Monday, February 24, 2014

Let Love Win by Tiffany Ann Lewis (Identity Network)

Let Love Win

by Tiffany Ann Lewis

"A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, and contentions are like the bars of a castle." (Proverbs 18:19)

There seems to be some difficulty in the translation of this text. Some scholars see the text as reading, "A brother that is helped by his brother, is like a strong city: and judgments are like the bars of cities." (Douay-Rheims Bible) The Aramaic Bible in Plain English translates it like this; "A brother is helped by his brother, like a city by its fortress, and they hold it like the bars of a fortress."

Either way, what seems crystal clear to me is that offences such as bitterness, resentment, and un-forgiveness, can become a type of prison if left unresolved. Oh sure, at first it feels like those bars are protecting the heart from more hurt, but the truth is, they are preventing individuals from the ultimate relational goal that God has designed. God designed human beings for fellowship with Him and each other. "It is not good for man to be alone…" (Genesis 2:18)

Forgiving someone may be one of the hardest choices a Christian will ever make. With anger, hurt, and a very real sense of injustice fueling the fire of our emotions, we are faced with a very difficult decision…to forgive or not to forgive.

The specific forgiveness that I sense the Lord speaking about is something more than turning the other cheek; more than not holding a grudge. I believe the Lord is calling us to a forgiveness that would be willing to extend love again. Unfortunately, depending on the level of hurt you have experienced, it may feel like a burden you simply can't bear.

Learning Through Experience

The heart is a funny little organ. Responsible for sustaining life, it also has been likened as the source of our emotions too. We learn by every experience we go through. Pain teaches us some very powerful lessons in life. We burn our hand and the pain teaches us how to handle the stove. We fall off our bicycle and the pain teaches us how to balance on two skinny wheels.

Now, just because we have experienced pain does not mean that we will never use a stove or ride a bike again, oh but the heart…when it gets hurt it doesn't want to love again. Sometimes it's just easier to build walls and hide behind them than to feel the pain of a broken heart. The problem with that solution is that love isn't getting in nor is it getting out.

It's time to break out of the prison of offence and let love win.

The litmus test to all this is love. Are we willing to extend our heart again? You see, it is possible to share your time with someone but still withhold your heart from the relationship. We can hide our heart and protect it from pain while walking around with tender mercy, kindness, and humility. However, to live this life that Christ has called us to we must extend love again.

Above all else we are called to love.

"Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection." (Colossians 3:12-14)

The Core of Forgiveness

Forgiveness that does not extend the heart again isn't really forgiveness at all because love and restoration is at the core of forgiveness. Let me explain what I call "the grace factor of forgiveness". The Greek word used here in Colossians for forgiving is "charizomai" (Strong's #5483). Charizomai is a grace word, it comes from the same root as grace, "charis" (Strong's #5485) and means: to do a favor, to show kindness unconditionally, to give freely, to grant forgiveness, and to forgive freely.

In other words, forgiveness is an intentional act of releasing one another from the debt that the offence caused. It is refusing to require the penalty due, literally, to let it go. The grace factor of forgiveness is giving the offender what they don't deserve…forgiveness.

Beloved, forgiveness is a choice. In that moment the pain may or may not go away. We don't have the power to heal our heart but we serve the One who does. He has called us to forgive others as He has forgiven us. Therefore, in His love and mercy, He will supply what we need in order to respond to His request.

Our power is only the power of choice. It may take years to experience the emotional freedom and healing of forgiveness but it starts with us making a choice…choosing to let love win. Amen and Amen.

Tiffany Ann Lewis

www.tiffanyannlewis.com

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How Social Media Will Help Us Finish the Great Commission - Charisma Magazine

How Social Media Will Help Us Finish the Great Commission

saved — Social media, such as Facebook, is a great way to spread the gospel. (creationswap.com)

The church is living in an age of tremendous evangelistic opportunity.

As we venture into the social, digital era, the gospel can travel further and faster than ever before. If the church is a vast volunteer army of people carrying the Good News of Jesus to the least, the lost and the last, then it is safe to say this army is better equipped and more effectively mobilized than any other age to carry out its marching orders — the Great Commission.

We began planting Grace Hills Church in the summer of 2011 and officially launched weekly services in a local movie theater in January 2012. We don't have a building. We don't have a sign. We've never done a direct mail campaign or sent any postcards. We don't advertise in the local newspapers or on television or radio. But in January 2014 alone, we met almost 100 new people in our weekend services. How? Facebook.

Each week, we post a short video just a few minutes long that explains who we are as a church, what we value and what we will be talking about in our upcoming weekend services. We then "boost" that post so that it sees thousands of eyes within a 10-mile radius around our community, and we challenge all of our faithful attendees to watch it, "like" it and share it with others. On Mondays, we look through our communication cards to see how our guests heard about us, and it's not difficult to spot the pattern: Facebook, Facebook, Facebook.

Why Social Media Works

There are plenty of skeptics who may read this and scoff. I've heard every conceivable criticism of social networking. It feeds narcissism, keeps us shallow, distracts us from real life relationships, wastes our time. While each of these arguments certainly can have some merit, they also represent a merely partial understanding of what is happening in our culture.

The fact is, most people are online. This is true of at least 95 percent of the unchurched people in our community, and it's even true on many mission fields. I was in Haiti a couple of years ago, and no one I met owned a television. Many didn't have electricity at all. But they owned smartphones and charged them at charging stations around the community.

Not only are most people online, but most people are also engaging in social networking. Every age group, from kindergartners to retirees, is connected socially. Today's youngest generation doesn't "connect" and then "disconnect" as we did 20 years ago. Most kids have no idea what it means to "dial up." Instead, the Internet is like a cloud in which we live and breathe. It is real life. Social media is about real conversations about real issues happening between real people in real relationships. And social media really works for spreading the gospel.

But Social Media Only Works If ...

Please don't misunderstand. Social media is not the universal cure for society's ills. It doesn't cleanse us from sin or feed all of the longings of the human soul. But it is a tool, a vehicle for sharing God's truth. Just as the early apostles used papyrus and the Reformers used the printing press, today's most effective Christian leaders and churches are using the Roman roads of our day — social networks. But it only works if we choose to engage.

Social media will only help us spread the gospel if we are bold enough to embrace the change happening around us, if we are wise enough to empower people with the tools to share Jesus relationally, and if we are courageous enough to engage the conversations happening in our culture and even step out and lead those conversations.

We still need healthy churches into which we can receive newcomers. We still need a clear gospel, a unified body and a process for making disciples and deepening the walk of new believers. But social media affords us the chance to return to social, relational, viral, mobile methodologies for passing the gospel along to the uttermost parts of the earth.

Brandon Cox is the founding pastor of Grace Hills Church in northwest Arkansas. A pastor since age 19, he has served in small churches as well as at Saddleback Church, one of America’s largest and most influential churches. He is an editor, mentor and community facilitator for Pastors.com and Rick Warren’s Pastor’s Toolbox, one of the world’s largest online communities of church leaders. He’s an avid, top blogger and lives in Bentonville, Ark., with his wife, Angie, and their two awesome kids.

Jennifer LeClaire - Watchman, Author, IHOP Fort Lauderdale, News Editor for Charisma Magazine

Love For His People Editor's Note: Being I get Charisma Magazine - both in printed copy mailed to our house, and in my e-mail InBox - I was introduced to Jennifer LeClaire. I really liked her words on the stuff most writer's won't write about. And so I share more of her ministry, from her website, so you can glean from her gifts also.

Good work Jennifer!

Steve Martin. Love for His People

Jennifer LeClaire

Jennifer LeClaire's passion is to see the lost come to Christ and equip believers to understand the will and ways of God. She carries a reforming voice that seeks to turn hearts to the Lord and edify the Body of Christ.

Jennifer is the director for International House of Prayer-Fort Lauderdale Missions Base.

Jennifer also serves as news editor at Charisma magazine. Her work also appeared in a Charisma House book entitled Understanding the Five-Fold Ministry which offers a biblical study to uncover the true purpose for the fivefold ministry and The Spiritual Warfare Bible, which is designed to help you use the Bible to access the power of the Holy Spirit against demonic strongholds and activity. Some of Jennifer’s work is also archived in the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Museum.

Jennifer is a prolific author who has written several books, including The Heart of the Prophetic, A Prophet’s Heart, Fervent Faith, Did the Spirit of God Say That? 27 Keys to Judging Prophecy, Breakthrough!, Doubtless: Faith that Overcomes the World, and Developing Faith for the Working of Miracles. materials have been translated into Spanish and Korean.

Jennifer's latest books are The Spiritual Warrior's Guide to Defeating Jezebel, which debuted from Chosen in June 2013 and Developing Faith for the Working of Miracles. The Making of a Prophet was published in Feb. 2014. Chosen is also publishing Jennifer's Next book: Satan's Deadly Trio, which will hit store shelves in the fall of 2014.

Jennifer writes one of Charisma’s most popular prophetic columns, The Plumb Line, and frequently contributes to Charisma’s Prophetic Insight newsletter. Her media ministry includes her website; 100,000 followers on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube; and a growing newsletter list. Jennifer has been interviewed on numerous media outlets including USA Today, BBC, The Alan Colmes Show, Bill Martinez Live and It’s Supernatural.

Jennifer has a powerful testimony of God’s power to set the captives free and claim beauty for ashes. She shares her story with women who need to understand the love and grace of God in a lost and dying world. Click here for a personal Q&A with Jennifer.

You can also learn more about Jennifer in this broadcast on Sid Roth's It's Supernatural.

- See more at: http://www.jenniferleclaire.org/about/#sthash.GiCaTH5a.dpuf

IHOP - Fort Lauderdale

Jennifer is director of IHOP-Fort Lauderdale, an International House of Prayer with a mandate to establish God’s will on the earth just as it is in heaven through night and day prayer and worship in the spirit of the Tabernacle of David.

IHOP-Fort Lauderdale is committed to prayer, worship, the Word, fasting, evangelism, healing, deliverance and prophecy. We believe that prayer fuels missions and can spark the prophesied revival in South Florida. The Prayer Room is at the heart of everything we do at IHOP-Fort Lauderdale.

Our heart is to equip a generation of believers who will contend for revival and justice in the Fort Lauderdale area. Our spiritual climate is hard, but we are believing in the power of God to break in and open the eyes of the hearts of believers and non-believers who will surrender to Jesus.

Click here to learn more about IHOP-Fort Lauderdale.

See more at: http://www.jenniferleclaire.org/ministries/ihop_fort_lauderdale#sthash.eIJmTttV.dpuf

Praise Chapel Hollywood

Jennifer is executive pastor at Praise Chapel Hollywood, a caring community church. Our Vision is to “prepare God’s people to reach the nations” by evangelizing the lost, discipling believers, and multiplying through church planting.

Click here to visit Praise Chapel Hollywood.

- See more at: http://www.jenniferleclaire.org/ministries/praise-chapel#sthash.iylYjGI6.dpuf

Charisma Magazine

Jennifer is news editor at Charisma magazine and pens a weekly column called The Plumb Line.

To passionate, Spirit-filled Christians, Charisma is the leading charismatic media source that inspires them to radically change their world. Since 1975, Charisma magazine has been a trusted source of news, teaching and inspiration to help spread the gospel of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Charisma News has developed into its own brand under the Charisma umbrella, offering breaking news coverage 24/7 in every digital format available. Just as Charisma magazine is the voice of the charismatic movement, Charisma News is the go-to source for believers who want the latest news delivered with trusted insight from a Spirit-filled perspective.

Click here to visit Charisma News.

- See more at: http://www.jenniferleclaire.org/ministries/charisma-magazine#sthash.HdTsUVxq.dpuf

Jennifer's latest book is now available:

The Spiritual Warrior's Guide to Defeating Jezebel: Overcome the Spirit of Control, Idolatry and Immorality.
Download Free Chapter
Buy Now at Amazon

- See more at: http://www.jenniferleclaire.org/store/#sthash.9r7XcicL.dpuf

Spiritual Warfare Strategies: Should You Shout or Stay Silent? by Jennifer LeClaire

Jennifer LeClaire

Spiritual Warfare Strategies: Should You Shout or Stay Silent?

worship — Should you stay silent or shout? (Stock.xchng)

When it comes to spiritual warfare strategies, there’s a time to shout and a time to stay silent. Discerning the difference can deliver your enemy into your hands—or deliver you out of the hand of your enemy.

Although there are spiritual laws and kingdom principles, you have to discern what law is operating and what principle to apply. Unfortunately, we often shout when we should keep our mouth tightly shut up, and we often keep silent when we should be shouting His praises.

If you shout when you should remain silent, you could find yourself fighting in the power of your own flesh—which won’t take you far in spiritual warfare because our weapons are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. If you remain silent when you should shout, you could be neglecting those supernatural weapons that will cut your enemy to bits.

Hold Your Peace

When Moses delivered the Israelites out of Egypt, he came to the Red Sea. You know the story. The Red Sea was in front of him, and Pharaoh’s army was behind him. The Israelites had no place to run and no place to hide—and they were afraid. The Bible says the Israelites cried out to the Lord and complained to Moses that he led them out into the wilderness to die (Ex. 14:10-12).

Moses reassured them, encouraging them not to be afraid but to stand still and, well, shut up: “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace” (vv. 13-14, NKJV). The Message translation puts it this way: “God will fight the battle for you. And you? You keep your mouths shut!” (v. 14, MSG).

Holding your peace in spiritual battle is one key to flowing in power. Complaining about your situation only opens the door for another attack because you can’t hold up your shield of faith and speak words of death (complaints) at the same time. Moreover, sometimes the battle is not yours to fight. Sometimes the battle really is the Lord’s. So all of your binding and rebuking in Jesus’ name is only stirring up devils that weren’t bothering you before you started provoking them with your blind buffeting.

Shout the Walls Down

God delivered the Israelites out of the hand of Pharaoh’s army, but only after they stopped complaining and kept their mouths shut. God gave Joshua a different strategy. Rather than staying silent, his battle plan was to make as much noise as humanly possible:

“And the Lord said to Joshua: ‘See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat” (Josh. 6:2-5, NKJV).

The result? The walls of Jericho fell down, and Joshua and his men took the city. But they had to shout as loud as they could. The Bible calls it a “great shout.” I don’t know how God used a shout to tear down walls any more than I understand how He parted the Red Sea so the Israelites could pass through. But what I do know is this: We have the victory in Christ, but manifesting that victory largely lies in our obedience.

For example, when we practice sin, we are in disobedience and we open the door for the enemy to wreak havoc in our lives. When, on the other hand, we practice obedience, we open the door for God’s power to flow through us to overcome every obstacle. Complaining when God tells us to stand and, having done all, to stand (Eph. 6:13) won’t deliver us out of the hand of the enemy. Likewise, staying silent when God is telling us to shout won’t bring us the victory either. Obedience is a monumental key to seeing victory.

So, before you charge into battle, get your spiritual warfare strategy from God. That may mean staying silent. It may mean shouting. It may mean something else. Spiritual warfare is not like making cookies with a cutter. Again, although there are spiritual laws and kingdom principles, you have to discern what law is operating and what principle to apply. So follow the Holy Spirit, and you’ll see the victory every time. Amen.

You can download a sample chapter of Jennifer's new book, The Making of a Prophet, by clicking here.

Jennifer LeClaire is news editor at Charisma. She is also the author of several books, including The Spiritual Warrior's Guide to Defeating Jezebel and The Making of a Prophet. You can email Jennifer at jennifer.leclaire@charismamedia.com or visit her website at www.jenniferleclaire.org.

Joseph's Tomb -- What a Difference a Century Makes - Israel Daily Picture,

Joseph's Tomb -- What a Difference a Century Makes

Posted: 23 Feb 2014

The Tomb of Joseph in the valley between Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal outside of Shechem (Nablus) Picture taken from Mt. Ebal (circa 1900). (Keystone-Mast Collection, California Museum of Photography

at UCR ARTSblock, University of California, Riverside)

According to the Book of Joshua (24:32), “The bones of Joseph which the Children of Israel brought up from Egypt were buried in Shechem [Nablus] in the portion of the field that had been purchased by Jacob.”

Joseph's Tomb today is in the middle of Nablus, controlled by the Palestinian Authority. Jews' access to the shrine is severely limited, and the tomb has been attacked and vandalized on several occasions. (Google Earth)

The very first posting in Israel Daily Picture in June 2011 featured century-old pictures of Joseph's Tomb that we found in the Library of Congress archives. Virtually every 19th and early 20th century collection we've viewed contains pictures of the tomb. The online Keystone-Mast collection at the University of California - Riverside archives adds many more photos of Joseph's Tomb for the public's view.

Joseph's Tomb and Mt. Gerizim behind it.

(Keystone-Mast Collection, California Museum of Photography at UCR ARTSblock,

University of California, Riverside, circa 1900)

Joseph's Tomb (circa 1900)

Keystone-Mast Collection, California Museum of Photography

at UCR ARTSblock, University of California, Riverside)

Joseph's Tomb, alone in the valley.

Keystone-Mast Collection, California Museum of Photography

at UCR ARTSblock, University of California, Riverside)

Turkish guard inside the tomb. The Library of Congress archives dates

this picture as 1900. Keystone-Mast Collection, California Museum of Photography

at UCR ARTSblock, University of California, Riverside)

Hand-colored photographic slide of Joseph's Tomb,

dated between 1880-1900. (Chatham University)

Source: Israel Daily Picture

Unlocking the Power of a Jesus-Focused Life by Ruth Lopez Whitfield

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Unlocking the Power of a Jesus-Focused Life

(lusi/rgbstock.com)

A few years ago, while stepping down off the back patio at a friend’s house, I lost my footing, twisted my ankle and fell. As a result, I found myself face down on a brick walkway, grateful that I had hurt only my ankle.

Although the area began to swell, I didn’t think the injury would be much of a deterrent to my activities. After all, it was only a simple sprain, and I expected my ankle to continue to function as usual.

However, what I thought was a simple sprain proved to be not only painful but also very inconvenient. The ankle affected the foot, and the foot affected my entire body. Since I could place no weight on it, the rest of my body had to make up for what the right foot could no longer do.

I was never really aware of this foot until it could no longer function without pain. I had taken walking pain-free for granted. Even after I injured it, I thought, “This isn’t going to hinder me. I’m going about my business as usual.”

I thought wrong!

Whereas previously I could walk from one place to another independently, I now had to lean on something or someone else and hobble to my destination. In addition, when I wasn’t hobbling, I had to elevate the foot to keep the swelling down. I was out of balance and my mobility was greatly curtailed.

It’s funny that I was never conscious of the foot until it demanded attention. Now even simple activities were tedious. It took the strength of a gymnast just to perform routine tasks in the bathroom!

I had not realized how much I depended on that foot until it was out of commission. Then what I had never taken notice of before became my focus.

I am not by nature a patient person. So when an obstacle over which I had no control came into my path, I didn’t react well. I wasn’t happy to discover my limitations!

But I knew there must be a lesson in it somewhere. So I prayed, “OK. What is it, Lord?”

After reflecting, I realized that what had happened to me is a natural picture of a spiritual truth. When we are focused on something in the distance, we can become careless. We think we are standing on solid ground, but unless we are conscious of where we step, we can fall.

Also, when part of the body is hurt and cannot function, as it should, we are no longer able to ignore that part; we must tend to it. In addition, the other parts must compensate for the lack. This is difficult because they are unaccustomed to the strain. All of them must learn to adjust.

The body of Christ functions the same way. As believers, we can be intensely focused on something “out there” and lose sight of whether we are standing on solid ground and our steps are ordered by the Lord (see Ps.37:23).

Although the apostle Peter warns us to be vigilant and watchful of the danger the enemy can put in our way (see 1 Pet. 5:8), we sometimes ignore the admonition if things are going well, and we tend to focus on the bigger picture while overlooking little things.

When we focus on the wrong things, we lose our balance, fall, get injured, and need help and time to heal. The other members must not only come to our rescue but also take up the slack for the vacuum we leave, adding to the weight the whole body must carry.

The wrong focus is the crux of the problem. When we focus on something in the distance—such as ministry, career, future plans—and lose sight of our immediate surroundings—family, finances, relationships—we may not see the danger close at hand, and we can fall. Paul the apostle warns: “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12).

We need to be vigilant and careful about how we walk this life of faith. Let’s stay close to the Lord and allow Him to order our steps!

PRAYER POWER FOR THE WEEK OF 02/24/2014

This week ask the Lord to direct your focus so that you are aware of the little things that may cause you to trip in your spiritual walk. As you pray for the nations remember to include your own nation and community. Pray for the local authorities and educators in your area. Pray that God would raise up godly leaders in each of these areas. Continue to pray for the president’s protection and that he have godly wisdom in all his dealings. Pray for our governmental, national, local and spiritual leaders. Remember Israel, the Middle East, our military and the persecuted church around the world. Ask God for more laborers for His already ripe harvest field. 1 Cor. 10:12; 1 Pet.5:8; Ps. 37:23.

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Monday, February 24, 2014

Let Love Win

by Tiffany Ann Lewis