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The Father’s Glory

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 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.  “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.  “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.  “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”    John 14:10-14
                                                                                       

Most people mistakenly believe that JESUS’ passion was for the lost.  And though certainly Christ loves sinners; wept over us and died for us; the fact is, JESUS was obsessed with the Father.  His entire life on earth was spent saying and doing ONLY what He heard and saw the Father do (John 5:19). 

And in this discourse, JESUS was communicating the power which is available to believers who will follow His example of glorifying the Father.  How many times throughout the Gospels does JESUS say or imply that it is not about Him, but about the One who sent Me.  JESUS was the messenger and his ministry was pointing humans toward the One had the Master plan, if you will.  And once again here you hear Christ say, and I am paraphrasing, “Guys, these are not even my words.  I am not initiating this.  It is the FATHER living in me who does the WORKS.”  Of course what He was saying is that the Father’s invisible words spoken through His lips manifested into tangible works which everyone could then see.

 When JESUS said,  “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves…”  What he meant was, “How do you think I am doing all of this?”  “You think it’s me?”  I’m human just like you – BUT I AM CONNECTED!  So He says, “Come on then.”  “Believe that you can enjoy this same connection and I promise you the same results, even more!”   What?  Why more?  “Because I am going to the Father.”

We’ve got the Father and the Son in covenant commitment
declaring THEIR purpose through our lives and manifesting it
by the Holy Spirit living within us!  That, is a mouthful!  

But wait, here is the key to why we get whatever we ask in His Name…that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  JESUS insists that the same glory He brought the Father 2000 years ago through His life, we bring Him through our lives as well.  And what He is talking about is a Lifestyle!  Does not the world love to flaunt their lifestyles?  Whether it is a Beverly Hills lifestyle, or a South Beach lifestyle, a Rock Star or Celebrity/Pro Athlete lifestyle;  they are easy to spot.  Well, there is a Glorifying Father God Lifestyle and it rocks harder than anything on earth!  It manifests in Peace, Joy and Righteousness and abundance without sorrow.

Because sorrow only comes when our joy and confidence is in our stuff.  But when your joy and confidence is in the Father, you get to enjoy your stuff without fear of losing it.  It’s freeing just to say that isn’t it?

And just in case we still didn’t get it, JESUS wraps up his teaching with one simple sentence.  “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”  Wow!  there you have it, my friend.  What’s your purpose in life?  Make it glorifying the Father and whatever you ask is yours.  And don’t qualify your asking.  You’ll know the moment the request comes out if it glorifies Him.  Because you will have it.

You’re A Champion!

God’s Word Makes The Way

“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”  Ps. 119:105

Nothing happens until the Word is spoken.  The earth was dark until “God said…”  The sun, the moon and the stars along with all the other universes and celestial bodies; none had a purpose, until “God spoke.”

Think about it for a moment.  Adam did not know where he was; Abraham was passing time in the desert; Moses was an exiled shepherd, David was tending sheep, Gideon, sifting grain, Esther combing her hair and Peter toiling all night.  Clueless people, until God spoke.

Lazarus rotting in a tomb, a woman paralyzed for eighteen years and a thief dying on a cross.  Hopeless people, until God spoke.

God’s Word is a lamp to our feet because it reveals who we really are and how much we really need Him.  But it is also a light to our path, because as we allow His Word to show us who we are, the same Word empowers us to create the future which God has promised as we declare it with faith.

That’s right!  Your future begins the moment you summon the courage to SPEAK THE WORD .  Wherever life finds you today, it can get better.  You can get back on track the moment you hear yourself say what HE SAYS.

Go ahead.  Try it.  His Words in your mouth contain the same power as the Words in His.  Say what you want and nothing else.  Now look down your “Word-lit Path…”  It’s Glorious!

I Call You A Champion!

Pastor Ralph D. Gerard

Set It or Forget It

A woman with a dead son said, “It is well…”  The centurion said to JESUS, “Just say the Word…”  Even JESUS said, “Roll away the stone…”  What did they do?  They set the atmosphere for the supernatural.

Proverbs 18:21  tells us that “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”  Think about it.  God has put all things pertaining to life and death in the power (authority) of the tongue.

Now please listen carefully.  It is not our circumstances, the opinions of others, the economy, your credit score or who is in the White House that will influence your future success.

It is our tongue which either sets the atmosphere around our lives, like a thermostat, OR registers (agrees with) the present condition around us, like a thermometer.

Thermometers possess zero power.  They have no ability to change anything.  They simply report the current status.  OK.  It’s getting a little quiet in the whining and complaining section.  If all we do is (agree) with what we see happening around us, the principle is going to work.  And what you agree with is going to multiply!  This of course is great if you like what you see.  But that is not usually the case.  People love to talk about the government, bills, high prices, low wages and what they can’t afford, etc. etc.  What do you think keeps showing up?  Exactly.

Thermostats on the other hand know three really good scriptures.  And they probably know more than three, but these three are really good right here.  The first one I already mentioned above; but check out Hebrews 1:3 and 3:1.  In The Message translation, Heb. 1:3 says, “This Son (JESUS) [mine] perfectly mirrors God, and is stamped with God’s nature.  He holds everything together by what He says – powerful words!”  And 3:1 tells us that Christians are “…partakers of the heavenly calling…” and that JESUS is the “High Priest of our profession…” meaning this:

JESUS is faithful over His Church to empower and bring to pass His Words which proceed from Our Mouths!  Did you get that?  When you agree with what God says and you say it, you are RE-SETTING  circumstances to align with God’s ways and His purposes!   They must obey!

The same power which holds everything together is in His Word.  Whether it is me or you, or JESUS saying it.  That ability to change circumstances is in the power of our tongue!   Our tongue can change any atmosphere from negative to positive, from death to life, from lack to abundance, from sick to well.  His Word never returns void.

Get these scriptures in your spirit today.  Trust God’s Word to enable the power of your tongue to re-set the atmosphere around your life; and do it before that same atmosphere tries to re-set you.   Until next time…

I Call You A Champion!

Pastor Ralph D. Gerard

We All Cooperate With God

God is a God of order.  He makes everything right and appropriate.  He loves it when everything fits.

God has filled the earth with abundant resources.  For instance, crude oil from beneath the earth.  Where do we drill for it?  We drill in the exact place where He put it.  And where do we place those mammoth wind turbines?  We put them wherever He makes the wind blow. Fisherman fish certain waters at certain times of the year because they know that the precise fish, crab, shrimp or other sea life which they desire will be there.  These are just examples of how some people cooperate with God.

Whether you acknowledge God, go to church or not, your spiritual “handle,” is irrelevant.  From Atheist to Zen and everything in between, everybody acknowledges the earth’s  cycles, seasons as well as the meteorological and geological patterns that are all around us.  We respect these patterns and we use them to our benefit.  We have also learned that disrespecting “mother nature” can lead to disastrous results.

Think about it.  Is not science simply the discovery of the vast power which surrounds us on earth?  Every advancement in human history, from the wheel to the microchip has come from a discovery.   It is man harnessing the potential within a God-made substance.  Once a scientist discovers a “constant” in nature or in a compound they become 99.99%  certain that the same  results will occur every time the same conditions are present.  It is a constant. They are convinced.  And as a result of relying on these certainties, our world has become a much more glorious place to live.

If we can rely so heavily on the unchanging laws of nature and see the consistent benefits of doing so, we must not hesitate to take the same stance with God’s Word!  For God’s Word is the only constant on earth that is 100% reliable, 100% of the time, to 100% of those who believe it.  For it was His Word which created the world when He spoke by the breath of  His mouth (Psalm 33:6).  Once a person makes God’s Word their own, they will never lack any good thing in this life or the next!

When you and I begin to cooperate with God’s Word, we will  become more certain about God’s love and His promises toward us than those who rely on the Farmer’s Almanac.  We will experience blessing and multiplication upon all we put our hands to.  If we don’t doubt the seasons, how can we doubt the very Word that created them?  Let me challenge you to believe that the God who created the earth also created you to experience the abundant life JESUS promised.  Put God’s Word in your heart, then on your tongue.   Now release that Word with faith and watch what God does.  What YOU SAY will come to pass.

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17

Gideon and You

Gideon is working in the wine press and the Angel of the Lord interrupts him.  He greets the young man with that venerable salutation which preachers have used to wax bold for centuries, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!” Judges 6:12  Here’s the interesting part, Gideon comes right back, perhaps not as eloquent, but he certainly makes his point.  I’ll paraphrase: “If God is with us why are our enemies breathing down our necks?”  “And if the Lord delivered us from Egypt before, why isn’t He doing it again…now?”

Can you hear the Angel of the Lord?  “Go ahead there, G.”  “Tell us what you really think, and don’t hold anything back.”  Actually, His response left Gideon stunned.  Again, here’s my version:  “Use that passion and save your nation…GO!  I’m with you!”

Think about it.  You and I have had this same conversation with God more than once.  How many times has God “interrupted” our lives, we complain to Him, then God says, “That’s it.”  “Use that passion and go get the job done…I’m with you!”  He uses a situation to awaken our assignment, then tells us to tackle it because He is with us.  And He is.  And if we obeyed we would discover just how much “with us” He really is.

But is that what we do?  Of course not.  We do exactly what Gideon did.  We try to inform God just how small, insignificant and unqualified we are for the job.  And why do we do this?  Because we see ourselves from our own perspective rather than His.  We allow the “idols” of our past limitations and failures to define our future.  No wonder the first thing the Angel told Gideon to do was to tear down the altars of Baal.  We must also.

Here is what we need to know.  “If God be for us…who can be against us?”  It’s never about who we think we are, but about who God says we are!  There is a Champion in you just like there was in Gideon.  Trust God and dare to step out on His Word.  If you are not uncomfortable at first, you missed something.  Because it’s in that place of awkward balance and clumsy inelegance that we must really depend on Him.  And that of course is where He wants us.  God knows that  our best self appears at the point of His grace manifested in our lives.  And that is where others will see it, and greatness is born.  It is time to awaken the Gideon in you.

Pastor Ralph D. Gerard