Tuesday, May 12, 2020

STAYING STRONG IN A DIFFICULT TIME





There are spiritual disciplines that children of God can employ to overcome every opposition that is positioned against their destinies in life. Let us look at the three among many.


1. DETERMINE TO WAIT UPON THE LORD

Isa 40:29 -31 “ He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31  But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

The Word denotes that, “But they that wait” it means not everyone has the desire, focus, spiritual discipline and spiritual intelligence to wait upon the Lord. Are you in need of strength when you are fainting in destiny? Wait upon Him!

Pro 24:10 “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.”

Fainting is associated with strength in scripture. One spiritual secret to achieving meaningful results in life is to intensely be strengthened by God. Days of adversity will always come in our lives. That is why it is imperative to consistently dwell in the secret place of the Lord to possess supernatural strength.  

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.

The much needed strength to achieve dreams, fulfil personal visions and start anew in life is accessed through Christ’s strength. The strength of a new beginning, the strength to enter a new season comes from God through Jesus Christ. Your destiny requires strength to be accomplished. Pursue that divine strength and the secret is waiting upon the Lord as a child of God.
           
In Matthew 14 After Jesus had finished doing ministry and feeding the five thousand. He instructed his disciples to go ahead while he found time to wait upon God. Jesus was behind his disciples about 6 hours and to catch up with his ministry team He walked on water.
           
Spending quality time with God is never a waste of time. Jesus intentionally waited upon God and He was given supernatural strength  to catch up with his ministry team. The miracle of walking on water was a spiritual possibility  provided at that moment as a means to catch up in the natural.

 Waiting upon God in prayer gives you spiritual advantages over the affairs of life and  creates all spiritual possibilities.   To effectively  manifest supernatural strength, a relationship with God must be intentionally forged through personal revelation and spiritual encounter.  

2. DETERMINE TO POSSESS THE JOY OF THE LORD

 1 Chro. 16:26 -27 “For all the gods of the people are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and joy are in his place”
There is a place where God abides and that place is a place of divine strength and joy. Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”The Bible says “always” So all the way from 2020 and beyond you have to strive for the joy of the Lord in your heart. All the way to 31st December  you must thrive to posses joy. Shout Joy! This doesn’t mean there won’t be  challenges in your life but you walk by revelation and not by situations.
Isaiah 12:6 “Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion for great is the Holy One of Israel among you” 
 Sing for joy all people for the Lord is good all the time. Great is our God, the helper of men who seek Him  daily.
Hebrews 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
You must look at some troubles in your life with joy and ask yourself “I wonder what is on the other side of this pain and process?” Jesus carried the cross with joy for the He knew what was on the other side.
I don’t know completely what is on the other side of 2020 but like Jesus Christ who knew His Father was on the throne. I just believe today through personal revelation that God is still on the throne. Therefore l know despite the pain and multiple challenges in life, God is in  total control.

You do not rejoice because things have changed But you rejoice to change things in life


Nehemiah 8:10 “Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

Satan uses life circumstances and unpredictable situations to steal our joy in the Lord. When we lose the joy of the Lord we lose strength to finish well in our spiritual journey. 
 A sense of hopelessness dries up our faith and joy in the Lord.  Whatever you are going through and how ever don’t lose your joy in the Lord.
 Despite the setbacks and upsets of 2020 the downfalls of 2020, the tears of 2020, the pains of 2020, the confusion, disappointments, sleepless nights of 2020, the insufficiency of 2020 and the Covid 19 pandemic. DO NOT LOSE YOUR JOY IN THE LORD!

1 John 5:4  “You see, every child of God overcomes the world, for our faith is the victorious power that triumphs over the world.”

If we are to be identified as Overcomers, we must face oppositions, and challenges to assume such spiritual status in Christ. And Christ has by spiritual positioning given us divine weapons to overcome ALL things in this life. Remember we are in this world but we are not the world.

Romans 8:35 “…Troubles, pressures, and problems are unable to come between us and heaven’s love. What about persecutions, deprivations, dangers, and death threats? No, for they are all impotent to hinder omnipotent love.”


 Possess the Joy of the Lord Continued!

Habakkuk 3:18  “As for me, I will rejoice in the LORD. I will find my joy in the God who delivers me.”
Habakkuk lists a number of things that failed but he says in verse 18 “Yet as for me I will rejoice in Lord.”  You must have the revelation of this God who delivers – The God with the ABILITY to save and deliver despite what the circumstances may be.
Pro 17:22 “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit drains one's strength.”
A joyful heart is therapeutic to one’s life like medicine to the body prescribed by a medical practitioner. In the absence of this mystery of joy, your body and life can be drained of its strength completely unto death.
Depression dries up your strength and gives access to diseases to be made manifest in the body. Make sure as a child of God you have a daily dosage of joy for endurance  in the name of Jesus.Be intentional like David and declare boldly despite the situation around you child of God,
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.”

3. DON’T LET THE FACE MASK HINDER YOUR PRAISE  


 Act 16:25  “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 26  And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.”

These men were in a lockdown situation but their faith was let loose. Verse 25a: And at “midnight”- Just before the  breaking of a new day it is the darkness. Some of you are in your “midnight season” You cannot see your way out of that situation that has you bound. 

 It has confined you and placed limitations on your life.Your  marriage, money, liberties and finances are restrained. Your vision and focus is darkened. You cannot reach out to others because those with you also are bound. (You pick up the phone to call and you realize we are just alike).
            You must appreciate this portion of scripture as a Child of God today.  Paul and Silas didn’t belong to a whatsapp minister’s group to receive daily motivation. They had no access to a podcast, Christian radio or twitter. So they reached out deep in their spirits and prompted by the Holy ghost, they prayed and sung praises to God.
            When true praise reaches the heavens, something supernatural begins to manifest as we minic God’s throne on the earth and His glory is released. Chains were undone  and doors opened on the account of a heart declaring gratitude to a living God. Praise is a spiritual weapon that the people of God used in scripture to fight in battles and victory was granted.

 Verse 25b: “and the prisoners heard them” That which was bound with them heard the songs and prayers.  When God directs and inspires you, drag those legal pending  papers, applications and business papers, receipts and doctors reports bring them out before God. Sing praise to the true God and watch heaven begin to work on your behalf.
            Songs are instruments of invocation to bring God’s presence to manifest in a place and situation. The challenge is that  many times a larger percent of what we sing we really do not believe in. We sing songs we have no revelation about. We praise as part of a program but not with understanding what praise can and will do to one doing it in Truth and Spirit.

Verse 26: “And suddenly,”   I prophesy a suddenly in our situations, suddenly the matter is resolved, suddenly the pain leaves the sick body, suddenly the closed door opens. Suddenly there is a call  and the answer is YES!
            I believe in the spiritual possibilities of “suddenly” miracles manifest. Suddenly it is done! I release a suddenly grace to manifest and change our situations,  Suddenly you are loose, your family is loose, Just suddenly!!!
            Suddenly revival break forth and souls are won to the Lord. Suddenly what you have been waiting for years comes to pass.
I believe in the Lord of suddenly!
Praise and praise and I say again praise God even when it makes no human sense. There is a spiritual shift that takes place for sure.

Keep your faith and continue to wait upon the Lord because there is HOPE for the redeemed of the Lord in the land of the living. God bless and pass on this message



   Psa 100:4  “You can pass through his open gates with the password of praise. Come right into his presence with thanksgiving. Come bring your thank offering to him and affectionately bless his beautiful name!”






By the election of grace I pray for you  according to the apostolic revelation
Eph 3:16 “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man..”
·         And I decree and declare because your inner man is strengthened: You have emotional, physical, psychological and spiritual  ability to withstand all manner of challenges.

·         I  pray child of God, because your inner man is strengthened: you have the ability in your mind to think well and clearly concerning all things affecting you.

·         I  prophesy by the auction of the Spirit, because your inner man is strengthened: Your physical body has the ability to resist all manner of diseases. I command every disease to loose its hold upon your body now

·         I  command through Yeshua, because your inner man is strengthened: You are above and not below in the affairs of life. You are born of God and therefore you are an overcomer.





Pastor Jim Machuku


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STAYING STRONG IN A DIFFICULT TIME

There are spiritual disciplines that children of God can employ to overcome every opposition that is positioned against thei...