Monday, January 14, 2013

God Is At Work!!!!




It is amazing how God can work in our lives. Just a few weeks ago I was in quite the physical and emotional mess. From about, July to October, I started a downward spiral. From October to the end of the year, I was in complete shut down mode.

I gained a lot of weight, shooting up to 308 at my highest point. I was really depressed, always sick and was generally a mess.

I would give more detail but my wife, and I think she is right, says I have to cut back on putting all my stuff out there and being too open. I love her, she is so wise and doesn't even realize it I think.

The Lord gave me a vision back in October, showing me that it was going to be a hard few months, that His Spirit was the only way I would get through, and just to drive forward to the end of the year.

On New Years eve, with the fullness of 2012, and really the last 20 years in some areas concerning my ministry walk, my christian walk, coming to a head, I had every opportunity to just say, "God failed me, 2012 did not come out as prophesied, we didn't receive a harvest, the ground was hard all year, nothing changed, everything seemed to have failed". The hardest part was the temptation to say, "The Word failed me, God failed me".

I was at work, doing a job that does not bless my soul or spirit. I knew there was a great service going on at church, my family was home bringing in the new year without me, and I was in the same place, in a worse place in some ways than the year before. I really didn't want to hear another NYE service of promises anyway. 2012 didn't work out too well.

But!! God showed up. I clicked on a link and saw that CCC (Christian Cultural Center in NYC) was having a live feed. I started to listen. And God showed up some more. I thanked God for getting me through the last three months of pain and trial, and God showed up some more. I gave my attention to The Word as if I was sitting in NYC listening to Pastor Bernard Live, and you guessed it. GOD SHOWED UP SOME MORE!!

By the time the service was over, and what a service it was, I was full of The Spirit! Something Lifted off of me and I was set free from something that was keeping me bound.

The anointing on me was so powerful. For those who don't know what that is, to put it simply, it is the tangible presence/power of God, gods power on earth to accomplish His Will. Like electricity is power in the natural, think of The Anointing as Power in The Spirit.(But NOT spiritual energy, like new agers dabble in. It is Gods presence and Power, it belongs solely to Him and Him alone)

Anyway, it doesn't end there. I then listened to a service from ALCC here in Syracuse. Called Recompense and Reward. I was well prepared by The Spirit of God to receive the promises of God for the coming year. I don't know if I would have been in the place to receive it if I had not been stuck at work, and "forced" to listen to CCC live feed, instead of being at my church for the service.

When I saw what God was doing and what He had done. Something again broke over me on The Spirit.

Do I know why I had to suffer so much up this point, not fully, but I do know, He was in it with me. Have I had struggles since that night, yes, but I do know I am heading out of the valley toward a glorious mountain top. Has the enemies that bound me for all that time tried to reach their dark little fingers into this year and drag me back, oh yeah, but, Gods anointing has freed me, and they have no claim or hook on me anymore.

Oh The Precious Blood Of Jesus!!!!!!

I share this with you because I want you to know that He is a Faithful God. Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on earth and He really is with you forever, even unto the end of the age. He has not left you. I know some of you are looking around and thinking, you don't know what I am dealing with, you don't know what I have done, you don't know the temptations I deal with every day. You don't know the thoughts I fight, the darkness I feel.

I sure do. And most importantly Jesus does. The Word says He was tempted in EVERY WAY. He is able to understand, help you and SET YOU FREE!! Matter of fact, he has already set you free, if you have accepted Him as Lord and Savior!!! 

My Pastor today, his book, which I highly recommend, is to the right on the sidebar, gave us a "homework" assignment it was to meditate and speak out loud a scripture from Philippians. I leave you with that scripture in a few different version. Make it personal. Say God is at work IN ME.......

I like the first one the best!!!


Philippians 2:13
New Living Translation (NLT)

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.


Philippians 2:13
New International Version (NIV)

For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.



Philippians 2:13
Amplified Bible (AMP)

 [Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while [a]effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and [b]delight.