Christianity

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Overcome Or Be Overcome – Part 1 (Are You A Hoarder?)

One day I came home with my daughters and opened the door to our house and smelled a terrible smell. We immediately began sniffing around trying to find where this bad smell was coming from. We sniffed until we found the culprit. It was coming from under our kitchen sink where we put our garbage. Quickly I took it outside and disposed of it into our bigger garbage can. I just could live with that terrible stench in my home.

We all have garbage.

We all have GARBAGE that needs to be taken to the garbage can everyday! We are consumers. We buy something at the store and after we use it, we throw away the package it came in. After our garbage container is full in our house, we take it out to the larger container outside and empty its contents into it. Then we take the smaller garbage container back into our houses and put more garbage back in it. This cycle goes on and on, week after week, month after month and year after year.

If we don’t take our garbage out to the trash, we will smell the results in just a matter of time.

►Well, guess what? We are all full of it too!

I want to look at the trash we have in our lives and see it for what it really is, and also show you how to get rid of it! We all have garbage that the Master Garbage Man needs to take away. We need to do some “Spring Cleaning” and get our trash out. If we do we will look better, feel better, and yes, even smell better to those around us.

Remember the smell in my home?  I just couldn’t live in an environment that smelled so horrible. Yet, we all do this in our spiritual lives. We walk around with excess rubbish from our past and try to ignore it thinking it will go away. Too much trash in our lives will stink up our homes, and too much fleshly garbage in our hearts will stink up our lives.

People will smell your trash because the stench leaks out. The reality is it will never go away until you “smell around” to find were the stink is coming from. This is not a fun thing to do. There will be pain involved. You will have to work at getting the “stench” out, but in the long run it will pay off and be well worth the house cleaning. The good news is that God is the Master Garbage Man and He is always there to help you get rid of your trash.

Video:  “Garbage Hoarder” (Viewer Discretion Advised)

 Garbage stinks! 

 What garbage do you find in your life?

Un-forgiveness?

Bitterness?

Judgmental attitudes?

Critical spirit?

Rejection?

Fear?

Let’s look at a few pieces of trash you may have…

1.  Rejection:

You know the scene. It is in the middle of the day. The children are out to play on the playground. They choose team members to play the game. One by one everyone is picked until it comes down to the last person. By now they really don’t want to play because they were the last to be chosen. The reject! The one no one wants.

Rejection! We’ve all experienced it. Not getting that promotion we were anticipating. Or not getting the job you interviewed for and someone you know did.

We all want to be valued and accepted. Being valued is a natural human desire. When we don’t feel valued we tend to draw back and isolate ourselves, or get mad and lash out. Maybe you have been rejected from a friend, or relative. How about wanting to go out with someone on a date and they said, “No!” Rejection can lead to un-forgiveness and then bitterness.

Why does rejection wound us so deeply?

Rejection is painful because…

●It attacks the very person who we are.

●It destroys our self-esteem

●It makes you think something is wrong with you

●It makes you feel like you are not valued or wanted

●It makes you feel “less-then” the one who rejected you

This is why it is one of the most common tools the devil will use to destroy a person’s life. God never wanted us to feel rejected or abandon. He desires for you to know who you really are, and realize how deeply God loves, accepts, and appreciates you, so that you can live out the fullness of what all God has ordained you to be.

Rejection has a way of destroying a person in which few other things can. The sad fact is that the number of people who are affected by rejection is staggering. If we want to be all that God has created us to be, then overcoming rejection and its affects is vital and absolutely essential.

Remember; God will NEVER reject you! He will always receive you.

We have to OVERCOME OR we will BE OVERCOME

2.  Un-forgiveness:

Un-forgiveness and rejection are truly a war that is going on inside of you. It is safe to say that everyone has experienced rejection or has un-forgiveness in their life. If you don’t overcome this WAR, it will overcome you! These are pieces of trash which can pile up and begin to make us stink! It becomes the “clutter” in our lives that prevents us from being who we were created to be, and to live our life free from the clutter, shame, and isolation garbage can bring.

Why do we allow this war to continue?

War: H1993: “to be in great commotion or tumult, to rage, war, cry aloud, be disquieted, rage, be troubled, be in an uproar.”

UN-FORGIVENESS IS…

1. Un-forgiveness is Disobedience

We are forgiven because of what Christ did on the cross for us. We deserve damnation and hell, instead of mercy and grace and eternal life. But there is something further we have to understand about our forgiveness. If we forgive others what they did to us, then we are forgiven. But, if we don’t forgive what others have done to us, we are not forgiven either.

Look at your life and what has been done to you. Does it even compare to what YOU have done yet Christ forgave you?

Matthew 6:14-15 KJV

“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.” 

Why does God connect our forgiveness with forgiving others? It is easier to receive forgiveness compared to giving it. Dead people don’t have rights. We are crucified with Christ (Galations 2:20). Forgiving others has to do with laying down our rights.

It doesn’t make sense that we are forgiven and yet we don’t forgive. It doesn’t make sense that we are loved and yet we hate. We would be a hypocrite and so would God if we are forgiven and yet have un-forgivenss in our hearts. They have to be connected so we will see the depth of what Christ did for us on the cross. We are not forgiven if we don’t forgive others. Forgiveness is why Christ went to the cross. So you and I would be forgiven.

It is plan disobedience to God if we don’t forgive others. Disobedience is Sin!

Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

►Un-forgiveness is something that can really hold us back from escaping the corruption of sin and living for God.

►Un-forgiveness comes in many forms, such as bitterness, hatred, malice, holding grudges and resentment.

►Un-forgiveness can actually block God’s forgiveness towards our sins and provides a foothold for the devil to influence our lives.

►Un-forgiveness is probably one of the biggest yet-unnoticeable sins in the world today.

►Un-forgiveness is not only a sin, but it’s a disease. It carries with it paralyzing and life-threatening symptoms that can end in spiritual death.

►Un-forgiveness can spread division and strife throughout our church as well as our home. Not to mention the chain of bondage it places on our lives.

►Un-forgiveness will start to spread throughout the mind, taking over the thought process interfering with what should be our focus, paralyzing and causing us to miss the important move of God.

►Un-forgiveness causes our responses, actions and body language to become inappropriate.

When we release the other person and forgive them, we release ourselves too.

We also release them to be forgiven by God.

2 Co 2:10 KJV

“Whom you forgive I also forgive, for if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ.

2. Un-forgiveness gives Satan an advantage over us.

2 Cor. 2:11

“Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” 

One of the things we learn is that un-forgiveness is one of Satan’s devices, an instrument, a weapon, a plot, a scheme, a tool, which he uses.

People, who Satan couldn’t get to rob a bank or shoot someone, he gets to them through strife, bitterness, resentment and un-forgiveness… things that many people wouldn’t describe as awful sins. Some people look at some folks and say oh, they are a wonderful Christian, they love God, they read their Bible, they pray, and yet that person could be soaking with strife and un-forgiveness. Why? Because we don’t always identify it as one of the things that is a sin. Yet, the scripture says that it is a device of Satan. We have to remember that sin is sin. Sin is all the same. It separates us from God.

Un-forgiveness in our heart can give Satan an advantage over us, a way of controlling us, robbing us of our joy, our deliverance, our peace, our love, harmony in the home, the victory of overcoming, from possessing all of the promises of God, our prosperity, our salvation.

Wake up and understand that we are in a culture right now in the world that is fostering, festering, stirring up, strife, bitterness and un-forgiveness.

Talk shows are really into it, talking about how upset they are, angry, and how they are going to take revenge and get people back that hurt us.

News commentaries feed into this too. Are you watching the news during the Presidential Campaign? Mud is slung everywhere on both sides. It seems every campaign has to slander the other to make themselves look good. I would just like to see a campaign run without slander and pointing fingers, but not sure if that person would be elected. The world expects you to stand up and fight for yourself, even if it means to slander someone else.

Ultimately, bitterness and un-forgiveness will take people in that direction, and it begins with strife.

3. Un-forgiveness is Bondage.

We can get all bound up thinking about what happened to us to the point that it binds us up from growing in Christ. It prevents us from having healthy relationships.

If you don’t let go of un-forgiveness and bitterness you won’t just lose relationships, you will lose yourself! Forgiving others benefits you the most!

You will repel others away from you because of what un-forgiveness is doing to your emotions internally. Release them and forgive, then you will enjoy your life and others will enjoy you!

If we are bitter and resentful, it’s because we are allowing ourselves to remain that way.

Anyone can make excuses and blame the past for his or her bad attitudes, poor choices, or hot temper.

If you want to live in victory and overcome, you cannot use past emotional wounds as an excuse for making poor choices today. (The video: “I am going through emotional problems right now” to justify the garbage in her living room.)

You dare not use your past as an excuse for your current bad attitude or as a rationalization for your unwillingness to forgive somebody. It is time to allow emotional wounds to heal. It is time to put your garbage out for the Master Garbage man to take away for good.

Be looking for OVERCOME OR BE OVERCOME – Part 2

Pastor Kris Belfils

http://www.krisbelfils.com

http://www.hopefellowshipspokane.com

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A Cry For Revival Series: “Revival of Our Spirit!”

The spirit of a person is interesting to look at. It deals with the inner make up of the person. How they think and function on the inside comes out as action, speech, reaction, etc., on the outside.

What we feed our spirit will eventually come out. We need to take inventory of what is inside of us. Are you fighting with feelings of insecurity or inferiority? Do you feed your spirit with good things or bad? What are you telling yourself on a regular basis? We have to learn to feed our spirit with good things and to spend time with God. Whom ever or whatever  you spend the most time with, that is whom or what you will become.

“Take inventory of who you hang around and what you involve yourself with. This is what you will become.”

Pastor Kris Belfils

Now to apply this thought to revival, we have to remember that dwelling with Christ brings intimacy and power. It brings satisfaction and contentment. Intimacy with Christ brings boldness and life to us.

Romans 8:11 (NKJV) “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” 

The same spirit that raised Jesus from the grave dwells in, lives in, and inhabits us. When you think about that, wow, it brings a whole new look at intimacy with God. I will do everything possible to have and keep a close relationship with God. My relationship with Him is a precious thing, it is my life! Our thinking can produce life or death. I was writing in my journal the other day and here is what I wrote:

“I sense a revival in my spirit, a turning from thinking dead thoughts to thoughts that produce life. Breathe new life into every area of me, Lord. Create and resurrect new thinking in my spirit. I throw away all the old thinking that only brought death. I decree new life! I decree hope and your promises! You are my Resurrection power. The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in me!”

Keeping and maintaining a close relationship with God will change our way of thinking. We can bring death in our life by thinking thoughts that produce death. Our actions can bring death, not only to us, but to our friends and family, church body, co-workers, and more. Let me give you an example:

Gossip and Misunderstandings

We can “perceive” something was said by someone, or something was done by someone, and believe it to be truth. Once we believe the lie as truth, we act upon it and might even gossip to other people about what we thought was said. Then, the person we gossiped to tells someone one else, and in turn they tell someone else. It can go around a church like wild fire and hurt someone’s reputation in just a short amount of time. This blocks the Holy Spirit from moving in hearts. This also blocks any leader from ministering to people within the church if the church is believing a lie about them as a leader.

We need God to revive our spirits so we don’t look through the tainted glasses of gossip and misunderstanding. Always go to the source and find out if the information that was said is true. Better yet, don’t even believe for a minute the gossip in the first place. Gossip will prevent revival from coming in your life and in the body of Christ. God hates sin, and gossip is sin!

Remember that sin separates us from God. We need to be a people who are quick to repent and to make things right with those we hurt. We can’t go around causing hurts and cutsin other people’s lives and not expect any consequences to happen in our own life. Remember how we judge will be measured back to us.

Matthew 7:1 – 2 (NKJV) “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

I like how the Amplified Bible states these verses:

Matthew 7:1 – 2 (Amplified Bible) “DO NOT judge and criticize and condemn others, so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourselves. For just as you judge and criticize and condemn others, you will be judged and criticized and condemned, and in accordance with the measure you [use to] deal out to others, it will be dealt out again to you.”

Think about what you have been talking to others about lately. Has it been edifying to your spirit and to those that are listening? What have you been watching on the television or movies? What have you been listening to on the radio? Personally, I am very protective of what I watch and listen to as I know it can affect me in a positive or negative way. If you are longing to be revived but keep feeding your spirit with things that don’t edify you, it will eventually dry up your spirit and you will become indifferent to the things of God. You won’t become revived, quit the opposite, your spirit will start to die. Allow God to revive your spirit and your love for Him will grow more and more.

Revival of our spirit will affect all areas of our life!

It is easy to get caught in the mundane of life. We lose our first love of God and start going through the motions instead of living life abundantly (John 10:10), especially if you have been a Christian for many years. Remember this can be a trap of the enemy to prevent you from becoming all God created you to be. Don’t settle for less than what God’s word promises. Get a promise book out and read the topics that concern you. Allow God’s word to penetrate your spirit and sink in until you start believing it.

When you see a person who is dying and people are trying to resuscitate them, their body is lifeless. But when that person is resuscitated they start to move. They start to talk, they start to possibly get up and walk. This is what happens with our spirit. God is trying to resuscitate us. He knows what we need to come alive again.  Don’t settle for the “should of” and “Could of.” I should of written that book I was thinking about! I could of made something of my life but I became discouraged, or just was lazy. I should of married that person I fell in love with. I could of shown more love to my family and children. I should have applied for that job I’ve always wanted. I could of started my own business but I was too afraid.

Become alive and live your life! You are the only person who can enjoy your life. No one else can enjoy it, only you. Stop blaming circumstances or people for what you lack. Allow your spirit to be revived and watch how your entire life will change. It doesn’t matter how old or young you are. God created you! Therefore you have a purpose on this earth. Plan to fulfill that purpose!

Job 32:8 (NKJV) “But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.”

The word spirit in this verse means: “Wind, breath, life, anger, air, blast, courage, mind, to blow, breathe, to smell, touch, make of quick understanding (the primative root).” Often our spirit has a lack of courage and is fearful to deal with things that are troubling to us. We might not even see areas in us that need change. It is like the “elephant in the living room” syndrome. Everyone else can see it but we can’t. Either we are choosing to ignore it or we are in denial.

The Elephant In Your Living Room

Elements To Courage

I took my daughters to school and both of them didn’t want to go. It was Monday, and Monday is the hardest day of the week after having two days off for the weekend. My daughters have always wanted to be with my husband and I instead of going. I can understand as I was the same way when I was younger. I would rather do anything instead of go to school. As I was saying, “Good bye” to them, I spoke out, “Be brave, and be strong and courageous!” I started to think about those words and what I was going through in my own life. Recently I have been facing my fears and walking through things I have avoided for years. God has been telling me to be “strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:6) as I face my giants and obstacles that come my way to get to the Promised Land. Fear of the unknown, fear of my past, fear of man, fear of failure, and even the fear that I missed the Promised Land altogether.

Being courageous is not an easy thing to do, especially when it has been marks of your character to run and bolt under pressure. The word courageous means: possessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching.

The word courage means: “The quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc, without fear, and with self-possession, confidence, resolution; bravery.”

There are times when I do feel courageous and I face my fears, other times I shrink back and find a place of refuge. I believe God knows and sees this. He knows when I am weak or vulnerable. I also believe God will bring about encouragement somehow. It might be a passage of scripture you read that blesses you and gives you strength to continue. It might be a friend or loved one saying or doing something for you. It might be the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart in such a way that you realize you can keep going under fire.

There are several elements to courage that are always there. Courage is part of our spirit. When we follow through with what we need to do, even though we don’t want to do it, we will see all these elements come to pass.

ELEMENTS TO COURAGE

1. Courage takes boldness – Face your fearsFear, in it self, can rule us and paralyze us if we let it. Fear of the unknown is overwhelming if we allow the thoughts to take over our minds. One thing I have found to combat fear in my life is to remind myself of God’s faithfulness. I remember situations in my past that God has brought me through and I tell myself that He will bring me through this too.

We must remember that retreating from our fears only brings weakness. It also multiplies the fear in our minds and it becomes even bigger than reality. I know as I have done it in my life. Then, instead of facing something small and manageable, we face a puffed up illusion of the fear. This can only bring torment and pain. This is the enemies work. We have to recognize it for what it is. God is not a God of fear. He is a God of courage. So, if you face any fears in your life, realize God wants you to have courage. Pray and ask God what you should do. Should you confront the fear? Should you wait? Should you just let the fear go and trust God for the outcome?

This week I have had to look at some “scary” fears in my life. As I looked at them, I let them overwhelm me and I began to retreat and want to give up. Courage was not in me at all. This is rather hard to tell you as I have a fear of people thinking I am not a strong woman of God, or weak in the face of fear. But as I started to retreat, I turned around and looked at the fear. It became even bigger to me. I stopped and walked right up to it and saw it finally for what it was; fiction. Fear is fiction, at least the fear I was facing. It was not reality. I had allowed the fear of man, and fear of my past, to paralyze and prevent me from moving on with my life, and with ministry.

One of my fears is not measuring up to other people. I have always felt “less than” others. This fear has blown up so big in my life. I was shocked at the size I had allowed it to get. My insecurities and weaknesses were so huge in my mind that they seemed insurmountable. But the only way I will overcome them is to face them and push myself towards them. I am determined to not be in bondage to my fears. We all have them; it is how we deal with them that really determine what we will do in life. So I have made a determination in my heart to walk towards my fears instead of retreating or finding a place to hide.

A close friend pointed out some of my fears to me. It was like the big “elephant in the living room” syndrome. Everyone sees you have a big elephant in your living room, as matter of fact it is taking up all the extra space for anyone to sit down and fellowship with you. Yet, you have no clue that the elephant is there. I can imagine a comedy skit of a big elephant in the living room and people are sitting down on the couches or chairs trying to drink a cup of coffee and fellowship with you, but the elephant is so big that it is sitting in everyone’s lap. Still you don’t even acknowledge it being there and you try to strike up a conversation with people. Everyone else sees the elephant and knows what needs to be done, but you are totally ignoring the obvious.

It takes courage to face our elephants. 

2. Courage knows God is always there – Realize you are not aloneOften times we think we have to face our fears alone. That makes our fears even worse. We think we are the only one there to figure out what to do. We have to realize we are never alone, we always have God there. He is constantly speaking to our heart words of help, direction, encouragement, and peace. We just have to tune our spiritual ears into His frequency.

1 Samuel 12:22  “For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.” Hebrews 13:5- 6 “Your life should be free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for He Himself has said, I will never leave you or forsake you. Therefore, we may boldly say: The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

God’s love can envelop us to overcome our fears. He is not expecting you to be strong and courageous without him. Our loving Lord will shower us with the confidence of His love to walk and face what we need to face. In His love we are transformed and changed. We see things from a different perspective. The perspective is from His loving arms looking out to the situation. Everything seems smaller and easily attainable and manageable from His arms. Let us remember that perfect love drives out fear.

1 John 4:18 states “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”

God’s love for us is perfect. His love drives our fear away if we receive it. We know fear is not of God strictly because fear torments us. God is a God of love, not torment.

1 John 4:18 (Message) “There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life–fear of death, fear of judgment–is one not yet fully formed in love.” 

God is calling his people to be strong under fire. So many times we want the easy road out. We would rather find a more comfortable path to take in life then to walk through a rough trial. But if we walk through what is in front of us we will be stronger for it. We will receive a wonderful reward for endurance.

Joshua 1:6a “Be strong and courageous…” 

 3. Courage takes risks – Step out beyond what you know

Usually when you have to confront something, it takes an element of risk into the unknown. Joshua visited the Promised Land earlier under Moses leadership, and knew what was in the land he had to confront. Did he know how they were going to overcome the giants? No! But he did know God was with him and He was willing to face what was ahead in the security of knowing God was for him, and not against him.

The element of risk is challenging. What is your character? Do you cringe at the thought of risking something? If there is risk involved, it does mean you will have to let go of something to reach for something new.

The definition of the word, “risk” is, “the exposure to the chance of injury or loss,” so there will be a loss of some sort. The loss here is the loss of fear! It is worth the risk of stepping out in courage to confront fear. The more and more we step out and confront the fear, the easier and less threatening it becomes in our lives. The risk to the exposure of injury is always a threat. That is why we retreat when we see fear. We don’t want to get hurt. Our flesh will scream at us and yell, STOP AND TURN AROUND,” while our head and our heart is saying, “KEEP PRESSING FORWARD!” We really don’t have a choice when it comes to living life and enduring from day to day. If we stop, we will digress or self-destruct. There is nothing healthy about that. No, the only choice we have is to keep going and to press in to any fear and meet it head on to over come it.

4. Courage takes resilience – Enduring when you want to  give up

Resilience is “the power or ability to return to the original form or position after being bent, compressed, or stretched; elasticity. It is the ability to recover from illness, depression, adversity, or the like; buoyancy.”Courage takes resilience. It is a knowing that as you are walking in the face of your fears, you will be ok. It is continuing to move forward even though you see potential hazards around you. Remember that God is always with us,

Isaiah 42:3 “He will not break a bruised reed, and He will not put out a smoldering wick; He will faithfully bring justice.”

God will not allow you to be bent to the place of breaking. He is with you and has His eye on you constantly. That’s His character. He knows what you can endure, which is more than what you think you can endure. Resilience is good as it brings healthy growth.

I heard about an environment scientists were trying to create in the desert. They created a dome structure that would grow all sorts of plants and trees. They would plant all types of wildlife. But as the trees would grow, they started to bend back towards the ground. The scientists were baffled over this. They gave the trees proper care, nourishment, and sunlight, but they still would grow straight for awhile, and then bend towards the ground. Finally one of the scientists realized there was no wind. The trees needed wind to face resistance to make them grow strong under pressure.

This is exactly what happens with us. We need the winds of adversity to make us grow under pressure. If we never faced anything that was challenging, we would never know what it was like to overcome.

James 1:12   “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”

I want to be one who bounces back under pressure. I want to find myself strong after facing my fears.

5. Courage takes action – Step out; make a move!

Faith takes action. It is one thing to believe God will bring you to your promised land, and it is another to never step one foot towards that promise. We cannot expect to advance and take the land if we stay in one place. God is waiting for you to step out. The fear of stepping in the wrong direction is bondage. If you never step, you will never obtain. I believe if you step in the wrong direction, God will lovingly correct you if your heart is to do His will and to please Him. Stand in the confidence of Who’s you are. Step out in faith believing God will move after you move. Just like the Priests who had to step into the water with the Ark of the Covenant, once they took a step, the waters began to part. Before they took the step, the waters never moved (Joshua 3).

Hebrews 10:35 – 39 (HCSB) “So don’t throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised. For in yet a very little while, the coming One will come and not delay. But My righteous one will live by faith; and if he draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and obtain life.” 

Take a step towards your fears

Retreating is the opposite of taking a step forward towards your fears. Let’s take a step forward in getting rid of the elephant in our living room and riviving our spirit! What does a step forward look like? 

  1. It can come in the form of casting down imaginations that try and exalt themselves above the knowledge of God in your heart (2 Cor. 10:5).
  2. It is bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
  3. Another form of stepping towards your fears can be doing the exact opposite of what your flesh tells you.

If you are afraid of man and what they think of you, then you need to function and walk where you think people are having a problem with you, and love them unconditionally. How about facing the very person that hurt you in your past and give them forgiveness? I have done this in my past and it has freed me from tons of bondage fear brought.

One of the biggest things we can do is confront the enemy and cast him down. We have let him have a stronghold for too long and it’s time for us to take our authority and command him to leave us.

Courage is a wonderful character trait if we let it be complete in us. Courage is nothing if we don’t act upon it. It takes boldness to face our fears. We can never overcome anything in our life if we don’t confront it and look at it for what it is.

Why allow the elephant to live in your living room any longer? It doesn’t belong there in the first place. Fiction will puff itself up and that is exactly what fear does. Remember you are not alone. God always sees and is constantly watching over you. You can walk through this with confidence.

Don’t get discouraged at what you see, but be encouraged as you step into the unknown.

If we want to experience more of God we have to step where we haven’t been before. Be resilient! Endure even when you want to stop, or retreat. I am sure you can think of some action you need to take to move towards your fears with courage. Ask God to show you what you need to do. Be brave! Don’t be afraid. Allow your spirit to be revived as you step out in courage to conquer what you finally need to conquer in your life.

Take your promise land. Will the land come to you? No, land doesn’t walk! You have to take the steps to obtain it. As courage is being developed in your spirit it brings revival. Your spirit is renewed and you can finally conquer what has been tormenting you for all these years. Take care of your spirit. It is who you are.

Your courageous sister in Christ,

Pastor Kris Belfils

www.krisbelfils.com

www.hopefellowshipspokane.com

www.krisbelfils.wordpress.com

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A Cry For Revival Series: “Revival Of Our Hearts” (Part 2)

Revival Of Our Hearts Part 2 by Pastor Kris Belfils (Audio Sermon)

Guard Your Heart

When you think about it your physical heart is the most vital  organ  in  your  body. Without  it  you  will  die.  If  it doesn’t work properly your entire body will suffer. We strive to have healthy hearts by watching what we eat and getting enough exercise. We wouldn’t do something intentionally  to  harm  our  hearts.  By  getting  enough sleep, exercise, and proper foods our heart will work and function properly.

What about our Spiritual/Emotional heart? Are we vigilant in guarding and taking care of it?

Proverbs 4:23 (Amplified Bible)

“Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.”

In the King James Version of the Bible this verse reads like this: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”

In the original Hebrew (Strongs Hebrew and Greek Definitions H3820 and H3824) I want to look at a few of the words we just read. The word “heart” means: “Feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the center of anything. Courage, mind, and understanding.”

As you can see by the definition, our heart has such a big roll in our survival. If we don’t have courage or understanding, we will not advance, but retreat. Again, what are you feeding your heart? Feed it with things that will build courage and bring peace. It is vital for your survival to do this!

Diligence means: “A guard (the man, the post, or the prison), office, ward, watch, hedge about (as with thorns), that is, guard; generally to protect, attend to, etc., beware, be circumspect, take heed (to self), keep, mark, look narrowly, observe, preserve, regard, reserve, save, sure, wait, watch (-man)” (Strongs Hebrew and Greek Definitions H4924 and H8104).

From this definition we can see we need to view protecting our hearts seriously. To protect or attend to the condition of our hearts daily should be a priority. Everyday the threat of something or someone can infiltrate our hearts and cause us to fail or worse, give up. Surround yourself with encouragers. I would even go as far as to say surround yourself with “yes” people. People who will say, “You can do it!” They see you through God’s eyes and not your own! They are vital to your survival! Our hearts are in desperate need of life. Why would you surround yourself with naysayers? They only bring death!

Let’s go back to Proverbs 4:23 KJV again; “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”

The phrase “issues of life” is translated; “To go, bear out, break out, bring forth, carry out, depart, escape, get away, go abroad, going out, grow, proceed, shoot forth, spring out, and take forth.”

It is the very thing that comes out of us on a daily basis. It’s the outgoings, the springs that flow or come forth from us. They are the thoughts we think, and the words we say. They will determine our present and our future. No wonder why we are told to guard with all diligence or vigilance, it becomes the very essence of who we are.

A guard at the Buckingham Palace never leaves their post. They never allow outside influence to distract them. They are there to make sure no one or nothing gets in the palace that shouldn’t be there. They are armed and always on alert.

This is what we need to do with our own heart! There are things we can do to protect our heart so it will work and function properly.

Guards to place in front of your heart:

1.     Don’t give your heart away so easily.

Too often we give our heart and trust way too quickly and easily. We want to think the best of others. It is nice to get attention, be it in a friendship or a dating relation ­ ship. I have witnessed single friends dating and on the second or third date they start making statements like; “He is everything I’ve dreamed of.” or “We will get married within the year.” I see them neglecting their regular friends, family, or duties to “be” with this new person. Too often these relationships end up leaving them empty or hurt. Why? Because they gave their heart away too quickly.

God has given us a command in Proverbs 4:23 to guard our heart with everything inside of us. We never think a sour relationship will happen to us, but they do. I like how the New Living Translation stats this verse: “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” The entire course of our life can change for the worse just because we gave our heart away too quickly.

If we continue reading in Proverbs 4 verses 25 ­ 27, we will see some ways  to not give our heart away too quickly.

Proverbs 4:25 ­ 27 (NLT)

“Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what  lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet;  stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.”

2.     Fix your eyes on Jesus!

Keep your focus on your relationship with Jesus and allow Him to be all that you need. Don’t turn your focus onto something else or someone else. If you do, they become your idol, your god, instead of the Son of God!

Remember that God is the strength of your heart and not someone else.

Psalms 73:25 – 26

“Whom have I in heaven but You: I desire You more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever.”

Why would you give up the “strength of your heart” for something or someone on this earth? Many people want someone tangible to touch and be with. When that person becomes more in their heart then God, they are in an unhealthy relationship, and their feet are following evil (Proverbs 4:27).

3. Listen to what you are saying.

We can learn a lot about ourselves if we would just listen to what we are saying. Our heart can deceive us if we don’t take the time to listen. If you are repeating things often, or talking about a person or situation often, it is a good sign that is where your treasure is.

Matthew 6:21 (KJV)

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

What have you been saying lately? Is there something or someone that you find yourself talking about more often then other things? If so, take a really good look at why you are doing this. It is understandable if you are talking more often about a situation if it just happened, but if it is something or someone that has happened months or even years ago, chances are you are obsessed with it.

4.     What are you feeding your heart?

Are you watching inappropriate movies or television shows? Do you listen to music that is not edifying? Are you reading material that is questionable if it is good for you or not? We will become what we are feeding our heart.

Luke 6:45

“A good person produces good things from the  treasury of a good heart,  and an evil person produces evil things from the  treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.”

Just like our natural heart will be affected by what we are feeding our bodies, so too our emotional/spiritual heart will be affected by what we are filling it. One thing about a “treasury” is that it will accumulate what is put into it.

This is true of our heart; The more junk you put into it the more junk will pile up in your treasury. Your heart will flow with what is in it and the junk you allowed to pile up will flow out to others because that is what hearts do. They pump out what is put in.

5.     Exercise to strengthen your heart.

Spend time with God in prayer and Bible study. Allow God to be the strength of your life. Spend time helping others, as this will get the focus off of you and onto others. Remember point number 3; Listen to what you are saying. If you are talking about yourself often, you are not taking and giving. You are stagnating. What would happen to our natural heart if it never received blood and it never pumped out the blood inside of it? It would eventually get damaged and affect the entire body. This can bring death. We have to exercise our hearts on a regular basis to prevent this from happening to our emotional heart as well.

Keeping a guard over our hearts doesn’t mean to put up walls and not allow people into our life. Keeping a guard over our hearts is putting up healthy boundaries to protect us from creating an unhealthy heart.

If you feel like you have been hurt or struggling with heart issues, allow God to bring His healing. Prevent any heart issue from coming by guarding your heart with all diligence.

Don’t allow any heart issues to prevent you from experiencing true revival in your life.

6.    Don’t lose heart.

Luke 18:1 (NKJV)
“Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.”

Prayer is such a vital exercising component to help us not lose heart. We can pour our hearts out to God in prayer and tell Him all that is weighing on us. We can express our frustrations and our concerns. We are human. God already knows, but something happens when we are honest with God and share a true heart response.

Sometimes God will change our circumstances, and sometimes He changes us in the middle of the circumstance. Either way change comes and it is all because we didn’t lose heart, but went to the One who created us and told Him how we were feeling. Believe it or not, this brings  peace. When you are  all  upset  and  frustrated about life, nothing is better than to go to God and tell Him how you are feeling. You will be a better person to others if you take the time to go into your secret place with the Lover of your soul, and allow His peace to sooth and calm you down. Then, we can respond to people better. Then we can face our day better. Often just spending time soaking in God’s presence does a heart good.

7.     Don’t Harden Your heart.

A final note I want to leave you with is to always keep your heart tender. It is easy to harden our hearts after experiencing hard times in this life. Once our heart is revived, the enemy will try and harden your heart to God, people, and even yourself. Don’t let this happen. Pray for a tender heart. God will give it to you!

Ezekiel 11:19 – 20 (Amplified Bible)
“And I will give them one heart [a new heart] and I will put a new spirit within them; and I will take the stony [unnaturally hardened] heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh [sensitive and responsive to the touch of their God], That they may walk in My statues and keep My ordinances, and do them. And they shall be My people, and I will be their God.”

Allow God to soften your heart and bring revival to you today. Why stay in the place of complacency, fear, or torment any longer? Today is the day for our hearts to awaken to God and what He wants to do in our life, our church, and our world! You can make a difference everywhere you go and whomever you meet. Open your eyes and your heart to a dying world without Jesus and be determined to live your life to build God’s Kingdom and not yours. May your prayer be; “Wake me up Lord, burn in my heart and bring revival to this land for Your glory, in Jesus name, Amen!”

Your sister in Christ,

Pastor Kris Belfils

http://www.krisbelfils.com

http://www.hopefellowshipspokane.com

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A Cry For Revival Series: “Revival Of Our Hearts” (Part 1)

Revival of our Hearts Part 1 (Click here for audio message)

Psalm 69:32 (Amp)

“The humble shall see it and be glad; you who seek God, inquiring for and requiring Him [as your first need], let your hearts revive and live!.”

“…as your first need.” As your first love. We should be placing God as our priority above anything or anyone else in our lives. We need to go back to our first love. When we first met Jesus.

How do we fall in love with Jesus? If we are the Bride of Christ, shouldn’t we be in love with our Groom? Shouldn’t we show our love to our Groom? Psalms 91 really sheds some needed light on spending time with the Lord.

Psalms 91:1–16 (NKJV)

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust. Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor  of the arrow that flies by day, Nor of the  pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your  side,  And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near  you. Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the re­ward of the wicked. Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge,  even the Most  High,  your dwelling place,  No evil shall  befall you, Nor shall  any plague come near your  dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep  you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you  up, Lest you  dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and the co­bra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will   deliver him; I will  set him on high, because he has known My name. He  shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with  him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My Salvation.”

The New King James Bible states, “He who “dwells” in the secret place,” which is emphasizing  a time spent with. It shows a habitation, or a living or abiding in the secret place. What is the secret place? It is that place you spend time with God in. It is God Himself. If we wait and dwell in the secret place, we shall behold Him. It takes time.

It takes time to develop a relationship. Quality time spent with someone brings much reward. We can’t expect to have a close intimate relationship with our spouse if we never spend time with them. I know first hand as my husband and I can drift apart a little when we don’t spend time together. We end up going through the motions of marriage and being in love, but the intimacy is lacking. We don’t share in each others joys or connect with each other emotionally and physically. When we take the time to not only notice each other, but to actually show affection towards one another, it brings a bond that no one can sever. It brings a close intimacy that is very personal and rewarding. It brings security and acceptance. It is fulfilling. This is the same with our relationship with Christ. He is a rewarder to those who diligently seek Him. “But  without  faith  no  one  can  please God.  We  must  believe that  God  is real and  that  he  re­ wards everyone who searches for him.” (Hebrews 11:6) One of the rewards of seeking and spending time with Him is feeling loved by an all knowing, all loving God.

Revival  of our hearts will bring a deeper love for our God.

“The human heart was made for passion. It was created for relationship.It was designed to experience the fullness  of God.”

S.J. Hill

We are designed and created to receive all that God has for us. We were created for intimacy with God. It is a natural thing to desire a close relationship with God.  This is filling the hole, the spot all humans try to fill in life. Some fill it with drugs or alcohol; others fill it with work or business, while others try to fill it with pleasures or riches. The only thing that can fill it is a relationship with God Himself.

Now, knowing that we were created for a relationship with God, we can pursue that relationship with all passion and fervor. Sometimes we might find indifference in our spirit about being with God. We might feel complacent or in a rut.

Sin Can Cause Indifference

If we settle for less than a passionate relationship with God, we will start to die and eventually fall into a rut or a pit. We become “grave tenders” of our lives instead of living life to its fullest. We see other people living life and enjoying it, yet in our own lives we are dead. We tend our very own grave, and often times we fight or force others to stay away from our grave. A. W. Tozer states in “Rut, Rot, or Revival” that we are in a “circular grave” when sin has entered our hearts. Sin will separate us from God. This is a fact.

A circular grave has no ending and no beginning. In other words, you can’t remember when or how you got in the mess you are in, and you can’t find a way out on your own. You are dead inside. You see no hope, and no way of escape. A dead corpse has no way of reviving it self. A dead  corpse  needs  intervention from a living source to bring life back. Don’t fool yourself by thinking you can get out of this circular grave on your own. Allow the Giver of life to breathe new life back into your dead places in your heart. Allow God to show and direct you out of your circular grave and bring you on solid ground to stand boldly in Him. It will cost you your control. It will cost you your pride, but it is well worth having new reviving life back into your spirit again.

Isaiah 59:2

“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, sot hat He will not hear.”

We all have sinned and need a Savior. Receiving Jesus Christ into your heart as Lord is the first step to a revival in your heart, but there is more to repentance then just receiving Christ in your heart. If one is truly repentant they will turn 180° in the opposite direction of their sin.

Satan will try and trip us up in sin. This causes bondage in our hearts and spirit, and a barrier preventing our hearts to be revived. Being aware that sin separates us from God helps us to do our best to stay away and even run from the appearance of evil. The more you fall in love with God the more you want to obey Him and do what pleases His heart.

“Since only sin offends God, and sin  is  extremely  deceitful,  it  can  be  present doing  its deadly  work while the  people  may  not be  aware of it at all  until  it is  called  to their  attention.”

A. W. Tozar (Rut, Rot, or Revival)

Once you realize the sin that is causing you to feel separated from God, immediately  repent and  ask God  to  forgive  you. The short term pleasure of sin is not worth the long term separation from God. The after affects of sin is not worth the pleasures of pleasing God and being close to him. It is natural to be a better person when we are closer to God. It is natural to experience more of God  and His love when sin is not in the picture. Allow  God  to show you right now if you have sin in your life that is separating you from Him. Take the time to repent and walk away from the debilitating and crippling sinful action.

Romans 8:15 (MSG)

“This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, “grave tending” life.  It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike, “What’s next  Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirit and confirms who we really are. We know who He is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us an unbelievable inheritance!”

Nothing is worth missing out on our inheritance from God. No sin is so good that it overshadows what we receive from God. No earthly pleasure is more pleasurable then getting closer to God and experiencing His joy and abundant life He has for us. The sacrifice of leaving our sin behind is nothing compared to the relationship we gain with God.

God’s Little Surprises

God likes to give little surprises or gifts daily to his children. If we look we will see them. He loves us. When someone loves another it is natural to give gifts to them. I remember one Valentine’s day, before my husband and I were married, I was living with my mom at the time. My “Soon-­to-­be-­husband” got up early and drove over to my house and left a huge Valentines box on my front porch. He had taken the time to decorate it and cover up what the original contents was. In it was all sorts of candy and chocolate.  I was thrilled when I stumbled on it as I walked out of my house to go to work. It made my day. All day long I couldn’t wait to get home and start devouring the sweet treats left for me by someone who cared.

I have found God will do the same thing with us. Out of the blue I will stumble onto something or receive something unexpected. It might be a loving verse in the Bible, or hearing from a long time friend. It might be something simple as walking outside and hearing the birds singing. I like to think God directed them to sing to me His love songs. It might be news of some organization wanting some of my writings. I remember one day I was walking in Wal-Mart with my two daughters. My cell phone rang and  on  the  other  line  was  someone  representing  an agent of Zondervan. They asked me for permission to use a quote from my book, “The Garbage Man Always Comes On Fridays” in their new “Today’s Devotional Bible” that was to be published several months later. At first I thought it was someone trying to play a joke  on me. I asked them to send me an email stating what they would  like,  and  the  quote  they  wanted  to  use.  Sure enough, when I arrived home in my email in box  was their email. I felt so thrilled and loved all at the  same time. To imagine God bringing this about in my life was tremendous as I knew why I wrote the book. I wrote the book mainly for my healing, and to hopefully help others going through a mistake in their life. God knows all about us and wants to show how much He cares by giving us personal gifts that only He can give.

Be open to surprises from God because they are always there. In turn, I like to give gifts to God. It might be taking the time to stop and thank Him for my life, or to worship Him for who He is. He is my life! It might be helping someone or giving to someone in need as the scripture states, “And the King will reply to them,  Truly I tell you, in so far as you did it for one of the least [in the estimation of men] of these My brethren, you did it for Me” Matthew 25:40 (Amplified Bible).

The Lover of Your Soul

My relationship with the Lover of my soul is precious. He takes my breath away. I wake up in the morning and know I am going into my prayer time. I am excited and filled with love for the One I will be spending time with.

Every time I think about God, deep inside of me, I sense a love and respect for Him. What a joy, what a life to have a personal love relationship with the Creator of the universe. He desires intimacy with all of us. Our Creator longs to spend time with us like a lover should.

When we give God our whole heart, and treat Him like a Lover, it revives us. Our loneliness vanishes and is replaced with an awareness of His constant presence abiding every second of every day.

We are not alone. We have the assurance of knowing Jesus is always with us. This gives us hope. This gives us strength. You feel like you can conquer anything be­ cause the King of Kings is with you.

This is the conclusion of Part 1 of “Revival of Our Hearts” be looking for part 2 soon!

Pastor Kris Belfils

http://www.krisbelfils.com

http://www.hopefellowshipspokane.com

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A Cry For Revival Series: “What Is Revival?”

“A Cry For Revival” series is based on Pastor Kris Belfils’ book: “Revive, Rebuild, and Restore.” You can listen to Pastor Kris preaching this message here: “What Is Revival?”

Psalm 85:6 (Amp)

“Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?”

Recently God has been talking to me about spiritual revival. I have always longed to see revival in my own church. As a little girl, we were taught about revival, and were told that revival was coming. All I knew was how hungry I was for God, and that hunger continues to burn in me everyday.

It is hard to imagine my life without being intense about God. I received Jesus Christ into my heart as my personal Lord and Savior at the age of nine. I remember I wanted to tell everyone I knew about God and what He can do in their life. Passion grew in me to see people transformed and changed by the power of God. Now, as an adult, I still feel the same, but that passion has grown immensely and my desire to see people changed sometimes overwhelms me.

What about you? Do you have a hunger, a passion for God? To what extent are you willing to satisfy that hunger? If you don’t, maybe you need to be revived in your spirit.

What is revival?

When you desire to see His name glorified – you are desiring revival. When you seek to motivate the Church – you are seeking revival. When you are burdened by sin within the Church – you are burdened for revival. When you ask the Lord to fan the flame within your own heart – you are asking for revival.

A revival is not the Church deciding to do something and doing it. It is something that happens or is done to the Church by God. It is an awakening to who God is and a longing to be close to Him and follow His word.

Psalm 119:159 (Amp)

“Consider how I love Your precepts; revive me and give life to me, O Lord, according to Your loving-kindness!”

If we were to start experiencing revival, what would it be like? Are we in revival right now?

Revival is…

1.  A spontaneous outpouring of the presence and power of God that moves the people to respond.

Only God woos and draws the heart to Him. His Holy Spirit pricks the heart to respond to His drawing. It is God who pours out His spirit upon all flesh. Something happens when you are in the presence of the Lord. Once you have experienced it, you are never the same. True signs of revival are people longing and lingering in the presence of God.

2.  A heart of repentance and obedience.

Repentance and obedience is another sign of true revival. Throughout the history of the church and the revivals that have taken place, repentance is one of the main signs that have been manifested. People can’t help but repenting and asking for forgiveness when the presence of the Lord has saturated the place.

3.  A hunger for God, and the things of God. 

Revival is an awakening of hearts to God and the things of God. It is an awareness of our need for more of God. Hunger makes one do desperate things. Desperation makes one run to the source to be satisfied. With God, He will always satisfy those who hunger and thirst after Him. We shall be filled!

4.  A desire to go deeper in Him, and to excel to a higher level spiritually.

Once we repent, and taste and see that the Lord is good, we want more. Natural hunger is satisfied after you eat a meal. Being spiritually hungry builds to more hunger and a desire to go deeper with God. It really makes you want to give your all, un-abandoned to your Creator. Complacency is not present in revival. Satisfying the flesh is never an option when true revival has come. Only satisfying and pleasing God is the main desire.

5.  A realization of our humanity and our need to repent.

In true revival, we see our humanity and our need for a Savior. We lose our dignity for His deity. We decrease with our desires to please our flesh and God increases in us. We see that God is God and we are not. Pride and arrogance is gone and humility and brokenness is present.

6.  It is seeing souls saved. It is seeing lives changed, not changed for just a few days, but changed forever. 

Seeing souls, people, come to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior should be fruit of true revival. The revivals in history all have the common factor of people coming to Christ.

7.  It is bringing dead things back to life!

Remember during Easter 2012, I preached a sermon: “You Are Never Too Dead For A Resurrection!” Remind yourself there is nothing too dead that God can not resurrect in your life.

We all need to be revived! 

Maintaining and advancing in our relationship with God is a daily nurturing. We can get beaten down by the enemy because he doesn’t want us to have a relationship with God. His job is to bring division between you and God every chance he gets. The key is to not give him any chances. How do we do that? We guard our hearts and protect our relationship we have with God every second of every day.

Psalm 138:7 (Amp)

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me.” 

You might be in a place where you are worn out or complacent in your walk with God. It is easy to get there. Little things every day can bring a separation between you and God. Remember one of the biggest peace robbers in our life is business!

Today, the church needs to be revived. Revival is desperately needed in any church to cause an awakening to what God is doing and wanting to do.

Are you dead spiritually? Are you dead in your heart or spirit? We are starting a revival series called; “A Cry For Revival” that will span the next few months at Hope Fellowship. This will help bring an awakening to all hearts. It will usher in the freedom of God’s spirit to have His way in all of us. By the time we are finished with this series it is my prayer for more freedom, more growth, and more of Jesus in all of us! AMEN!

A Cry For Revival

Revive, in the dictionary, is: “To activate, set in motion, or take up again; renew, to restore to life or consciousness, to put on or show again, to make operative or valid again, to bring back into notice, use, or currency, to quicken or renew in the mind, to reanimate or cheer (the spirit, heart, etc., or a person), to return to life, consciousness, vigor, strength, or a flourishing condition, to recover from financial depression, to be quickened, restored, or renewed, as hope, to become operative or become valid again.”  (Dictionary.com)

Wow, what an awesome look at what revival is! We need to be activated in our faith. Let faith arise in us. The enemy knows if he can put doubt in our hearts it will paralyze us from doing anything for God. It will put despair and discouragement in us and we become defeated. It is imperative for us to activate and celebrate our life in Christ. To walk and experience life more abundantly then ever dreamed possible. This is obtainable and available for all of us right now!

A Cry for revival is something that comes from deep within us and can’t help to come out and be heard by the ears of God. Crying out to God brings Him instantly to us. As we all cry out to God we become one voice, one cry and God is compelled to respond. In an orchestra, when all the instruments are playing at the same time, it is called a “full cry.” The listener is moved and it gets the attention of all who are present. It makes a statement that will never be forgotten. This is the same when we cry out in one voice to our creator to help us revive and become fully awake to Him and His presence.

There are many forms of revive; “Revivable, revivability, revivably, reviver, revivingly, revival.” Looking at these thoughts and the possible related forms makes me ask, “Do you have revivability? You might ask yourself, “Am I revivable?”

Do you feel dead? Are you struggling with life? Do you feel like you are doing the same thing over and over again and not feeling fulfilled? If so, maybe you have developed wet wood. I know a wet piece of wood is impossible to light on fire until it has dried out. We can get so immersed in this world and our hearts can grow wet and cold, and we feel very little when it comes to God, and the things of God. We can get so use to being in church and “churchy” things we don’t even see our flame has died. But if you put a bunch of combustible things around the wet wood and under the wet wood, and light it on fire, the wet wood will eventually dry out and ignite and burn. This is the same when it comes to lighting the fire of God in our hearts and catching fire to hearts of those that seem cold or dead around us.

Revival Is…

Revival is releasing any un-forgiveness, bitterness, or past hurts to God and allowing Him to bring a refreshing in your soul. It is walking humbly with God, hand in hand, and watching Him reveal areas in your life that needs attention or change. You see, revival is bringing dead things back to life. We can have dead relationships, dead finances, dead dreams, and dead emotions. We need revival spiritually, we need revival over our past mistakes or past regrets. We need revival for our future too. God breathes life into dead things. This is revival.

Revival comes in so many different forms, but the bottom line is; something was dead and needs life again. It can be your old way of thinking and God brings a new revelation of thought. It can be spiritual blindness and you couldn’t see God working, and God opens your eyes to see His mighty power at work.

Revival Feels Like A Fire In Our Hearts

Scripture talks about a burning in our heart or a flame. Does your heart burn when you talk about God, read about Him, or hear testimonies about what He is doing? Do you long to be in His presence? This is revival. Does your heart ache to see lives changed and transformed to be more like Christ? Do you have a passion and a deep love for God? This is revival.

The bible refers to a burning or being on fire in our hearts.

Luke 24:32 (KJV)

“And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?”

I like how the Message Bible states it, “Back and forth they talked.” Didn’t we feel on fire as he conversed with us on the road, as he opened up the Scriptures for us?” It is a burning in our hearts and spirit to know more of God.

I know when I have spent time with God, or talked about God, or have been in an awesome worship service, I can’t help but feel on fire. There is a burning in my chest and an overwhelming sense that God can do anything. It seems I have to share it and help others, or I will explode. Have you ever felt that?

If you have no desire to be revived, or even see the need to be, ask God to give you a tender heart towards Him. Sometimes we have to let go of the way we think in order to be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Our intellect can get in the way and lead us astray when it comes to our relationship towards God. Let go of common sense and allow your faith to arise.

Common Sense vs Faith

Common sense says: I don’t have enough money to pay my bills.

Faith says: My God shall supply all my needs.

Common sense says: I better stay home from church today and catch up on my sleep as I have had to put in many late nights at the office.

Faith says: I will go to church and know God will invigorate me and empower me to get through my week!

Common sense says: There is a mountain in my way.

Faith says: Mountain be moved in Jesus mighty name!

Common sense says: I have failed before and will fail again, so I better not try.

Faith says: God is a God of the second, third, fourth, and more chances! God is for me and not against me!

Common sense says: I have always been overlooked for a promotion so why even ask for one.

Faith says: I am the head and not the tail! God has a plan and I will walk in it!

“Every time you venture out in your life of faith, you will find something in your circumstances that, from a commonsense standpoint, will flatly contradict your faith. But common sense is not faith, and faith is not common sense. In fact, they are as different as the natural life and the spiritual.”

Oswald Chambers (My Utmost for His highest – August 29th)

What “common sense” things are you holding onto that is preventing you from walking out this life of faith and bringing revival to your life?

When revival takes flight, we fly to new heavenly places and our hearts are revived. We soar to higher realms in the spirit as we allow ourselves to let go and fly in our spirit with God. We obtain a different perspective when we fly. Flying sets you free from things that hold you down. We do not get caught in bondage when we take the time to fly with God and be revived in our spirit. Revival is a setting free of the things that bind us. Nothing can hold you down. Nothing can take away the experience. In this higher realm you hear better and see clearer.

Let’s cry out for revival for Hope Fellowship and for all the churches in Spokane, nation, and the world! May God’s mighty army rise up in faith and take this land for God! Good things are a commin’ you just wait and see!

Psalm 119:154 (Amp)

“Plead my cause and redeem me; revive me and give me life according to Your word.”

Next for “A Cry For Revival” we will look at:“Revival Of Our Hearts!” It’s going to be good!

From one burning heart to another,

Pastor Kris Belfils

www.krisbelfils.com

www.hopefellowshipspokane.com

Communion

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Grace Is A Greasy Arrow

I am sure this title has messed with you already! How can God’s precious grace be anything but greasy, let alone an arrow? I agree. This title came to me as I was waking up from a good night’s sleep. “Grace is a greasy arrow” is what I heard as I opened my eyes. Immediately I asked God, “What does THAT mean?” Needless to say, my days after this turned out to be a quest in seeking out what God meant by giving me those words as I woke up.

Grace Is A Greasy Arrow

Today, people, especially Christians, are not quick to give grace to people. Far too often we judge and criticize others after making a quick judgement of their actions. We even assume they are a certain way, or did a certain thing, and put them in a “I don’t agree with their lifestyle or choices” category. We label them “sinners” and cast judgement that they are guilty, or even worse, talk behind their back to others what we think about them. The very thing we accuse them of – sin – is the very thing we do when we judge people and don’t offer them mercy and grace. We throw daggers or arrows of judgement so quick, we don’t even think of our actions being wrong. Often it is a life-style of judging others. It is who we are, or who we have become. This should not be.

I believe there is something within us that we don’t want to look bad compared to other people so we are quick to criticize and judge someone who has messed up or has done something wrong. This should not be.

Have you ever been on the receiving end of judgement? I remember being in court over a traffic ticket. Thinking I would be given mercy and grace, but instead I was judged guilty and had to pay the fine. Even after trying to state my case when they asked me to do so, the verdict was guilty. I hated being in the court room. I have only been there a few times in my life and really don’t care to be again. My fate was out of my hands. Being judged is not a fun place to be, in fact it can be very painful.

Maybe you are one who has a hard time receiving God’s grace? You have done wrong and have not forgiven yourself. No one deserves God’s grace. Grace is really God’s love extended to you in spite of what you have done, who you are, or what you will become. There is something about the grace of God that penetrates the heart immediately. Personally, I have experienced God’s grace quicker then any human was willing to offer it to me. It comes right down to receiving the grace of God and walking away from doing what doesn’t please Him.

You will find trying to please people is futile. There will always be someone who doesn’t like you or what you are doing. There will always be a person ready to tell you what you have done wrong in their eyes. The bottom line, we live to please God and not man.

God is the Master archer. He puts grace on the arrow of love to give to people that penetrates the heart immediately. Not greasy grace, but a greasy arrow to quickly hit the heart of those who need it. We all need grace from God.

Psalm 86:6 ESV

“Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace.”

Psalm 9:13 – 15  ESV

“Be gracious to me, O LORD! See my affliction from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gates of death, that I may recount all your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation. The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.”

Here we see how King David cried out to God to be gracious because his enemy has set traps of judgement and wanted him dead. God is the ultimate judge, not man. He is the one who is just and righteous, not man. This verse indicates the very net placed to snare David, his enemies were caught in. We have to remember when we judge, we will be judged, and with the same measure we will be judged by God.

Luke 6:37 – 38 NKJV

“Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

If you have been a Christian for any length of time, I am sure you have heard those verses before. We have to remind ourselves Who is the ultimate judge and release people from the judgement we place on them.

There is a difference between the grace God gives and the grace the world gives. The world looks at grace as “charm” or “elegance” (Dictionary). But the grace God offers is far different. God’s grace is His unmerited (not deserved) favor He gives to us. To take the word “grace” to the original Hebrew (Strongs Hebrew and Greek Definitions #H2603) it means “to bend or stoop in kindness, merciful, or to have mercy, have pity upon, or make supplication ”

We should be sentenced to Hell and eternal damnation, but instead, God extended His grace to us and showed mercy by sending His Son to die on the cross. When we believe and ask Jesus in our heart as Lord and Savior, we will spend eternity with Him when we die. In other words, we are saved from burning in hell. That is where the expression comes; “Saved by grace.” His grace saves us not only from hell, but from so many stupid things we have done in our lives. He offers forgiveness as far as the East is from the west.

Psalm 103:12 (NKJV)

“As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

Have you heard the expression; “There’s an app for that?” This is referring to any application you would like to do on your Smartphone, tablet, or Computor. I would like to extend that saying to what ever you have done, “There is grace for that.” Grace hits the mark every time. If you have robbed a bank; “There is grace for that!” If you have committed adultery; “There is grace for that!” If you have stolen or did a crime; “There is grace for that!” Not to abuse God’s grace and commit all these things and more knowing  “There is grace for that!” But to turn from and stop doing what doesn’t please God. Give yourself freedom from the bondage of the wrong you have done and receive God’s grace even when you don’t think you deserve it. God’s grace hits the mark every time. His grace is a greasy arrow. It penetrates the hardest of hearts.

I would like to sum up the title of this message with a great story from the Bible. There are three different accounts of this story in the New Testament and all had to do with an Alabaster flask of costly spikenard oil.

Anointing of Jesus

Mark 14:3 – 9 talks about Jesus being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper for dinner. A woman with an alabaster flask of costly oil of Spikenard came and broke the  flask and poured it on Jesus’ head and anointed Jesus with the costly perfume. There were some seated there who became indignant and wanted to know why it was wasted because they could have sold it for 300 denarii and given money to the poor. They criticized her sharply. Jesus stood up for her and said to “Leave her alone.” and said, “Why do you trouble her? She has done a good thing for me.” The poor you will always have but me you will not always have. She anointed me for burial.” “Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.” (Mark 14:9)

John 12:1 – 8 is similar to Mark’s account as it took place in Bethany, but this time Lazarus was there and so was Martha and Mary. Mary is the one who took the pound of Spikenard and anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped with her hair. One of the Disciples, Judas, asked why not sell the oil for 300 denarii and give the money to the poor. Judas didn’t care about the poor. He was in charge of the cash box and would take what was put in it for himself. He was critical of such a loving gesture by Mary, and yet he did worse things in secret. Again, Jesus stood up for her and said to leave her alone as she has kept this for my burial. The poor you will always have, but you will not always have me.

Luke 7:36 – 50 in this account of Jesus being anointed before burial, he had dinner at a Pharisee’s house (some scholars indicate Simon the leper was a Pharisee). A “sinful woman” came and broke open the alabaster flask of spikenard and stood behind Jesus weeping and anointed his feet and wiped them with her hair and tears. She kissed his feet often. A Pharisee spoke to himself that if this man was a prophet he would know what kind of woman was touching him. She was a sinner. Jesus, knowing what was in Simon’s heart spoke to him a parable of two debtors. One owed 500 denarii and the other owed 50 denarii. Both were forgiven of their debt and Jesus asked Simon which one loved more? Simon answered the one who was forgiven more and he answered correctly. Jesus shared to Simon that He entered his house and Simon didn’t offer any water to wash his feet, but the woman washed His feet with her tears. Simon didn’t offer any kiss to Jesus, but she has not ceased to kiss my feet since the time they came in. You didn’t anoint my head with oil, but the woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Jesus said, “Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little” (Luke 7:47). Then He forgave her sins and those who sat at the table with Him became critical saying, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

Grace hit the target!

All three accounts show the grace of God in action to this woman.

1.  She was granted favor (Bull’s eye)

She gave Jesus her all. Something so extravagant as this costly perfumed oil must have taken many years to save up to buy. Who knows, it might have come by the very sinful deeds she was accused of in the account in Luke 7. But, she gave it willingly to pour out her love on the very one who forgave her of all the wrong she had done. He didn’t judge her, only grace was given. This grace pierced the barriers of bondage and judgement of those in the room with them.

Jesus gave her His favor. His attention was on her. He gave her His love. No one else in the room caught Jesus’ attention like this woman did.

2.  Criticized for extravagance

Being critical of others blocks God’s grace, but humility and love for Jesus gives an open target for grace to hit! ~ Pastor Kris Belfils

Being critical of others pushes you away from God. Give grace to people and see how close to God you become! ~ Pastor Kris Belfils

People criticize extravagance. She was criticized for this extravagant gesture on her part by religious people. In the Prodigal Son he was criticized for all the extravagance given to him when he came back home. The criticism came from his own brother. A member of his own family was extremely harsh in judgement towards him. Often today people are criticized for their love for God and how they express it, and usually the criticism comes from a member of their own church. People are criticized for what they do for God, especially if it goes against the traditions of their denomination.  Why is it that we get criticized the most from fellow Christians?

3.  Jesus was her advocate

Jesus stood up for her in the middle of the criticism she was receiving. He put a stop to their accusations. He said to leave her alone. He asked why they troubled her because what she did was a good thing. What man thinks is bad, often God approves as good!

Jesus is a friend to sinners. He doesn’t cast a judgmental glance at those who need to be forgiven. Quit the opposite. Jesus is drawn to sinners. It is the sick who need a doctor, not the healthy. Jesus came for a sick and dying world. He came for you and me. If we ever think we don’t need Jesus in our lives, we will be like a Pharisee with self-righteousness in our hearts. We will be deceived. We all need a Savior. We all need  an advocate to stand up for us because if we would stand up for ourselves we would fall short and be lacking.

4.  She was forgiven

Luke 7:47 (NKJV)

“Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”

I remember when my oldest daughter was around two or three years old. We were driving in the car and she looked at me and asked what it meant to have Jesus in her heart. I explained that we all do bad things and we need to ask Jesus in our hearts to live there and to forgive all the bad things we have done. She proceeded to pray, with her eyes closed and her hands folded, “Jesus please come into my heart to live!” and then at the very end she said, “… and the bad things.” It was a precious moment for me as her mom, and for her because that is when her new life began with Jesus living inside of her.

What bad things have you done in your life? Have you been forgiven much? Then love extravagantly your Savior and live your life to please Him.

5.  Honor

She was remembered through out the ages for what she did that day for Jesus.

Mark 14:9 (NKJV)

“Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

I know she didn’t anoint Jesus for honor. She did it out of love, yet the very thing she was criticized for was the very thing which made her famous. She was humble and broken. No pride was in her. She just had a need to pour her love on Jesus.

God honors what we do for Him. He knows our heart and our intent. He also knows where we have been and what we have done. Allow God’s greasy arrow of grace to hit the target of your need. It never misses.

Pastor Kris Belfils

www.krisbelfils.com

www.hopefellowshipspokane.com

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How To Handle Disappointments

Disappointments happen to us everyday. We put our expectations into something or someone, and when those expectations are not fulfilled, we become disappointed. Sports teams experience disappointments all the time. One team wins, and the other loses. The one who loses, I am sure, are disappointed at the outcome because they wanted to win.

Disappointment is the feeling of dissatisfaction that follows the failure of expectations or hopes to manifest. (Wikipedia.com)

dis·ap·point  (thefreedictionary.com)

1.To fail to satisfy the hope, desire, or expectation of.

2. To frustrate or thwart

3. To fail to meet the expectations, hopes, desires, or standards of; let down

4. To prevent the fulfillment of (a plan, intention, etc.); frustrate; thwart

Disappointments = Expectations not being met

Disappointments have the same flavor as regrets. The difference is that regrets usually have to do with the choices you make, while disappointments have to do with the outcome of what you put your expectations in. It usually means you didn’t get what you wanted or hoped for.

React in our flesh

The word “flesh” refers to self-nature or human nature or self-effort. To walk after the flesh is to do your own desires, usually it is the easy way out or it pleases you in an ungodly way.  Joyce Meyer states in “Living Beyond Your Feelings,” that “The nature of the flesh is to want what it thinks it cannot have, but once it has what it thought it wanted, the craving starts all over again. The one word that the flesh screams the loudest is more, and no matter how much it has, it is still never satisfied.” This reminds me of an older movie called, “Little Shop Of Horrors.” In it Seymour has a plant that needs to be fed all the time. When Seymour feeds it, the plant gets bigger and bigger and is never satisfied. It eventually takes over his home. This is exactly what happens when we feed our flesh instead of our spirit. The flesh is never satisfied and the more you feed it the bigger and more demanding it becomes.

It is natural to react to disappointments in our flesh. We might hold a grudge against someone who has let us down or has hurt us. Holding a grudge has a downward spiral attached to it. Holding a grudge is un-forgiveness and that is a sin.

Disappointments

a.  We put up walls. 

This happens often. We put up walls and don’t talk to someone or even totally close off all communication. I know because I have done this. It feels “right” at the time and it gives us a sense of control. We felt out of control when the disappointment came. There might not have been any thing we could have done to fix or change the outcome. It is a huge frustration to live with an outcome you didn’t have in your plans. It is very hard to live with circumstances someone else chose for you.

b.  We get mad at God

It is easy to get mad at God thinking He could have prevented what happened. Reality is God had nothing to do with it. People are given free will and they make choices all the time. Their choices might not line up with your choices or what you planned. Often authority figures over our life can make a choice that affects us. Our hands are tied as to the outcome. We can easily blame God, quit our job, or distance ourselves from this person or cituation. All of these choices are not good choices.

 c.  We get mad at ourselves

Handling disappointments is a process. Don’t get mad at your self if you are not over it quickly. It takes time to heal and to regroup after a disappointment. Give yourself permission to relax and allow God to heal you, and learn to worship in the middle of the Disappointment.

d.  We show emotion or get depressed

Often it is natural to be upset or get depressed when something happens that has disappointed or hurt you. There is a grieving process whenever there is a loss of any kind. There are 5 stages of grief when a loved one dies that can be applied to what we experience after a disappointment:

5 Stages of Grief or Loss

  1. Denial and Isolation
  2. Anger
  3. Bargaining
  4. Depression
  5. Acceptance

Video: “Stages of Grief”

Disappointment quotes:

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope. – Martin Luther King Jr

Disappointments are to the soul what a thunderstorm is to the air.  – Friedrich Schiller

Our best successes often come after our greatest disappointments.  – Henry Ward Beecher

Our real blessings often appear to us in the shape of pains, losses and disappointments; but let us have patience and we soon shall see them in their proper figures.  – Joseph Addison

How To Handle disappointments?

Let’s face it everyone will be disappointed from time to time. It is what we do; our actions or reactions, that determine our character. Often disappointments shape our character. It is in these times we need to quickly seek God to help us heal and to learn from them. Know that disappointments can help you grow. They make you stronger for your future. We can try and fight having disappointments but really it is futile because we can never control people or circumstances. This is not what God wants from us; a bunch of controlling, manipulating people.

Here are a few things I have personally learned when it comes to dealing with and handling disappointments, and I pray they help you:

  1. Run to God

Running to God, and venting your frustrations about your disappointments, is the very first things you should do after being disappointed. Telling Him how you feel is the best way to get it out. Stuffing your feelings inside of you only brings turmoil. God knows and sees everything. He was there when it happened. He wants us to run to Him with our disappointments.

1 Peter 5:7 (NKJV)

“Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”

1 Peter 5:7 (Amplified Bible)

“Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.” 

God hears our cry. Crying out to God is a form of running to Him. Here are just a few verses in the Bible about crying out to God:

2 Sam. 22:7 (NKJV)

“In my distress I called upon the Lord, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry entered His ears.”

Psalm 18:6 (NKJV)

“In my distress I called upon the Lord, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry came before Him, even to His ears.”

Psalm 30:2 (NKJV)

“O Lord my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me.”

Psalm 57:2 (NKJV)

“I will cry out to God Most High, To God who performs all things for me.”

Psalm 61:1 (NKJV)

“Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer.”

Psalm 77:1 (NKJV)

“I cried out to God with my voice – To God with my voice; and He gave ear to me.”

God hears our cry and our humble plea moves His heart to action. Just the act of crying out to God brings healing, but to know God will move on our behalf brings security.

2.  Worship

Worship in the middle of the disappointment. Worshipping God takes our attention off of our circumstances and ourselves, and places our gaze, our focus on our Creator. Worship frees our spirit of the cares of this world. It puts life in perspective. Worship also helps us to place our trust in God in the middle of the disappointments.

Worshipping God reminds us of how good He really is. It helps build our faith to arise in us to overcome the disappointment.

Isaiah 52:17 – 19 

“His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him; All nations shall call Him blessed. Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, Who only does wondrous things! And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen!”

God only does wondrous things! He will do wondrous things in your life as you place your cares upon Him. Don’t try to figure it out on your own. There are many things we can’t fix or change, but God has a plan. Even if it is teaching us to endure in the middle of the process of handling disappointments, we will come out the other side better for it and with much reward.

Psalm 28:6 – 7 (NKJV)

“Blessed be the Lord, Because He has heard the voice of my supplications! The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him.”

Remind yourself of God’s faithfulness.

Psalm 42:5 (Message)

“Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God – soon I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God.”

3.  Forgive

Release the person in your heart. Forgiveness takes away the power the other person continues to wield in your life, and it gives it back to you. Realize no body is perfect. If you are having trouble letting go of a grudge or to give forgiveness, talk to someone you trust, who will give you wise, Godly, and compassionate advice.

Forgiving is a process, at least it has been in my life. I would go through the stages of grief and then come to a place in my heart I was willing to forgive. Then I would even pray and might say it out loud; “I forgive _______ !” Then, something else would come up that would re-open the wound, and all the forgiveness I gave that person went out the window! I would have to come to the place in my heart to be willing to forgive again and then release them. Sometimes this happened over and over again. I knew the verses in the bible about forgiving seventy times seven (Matthew 18:22). I knew if I didn’t forgive my sins would not be forgiven (Matthew 6:12). These are things that motivated me to forgive, but the actual act of forgiving always seemed to take time. I finally gave myself permission that it was okay if I wasn’t at the place of forgiveness with them, knowing that was my ultimate goal.

Wounds take time to heal. Allow yourself the time it takes to be made whole again.

Jesus is my hero. He went to the cross knowing what was in the hearts of people, and even forgave them in the middle of the act of being crucified. My spirit wants to be able to do that, but my flesh wins out more than not.

Some people don’t struggle with forgiving others. They look like they just shrug it off and have no issue, but deep down inside a wound was created and only God and time will bring true healing.

I came across a post on Facebook the other day that I think will help us all in the process of forgiving others who have disappointed or mistreated us. The post was from the “Called Magazine” and they stated:“TODAY’S CHALLENGE: Give someone who mistreated you a kind word (genuine compliment/encouragement) or a thoughtful gift. — CAN YOU DO IT?” This challenged me to reach out in the direction of someone who hurt me and say a kind word to them. It was a step in the right direction. Baby steps are better then not stepping forward at all, and even better then stepping backward deeper into un-forgiveness to becoming bitter and resentful.

I could go into a sermon all its own on this subject. This message is to bring us to the awareness that forgiveness may be needed if your disappointment has to do with someone letting you down.

4.  Break walls down

It is natural to harden our hearts to life; let alone to people. You might have tried and tried to do something and was disappointed every time. Putting up walls and isolating yourself is not the answer. It only makes your turmoil worse.

Life has been given to us to enjoy, not resent. God has blessed us with many blessings if we would just look for them. We have to break down any walls we have built up, or possibly want to build up, or we will dry up and never have a healthy life.

Have you ever been dehydrated? I have. Your body will tell you it is drying up by how you are feeling and the symptoms you are experiencing. Signs of dehydration are:

2% body fluid loss:

  • Thirst
  • Loss of Appetite
  • Dry Skin
  • Skin Flushing
  • Dark Colored Urine
  • Dry Mouth
  • fatigue or Weakness
  • Chills
  • Head Rushes

5% body fluid loss:

  • Increased heart rate
  • Increased respiration
  • Decreased sweating
  • Decreased urination
  • Increased body temperature
  • Extreme fatigue
  • Muscle cramps
  • Headaches
  • Nausea
  • Tingling of the limbs

10% body fluid loss: (Emergency help is needed immediately)

  • Muscle spasms
  • Vomiting
  • Racing pulse
  • Shriveled skin
  • Dim vision
  • Painful urination
  • Confusion
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Seizures
  • Chest and Abdominal pain
  • unconsciousness

This is what happens to us spiritually when we put up walls and isolate ourselves from the real issue that God wants us to deal with. We become unhealthy and the signs will be seen. I think you get the point. What happens in the natural is similar to the spiritual. We have to keep ourselves spiritually hydrated, which includes breaking down the walls of isolation and anger.

5.  Be positive

Refuse to allow negativity to become a part of you after you have been disappointed. It is so easy to speak negative words about the situation, people, or life in general after being disappointed. Being negative about your circumstance never brings healing or help. Ask God to help you look at the situation through His eyes and from His perspective. Look to see what you can learn from it. Have a positive attitude that life will change in time. Know what you are going through is just a little bump in the road compared to the bigger picture of eternity.

I am sure you have heard the saying, “ You can either get better or bitter.” This is so true. Be determined to get better and to focus on the positives in your life. These are God’s blessings in disguise. We forget the good when we are faced with some bad. Learn to encourage yourself in the Lord like David did.

Psalm 30:10 – 12 (NKJV)

“Hear, O LORD, and have mercy on me; LORD, be my helper!” You have turned for me my mo9urning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, to the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever.”

6.  Don’t try to get even  

Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t speak evil against them.

1 Thess 5:15 (Amplified Bible)

“See that none of you repays another with evil for evil, but always aim to show kindness and seek to do good to one another and to everybody.”

This is very hard to do I know. If you have spoken evil about someone you have been disappointed and hurt by, ask God to forgive you and to wipe away the words you have said. Be determined to stop yourself when you start to speak evil against someone.

7.  Walk on

Get to a place you love people but you are not devastated when they let you down. Know life will have challenges but be determined to keep going, especially in the middle of a challenge.

Move on and keep going in your life. Disappointments do not determine your future if you have the right perspective and determination.

Walking on doesn’t mean you trust the person who disappointed you. It does mean you are willing to move past it and keep going. If you decide you are giving up, the enemy wins and what is life if you choose to give up? Nothing!

Know there is life after disappointments. Even if the disappointment is a life change, God can make beauty from ashes!

Isaiah 61:3 (NKJV)

“To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

Your sister in Christ,

Pastor Kris Belfils

www.krisbelfils.com

www.hopefellowshipspokane.com

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5 Stages of Intimacy in Worship

Christianity is a relationship with God. It is not religion or tradition. It is all about a growing, loving, intimate relationship with our Creator.

I want to give you tools to worship the Lord in a loving relationship that is so intimate and rewarding it will change your life.

Why is it that some Worship services, when we sing the songs during worship, it seems dry and meaningless, while other times the level of God’s presence is so high you never want to leave?

There are, I’m sure, many factors why that happens, but the bottom line is, I believe, the depth of our worship only goes as far as the depth of our love for God.

Why do we worship God? What has God done that makes you want to worship Him? Who is God that we should worship Him?

What happens when we are alone with the Lord determines how intimate and deep the worship will be when we come together as the body of Christ.

Worship blesses God; it is not just a preparation for the sermon. Worship is the act of freely giving our love to God. Worship is action! What if God approached you the way you approached Him in worship? Would you like it?

Some people sit down the entire time of worship when the Worship Leader has asked them to stand. They think they are too tired or it doesn’t matter if they sit or stand. It is true it doesn’t matter if you sit or stand to be able to worship God, but what does matter is our engagement in worship. Sitting often disconnects you from worship and allows you to zone out. I am not referring to those who may have a disability or an illness that prevents them to stand too long for a given amount of time. What I am talking about are those who decide to just sit and “check out” of the service until the sermon is preached. Singing or music might not be your “thing,” BUT, worshipping your Creator SHOULD be “your thing.”Our body language tells a lot about our relationship with Christ. If we decide to not participate in worship it screams that we are not interested in God. Remember the worship part of a service is our action, our part to give back to God. It is the way we should approach a Holy God, who has given us so much? How would you feel if God approached you and your needs the same way. What if He decided to “sit down” on the job of being God and was disinterested in communing with you? What if He decided to ignore listening to you and your prayer needs? Yet, this is what we do to Almighty God if we constantly zone out of worshipping Him during the worship part of any service.

How about being distracted constantly during the worship part of the service? Looking at your phone, or rummaging through your purse or pockets while people are focusing on God and singing His praises is a slap in God’s face. Again, what if God approached you that way? You see it is not about the songs, the Worship Leader or team, the volume, or even our desires, it is about God and giving Him what He deserves. He deserves our undivided attention. He deserves our entire focus and praise. Far too often people treat worship as a hassle or an obligation. This is not true, and so far from what it really is. Worship is our engagement, our heart and mind focused on the King of kings. We have lost the fear of the Lord if we treat worship with disrespect. It would be like the priests in the Bible to come with “profane” or “strange fire.” Fire that was not birthed from the Holy Fire, fire that was not commanded by God to give.

When I took on the role of “Worship Leader” many years ago, I read some verses in Leviticus that impacted me and changed my life forever.

Leviticus 10:1 – 3 (NKJV)

“Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. [] So fire went out from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD spoke, saying: ‘By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified.”

This shook me to my very core and sobered me to see the importance of offering my praise and worship with a pure heart and to always remember corporate worship is a holy event and to never treat it in any other way.

Worshipping God really shows you are hungering and thirsting after Him. True worshippers hunger for God. When a corporate worship service is open to them, they run at the opportunity to get their hunger satisfied. No need to “wind them up” to worship God, they enter in immediately. This shows good spiritual health.

Concerning worship C.S. Lewis states: “Inner health made audible.” 

You need to know that…

When you are feeling week…. You worship

When you are feeling vulnerable… You worship

When your time of solitude, or your creativity hits a dark moment… You worship

When you’re feeling tempted… start to worship

When you’re feeling angry… start to worship

When you’re feeling disappointed… start to worship

When you want to express your love to God… you automatically worship

There are some key stages to obtain intimacy in our worship. These are just a few I have realized.

5 stages of Intimacy in worship

  1. Remembering what God has done (He is faithful).

What has God done that makes you want to worship Him? Let’s take a look:

a. Because  God has redeemed us! Redemption/Freedom!

Psalm 111:9

“He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever: Holy and awesome is His name.”

Nehemiah 1:9 & 10

“But you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name. Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand.”

In this verse in Nehemiah the word “redeemed” is translated:

Redeemed, padah: “To release, preserve, rescue, deliver, liberate, cut loose, sever; to free; to ransom. This verb describes God’s desire to free us!

Another meaning for the word “redeemed” is:

Redeemed, ga’al: “Ransom, redeem, repurchase; to set free by avenging or repaying. Ga’al refers to the custom of buying back something a person has lost through helplessness, poverty, or violence.

You can find the Hebrew meaning of ga’al in these verses:

Isaiah 52:9

“Break forth into joy, sing together, You waste places of Jerusalem! For the LORD has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem.”

Jesus saved us from what we deserve… Hell! He has rescued us from sin and from ourselves.

Psalm 72:14

“He will redeem their life from oppression and violence; and precious shall be their blood in His sight.”

Jesus saved us from what we deserve… HELL. He has rescued us from sin and from ourselves.

I self-destruct without pursuing God in my life. When I choose my own way, I often make bad choices in the flesh. When I lean on, and trust in the Lord, I will never be disappointed because God is faithful to help me through anything.

Redemption alone is a wonderful reason to worship God. I am free from Hell. He has set me free from sin and death!

b. Because God has loving kindness and mercy that endures forever.

1Ch 16:34

“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever.”

Psa 106:1

“Hallelujah! Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever.”

How long is FOREVER? Forever: Without ever ending, an endless period of time, for everlasting time, without interruption

Psa 117:2

“For great is His faithful love to us; the LORD’s faithfulness endures forever. Hallelujah!”

Psa 118:1

“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever.”

Psa 118:2

“Let Israel say, “His faithful love endures forever.”

Psa 118:3

“Let the house of Aaron say, “His faithful love endures forever.”

Psa 118:4

“Let those who fear the LORD say, “His faithful love endures forever.”

I think you get the point. There are many more scriptures that talk about God’s love, or righteousness, or mercy enduring forever.

God shows His loving kindness to us when He forgives us of what we have done. He allows us to go through hardships to make us stronger. This is His loving-kindness. He spares us from death and hell. This is His loving-kindness. He makes us to lye down in green pastures. This is His loving-kindness.

Psalm 23:2

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.”

This gives us reason to worship Him for always showing us His loving-kindness and mercy.

c. Because God is always with me!

Heb 13:5

“Your life should be free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for He Himself has said, I will never leave you or forsake you.”

God promises to never, ever leave us. He is always there wherever we go. He is your Best Friend. You can talk to Him anytime. There is never a moment that God is not with you.

Joshua 1:5

“No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.”

Forsake: To quite or leave entirely, abandon, desert, to give up or renounce, to give up (formally held dear), to leave someone who counts on you, to leave in a lurch.

Joshua 1:9

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

We never have to worry if God is with us. He is always there. That is a promise. That is a reason to worship Him passionately!

d. Because God longs to have communion with me.

He longs — not just desires or wants, but longs — to be intimate with us. God desires to be personally known by us, just as a young man desires to know and be known by the woman he loves.

“. . .As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” — Isaiah 62:5

The word marriage implies intimacy, and intimacy implies vulnerability. If a marriage does not involve these two profoundly personal and often frightening sentiments, it is only an indifferent contract between two people who know each other’s name and can recognize the other’s face — nothing more. It produces nothing of worth; it is just barely beyond the acquaintance level.

A true marriage is a union of one spirit with another. It is a deeply intimate binding of two souls, where more than just thoughts and secrets are shared. God wants to have relationship with His creation. He yearns to have a true marriage with us. God invites us beyond anything we could hope for or imagine: He invites us to truly know Him.

e. Because God hears, listens, and answers my cry.

Psalm 72:12 – 13

“For He will deliver the needy when he cries, The poor also, and him who has no helper. He will spare the poor and needy, and will save the souls of the needy.”

2.  Draw close and place your trust in Him.

As we draw close to Him, He never rejects us!

When a couple is strongly married, they can draw close to each other knowing the other will not pull away or reject them. This brings security.

The closer we get to Jesus, the more we realize we can trust Him. Intimacy brings security. We are safe and secure from all harm.

We can trust God that He has the best intentions for us.

We can trust Him because His word never lies.

3.  Reveal your heart’s cry and desire.

When I am up close next to Jesus, I can share the most precious things in my heart. He wants to hear our desires (He already knows). He wants to share in our joys and our sorrows. He comes to our cry.

It is hard to share an intimate moment with someone when they keep their distance. ~ Pastor Kris

2Sa 22:7

“I called to the LORD in my distress; I called to my God. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for help reached His ears.”

Psa 3:4

“I cry aloud to the LORD, and He answers me from His holy mountain. Selah”

Psa 18:6

“I called to the LORD in my distress, and I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry to Him reached His ears.”

Psa 34:15

“The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry for help.”

       4.  Listen to His heart’s desire, which is always towards you.

It would be very selfish if we just cried out to the Lord our needs and never took the time to listen to His heart. When we are up close and personal with God, we can’t help but hear His heartbeat. It becomes our desire to hear His heartbeat the more we spend time with Him. He will share intimate things about our life. He will bring healing and restoration.

      5.  Express your love to Him.

Those  have been forgiven much, loves much!

Luke 7:47

“Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”

Do you realize you have been forgiven MUCH? You have not been forgiven little. We all have sinned a lot and fall short of the glory of God. For one to be forgiven much, we have to show our worship to Him in a passionate way. One cannot help but extravagantly worship God because of what He has forgiven in our lives.

Spend time alone with God. Realize how much He loves you. Express your love to Him.

Remember He is Your Portion! He is everything you need and more. It is easy to come to a loving God Who knows our ever need, thought, and desire. But it makes it even clearer to come to God knowing who He is and what He has already done for us.

Take some time and look up in the Bible some verses about praise or worship and apply them to your life.

Your Sister In Christ,

Pastor Kris Belfils

www.krisbelfils.com

www.hopefellowshipspokane.com

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He Is Your Portion

When you think of the word, “portion,” what comes to mind right away? Portion in the dictionary means: “piece, share, or allot.” You can say, “His portion or share was larger than hers.” Or, “The mother gave each child a portion of the meal.” This would indicate that it is a part of a whole, but not the whole in itself.

Portion can be described as an amount of food for one person. Portion can also be described as a part or section of a whole. Portion can be described as an unavoidable event of, or part of someone’s life. You can say, “A portion of my life I spent going to school.” You can describe portion as part of an inheritance.

Luke 15:12

“And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood.” 

Here are a few synonyms to describe what earthly portion means: piece, part, bit, segment, section, fraction, scrap, slice, serving,   percentage, quantity, measure, or ration.

Elisha received a double portion of Elijah’s anointing (2 Kings 2). Elijah’s anointing or mantle was powerful and Elisha received double. This would indicate an allotment. When it comes to God being our portion, what does that mean for us?

Scriptures of God being our portion

 1.  Psalm 16:5 (KJV) “The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.”

Here are a few translations of this same verse to help us get a better understanding of the meaning:

CEV “You, LORD, are all I want! You are my choice, and you keep me safe.”

GW “The LORD is my inheritance and my cup. You are the one who determines my destiny.

BBE  [Bible in Basic English] The Lord is my heritage and the wine of my cup; you are the supporter of my right.

GNB  You, LORD, are all I have, and you give me all I need; my future is in your hands.

MSG  My choice is you, GOD, first and only. And now I find I’m your choice! 

This verse shows us that portion refers to: “All we want, An Inheritance, A Heritage, or My choice [first and only].

Also looking at the later part of the verse in those translations opens up so much more meaning of how God takes care of our future: “You keep me safe, The One Who determines my destiny, My future is in Your hands, You are the supporter of my right, I find I’m your choice.”

God is all we need for our every need, want, and desire. He holds our future in His hands. All we are and everything we will be is in His hands. This brings peace because we are trusting in Him and walking with Him daily, obeying His word. Our obedience brings favor from God.

2. Psa 73:26  (KJV) My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. 

CEV  My body and mind may fail, but you are my strength and my choice forever.

GNB  My mind and my body may grow weak, but God is my strength; he is all I ever need.

BBE [Bible in Basic English]My flesh and my heart are wasting away: but God is the Rock of my heart and my eternal heritage.

MSG  When my skin sags and my bones get brittle, GOD is rock-firm and faithful.

Portion is translated in the Hebrew as “inheritance, or allotment.” If you think of God as our inheritance, or allotment, it changes to a deeper meaning still. He is what we receive as His heirs. All of Him. Everything about Him. All His character attributes. All His power! All His love! All His peace! He is our best friend when we are lonely. He is…

3. Psa 119:57  (NKJV) The LORD is my portion; I have promised to keep Your words. 

CEV You, LORD, are my choice, and I will obey you.

GNB You are all I want, O LORD; I promise to obey your laws.

MSG Because You have satisfied me, God, I promised to do everything you say.”

He satisfies our every need. He is all we want. The question is; “Will you receive all He has for you?” Another meaning in the Hebrew for portion is, “partake.”

4. Psa 142:5 (HCSB)  I cry to You, LORD; I say, “You are my shelter, my portion in the land of the living.”

Let’s place the word “partake” in this scripture. “I cry to You, LORD; I say, “You are my shelter, I partake of you in the land of the living.”

We partake of God. We taste and see that the Lord is good. We devour His Word. It is bread for our daily consumption.  We need to look away from our selves and focus on Him, the True Bread of Heaven, the hidden manna that is our portion everyday.  The Bible is meant to be bread for daily use, not cake for special occasions.

BBE [Bible in Basic English] I have made my cry to you, O Lord; I have said, You are my safe place, and my heritage in the land of the living.

GNB  LORD, I cry to you for help; you, LORD, are my protector; you are all I want in this life.

You are all I want in this life!

When Christ is our portion, any desire and want, other than Christ, seems to fall away. He becomes our desire and our heart cries out, “You are all I want in this life!”

We crave a lot of things:  Food, cars, jobs, friendships, certain drinks (Coffee), but do we crave, do we hunger for the Living God Who will fulfill all our longings? He is the Living Water. You can drink from the well that never runs dry. You will never be thirsty again. Just one moment in His presences changes you forever. You begin to see what you desired before was just rubbish compared to the fellowship you receive from Christ.

I remember a time in my life when I was praying one day. Many years ago I was striped of so many things after a bad choice I had made. I was feeling the pain of their lack in my life. I longed to have fellowship again with my previous friends. I longed to have my bad mistakes erased and go back to what I had. I ached in my heart and I cried out to God in the middle of that ache. Yet, it was my fault and I made the mess I was in. (Read more about this in my book, “The Garbage Man Always Comes On Fridays,” ) But I desperately cried out to God to have mercy.

As I poured out my pain to Christ, He came! Christ came and comforted me right there on the spot. He didn’t change my circumstances, but started healing me from the inside out. This changed my perspective. This began to lift the burden of regret and I saw Christ for who He really was in my life. Jesus is STRONG! He is ALL LOVING!, and ALL CARING! He is PEACEFUL, and ALL SURROUNDING! HE BECAME MY PORTION and I partook of Him. How did I do that? I worshipped. I took my eyes off of me and gazed at my beautiful Savior! I allowed Him to fill all the voids in me.

Soon, the pain of regret was not so painful because I inherited His presence and His love and forgiveness. Stillness and quietness came over me that settled deep within my spirit as I saw all my striving cease. I partook of all He had for me at that moment. Since then, He has given more of Himself, and more revelation of Who He is to me.

Why does God only give us a portion? If we partake of all He has for us, we would be so overwhelmed and our human minds could not comprehend what and who He really is. He gives us more than enough at the very moment we need it.

God is good and He only gives of Himself the portion we can contain at a given time. He has a never ending reserve just waiting for us to partake. It is our inheritance. This makes us want to go back for more and more of Him. This makes us say in Psa 73:26  My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

He is what we need at a given moment. He is what we desire. He is always available. He is always willing to come and comfort us. He is always there.

When I desire something now, I measure it up with Christ and what I have in Him. The truth is, whatever it is, never measures up! Nothing, NO ONE can fulfill all my desires like Christ can.

What desire, needs, or wants do you have right now? Have you spent time in God’s presence? Do you have a hunger for God and the things of God? Ask God for the hunger, He will give Himself to you.

He is your portion!

If you need peace…

If you want guidance…

If you are lonely and desire friendship…

If you long for fellowship…

If you desire ministry…

If you long for healing…

If you need comfort…… He is your portion

Desire God more than all of these things and He will touch those areas you have lack in.

Let us partake of Him today! Let us lay down our desires and only desire what God wants. This will make us what God wants us to be and what we were created for!

Pastor Kris Belfils

www.krisbelfils.com

www.hopefellowshipspokane.com

www.krisbelfils.wordpress.com

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12 Steps To Overcome Opposition (Part 2)

To recap the first three steps to overcome Opposition:

1.  Be wise to the words of the enemy.

2.  Be a strong and courageous soldier.

3.  Know your authority in Christ.

4. When the enemy mocks: Pray.

Nehemiah 4:4 (Amplified)

“[And Nehemiah prayed] Hear. O our God, for we are despised, Turn their taunts upon their own heads and give them for a prey in a land of their captivity. Cover not their iniquity and let not their sin be blotted out before You, for they have vexed [with alarm] the builders and provoked You.”

The first thing Nehemiah did after hearing the taunts of the enemy is he stood his ground and prayed. He didn’t allow their words to penetrate his heart. He immediately went to his Source for strength and help. When Nehemiah became aware of the growing opposition; in the face of this fear he prayed. This is what we need to learn, and this is what we need to do – when we face fear; when we become aware of opposition we need to pray.

Far too often we look and listen to the circumstance and become overwhelmed. We start to listen to the lies of the enemy and we retreat or start to doubt if God can help us. Our faith begins to die and fear begins to grow. Remember we have the power and authority to overcome our enemy. We should take note of the opposition, talk to god about it – but never stop doing what’s right.

Nehemiah never stopped, but continued to rebuild the walls.

5. Have a heart and mind to work.

Nehemiah 4:5 (Amplified)

“So we built the wall and all [of it] was joined together to half its height, for the people had a heart and mind to work.”

It is easy to get distracted by the enemy and focus on his threats and stop working on the task at hand. I believe many people have done this and still are doing this. They get discouraged and never complete what God called them to do. Remember, if the enemy isn’t attacking you, you are not a threat to him. Let’s be a threat to the kingdom of darkness every day. We should never give up doing well. We need to learn endurance and perseverance.

I remember when God showed me I didn’t have endurance in my life. He started to reveal my character of how I would always bolt when times were tough. It seemed to be my nature. But God required me to go back to a place I bolted from and to “stick it out.” Many times I wanted to leave. From the very beginning of coming back I wanted to exit. Opposition came at me hard and I had to stay where I was. I would overcome and endure one hardship and think I was done, but right away other opposition came. During this time of learning endurance one of my daughters was given a bracelet that simply had the word, “Endurance” on it. It was bright lime green. I knew God was showing me that I was exactly where I needed to be; learning endurance. So I asked my daughter if I could have the bracelet and I would wear it every time I wanted to bolt. It seemed I would wear it for days on end. But it was a reminder, as I would look down at my wrist that I needed to “keep on keeping on.”

“…so the people had a heart and mind to work.” These people had the vision in their hearts. They didn’t lose sight of what God called them to do. In fact they set a watch against the enemy day and night.

6. The enemy will come in many forms

Nehemiah 4:7 – 8 (Amplified)

“But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians. Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem, were going up and that the breaches were being closed, they were very angry. And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem, to injure and cause confusion and failure in it.” 

The enemies hear of the Jews progress and they decide to get more intense with their threats. They gather more people with like minds to join together to injure and confuse the builders. There are Sanballats, Tobiahs, Arabians, and Ammonites out there today that will try and distract and discourage you. They may even come in the form of a fellow Christian, a family member, or a close friend. Bruce Wilkinson wrote a book entitled, “The Dream Giver.”

In it he refers to the “Border Bullies” who try and prevent us from going beyond what we know. They even come in the form of close relatives or friends. But we can’t allow them to. We have to remember Whom we choose to please.

7. Walking in discouragement gives the advantage to the enemy.

Nehemiah 4:9 – 13

But because of them we made our prayer to our God and set a watch against them day and night. And the leaders of Jerusalem said, The strength of the burden bearers is weakening, and there is much rubbish; we are not able to work on the wall. And our enemies said, They will not know or see till we come into their midst and kill them and stop the work. And when the Jews who lived near them came, they said to us ten times, You must return [to guard our little villages]; from all places where they dwell they will be upon us. So I set [armed men] behind the wall in places where it was least protected; I even thus used the people as families with their swords, spears, and bows.”

The enemy was very angry. They came back again and again, now this time with more force. The people became frightened and discouraged. They started to listen to their enemies’ threats. If we become discouraged the devil knows it and will try and capitalize on his progress. Our discouragement will become the enemy’s opportunity to bring more opposition and fear to stop us from doing what right. We have to keep our hearts and minds focused. We can’t afford a pity party. As soon as we start feeling sorry for ourselves, and bring others along to join our party, the devil sees our weakness and takes advantage of it. The more we “pet” the pity monster, the bigger it becomes, until we can’t see to do anything anymore. Self-pity is a form of pride. We have to stay focused and not fall into this sin.

Nehemiah didn’t flinch and assigned armed guards, even families, to guard the wall. Then the fearless leader gave a “pep talk” to the people.

8. Learn to encourage yourself in the Lord.

Nehemiah 4:14 (Amplified)

“I looked [them over] and rose up and said to the nobles and officials and the other people, Do not be afraid of the enemy; [earnestly] remember the Lord and imprint Him [on your minds], great and terrible, and [take from Him courage to] fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”

As a leader, we have to give “pep talks” to encourage others. Most importantly we have to remember to give these talks to ourselves as well. There are enough things in this world that pull on us to get discouraged. We take ourselves where ever we go so it is imperative for us to learn to speak encouraging words to our self. This is faith in action. We can not rely on our emotions to direct us. In these verses the people were expressing their emotions to Nehemiah and not their faith.

9. Allow faith to arise in your spirit!

Proverbs 3:5 – 6 (NKJV)

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct your paths.”

Bringing the word “understanding” down to the original Hebrew we find it means: “feel, or perceive” among other like meanings.

We can not go by our emotions or what we feel or perceive when it is contrary to the Word of God. We have to rely on God and His wisdom and understanding. We can lead ourselves astray with our own thinking if we have not diligently spent time with God, digesting His word,  and acknowledging Him for direction.

Allow faith to arise in you and stand on God’s word. Faith says: We can take this land. Faith says: God is for us so who can be against us? Faith says: No matter what my surroundings are I will trust in the Lord to bring me through. Faith says: If I can’t see God’s hand in action in my life I will trust His heart!

Nehemiah expressed that they should not be afraid as God is bigger! He reminded them to remember the Lord and how awesome His is and be strengthened in the Lord. This brought encouragement and the people kept on working. We should never stop working and doing what God assigns us to do. Don’t be a quitter even in the face of the enemy, endure and never quit.

10. Live everyday to work and fight!

Nehemiah 4:15 – 17 (Amplified)

“And when our enemies heard that their plot was known to us and that God had frustrated their purpose, we all returned to the wall, everyone to his work. And from that time forth, half of my servants worked at the task, and the other half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail (breastplate); and the leaders stood behind all the house of Judah. Those who built the wall and those who bore burdens loaded themselves so that everyone worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other hand.”

We can learn so much from this story about spiritual warfare in our everyday life. I think often times people don’t realize the enemy never lets up. Everyday he is trying to bring us down and to defeat us. Everyday the enemy wants us to fail and to give up.

We have to be militant and look at everyday as an opportunity to do what God has called us to do and to be aware of the enemy’s tactics. We have to build and fight!

Hide the Word of God in your heart so you can use it like a weapon when the enemy tries to attack. Continue on with your life and your calling no matter what the devil throws at you. Never give up!

11. Remember God will fight for you!

Nehemiah 4:18 – 20

“And every builder had his sword girded by his side, and so worked. And he who sounded the trumpet was at my side. And I said to the nobles and officials and the rest of the people, the work is great and scattered, and we are separated on the wall, one far from another. In whatever place you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. God will fight for us!”

God is our Mighty Warrior! He cannot fail. He never loses a battle, never flinches under pressure, and never turns in defeat and gives up. If God is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31)? We are not fighting this battle alone. God is on our side. He will not leave us helpless or hopeless.

Psalm 118:6 – 7 

“The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is on my side and takes my part, He is among those who help me; therefore shall I see my desire established upon those who hate me.”

Hebrews 13:5b – 6

“…for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]. So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me?”

“What can man do to me?” It doesn’t matter what people think. If they don’t approve of what you are doing for God, let their opinion wash right off of you. Don’t allow another person’s opinion of you to prevent you from fulfilling your ultimate purpose and destiny in your life.

We will never have the approval of everyone. There will always be someone who doesn’t like you or what you do. No matter how much you try to please others, it will never completely happen. If you live your life to try and please others and win their approval, you are living in turmoil and becoming their puppet. You will never be happy or satisfied in life. It is not about what others think, but what God thinks. Live for pleasing God and not man.

12. Surround yourself with intercessors.

Nehemiah 4:21 – 23

“So we labored at the work while half of them held the spears from dawn until the stars came out. At that time also I said to the people, Let everyone with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that at night they may be a guard to us and a laborer during the day. So none of us – I, my kinsmen, my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me – took off our clothes; each kept his weapon [in his hand for days].”

Surround your self with people who will come and pray and support you. It is vitally important to have faithful people who will be at your side when you need it — people who have the same vision and goal as you — who will battle the enemy along side you. Remember we are stronger working together then we ever can be working as a loner.

Regardless of all the Sanballats and Tobiah’s in the world, the battle belongs to the Lord. He cannot fail! It is not in His character. God will fight for you! Remember one of the enemy’s tactics is to tell you many lies and mock you for your work. He will tell you how bad you are and how terrible the work you are doing is. Remind yourself you ARE on the right side and cannot be defeated. Even though you may get opposition, opposition doesn’t mean you are doing something wrong. Use opposition for your benefit. Allow it to fuel your determination to finish what you’ve started. When opposition comes turn it around and allow faith to arise in you.

Don’t oppose yourself. Don’t beat yourself up by believing the lies of the enemy. Don’t think you are a bad person just because there is opposition.

As you are cleaning the rubble from your past and rebuilding your present, trust that God has great plans for your future. He is rebuilding you and making you more like His Son. We have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16). Therefore we can, by His Spirit, think like Him, talk like Him, and act like Him. We are influenced by His Spirit.

Be strong and courageous in battle. Remember your Great Warrior is fighting the battle for you. Most importantly; Never Give Up!!!

Blessings,

Pastor Kris Belfils

www.krisbelfils.com

http://www.hopefellowshipspokane.com