Dear Partner

It seems just like the other day that I wrote that the year 2012 is almost over… and here we are at the end of 2013. And what an awesome year it has been! We have seen so many people saved this year, and we have heard countless testimonies celebrating the Great Grace and Abounding Favour of our Lord.

When the Lord gave us the word for this year, we received it with joy. One of the very important things to remember when the Lord gives us a promise for the year is that this does not mean that what we are focused on will come to an end because the year has ended.

What I have learnt is that what we focus on and give attention to will manifest. Remember    Romans 10:17,

          So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

It stands to reason that we will have faith only for that which we have heard. So, I believe that when the Lord gives us a word for the year, it is something that He is asking us to focus on, develop our faith in that area by studying His Word and meditating on His promises concerning these things so that we are ready to use it as a foundation and part of building the next phase of our lives.

We saw in Acts 4:33,

           And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of                                          the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.

We also learnt in Romans 5:17,

          For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much                                           more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of                                                 righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)

We recognised that grace is available and that it is to be received by faith.

We also see in Psalms 5:12,

          For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favour You will 
          surround him as with a shield.

As born again children of God we have been made the righteousness of God. Favour surrounds us as God pours out His great grace. That grace is available to meet every need in our lives.                    2 Corinthians 9:8,

          And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you,
          always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

Now more than ever, do not let go of the promises of God. Hold fast to the confession of your hope (Hebrews 10:23) and remember Hebrews 11:1,

          Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things
          not seen.

The grace of our Lord is everlasting. His favour is for a lifetime (Psalm 30:5). Rejoice that as we get ready to enter into a new year that we are going to see Great Grace and Abounding Favour continue to manifest in awesome ways.

Keep your faith alive for this and get ready as our Lord takes into greater dimensions of His Glory.

When you sow your seed this month, remember that you are part of a global calling to preach the Word of God around the earth. Declare boldly, “Great grace abounds in my life and His favour surrounds me. I continue to see all sufficiency in all things and I have abundance for every good work. I am blessed. All glory to you Lord. Thank you, Father.”

Please remember that Janine and I love you dearly and pray for you every day.

You are blessed!

Jesus is Lord,

Dear Partner

In our last letter we started having a look at what to do when the pressures that come against us start to weigh really heavy.  We have all been in a place where our faith is strong and fired up because of a great time in the Word of God in a meeting or after listening to a really inspiring message.  And then, I am sure, we have all felt what it feels like when problem after problem has hit us and seems like we have been hanging on by our fingernails.  What happens at that moment… when it seems like the only question is “What now…?”

Last time we looked at 4 of 7 major things that I believe we can do to step into our victory.  When I don’t know what else to do, then I want to,

1) Count it all joy (James 1:2-4, Nehemiah 8:10c),

2) Saturate myself in the Word of God (Romans 10:17),

3) Speak the Word (Romans 10:8) and,

4) Renew my mind to the Word of God (Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

The next three things to do are,

5) Act on the Word

Once I have renewed my mind to what God has said on the issue, I want to put it into motion.  If all I have is faith without action, then that very faith is considered “dead faith”.  Look at James 2:17,

 …faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

God has promised that He will work in our lives, but He requires of us to be moving when He does. The way I see it is that it is easier to turn a moving ship than one that is standing still.  Even if my life is headed “north” and I need to go “south”, when I start to move “north” I can apply the pressure of the Word of God as a rudder that will turn my life “south”.  I act as though my life is already in line with the promise of the Word of God… and when I do, God is able to bring it to pass.

6) Pray regularly

Firstly, remember that the only way we receive is by asking.  Jesus said in John 16:24,

Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

Now of course, we don’t keep asking for the same thing.  Jesus also taught us in Mark 11:24,

Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

So, I continue praying in the Holy Spirit and in thanksgiving until I see the manifestation (Philippians 4:6, Colossians 4:2, Romans 8:26).

7) Sow Seed

The only way to produce a harvest is through seed!  And the greatest seed that I can sow is the Word of God into someone else’ life.  Jesus told us in Mark 4:14,

The sower sows the word.

Every time that I give into a ministry that is preaching the Word of God, I am sowing seed (2 Corinthians 9:6-7).  And we have the promise of God in Galatians 6:7,

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

As we faithfully stay consistent with these 7 guidelines, I believe that you will see your harvest manifesting very soon!  You will get through the storm and come out the other side victorious!

When you sow your seed this month, lay your hands on it and declare, out loud, “I am sowing the Word of God.  I believe every promise of God and I declare that my God is faithful to complete what He has promised.”

Janine and I love you dearly and pray for you every day.

God has blessed you richly!

Jesus is Lord,

 

My notes to share, from the message "Activate" taught by Dr. Allan Bagg

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I am a steward of the "mysteries of God". (1 Cor. 4:1-2) We are stewards over everything God gave us. The work God called us to do, is work He needs done. Stewards are to be found "faithful". Faithfulness can't be taught, it is caught.

• What is Faithfulness?
- We are not good. God is good! We should honor God with our lives and not use rationale to excuse our shortcomings.
"Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, But who can find a faithful man?" Prov. 20:6
- We should endeavor or strive to be "faithful".
"And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." 2 Tim. 2:2
"And the [instructions] which you have heard from me along with many witnesses, transmit and entrust [as a deposit] to reliable and faithful men who will be competent and qualified to teach others also." 2 Tim. 2:2 (AMP)

- One aspect of faithfulness is to be "Full of Faith".

• Transforming into Faithfulness:
(1) "Know when to keep your mouth shut."
Whether in counseling/leadership/home, some things are confidential. We don't keep secrets but some things are private.
Example given: When we are told a secret to keep but revealing the 'secret' to one person we can 'trust', but we all have one person who we 'trust'...before we know, we all know the 'secret'. "If the person you are talking to, is not really part of the solution, then keep your mouth shut."
"A talebearer reveals secrets, But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter." Prov. 11:13

(2) "Minister strength to your Pastor/Church/Home Cell."
Speak to build up and edify and declare the Word of God. We represent the authority over us and we promote the vision we are under.
"If you want to kill a man's vision, give him another." - Dr. Allan Bagg
"A wicked messenger falls into trouble, But a faithful ambassador brings health." Prov. 13:17

(3) "Always speak the Truth."
Walk in Truth. A lie is connected to the "Father of lies." (satan) If a person does not abide in the truth, then they are serving the Kingdom of darkness.
"A faithful witness does not lie, But a false witness will utter lies." Prov. 14:5

(4) "The Faithful doesn't have to proclaim his/her goodness but it will be revealed. He/She is humble." Acknowledge that God is doing the work. Being humble is, "submitting yourself under the almighty God." 1 Peter 5:6
"Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, But who can find a faithful man?" Prov. 20:6

• Rewards of Faithfulness
To be continued next week...

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Pls. like or share this post...use in Home Cell. This is my personal notes on what was taught on Sunday. Feel free to comment below and ad your notes?)

 

 

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