Category Archives: Gifts of the Spirit

May 7, 2015 · 8:36 am

Thursday’s Prayers for America (5/7/2015)

Dolly 77

 

On Sunday (May 3, 2015), Pam Geller, founder and president of American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) and Stop Islamization of America (SIOA), held a Muhammad Art Exhibit and Cartoon Contest in Garfield, Texas. 

Two Muslims wearing body armor and armed with assault rifles attempted to defend Muhammad’s honor by attacking the event in hopes of killing as many people as possible. One policeman was wounded and both Muslims were killed. ISIS has now taken credit for the attack.

Since Sunday, Christians have either applauded or criticized Geller’s event.

WWJD?

Today, I prayed:

Lord, I pray that we American believers do not wage spiritual war as humans do, but rather, we use God’s mighty weapons to  knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments, and therefore, conquering evil by doing good. (Based on 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 and Romans 12:21)

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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May 6, 2015 · 9:58 am

Memories Pizza, Indiana, Christianity, and How Not to Win Spiritual Battles (Part 9)

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The Israelites had just destroyed and plundered the large city of Jericho. The next dot on the map to be conquered in the Promised Land was the small city of Ai. Israel’s leader, Joshua, wisely sent spies into the hill country to check out the area. They returned and advised Joshua, “Ai is small potatoes. Just send a small group of men up there to fight them.”

Joshua followed their advice and sent about three thousand men to fight Ai.

and the men of Ai killed about thirty-six of their men and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted and became as water. (Joshua 7:5)

The agonizing defeat at Ai resembles today’s losses by Christian businesses who refuse to provide their goods and services for gay weddings and events. Yet, there is one big difference: our hearts have not melted as yet.

So, we keep going into battle over and over again against the gays, filled with righteous indignation and presumption that God is with us, but is He?

Maybe we should find out.

Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads. And Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord GOD, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us? … What will You do for Your great name?” (Joshua 7:6, 7a, 8b)

We need to follow Joshua’s example and humble ourselves in fasting and prayer so that the Lord will reveal our hearts to us.

The #1 Rule in spiritual warfare: we can’t defeat the kingdom of darkness with darkness in our own hearts. We must repent.

(Continued in Part 1o)

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May 3, 2015 · 2:36 pm

Memories Pizza, Indiana, Christianity, and How Not to Win Spiritual Battles (Part 8)

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When a believer’s mind is renewed in the knowledge of God, it is a powerful kingdom of God tool. Yet, when it is not, it ends up being shaped and molded by the environment the believer lives in and is open to deception by the god of this world.

And guess what?

The god of this world (Satan) is able to disguise himself as an angel of light.

As of now, there are dozens of lawsuits against American Christian businesses who have refused to provide their services for gay weddings or gay events in their cities or regions. So far, these businesses have one thing in common: they  will all lose.

How can this be, right?

All of these businesses have made covenant agreements with their states and other governments to follow the laws of their governments. But each believes it’s now okay to break their covenants because of their religious rights as stated in the First Amendment of the Constitution and their views on Christianity.

Yet these businesses still believe God is on their side.

I believe the god of this world has deceived these businesses into taking religious stands which they can never win.

Oh yes! They may have supporters who believe they are fighting the good fight, but the accuser of the brethren will point out their breaking of covenants to the Lord. This is not a good position to wage a spiritual battle from.

“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’” (Luke 14:28-30)

Maybe the businesses should have counted the costs ahead of time and sold out or closed down before being confronted by gay activists. They would at least have avoided the ridicule being poured on them by the world system and its media outlets.

This is not how to win spiritual battles.

So, how can we win?

(Continued in Part 9)

Click on to see MyGFA site.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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April 30, 2015 · 7:05 am

Thursday’s Prayers for America (4/30/2015)

dolly 13

I don’t claim to know the answers for racial relations in America, especially in light of the riots in Baltimore and Ferguson, but I absolutely do know the One who has all of the answers. His name is Faithful and True, Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor, Lord God of Hosts, Lamb of God, Creator, Savior, Master, Friend, and Jesus Christ.

Today, I prayed:

Lord, forgive us Americans for thinking we can handle the racial problems in our nation with more talk, more marches, more media coverage, more sound bytes on social media, and more of everything, except more of You. Open our ears to hear what You are saying to Your church in this hour because our only hope is You.

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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April 29, 2015 · 9:33 am

Memories Pizza, Indiana, Christianity, And How Not to Win Spiritual Battles (Part 7)

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At one time or another, we have all heard believers described as Christ’s ambassadors. But what does the word ambassador mean?

Ambassador is the highest-ranking person who represents his or her own government while living in another country. (Merriam- Webster)

Let that definition rattle around your brains for a moment or two. It is eye-opening.

You see, you and I – as ambassadors – are the Father’s highest ranking persons of the kingdom of God here on earth. We are under the Lordship of King Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit. And as ambassadors of the kingdom of God, we have no authority to speak our own viewpoints to the world around us, but rather, we – as ambassadors – must speak the words of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit because they have appointed us to act as their representatives.

Okay, are you with me so far?

Because Jesus has not returned to earth as yet, the kingdom of God is a spiritual one, living within each believer. It is filled with power and not just empty words. This kingdom is eternal and more real than the world around us, but to access the kingdom of God within us, we must do it by faith and through our relationships with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

There are no shortcuts to walking in the fullness of the kingdom of God, but if we do it properly, there should be evidence for others to see:

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. (Galatians 5:22-25)

How can we ever lose a spiritual battle with this type of backing?

Ah, grasshopper, God gave us minds which are either the kingdom of God’s allies or its foes.

(Continued in Part 8)

Click on to see MyGFA site.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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April 27, 2015 · 9:31 am

Memories Pizza, Indiana, Christianity, and How Not to Win Spiritual Battles (Part 6)

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Let’s look at the kingdom of God:

Where is the Kingdom of God right now? Is it centered in the Vatican? Or in Rick Warren’s church? Or Joel Osteen’s church?

Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He replied to them by saying, The kingdom of God does not come with signs to be observed or with visible display, Nor will people say, Look! Here [it is]! or, See, [it is] there! For behold, the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]. (Luke 17:20-21 Amplified Version)

The original Kingdom of God was deposited on earth in the Garden of Eden. That is where God placed the first Adam, who had a relationship with the Father, which allowed Adam to ask for anything he needed or wanted from the Father. His level of intimacy was that of a son.

The Father even told Adam he could eat from every tree in the garden, including the tree of life, so his basic needs were met. There was only one stipulation, just one law to follow: he could not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Was the Garden of Eden a perfect place? No, absolutely not. Satan and his demonic angels had open access into the Kingdom of God and could tempt and deceive Adam and his wife, Eve.

And we all know how that story ended: with the fall of man and all of creation.

For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:19)

To restore the Kingdom of God on earth, the Father had to restore man’s standing before Him. Man was a sinner and God hated sin. Thus, man’s standing had to be changed into an acceptable one before Him, or a righteous position.

The term righteous is a legal term, not a religious one, and means to position oneself rightly. Therefore, when Jesus becomes our Lord, we are made righteous before God. And our righteousness allows us to inherit the Kingdom of God.

Now consider this, okay?

Because all of creation was –and still is – fallen and groaning for its freedom, the Father could not deposit the Kingdom of God in any building, location, or territory on earth in this era.  None could ever possibly have met His holy standards of righteousness.

So, God did what looks foolish to all of mankind, He placed the Kingdom of God on earth within believers’ hearts.

Paul wrote about the treasure in earthen vessels, which parallels closely to the parable Jesus spoke:

The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. (Matthew 13:44)

A Garden of Eden was placed in believers’ hearts where the tree of life has blossomed into eternal life. A river flows from the throne of God to water our gardens and we can have fellowship with the Father at all times.

But in our new Kingdom of God gardens, Satan does not have access because we are sealed in Christ and protected until the day of our redemption.

(Excerpt from my book, Storming the Kingdom, an Amazon eBook.)

Thus, when people say that they want to advance the kingdom of God, it is done one person and one heart at a time.

(Continued in Part 7)

Click on to see MyGFA site.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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April 24, 2015 · 1:35 pm

Memories Pizza, Indiana, Christianity, And How Not to Win Spiritual Battles (Part 5)

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“There is no neutral ground in the universe. Every square inch, every split second is claimed by God, and counterclaimed by Satan.” (C. S. Lewis)

“We will live our entire lives behind enemy lines…” (Leonard Ravenhill)

Our American Christian mindset seldom considers that we are in a constant state of spiritual warfare between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. There are ebbs and flows in the war, but the fighting will never end until Jesus returns to earth in all of His glory. So, there are no days off or vacations for us believers because we always need to fight in some way or another against the kingdom of darkness at all times.

Let’s look at the kingdom of darkness.

Satan is the head of the kingdom of darkness. He is also the accuser of the brethren, a murderer, the father of lies with no truth in him, a thief, destroyer, tempter, ruler of this world, wicked one, Beelzebub, the ruler of demons, antichrist, the deceiver, lawless one, man of sin, son of perdition, and god of this age.

Satan’s army of underlings include evil principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this age, spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places, prince of the power of the air, and countless lower level demons.

The kingdom of darkness’ #1 ally on earth: our flesh.

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)  

As you can easily see, the works of our flesh line up quite well with Satan and the kingdom of darkness.

So, let’s look at the kingdom of God.

(Continued in Part 6)

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April 23, 2015 · 10:59 am

Thursday’s Prayers for America (3/23/2015)

Dolly 77

Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Donald Trump, and Mark Zuckerberg can all pick up their phones to announce a press conference and have a ballroom packed with reporters in less than three hours time. The scribes will hang on every word which comes out of their mouths, even if it’s verbal pablum.

How can they do this?

Americans equate wealth with wisdom and strength. Thus, the words of these people are considered important enough for the media to give them a platform to trumpet their words to us.

Wisdom is better than strength. Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. (Ecclesiastes 9:16)

Today, I prayed:

Lord, I pray that You pour out Your wealth, riches, and honor on Your chosen servants so that their wisdom and knowledge can help to lead Your people through the upcoming dark days in America. (Based on 2 Chronicles 1:11-12)

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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April 13, 2015 · 9:17 am

Memories Pizza, Indiana, Christianity, and How Not to Win Spiritual Battles (Part 3)

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On the one hand, we Christian business people need to obey the U.S. Constitution and the laws of our nation, but on the other hand, we should also obey the Bible and its instructions.

First, let’s look at the U. S. Constitution and various laws.

All American businesses that sell products and/or services need a Federal Tax ID, usually a state sales tax permit, possible local licenses, and other assorted licenses and permits to do business in any state or city of America. When a business signs for the licenses and permits, it also agrees not to discriminate against anyone based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. (Based on 1964 Civil Rights Act.)

So, when a gay couple goes to a bakery, florist, photographer, or whatever and attempts to hire the business to perform a service for their upcoming wedding, they expect the business to honor the various Civil Rights Acts and their broader anti-discrimination interpretations, which have been adopted since 1964.

The Christian businesses who refuse to serve the gay couple’s wedding do so by stating gay marriages offend their religious beliefs. Their arguments are based on their freedom of religion based on the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

How is this playing out?

To date, 37 states allow same-sex marriages: 26 by court decisions, 8 by state legislatures, and 3 by popular vote. 13 states ban same-sex marriages.

Along with this, there is an explosion of gay-marriage lawsuits versus Christian businesses, with the Christians businesses usually losing or settling out of court.

What does the Bible say about this?

(Continued in Part 4)

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April 10, 2015 · 1:44 pm

Thursday’s Prayers for America on Friday (4/10/2015)

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With a slew of statistics projected on the slideshow behind him, California’s state climatologist had a stark warning during a Thursday presentation on the severity of the drought…

“You’re looking on numbers that are right on par with what was the Dust Bowl,” said the climatologist, Michael Anderson…

On Wednesday, California Governor Brown met for hours with leaders from environmental groups, agricultural organizations and water agencies to discuss the state’s response to the drought. (LA Times)

I usually pay little attention to what politicians say because they tend to exaggerate for their own benefit and welfare. Yet, this caught my attention and stayed on my heart.

California is drying up. We desperately need water.

There is no doubt in my mind that the Lord is allowing this drought to happen right now to get California’s attention.

Today, I prayed:

Lord, I pray that You send Your light and truth to California so that these may lead us into Your presence to discover the true reasons why the drought continues in our state. Our hope is in You, Lord, and we shall praise You for Your answers. (Based on Psalm 43:3-5)

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

Click on to see MyGFA site.

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