I am in the Place of God!

October 23, 2018

Genesis-50-19 (1)

By Pastor Jeff,

Joseph had many ups and downs in his journey with Lord, some of his ups include receiving the coat of many colors from his father, becoming the head man at Potiphar’s house, and becoming second in command to all of Egypt in the Pharaoh’s kingdom! Some of his downs would be his brothers attempt to kill him, then selling him to the Ishmaelites, being accused of sexual assault by Potiphar’s wife then ending up in prison, and then being stuck in prison for two years. The one thing is that he never waivered for his love of God and rising above the fray.

When Jacob finally died, his brothers become fearful, Genesis 50:15-20, “And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” What a profound statement of faith and love!

We are all well aware that Satan hates us and seeks our destruction by whatever means he can. When sickness, death, suffering are piled on us as result of sin coming into our world we sometimes want to strike out and blame God. But we know He is not the source of evil and if we can real trust in the love of Jesus Christ we will see Romans 8:28 fulfilled, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” 

I will share for a moment on how I see this being fulfilled in my life. In the last year I have experienced a little more suffering than I would like to, my good friend died last October 20th, then a week later on October 28th my oldest son died as well. In the time between then and now my youngest daughter was diagnosed again with cancer and even though I believe she will be ultimately be healed it was a tough pill to swallow. Though I had experienced an occasional meltdown my faith in Jesus Christ is stronger than ever. This then leads to how God is turning it into a good thing!

A couple months ago our church as well I’m sure many churches received a letter talking about the local Sheriffs Dept. desire to start a Chaplain program for it’s officers. As I sat in the training class recently where the discussion was more about death and death notifications I thought to myself, “Why am I here?” The Spirit of God living in me brought me to the scripture from Romans 8:28 and I realized that those things that happened to me were meant to destroy me. But I would never of pursued this new chapter without it! God changed what was meant for evil to something good to His glory!

If you are going through a tough period, keep on loving God, trust Him and somehow, sometime, Jesus will turn it into something good!

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We Are Free

October 20, 2018

   

By Pastor Mike

This is a free and Blessed country. We all need to get back to the basics and stop trying to take GOD out of everything.

We are free to make the choice on who we are gonna serve.

JESUS CHRIST suffered and died on that cross so we can be free –

FREE   FROM   THE   BONDAGE   OF   SIN

FREE   FROM   WORRY

FREE   FROM   FEAR

FREE   FROM   ANY   TYPE   OF   ADDICTION

John 8:32-36

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?

Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

Romans 8:1-2

 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.n For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

HE paid the price so we can be free.

Galatians 5:1

 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

He will free you where you’ve been restricted, and held back. JESUS will release you so you can move!

Sometimes yokes can be  placed on you early in your life; people’s words that hurt can became a yoke around your neck. People that told you all kinds of negative things about who you are and what you were going to become and what you couldn’t do and what you wouldn’t be able to do. But today is the day to remove that yoke and be set free.

Ask yourself what do you need to be set free from? What are the issues or concerns that you are struggling with that keep you from being free?

Freedom from guilt                     Freedom from anger

Freedom from depression          Freedom from grief

Freedom from debt                    Freedom from habitual sin

Freedom from fear or worry      Freedom from pornography

Freedom from lying                   Freedom from too much drama Freedom from whatever

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Forgiven

   

By Pastor Mike

I wanna talk about forgiveness. How we’re forgiven by JESUS, how we need to forgive others. When we repent and ask GOD for forgiveness, HE will forgive us. HE says HE will. When we don’t forgive someone for what they say or do, we suffer. Sometimes people might not even know they hurt you. It’s OK to let them know that they did hurt you. If you offend or hurt someone, you gotta ask for forgiveness.

Mat 18:21-22

Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

Peter probably thought that forgiving seven times was good enough. He was in for a big surprise. JESUS’ wants us to forgive 70 times greater than that.

Forgiving someone 490 times is a lot of forgiving. By the time you hit that number and you still feel something against that person, you really better check your heart because it could be hatred. If you have hate in your heart that’s like committing murder according to JESUS. I’m just saying.

Psalm 103:2-4

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

I’ve talked to people who think that GOD won’t forgive them for what they’ve done. Or that GOD hates them. I let them know that GOD is a forgiving and loving GOD. When we sin, HE wants to forgive us and help us get back on our feet.

Ephesians 1:6-7

To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

1 John 1:8-9

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Matthew 6:14-15

 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

It’s guaranteed in life that you will be hurt, let down, or in some other way be given the opportunity to forgive. Offenses must come. One of the great challenges in life is forgiving others. When you do, the burden will be lifted.

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Almost Midnight

September 26, 2018

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By Pastor Jeff,

Eschatology, The study of “Endtimes” is one of my favorite subjects of the bible. With that I firmly believe we are living in the greatest decade ever as we are seeing Bible prophecy being fulfilled before our very eyes!

Matthew 24:3, “And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” The rest of chapter 24 and 25 Jesus then gives answers to this question, such as vs. 6, “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.”  We see what’s happening in Syria or the joint war games by Russia and China and we can see that this is true, how about vs. 11, “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.” I don’t know about you but I can’t watch or listen to those who sell books, tapes, or anything promoting certain events such as the many “Blood Moons” and try to equate that to being the start of the tribulation period. The ultimate sign is found in Matthew 24:32-34, “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” We know this happened May 14th, 1948 when Israel became a nation once again, so without a doubt we are living in the last generation. Interestingly the verse that follows says this, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” So we can’t proclaim a day, but we I believe proclaim a season and the season is here!

Revelation is one of my favorite books and chapter 13:16-18, talks of the “Mark of the Beast”, “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.” Three Square Market, a company in Wisconsin has recently offered implants for its employees, at first for fun, but also convenience. I encourage you to look a the video found on YouTube with an interview with the CEO by NBC. No, I can’t be certain that this is the final product that fulfills this prophecy but I do believe this is a step to make us comfortable with this type of technology.

There is a wonderful day coming, Revelations 21:4, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” And Jesus tells us this in Revelation 22:20, “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

It’s Almost Midnight!

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Terrifying Words

August 18, 2018

  By Pastor Mike

Luke 16:19-31

19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:

28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

These words could be what it would be like for the death of an unbeliever.  He would want to scream out to his loved ones at his funeral “get your life right with GOD, because you don’t want to come here — a place of agony and torment!”

We can’t let this happen.  We can’t let people die without us telling them about JESUS. What they do with it is on them. That’s why we gotta stay faithful to JESUS and stay away from sin.  If we die without the LORD, then we will be in a place of torment and agony forever. We need to take our spiritual lives very seriously and prepare ourselves for heaven.

Revelation 14:11

“And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”

Matthew 25:46

“And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”

More terrifying words:

Matthew 7:21-23

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Once a person gets to Hell, there will be nothing anyone can do to help him. “During your life” is all the time you get. If you blow it, it will be too late after that to change the result. You gotta have that relationship with JESUS and live according to HIS Word. Don’t risk an eternity of torment for a few years of pleasure. Get close to HIM today.

WE MUST BE BORN OF THE WATER AND OF THE SPIRIT OR YOU WON’T ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM  ( John 3:5 )

We can’t let our family members, our friends, our neighbors, our co-workers, go any further in their lives without telling them about JESUS and HIS plan of salvation.

WE need to keep building our Faith in JESUS and not be afraid of what happens to us.

Remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? Their faith got them through a fiery furnace. Didn’t even smell like smoke.

Noah, preached for 120 years and still had the Faith to keep it up to maybe reach someone to be saved.

Daniel had the Faith to keep praying in the lion’s den.

Peter had enough faith to walk on water when JESUS told him to come to HIM.

Peter and John walking to the temple to pray had tons of Faith to tell that crippled man to rise in the NAME of JESUS and walk. The man jumped up immediately praising GOD.

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Don’t Worry

  By Pastor Mike

Matthew 6:25-34

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Some people worry about the future. Some about finances. Some worry about politics. Some worry about the weather. Some people worry about a lot; mostly about something we have absolutely no control over.

JESUS teaches us that you either have fear or you have faith, you can’t have both. It’s one or the other. Either you have your faith in JESUS and then don’t worry or your faith is in yourself and you do worry.

Worrying will make things worse. Cause health problems. Marriage problems. Affect your family. That’s why JESUS says don’t do it. Don’t worry about your life – but learn to trust GOD. Control what you can, give to GOD what you can’t.

The choice we each have to make is what are we going to put first? If we put ourselves first, our needs and desires first, we end up running around like everybody else, never having enough, worried about how we’re going to pay the bills, how we’re going to eat, how we’re going to make the mortgage and we never have enough time, talent or treasure left over to ever really give anything to GOD. But if we seek first HIS kingdom and HIS righteousness, if GOD’s first in our lives, HE says HE’ll take care of the rest.

Lots of people are very worried about money. Sometimes people think it’s hard to put GOD first in your finances. Especially when you have needs. Your bills. So to say, OK since I don’t have enough already, I’m going to give to GOD FIRST, doesn’t really seem to make sense. But it makes a whole lot more sense than we think. The LORD challenges us to try to out give HIM. When you give of your first fruits you’ll see the Blessings just come and come.

1 Kings 17:12-1612 And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.

14 For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.

15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.

16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah.

JESUS always provides for us, HE’s just waiting to see if we’ll put HIM first.

Worry is totally unnecessary and unproductive. So is fear and anxiety. Stress and worry and fear causes sickness. Physical and emotional and spiritual. Worrying won’t change anything. Think for a minute about the things we worry about. Politics; worrying can’t change the outcome of an election. Finances; worrying can’t put a single dollar in your pocket. Relationships; worrying can’t change another person? Only prayer will.

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Make Prayer Your Lifestyle

  By Pastor Mike

Ephesians 6:18-19 “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; [19] And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,”

There is no replacement for prayer. Not church attendance, singing, working around here, you can never replace anything with your prayer. There are things that JESUS wants to give us that can’t be sung up, praised up, worked up, or preached up. They’re things that will only be prayed up! Something happens when we give ourselves to praying for the lost, for revival, for each other, for ourselves.

If you look at church history, you’ll find prayer to be the main thing in the powerful events that took place during their days.
Their churches stayed deep in prayer.
Their homes were blessed in prayer.
Their preaching was preceded by prayer.
Their altars were blanketed by prayer.
Their witnessing was prepared by prayer.
Everything they did was marked by prayer.

Prayer is a place of surrender and there are a lot of problems in our lives that would be resolved if we give it up to prayer.

A saint, a preacher, a church can’t continue without prayer.

There are times that we seek out human answers to try to fix difficult matters in our lives. Put the cares of life in the hands of the LORD. HE does care about us. Do you believe that? Are you giving HIM yourself?

You can give everything you’re going through every situation to JESUS. All you have to do is tell HIM from your heart that you don’t want junk in your life and then once you give it to HIM, don’t even think about it. Let it go.

Prayer will help you to understand that you can’t fix everything and that you are not the one the world revolves around. It’s about HIM. I don’t have to know all the answers; I just need to know who does have all the answers.

If we’re not praying and seeking the will of GOD and the direction HE wants us to take then anything can happen and don’t blame GOD when it don’t work out the way you want it to. Ask people you know that are in tune with JESUS to help you pray about the situation. You want the answers to come from JESUS.

We should include JESUS in every decision we make that will affect our lives.
Prayer is not a monologue. It is a dialogue. JESUS can talk to you if you’ll listen to Him. You can’t come to the altar and dump everything on HIM and then get up and leave. We need to stay at the altar and let HIM talk to us!

If prayer changed you. Prayer can change everything! GOD is bigger than anything you are facing right now!

You have to understand that the devil is like one of the biggest bullies you have ever faced but when you get JESUS after him, Look out!

Remember, we already won.

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My Thoughts about Revival

Revival, Biblical Lessons, Apostolic

Janesville Apostolic Ministries