Tag Archive for: blessings

Temptations Will Never Cease

By Joe Tannous

Many times we ask ourselves, we ask people around us, even we ask God Himself, ” why I am always tempted to fall in sin? Why this desire to sin is always alive? Why wherever we go we find temptation?” I've been asking these questions a lot, until one night I got the answer. We were at church, worshiping God, my hands we lifted high, not singing but enjoying the presence of God in the place, and deep in my spirit I heard a voice saying:” temptations will never cease”, then the whole understanding hit me. Temptations will never cease, do not be deceived if someone tells you that you can come to a place where Satan cannot send temptations into your way, that place will be heaven, even Jesus was tempted. The bible says that Jesus was tempted in every way (Hebrews 4:15). In every way means every single thing that crosses your mind. His whole life Satan kept on tempting Him to fall, all the way Satan tried to kill Jesus through sin, even he thought that the cross would kill Him, so he led Him to the cross, but, and be careful here, when Jesus was on the cross, blameless, without sin, after conquering every temptation, after overcoming every sin, Satan although he knew he is defeated, he never gave up, rather he changed the temptation, you can see him trying to make Jesus go down from the cross (Matthew 27:42). I am saying this, to tell you, TEMPTATIONS WILL NEVER CEASE, even it seems that the devil is not tempting you, even when you think you have a break, even when it seems that Satan is convinced that you belong to God and he cannot make you fall, listen, he will never give up, he will always study you more, he will always have eyes on you to see how he can make you fall, he did that with Jesus in the wilderness, the scripture records ” Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.”(Luke 4:13). When he is leaving you alone, it's not because he gave up, it's because he is waiting until an opportune time. Is that a chance for us to go and sin? Absolutely not! Sin has no power, “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”(Romans 6: 14). Jesus conquered sin, and he made more than conquerors (Romans 8:37) hallelujah! Every time you are tempted, it's an opportunity to overcome, an opportunity to fly higher and higher just likes eagles.

Blessings

Taking up Your Cross

By Joe Tannous

I hear many people speaking about “taking up your cross”, and what they mean by saying that, is passing through hard circumstances, sickness, poverty, trials…. but I am getting into an understanding that this is not what Jesus meant. If we want to know about taking up the cross, we should look at Jesus and learn from Him, He is the leader, He said “Take up your cross and follow me”. Following Him, is not only walking behind Him, is learning from Him, is following His example, to walk the same path He walked. Now, Jesus faced hard circumstances, yes, but was that the cross? Absolutely not! He was rejected, yes, but was that the cross? Absolutely not! In some place He didn't find a place to sleep, but was that the cross? Absolutely not! The cross is DYING!!!! Through all this circumstances, Jesus was learning how to die, Jesus died long before being nailed to the cross, Jesus took up the cross all His life. Jesus would never be able to do one single miracle if He wasn't dead already. What did He die for even before dying on the cross? The answer is self, Jesus died to self, and that the example we should follow. Taking up the cross is dying to self; it is a daily thing to do. Every day I should die to self, I should die to my desires, my lusts, my will, and ask God to live in me, to show me His will, to walk in the Spirit, in union with the Spirit and not in the flesh, now this is what taking up your cross means. Even when we face bad circumstances, this is not the cross; this is only a way helping us to see the cross. The cross wasn't easy to Jesus, it cost Him His precious sinless life, and it won't be easy to us, it will cost us our lives. But dear friends, when you put your life away to Jesus, you will gain and save it to an eternal life. Jim Elliot said this:” He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose”. Give your life to Jesus completely, on a daily basis, because you cannot keep it, to gain what you cannot lose, which is eternal life with the master.

Blessings

Why Expelled?!

By Joe Tannous

It was 5:30 am, just got home from new year's eve, got my bible, and I started reading the 3rd chapter of Genesis. It speaks about the fall of man, and the revelation I will share in few moments, blew my mind. I always thought, and taught, that God expelled Adam and Eve because of their rebellion, but to my shock, I found that it's not the reason. If you read well verses 22 & 23 of that chapter, you will get to know it.

Please allow me to explain this marvelous truth, the scripture reads: “God said, “The Man has become like one of us, capable of knowing everything, ranging from good to evil. What if he now should reach out and take fruit from the Tree-of-Life and eat, and live forever? Never—this cannot happen!” So God expelled them from the Garden of Eden and sent them to work the ground, the same dirt out of which they’d been made.” (Gen 3:22-23) (MSG) Remember, that up to this point, man had fallen, sin entered his heart, entered his being, and God said that if he should eat from the tree-of-life, he would live forever with his sin, away from God, and because God didn't want man to be away from Him, He expelled him, He brought him out of the garden, cause he had Jesus in mind, the plan b was already planned and ready to reconcile man to God, but if Adam was not expelled and ate from the tree of life, the redemption could not take place, that's why God brought man out where he can't eat from the tree of life.

Now you can see with me the reason of why God expelled man, not because of rebellion alone, but because of redemption and reconciliation. Then Jesus came redeeming us to God, Hallelujah!

Blessings

An Amazing Experience

By Joe Tannous

One night I was walking home and while walking I was in conversation with the Lord. I asked: “Lord, let me see sin, the way you see it”. Directly after I finished my request, I heard the Lord saying in my spirit: ” Joe do you know what sin did?” and I know when the Lord ask me a question means that I don't know the answer very well, so I replied: “tell me Lord”. “Sin limited me” He replied:” and every time you fall into sin, it's limiting you.” I said: “Lord how did sin limit you, you are God.” “Joe, what do Philippians 2:7-8 say about me?” He replied. I knew these so I replied: “rather, he made himself nothing, by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness, and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross”. He replied: “now you know how it limited me. it made me a human, I, God, became a man because of sin” when He said that, I began to cry on the streets, I don't know what people thought about me, and I don't really care, but His words penetrates my heart like a bullet, oh God my sin limited you, because of my sin you became a man, you took a limited flesh…

But I didn't understand the fullness of His words back then, until few days that I understood. Just see that with me, Jesus was a spiritual being, He is God the Son, and God is spirit, so The Father is spirit, the Son is spirit and the Holy Spirit is Spirit, but Jesus because of our sin, made Himself nothing, the Son, left His nature as a spiritual being, and took a flesh, a limited flesh, no longer a spirit, but a flesh, came to earth, born as a human, lived as a human, died as a human, God became a man, God died like a man dies because of my sin and your sin. but the good news is found in verses 9, 10, 11 of that epistle, ” therefore God [the Father] also highly exalted him and given Him the name which above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father”. (The emphasis is mine) the Father exalted Jesus, Hallelujah! That was His reward for leaving His spiritual being, and now He will always have a flesh, for ever and ever, just like you and me. Sin made Jesus a limited flesh, sin limited God, and so it's limiting you.

Blessings

Compaction

“By this we have known the love of God, because He laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But whoever has this world's goods and sees his brother having need, and shuts up his bowels from him, how does the love of God dwell in him? My children let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:16-18)

In his epistle, John the apostle of love defines in simple words what true love is. If you are Christian, a follower of Christ than what do you think the greatest thing to pursue and to learn about is? How to preach effectively and make the masses convert and repent? Or maybe take some courses on how to cast out devils and look spiritual and violent with the enemy? Maybe some courses on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the prophetic activations or how to be healed in 7 steps? Look my friend, I thank God for all these blessings that we have in Christ but a true Christian is someone who is totally aware of his high calling which is loving God and his neighbor! This is Jesus’ greatest commandment for you and me that we have to pursue with all of our strength to be like our master and not to go astray from the pathways of love.

In a parable Jesus told us about a man who was victimized by thieves (Luke 10:30) and was left half dead, we read that 3 men passed by him, a priest, a Levite and a Samaritan. The first two looked at him and left him but the Samaritan had compassion on this tortured man when he saw him and helped him with first aids but also went the extra mile, not only the extra mile he went all the miles with him until he was totally whole and fully recovered. This Good Samaritan had a heart full of love and not just a religious head and a hardened heart. The Greek meaning of the word compassion means “to be moved with” and this is what happened to the Samaritan, he didn’t just felt pity and said few touching words for the victimized man and the people around: “Oh I am sorry for you brother, you don’t deserve this, God protect you and heal you …” No! A spiritual man is someone who acts because faith without works is dead. If you pretend that the love of the Holy Spirit is poured out in your heart without manifesting it in actions, than you are a liar! Compassion is love in action and I call it COMPACTION!

Glory to God
Tony Francis

Manifestations – What do they mean?

By Kathie Walters

The Holy Spirit always wants to demonstrate what God says. “God confirmed the word with signs following” and in Hebrews chapter 2 it says, “How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation – which at first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him. God ALSO BEARING THEM WITNESS both with signs and wonders and divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit … according to His own will.” Well we know for sure that God wants to do signs and wonders and confirm His own word because it just said so.

I don’t know why some Christians think is it so spiritual to say, “I don’t need signs and wonders.” Well Jesus actually relied on signs and wonders and manifestations. He went out of the way to make sure the Holy Spirit had an opportunity to demonstrate the words He spoke. Jesus said “I am the bread of Life” and fed the 5000. He said “I am the resurrection and the life” and He raised the dead. He said “I am the light of the world” and He opened the eyes of the blind. God always wants to do what He says The Apostle Paul said. “I came not to you in word only but in demonstration of the Spirit and in power (1 Thess).

So God talks to us through in different ways. He talks through the Bible which contains the word of God. He talks to us through the Holy Spirit who brings us life. The Bible was quite dead to me until the Holy Spirit showed up and made it come alive. Then the Holy Spirit started to speak through preachers, and prophets. Remember when Jesus was answering Satan? He said, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matt 4:4) you don’t just take any scripture and use it – you have to discern what God is saying to you NOW – TODAY. The proceeding word, the word or scripture that is coming to you now, today.

That is why signs and wonders are important… They are a part of what God does and says and we should pay attention to the manifestations of the Holy Spirit because GOD IS TALKING TO YOU.

Years ago well-meaning churches would preach the gospel message of salvation every Sunday night – even through the congregation of 50 had been saved for 20 years at least. While it was in the Bible it wasn’t the proceeding word to those people. They didn’t stop to listen to what God was saying today. That would have moved them to the next place God had for them. Instead they stayed where they were and “froze” in time.

When God is moving by His Spirit it is in order to demonstrate something or tell you something. The signs and wonders are not meant to entertain us although I must say it can be very entertaining… But we should take note and listen. Many people are smelling the different Aromas in the meetings (and out of the meetings). Each aroma is God speaking to you. I have a great book called “The Spiritual meaning of Aromas, flowers, trees and colors.” Many people have dreams and visions of different flowers, trees, colors etc. – but in all those things GOD IS TALKING. For dream and vision interpretation get a copy of THE DIVINITY CODE…

For example – aroma of strawberries means friendship with God. Apples – The Beloved’s breath smells like sweet apples, Jesus is breathing on you. Peppermint – refreshing and so on. They are in my book.

Signs… If you preach healing – the Holy Spirit will heal people because He will confirm the Word. Sometimes the anointing comes on someone and God uses them for a sign to say something.

One time when my husband David, was ministering in Florida the Holy Spirit was moving on people at the end of the meeting. One man was on the floor unable to move for a long time. He kept trying to get up – you have probably seen the same thing. I saw an angel sitting on the man’s chest. I said to him, “God won’t let you up until you listen to what He says.” After a while he did listen and then the angel got up and then he got up- a bit shaken. He told me later that he thought the power of his mind was as strong as the power of God Well I don’t think he thought that again.

In the same meeting a lady started running backwards. She ran backwards round the church. Then she ran backwards out of the door and across the parking lot. The elders very wisely decided to wait on God the next morning to find out what He was saying. God spoke to them and said, “You are not going forward in this move until you go back for the children.” The church had David come and bring all the children and youth into the revival and into the anointing. Then the whole church moved on in the move of the Spirit.

I got up to speak at a church a while ago… When I opened my mouth to speak it was as if my lips were glued together. I was not able to open my mouth. The Lord spoke to me and said, “My Lips are sealed.” We waited but then someone jumped up and took an offering so we didn’t wait to see what the Lord said by not speaking.

Sometimes when I am preaching my arm or hand or gets stuck – I have to wait until we “get it” before we can move on in the meeting. Tonight while I was speaking in the Gold Coast, Australia my left hand got “stuck.” My arm was slightly raised and my hand as turned downwards. It stayed like that for a couple of minutes while we waited to see what it was all about. Then my hand felt like it was resting on the head of small boy’s head, I could feel his hair under my hand I remember how Jesus blessed the children. In the original translation it means He laid hands on them to anoint them. The children are anointed too – they have the same Holy Spirit as any adult. Read some of my husband, David's material on my website. He has little kids praying for the sick and sees miracles happen all the time.

A pastor friend of mine in the Midwest once got frozen in the spirit in the front of a Dennys restaurant. She was putting her wallet back in her purse and the Holy Spirit came on her she got frozen with her hands half way in her purse. From past experience I know that can be 5 min or 5 hours so I stood by and waited. People came out of the restaurant to pay their bill and saw her. They asked me what she was doing and I told them she was talking to God. Well my friend stayed like that for 55 min and by that time a little crowd had gathered by the seat at the front of Denny’s restaurant. Eventually the anointing lifted and she “came back” so to speak. She noticed the crowd ( about 15 people by then_) I told her they had been there for 55 minutes so she went over and started ministering to them, She got a couple of people healed, and some saved and she prophesied over a few. She became a sign that made them sit there for an hour and wonder. So sometimes YOU get to be the sign and wonder. But God is talking! Listen and watch – don’t let things pass you by. God doesn’t always “speak” to speak. He speaks through signs and wonders and various gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Blessings

Kathie and David Walters
www.kathiewaltersministry.com

The Heritage of a Son

“And if we are children, then we are heirs; heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17)

Is the heritage of a father-son based on the performance of this son, the color of his hair, the shape of his body, the style of his clothing, the grade of his exams, the beauty of his character or based on his identity as a son? Go travel the whole world, you will see that this is a fixed truth everywhere whatever the country was, or its culture or its language, a son always inherits because he is a son. The Prodigal son understood deeply his right to have the portion of the goods of his father that’s why he came boldly to ask him for it (Luke 15:12). Now we know that it wasn’t polite of the son to take his inheritance in this manner while his father lives but the father gave it to him. What I am talking to you about is also a kingdom principle and it is as real as this earthly principle is. The moment you become a child of God, you became his inheritor, now think of it for a moment: what is it like to be an inheritor of God? SELAH. God doesn’t withhold his goodness from you but for you. In every season of your growth in him, whether you are a child or a mature son you will inherit the blessings according to his timing and plans for you. A natural father prevents his car from his child to protect him; although this son will benefit of his dad’s car when he matures, but let’s say it is a postponed blessing! This child will enjoy other blessings for now. It is my firm belief that a blessing not in its right timing can be of no blessing. God deals with sinners with Mercy but deals with his children according to his covenant with them. Are you aware that you are a son of the Most High God? Are you aware of your inheritance with Christ? I pray that your eyes be illuminated with this revelation so you can tap by faith into the riches of his Glory stored up for you and enjoy the abundance that cost Christ everything to give it to you.

Glory to God
Tony Francis