. How to agree with harmful ideas and feelings. How to use blame as a defense. How to judge the motives of others’ hearts and think the worst about them. How to be controlled by present emotional hurts and past lie-based pain. How to avoid bringing these things into the light and from healing. How to hide the truth from yourself, others and even from Jesus.

On the other hand, we offer healing prayer encounters. On Saturday, Nov 19, we will be here at 9AM to do an hour teaching then pray one on one or a few people together to receive healing from present and old pain, lies and demons.

Present pain acts like a window through which we can become aware that some old experiences, hurts or memories need the healing presence of Jesus. As a good mechanic listens to the engine and looks under the hood, so we listen to our hearts and for what Jesus brings in exchange for the old lies of the accuser.

Here’s a fictional example: perhaps today I reacted with hurt and anger again because I feel no one values the work I do. As I pray, I realize I accepted this as a lie from the devil-that I am worthless. I recall that when I was growing up my father did not notice me or praise the work I did, but instead gave his approval to my older sibling. When I offered my hurt to Jesus, He spoke into my heart that He looks at me each day and enjoys the things I do and He loves me whether I do things as well as others or not. I felt his peace both now and in those memories.

But there is more. I am able to forgive my father. And as I ask God’s forgiveness for my anger I realize that besides the healing I also can now be delivered from the angry and jealous spirit which has oppressed me and so quickly would react.

Since I know what was the source of the anger, and I have been healed of the hurt, I remove the grounds for demons of anger and jealousy to torment me. And since the lie that I am worthless has been exchanged with Jesus’ own words of love and his pleasure in me I can command the spirit of anger and jealousy to leave and I can be more filled with the Holy Spirit.

Practice values that Build Community and Transform Neighborhoods

Practice values that Build Community and
Transform Neighborhoods

Awakening in our day; Reformation in our lifetime
Enter into Christ’s suffering in the world to redeem the world. Don’t protest and criticize as an outsider. Be leaven; serve in love, bring change from inside out.
Is it going to rain?

If so we need to build ‘Arks’ in our neighborhoods .

1. Make friends in neighborhood (Lk 16)
2. Deepening love –keep the unity in the Spirit (Eph 4).
3. Personal House in order and good stewards together (remove debt, learn how to barter, have emergency savings and food stocks, be proactive in discipleship and committed relationships not just friendships).
4. Humbly repent and ask God’s grace and miraculous power be demonstrated over evil all around and in us.
5. Encounter God’s love and receive healing prayers.
6. Paradigm Shifts: Move from “my church” to the church. From going to be in church to being on mission wherever we go. From koinonia (fellowship among us) to ekklesia (called to represent God and His kingdom in earth). From fear and apathy to bringing hope. Christ is victoriously resurrected. We work for a good future. This pivotal moment in history is our opportunity.
7. “Big Mo” - build positive momentum: disagree with negativity and familiarity. Replace them by looking for the good and praising it. Bring change from inside out. Show honor to what/who is honorable rather than just criticizing what/who is imperfect. Be a peacemaker and problem solver—salt and light in the world.
8. Persevere in prayer and service: It takes 5x as much energy to make steam as to get to the boiling point so don’t quit.
9. Become a worshiper-sing and speak God’s Word: Psalm 2:7 I will declare the decree of the Lord. Jesus said to pray like this: “Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as in heaven.”