Rent waived
We have been receiving financial blessings lately, a $2,500 blessing 2 weeks ago and this week again I didn’t expect anything crazy, to be honest these blessings are new for me…but check this out…
We have some issues with the apartment we are renting and last Sunday the landlord calls and waived this months rent! Wow, it wasn’t till evening when i was laying down that I realized what had happened. FAVOR!! I told the guy, wow that’s too much, but when I realized it was a blessing from God, I received it and thanked God and now I’m testifying of His Glory!
Blessed, Highly Favored, and Empowered to Prosper!
Children’s Ministry Testimony at Life
So my 8 year old Son asked me last week, “Dad, can I have a new Bible?” !!! how awesome is that! He said he wanted a children’s Bible like they have in his class, (apparently his has too many pictures) . We were out so I stopped right away at the book store, my wife suggested that he could use one of my many Bibles. But I was so happy, when your son asked you for a new Bible, for me you run and get it. That was a great moment for me.
My 8 year old has some kind of fund raiser going on in his class at school. So he decided he would bring in his piggy bank and give all his money. This was about $60 , he was saving for a new video game. I let him do it, he took it to school, the teacher asked him if he was sure, three times and he said yes. I was so proud of him. We told him how happy we were and surprised him with a nice gift. Our son has always had a good heart, but I have noticed a Godly character being developed, that I cannot take full credit for. ( I’m hoping some of it is from me! lol).
Life Christian Church is helping my whole family see all that God has in store for us. Thank God for you!
Sizzling hot miracle
The Florida sun is a lot stronger than Michigan sun or even North Carolina sun (I know because I just moved from Michigan to North Carolina), but that fact seemed to slip my mind when my friend and I went to Naples, FL for our spring break. When we went to the beach, I put sunscreen on but it was only 15 SPF. As we continued to go to the beach Friday, Saturday and Sunday my body was burnt. Sunday, my friend and I visited Life Christian Church and listened to Pastor Tracy speak. Her message of rebuking the devil in the Lord’s name when her previous illness came back to attack her and then vanishing because of her such strong faith in God was very inspiring to me. Sunday was spent at the beach as was Monday, and by this time I can feel sun poisoning as my back is peeling and on fire.
As I laid in my hotel room on my bed in pain, the symptoms of sun poisoning (which I’ve had before) came upon me. In a split second I remembered what Pastor Tracy had done and I started to do the same. Saying in Jesus name this poisoning will not hurt me, God doesn’t want me in pain, etc. After about 10 minutes of continuously repeating these phrases, from the center of my body a coolness spread throughout me and my sun poisoning no longer hurt. My body was not in pain and I didn’t have the hot/cold feeling. God took away the pain I was going through. He took the poison out of my body. I know that, because if he didn’t my body would have been in a lot more pain and the process of having it and taking care of it would have been much longer. I am so thankful that I had heard what Pastor Tracy advised and did it for myself, and God did his magic.
Rescue Series “The Spear” by Pastor Tracy Boyd (notes & video)
Rescued: The Spear- Rescued from broken relationships
Sunday; March 25, 2012 Pastor Tracy Boyd
Watch video here -> or -> listen to audio here
Intro: Jesus purchased through His life the potential for any area of our life to be conformed to His abundance.
We’ve said that if Jesus had to simply die having our sins on Him then why all the brutality. The journey before the cross is significant showing all that Jesus purchased for our well-being. We’ve touched on so far that through Jesus rescued us from sickness – the Whip-and mental stress/fear/anxiety- the crown of thorns.
This week: the Spear in His side
John 19:31-37 (NKJ)
Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. 36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.”[f] 37 And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.
- No bones broken: Ex. 12:46 (No bones of the Passover lamb were to be broken, no bones of Jesus the sacrificial lamb were to be broken)
- Pierced: Zech 12:10
Genesis 2:21-22 (NKJ)
Eve was made from a rib in the side of Man. God took from Adams side and put ever together.
Genesis 1:27 (NKJ)
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Notice In Gen 1:27 that the soul-ish attributes of both the male and female were present in Adam. God drew the female attributes out and formed her physical body! We are doubly removed from the earth- don’t know why our bodies are more stubborn to get in shape than theirs!
Gen 3:16 (NKJ)
To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception;
In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband,
And he shall rule over you.”
In the fall God said to her that her desire would be for her husband; in other words remembering her joint rule in the garden, she would desire to dominate her husband. Really this dominating is working in both; one is trying to dominate the other instead of working together in their strengths.
- On the day she was deceived and ate sin entered and her relationship with Adam was pierced
In a husband wife relationship most women want to be lead not dominated and have a leader for a husband. Unfortunately because we want to have our way we many times manipulate and cause our husbands to follow us instead of letting them lead us.
- Mom always says treat your husband as a king and he’ll lead as a king; treat him as servant and he’ll lead as a servant.
- We see through the fall our leadership can greatly affect the man!
Often times, a woman will take over because they see a lack of action or confrontation.
The first fight happened after the fall with Adam playing the blame game. This is still going on.
We’ve been rescued from living in marital stress/broken relationships. Jesus released the potential through the spear in His side for us to have whole relationships.
Baggage
- Don’t realize that we come to relationships with baggage
- We’ve picked up good and bad perspectives on life from the environments we’ve been raised in as well as the treatment we’ve received in previous relationships.
- We interpret and respond through the past encounters many time repeating vicious cycles that we’ve been privy to.
- Becky and John: the set up both came from dysfunction
- Come to Christ however both have been operating in:
- Ephesians 4:14 (NKJ)
that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine (teaching/voices in our life), by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
- Solution 1: Ephesians 4:15 (NKJ) “But speaking the truth in Love may grow up…. “
- She began to point things out that could be done better. At first he went along with it but it bothered him. Why? Because in his previous relationship this was done to him wrong. So even though she was saying it right he was interpreting it wrong and stuffing. Then one day exploded. Then every time she brought any thing up he exploded.
- Speaking the truth in love affords the opportunity to bring out in the open any feelings or thoughts that have been shaped by the above wrong teachings, wrong relationships and the adversary manipulating the process
- Solution 2: Ephesians 4: 23 (NKJ) and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
- The Word is the key that unlocks the door to the house of blessing
- If we don’t renew then we continue to interpret through baggage: Pastor Mary example
This is so important he says it again:
Ephesians 4:25-27, 29 (NKJ)
“Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil.
29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. (how we say it is just as important as what we say).
God wants to create a new species
Romans 5:5 (NKJ)
Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
- He puts His love in us to love and receive love from God
- Out of that love we love our spouse, children, and neighbors
- That love is inoperative without the input of the Word and the cooperation of the will.
- With out the word, we may be saved but still have old cycles and habits working in us that affect how we treat our spouse and even how we read them.
- Then in ignorance we are hurting one another.
- The enemy takes advantage of our ignorance and pushes our emotional buttons.
- We’ve been given the Holy Spiritas well to walk along side us to help
- Parakletos is the same word used in genesis for helper: One who assists, helps, comes to ones aide!
God’s Word and His love empowers us to have rescued relationships and prevent us from piercing each other!
Consistency pays off
The exciting thing about this testimony is that I know it is part of larger testimony that is yet to come for us! I had to work hard to condense my thoughts, which is why it took me so long to take the time to write to you. I know, that’s a pretty lame excuse isn’t it? Anyway, I pray that God will use my testimony to encourage someone to devote time each day to the build their relationship with their Lord.
Testimony:
My wife and I both started our 30-day CTWG journal on Jan 1st. This is fitting because we have seen that 2012 is already turning out to be the most amazing year we have ever seen for our family, and we’re not even to mid February yet! God is doing amazing things and I am more convinced every day that He has something big in the works. I wake up every day in anticipation of what He’ll do today. During the 30 days my wife and I spent at least part of our individual daily devotions in our respective CTWG journals. When we had the opportunity to talk about that day’s devo it confirmed what we already knew – God is doing something special in our family. In my case, the Lord showed me that I needed to get real with myself and with Him, revealing wounds that I had long forgotten were even there. As a result I sense His presence in my life in ways I’ve never experienced before. In the past several weeks, I have seen the evidence of God’s grace and His love as I learn to accept what He has always wanted my relationship with Him to be. I encourage everyone to take this 30-day journey. New believers as well as those who have walked with the Lord for many years will be blessed!
