Thank God for His Wonderful Gifts - RUTH L. WHITFIELD CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Material things come and go, but relationships can last a lifetime. (Lightstock)

Thank God for His Wonderful Gifts

11/22/2015 RUTH L. WHITFIELD  charisma magazine

I recently celebrated a birthday and was blessed with a barrage of cards and gifts. Well-wishing friends and relatives called, sent cards, gave gifts and took me to lunch.

I thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. I felt loved and special. The years, which are considerable, seemed richer as I faced yet another chapter of my life.

Although I received some wonderful gifts, what I valued most was the love expressed by those around me. I realized that the greatest gifts were not the things I had received but the people God had brought into my life.

Material things come and go—they wear out, go out of style, depreciate, and get old and worn. But love and its expression among those of like faith is eternal. This special love from God, which the Bible calls "agape," and these relationships will go on forever. 

They will not wear out or grow old; they will grow richer. They are priceless treasures that will only increase in value. 

God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, Jesus (see John 3:16). Jesus so loved that He gave His life in order that we could be forgiven and become adopted sons of God and joint-heirs with Him. But beyond that and as a special bonus, He gave us each other and joined our hearts in His love. 

What if, after all that, we refuse to accept His gifts? What if we receive the gift of eternal life but are not willing to love the people He brings into our lives or allow them to love us? What if we choose to keep these expressions of God's love at a distance, as I once did? We will miss so much!

As I looked across the table at the friends who have weathered many a storm with me, who are growing "older" as well, and gracefully I might add, I cherish them more and more each day. It's as if God wrapped each one in a special package and presented them to me as His very own array of gifts.

How thankful I am, Lord! Not just for the tangible expressions of Your love given through Your people but for the intangible expressions as well—wise counsel, prayer support, laughter, sharing in good times and bad, admonition, instruction and mentoring.

I understand now that each person is a gift from the Father to someone. Each one comes in a different package, a different shape, size and color. But each one is a reflection of His love. 

In becoming more like Him, let's share the love He so generously pours into our hearts toward others (see Rom. 5:5). And let us gratefully receive those He brings into our lives as special gifts from Him, regardless of the packaging.

This Thanksgiving, when we express our gratitude to God for His salvation, His presence and all the material things He has given us, let's not forget to thank Him for our family and friends—and the gift of love He has blessed us with through them.

Prayer Power for the Week of November 22, 2015

This week receive all the "love" gifts God sends you through family, friends, new relationships, outreaches and opportunities to connect with others. Pray for their salvation, healing, wholeness, deliverance, prosperity and blessing. Ask God to show you how to specifically reach out to the lonely, lacking and needy. Thank Him for leading you to the ones He desires you to bless and carry His love and presence to them in tangible ways. Continue to pray for our nation, its leaders, all those serving our country, and those who have suffered severe losses this year. Lift up the persecuted church and pray for the protection of Israel so it can fulfill God's mandate in this season. Before you embark on the busyness of the week, schedule time alone with God to make Him a priority, seek His counsel and receive His peace (Rom. 5:5-8).  

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Thank you Lord. For everything,

A Nugget for Living Life by Steve Martin - A Simple Thank You"

A Nugget for Living Life

Steve Martin

"A simple ‘Thank you’ will get you through the gates 

of the Almighty King. How awesome is that?"

Psalm 100:4

Love For His People, Inc.

P.O. Box 414

Pineville, NC 28134

loveforhispeople.blogspot.com

loveforhispeople@gmail.com

"9 Out of 10" - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

"9 Out of 10"

Now Think On This

Steve Martin

Usually when you hear of someone getting “9 out of 10”, you think it was a good thing. One hits 9 out of 10 baskets in a basketball game, or has par for the first 9 out of 10 golf holes – they have done very well.

If you were in a high school math class and you answered 9 out of 10 questions correctly on a test (pop quiz!) you’d get an A, or at least a B+. (Do they still grade that way in school? Or does everyone get a passing grade just to move them on?) Or maybe you passed your last driver’s license test at the DOT, Department of Transportation, because the one testing you gave you a hint or two, not wanting you to fail. Trust me, that happened last time I was there when I turned 60. That younger man certainly was a nice guy.

Recently I had the opportunity to bless a group of people with something I considered important. At least it was for me. Because I had put in a lot of effort to complete the project, and was excited to share it with others, I thought the response would be good. Believing that the Holy Spirit had given me the inspiration to do it in the first place, I naturally expected an acknowledgement from the recipients.

But it didn’t happen. At least not in the way or timing that I thought it would or should. Never heard from them until I asked one or two about it sometime later. Just to make sure it got to them.

Some told me that they had forgot to let me know it came. Another had a major extra job they were working on, and didn’t think more about it. Others just didn’t give it an extra thought.

Now I had a bit of the taste of what Jesus must have felt like when He experienced the following.

“Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"

So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.

So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well." (Luke 17:11-19 NKJV)

After reading that, you probably also reacted like I did, thinking the other nine were thoughtless and totally unthankful. Why would Jesus have even bothered with them in the first place?

Even though they had just been healed from a debilitating disease, one that also attributed to the rejection they certainly received from others, they didn’t even bother to come back and thank Yeshua. They had been facing an early death, but now, after a miraculous deliverance from their sickening condition, they showed no appreciation whatsoever.

Only the one out of the 10 came back to give thanks to the Son of God. Only the one. And this guy wasn’t even in the societal class of “accepted ones” in the local area, but considered a “foreigner”, a lowly Samaritan. These were people generally ostracized and looked down by the religious Jews.

My heart has had another learning experience. Giving thanks is so vital to our spiritual health – both in giving and also receiving.

When someone does something good for you, give thanks. Do it anyway that is appropriate for the gift received. Either verbally, with a short text, a card for one who likes those, or whatever – just show your appreciation.

We are to have a thankful heart. Growing in appreciation for the goodness of the Lord and others in our lives does a great thing for our soul and spirit. The Lord blesses those who do.

Paul instructed the Colossians in his letter to the early church members, which is for our instruction too.

“And be thankful - let the Word of the Messiah, in all its richness, live in you, as you teach and counsel each other in all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude to God in your hearts. That is, everything you do or say, do in the name of the Lord Yeshua, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” (Colossians 3:15-17, Complete Jewish Bible)

As we grow in thanksgiving, we will see a lifting in our inner man, within our spirit. We will be letting go of an uncaring, ungrateful attitude, and receive more of the Lord’s heart of joy and peace.

Something to think about.

Love you,

Steve Martin

Founder

Love For His People, Inc.

P.S. I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. They might need it. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve

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Now Think On This #206 “9 Out of 10” by Steve Martin 

Date: In the year of our Lord 2015 (11.13.15) Friday at 7:00 pm in Charlotte, NC

All previous editions of Now Think On This can be found on this Blog, and on the website: Now Think On This

Again, I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve

"These Prayer Requests Have No Postage on Them – Return to Sender!" - Bill Yount

"These Prayer Requests Have No Postage on Them – Return to Sender!"

Bill Yount, Hagerstown, MD    The Elijah List

In the Spirit I saw many prayers ascending upward toward the throne. I sensed that many of these prayers were being prayed according to the Father's perfect will. Many were prayers for gifts, callings, and destinies to be manifested. A majority were bundles of prayers for the lost, especially for family members. Many of these prayer requests were made up of strong cries, day and night with fasting, that had become heavy burdens on hearts over the years.

As these prayers began to ascend, they seemed to go only so far and then drop back down to earth as though they were bouncing off the ceiling from where they were being prayed. I saw in Heaven something like a huge "heavenly post office" where prayer requests are received and where answers to prayers are sent out. 

At the entrance of this "heavenly post office" on the front door was written in gigantic letters the Scripture Philippians 4:6: "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God."

Many Prayers Weren't Making It

As huge bundles of prayer requests came through the front door on the way to the throne room, I was appalled by how many requests were being stopped and never made it to the throne room for answers. I heard a voice that shook me. 

An angelic postmaster general proclaimed, "These prayer requests have no postage on them. Return to sender!" (Photo via Freeimages/Tawny Nelson)

In the Spirit I saw these huge bundles of prayer requests like letters that had no postage stamps on them. These could go no farther! The ones I did see going on into the throne room to be answered had a postage stamp of "thanksgiving" on them. 

These ones became "priority mail" inside the throne room, and immediate confirmation of peace was sent to the sender with the following verse: "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7).

Before the answers of these prayers were manifested on earth, the people that sent their requests with thanksgiving were receiving the assurance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not yet seen because of the peace of God they were receiving through "giving of thanks".

There Can't Be Thanksgiving Until There's Believing

Many prayers for lost loved ones never really reached their heavenly destination, not because people weren't praying, but they simply were not believing that they would receive what they were asking for. Therefore, to be thankful was very difficult for them.

The Lord seemed to say, "Tell My people that many have already prayed and prayed and filled Heaven with their prayers for the lost and their loved ones. They actually need to stop praying and simply believe ME to save them. 

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved...and thy house! Many are carrying a false responsibility, feeling that they are responsible to get their family members saved. May I remind you that you could not save your own self, and therefore, you cannot save anybody else. And since I saved you, I can save anybody!"(Photo via Pixabay)

Many who were faithfully praying for family members for many years were actually praying themselves into a state of depression. I sense the Spirit saying, "This kind of praying is not scriptural! Begin to believe and start thanking Me that I am going to save them now! Thank Me that I am going to bring in the lost. Just send up some stamps of 'thanksgiving,' and I will stamp your prayer requests to forward them to the throne."

Start Living as Though Your Prayers Are Already Answered!

I sensed the Father saying, "As you are thanking Me, go ahead and start treating the lost as though they were already saved. Start living as though your prayers are already answered! When you do, your life will become so full of thanksgiving and praise and worship, that you will begin to see My heavenly 'UPS' and 'FED EX' arrive, bringing speedy delivery from Heaven to impossible requests upon the earth! Praise and worship moves Me to do outrageous acts of blessings upon the earth!"

I remembered when Peter was put in prison and the Church was praying for his deliverance. There was also a prayer meeting going on for Peter in a woman's house. Her name was Mary. As the angel came and delivered Peter, he made a straight run to Mary's house. I believe he felt the power of their prayers.

We Can Stop Praying Now!

As he knocked on the front door, a handmaiden, Rhoda, answered the door and got so excited she forgot to let Peter in. Rhoda ran inside that prayer meeting shouting, "Peter is at the front door. We can stop praying now!" (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)

For some reason they didn't seem to hear her. Perhaps someone was giving a strong prophetic utterance about Peter's soon release! Again, I can hear Rhoda shouting, "Our answered prayer is at the front door! We can stop praying!" Finally, Rhoda gets the prayer group's attention, and here is the spiritual temperature in that prayer room – here is what they say to Rhoda: "You must see his ghost!" In other words, "We don't believe it!"

You Will Never See It If You Don't Believe It

You can pray for a hundred years, but unless you believe that you are going to receive what you are asking for, you will never see it! "Whatsoever things you ask in prayer, believe that you receive them and you shall have them."

I personally believe there are some prayer meetings that need to be broken up. Many churches have prayer meetings, but few have "prayer-believing" meetings. It was easier for Peter to get out of prison than it was for him to get inside that prayer meeting!

Our Thanksgiving Proves Our Faith

Next time you pray, try putting a postage stamp of "thanksgiving" on your request. I promise you, you will enjoy prayer time much more, and you will probably live much longer! Prayer with thanksgiving proves to God that we believe we are going to receive what we are asking for. (Photo via Pixabay)

As a father, when my children thank me for something in advance, it's hard for me to get out of giving it to them!

Bill Yount
Blowing the Shofar Ministry
Email: theshofarhasblown@juno.com
Website: billyount.com

Bill Yount has been a member of Bridge of Life in Hagerstown, Maryland, for the past 36 years where he is now an elder and a home missionary. He is currently an advisor at large for Aglow International. Bill faithfully served in prison ministry at Mount Hope for 23 years and now travels full-time, both in the U.S. and internationally, ministering in churches and Aglow circles. "Humility and humor" characterize his ministry as he brings forth a fresh word that is "in season," proclaiming the Word of the Lord! 

The shofar (or ram's horn) is often used in his meetings, breaking the powers of darkness over regions, churches, and households. The shofar represents God's breath blowing into the nostrils of His people, reviving them and awakening the lost. Many of God's messages, which Bill ministers prophetically, come out of his everyday life with his family and friends.

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"A Word For 2015: How Will You Prepare The Way For The Lord?" - Rick Joyner

"A Word For 2015: How Will You 

Prepare The Way For The Lord?"

Rick Joyner, Fort Mill, SC

The Elijah List

Each New Year we usually say "Good-bye!" to the previous year with a "Good riddance!" Every year has its challenges, but after a few more years go by, we tend to remember only the good things. 

One thing we can surely rejoice in is that the Lord chooses to forget all of our confessed sin and only remembers the good we have done. If we are going to be one with Him, we too will have to forget our sins and our failures, and only remember the good things.

This is not a delusion, nor is it that we do not want to learn from our mistakes. We remember the good because we are not called to be failure-oriented people. We are called to go "from glory to glory" (see II Corinthians 3:18). If we are seeing with the eyes of faith, we will look back and see nothing but glory.

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Now might be a good time to list the ten best things that happened to you in 2014 and thank the Lord for them. 

As you do this, you will likely find far more than ten. In fact, if we are truly walking in the light, we will find it hard to ever end the list because there is so much to be thankful for. This can really help us enter 2015, because we enter the Lord's gates with thanksgiving.

2015 is supposed to be the best year of your life to date. Every year is supposed to be better than the last. Proverbs 4:18 says, "But the path of the righteous is like the light of the dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day." 

This means that if we are on the right path, then our lives should be getting continually brighter. If this is not the case, we need to go back to where we missed the turn and get back on the right path.

This does not mean that our coming year will be without challenges, and maybe even greater ones than we've had before. If so, then it is an opportunity to see bigger victories than we've had before, because He always "leads us in triumph in Christ" (see II Corinthians 2:14) and "All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (see Romans 8:28). This is the Word of God that cannot fail, so how can we not move forward into the future with faith and expectation?

How Will You Prepare the Way For the Lord?

It could also be helpful to go back and count your greatest challenges of 2014, noting how they have worked out. 

Some of them may still be in the works, but one thing is sure, if we have approached the challenges in the right way, we have been changed by them; and according to James, that is more valuable to us than gold or silver. 

God is far more concerned about what we've become than what we've done. How were you changed in 2014?

As another year has ticked off toward the end of this age, we are one year closer to some of the greatest events in human history – the harvest that is the end of the age and the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom to the whole world. 

How are you going to be a part of preparing the way for the Lord in these? You have a part to play or you would not be here.

With all that may be going on in our personal lives, let us keep in mind that by seeking first the Kingdom, the Lord promises to take care of the things that concern us. This year, let us resolve to seek Him and His Kingdom more than we ever have before, and it will be our greatest year yet.

Rick Joyner
MorningStar Ministries

Email: info@morningstarministries.org
Website: morningstarministries.org

Rick Joyner is the founder and executive director of MorningStar Ministries and Heritage International Ministries and is the Senior Pastor of MorningStar Fellowship Church. He is the author of more than forty books, including The Final Quest, A Prophetic History, and Church History. He is also the president of The OAK Initiative, an interdenominational movement that is mobilizing thousands of Christians to be engaged in the great issues of our times, being the salt and light that they are called to be. Rick and his wife, Julie, have five children: Anna, Aaryn, Amber, Ben, and Sam.

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How the Pilgrims and Reformation Formed America

How the Pilgrims and Reformation 

Formed America

By Paul Strand

CBN News Washington Sr. Correspondent

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

PLYMOUTH, Mass. -- We know the Pilgrims became some of America's first English settlers. And because of Thanksgiving Day, we certainly know they were thankful.

But what else was it about these devout Christians that helped them shape what became the most free, most powerful nation on earth?

It had much to do with the religious beliefs that were so precious to them; they were willing to face death and uncertainty in a strange New World to live those beliefs out.

World-Changing Reformation

The Pilgrims' Protestant faith was forged in the Europe of 500 years ago, ripe for a revolution -- or what would become a world-changing Reformation.

"The story of America is literally the story of the Reformation," says narrator Peter Lillback, Westminster Theological Seminary president, in a new 11-part DVD and on-line series called "The Protestant Revolt: A Study of the Protestant Reformation."

***"The Protestant Revolt" can be viewed here for free.

This series visits all the historical birthplaces of the Reformation and follows its growth in both the Old and New World.

The Reformation began in Germany where Martin Luther preached that salvation comes through faith alone in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Man didn't need priests or bishops to assure him that salvation. That came from God Himself.

David Hall, pastor of Midway Presbyterian Church in Powder Springs, Georgia, came up with the idea for the DVD series.

"Justification by faith proclaims that the human soul is not trapped and enslaved by any particular bureaucracy or denomination, but God by His Holy Spirit can save and justify based on the work of Christ," Pastor Hall told CBN News.

Pilgrim re-enactors in Plymouth, Massachusetts, 

give insight into this new Reformation way of thinking.

"We don't need the king or priest or bishop to talk to God for us. We can do it ourselves," said Leo Martin, a re-enactor clothed in the simple outfit of a 17th century Pilgrim.

Democratizing the Faith

Martin Luther then translated the Bible into common language, and because of the brand-new Gutenberg press, people could soon search out the truths of the Bible themselves.

"The Scriptures were translated out of the Latin into the language of the people," Hall explained. "And so this was a huge democratizing of faith by the Reformation. It took God's Word, which was always intended to be spread to the masses, and it opened that up."

And in its pages, believers like the Pilgrims found God wants man to be free, to live unshackled and in liberty.

Lillback speaks of that key truth in the DVD series, saying, "Now this story of religious liberty is one of the great fruits of the Reformation: the right of the conscience to go directly to the Scriptures to study."

Westminster Theological Seminary professor Carl Trueman points out in the same series that this was much bigger than the Pilgrims.

"The ambition of all of the Reformers was to place the Scripture in the vernacular in the hands of every man," Trueman says.

And narrator Lillback adds, "Of course it was true that once a person starts reading the Bible, different interpretations happen. And those different interpretations create different movements."

As these new doctrines and churches sprang up, so too did religious wars that tore through Europe. After much bloodshed, the kings and leaders came up with a solution.

In "The Protestant Revolt" series, Trueman offers up that solution in the Latin, "'Cuius regio, eius religio' - which translates roughly as 'Whoever is in charge of this region, his religion determines the religion.'"

In England, that meant those outside the monarch's Anglican religion were seen as dangerous dissidents. This included the Pilgrims, whose fierce belief in their God-given right to liberty caused them to flee England and form a new society in the New World.

Pastor Eddie Hyatt writes about this in his book America's Revival Heritage.

"They did flee persecution in the Old World," Hyatt admitted. "But they also came to America with a vision for seeing a renewal and a reformation of Christianity and seeing it implemented in this New World."

Unfettered and Free

That New World gave them a place to live out their faith unfettered and free of persecution.

Dr. Paul Jehle is another Pilgrim re-enactor and head of the Plymouth Rock Foundation.

He said to CBN News, "Think about it: in human history, nobody has the freedom to form a society directly from the Bible in a wilderness where they didn't have a king looking over their shoulder to say, 'No, do it this way or that way.'"

"One of the motivations coming to the New World and one of things they loved and they wanted to implement was this religious freedom and this freedom to worship God and to walk with Him according to the dictates of one's own personal conscience," Hyatt added.

Religious freedom was important to them, but after what they'd suffered under the English king, so was forming a free civil society.

"They were fearful, loathsome of anything that resembled someone having an unchecked, undue amount of power over the citizens," Hall explained.

For an alternative, they turned to the Bible.

"They studied scripture for what God's opinion was on governmental structure, both in the state and the church," Hall explained. "And as such, they found that God didn't always confer power to just one individual shaped in a hierarchy. But instead He gave it to representatives who were elected."

So they enshrined that in their Mayflower Compact, and they began to form a free society also built around free markets and rugged individualism.

"We're all equal in the eyes of God; we're all made in His image," re-enactor Martin said, speaking as a Pilgrim might have. "And if that is true, nobody has a right to be over anybody else."

They changed the order of government so it was no longer from the top down, but from the bottom up. They expected their leaders not to be lords over the people, but to be their servants.

Revolutionary Principles

"Now the Pilgrims figure this: if God thinks we're valuable and we all have worth, we certainly should think the same thing," Martin said. "And that's where self-rule came from. The king shouldn't be in charge. The people should be in charge." 

 

"What this meant was they were not going to be ruled by a monarch or a dictator," Hyatt said. "They were going to be ruled by laws on which they all agreed."

Fellow re-enactor Jehle explained, "This is what will produce the impetus, the principles by which the American Revolution is fought."

"And they passed it on from the Pilgrim forefathers to the founding fathers," Martin said of these beliefs. "And the founding fathers took those principles and wrote the Declaration (of Independence) and the Constitution based on those Christian principles."

So that's how a small, hardy band of Christians set the stage for what would become the most liberty-minded, most prosperous, and some would argue the most spiritual nation on earth, all based on biblical principles.

Narrator Lillback concluded "The Protestant Revolt" series speaking of this founding of America and that key principle of liberty.

"This story is a story we must cherish and continue to celebrate today. Liberty still matters. Liberty is the story of the Gospel," Lillback states.

He then quotes Scripture: "'If the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. Stand fast therefore in the liberty with which Christ has made us free.'"

Watch CBN video here: Pilgrims and Reformation

Give thanks unto the Lord.

Blessings on ye heads as you thank the Lord!

Steve & Laurie Martin

Love For His People, Inc.

Giving thanks.

We do give thanks to the Lord Most High for all His goodness and provision. Daily.

Steve & Laurie Martin
Love For His People, Inc.

How God Reveals His Power When You Offer Praise, Thanksgiving and Joy

How God Reveals His Power When You Offer Praise, Thanksgiving and Joy

8/24/2014 IRIS DELGADO

(© Ersler/StockFreeImages.com)

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The only sacrifices mentioned in the New Testament are the sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving and the sacrifice of joy.

I don't know about you, but this was liberating news for me. I don't have to sacrifice by begging, confessing, memorizing prayers and Scriptures, fasting, going to all the church services, keeping a serious face all the time, or abstaining from certain things. God loves us and He loves our worship and praise and our thanksgiving and joy.

To sacrifice is to offer something to God. To sacrifice means, "to give up something of value, to make an offering, to surrender, to kill, to give up, to dedicate, consecrate, devote, and to benefit." A sacrifice will cost your time, focus, killing the flesh, surrendering your will for a higher cause. The benefit we receive can never be calculated. Every sacrifice we make is compensated and backed up by all of God's promises and treasures.

When we bring our sacrifices of praise, thanksgiving and joy to God, we are telling Him that we wish to die to our own desires and knowledge, and we desire to love and trust Him completely.

It is in the holy atmosphere of praise and worship that healing, miracles and transformation of the soul begin to manifest, and God's glory starts cleansing and changing our carnal nature into the nature and character of Christ. 

We are literally praying with our heart, soul and spirit. The result is always an impartation of God's infinite blessings, wisdom, knowledge and understanding. When you truly understand this truth you will begin to regain and restore all that Satan has stolen from you. Demons cannot resist the praise of the children of God.

When you feel discouraged, and a spirit of confusion tries to invade your thinking, if you begin to offer a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving you will find that the peace of God will cover you as a shield of protection and the angel of the Lord will encamp all around you and deliver you (see Ps. 34:7).

Two years ago I was in Mexico with my husband waiting at a stoplight, when suddenly the side door of our van was abruptly opened and a gunman thrust a gun into the driver's face demanding that he give him jewels and cash. He flashed the gun at my husband and me also, demanding that we strip of jewels and cash. The light was still red and he wanted us to quickly obey his commands before the light turned green. He managed to get away with two watches, and though he demanded that I take off my jewels, I was miraculously unable to take off my diamond earrings and wedding rings. The light changed, and the assailant was gone.

We were told that many had died in the middle of traffic in similar situations, but our lives were protected by divine intervention. I immediately realized that on that same morning I had offered a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving and declared, "No weapon formed against us shall prosper."

God protects His children from all manner of situations, attacks, and accidents. We should never leave the house without offering a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.We cannot be afraid to pray with boldness, even if our knees are shaking. Our actions will determine the outcome of every situation.

Joy means, "delight, pleasure, enjoyment, bliss, ecstasy, elation, happiness, joyfulness, thrill, wonder, triumph and jubilation." The sacrifice of joy is the most difficult sacrifice to offer to God. When you're sad and afflicted, going through storms and difficulties in life, or when sickness afflicts our bodies, then it becomes a real sacrifice to lift our voices and offer a sacrifice of joy. But let me share a secret with you.

The Bible says that the joy of the Lord is our strength (Neh. 8:10). Strength is power. Strength is emotional toughness and resistance. Strength is defensive ability. Strength is effectiveness to succeed and achieve. Strength makes you progressively better. We offer this type of sacrifice singing melodies, dancing, reciting psalms, and declaring aloud those things that are not as though they are, smiling, laughing, clapping our hands, and rejoicing in what the Lord says about us.

Every morning I feel God's goodness invade my atmosphere. My home is peaceful. Healing greets every visitor. God is a merciful Father and desires to bless you with healing and wholeness. It is by His grace (kindness, blessing, mercy, generosity, divine favor) that we receive all good things. Grace is a gift. God desires our love. He wants to passionately love us. The more we draw closer to the Holy Spirit, the more we learn to love God with all our heart. Father God wants to shower us with an outpouring of His miraculous healing and blessings.

Offer Him the sacrifice of praise, thanksgiving and joy and see what He does in your life.

Adapted from Satan, You Can't Have My Miracle by Iris Delgado, copyright 2012, by Charisma House. This book will help you reach into the supernatural realm of the Spirit and bring the miraculous into your life today. It's filled with practical principles, amazing testimonies, and Scripture-based prayers that will inspire you to believe God for the impossible in your life. To order a copy click on this link:

 PRAYER POWER:

This week take time in your personal walk to consciously offer the Lord your praise, thanksgiving and joy-especially during this busy time. Allow the Lord's peace to permeate every aspect of your life and carry it with you wherever you go. Thank Him for ordering your steps and ask Him to invade your atmosphere to reflect His presence when you reach out to those in need. Remember President Obama and those working with him concerning our major security and financial issues. Continue to pray for our military and Israel during this volatile time. Neh. 8:10

To enrich your prayer life and learn how to strategically pray with power by using appropriate Scriptures, we recommend the following sources by Apostle John Eckhardt: Prayers that Rout Demons, Prayers that Bring Healing, Prayers that Release Heaven on Earth and Prayers that Break Curses. To order any or all of these click here.

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