Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. Ephesians 6:10-18 KJV

1. Standing on the promises

God has made us many wonderful promises, but His promises won’t do anything for you, personally, unless and until you believe His word and stand on it. He has already done the giving – you need to do the receiving. Remember this: God does not lie and cannot lie.

God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Numbers 23:19 KJV

2. Keep praising and worshipping your way to victory

…for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10 KJV

As long as you are praising and worshipping God, you can keep your eyes on Him and His promises. The joy of the Lord is your strength! The devil tries to get you to take your eyes off God and His Word. If the devil can steal your joy, he will be able to steal your stuff.

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. Acts 16:25-26 KJV

When you worship God, bands are loosed.

3. Keep an attitude of gratitude

All these curses shall come upon you and shall pursue you and overtake you till you are destroyed, because you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. 46 They shall be upon you for a sign [of warning to other nations] and for a wonder, and upon your descendants forever. 47 Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness of [mind and] heart [in gratitude] for the abundance of all [with which He had blessed you]. Deuteronomy 28:45-47 AMP

If you have a bad attitude, you will miss out on the blessings God has for you. Serve God with joyfulness in your heart and mind. Be thankful for all He has blessed you with and show Him your thankfulness. Show it in your mouth and in your giving. Think back on all your victories. Remind yourself of all that God has done for you. Testify – talk about your victories. Tell others.

4. Stay consistent in your commitment to walking out the promises of Go

a. Church attendance – don’t forsake gathering together

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25 KJV

We need each other. We need to stand together and worship together, and encourage each other, and stir each other up to do good – to walk in love, and do good works.

b. Fellowship with the believers – don’t be a loner

That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:3 KJV

c. Prayer

Rejoice and exult in hope; be steadfast and patient in suffering and tribulation; be constant in prayer. Romans 12:12 AMP

d. Study the word

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV

e. Walking in love and forgiveness

And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. Mark 11:25-26 KJV

We love him, because he first loved us. 20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

1 John 4:19-21 KJV

f. Giving – keep giving

But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 KJV

g. Be a witness and demonstrate the power of the resurrection

(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. 1 John 1:2-4 KJV

“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

Foundation Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 3:17 – 4:7 (ASV) Vs. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, (there) is liberty. Vs. 18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the spirit. 4:1 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, even as we obtained mercy, we faint not:  Vs. 2  but we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

 Vs. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled in them that perish. Vs. 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn (upon them). Vs. 5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. Vs. 6 Seeing it is God, that said, Light shall shine out of darkness, who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Vs. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves.

 Wherever the Spirit of God is allowed and welcomed—there is liberty. If we allow the Holy Spirit free rein and free course, to do whatever He wants—then we will have liberty and freedom. If we inhibit and try to control Him, we will have bondage. Religion—man’s ideas, man’s tradition—always produces bondage. Because we are born again, because we handle God’s Word truthfully, and because we allow God to work in us, we see and know His glory. His glory is not hidden from us as if we look through a veil, but we see Him clearer and clearer all the time. God’s Word is the mirror we look into (James 1:23-25).

The devil blinds the unbeliever’s eyes to the glorious light of the gospel, as if they had a veil covering their face. They cannot understand God’s Word. It makes no sense to them. You will notice that the scripture (verse 4) says that their minds are blinded. The heart is the part of man ready to receive. We must reach past a person’s mind, into the heart, with the gospel. Preach the gospel to their spirit man. You receive the truth of God’s Word into your heart by faith. As your spirit lights up with God’s presence, your eyes begin to open to Him and you start to see Him more clearly. We do not preach of ourselves, by ourselves, nor do we preach our own gospel (2 Corinthians 3:5). We speak what we hear our Father say—or so it should be. Jesus did not preach His own ideas—He preached exactly what He heard His Father say to Him.

 Verse 6 – The light of God shines on us, in us, and through us as we allow His Word to enter our hearts and minds. The knowledge and truth that God has given us concerning Jesus is the light that shines in and through us. Imagine a book, lying open, in a darkened room—you cannot read it. Then you flip on the light switch and you can see every word. It is the same book, no matter how much light is in the room, or not. The amount of light, reflected on the book and bouncing into one’s eyes, determines how easy it is to read the words on the pages. God is the light. The more you have of Him, the more you know and understand Him. You begin to see things differently than before. Psalms 119:105 (KJV) Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

 Verse 7 – God chooses to use “earthen” vessels so that when His glory is displayed through these vessels, He will be glorified. Everyone can see that the vessel does not have much to give and they realize that God is the One doing the work in and through that vessel, and God gets all the glory. God is glorified in and through yielded vessels.

“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

John 16:31-33  (NIV)

31      “You believe at last!” Jesus answered.

32      “But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.

33      “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

 

JESUS PRAYED THIS PRAYER FOR YOU.

 

After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

 

“I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name– the name you gave me– so that they may be one as we are one.

While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

 

“I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.

I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

 

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

 

“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

 

“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

John 17:1-26 (NIV)

 

AS YOU MEDITATE ON THIS PRAYER – TAKE IT PERSONALLY – RECEIVE IT AS IF HE IS SPEAKING ABOUT YOU – BECAUSE HE IS!

“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

Foundation Scripture: Luke 2:8-14

8        And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9        And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10      And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11      For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12      And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13      And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14      Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

 

The “holiday” season is here once again: shopping malls crammed with shoppers, Christmas music playing, candy and cakes for the sweet tooth, while the desperate shopper looks frantically for that bargain stocking stuffer hoping that that gift would put the sparkle in the eye of the one they love. This little ritual is played right up to 10:00pm on Christmas Eve – looking, hoping, and trying to find that perfect gift – a new Tickle Me Elmo or the right dress. However, the day after Christmas, the same mall is jammed once again with the recipients of the gifts trying to return them because they didn’t like them or because it was not the right size or color etc. The credit cards are now maxed out. Its money they did not have to spend. They did not have it so they charged it. Then the pain sets in – they know that the bill is on its way and wonder how in the world they are going to pay it off. Months will go by until that bill is finally settled and then the process begins again – a vain search by people trying to fill their heart with a joy that cannot be bought at any store and a joy that only Jesus can bring.

I think that they are missing a detail.

This joy that they are looking for is a joy that only Jesus can bring – this joy is the joy of Salvation – the joy of having your sin’s forgiven and having your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

 

Luke 2:15-20

15      And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16      And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17      And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18      And all they that heard it wondered at those things, which were told them by the shepherds.

19      But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

20      And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

 

Once the shepherds heard about the baby Jesus they wanted to see Him. How will the world ever press in to find Him if they have never heard about Him? It’s important that everywhere we go this Christmas, we don’t just have carols and trees and eggnog and gifts while the real joy is never found. Remember whom the season is really about. Christ has been taken out of Christmas and Xmas has been left as another fairy-tale holiday with meaning. I tell you church family, that this season should be no different than any other time of the year. All year round we should be rejoicing over the fact that “Joy to the World – the Lord has come”!

He is alive and has come today to bring joy to you in the form of eternal life that springs up as a well of life and can become a river flowing out of you to touch a lost and dying world with the good news.

 

Matthew 2:10-11

10      When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

11      And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

The Wise Men came and worshipped Jesus and they opened their treasure bags and gave gifts to him – seeing this is His birthday we are reminded to not forget him and lavish Him with our love and our hearts and our gifts this season……………………after all it is His birthday not ours.

“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. Revelations 2:1-5 NIV

 

In the book of Revelation, the Lord speaks through John to seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. He commends them, encourages them and rebukes them. The Lord commended the Ephesian church for working hard, being committed to the truth and persevering through hardships without giving up. But He had to rebuke them because they had forgotten to enjoy their relationship with Jesus and to keep Him first in their priorities.

 

You cannot work for or earn anything that God has given you or anything He has done for you. It is all a free gift given by grace and received in humility. Humility is the ability to receive that which you do not deserve. If the devil can’t stop you from serving God then he tries to get you so busy laboring and working hard FOR the Lord that you forget to have a relationship WITH the Lord. Jesus was your first love and He must remain your first love. The Greek word for “first” means foremost – in time, place, order or importance. It is translated variously as “before, beginning, best, chief, first of all, and former.” Jesus is the most important person in your life – your first love and your only love. When you marry your earthly true love, you commit to love them only and forever. You love them so completely that you are not ever tempted to even look around at another.

 

We are to commit to the Lord for eternity like we would to a marriage that will last a lifetime. God hates divorce and separation because when He commits to us, it is forever for Him. When we are flaky and uncommitted in our earthly relationships, then we will most likely be inconsistent and unfaithful in our heavenly relationships. The Lord loves us with all His heart. He longs to have a close relationship with us. He longs to fellowship and commune with us. The closer we get to Him, the closer we get to His protection and His blessing. He will never leave us alone – we are the ones who stupidly make the mistake of moving away from Him and the blessing of His presence.

 

If Jesus is your first love then you should treat Him like your first love. You should respect Him, reverence Him, notice Him, regard Him, honor Him, prefer Him, venerate Him, esteem him, defer to Him, praise Him, and love Him exceedingly!

 

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all– how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died— more than that, who was raised to life— is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:31-39 NIV

 

God is FOR us – He is on our side! He did not spare His OWN SON to redeem us from the pit. WHO is there that can accuse us when GOD has justified and acquitted us? Jesus, Himself, is actually PLEADING as He intercedes on our behalf at the right hand of God. NOTHING in heaven, on the earth or under the earth will stop the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit from loving us! When you know how much God has given and how much He has done to show His love for you – how can you be fickle and wishy-washy about loving Him? Give Him your ALL – He is worthy of it! He is worthy of the best that you have. He is worthy of ALL your love, ALL your devotion and ALL your praise. Stop wasting your time on things that do not matter in eternity and show Him how much you love Him today. Give Him your heart and your life and He will never let you go!

“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.  Psalms 103:6-12 NIV

God is a good God. He is merciful, compassionate, gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love. He will not always accuse us, nor continually chide us. He will not stay angry forever nor hold a grudge. He does not treat us as our sins deserve nor repay us according to our iniquities. These are His ways and He has let us know them. How blessed we are to have a God like this, Who willingly sent His Son to die, Whose blood can wash away our sins and transgressions as far as the east is from the west! We don’t deserve His forgiveness, but He offers it to us anyway. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him. His love is so much bigger than our love. We cannot comprehend His love for us, but He loves us anyway.

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.  Isaiah 55:6-9 NIV

God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are His ways our ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His ways higher than our ways and His thoughts than our thoughts. Many people use this scripture to explain tragedies and to say that we cannot understand why God would kill, steal from or destroy us, because His ways are not our ways. However, we know from scripture and especially from these scriptures that God is not a destroyer, but He is a restorer! It is God’s mercy, grace and forgiveness that we cannot comprehend. We cannot understand how it is that God would forgive the vilest of sinners – even mass murderers. In our mind they should pay for their sins, but if they ask God to forgive them – He will not withhold His mercy. This is the same mercy that He shows to every one of us.

When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals-one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.  Luke 23:33-34 NIV

Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.”  Luke 23:46-47 NIV

Jesus’ compassion for the thief next to Him and His grace toward His murderers impressed the centurion. Even though these people mocked, despised, beat and crucified Him, He asked His Father to forgive them and to not lay this sin to their charge. This great love distinguished Him from every other person ever treated so cruelly. When we are treated badly, our earthly reaction is to fight back, but only God’s response is one of love and grace. The compassion and mercy of our Lord set Him apart from the rest. It is God’s grace, compassion, mercy, forgiveness and love that are higher than ours and when we display His heart – we are revealed as His very own!

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  John 13:34-35 NIV

God is a gracious God and only His own can begin to know His love – that is higher than the heavens – and to allow His love to flow through them – distinguishing them from the rest of the world.

“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him.  Acts 10:38 KJV

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power. He went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil…for God was with Him. About 70% of Jesus’ ministry was healing the sick and casting out devils.

Everywhere He went He ministered by the laying on of hands. The Bible does not say that He prayed for the sick, but it does say that He ministered the healing power of God by the laying on of hands. There was a transference of the anointing of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ touch. This anointing brought life, healing, strength and deliverance to everyone Jesus ministered to.

Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment; for she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?” But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ” And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”  Mark 5:25-34 NKJV

This woman was a desperate case. She had suffered with an issue of blood for twelve years, having spent all her money on doctors who had done nothing to help her. Instead, her condition was even worse than before. In her desperate state, she heard of Jesus and when He came to her town, she formulated a plan to secure her healing.

Throngs of people surrounded Jesus and the scripture says that she had to work her way to Him through the press. When she was near Him, she reached out and touched the hem of His garment. The anointing flowed into her and she was instantly healed. Jesus did not pray for her. She touched Him and His anointing touched her.

Even though Jesus did not feel her physical touch on His garment, He felt the anointing flow from Him into her and He knew that someone was drawing the anointing out of Him by their faith. There is something about the touch of faith. By it, we can receive from God all that we need.

Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath.  John 5:2-9 NKJV

A man who had been sick for thirty-eight years lay at the Pool of Bethesda, waiting for the angel to trouble the water. The first person in the water after it began to move, received their healing. He had no one to help him to the water, so he just lay there, sick, while others received their healing.

Jesus walked in and came to find him. He asked him if he wanted to be healed. The man was not expecting his healing to come from anywhere else but the troubled water and he believed that the hindrance to his healing was the fact that he had no man to help him down into the pool at the appropriate time.

Jesus told him, “Rise, take up your bed, and walk.” Immediately the man was made whole, picked up his bed and walked! He did not even know who it was who had healed him until later.

You can receive your healing by a touch of faith or you can receive it by a word of faith or you can simply reach out and receive as the Spirit of God moves in our midst. When the waters of the Pool of Bethesda began to stir, anyone could receive their healing. The only requirement was that they jumped into the waters first. Whosoever could get whatsoever!

When the Spirit of God begins to move and stir in our midst, it is time to reach out and receive! God is no respecter of persons. If you will reach out and receive, you will be healed. You are a whosoever who could receive whatsoever if you will open your heart to receive when the Spirit of God is moving.

“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.  Romans 13:8-10 NKJV

Under the Old Covenant, God’s people spent all their time trying to fulfill the law. Of course, they never managed to keep the law one hundred percent of the time and that was the whole point of the law: to give them a standard to live by, to make them aware that they were incapable in their own power of living up to that standard, that they needed a Savior and to point them toward Jesus Himself as Savior and Lord.

17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  Matthew 5:17-18 NKJV

Jesus did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it and to deliver us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13). Out of His own mouth He gave us a new standard to live by.

34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. 35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.  Matthew 22:34-40 KJV

He did not tell us that we do not have to obey God’s commands once we are born anew from above, but He did give us an easier way to obey the commands of God—walk in the love of God. Romans 5:5 NIV says that, “God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.” Our righteousness, as believers, had nothing to do with what we have done, but with what Jesus did for us. We are washed in His blood, saved sanctified and redeemed! Now, with the help of the Holy Spirit we walk out our righteousness in obedience to God’s Word. It is love that fulfills the law and it is God’s love in us that enables us to keep God’s law and obey it. We do not obey God’s commands because we are afraid of Him, but because we love Him. Because we love Him, we also love our neighbor as He has commanded us to.

If you love God, you will keep the Ten Commandments. If you love God, you will put Him first in all things. You will not worship any other god or any other earthly thing, like money or possessions. If you love God, you will not take His Name in vain. You will take time to honor Him and to spend time in His presence. If you love God you will honor and respect your parents. Even if they were not perfect, the love of God in your heart will forgive them and begin to appreciate them and see them as valuable and precious. When you forgive them, you will not repeat their mistakes and where there are generational curses, they will lose all their power over you. As far as God is concerned, all curses are broken on the day you are born-again. You activate this power of God in your life in this area by walking in the love of God.

If you love God and your neighbor, you will not murder your neighbor—either in your thoughts, with your mouth or with your hands. If you love God and your neighbor, you will not commit adultery. You will honor the other person by not allowing the lusts of your flesh to triumph. You will not do anything that dishonors your neighbor and their current or future spouse. If you love God and your neighbor, you will not steal—you will not take something that belongs to your neighbor. You will work with your hands and earn your living honestly and you will give to the Lord and your neighbor according to the blessing of the Lord on your life.

If you love God and your neighbor, you will not lie about your neighbor nor accuse them falsely. You will always tell the truth. If you love God and your neighbor, you will not covet your neighbor’s possessions. You will not be jealous or envious. Instead, you will be blessed by the fact that your neighbor is blessed and you will sow your own seed and you will expect God for a harvest of blessing to come to your life in due season. When you love God and your neighbor, you are sowing seed for blessings to come back to you, good-measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over!

When you walk in love towards your neighbor, you have fulfilled the law.

 

 

“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses and trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but they look not to the Holy one of Israel, nor seek and consult the Lord! 2 And yet He is wise and brings calamity and does not retract His words; He will arise against the house (the whole race) of evildoers and against the helpers of those who work iniquity. 3 Now the Egyptians are men and not God, and their horses are flesh and not spirit; and when the Lord stretches out His hand, both [Egypt] who helps will stumble, and [Judah] who is helped will fall, and they will all perish and be consumed together. Isaiah 31:1-3 AMP

In this verse, God calls Egypt “the flesh.” Egypt is symbolic of the world and the world’s system, which is influenced and controlled by the enemy. The devil, first and foremost, is a liar. He offers, but never comes through – he promises, but never delivers. He deceives and confuses. Hebrews3:13 says that sin is deceitful. Sin promises wealth, power, satisfaction and freedom, but delivers only poverty, frustration and bondage.

Mark 4:19 AMP says that, “The cares and anxieties of the world and distractions of the age, and the pleasure and delight and false glamour and deceitfulness of riches, and the craving and passionate desire for other things creep in and choke and suffocate the Word, and it becomes fruitless.” When you look at the world and you allow yourself to crave and lust after what they have, you will choke the Word, the anointing, and the power of God in your life and leave yourself vulnerable to destruction.

If you are a believer, a child of God, and you think that worldly people have it better than you, then you are deceived. All the money and power in the world cannot buy one drop of the blood of Jesus and only the blood of Jesus can guarantee eternal life! If you keep your eyes on that which is eternal, God will take care of you.

Say, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster [of sluggish and unwieldy strength] that lies in the midst of his [delta] streams, [boastfully] declaring, My river Nile is my own and I have made it for myself.  Ezekiel 29:3 AMP

It shall be the lowliest of the kingdoms, neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations; I will diminish [the Egyptians] so they shall never again rule over the nations. 16 And never again shallEgypt have the confidence and be the reliance of the house of Israel; their iniquity will be brought to remembrance whenever [Israel] looks toward them [for help]. They shall know (understand and realize) that I am the Lord God [Who demands loyalty and obedient service].  Ezekiel 29:15-16 AMP

In this passage, God pronounced Himself to be against Egypt, because Egypt was proud and arrogant, taking credit for what God alone had done and given, and because Israel looked up to Egypt and trusted her instead of their Lord. God set Himself against Egypt, to make her land desolate and a waste, to bring her low, to place her in subjection to her enemies and to scatter her people among the nations. However, He promised to restore the Egyptians to their land at the end of forty years, but they would never be restored to their former glory, they would never again rule over nations and never again would Egypt have the confidence and be the reliance of the house of Israel.

The world’s system is not reliable or trustworthy. The world puts its trust in money and wealth, but history will show that the same way money can be made, it can be lost and there is little that you or anyone else can do about it. Another lie, perpetrated by the devil, is that money can buy health, peace of mind and happiness. Money can pay for doctors and treatments, but it cannot cure a terminal illness. Money can buy a fancy wedding, but it cannot buy a good marriage. Money can buy a nice house, but it cannot guarantee a happy home and family. Money can buy things and even some people, but it cannot buy genuine friendships. Money cannot guarantee happiness and contentment.

As long as you look to the world for help, as long as you trust in the arm of the flesh, and as long as you covet what the world has, you will never enjoy the fullness of the blessings of God. God will bring down the earthly things you trust in. You must wake up and realize that He is the only One worthy of your trust and reliance. You must KNOW that HE is the Lord God and you must put your hope and trust in Him. He is the Lord and He demands loyalty and obedient service in exchange for love, peace, joy and blessing. True blessing and everlasting life are in the hands of the Father and He offers it to you today. Take your eyes off the world and place your life firmly in the hands of the Lord, Who loves you and watches over you to do you good in the end.