The Tree and The Word

How did listening to this book cause me to see this tree in a whole new light? I am still processing the views and truths I have received from the book. I highly recommend it, even though I am not sure if I totally embrace everything taught in it.  I can say that everything taught in it is worth considering and praying over to see where we can understand Gods Ways and Word better by laying aside our own bias and Western thinking minds. 

I have been admiring this tree in my front yard for over a week now. Each day it seem to bloom brighter and grow more beautiful.  The picture really doesn't do it justice . It has opened up in a spectacular way this year. My wife and I both commented to each other how we cant believe how full and dense the blooms are, especially since last year there were hardly any blooms and what did bloom was short lasting and unimpressive.  

 One day , shortly after reading the above book, my attention was drawn to this flowering crabapple tree blooming brightly outside my window. I stirred up my spirit and and began to consider how this could be made into a parable about God's Plans. I was going to cut this tree down a few times over the past few years because it wasn't much of a tree most of the time. 

 I believe prayer sometimes is in our seeking. God answers us and communes with us in our own internal conversations and we seek wisdom from the world around us. (I believe this is one way God gave Solomon such wisdom) This is how my internal conversation went and the outcome of it. 

Wow that tree is amazing this year. I am so glad I didn't cut it down. Could it be a prophetic example of God's faithfulness to bring harvest into our lives? To renew what was thought dying or lost? Could it be that the blooms of this year, and what is sure to be an abundance of apples in the fall, is a sign of a coming rich harvest in our lives? 

Hmmm, I wonder. But, this is, although beautiful, just a crab apple tree. There may be an abundant harvest of apples, but they are tiny inedible apples, that really just hang on the branches until they finally rot off in the mid winter. Well, that doesn't sound much like an exciting parable. Yeah, it is pretty now, but soon will be just a crab apple tree with a lot of useless fruit on it. 

Then some of the truths of the book above came up in my heart. Am I thinking about this entirely the wrong way? Am I discounting something God is trying to show me, just because I will not personally eat the fruit of this tree? Am I just thinking about me, my needs and what this tree provides for me? 

Look at all the bumble bees in this tree. I have never seen so many bumble bees around here. They are acting like they found a treasure chest. It is almost like they have sent out the call that a major reserve of their precious pollen has been found.  What impact on the ecosystem will this treasure trove of  bumble bee gold be? Our little tree here is a precious recourse to not only these bees but every part of the area eco-system will benefit from these amazing blooms. 

When the blooms turn to tiny apples, the neighborhood deer come along and eat the ones they can reach, and the bunnies, squirrels and other critters, snag the ones that fall. 

This years spectacular blooms are not just so I can enjoy its beauty for a short period of time , but they will bless so many things, for an unknown amount of time, that go far beyond this time of spring renewal.  Those bumble bees seem to know that. They are hard at work, in a harvest field that is greater than they can possibly deplete. They seem to know this is a special harvest season. Could they know?? Those bees, those amazing bees. 

 

 

 

Matthew McConaughey University of Houston Speech

 

My Strength Is Made Perfect In Your Weakness

Lets lay the foundation of this post with scripture. Really embrace these scripture and open your heart up to them. If there is a word I have for The Body of Christ today, it is, lay down your sword soldiers and let The Lord fight for you. No, not The Sword of The Sprit, but the sword of The Flesh and The Strength of Man.  Embrace the humble , kind, gentle fruit of The Spirit and lay aside the need to look strong. Leave your ego where it belongs, nailed with the flesh on the cross. 

 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 NKJV

8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Psalm 28:7

The Lord is my strength and shield.
    I trust him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
    I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

Psalm 29:11    
The Lord gives his people strength.  The Lord blesses them with peace.

Psalm 37:17
For the strength of the wicked will be shattered, but the Lord takes care of the godly.

Psalm 84:5
What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord, who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

2 Thessalonians 3:3
But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.

Jeremiah 17:7
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord.

The Lord is calling His people to come away from the world and the ways of man. He is calling His people to follow Him. He is calling His people to return to the first things, the key things, the Kingdom Things that will set the world on fire with His Spirit.  The Lord is crying out to His Church pleading with her to come away from the things she has been being adulterous with and once again commit her ways unto Him. 

I see a world full of people trying to win their way. I see battles between "religious Christian Conservatives" and entities of the world that are consuming the attention of millions of Christians. I see many churches wrapped up in the affairs of man so badly they have no room for mercy, forgiveness, kindness and the love of ones enemies. A multitude of souls are tied up in knots, worry, fret and suspicion because they either have walked into a trap with eyes wide open or have been led there by misguided and troubled leaders. Our battle is not with the world. 

Our battle is not with carnal weapons. However, because so many fear looking weak, or suffering, or being persecuted for righteousness sake, they have wielded the sword of the flesh instead if yielding to The Holy Spirit. Like Saul they see what seems to be a delay in The Lords promise, and they have forsaken the meek ways of The Lord and have trusted in the ways of man. 

I know, it can be hard to lay down all we think we are entitled to and deserve. I know , it can make us feel vulnerable, weak, powerless and defeated at times to not fight back, to turn the other cheek. However it is our call, it is our duty, and it is the only way The Lord can trust us with His Greater Works.  

It is a journey many are on. It is a journey I am on. I wish I could say I am winning every battle and passing every test, but I am not. I can say, with every stumble , I am learning. With every slip I am adjusting and with every temporary defeat, The Lord is gracious and is strengthening me to go on. 

We not only feel vulnerable when we strip off the armor of the flesh and soul, we are also open to the raw senses of each attack. It can be frightening, it can be heartbreaking. Falling into that sin, or that thought pattern, or that fear or that depression can make us want to give up. We can assume He is not coming through for us and reach out to cover ourselves with those fig leaves we have kept close by, just in case.   

I challenge you believer, go before The Lord daily naked and unashamed. That is what that scripture means to the believer. You are washed by His Blood. The Father Himself loves you. You do not need to go before him covered by anything to hide your weaknesses. He knows them. He still loves you and He is not ashamed to call you his son or daughter. 

Sometimes the clothing we use to cover ourselves in the presence of God and man is our own self confidence. Yes, pride, ego, machismo, personal strength and motivation. We stand proud and strong that we have educated and re-educated our minds, we carry the banner of excellence and integrity high above us as we walk into the courts of God and man.  However as long as we are putting our trust and confidence in any of those things, we can not receive all that The Lord needs us and so wants us to have.  

I am purposely trying not to mention any current events, but they are filled people who either confess to know Christ and really do not, or people who are truly born again, fighting battles they should not be fighting, with weapons they should not be using, in arenas they should not be dwelling in.  They have put all their time, recourses and energy in, not bringing The Gospel of The Kingdom to The World, but to try and put make up and jewelry on a dead, decaying world that is turning to ash and will soon burn into eternity.  The world system is not redeemable, It is on a strict timeline with one end, and only one end, to pass away. 

We are not of this world. We are strangers, pilgrims, sojourners in this world. The World systems and governments will not be redeemed, they will pass away and be but a distant memory, a parable of the perversion and redemption of Gods Creation. 

We have millions of Christians, myself included, who have struggled and are struggling with The Call of God on our lives, because we have failed to see that our weaknesses, or uniqueness, our peculiar and strange ways(meaning to the fallen world) are actually what should define us.  

I look back on my life at all the battles I have had and noticed with every loss, every fall, every slip and every time I turned my back on God, I was in a place where I was trying to meet a need that I didn't see being met by God or man. I was trying to cover the shame of my nakedness, shame, weaknesses and pain with the fig leaves of other things, instead of relying on the grace and love of God.

For decades I kept going to the past in my mind and heart. I spent 25 years fretting and stewing over the what ifs. Especially in a couple of areas, that it is embarrassing to share about , but I am unashamed of my story and His work in it. 

I have had a battle with sexuality since I was a very young child. From some terrible memories, to being exposed to extreme pornography at a young age, to an addiction to masturbation from my preteen years and far beyond. I was a hot mess and at that age I had reasons to be.  During my mid teen years until I was 18, were some very difficult times in my life. 

I will not go into detail, I will place a link below for that part of my story. 

I have always looked on those years as being so bad for my mind and soul. It was almost as if I would look to the past, in order to somehow , only in my mind, prove I was manly, not a impotent oddball. I was to the point of obsession, with trying to go back to those years in my mind and fix them. Facebook made it worse, because with that, we can haunt our past with a few clicks of the keyboard.  

I must have brought this up to The Lord hundreds of times over the years as I continued to struggle with sexual temptation. Most of the time the conversation with go something like this. 

"Lord I am messed up because of those years and my childhood trauma. If I was just allowed to "sow my wild oats" like all my friends did, I would have not ended up going deeper into sin to try and make up for it and comfort my soul. It would have quelled the trauma of what happened to me as a toddler and fixed me"

There are other things that came against my wife and I shortly after marrying that shut down any activity for a few years. So those years were usually added to the complaint. That full on attack of the enemy against my wife's health and my soul, was intense and long.  

God would always say, what you look at as a curse, and a weakness and a shame, was actually my sovereign grace protecting you. What you see as a weakness was actually a strength you couldn't recognize because of the ways of the world and fallen man.  What you look at as being a part of the problem , was intended to guard you and set you aside.  

  Could it be that we spend our whole lives trying to be or do something, failing over and over, and it be God that is allowing us to fail, or even causing us to fail in some mysterious way? All while we beat ourselves up for not being strong enough, or faithful enough, or brave enough? I can testify to the fact, that God indeed does hobble us, in a way, in order to guard the path of our lives that were ordained long before we were born. 

 I know we are getting into things that do not necessarily apply to everyone at the same level. It seems some people can work at what job comes their way, live in whatever city they feel like living in and attend any church, or not attend, and seemingly have a real relationship with Christ and are excelling in life with no roadblocks. 

However there are some who are called to a very specific path, a very specific time and a very specific people. Many times, I believe anyway, God will do different things on the earth and from within the person to ultimately bring about His will through them, even if it means allowing a weakness or persistent failure to do so.

 If a believer is so caught up in the world, and themselves, they will never realize that the angels are around them, helping them. They will not be able to see God's hand working in their lives. They will see all uncomfortable and painful things as weaknesses to be eradicated, instead of opportunities to be made perfect in God's strength.

 They do not realize that the act of surrender, even if that surrender means being vulnerable and admitting natural weakness , is an act of supreme obedience and great power. They may see the wicked flourishing and instead of putting their full trust in The Lord , they join the battles of the world. They get themselves in between the fight of two dogs. They puff themselves up with pride and take on the carnal weapons, seeing Gods spiritual weapons as weak and powerless. They do not realize that the only way to fight , is to remove themselves from the fight. They fear by surrendering to the Lord and coming out of the carnal battles and systems of man, they are somehow giving up.  

The Lord is calling His people to come out of the ways of the world. He is calling His leaders to lead His Flock into the green pastures of The Spirit.  It is only when we remove ourselves from the ways of carnal man and the influence of The Anti-Christ that we can truly abide in Christ. We can not abide in The Spirit while transgressing Gods Word with our words and actions. We can not trust in chariots and then cry out for Gods Power. We can not rail against leaders and have the anointing to intercede that God turns their hearts. We can not trust in riches, comfort and worldly systems and also receive the greater things of Gods Provision and Spirit.  

Many times the journey to full reliance upon The Lord and the supernatural, resurrection power of God has to begin with The Lord allowing us to lay over in a place of what we will see as weakness and vulnerability. He will allow the "prophet" to delay his arrival to see if we will commit the sin of Saul. He will allow a vacuum of the soul to see if we will turn to the soothsayers of our day.  He may hobble us to see if we will continue to fight according to The Word. He may allow the wicked to rule to see if you will joyfully continue to serve him and not attack those he has allowed to rule for a time. 

He may allow all of these at once, not to cause you to fail, but so that you can see that it is okay to be in a place of natural weakness and powerlessness. Where in the natural you are powerless to change anything on your own, and to make things worse if you try. Where all of your own natural power and abilities are crucified with Christ, and the pain of being stripped and dead has been fully realized. Then you are in a place to know the power and fellowship of His Resurrection.    

Will you humble yourself as Jesus did? Will you lay down your right to be heard, to be right, to get your way, in order to walk in love, the full Love of Christ. When you pray, as Paul did, to know the fullness of the Love of Christ, do you realize what you are praying? Love is kind, gentle, not boastful, nor prideful, doesn't demand its own way. Love turns the other cheek. Love cares for and gives help to the enemy and stranger. Love sacrifices for those who hate us. 

.I had a vision once in prayer. I took off what seemed to be a shell covering my body that was keeping the Light and Power that God put in me hidden and inaccessible to my own mind and soul. It was if I could not operate in the gifts he placed in me. I felt the frustrations of the past few years building up, until at last I tore this shell off me. The rerelease of light, joy, power , love and freedom was something I thirsted for.  

1. A Poem

2. 
   Come out, Come out, from among the lost,
   Come out, Come out, and count the cost.
   
   There is a great shout, coming from above
   The SPIRIT of The Lord, crying out to His beloved
   
   Come out, Come out, from the worlds of men,
   Come out, Come out, and Be Born Again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
   
   There is a song coming straight from The throne
   The voice of a Father, calling His wandering ones home
   
   Come out, come out, from the darkness your in
   Come out , come out, and be cleansed from your sin
   
   
   Let our hearts be, one with The Lord
   Let our voices cry out what our spirits have heard
   
   Come out, Come out from among the lost
   Come out, Come out, and count the cost
   
   Come out, Come out, from the worlds of men,
   Come out, Come out, and be Born Again
   
   Come out, Come out, from the darkness your in
   Come out, Come out and be cleansed from your sin
   
   
   COME ALL THAT WILL,
   AND RECEIVE THE NEW BIRTH!!
   COME ALL THAT WILL,
   THE FATHER IS WAITING FOR THE PRECIOUS FRUIT OF THE EARTH!!!!!
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6. 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 NKJV

   8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

7. Read 2 Corinthians Chapters 11-13 with a heart to know The Lords heart concerning His Love and Will for us. Would anyone dare say Paul was weak and not relevant? Some did just that,  even in his day, because he did not battle using the weapons of man.

9. Link to the "my story" mentioned in the post CLICK HERE

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How to Let God Rewrite Your Story | Pastor Raquel Patterson | Abundantli...

Understanding Power Part 1

Prophetic instruction February 1, 2020 (Before The Pandemic)

 

The Mission, Message and Mandate

A big part of the services that the company I work for provides our client is making sure there are Business Continuity Plans in place for unexpected disruptions. The over reaching structure of the plan is organized at the national level, but has to be cooperated with and implemented at the local level. If a Site Manager like myself doesn't submit requested information , or doesn't cooperate with changes in the plan, then the entire plan will fall apart.

Having this mindset allowed our client to empty offices of tens of thousands of employees, across the nation, as the pandemic emerged, with just minor interruptions of thier work flow.

With what we learned , we are now able to run once large offices filled with hundreds, and some with thousands of employees, as our clients employees operate almost fully remotely. Our client could not operate as they are required to without our services , mainly because of the Continuity and Contingency plans we have in place.

If you are a Pastor over a church, especially if you are over a series of churches, make sure you have a ministry continuity plan. If you have a non-profit, make sure you also have the plan in place.

Ministry , unlike a business or a job, is given by God . It is imperative that every Christian Ministry has a plan and mindset in place , to continue being The Church, and Gods hands extended, even if everything changes, funding dries, or normal communications are interrupted.

I see a period of time coming where all ministry, if only for a season, will return to the base of the church, the pillar and ground of the truth. Be open to that. Pastors, be open to that. Outreach founders, be open to that. Meet regularly with your contacts and fellow ministers that you do your ministry with. Coordinate with those contacts you have. Have a solid continuity plan in place so that , as much as possible, you are able to continue ministering to the people and bringing peace to thier lives.

We have a plan in place that ensures if one region goes down, all that work and forms will be diverted to another. If one office goes down, there is another office ready to pick up the work load.

In ministry have the same thing. Most importantly, have FAITH. If all modern luxuries and technologies were taken away, The Gospel is never chained. If all grants and funding go away, God is still a provider for what He call us to do. If everything that defines what you built your non-profit or church to accomplish, becomes obsolete because of travel or monetary restrictions, The Gospel must and will continue to go forward.

This next part may seem off topic, but it is not,

When we bring The Ministry back to the foundation of what Jesus was sent to reveal, create, expose and establish, we will be preaching The Gospel of The Kingdom, purely and without filter.

I think one of the failures of the modern western church is that in error we have thought that by building programs, facilities and comfortable entertainment venues, that somehow we are prolonging the very real, very destructive end of all things.

This world is passing away. The wickedness that is being performed all over this planet is getting darker, and more powerful. That is not negative statement, it is the truth. The Kingdom of darkness is very comfortable in how it kills ,steals and destroys, with very little spiritual, authoritative resistance from much of The Church World.

Isaiah 60:2

 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,

And deep darkness the people;

But the Lord will arise over you,

And His glory will be seen upon you.

I think part of the reason for that is Mixed Missions, Mixed Messages and Mixed or Misunderstood Mandates.

I am not , I repeat, I am not saying there is no place for non profits that do not outwardly preach The Full Gospel. Jesus went about good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil. However, we can not mistake good works, public praise or even the natural success of those we are reaching out to with Preaching The Gospel of The Kingdom.

Matthew 5:14-16

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Listen, you can create a non-profit that eradicates poverty in your city and raises up brilliant young men and women. But, if they go into the world as unsaved as they were before, you have failed, if you laid aside the preaching of the gospel of salvation.

What good does it do to give a person the whole world, great success, life tools, if they lose thier own soul? Some say we preach the Gospel without saying a word. You cant, it isn't possible.

Matthew 16:21-28

²¹ From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.

²² Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”

²³ But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

²⁴ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. ²⁵ For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. ²⁶ For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. ²⁸ Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His

I think The Lord had a reason to make His Message a message of Words. A Mission to Go and TELL His Story. With a Mandated Authority to do so, with a promise to confirm those WORDS. A story about a fallen relationship, and evil enemy and a liberating King. Mankind is living under the oppression of a kingdom that encompasses the globe. Demonic forces are ravaging mankind in the most horrific ways. Darkness has fallen upon the earth and deep darkness the people. I know you dont see it from your comfy couch and your 200 dollar church chair as you sing worship songs without fear of being locked in and burned alive, but that, and even worse things are happening , to your family, your brothers and sisters, who are one body with you, right now.

 John 5:19-20

¹⁹ We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.

²⁰ And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life.

So what does this have to do with the topic I started on? Well, it may be, and I will not say this is a prophecy, but a spiritual observance of the landscape. that our false sense that we can rely on stuff, politics, technology, systems, nicely folded plans of keeping things balanced and clean, will be shaken down to the foundations. Comfortable humans have a way of ignoring the pain and storms around them, until that pain and storm effects them. Nobody in Washington or on the east coast cared much about the dust bowl, and in ignorance didn't realize the danger that it posed to them and the entire nation, until Washington DC was hit with a dust storm. What was happening in the west, because of ignorance and misunderstood farming practices, could have ended our nation as we know it, but, not many in Washington cared, until they had to.  

If you click on the picture you will find a very interesting article that may stir you prophetic vision and how a seemingly terrible sight can be Gods Mercy

We are not like the world. The day (the time) of The Lord, The Last Days, The Time of Trouble, should not take us by surprise as if we didn't know. The very real demonic entities that will become more active soon, should not cause us to fear, hide, or try and explain away thier existence in a message that is friendly to reporters, or the world. The darkness should not be able to overtake us or cause even a shadow in the light that shines from us. We should be like the wise ones that prepared and were ready.

Acts 11:28-29

²⁸ Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. ²⁹ Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea

If our light is dimmed, it is because we have taken The Gospel of The Kingdom and hidden it under a bowl, or within a sugar coated message, or under "our good works", or behind our secular funding that we would lose of we let The Light of Christ and The Gospel of His Kingdom shine fully. Or , and this is where many of us, myself included, have failed, we have hidden it inside our own fears of men.  

I will end here. Make a Ministry Continuity Plan in partnership with all your churches and ministry connections. Within that plan, make sure that if all else fails, you and your whole staff and church are comfortable with having The Gospel of The Kingdom being the only foundation they have to stand on.

Make sure The NAME OF JESUS holds more power and authority in thier hearts than any other name. Make sure The Great Commission is the only Mission that is allowed to stand, when all else does not.

Do not hold on to any Mission, Message or Mandate, that will cause you to replace, or lesson The Mission, Message and Mandate that was delivered to us In Gods Word. That Great Commission is the only hope for mankind, and the only Mission, Message and Mandate He is bound Himself to confirm. Most of all: Have FAITH that Jesus IS LORD over all The Earth! He has us and is not short on anything. He is faithful, able and more than willing to confirm His Plan!

Matthew 11:1-6

11 When Jesus had finished giving these instructions to his twelve disciples, he went out to teach and preach in towns throughout the region.

² John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, ³ “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”

⁴ Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen— ⁵ the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” ⁶ And he added, “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.”

Mark 16:14-20

 

14 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Christ Ascends to God’s Right Hand

19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.