Overwhelmed?

There is so much going on in our world. The economy is bad. People are losing their homes, cars, jobs. Violence has increased. People are murdering innocent people, men are beating women, parents are beating children. Marriages are falling apart, families are in crisis. God, Your word is a light unto my path and a lamp unto my feet. I don't know about you but lately, I have wondered how to keep going when I have just enough light to see where I am. God began to reassure me that my walk with Him is a faith walk. I can't see down the road and want to stop going. At times, my heart fills with fear. I have to fight off doubt. But,He reminded me that His word is a lamp unto my feet. So how do I keep walking when I can't see my way out of being overwhelmed with bills, being lied on, my health being challenged? Go to His word. God's word is full of promises. I have never seen the righteous forsaken nor His seed begging bread. I am the head and not the tail. I am a lender and not a borrower. God has spoken somethings to you in your spirit. Stand on His word.

Psalm 119:105
New International Version
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."

Handling Difficult Circumstances

Read Philippians 1:12-20

Paul's letter to the church at Philippi was written during his Roman imprisonment. Chained continuously to a guard while awaiting trial, he wrote encouraging the Philippians not to worry over him, because he was learning some valuable lessons.

"I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am," he told them. (Philippians 4:11)

Notice the verse does not say that he was always happy; happiness depends upon circumstances. Contentment, on the other hand, indicates we are so anchored in God that we can thank Him in the midst of pain. Paul's surroundings were among the worst in the world, but he scarcely mentioned his situation. Instead, his focus never wavered from God. (Philippians 1:20; 3:10)

Paul did not see himself as a victim. He believed that he was under the sovereign hand of the living Lord - in God's place at God's time for God's purpose. All around him, Paul saw the good result of his time in prison. The entire Praetorian Guard, the elite soldiers who guarded Caesar, had heard about Jesus, thanks to the apostle's consistent witnessing. His imprisonment was also having the opposite effect of what his enemies had planned. Instead of driving Christians into hiding, Paul's example of contentment in the face of hardship made them bolder.

Like Paul, we must choose our response to pain and hardship. We can become resentful and bitter, consequently allowing a wonderful opportunity for spiritual growth to defeat us. Or we can turn to God, cry out for help, and be victorious.

"In a Plain Brown Wrapper"

The song service is finished. The sermon begins. During the first three sentences, expectant faces look toward the preacher. A single mother sighs, praying her children will let her make it through the sermon, maybe even listen. An older man in failing health turns up his hearing aid. Frustrated and angry with diminishing strength and energy, he searches to make sense of his losses.

A high school sophomore listens with an MTV-conditioned attention span. She is not trained to listen long. A successful business person caught in the depths of depression hopes for an alternative to suicide. A Bible class teacher dealing with major failure clings to faith by a fingernail. A married couple, sitting together in the pew but hardly speaking at home, hopes for renewal of lost affection. A frustrated parent of an angry teen looks for confidence. A widow's eyes fill with tears as her hand touches the empty seat beside her. A cancer patient needs a reason to suffer through another chemo session. The mate is desperate for strength to persevere.

A contractor, competing with kickbacks and cheats, wonders if his ethics are antiquated. A nurse, exhausted from a twelve-hour-pressure-filled shift, hopes for renewal. A lonely soul hopes for connection with others. New Christians listen to build faith. Long-time members hope for revival from spiritual lethargy. Debaters want a convincing argument. Condemners want a reason to feel superior. Tired church volunteers long for a boost. Frazzled church staffers need a shot in the arm. Elders need power to persevere through the pressure.

Deacons need to be uplifted. The confused seek wisdom. The guilty seek forgiveness. The sad seek help. The mad seek release. The glad seek rejoicing. The preachers stands. For three sentences everyone listens intently, wondering, "Is there a word from God for me today?" Who dares to rise to preach in the face of such need? Who can meet such a multiplicity of expectations? God can. Only God can. God speaks through the preacher's faltering words, stiff outlines, and overused illustrations. God speaks through his words, his tears, his personality, his humor, his gestures, his spirit.

God uses unworthy vessels to anoint hearts, persuade minds, lift spirits, comfort pain, and enlighten understanding. The power in preaching is not the preacher. It is God. God speaking through a man, gives a beautiful gift in a plain brown wrapper.

God has a word for you. Shhhhh. Listen
Greg Cummings

24 Day Prayer Focus to Declare the Breaking of a New Day

Declare the Breaking of a New Day

Day 1: Memorize Isaiah 50, especially verse 4: "The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the learned" (NKJV). Ask the Lord to give you a right word for every moment throughout your day ahead.

Day 2: Read Psalm 5. Set you alarm clock, get up, and let God hear your voice at the breaking of the day.

Day 3: Read Psalm 30, especially verse 5: "For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning" (NKJV). Decree that when day breaks, joy will also break loose within you.

Day 4: Read Song of Solomon 6, especially verse 10: "Who is she who looks forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, awesome as an army with banners?" (NKJV). Ask the Lord to cover you with His banner. His banner over you is LOVE.

Day 5: Read Exodus 14, especially verse 24: "Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the LORD looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians" (NKJV). Ask God to trouble your enemy during this time. When you sense the Lord's presence, ask Him to cause your enemies to go into confusion.

Day 6: Read Exodus 34, especially verse 2: "So be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself to Me there on the top of the mountain" (NKJV). During this watch ask the Lord to set your boundaries for the future. Present yourself to Him and tell Him that you are not willing to go into the day without Him.

Day 7: Read Genesis 19. Ask the Lord to deal with iniquitous structures in your life, family and city. Get up and stand before the Lord and decree that there will come a cleansing to the land that you are a part of.

Day 8: Read Genesis 22, especially verse 3: "So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him" (NKJV). Let the Lord show you how to meet Him in the midst of your faith being tested. Watch for Him to reveal Himself as Jehovah-Jireh.

Day 9: Read Genesis 26, especially verse 31: "Then they arose early in the morning and swore an oath with one another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace" (NKJV). During this watch, ask the Lord to re-dig "wells" of revival from your past. However, ask the Lord to bring you into a new place of enlargement.

Day 10: Read Genesis 28, especially verse 18: "Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it" (NKJV). Read Luke 11. Ask the Lord to open the heavens and connect Heaven and Earth where you are. God has a place to connect with you, and you to connect with Him so He can establish your future.

Stabilize Your Emotions and Break Open a New Supply Line

Day 11: Read Joshua 6 and Romans 9. Learn the principle of Firstfruits as you enter a new season. Jericho was the firstfruits of a new land. If you give God the best at the beginning, all the remainder will be blessed. Declare that everything that is invincible, that would keep you from advancing into the fullness of God's promise, will be removed.

Read Joshua 7, especially verses 14 and 16: "In the morning therefore you shall be brought according to your tribes. And it shall be that the tribe which the LORD takes shall come according to families; and the family which the LORD takes shall come by households; and the household which the LORD takes shall come man by man...So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken" (NKJV).

If you feel like you have missed a step somewhere and your path seems blocked, ask the Lord to show you anything in your home that should not be there. Protecting Your Home from Spiritual Darkness can help you discern any items that are giving demons legal right into your home.

Day 12: Read Ruth 2, especially verse 7; read Ruth 3 (especially verses 13-14), and Ruth 4. Watch God shift you from gleaning to reaping.

"And she said, 'Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.' So she came and has continued from morning until now, though she rested a little in the house." Ruth 2:7 (NKJV)

"'Stay this night, and in the morning it shall be that if he will perform the duty of a close relative for you - good; let him do it. But if he does not want to perform the duty for you, then I will perform the duty for you, as the LORD lives! Lie down until morning.' So she lay at his feet until morning, and she arose before one could recognize another. Then he said, 'Do not let it be known that the woman came to the threshing floor'" Ruth 3:13-14 (NKJV).

From the gleaning of the day before, ask God how to favor you in such a way that your past can be redeemed and your future established.

Day 13: Read 2 Chronicles 20, especially verse 20: "So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, 'Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper'" (NKJV).

Sing a song to the Lord. Ask the Lord to send confusion into the enemy's camp. Declare that you will take the spoils of the enemy. New songs break old cycles, so spend time listening to new songs and new sounds. Worship and watch the enemy go into confusion.

Day 14: Read Ecclesiastes 11, especially verse 6: "In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand; for you do not know which will prosper, either this or that, or whether both alike will be good" (NKJV). Ask the Lord what to sow in the morning so that your seed will prosper.

Day 15: Read 2 Kings 7. Know that He can change supply lines and economic conditions around us in a day!

Day 16: Read Isaiah 58, especially verse 8: Fast today! "Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard" (NKJV). Declare that your health will spring forth at the breaking of the day. Ask the Lord for you to judge righteously and not form a critical, religious spirit.

Day 17: Read Matthew 20, especially verse 1: "For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard" (NKJV). Ask the Lord to help you find the help you need for the coming day. Ask the Lord to position you in the harvest.

Confront Powers Contending for Governmental Rule and Break Forth a New Day

Day 18: Read Mark 1, especially verse 35: "Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed" (NKJV). Find a place to have a quiet time before you enter the day ahead.

Day 19: Read Matthew 6:24, Ephesians 6 and Daniel 10. Declare that you will not be ruled by Mammon. Ask the Lord to find your footing so you can stand.

Day 20: Read Isaiah 21, especially verse 12: "The watchman said, 'The morning comes, and also the night. If you will inquire, inquire; return! Come back!'" (NKJV). Tell the Lord what you see. Read Isaiah 28, especially verse 19: "As often as it goes out it will take you; for morning by morning it will pass over, and by day and by night; it will be a terror just to understand the report" (NKJV). Declare that any shroud of death that has been holding you captive will be removed. Also, declare that your spirit will be free of all vexation.

Day 21: Read 1 Samuel 1-3. Ask the Lord to break any spirit of barrenness. Many times during this watch you will experience travail. Travail like Hannah to bring forth the future. Declare that in the war from your last season, you are overcoming the structures that would hold you and keep you from your next promotion. Declare that all mocking spirits are defeated. Declare that what the Lord has conceived in you can be brought forth.

Day 22: Read 1 Samuel 4-6. Declare that an old system will let go and be judged. Stand and decree that the PRESENCE of GOD will return in fullness to your life, the church, your city, and this nation.

Day 23: Read I Samuel 7-9. Ask the Lord to have us agree with Him on the decision of the leader for our future and not just demand our own desires. Refuse to have a Saul structure reigning in our midst. Refuse to be a nation and people who can no longer be heard by the Lord!

Day 24: Read Psalm 84. Celebrate the BREAKING OF A NEW DAY by singing a new song to the Lord! Read Revelation 4, 5 and Psalm 100. Declare a new strength will arise in you.

Blessings,

Chuck D. Pierce
Glory of Zion Ministries

A Day of Action

Romans 4:13-15
The Message

That famous promise God gave Abraham—that he and his children would possess the earth—was not given because of something Abraham did or would do. It was based on God's decision to put everything together for him, which Abraham then entered when he believed. If those who get what God gives them only get it by doing everything they are told to do and filling out all the right forms properly signed, that eliminates personal trust completely and turns the promise into an ironclad contract! That's not a holy promise; that's a business deal. A contract drawn up by a hard-nosed lawyer and with plenty of fine print only makes sure that you will never be able to collect. But if there is no contract in the first place, simply a promise—and God's promise at that—you can't break it

This morning I kept hearing the song, "The Blessings of Abraham" in my spirit. Today is a call to action. You are an heir to the promise that God made Abraham. You are the seed of Abraham. Go get your inheritance! Get it, get it! The Bible says that faith without works is dead. Today you must use crazy (radical) faith. Believe God for big! What He's shown you is not even the whole picture, but a glimpse. I don't know about you but the glimpse He showed me is big! So I know the picture is much bigger. I had to move on some things He told me in the last couple of days. Get busy.

Let me share this word that confirmed what God shared with me today:

Cultivate God's Faith in Your Heart

True supernatural faith flows out of the spirit and affects the mind. Not the other way around. Faith defies logic and natural reality for a higher spiritual reality. It causes the natural to line up with what God has already accomplished in the spirit. We must live in the Word and constantly renew our minds.

Faith is born out of heart revelation. When truth is revealed to your mind and heart by the Holy Spirit through the Word, faith comes alive on the inside of you. John 8:32 says, "And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free." Soak your mind and spirit in God's Word by constantly setting your mind on it, and revelation of truth will produce supernatural faith in your heart. Heart faith produced by revelation of truth is the ultimate key to operating in God's power.

"Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]." Hebrews 12:2



Add Action to Your Faith

One thing you must understand about the power anointing is that it comes for a reason and with an intended purpose. Isaiah 61:1 says: "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound."

The power anointing for healing and miracles will only manifest if you are praying for sick people to be healed. We must be intentional in looking for opportunities where the power anointing will be needed. Faith without works is dead (James 2:20).

The power anointing is given to help other people in a supernatural way, and in the process, reveal God's heart and nature to them. Don't allow yourself to get discouraged. You must stay focused and tenacious. No matter what you see in the natural, set your vision higher, know and understand God's will and truth, and allow His faith to move you to action. This action will release the power of God and produce the miraculous.

*- excerpt from a word from Matt Sorger on Elijah's List added in italics

Quit?

-Unknown

One day I decided to quit...
I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality. .. I wanted to quit my life.
I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

"God", I asked, "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?"
His answer surprised me....
"Look around", He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?"

"Yes", I replied.
"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them.

I gave them light.

I gave them water.

The fern quickly grew from the earth.

Its brilliant green covered the floor.

Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo..
In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful.
And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. He said.
"In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed.

But I would not quit.
In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would
not quit." He said.
"Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared
to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant. ..But just 6
months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall.
It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.
I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle."
He asked me. "Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots".

"I would not quit on the bamboo.

I will never quit on you."
"Don't compare yourself to others."

He said.

"The bamboo had a different Purpose than the fern.

Yet they both make the forest beautiful."
"Your time will come", God said to me.

"You will rise high"
"How high should I rise?"

I asked.
"How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return.
"As high as it can?" I questioned.
"Yes." He said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can."
I left the forest and brought back this story.

I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you.
Never, Never, Never Give up.
For the Christian Prayer is not an option but an opportunity.

Don't tell the Lord how big the problem is,tell the problem how Great the Lord is!

Unemployed Graduate

An unemployed graduate woke up one morning and checked his pocket. All he had left was $10. He decided to use it to buy food and then wait for death as he was too proud to go begging. He was frustrated as he could find no job, and nobody was ready to help him.

He bought food and as he sat down to eat, an old man and two little children came along and asked him to help them with food as they had not eaten for almost a week. He
looked at them. They were so lean that he could see their bones coming out. Their eyes had gone into the socket. With the last bit of compassion he had, he gave them the food. The old man and children prayed that YHWH would bless and prosper him and then gave him a very old coin. The young graduate said to them 'you need the prayer more than I do'.

With no money, no job, no food, the young graduate went under the bridge to rest and wait for death. As he was about to sleep, he saw an old newspaper on the ground. He picked it up, and suddenly he saw an advertisement for people with old coins to come to a certain address.


He decided to go there with the old coin the old man gave him. On getting to the place, he gave the proprietor the coin. The proprietor screamed, brought out a big book and showed the young graduate a photograph. This same old coin was worth 3 million dollars. The young graduate was overjoyed as the proprietor gave him a bank draft for 3 million dollars within an hour. He collected the Bank Draft and went in search of the old man and little children.

By the time he got to where he left them eating, they had gone. He asked the owner of the canteen if he knew them. He said no but they left a note for you. He quickly opened the note thinking it would lead him to find them.

This is what the note said: 'You gave us your all and we have rewarded you back with the coin,' signed YHWH the Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. 1 Kings 17 :10-16; Matthew 11:28-30


Have you given all to Yahshua Christ? If you haven't, do so today and he will surprise you.

My Father Is On Deck

Author Unknown

In the days of the sailing vessels, a captain from Liverpool commanded a ship sailing to New York. On one voyage, his family went with him. During the night, when everyone was asleep, a storm arose and struck the vessel, throwing her over on her side. Everything inside the ship tumbled and crashed. The passengers awoke in great fear and in imminent peril. Everyone on board was alarmed. Many of the passengers sprang from their berths and began to dress so that they might be ready for the worst.

The captain's eight-year-old daughter was on board, and awoke with the other passengers. “What is the matter?” the frightened child pleaded.

They told her that a storm had struck the ship.

“Is my father on deck?” she asked.

“Yes, your father is on deck.”

The little girl dropped back on her pillow and, without a fear in the world, in just a few moments was again sleeping soundly in spite of the wind and the waves - because her father was on deck.

Never forget that our Father is on deck. Whatever the storm of life or the storms of this world may bring, God is in charge. Our Father is on deck.