Tag Archive for: anger

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit. What it is and Why You Need it?

Although all Christians are indwelt and sealed by the Holy Spirit at the time we were saved, (Ephesians 1:13) not all Christians are “filled,” or “baptized” with the Holy Spirit. I'm not speaking about water baptism here, so let me explain. There's a big difference in knowing Jesus Christ as your Savior so you can have the assurance of heaven one day, and yielding to Him as LORD in order to receive His power. God is looking for our “total surrender,” to His will and when we ask Christ to be our LORD as well as Savior, we are saying we want to yield completely to Him, which is His desire and will for our lives. (Romans 12:1)

When we confess and renounce all known sin and ask the Lord to fill us with His Holy Spirit, we can then experience His power to successfully live the Christian life. This is what's missing in the life of many believers today, His power, being filled with His Spirit. This will give you the strength and the ability you need to overcome all sin and bondage in your life. It will bring power, joy, and peace into your soul unlike anything you have ever experienced before, and it is available for anyone who truly seeks to follow Christ.

One of the greatest revivals in modern day history was the Asuza Street Revival. (1906-1915) The Baptism of the Holy Spirit was responsible for what occurred there. It is not commonly taught in most churches, so no doubt many of you have never heard of it. I know I hadn't, but when someone shared it with me many years ago, it was a game changer.

So, how do you become “filled” with the Holy Spirit? When you make Jesus Christ your LORD and are willing to “totally surrender” to His will. It is the very reason God created you in the first place, to know Him intimately and be filled with His Spirit. If you have been struggling in your Christian walk, if you lack peace and joy in your life, I encourage you to get alone with God, repent of your “self effort” of trying to live the Christian life, and ask Him to “fill” you with His Holy Spirit. His only requirement? To have a sincere heart and a willingness to follow Christ.

Here is a sample prayer that you can pray: Lord I come to you today seeking to know you better. I thank you for Jesus and that you have given me your Holy Spirit when I was first saved, but now I want to be filled with your Spirit so I may experience your power in my life. I realize I cannot live a Christian life on my own and I need your help. I repent and renounce all my sin to you and I want to make you my Lord, as well as my Savior. Please fill me with your Holy Spirit right now and give me the power I need to follow and obey you. Provide me with your peace and joy and make me the person you created me to be. In Jesus name, amen.

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” (Acts 1:8)

Jeff Allen

Keep The Weeds Out!!!

By Susanne Drawe
Cultivating a Heart After God Day 1
Gardening is a beautiful thing. I love how God made creation to be cultivated, His Life is never ending and it reminds me that I have that continual abundance of His Life in me! It is a beautiful reminder of His Love and Provision for us! But He also reminds us that Life still needs to be cultivated, grown and maintained. God created seed to be reproduced so we in the world can receive God’s best for us. As I work in our garden, He gently reminds me of Proverbs 4:23: Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. He reminds me of how vulnerable my heart is, and how precious it is to Him. As I am physically maintaining my garden on the outside, I am constantly searching for weeds in my own heart. Making sure there are no weeds of unforgiveness, out bursts of anger, bitterness, bad attitudes, bad thoughts that I have allowed to take or try to take root in my heart to keep me away from The Giver of Life. And as I go along my garden my Precious Lord reminds me of His Love, Grace, Mercy, His Blood, and His Word that can wash me clean. As I pick out the weeds of my heart, I am filled with gratefulness that He has His Word to take root in my heart. Ephesians 3:17: That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love. My heart overflows with joy knowing that when I set my thoughts on Him, His Word and Love for me that the washing of His Word is filling those weed holes of pain, sadness, unforgiveness, out bursts of anger, bitterness, thoughts of the enemy which produces wrong words and actions. He gently reminds me of Colossians 3:3: For you died (to this world), and your (new Life, who I am in Christ) life is hidden with Christ in God. Galatians 2:20 AMP: I have been crucified with Christ (that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion); it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith (by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting) in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me. I do not ignore or nullify The (Gracious Gift of the) Grace of God ( His amazing, unmerited favor), for if righteousness comes through (observing) the Law, then Christ died needlessly. (His suffering and death would have had no purpose whatsoever)!!!! He has made everything available for us to keep up with repentance and to continually have a beautiful relationship with The Father, Who gave His own Son for us. Glory to God ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

Dreams of Comfort for the Brokenhearted

By Cheryl Shepherd

Have you ever received a dream that you knew was from God for the purpose of providing comfort during a particularly desperate time? If you’re a skeptic, based on my studies in Psychology and Sociology,  I certainly would have agreed before my mind was changed by a very incredible dream.

I was recently reminded, while listening to a story told by evangelist Perry Stone, of how drastically my mind was changed.

Perry spoke of a dream he had about a child that he and his wife had lost lost due to a miscarriage and that reminded me of my own similar experience. In his dream he had a very vivid picture of this precious little girl waiting to meet him in heaven.

What was especially touching about this story was the fact that years later, he came across someone who had painted a picture of this beautiful little girl, matching the little girl in his dream in complete detail down to the ragged stuffed animal she clung to! There were many more facets of the story that were certainly miraculous and reminded me of a time that brought to life a scripture that has become very dear to me. Psalms 34:18 says, the Lord is near to the brokenhearted; He saves those crushed in spirit.

Twenty-one years ago I lost my son Billy’s identical twin brother Brandon, due to a rare condition called twin to twin transfusion syndrome.

While I can’t begin to imagine the grief experienced by a mother who has to say goodbye to a child at any age, the impact of this loss for me was a profound one in a different way, yet devastating just as any mother knows who has experienced never being able to meet or hold her unborn child.

At that time there was very little known about twin to twin transfusion syndrome or TTTS. It was explained to me that this was a rare condition that occurs only in identical twins that share the same placenta and transfuse blood through shared blood vessels.

While the prognosis was ironically slightly better for Brandon than Billy, they explained that there was no cure. While I could try to remove amniotic fluid to “buy some time”, (having done this immediately caused me to go into a premature labor), ultimately there was a 10 to 15% chance at best of either of the twins surviving.

At the time of my diagnosis of this rare condition I was about 5 months along and the prognosis for both twins was clearly very bleak. So much so in fact, it was strongly recommended that I abort both babies and “try again later for a healthy pregnancy”. This was not an option for me, so my husband and I returned home from the hospital feeling completely devastated and totally lost!

After crying out to God, I was contacted by a friend who told me about an experimental surgery that was being performed by only one surgeon in the world at that time. He was a surgeon from Venezuela who had developed a surgery that he was performing in Tampa, Florida. We were on the next plane to Tampa for this experimental laser fetal surgery.

The surgery itself went well however Brandon ultimately did not make it.


While this loss was was devastating, what was even more difficult was looking in the closet and seeing all of the twin outfits hanging side-by-side; wondering how I could ever possibly find the strength to take one of each of these outfits out of the closet to discard.

Even more difficult proved to be the required weekly ultrasounds. It was torture Putting on a happy face each week while we watched Billy growing and developing while seeing the lifeless little form of Brandon become smaller and smaller, slowing shrinking away along with all of the dreams of what life should have held for these precious twin boys.

The remainder of the pregnancy became a blur of anger, resentment, pleading, and bargaining with God for a miracle, followed by utter devastation as I reminded myself it was too late for a miracle! 

As Brandon became smaller in the weekly ultrasounds the void in my heart became larger and more encompassing. One day I couldn’t seem to keep from crying all day, I remember my husband sternly saying to me you have to stop this!! You have to be strong for Billy!! You can’t just keep mourning the loss of Brandon you have a healthy baby to think about!

I knew he was right and the guilt I felt was overwhelming! I didn’t know how to stop grieving! I knew I should be celebrating the precious healthy miracle I was carrying inside of me but how could I betray Brandon like that?

At that moment I cried out to God from a place of complete brokenness and asked Him to take away my grief and allow me to experience the joy of this precious miracle He had given me.

This is the moment I knew without a doubt that God was with me and His heart was broken along with mine! I could feel his arms of love around me; comforting me. 

I fell into a deep sleep and I had a dream that I know now, was a glimpse into heaven and the heavenly nursery of unborn babies that Perry Stone talked about in his video.

In my dream I looked through a window like you would see in a hospital infant nursery. What I saw brought about a healing that is hard to even put into words. I saw my sister-in-law Betty, who had tragically died years before, in a rocking chair holding Brandon and gently rocking him. When she noticed me there she looked up at me and had the most precious look on her face, I remember it like it was yesterday. 

Betty had been the only person I would trust with babysitting my older children. She had such a love for children beyond anyone I have ever known. I woke up with a clear image of the pure joy and pride Betty had in cuddling my little Brandon – a look that said he will be alright, I will take good care of him until you get here.

While it would be easy to argue that there was something subconscious or psychological that caused this dream, I know better! God came to me in my brokenness and my despair and He gave me a glimpse into heaven that I believe was very real and beyond just a simple dream.

On July 5, 1999 I gave birth to my twin boys. Celebrating my five pound healthy baby boy Billy, while saying my final goodbye to Brandon.

It was amazing to me that I had ever wondered if I would be able to look at my precious new little miracle without feeling this deep sorrow over the loss of the brother who looks exactly like him.  The truth of the matter is, I don’t believe I could have ever done this on my own.

Is God really there for the brokenhearted? You Bet He Is!!! I am living proof of this promise that he has given us all in His Holy word. 

I want you to know that if you are suffering from a loss today, and you feel there is no escape and no way out of your pain, loneliness, and grief, He wants to bring you comfort- all you have to do is cry out to Him. He promises to be there! 

Cheryl Shepherd

2020FullCircle vision@gmail.com

Perry Stones’s story title “The unborn in Heaven” can be found at:

https://youtu.be/95f_sUTEJKs

Experiencing Grief

By Cheryl Shepherd

Grief is such a strange thing. It seems to know just how much we can handle of it before we will crumble beneath it’s weight.

It shows up suddenly and ever so quietly leaving a wake of shocking raw emotion, then…dissipates into a million pieces, attached to the memories it came with and returning us once again to our previous state… 

-numbness

-denial

-anger

-fear

-regret

…but little by little, doing the job it came to accomplish – forcing us to heal – forcing us to take one more step forward, toward becoming a shadow of who we were before the loss or perhaps who we are meant to be in spite of it.  

We need strength for embracing these times of complete weakness. 

We must be strong and resilient under these unbearable circumstances. One devastating wave after another; one hopeless day after another – Some days ending in an all encompassing fear that we could have never imagined – yet somehow we are not broken. 

It takes great strength to allow grief to take its time in doing what it came to do. 

It takes courage to take care of yourself while being the rock for those who rely on you, in the midst of the brokenness and sorrow. 

Still, we must hold on to hope and allow healing, no matter how painful and at times seemingly pointless. 

 

We must forge ahead for ourselves and for those we love. 

If you are reading this and you have suffered a loss, I know you don’t feel strong in this moment but you ARE strong – you ARE resilient and you WILL survive this…even if only to provide a small ray of hope for someone traveling this desolate path; just to say “you are not alone”. 

You must live life as normal as you can in the wake of such turmoil and sadness.  You must get up each day…wash your face – feel the sunshine on your skin – talk to God – yell at God (He understands), cry and though it may be the most empty words you will ever speak…say “thank you Lord for this day and for the the strength you have given me to make it to tomorrow.”

Then, when tomorrow comes …start the process again. It will get easier. 

And when it would appear that all hope is lost – keep fighting and persevere! Remember you are a conquerer in the greatest battle anyone can face! 

You have suffered a great loss and while it’s true, you may no longer be whole and perhaps you feel that you will never be whole again; you are now an unwilling member of a group of warriors;

-wounded from battle but mending;

-hurting but healing; 

-broken yet finding strength; 

-defeated but continuing to fight this battle to its completion…wherever that may lead.

Above all, please remember to ask God for strength when you feel gripped by the reality of how frightening this road ahead may seem. Allow those who create the interwoven fabric of your life, to support you and continue to push you forward through the blinding pain in the midst of these darkest of moments. 

And when grief has finally done it’s job… you will find the ability to 

-grasp a moment to reflect on a memory 

-a moment to appreciate

-and yes; even a moment to laugh. This will bring healing to your soul.                           

May you be fearless in stepping out and living a life worthy of the memory of your dear loved one. 

She killed him then he killed her

When Elijah the prophet fled because he got scared of Jezebel's threatening to take his life, he became tired, drained, depressed, and suicidal but it started with fear. Then God met him on the mountain in the cave, and asked him what are you doing here Elijah? He asked him that twice and twice was the same answer.

“I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” 1 Kings 19:14

“They seek my life”? Was that accurate? Let’s see what happened and why Elijah fled:

“Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.” 1 Kings 19:1-3

Elijah answered with pride and wasn't real. He could have told the Lord sincerely; well I am afraid of Jezebel Sir that is why. When we are afraid, we may exaggerate. It was one woman who threatened him but Elijah said: THEY seek my life.

Elijah answered the Lord in a spiritual heroic way: I had to flee and preserve myself and my ministry because I am the only voice left for you O God (and there is none like me. This is my adding). Am I against fleeing to protect our lives? No. But was he led by the Spirit to do that or was he fear-driven? Because sometimes the Spirit leads us to stay and confront and other times to flee. Jesus left immediately on many occasions and attempts to kill him but he was motivated by love and not by fear. Because fear is a sin! And Jesus knew it wasn’t his time to die this way.

In my opinion, God asked Elijah twice to give him an invitation to be real and humble but maybe he couldn't swallow that the MIGHTY Elijah who just had a great conference on the mount Carmel is now running from a woman in authority. He could have been real with God because after all, God knows the heart. Jezebel threatened Elijah to put seeds of fear in him to control him and push him away because Elijah was the real threat to her worship system. If she wanted to kill him she could have taken him by surprise and not give him an appointment “tomorrow about this time”. If she had the chance to kill him, it was before the restoration of God’s people because now Elijah was more empowered.

“Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that You, O LORD, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.” Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The LORD, He is God; the LORD, He is God.” 1 Kings 37-39

Sadly, Elijah kept hanging to pride on Horeb's mountain while God offered him invitations to humble himself and be real before him in that cave conversation. Elijah insisted that he was the man for the hour alone and that God’s power only works through him but God told him he kept 7000 for him. After that, we see that Elijah’s ministry came to a closing chapter and that he was only allowed to anoint others for continuity. The same thing happened with Moses when he beat the rock twice; his ministry ended after that act of disobedience fueled by pride that was disguised as anger. Then Joshua was appointed next!

On the other hand, David the king after committing adultery with Bathsheba and killing her husband, was humble, real, and repenting when Prophet Nathan confronted him with the word of the Lord and his ministry continued and his relationship with the Lord. We read him repenting in Psalms 51!

It’s true that Jezebel only threatened to kill Elijah but actually she did kill his influence and ministry at the end because Elijah swallowed the bait of fear mixed with pride and because he didn’t find the place of humility in the presence of the Lord, the Lord resisted the proud. But the good news is that Elijah also killed Jezebel and her ministry because he left a prophecy of judgment from the Lord against her that was after her even after he was taken to heaven.

“Of Jezebel also has the LORD spoken, saying, ‘The dogs will eat Jezebel in the district of Jezreel.'” 1 Kings 21: 23

How many times have we answered the Lord in pride when he was extending to us invitations to be real and humble?

“Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.” Proverbs 16:18 

“Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, But humility goes before honor.” Proverbs 18:12 

“But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” James 4:6

Tony Francis

Blessed, Cursed then Blessed

From my book “Blessed in Christ” – How to live like a Christianaire! Purchase & download your digital copy today! Click here.

God called you blessed when he created you.

In Genesis chapter one, God made man in his image and likeness and commissioned him things to do. You are made in God's image and God is blessed, so you are blessed.

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Genesis 1: 26-28

But before God blessed them to DO, he already blessed them to BE. Man was blessed because he was made after the image and likeness of God, Selah. It can’t get any better! The greatest blessing you can have is to be like the one who brought you into existence, God Almighty.

Before doing things with him and for him, before possessing substances, before having titles, names, and positions, your ultimate blessing resides in being made in God's image.

Now the devil was at the corner to steal the blessings of man and to distort his blessed image, and he did.

Adam lost it all including us because we were “in Adam”, same nature of him, and because of Adam mankind was cursed including the land itself. Sin, curse, and death entered the world through yielding to the temptation of doing it all without God. The devil succeeded and distanced us from God. We never wanted God!

Many including me used to ask: “why would I receive someone else’s fault, sin, and consequence?” and we become angry with Adam, after all, he is the reason of all the pain and mess in our world. Then we try hard and make it our quest to reach heaven for one thing, to slap Adam and spill all our anger on him.

My friend, the reason you and I would have received and lived in the death loop of someone else’s fault simply is because if we were to replace Adam, we would have done the same thing he did. God is merciful to you and me that he didn't chose us to be public pioneers in messing it all from the dawn of creation. Thank God your name and mine is not listed on the first pages of the bible as a lesson to remember forever! How about that? (Yeah you can praise him here).

For all men have fallen short and needed the Glory of God.

“The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the LORD said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth–men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air–for I am grieved that I have made them.”

Fast-forwarding to the good news. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the second and last Adam, the perfect man without a sin, wrinkle and blemish came and gave himself for our atonement and eternal sacrifice, redeemed us and cleansed us by his blood and reconciled us back to God.

THE Door was opened for us to come boldly before the throne of grace and mercy through Christ.

When God created man he said, “It is very good”. God will only put an “it is very good” stamp over what he makes. He will never say very good to our self-righteousness, failing religious attempts or to our “intelligent” strategies to build a tower to reach Heaven. It was so clear and LOUD when God said over Jesus Christ, the only Lamb of God, at the river of Jordan when John the Baptist baptized him “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased”.

The person and sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross is the only pleasing thing to God. Redeem your time and stop trying to look good for God. Just humble yourself, receive Jesus Christ in your heart and you will be stamped again “VERY GOOD”! Jesus is your righteousness. What a gift!

“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” Isaiah 64:6

All the animal sacrifices made in the Old Testament although required by God himself didn’t please him. They were only a temporary covering and shadow for what was coming, for who already came, Jesus Christ!

Our blessed Lord died for all, one sacrifice, one salvation for eternity! It is the gift of grace and righteousness offered by God to us because he loves us and wants us back because though sinners are loved by God they can't live in the abode of his holiness. Hallelujah, the high cost of pride was paid by THE humble ONE. The Justice and Mercy of God were fulfilled in Jesus on the cross.

God is just and merciful. He knows we are sinners who can't redeem themselves by themselves, so he sent his son as THE sacrifice, paid the price of sin with a severe judgment and unleashes his mercy over everyone who receives Christ and what he accomplished for us. On the cross, the justice and mercy of God hugged each other!

In Christ, you are blessed!

This is what I am going to walk you through in this book that I pray will impart revelation, faith and awareness of who you are in him and to help you position yourself to receive every good gift God has in store for you. He knows what he has planned for you, it is thoughts of peace to give you hope and a future but do you know it?

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:1-2

I can’t list all the blessings of Christ to you that’s why you have your bible that speaks volumes! I will share some of it here to get you started so you can sail deeper with the Spirit later.

I want to whet your appetite!

Remember you are blessed first when you are Christ like and blessed with a real inheritance as well that God longs for you to know about, possess, enjoy and glorify him with it.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” Ephesians 1:3

Toni Francis

From my book “Blessed in Christ” – How to live like a Christianaire! Purchase & download your digital copy today! Click here.

Dancing Between Two Emotions

You host your own emotions, I am not saying something new to you here, we all know that. Your heart is your deepest part, your core, your behind the scenes where the action takes place. It is where you closely listen to your emotions where it whispers to you the sadness, other times shouts the thrill of joy and hope, not to list all the other scenarios and discussions that your emotions throw at you even when you are not in the mood for a 2 ways conversation!

Nobody like strangers, if a thief enters my house I will kill him. We protect ourselves well from aliens. Your heart is your space alone and you are a master over it, sometimes! Emotions are God’s blessings to you that flow like waves in your inner ocean. Sometimes it is a peaceful wave, other times it is a force, a storm. You are made in God’s image and God has emotions towards you!

Have you ever stopped to listen to the heartbeat of God for you? He has a big heart huh? What a glorious experience, right?

When you accept Christ in your heart, you host God in you what the Bible calls it “the new birth experience”. You become the temple of Holy Spirit where he dwells. Behind the scenes now there is a unity between you and the Lord. You will cry at what makes God cry and God will cry at what makes you cry. You will laugh with him and he will laugh with you but never at you! You are now officially hosting more than your emotions and God will give you grace, wisdom, and maturity to discerning what is yours and what is not, his word will sharply divide and pierce all layers.

Prophetic vessels of God are quite something! They need to be studied closely in a lab. A prophetic vessel not only delivers God’s word but his heart as well. The Helper the Holy Spirit is the ancient of days maestro who will beautifully orchestrate and harmonize the instruments of emotions of yours and God to create a beautiful melody that the deaf can hear but you will live your life on … dancing between two emotions because you are hosting God.

Tony Francis

The Great Focus

I am busy these days purchasing some basic needs for my life. Looking for a better house, a good vehicle, a godly woman and other stuff as well. God loves your desires that are aligned with him and he is for you not against you. After all, he is a good Father and wants the best for you. He is with you in your purchases and wants to bless you with the best if you involve him and pay attention to his guidance.

This morning while I was spending time with God, he gently taught me something that changed my life. I want to share this precious nugget with you here. God taught me to have faith in the little things. Yep, this is it! Like believing for your next step, your next move, your next relationship, your next business deal, whatever this “next” is for you. It made sense to me! Like yeah, what if I believed for my next house? What if I opened an ongoing dialogue with God about each small step I am going to make regarding this? Believing for the little things is important to reach your big goals. Because sometimes seeing your final destination can be overwhelming if you don’t plan your way to it with small steps that lead you there.

Maybe you are familiar with the google map or any kind of map you use in your apps. You launch it, set the destination and you focus on following successfully the live tracking of each small direction. Man, it feels good when you see yourself passing all the suggested roads successfully because it gives you a sense of approaching your final destination! You can use this technology with God while you purchase your desires. Have faith in the little things like your next step. Make sure you are on the right track in each small step because sometimes one wrong direction can alter your whole course!

Joseph, the good man who fathered Jesus, believed in this technology. There is not much covered about him in the gospels but what he did was FOUNDATIONAL or we may have missed our redeeming Christ. Joseph in parenting Jesus was so focused on the sake of Jesus and what is best for him rather on what’s good for him and his wife Mary. Each step he made was faith-filled. It takes a great faith to believe that your future wife is a Holy Spirit pregnant. But here lies the power of KNOWING that you heard God! Thank God for his faith. He accepted to marry her, he ran with her to Egypt to protect the life of 2 years old Jesus, he stayed there and came back when he got the green light of grace to come back to Israel after the enemy wanting Jesus to die was dead. He was careful where to live and what to do to protect the life of Jesus entrusted to him, the savior of his people and the nations.

Jesus was the great focus of Joseph! He believed for a place for Jesus’s birth. In everything you read about Joseph, you find that he believed for the little things, for his next move. Because he knew that in doing so successfully, he is investing in the greater.

This perspective changed my faith focus! I was believing for my next house because I wanted a better one for ME. Now I am more focused on purchasing my desires with Jesus in my focus! God lives in me and each step I am going to make I want it to protect the Jesus within and allow him to grow perfectly. My questions now on will be such as: will my next move bless the Lord or will it expose him to dangers and threaten him? Will my next association and relationship preserve the life of Jesus within me or will it destroy it?

Now I know how to purchase my dream goals by having in me THE GREAT FOCUS, Jesus! Because when he is blessed, I am blessed!

Toni Francis

A Sinner In The Hands Of An Angry God

To be honest with you, I thought innocently that God of the Old Testament behaved differently than in the New Testament because the covenant changed. This doctrine, that I am sure you also heard, has convinced me skillfully not to say deceitfully! I didn’t argue with it I just let it pass but deep inside I was not feeling good about belonging to “A GOD WHO KILLED PEOPLE” for a while until a better covenant came to pass.

This morning the Lord led me to read a certain passage in the gospels and the understanding he unfolded to me changed the whole formula and introduced me to the real God. What you are about to read here will wowy you and it will for sure bibidi babidi bou you!

In Luke 9:51, James and John wanted to call fire down from heaven to consume the Samaritans who opposed the journey of Jesus to Jerusalem. They said to Jesus with a religious zeal, excitement and “feeling right about it” attitude: “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”

Cool boys, I am happy and satisfied you wanted to be scriptural and never do a thing not backed up in the book of LIFE. Before proceeding I just want to throw this for free, is not it strange and weird to bring death out of the book of LIFE? James and John were right about two things: they were in a relationship with Jesus and they asked him if he would like to barbecue some Samaritan flesh because of opposition and second they knew that only God would command the fire to come down from heaven! No man can do that!

BUT … Elijah never called the fire down from heaven to consume the false prophets but to demonstrate that God is a living God and THAT fire consumed the ALTAR he built by the leading of the Holy Spirit. I don’t know if at that instant James and John forgot this IMPORTANT detail because they were religiously zealous and angry!

Once again, Elijah by the leading of the Holy Spirit called down fire from heaven on the altar and the Israelites who saw it were marveled and could have turned back to God if they had a chance to. But we will see that Elijah after this good glory demonstration didn’t give them any!

But He [Jesus] turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village.

Religion wants to barbecue people, Jesus wants to unbarbecue you! … After I read that, my eyes were opened and I said, hmmm wait a moment! If God sent the fire using Elijah to demonstrate his presence to turn his people back to him, then he must have told Elijah to kill them all after that. Because Elijah was a prophet and he must be led by Holy Spirit to kill them all and slaughter each, after all, we have been taught that God of the Old Testament can do that easily because of “THE AVAILABLE COVENANT” back then!

I am not here to defend God but my bible says that Jesus is the same today yesterday and forever. God’s nature doesn’t change according to James 1: 16-17 “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every GOOD gift and every PERFECT gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” God is good and perfect and this will remain forever no matter how much doctrines will say differently with a religious zeal! Jesus is always about saving souls even in the Old Testament.

Could it be that Elijah started in the spirit and continued in the flesh? Why did Elijah killed the 850 false prophets and not gave them a chance to be God’s prophets? It was a very good potential opportunity that moment don’t you think? But it was lost forever because he got religiously excited!

To be honest with you I don’t know why Elijah killed them all but I am sure that Jesus doesn’t want a soul to be doomed but to be given chance after another to turn back to God! How many chances these false prophets were given to repent after that glorious demonstration? NONE.

In my opinion, Elijah started ministering good but got in the flesh. The Law of Moses commanded NOT TO KILL and it is a GOD GIVEN LAW. When you get religiously zealous, you want to add to the word of God or take from it. Elijah could have thought in himself, it is OK to kill them all “Exclusively”. Maybe because the Law of Moses at some point was confusing and unclear.

Bear with me to clarify this point with you please. Moses got the laws from God but after a while and because the Israelites were so hard and unbearable Moses ALLOWED things. At some point, leading very hard people drove Moses to permit some things to CONTROL the crowd under the name of GOD! But did God say that? In the beginning, no, GOD had clear laws, but later on, MOSES PERMITTED THINGS. No wonder why Elijah could have been confused.

They said to Him [Jesus], “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?” He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. Matthew 19

Moses permitted some laws beside the laws of God just to settle some issues to go have some good deep sleep. His church was a headache! BE TERRIFIED if you permit things that God’s nature doesn’t approve it.

Let’s wrap it. Yes, we read in the whole bible that the goodness of God issued some endings to wicked people and cities. So God in his sovereignty can terminate things. But in my opinion and understanding, God does this after he gives many chances because HE IS PATIENT, merciful and slow to anger. BUT when he finds that there is no more way to repent and that the cup of sin is full he takes some steps to demonstrate his goodness by cutting some things off. Doctors are good when they cut an infected organ in someone’s body if they know for sure there is no more option as hard as this is.

Did Elijah give chances to these false prophets? Was he long-suffering and patient with them? Let’s check our ministries if they are aligned with the nature of God or not.

Peter also got the “religious killing zeal” MODE ON for JESUS and dismembered the ear of an antichrist enemy in the garden of Gethsemane. Not knowing that Peter himself was an antichrist in this action. “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.

James, John, Peter, and Elijah were all zealous religiously and did things they thought approved by God. They were trying to show some love the best they knew how. It is not a devotion to disfavor God’s servants and their weaknesses, we are no better in many situations.

Bottom-line, Jesus shows his heart many times that he is for you not against you. He wants to save you and not destroy you. “Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?” Ezekiel 18:23.

You and I with a huge cloud of witnesses have misrepresented the true good nature of God at some point in our life. The Lord told me this morning: “When you understand my nature you read things right”. The Lord can forgive us all this mess and misrepresentation if we repent. God is always angry at sin not at sinners. Jesus was violent with sin issues and flipped the tables but never slapped anyone! Can we minister without chopping heads? Yes, it is possible if you know how loving God is!

A sinner in the hands of an angry God is the most beautiful experience at all. Because he lavishes you with his bounty goodness, unconditional love, many chances to be saved and redeemed to flourish beautifully before him for his glory. You will be undone by his beating heart for you! However, after experiencing his many goodness demonstrations if you decide to trample on the precious saving blood of Jesus and reject LIFE, whose fault is this?

Toni Francis

I Met Her In Traffic

I have been struggling a lot with the issue of relationships. Can you witness this with me? If so, continue reading this message to enjoy the good nuggets inside.

It started with a beautiful sunny morning, when I woke up energized, spent time with God, and dressed the best of my closet! I dress to impress me first not others. I am my first audience!

I ran to my car because as usual, I was a bit late to my work, I started the engine, put some rhythmic music, wore an attractive perfume with a generous smile! It was not on my focus list that day to meet or greet anyone. All I wanted was to reach my work, sneak into my place, turn on my computer and start working without announcing loudly my presence to my boss, if possible! (Danger: Don't try this at home lol)

I was close enough to my work, almost there, excited that I skipped some cars and saved some minutes when I suddenly entered a shortcut loaded with a long queue of cars. What’s going on? I said in frustration. I saw an officer coming toward handed me a violation ticket. Little did I know that I entered a wrong opposite shortcut and I broke the rules. I was not the only one guilty of ignorance. Many were in the opposite direction in that queue, whether by ignorance or on purpose, God knows! Bottom line, I caused traffic, I paid the penalty, I burned my time and others and surely I delayed my arrival. Thank God, things could have gone worse; I could have made an accident that caused my death! But I was given another chance to reconsider, to pay attention and to walk carefully.

You may be experiencing the same thing right now in your spiritual walk with God. You could be in the wrong direction of his will, trying some quick shortcuts and many of them are illegal in the spirit. There are always consequences for opposing God’s perfect will for your life. Let him adjust your ways, repent, pray and walk closely with him, ain’t a joke at all! Don’t miss your destiny in God.

That day, I met God’s mercy in the traffic, I was given a new chance to adjust my course of life on all levels. Today I fear and I tremble if I sense a slight shift in my directions from God’s perfect will for my life. Lord, have your ways in me!

Tony Francis
Glory to God