Overflowing With Thankfulness

Col 2:6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

There are two very powerful spiritual, foundational truths here ^^.

1.  It all starts with our faith in Christ/acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ in repentance and faith:

a.  you received Christ Jesus as Lord,
b.  continue to live your lives in him,
c. 7rooted and built up in him,
d.  strengthened in the faith as you were taught

You do not get to number 2 without number 1 a-d above ^^

What is foundational, powerful spiritual truth number 2?

2.  Overflowing with thankfulness

Why is number 2 such a big deal?  Because it automatically includes number 1 and this combination of number 1 and number 2 above leads to number 3 below:

Psalm 22:3  But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.


What happens when we give thanks, when we praise our Lord?  His presence and power show up.  He inhabits the praises of His people.  Wherever He is, His power accompanies Him. What is it the people in the Churches, cities and nations need right now?  The presence and power of our Lord Jesus Christ in their midst.  The problems we are facing as a collective people were caused by kicking Him out so the solution is to bring Him back in to His rightful place at the very center of our being, our lives, our world.  That's it, problem solved.

Yes, this world has a problem.  The problem is when our Lord is kicked out, this move in:

Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.


Right now, principalities and powers and rulers of the darkness of this world are running the show.  These things respect one thing only: raw spiritual power.  Thats it.  To turn things around a spiritual boot needs to be placed on their neck to squeeze the life out of them.  One does not put a spiritual boot on the neck of evil principalities through presidential elections or any other form of earthly, worldly endeavor.  It is accomplished in Christ and through Christ alone.  It starts with Colossians 2:6 above.

grace and peace

No Reason To Fear

Yesterday as I was asking the Lord once again, "So what's going to happen Lord" (I just cant help myself), He answered once again.  If you read the article on Christian Apostasy "Welcome to 2016" it was explained what the Lord told me about this year:  "this year you are going to trust me."  He elaborated with:

 Heb 10:38 And, "But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back."

The reason behind constantly pestering our Lord with "whats going to happen" questions is watching what is happening to this world and anticipating what happens next.  Thanks be to our God, yesterday He answered with something along the lines of 'His people have no reason to fear what this world fears.'  This world has every reason to fear in anticipation of what is coming.  We do not.

Matt 6:25Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

What is He saying?  Stop worrying, stop anticipating what will happen tomorrow.  He keeps His eyes on us, we are to keep our eyes on Him.  Its that simple.   

Isaiah 26:3You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you

We are going to trust Him, period.  Regardless of how we feel, regardless of what the news says, regardless of current events we are going to trust Him.

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these
is love.

All three of these: faith, hope and love are woven together in this trust we have in our Lord.  Yes, He sees and understands everything that is going on in your life and in this world.  No, He is not surprised by any of it.  He sees and understands the end from the beginning.  As out of control as things seem, they are under perfect control.  What exactly is going on in the world around us that the Lord did not tell us would happen?  All of it, yes, all of it was foretold thousands of years ago.  He who told us what would happen also watches over us night and day.  He does not sleep, He does not take lunch breaks, nor does He go on vacation.  He is 'on the job' watching over us every second of every day.  We are to keep our eyes on Him.  We are to listen for His voice and do exactly precisely every thing He tells us to do without arguing or complaining.  Thats how this works.

Stop worrying.  Trust Him.  Stay filled with faith, hope and love and watch what happens.  We will not be disappointed.

Glory to the Lord our God, Who is, Who was, and Who is to come, the Almighty.

Be Still

Psalm 46:10He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.”

The Lord has instructed this brother over the past year or so about the importance of certain aspects of our walk.  I will list them here as it is a combination of things that has been required for this brother:

1.  Psalm 46:10 Be still
2.  Matt 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
3. 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.

4.  Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.


Another way of saying number 4 above is there must be nothing in our heart, mind or spirit that causes offense to the Spirit of the Lord.  Our thoughts tend to wander here and there and everywhere but we really need to put a fence up around our mind.  Our thoughts must be constrained by 1. stillness, saying nothing 2.  rebuking errant thoughts that come into our minds, taking captive every thought.  This is a big deal.  The Lord only knows how much trouble we cause ourselves for passively accepting all kinds of thoughts that come into our heads from the enemy, this world, the flesh etc.  Our thought life must become active.

We must recognize that the Lord is right there reading every single word that flashes across our mind like a giant teleprompter.  He is aware of every time we nod our head yes or shake our head no to these thoughts that cross our mind.  He is aware of every time something disagreeable to the Spirit enters our mind and we are okay with it.  If its not okay with Him it should not be okay with us.  Take it captive by saying in your mind "I take that thought captive in obedience to my Lord Jesus Christ and I cast it out, I reject it" or something of that nature.

Is it "work" to make you thought life active instead of passive?  You bet it is, yes it takes effort.  What did the Lord say?

Phil 2:12
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.


Yes, the Lord said work our your own salvation in spite of what the churches of Babylon have told you.  We play a part in our salvation.  Yes, there is work required of us.

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:


Todays churches love the by grace part and they unanimously leave out the through faith part.  Now lets extend this a little further, what else has the Lord said?  James 2:17Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

We are saved by grace though faith and faith without works is dead.  I did not say that, the Lord God did.  Where have the churches of Babylon gone so wrong?

The "works of the law" here:

Romans 3:28  For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.


 does not equate to the "works of faith" here:

James 2:17Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

This mental effort is a work of faith that produces fruit acceptable to our Lord.  We need to learn to say less in our own minds, to practice this being still before the Lord.  What we do say in our minds or what is said into our minds must be self censored.  There must be nothing within us that causes offense to the Spirit of the Lord.

These things ^^ have been a work in progress within this nobody who writes to you today.  These words are shared with you for your consideration as you walk with the Lord.

May the face of the Lord shine upon you, may He grant you peace.

brother d

A Lesson In Miracles

If you are in Christ, the only way you could be there is to first believe in miracles.  Our faith is founded on the fact that our Lord died for our sins, was raised from the dead and now sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven.  Each person that believes and receives Christ Jesus our Lord is a miracle and believes in miracles in this day and age so this idea that the Lord does not perform miracles anymore is garbage.

We need to carefully examine what it is we said yes to when we accepted the Lord Jesus into our lives as God and Savior.  What did we say yes to?  What this world considers impossible, namely:

1.  Our Lord died, then was raised from the dead on the third day walked among the people of this world (again) then ascended into heaven.

Now really think about this ^^.  According to this worlds reasoning once our Lord went into that grave it was over, the end.  But what does our faith and His Word say?  Our faith and His Word say going into that grave was the beginning.  This is a pattern that is followed to this very day.  Our miracle first must go into the grave and seemingly die.  Once the world considers it dead that is the beginning of your miracle.  Then the Lord raises what was once considered dead to life.

Consider seed planted in the ground.  One does not plant seed that is not first dried out and considered 'dead' but we all know and now take for granted that the only way for seed to bear fruit in the future is for it first to wither and dry out (death before life.)  The first thing we do in our Christian walk is get baptized.  Why?  Death comes before life.

Romans 6:3Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

If you believe in Jesus Christ as Lord today you already believe in miracles.  You already believe and know that death comes before life.  You already embrace the pattern and the miracle.  So now in your walk with the Lord, as you pray and believe for your own miracles you embrace the same power, the same pattern the Lord established for us in the beginning.  Please understand that each and every prayer answered is in itself a miracle (there are no 'small' miracles.)  We take for granted that the Lord answers our prayer when we do not recognize their significance as miracles in themselves.  When power and provision is transferred from the unseen spiritual world to the seen physical world, thats a miracle and it happens routinely on a daily basis as our Lord works in our lives.

The lesson here is that you are not believing something above and beyond when you ask for answered prayer/miracles in this physical world because the foundation of your faith is based on a greater miracle than anything you can ask for in your present circumstances.  Our souls ( of immeasurable worth) are saved (and we believe this without questioning) through faith in Christ's our Lord's death and resurrection.  How much more does our Lord act in other miracle working ways in our life in matters and affairs of less consequence?

Our Lord God Almighty is working miracles and answering prayers on behalf of His children right now today as much or more than He every has.  This miracle working power is for us, His Children, for us, His Bride.  We access the power and presence and provision of our Lord through the same faith that saved us (the first miracle that sets up all the rest afterward.)

Glory to God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

May the grace, peace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ be upon you today.

Moving Your Mountain

This is another miracle scripture to bring back to the Lord in prayer and faith and to meditate on day and night as you are asking for answered prayers and miracles:

Matt 17:19Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”^e

There has been debate over what "this mountain" is but I would say to you it is anything in your life that is seemingly immovable, it is anything you need or need done that human hands and effort cannot accomplish.  What does the Lord say about moving mountains?  First, He encourages us with this:

For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain

^^why did He tell us this?  To encourage us.  He knows we are weak, He knows we are under attack from the flesh, the enemy and this world.  So what does He tell us?  Let us consider what He did not tell us.  He did not tell us "you must have mountain sized faith to move a mountain."  He did not say that.  He said mustard seed sized faith will move that mountain....Our Lord is/was trying to encourage us not to give up.  When we are wondering "do I have enough faith for this?"  Surely you at least have mustard seed sized faith? 

So can you move your mountain?  With faith about this size ^^, yes you can...

Now consider this:

Psalm 77:10Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:

the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.

11I will remember the deeds of the Lord;

yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.

12I will consider all your works

and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”

13Your ways, God, are holy.

What god is as great as our God?

14You are the God who performs miracles;

you display your power among the peoples.

Notice the Words :  I will remember, I will remember, I will consider, I will meditate.

What has the Lord already done?  Remember, consider, meditate on these things and build your faith up in them.

Matt 7:7“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

The Lord cannot lie, this is what He said ^^.  We can become impatient and we can give up first before the Lord answers but the Lord cannot lie and the Lord does answer just as He said He would.

The work of this servant is to testify to what has already been written and already been done by the Lord.  The work is to confirm the Word of the Lord exactly as it was written.  The Lord said it, He meant it, and the experience of this servant confirms and establishes the fact that the Word of the Lord can be trusted.

This servant has been through the fire.  This servant has asked and received through the Word of the Lord faith, and patience not because there is anything special about him.  This servant has seen the answers to prayer and miracles performed at least in part as a testimony to YOU:

Matt 7:7“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Our God is alive, is fully active answering prayers and performing miracles for His people as much or more today than He ever was.  Can anyone show me in the Bible where the Lord said "as of such and such date I stopped working miracles for my people?"

This message written to you comes from someone who has experienced the pain and suffering of patience and waiting for the Lord to answer.  This servant has seen the seeming death of my miracles right before my eyes and yet something (the Spirit of the Lord) rose up within and said THIS IS NOT OVER YET.

The Lord has given us a book of instructions and patterns to follow.  The miracle pattern repeats itself over and over again.  We ask in faith, we wait and suffer in patience then we see the seeming death of our miracle to which we have to respond "this will not end in the death of my miracle" then our miracle is delivered to us.

Two examples of this pattern are 1.  Israel at the Red Sea, Pharaoh is bearing down on them and they are trapped.  It is the seeming death of their miracle of escape from Egypt but did they die or did they escape?  Another example is the sisters going to Jesus to heal Lazarus, instead the Lord waits to see Lazarus until he is dead so the sisters, the apostles and all of us would learn that apparent death does not mean "this ends in death" no the Lord said specifically "this will not end in death."  Lazarus was raised from the dead, that situation did not end in death

John 11:1Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2(This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

4When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

Did Lazarus die?  Yes, that is part of the process but did it end in death?  No it did not.

When our 'Lazarus' dies, most people give up which is why most people do not see miracles.  Faith, patience, the Word of the Lord and life can be and will be restored from death in your situation as well.  Ask, seek, knock, why?  Because everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

It takes faith the size of a mustard seed to move your mountain, and it may take some time, some patience, faith, prayer and yes this means we will suffer in the process but to what end?  To the end of answered prayer, or miracles delivered on our behalf resulting in a testimony and growing the cloud of witnesses who say YES, AMEN OUR GOD IS ALIVE AND OUR GOD DELIVERS TODAY AS MUCH AS HE EVER HAS.

If we do not give up, we will have what we ask of Him.  He cannot lie, He gave us His Word for a reason:

1 John 5:13I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

Grace and peace be multiplied to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ

Needs Before Wants

A quick note from the Lord concerning answer to prayer.  When we pray and the Lord answers He gives us what we need before what we want. 

Hebrews 10:36 

... For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. ...

Hebrews 5:12 

... For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have ...

Luke 12:30 

... For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and
your Father knows that you have need of these things. ...
grace and peace

A Watching Prayer 9.12.15

Lord we take your Word seriously.  You said:

Mark 13:32“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Be on guard! Be alert^e ! You do not know when that time will come. 34It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

35“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ ”

You told us to watch, we are watching.  I pray for and with all those who pray this prayer with me now that this prayer will be entered into the heavenly record and remembered on the day you come back for us.  Lord, for all those in Christ, for our families and ourselves we pray that we will be found watching and not sleeping when you show up for us.

We must be found as faithful, obedient, watching servants Lord, help us.  We look forward in joyful expectation to your arrival Lord.  May we all be able to rejoice on the day you come back for us and none of us be ashamed.  All glory and honor and power be yours forever and ever.  AMEN