John 15:13

I have been thinking about this verse in this picture a lot lately.  John 15:15 says, "I don't call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn't know what his master is doing. But I've called you friends because I've made known to you everything that I've heard from my Father."  Wow, what a powerful statement for Jesus to make to his disciples!  I wonder what the disciples thought when He spoke this to them?  They had walked with Jesus for some time and it isn't any wonder that at some point something shifted in their relationship with Him, they loved Him.  They had initially followed him out of wonder, understandably.  Eventually, when Jesus asked them who they thought He was, Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."  Jesus said Peter was blessed because God had revealed this to him!  (Matthew 16:16-17)  The Bible says that because God loved the world He sent Jesus to save whoever believed in Him.  To love Jesus, we have to love God, and in order to love God, we have to receive the love of God into our hearts.  We can't love God without God.  John 15:9 says, "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love."  Jesus loved us because God loved us!  This is the greatest triangle of love that has ever existed!

Look at what Jesus said...."no greater love has anyone than this, than to lay one's life down for his friends"!  That kind of love only exists through God.  That's why in order to have the kind of love needed to reach a lost and dying world, we have to abide in Christ.

Have you ever heard of those amazing stories about people being able to lift a car off another person?  Or how someone jumped in front of a speeding bullet for someone else?  Some of these seem like things we would only see in the movies, but actually they do happen in real life.  It's interesting how if you were to test a person's strength, normally, lifting a car isn't one of them.  Dodging bullets would make more sense than jumping in front of one...  Something happens when the lives of those we love are put into jeopardy.  We don't turn into Superman, but there is something even greater than comes alive within us.  It's love.  "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends."  Jesus did this for us.  The night Jesus was praying in the garden, he was sweating blood and asked that if it was God's will, that He take this cup from Him.  In other words, if there was any other way to save His friends....make it known.  But, there wasn't.  So, on the day Jesus was betrayed, he began a brutal journey towards saving the lost....His friends.  The same friends who kept falling asleep when He needed them to pray, the same friend who would deny he knew Him 3 times...

This same kind of love, Jesus said we should have for one another.  Is there a situation today that you know someone who needs to feel loved?  Sometimes, it's just as easy as a phone call.  But, who knows where the love of God will lead us in the days to come.         

Habits of Your Heart

"A habit is defined as a behavior pattern acquired by frequent repetition that is refelected in regular or increased performance.  The word "habit" comes from a root meaning "clothing that is usually worn" - such as a nun's habit.  Habits may express themselves in simple outward traits, or in complex emotional responses and habitual attitudes toward life - in habits of the heart." 

- Elmer L. Towns from Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough -

"Accept instruction from his mouth and lay up his words in your heart."

Job 22:22

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."

Psalm 19:14

"My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer."

Psalm 45:1

"How can a young man keep his way pure?  By living according to your word.  I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.  I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.  Praise be to you, O Lord; teach me your decrees.  With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth.  I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.  I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.  I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word."

Psalm 119:9-16

Motivation

     Much of our life is an expression of the motivations of our hearts.  Everything from what we do daily, to how we interact with those around us, and where we hang out in our spare time are all reflections of our inner-makeup.  You won't typically see someone suffering from sociophobia (the fear of people or social situations) having a good time at a concert.  Or the person with zoophobia (the fear of animals) chilling out at the local zoo.  These are two examples of irrational fears that have more than likely been developed because of a traumatic event in a person's life.  The point is, whatever is going on behind this outer shell we call the human body, can affect the course of a person's life, intentionally or non-intentionally.

     Hence why it is extremely important to cultivate, challenge, renew, restore, develop, and nurture your soul - your mind, will, and emotions.  Let's put it into perspective.  You. . .  You are a spirit.  You have a soul.  You live in a body.  As Christians, we should have this concept down, but reality is that it can be a struggle to view ourselves in this way.  When we wake up in the morning and look in the bathroom mirror, we sure don't see a glowing being of light filling the reflection.  We see that face again, you know, the one with the messy bed-hair, lines, and blemishes.  We might even cringe a little and refuse to look again until we've had a cup of coffee and a hot shower.

     It's easy for us to walk in this body, we've had to do it since we could remember.  But, when someone starts talking about our "souls", we start to get shifty, looking everywhere else but in the person's eye calling us out: "Tell me how you really feel."  It's like when you walk into your home church, shake someone's hand, and they ask "How are you doing?"  You slam the door in your mind that wants to pour out everything that's happening in your life, you smile as wide as possible, and say "Great!  I'm doing really great.  You?"  We are masters at deflecting.

      So, the part of us that makes us less than robot, is the hardest part to expose.  We walk in the fear of what others will think of us.  We're so caught up in trying to be good Christians that we forget Jesus said he didn't do anything unless he saw the Father do it (John 5:19).  Following Christ is RELATIONAL, hence you cannot ignore your heart.  So, ultimately, when Jesus hung on the cross, with arms wide open and heart exposed, it was the Father doing so as well.  This symbol of Jesus hanging on the cross is seen by millions of people in their churches, hanging on the wall, or on a chain around their necks.  Unless you have never heard the gospel, this image is unmistakable, the crucifix.  It's a symbol, now, that mostly the Catholic church embraces.  The rest of us have taken Jesus from the cross to show that "he is not still there".  That's a valid point, but think of it this way . . .  If you were sharing the gospel with someone for the first time and you showed them an empty cross and a crucifix, what do you think their reaction would be?

     If we cannot expose our hearts to the world, we will never impact it for Christ.  We will be like the symbol of a wooden cross to those who are lost, interesting, but not leaving an impression.  Or, like Jesus, we can lay down our lives, expose our hearts, and radically shake the world.  Jesus' exposer rent the very veil that separated man from God.  What could Jesus do through his entire Church if they would live with hearts wide open?  What if it became a habit to follow this verse:

 ^"Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me."

Luke 9:23

Developing Faith In The Father's Love

WE ARE TO BE ROOTED AND GROUNDED IN THE LOVE OF GOD

 

I receive the Believer's Voice of Victory magazine from the Kenneth Copeland Ministries.  There was an article in the June 2013 issue that I would like to highlight for you.  It was originally published in June of 1980, so thirty three years later, it just goes to show that this is a message that will remain timeless and essential to the Christian life!

"In this day and hour, we as God's people are taking our rightful position...dedicating ourselves to God, renewing our minds with The WORD, setting ourselves apart from the carnal ways of the world and committing ourselves to walk in the love of God.  God has promised us the knowledge of His love.  First John 4:16 says, "We have known and believed the love that God hath to us...."  Believing that love is acting on it, putting it into operation.  When we do, we reach out into the areas that pass human knowledge.  Again, Ephesians 3:17 says, "That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love." - Kenneth Copeland

DEVELOPING FAITH IN GOD'S LOVE

 

"You might ask, "How do you know when your faith is developed in a certain area?"  The same rules apply to the development of faith in every area of life.  Fiath is faith in any Bible subject - whether it is the new birth, the infilling of the Holy Ghost, right-standing with God, divine health, divine prosperity or some other area.  It is the same spiritual substance.  It works the same in eveey situation." - Kenneth Copeland

 

4 Things to Do:

1)  Put the WORD first place.

2)  Meditate on the scirptures concening God's love.

3)  Act on The WORD concerning the love of God.

4)  Decide to live the love life.

 

 

 

THE POWER OF GOD'S LOVE

 

"By walking in God's love, you release a force to work in your behalf - a force that has all the appearance of weakness but is stronger than any force in existence.  One of the most outstanding examples of the power of God's love was manifested during Jesus' ministry.  Whatever Jesus heard the Father say, that's what He said.  Not one more word, and not one less word.  To walk in love is to walk in the very highest spiritual realm there is.  Jesus walked in that realm.  We have seen it operate in His earthly ministry."  - Kenneth Copeland

 

 

First John 5:1 - "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.  Who is he that overcometh the world, buy he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?"

 

 



 

ROOTED AND GROUNDED IN LOVE

 

"There are two ways to perfect the love of God in your life: 1)  by keeping The WORD of God, and 2) by practicing love on others.  Love takes practice, and we can practice on each other.  You won't operate perfectly in love at the very beginning; but as you keep at it, you will get better and better.  Keep loving.  Keep overlooking the shortcomings of other people.  Look for Jesus in them!" - Kenneth Copeland

 

 





Smith Wigglesworth: Faith and A Love Relationship With God

Smith Wigglesworth, born in 1859, was known as "the Apostle of Faith" who had a "deep intimacy with his Heavenly Father".  It was not unusual for signs and wonders to follow his ministry.  But, instead of making claims to his faith when people were supernaturally healed, Smith said,  "I am sure it was not my faith, but it was God in His compassion coming to help me in that hour of need."  How many ministers do we hear making a statement like this?  So many times we hear "if you just had faith enough" then what you are asking for in prayer would be given to you.  It's understandable how people might have this philosophy, because of infamous verses about "moving mountains with faith the size of a mustard seed".  But, faith doesn't just pop up one day out of the blue because you've conjured it!  Keep reading to understand why.

There are several statements worth pointing out that Smith made and have been recorded in one such book Ever Increasing Faith:

- "Desire toward God, and you will have desires from God; and He will meet you on the line of those desires when you reach out in simple faith."

- "There comes, as we go on with God, a wonderful association, an impartation of His very life and nature within."

- "As we read His Word and believe the promises that He has so graciously given to us, we are made partakers of His very essence and life."

- "His words to us are spirit and life, transforming us and changing us, expelling that which is natural and bringing in that which is divine."

- "A man who is born of God is brought into an inward affection, a loyalty to the Lord Jesus that shrinks from anything impure."

A man of faith made these statements!  Nowadays it seems if you are known as a "person of faith" that you are of an "older generation" that hasn't quite tapped into the "new generation" of thinking.  Who came up with that thinking???  Smith's faith stemmed out of his intimate relationship with God.  Faith is fundamental to the Christian walk!  But, again, where does that faith come from?  Check out these verses below:



Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

1 Peter 1:7 - These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

1 Corinthians 2:5 - ...so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

Ephesians 2:8 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

Hebrews 10:22 - Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

John 14:12 - I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

Literally, our salvation begins through faith!  Our salvation isn't dependent upon anything we can do, it's a gift from God.  1 Corinthians says that faith isn't found in "men's wisdom, but in God's power."  Faith comes from God and we must develop that intimate relationship with Him so that faith can grow in us.  We've been told through the Word that we've all been given a measure of faith.  So, what does that mean?

God is invisible to the human eye most of the time as we live on this planet.  It's something, we Christians, have come to understand.  But, how many times do we hear others ask "If God really existed, why can't we see him?"  Now, just in that statement alone, can you hear any faith?  Knowing faith's very definition in the Word is about believing what you cannot see, then the answer to that question would be "no".  So, how is it that we can go from not having faith to suddenly having faith??

We cannot have faith without God.  Anyone can pretend to have faith, but when the stuff hits the fan, your faith will be tested.  If you don't have an intimate relationship with God, you will fall.  That's the bottom line.  Try something right now.  The verses we just went over, everywhere you see the word "faith" insert instead "a relationship with God".

What did you notice?  Suddenly that mysterious word "faith" starts to make more sense.  Simply because we were created to have an intimate relationship with God.  Without that relationship, people will wander through life unfulfilled and struggling.  There is more beauty in a relationship with God than gold or anything else of value.  It actually takes God to love God.  Did you know that?  Before you became a Christian, can you honestly say you loved God?  You can't.  It's not until you experience the love of God that you can love Him in return.

"Faith, hope, and love...but the greatest of these is love!"  What an awesome verse!  If you have a love relationship with your Heavenly Father, then it's only natural for faith to come forth.  The question for you today is, are you struggling with having faith?  Then, pray about what you just read and seek out a deeper relationship with God.  You cannot have any more faith unless you have more of God in your life.   

    

New Facility!!!

Things have been changing at RIG!  We have moved into a new and larger facility.  It took some work to renovate the new place, but we finished it and have been meeting there for over a month now!  God is so faithful and we are so thankful for His provision.  After all of your prayers, we know God gave us a clear answer, and this is where we are now meeting:

"I Will Sustain You"

Dear Reader,

This is the first post in the new year of 2013.  I would like to share with you a vision I had for this year.  I received it during a meeting where nearly a dozen pastors and leaders from other churches in the region were in attendance.  I shared it with them and now feel led to share it with you.  I believe this is a word for the Church and I hope that you will be encouraged today when you read it.

Sincerely,
Nickie Farley



The group of pastors and leaders were asked to pray over the nations and this is the vision I was given during that time:

At first, I thought I was seeing a monster.  There were all of these arms reaching out in different directions from a very large object standing before me.  I looked down and could see we were standing above the earth.  I looked up and realized the thing before me was a massive tree!  The strong arms were the branches of this tree.

Looking past the tree I saw an angel of the Lord watching the scene before me as if managing what was about to take place.  I noticed a rather large wheel encircling the tree.  Upon the wheel at intervals were handles.  Each arm reached out to grasp one of the handles and began to turn the wheel counterclockwise.

As the wheel turned, a ramp appeared, extending down to the Earth.  I watched as a stream of what appeared to be gold dust began to pour down the ramp from some invisible place in the heavenlies.  Reaching the bottom of the ramp, the dust rained down upon the Earth.  It appeared that it was only moving to certain places.  

I watched as this gold dust began to form in huge pyramid like formations in strategic places upon the Earth.  Then, came people carrying baskets, bags, jars, etc.  They filled these objects with the gold and carried them to other places...

The first place was what appeared to be a house.  The person knocked on the door and handed someone else a jar of the dust.  That person then ground the dust and made loaves of bread.  I watched as the loaves continued to increase.

The second place was a field.  Someone carried a basket and scooped out the gold with their hands and spread it throughout the field.  Suddenly, the rich, freshly tilled soil sprouted life as shoots of green grew quickly from the ground!

The third place was open water.  I watched as someone took a cup and poured out it's contents into the water.  Gold dust spread across the water and a bright light shone from it.

Finally, I saw someone drink the dust from heaven from a cup!

I asked the Lord, "What does this all mean?"

He said to me, "I will sustain you."

Then, I saw a dark army come to the places where the supply of gold was lain out.  They searched, but could not see the gold!  Suddenly, I saw a bright light from Heaven shine down and blind the eyes of the army from seeing the people gathering the gold.

Again, I heard the Lord say, "I will sustain you."


I believe this vision's purpose is to let the Church know that God will sustain us.  If you read the Word, you will find verses like Psalm 1:3 and Jeremiah 17:8 that talks about trees bearing fruit in due season and doesn't fear drought.  I believe God is sending down His glory over the Earth.  He is sending provision for the Church in this hour.  The bread is for all those who are going to come hungry!  There is going to be a great harvest!  The lost are going to be drawn to the living waters!  All those who drink of it will be filled!  

God is blinding the eyes of the Enemy from seeing the supply or the ones who are distributing it.  This is more than a fleeting need for sustenance, this is an eternal act of sustaining!  God will sustain His people this hour!  His glory will be distributed throughout the Earth and there will be a great harvest of souls for His kingdom!  Get ready for the wave of His glory to cover the Earth!  He is drawing men and women to Himself!  There have been great revivals in the past, but something much larger is coming to strategic places across the Earth and the Enemy will not be able to stop it!   


         

Love Mercy

 

^{Micah 6:8}

⁸ He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

    And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

    and to walk humbly with your God.

 

^{Exodus 34:6-7a} 

⁶ And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, ⁷ maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.

  Matthew 5:7

⁷ Blessed are the mercy for they will be shown mercy. 

 Numbers 14:17-18a

¹⁷ “Now may the Lord’s strength be displayed, just as you have declared: ¹⁸ ‘The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion"

 Hosea 6:6

⁶ For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.

 

Romans 9:15-18

¹⁵ For he says to Moses,“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” ¹⁶ It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. ¹⁷ For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” ¹⁸ Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. 

 

2 Corinthians 4:1

4 Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.

Psalm 36:5-6

⁵ Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens your faithfulness to the skies. ⁶ Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals. 

Psalm 51:17

¹⁷ My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.

 

Matthew 9:12-13

¹² On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

 

 Luke 18:13-14

¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’¹⁴ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”