His Heart, My Home

(NOTE: This week’s post continued below)

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NEWS FLASH! URGENT PRAYER NEEDED!

The Berlin wall fell in November 1989. This historic event ripped open the Iron Curtain, ending the Cold War, and resulting in the collapse of communist governments in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.

It marked a powerful turning point for the Church. Nations that had been closed to the gospel for generations were suddenly opened. Millions of people in the former communist countries were born again and filled with the Holy Spirit. The Word of God grew, multiplied, and prevailed. New churches were established. Ministries multiplied.

Now we are seeing another spiritual inflection point, as important as the fall of communism. The people of Iran, fed up with the oppressive radical Islamist regime that has been controlling them, are now in the streets, fighting for their freedom.

Thousands of unarmed Iranian protestors have been slaughtered in the streets throughout the nation. Thousands more have been imprisoned and are being cruelly tortured daily.

This is more than a political revolution. It’s also a spiritual revolution! Over a million Iranians have already turned from Islam to Christ. Reports say that even prior to the revolution over two-thirds of Iran’s mosques have been closed due to a lack of attendance.

We are asking you to join us in daily prayer for the people of Iran. Their acceptance of Christ will transform the entire Middle East.

Please click on the link entitled “Prayer for Iran” in the menu at the top of this page . Pray with us daily, and share this prayer with everyone in your contact list. Ask your contacts to also pray and send it to others. We are believing that God will intervene in a powerful way, and that Iran will be saved!

Thanks and God bless you all!

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WHO’S IN YOUR BOAT?

PRAYER: Father, we ask you to awaken our hearts and minds to the reality of Christ in us, the hope of glory ! AMEN!

Jesus said at the beginning of His ministry:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty (or liberate) those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19)

Notice the verbs… preach, heal, proclaim,
liberate, and proclaim some more.

Questions for Reflection:
● Can you see a pattern in the words above? ●Why is there a need for the proclamation and preaching of the Word?
● On the other hand, why do we need the manifestations and the miracles? Why not just the Word?

We can see from these verbs that Jesus introduced, established, and advanced the kingdom of God BOTH through His words (preach and proclaim) and through the Holy Spirit powerfully confirming those words with miracles, signs, and wonders.

And at the end of His ministry, Jesus said to His Father, ” I have glorified you on the earth. I have finished the work which you have given me to do… I have manifested your name to the men whom you have given me out of the world.” (John 17:4,6)

It is clearly evident that Jesus glorified the Father both by proclaiming His words and by manifesting His power.

AMEN IS NOT ALWAYS THE END

Likewise, our prayers and proclamation of the gospel should not be considered as completed as soon as we say the word “amen”. Our corresponding actions of faith should be a natural extension of our prayers and our proclamation of the gospel.

For example: As believers, we can teach, preach and proclaim that one of the Father’s many covenant names is Jehovah-Rapha, “the LORD-Who-Heals”.

In doing so, we are proclaiming the absolute truth. But we haven’t actually “manifested” the Father’s name until we have given the Holy Spirit the opportunity to confirm and demonstrate our declaration of God’s compassionate nature, by actually healing the sick, the blind, the deaf, and the lame.

Remember… Peter said Jesus “proved His authority” by the many “powerful miracles, signs, and wonders” that were manifested through Him. (see Acts 2:22, TPT)

So how do we “manifest” the miracles, signs, and wonders seen in Jesus’ ministry? How do we take the next step? Is it even possible?

THE PASSENGER MANIFEST

Let me answer those questions with a question of my own. Have you ever heard of a “passenger manifest”? It’s an official list detailing everyone on a plane, ship, or vehicle.

Now, although there was no such official document used by the fishermen of Galilee in Jesus’ time, we could say that Jesus’ first disciples saw the “passenger manifest” detailing exactly who was with them in their boat after a violent storm threatened to sink the boat and take their lives.

Jesus’ authority and Holy Spirit-fueled power was clearly “manifested” as they saw the wind and the waves submit to His faith commands. (see Luke 8:22-25)

And now a final question, one that is vitally important for you to answer:

“WHO’S IN YOUR BOAT”?

With all due respect, friend, I didn’t ask what theological seminary you attended, or how many subscribers you have on your blog-site, or how many times you prayed the rosary today, or how many years you’ve been teaching Sunday School, or how long you’ve been on the deacon board of your church. None of those things can save you from shipwreck and drowning.

Only the Spirit of Christ within you can float your boat! And I would definitely want Him, not just as a passenger, but as the Captain of my boat!

Shortly after the Day of Pentecost, Peter and John stood before the Sanhedrin. They had been arrested and were being threatened with a severe beating for proclaiming Jesus’ resurrection, and for manifesting the power of His name by healing the lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. The religious leaders saw their boldness, and quickly realized that these two simple fishermen, uneducated and untrained, had the Spirit of the resurrected Christ in their boat! Jesus name was at the top of their “passenger manifest”.(Acts 4:13-20)

WAKE UP! RISE UP! LEVEL UP!

When the Body of Christ begins to manifest His glory, the world will sit up and take notice of exactly who we have “in our boat”. And untold multitudes will turn their backs on empty religion, as they are drawn to the Resurrected Living Christ within us!

There must not only be declarations and proclamations, but mighty demonstrations and manifestations of Holy Spirit’s power to break satan’s chains off of the nations.

It’s going to require the Church, the Body of Christ, to wake up, to rise up, and to level up! If we are going to do the same works Jesus did, we are going to have to manifest the same power that Jesus manifested! We must declare and manifest the Father’s name, His nature, and His love, a radical, supernatural love that unites us as one with Him, and with each other!

Let’s go forth, proclaiming God’s Word to our neighbors, and the nations, knowing that the Holy Spirit will confirm our proclamations with mighty demonstrations of God’s power!

Then we can declare the same words that Jesus spoke, “Father, we have manifested your name…”

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Are you fired up about the New Year and ready to show everybody who is in your boat?

One way you can do that is through your giving. When you give generously to help propel the gospel around the world, you are exhibiting the personality of Jesus, who said:

“Give generously and generous gifts will be given back to you, shaken down to make room for more. Abundant gifts will pour out upon you with such an overflowing measure that it will run over the top! The measurement of your generosity becomes the measurement of your return.”
(Luke 6:38 TPT)

Once again, we would like to invite you to pray for and donate to our ministry partner in the Philippines:

Student Life Organization, Inc

SLOI provides educational opportunities to the many physically disabled and financially disadvantaged children of Cebu City, both declaring and demonstrating God’s to them and their families.

Would you please give today? If so, please use this link: paypal.me/anaferuiz

Thank you! We pray that you will experience God’s richest blessings throughout the New Year, in Jesus’ name! Amen!

Blessings!