Give Me This Mountain [Robert Fitts] ~Book

7/27/2019 Give Me This Mountain [Robert Fitts] ~Book

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GIVE

METHISMOUNTAIN

BY:Robert Fitts

Robert Fitts76-6309 Haku PlKona, HI 96740


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GIVE ME THIS MOUNTAIN [Robert Fitts] 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page 3 ------ForewordPage 4 ------Give Me This MountainPage 6 ------Vision, Valley, Fulfillment

Page 8-------Digging Your DitchesPage 10------Dont Doubt In The DarkPage 12------Moses Turned AsidePage 13------Keep On PloddingPage 15------Invest In Your VisionPage 17------Financed By FaithPage 19------Lord Of The BreakthroughPage 21------The Cross, The Cup, The Yoke, And The Will of GodPage 24------What Are You Looking At?Page 26------Putting The Cross To Work In Your LifePage 29------Dark, Ugly, Stinky Things

Page 31------Asking For All These ThingsPage 33------From Glory To Glory God Is Changing MePage 35------David and JonathanPage 37------And Now A Word From The Lord To YouPage 38------The Best Thing For Me Is Not Always PleasantPage 40------Where He Leads Me I Will FollowPage 43------A Three Step Prayer For GuidancePage 45------What God Says Once, He Says Again and AgainPage 47------A Daily Prayer Of ConfessionPage 49------Praying AlwaysPage 52------I Can Only Do My Part

Page 54------Do Not Lay Them AgainPage 56------Obeying Out Of The MuddlePage 57------Do You Have A Goal?Page 59------Going Back To NinevehPage 62------The End Of The Sacred And The SecularPage 64------Walking In RealityPage 67------Go Ahead . . . Take The Risk!Page 68------I Am Not An EyePage 70------Deeper Levels Of PrayerPage 72------The Death Of SelfPage 73------Getting Loose From A Religious Mind

Page 75------Walking Through Your WildernessPage 78------The End Of The StrugglePage 82----- The Birthing ProcessPage 84------After Word

Some of the quotations from the Bible in this book, are synopsized to clarify their application tothe context without compromising the meaning of the text.


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FOREWORD

Prayer is the fountainhead of everything else, the spring from which all elseflows. Ministry and vision for new ministries are birthed in prayer if they comefrom God. God does not get excited about our good ideas unless He is the one

who provoked them. Gods order is with us as it was with Israel. We must followthe pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. The cloud does not followus. (Exodus 13 and 14)

Over the years, my first step in any project has been prayer, not only prayingmyself, but recruiting others to pray with me. A part of this strategy has been tokeep in touch with our fellow workers who pray for us, work with us, and helpsupport the work we are doing. Over the years I have sent out a prayer letterperiodically and in that letter I have included a teaching that ministered to my life.That was when I was sending out letters byregular mail, before I learned to use electronic mail . . . e-mail.

More recently, after being launched into e-mail, I have sent some of theseteachings out and the response has been gratifying. Some have suggested that Icompile these teachings and send them out as a book. This is the story of howthis little book came to be. And so here is a compilation of those teachings thatare calculated to help you climb the mountain God has given you to climb.

I trust you will give these truths an opportunity to work in your life and in yourwalk with Jesus. God bless you and encourage you as you read the followingpages. If these truths bring encouragement, strength, hope, faith, light, orrevelation to you, please pass them on to someone else.


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"GIVE ME THIS MOUNTAIN"

Caleb was an old man now. Forty five years earlier he and Joshua were two ofthe twelve spies sent into Canaan to spy out the land. Both Joshua and Calebhad given a good report and recommended that Israel go up and take the land at

once. But the other ten spies gave an evil report that struck fear into the hearts ofGod's people and as a result they did not have the faith to enter the land Godhad given them. For forty years Israel wanderedabout in the desert under the until that entire generation below the age of 20 died. . . all except Joshua and Caleb.

After Moses left the scene and Joshua had led Israel into Canaan, where for fiveyears they won victory after victory, one day Caleb approached Joshua and said,"You know what the Lord said to Moses concern ing me at Kedesh-Barnea

after we had sp ied out the land. And now God has kept m e al ive these

forty-f ive years, and Moses gave me a word at that t ime that God wo uld

surely give me the land up on w hich m y feet had trod. Therefore give methis mo untain. For the Lord wi l l surely strengthen me to drive out the

inhabi tants thereof."(Josh ua 14)

There are seven things about this story that stood out to me and impacted mylife:

First, here was a man of God who at the age of 85 was holding on to a word hehad received 45 years earlier. Has God spoken a word to you that will require thesame tenacity and courage to bring it to pass, even though the years havepassed over you and the word you received seems to have died out there on thedesert somewhere?

Second, the mountain Caleb had in his heart to possess was something his feethad already walked upon, the word of the Lord had only confirmed what wasalready in his heart concerning that mountain when Moses said, "Sure ly theland whereon yo ur feet have trodden shal l be your inheri tance and yo ur

chi ldren's forever because you h ave wh ol ly fol lowed the Lord m y God."Thefaith to possess that mountain came to Caleb by seeing and touching the landand by hearing the word of the Lord concerning what hehad seen and touched. True faith is not arbitrarily choosing a goal and then tryingto speak it into being. It is only as we see it in the spirit and know that it is the willof God that we will have the faith to receive it, or to declare it, or to achieve it, orto just wait for it in quietness and in confidence.

Third, this mountain was given to Caleb because of one single act of obedience.He had fully obeyed God in one particular instance and it secured to him areward that would not be denied to him though it did not come to him for forty-fivelong years. Many of the blessings that we now enjoy are the rewards of certainacts of obedience that we fulfilled in the past. A very big door will swing on very


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small hinges. The seemingly insignificant little acts of obedience we do from dayto day may be the hinges that govern the outcome of important and weightymatters in the future. This was the case when Abraham offered Isaac on thealtar. Once that was done it never had to be done again. Abraham passed thetest and the blessing was pronounced that would never be nullified. You may be

right on the verge of entering into blessings that are rewards for some act ofobedience completed years ago, or you may be in a test today that will yieldbenefits later if you will obey now.

Fourth, Caleb realized that he would have a part in bringing the promise tofulfillment. He had to go out and take the land that had been promised him. Hewent, he warred and he won! It is a rare thing for God to bring to us a ready-made victory that does not require of us some act of faith. Most of the time wefind ourselves in the boat with a word from the Lord like Peter heard that stormynight . . . "Come." Jesus bid him step out of the boat and walk on the water withHim. Peter had to get down out of the boat and walk on the water by his own

faith. It was not Jesus' faith, otherwise Peter would not have sunk into the sea.

Has the Lord called on you to leave the comfort zone of your boat and dosomething that will require miracles to accomplish? If he says, "Come!" it is safeto get out of the boat. Even if you do sink, he is there to rescue you and get youback to safety. The only way you will ever walk on water is to take the risk ofgetting wet. Peter did get wet, but he also walked on water.

Fifth, Caleb did not allow his age to become a negative factor. " Lo, I am thisday 85 years old, but I am as strong this day as I was the day Moses sent

me: as my s trength was then, even so is my s trength now . . . "Manyspiritual giants in the Body of Christ down through the years did not get started intheir life's calling until they were well past their youth. Smith Wigglesworth startedhis worldwide miracle healing ministry at age 55. Overholtser was past 50 whenhe started Child Evangelism Fellowship. Moses was 80 when he received the callto go to Egypt. Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90 when Isaac the son ofpromise, was born.

God will use you without regard to your age. He is calling men and women of allages to step out of their comfort zone and walk on water with Him to help disciplethe nations. Do you hear the call?

Sixth, Caleb's obedience brought blessing upon his children unto manygenerations. None of us know how many of the good things we now enjoy arethe direct result of some act of obedience on the part of our fathers orforefathers. Conversely, many of the hang ups and bondages we struggle withmay be because of some act of disobedience on their part?

Seventh, Caleb served with his brothers to secure the land of Canaan for theentire nation before he made mention of his own individual portion. His example


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speaks for itself. God wants us to concentrate on how we can be a blessing toothers and not always to be thinking about our own things. As we do this, Godwill secure to us our mountain and fulfill our dreams, and in the process will blessour children and their children unto a thousand generations.

VISION, VALLEY, FULFILLMENT

Everything starts with vision! Somebody, somewhere saw something andpursued their vision. Now we all see it because they did not give up while in thevalley phase of the process. Before anything is seen with the natural eye, it isfirst seen with the eye of vision. This is true in the natural realm as well as in thespirit realm. Without visionaries, we would not have electric lights, the airplane,the computer, the automobile, and every other invention of the past centuries.

God gives vision. Every great movement of God had its beginning in the heart ofone of his children intent upon hearing from God and doing his will. It came into

the heart of Moses to deliver Israel from Egyptian bondage. Joseph had dreamsof being used of God as a deliverer. David was anointed to be king of all Israelwhen he was just a shepherd boy. In his old age Abraham heard the voice ofGod giving promise of a son through whom a nation would come forth.

In all four lives mentioned above there was a fulfillment of the vision, But . . .there was a big, long, dark, ugly valley between the vision and the fulfillment.

Abraham was in the valley for 25 years before Isaac, the son of promise, arrived.David waited 13 years to see his prophecy fulfilled, Joseph walked through a 13year valley, and Moses endured a 40 year valley on the backside of the desert.

All of these men had a vision as to how God was going to use them and theykept that vision alive in their hearts through a long and painful trial of their faith.

Has God spoken a word of promise to you about how he wants to use you? Havethe years come and gone without any sign of fulfillment? Have you been sorelytempted to give it all up as a silly, selfish dream or an "off the wall" prophecy?Don't give up too easily. You might still be in the "Valley" of preparation! It is inthe valley where God forms the man and purifies the vision.

Between every vision and its fulfillment lies a long period of preparation, testing,molding, discipline, purifying, teaching, purging, scalding, scourging, beating,blasting, breaking, healing, peeling, adjusting, correcting, grooming, tearing,ripping, humbling, stumbling, moaning, groaning, crying, screaming, screeching,sobbing, sighing, agonizing, praying, wailing, weeping that is called . . . TheValley!

Are you in the valley? The duration and severity of the valley is usually anindication of the significance and importance of the job the Lord has called you toaccomplish. In most cases the greater the task, the longer and more difficult thevalley.


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It is in the valley where God prepares his instrument. The vision can come in aperiod of a few minutes or even seconds, but the fulfillment of the vision mayrequire years or even decades. Have you noticed something else about thesefour men? They were all called to be a deliver. Moses delivered Israel fromslavery. Joseph delivered Israel from starvation. David delivered Israel from the

heel of the enemy and into their inheritance, and Abraham was called to bringforth a nation through which the GREAT DELIVERER would come.

If you have a vision that exalts self and self interest, BEWARE! While God maygive a man or woman unusual favor in the eyes of people at times, they areraised up to accomplish a work of great deliverance, not necessarily to be greatlyadmired.

The Lord gave me a vision forty years ago that is just beginning to come to pass.Forty years ago in June of 2009 the Lord put in my heart a vision of disciples inevery country in the world. I knew that could only be done through the principle of

multiplication and I knew it would take a long time to see it come to pass, but Idid not know it would be forty long years of preparation before it would begin totake on shape and form!

I was looking at the project, but God was looking at the instrument he had towork with to accomplish the project. I am glad he chooses the foolish things toconfound the wise and the weak things to confound the mighty, and base things,and things which are despised, and things which are not to bring to naught thingsthat are. Thank God, I qualify on all counts! My! Those words have a sweet ringto them! "foolish, weak, base, despised." I'm glad God likes to use such things.

Aren't you?

What do you do while in the middle of the valley?

Dont doubt in the dark what God gave you in the light!

Keep on plodding! Keep a steady gaze on Jesus and an occasional glance at thevision. Remember that in every case cited above when these men did anything tohelp God create or manufacture the fulfillment of the vision it only landed them ina mess!

Moses tried to bring deliverance to Israel before God's timing and failedmiserably. Abraham tried to speed up the process and produced an Ishmael thatcaused nothing but problems. David and Joseph waited on God and He broughtforth the fulfillment of their vision in his own way and in his own time.

So just wait in faith. Obey God moment by moment and know that he is working.He is always on time. He who gave you the VISION will also bring theFULFILLMENT when he is through forming you in the VALLEY.


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DIGGING YOUR DITCHES

Have you considered the importance of digging ditches? It may someday be themost important work you will ever do! I am referring to the story in II Kings 3, ofKing Jehoshaphat, King Jehoram and the King of Edom who were going to war

against the King of Moab. Their armies had journeyed seven days when they ranout of water. They had lost their way and there was no water for the men or forthe cattle.

But Jehos haphat said, Is there a prop het of the Lord here? An d one

answered, El isha is here. An d El isha said, 'Br ing m e a minstrel . ' And i t

came about, when the minstrel played, the hand of the Lord came upon

him. An d El isha said, 'Make this val ley ful l of di tches. For thus says the

Lord , You s hal l not see wind nor r ain, yet this val ley shal l be f i l led w i th

water so that you shal l dr ink, both you and y our catt le and yo ur beasts. '

And i t happened in the mor ning abou t the t ime of the offer ing of the

sacri f ice that the country was f i l led wi th w ater."

Such a miracle of provision! But it was a co-operative miracle between God andman. God sent the water, but men dug the ditches. If they had not dug theditches, the water would have been quickly swallowed up by the thirsty desertsand. The word of the Lord came to them through the prophet. The promise wasplain, " This val ley shal l be f i l led wi th water."But their preparation was to digditches in anticipation of the fulfillment of the promise. This was their act of faith.

At the wedding feast in Cana, Jesus said, " Fi l l the water pots wi th w ater andtake them to the go vernor o f the feast ."The men obeyed and filled them withwater. While they carried them to the governor, the miracle occurred! The waterwas changed to wine! This was another example of how God works with men tobring forth miracles. They provided the water pots and the waterJesus madethe wine.

Brother Andrew, God's Smuggler, tells how in the early days of his walk withJesus, he was given a word of prophecy telling him to take driver's training tolearn how to drive a car. He couldn't understand why because he did not have acar nor did he have any access to a car. This was soon after the second worldwar and automobiles in Holland were scarce. However, after some hesitation, hebelieved this was indeed a word from the Lord, so he began taking driver'straining. Within a short time after having completed his training, he received as agift a Volkswagon Sedan. This was the car he used to begin his ministry ofsmuggling Bibles behind the iron curtain. He was faithful to dig his ditches andGod met all his expectations . . . and more!

He never dreamed he would ever own an automobile. Several years ago theLord spoke to me to take a flight training course and get my private pilot'slicense. He assured me that this was a necessary part of my preparation for the


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work He had called me to do. I waited on the Lord for further instructions since Idid not have an airplane or any money to take the training, and flight training isexpensive! After a few weeks a businessman came up to me and told me theLord had instructed him to pay for my pilot's training. So in obedience to theLord's clear leading, I began to study and train. In less than a year I not only had

my pilot's license, I also had my own airplane to expedite the ministry of travelingand teaching. When God gives you a promise, start digging your ditches!

Several years ago, while living in Southern California, the Lord gave my wife andme what I call a "divine discontent with the house we had lived in for more thanfifteen years. He spoke to us that He wanted to bless us with a bigger house anda better house in a better location. He kept encouraging us to "dig our ditches." Ina little more than a year, we had purchased land and built a bigger house and abetter house in a better location. God had spoken, we dug our ditches, and weexperienced the miracle of a new house with twice the space for our growingfamily.

Has God given you a promise? Has He planted a seed of faith in your heart? Hashe given you a vision of some "impossible dream?" Perhaps you feel it isaltogether too big for you ever to accomplish? But if God has planted the dreamin your heart, your part is to do what you are able to do (dig the ditches) and it isHis part to send the rain in the highlands which will eventually reach your desertwhere you have been faithfully digging your ditches and waiting for the floods tofill them up to the brim!


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DONT DOUBT IN THE DARK

The ancient mariner used to navigate by "dead reckoning." He had none of thesophisticated electronic instruments that we have today. He would take adirectional reading by sighting the sun or the stars through a navigational

instrument called a "sextant." If a storm obscured the sky, he would continue tosail by that reading, no matter how long the sky was covered, until he came outinto clear skies. Often the storm would be on them for many days and weeks, butthey would continue to sail by the most recent sighting of the sun or stars.

Perhaps you are sailing now by "dead reckoning." God has given you a certainword of direction for your life, but now the storm is upon you and you are at thepoint of wavering. God has a word for you! Don't doubt in the dark what Godgave you in the light!

The Englishman, William Carey, is called "the father of modern missions." He

opened the door to India for the Gospel in the face of overwhelming obstacles ata time when there was little sympathy for his vision. He said, "In his later yearshe said, "If those who review my life have anything to say about my effectivenessas a minister of Christ, let it be said that the asset that has helped me most is thefact that I am a plodder. If I know that the project is from God, I will keep onplodding day after day until the job is done, no matter what!"

It was by doggedly plodding on day after day that Carey was able to translate theentire Bible into one of the Indian languages and thereby make it possible forhundreds of future translations in India and other lands. The sufferings andsetbacks he endured are almost unimaginable, but he kept on plodding! The lifeof Carey will forever ring out the call to persevere in that which the Lord hascalled us to do in spite of the hardships, inconveniences, sufferings, anddifficulties. When you know the will of God beyond any doubt, keep on going inspite of all that Satan can throw against you.

God is continually revealing His will and His direction to those who really want todo His will and walk in His ways. He has given the Bible, the church, divinelyordered circumstances and His deep inner peace to keep us from going off track.We have an obligation before God to weigh all the evidence before we come to aconclusion as to His will in any given matter. Wait on Him until all the facts are inand then make your decision in the light of all His confirmations.

We can always know two things about the will of God; first, it is always good forus; and, second, it is possible for us to do it by His enabling power. It was a greatday in my life as a young Christian when I settled it in my mind that God wouldnever lead me into a situation that I could not handle by His grace.

For a long time I wrestled inwardly as I struggled against a full surrender of mylife to God. I was only seventeen, I had a girlfriend, and I was afraid that if I


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yielded myself completely to God he would take her away from me and send meto some dark jungle as a missionary where I would never see her or any of myfriends and loved ones again.

When I ceased struggling and gave myself unreservedly to Him, I discovered that

He had planned the most exciting and fulfilling experiences I could imagine. HowI praise Him for being so patient with me!

Father, be relentless with me. Keep working with me to draw me into the fullnessof your will for my life. You know my heart. I truly desire to do your will! I thankyou for being patient with me until I see clearly what you desire for me. Don't giveup on me, Jesus, until all your purposes for my life are fully accomplished.


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MOSES TURNED ASIDE

"Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian,and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountainof God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within

a bush. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from withina bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Mosesthought, I will go over and see this strange sight-why the bush does not burn up.When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from withinthe bush, Moses, Moses! And Moses said, Here I am.(Exodu s 3:1-4)

Sometimes God has to get our attention before he gives us a word of directionfor our future. And sometimes He has to put us in a quiet place before he sets abush on fire to draw our attention. Moses had heard the word of the Lord fortyyears earlier that he would be used to deliver the Israelites from the bondage ofEgypt, but he didn't take the time to wait on God for just how that was to be done.

He assumed that all he needed was to know what to do and to immediately goabout doing it to the best of his ability. It is not enough to know what God iscalling me to do, I must wait on God for his timing, his method, his helpers, andhis plan. He who believes shall not make haste.(Isaiah 28:16)

Sometimes God only gives us a "one step" command, such as he gave Abrahamwhen he told him to leave his home, his country, and his people and move to aplace that he would show him . . . later. But even in that mode, we are totallydependent on God for all the future steps.

Has God put a word in your heart as to what he wants you to do? Then wait onhim for his mighty arm to clear the way for you. When Moses heard the voice ofGod speaking to him from the burning bush, he was not even willing to take thefirst step to do what he heard God telling him to do. He had to go through a timeof prayer and conversation with God about how unqualified he was to take onsuch a gigantic responsibility! When he was forty years old, he felt he was totallyprepared and qualified. Now that he was eighty years old, he knew he did nothave what it takes to do the job of bringing Israel out of Egypt into the PromisedLand. In his heart he knew he needed something from God he did not havebefore. And God met his need. He gave him a rod of authority that brought thedimension of miracles into his life.

Let God give you, not only the general call, but also the specifics as to how,what, when, who, and where. God will surely put the pieces all together andmake it abundantly clear as you wait on him in prayer, faith, and patience. Theone thing that Moses did not have when he first tried to deliver the Children ofIsrael out of bondage was the Rod of God. This time he waited till he was giventhat rod of power and authority. That rod of God for us in our time is the baptismin the Holy Spirit. When He comes upon you, you shall receive POWER!(Acts1:8)


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KEEP ON PLODDING

Have you felt like giving up lately? Has God given you promises that have not yetbeen fulfilled? Have you been wondering if you heard correctly when youstepped into your present situation? God has a word for you. Will you open your

heart to receive it? Here is his NOW word to you:

"Have I not said unto you that if you would believe you would see the glory ofGod? You have obeyed my voice and have gone to your Nineveh and have setyourself to do all my will. I see and I will honor your obedience. Only be notweary in well doing for IN DUE SEASON you shall reap if you faint not.

I know that you have not walked a perfect walk but you are under a bloodcovenant and all your sins are forgiven for Jesus sake. I have given you the suremercies of David and though visit you with the rod, yet I will not remove mymercies from you, for I correct, I rebuke, and I discipline the one in whom my soul

delights. (Psalm 89 & Hebrew 12)

Therefore let not your heart be discouraged, but lift up the hands that hang downand give high praise to the Lord your God who has called you and anointed youto be a blessing right where you are now! Think not in your heart that yourhappiness and fulfillment will come to you in another time and in another place.You are at this moment in the right place to experience fullness of joy! Nocreated thing or circumstance has power to bring you into peace and rest. I amyour dwelling place and you exceeding great reward.

The vision I have given to you is for a time yet to come. It is growing closer. Donot lose heart. Hold fast your confession of faith without wavering for He isfaithful that promised. Remember my servant Joseph who endured the trials ofmany years before he saw the fulfillment of his dreams, but after his faith wastried, I brought him to the place of usefulness and influence that I had promisedhim while still a youth. As I took pains to prepare my servant then for such aposition of responsibility and fruitfulness, even so I am preparing you. Walkthrough the dry places with joy and rejoicing! The fires of the present trials areupon you only to purify you as a vessel unto honor, sanctified and prepared forthe masters use.

You have toiled excessively to make it all happen. You must relax and let mebring it all to pass. It will not come even one day before my appointed time forthen it would be too early and you would not be ready. I will wait for you that Imay be gracious to you in the fullness of the time. This is a time for you to restand enjoy Me.

Cease from your strivings! You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand still andsee the salvation of the Lord. I will fight for you and you shall hold your peace.The time will come when you will rejoice in the reality of the vision that has fully


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account. I have received ful l payment and even more; I am amp ly sup pl ied,

now that I have received from Epaphrodi tu s the gi f ts you sent. They are a

fragrant of fer ing, an acceptable sacri f ice, pleasing to God . And m y God wi l l

meet all your needs accord ing to h is glor ious rich es in Chris t Jesus.In the above passage we see, Paul was looking to God to meet his needs, but

we also know he worked with his hands when necessary. There were times whenhe had plenty and times when he was suffering need. He was instructed to live atpeace in either circumstance.

There was only one assembly of believers who stood with him in the matter offinancial support. He knew that whoever was led to help him in financial supportwould be storing up in God an account with Him that would ultimately overflow tomeet all their financial needs.

So I encourage you to get out of the boat and walk on the water with Jesus inyour finances. Since you have affirmed that God has made it clear to you both

that this is His will for you at this time. Remember, His name is JEHOVAH-JIREH, the Lord our provider!

Notice in all the passages below how God gives the admonition to give liberallyand then follows it with a promise of material blessing. The true cure for povertyis generosity with expectation. It does not honor our Father if we teach people togive without expecting anything in return as if they were being selfish. Would youfeel honored if you gave promises of rewards to your children and theyconsistently rejected such promises as if they were being told to do somethingshameful? Consider the following:

" Honor the LORD with your w ealth, wi th the f i rs t frui ts of al l your crop s;

then your b arns wi l l be f i lled to overf lowing , and you r vats wi l l br im ov er

wi th new w ine."(Prov:3:9-10)

" Give, and i t wi l l be given to you . A good measure, pressed down, shaken

together and runn ing over, wi l l be pou red into you r lap. For wi th the

measure you use, it wi l l be measured to y ou."Luke 6:38 (NIV)

" One man gives freely, yet gains even mo re; anoth er wi thholds u ndu ly, but

com es to poverty ."Proverbs 11:24 (NIV)

" Remember this : Whoever sow s sparingly wi l l also reap sparingly, and

wh oever sows generous ly wi l l also reap generously. 7Each m an should

give what he has decided in his h eart to give, not reluctant ly or und er

com puls ion , for God lov es a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to make al l

grace abound to yo u, so that in al l things at all t imes, having al l that you

need, you w i l l abou nd in every good w ork."2 Corinthians 9:6-8 (NIV)


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Your financial breakthrough will come as you begin to faithfully give sacrificially tothe Lord. " Give and i t shal l be given unto yo u, good m easure, presseddow n, shaken together and run ning over shal l me give into your bo som ."

(Luke 6:38)You may not see an immediate breakthrough, but it will surely come." Give of the f irs t frui ts of yo ur increase, so sh al l you r barns b e f i lled wi th

plenty and your pr esses shal l burst forth w i th new wine."(Proverbs 3:10)

Your physical breakthrough will come as you do what it says in James 5:14-16.Do it and your breakthrough will burst forth. This is God's personal word to youNOW! Call and ask your spiritual leader or leaders to anoint you with oil in thename of the Lord and pray over you. Your healing will come in the name ofJesus. " The prayer offered in fai th w i l l make the sick person wel l . The Lordwi l l raise him up, and i f he has commit ted sins, they wi l l be

forgiven."(James 5:16)

Your breakthrough in your job will come as you begin to praise the Lord daily for

the job you now have. Pray for your employers and your superiors. Bless them inthe name of Jesus. For those who need a job, your breakthrough will come bylooking for a job with complete confidence that you are going to find the exact jobGod has for you. It will come! KNOCK! ASK! SEEK! As you invest your faith byacting on your faith, you will have a better job in a short time.

A breakthrough will come in your ministry as you go before the Lord in fastingand prayer for a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit. Do not count it a light thing thatyou are no longer effective in ministering the life of God to others. The Lord holdsus responsible for fulfilling our ministry and he has given all of us some kind ofministry outlet to the church and to the world.

A breakthrough in your family will come as you take time to be together, praytogether, plan together, play together, work together and read together. A strongfamily is no accident. It takes a lot of time and a lot of God's grace.

A breakthough in that broken relationship will come as you humble yourself andadmit your own shortcomings and failures and ask your loved one or friend toforgive you. Do not try to change the other person. Freely forgive them even ifthey do not repent and ask forgiveness. Do not generalize. Be specific! Do notsay, "I'm sorry." You can say something like, "I was wrong when I . . . (be veryspecific and clear why you are asking forgiveness) then ask the question, "Willyou forgive me?"

It is worth humbling yourself in order to gain your friend. God resists the proudbut gives grace to the humble. You do not need to tell your friend that you forgivehim/her. Just tell that to Jesus and be sincere. That will seal it in the spirit realm.

If you need a breakthrough in some other area, go before God and ask him adirect question. "Lord, where is the battle line? I will go up to the battle and trust


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you for a breakthrough if you show me where to go and what to do." As you prayand wait on the Lord, he will answer that sincere prayer. He will show you in hisown way; in a way that you will clearly understand. The breakthrough comes aswe obey the Lord and do all he tells us to do. AMEN!

THE CROSS, THE CUP, THE YOKE, AND THE WILL OF GOD

Jesus taught us to pray, "Thy K ingdom come, thy wi l l be done."To pray forone is to pray for the other. When we pray, "Thy w i l l be done" , we are praying"Thy k ingdom come."When His Kingdom comes in me, His will is done in me,for God is then at work within me to will and to do of His good pleasure. Heoperates on the inside of me to make me want to do what He wants me to do.There is joy, fulfillment, fruitfulness, and happiness in doing the will of God whenwe take our hands off our lives and put them securely in the hands of God.

Jesus said, " My meat (food that sat is f ies) is to do th e wi l l of Him wh o sentme and to f in ish th e work that He gave me to do."When I am doing His will,His kingdom is established within me. To seek His rule and reign in my heart, isto seek to do what He wants me to do. I cannot separate God from the will ofGod. If I put God on one side of the balance scales and the will of God on theother they would come to a perfect balance. They would weigh exactly the same.

God will never forcefully impose His will upon me. I must submit my will to His willand then He works His will within me. I cannot seek God without seeking the willof God and I cannot run from the will of God without running from God. When Iam pursuing the will of God I am pursuing God. When I embrace the will of God, Iam embracing God.

"When Chris t came into the world he said, 'Sacri f ice and o ffer ing you did

not desi re, but a body yo u prepared for me; wi th burn t of fer ings and sin

offer ings y ou were not pleased. Then I said, Here I am--it is w ri t ten about

me in the scrol l --I have come to d o yo ur w i l l , O God. '"(Heb. 10:5-7)

Jesus came to do the will of God. Throughout his entire life, He never didanything outside of the will of God. In so doing He became the most powerful,dynamic, life-changing, history changing, sought after, controversial person whoever lived. On any list of the ten most influential men of all time, ninety-nine timesout of a hundred, Jesus of Nazareth heads the list, even if the list is made by anunbeliever.

Jesus was filled with the Spirit of God and went about doing good and healing allwho were oppressed of the devil. But his ministry of miracles, signs and wonderswere not the most important thing about Jesus. If he had not been faithful to dothe will of God at all times He would have been a failure.


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DARK, UGLY, STINKY THINGS

Some time ago I began to hear something in my spirit; something rather startlingand yet exciting! This is what I heard: "God specializes in taking dark, ugly, stinkythings and transforming them into beautiful, bright, fragrant things for His glory

and for our good."

As I thought about it, I became convinced that it was a word from the Lord to me,but also a word that God wanted me to share with others. From that time I havespoken that word out loud to myself and to others. Later on one of my morningprayer walks I asked the Lord to give me scriptural grounds for such a statement.He gave me three:

"A nd w e know that God causes every th ing to w ork together for the good o f

those wh o love God and are cal led according to His purpo se for them."

(Romans 8:28) NLT

Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and the Lord used their selfish,stinking, murderous act as a means of their own salvation, for it was Joseph whowas used of Go to provide food for them many years later when they and theirfamilies were starving.

The most heinous, dark, ugly, stinky thing mankind ever did was when we nailedthe Son of God to that cross and watched him die. But God turned that foul deedinto the gift of salvation for all mankind.

The story is told of a survivor of a shipwreck who was washed up on a small,uninhabited Island. He prayed fervently for God to rescue him, and every day hescanned the horizon for help, but all in vain.

He eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from theelements, and to store his meager possessions. But then one day, afterscavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames. The worst hadhappened; everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. "Oh, God,how could you do this to me?" he cried. He went to sleep that night in a state ofdeep grief and discouragement. Early the next day he was awakened by thesounds of a ship approaching the island. As the boat from the ship touched ontothe shore he ran into the surf shouting, "How did you know I was here?"

"We saw your smoke signal!" they answered.

That which now seems to be nothing but total tragedy may be the instrument inthe hands of God to bring you into total victory. C. S. Lewis said, "He who hasJesus and noth ing else has no m ore than he wh o has Jesus and noth ing

else."


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Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister during World War II, was invited todo the commencement speech at Yale University right after the war. He walkedto the podium and stood looking at the vast audience for a long moment, thenbegan his speech. The graduates and their invited guests sat waiting to savorevery word of the great orator as he began to speak. Churchill boomed out the

words:

"NEVER GIVE UP!"(long pause)

"NEVER, EVER GIVE UP!"(another long pause)

"NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP!"

The people sat in total silence awaiting his next word. Churchill stood there for a

long time looking out over the audience, then suddenly turned and walked backto his seat on the platform and sat down. It was the shortest commencementaddress in the history of the University . . . but it might be the only one that willnever be forgotten.


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I am convinced that we are sometimes too intelligent to receive all God has forus. God has chosen to use the little things, little people, weak things, base thingsto confound the wise, strong, and powerful. God has more of his blessing andanointing for us if we are little enough, weak enough, childlike enough to receiveit. The revival will come knocking on your door. Will you be hungry enough,

thirsty enough, small enough to invite it in? God, help us to be willing to beconverted and become as little children so that we will not miss your best for usin these exciting days!

DAVID AND JONATHAN

Every child of God should be able to identify with David and Jonathan. We are alla David and we are all a Jonathan. We all need a Jonathan and we all need aDavid.

In I Samuel 18:1-4 we read, " Now i t came about wh en David had f in ishedspeaking wi th Saul that the soul of J onathan was kn i t to the soul of Davidand Jon athan loved him as himsel f . . . then Jo nathan made a covenant

wi th David because he loved him as himsel f . And Jonathan str ipped

hims el f of the robe that was on h im and gave i t to David, wi th his armor,

inc luding his sw ord, his bow and his bel t . . . So David pro spered."

God sent the prophet Samuel to anoint David as king In Israel, but that did notguarantee David would sit on the throne ruling Israel. There was a period ofseveral years between the day David was anointed and the day he became kingover all Israel. These were years of struggle, trials and preparation. WithoutJonathan and others like him, David would never have come into the fullness ofGod's purposes for his life. He would never have ruled Israel as king.

God has a calling and an anointing on your life. He has designed uniquepurposes for you. He will also send you a Jonathan to help you come into thefullness of all that He has planned for you. In fact, He will give you as manyJonathans as you need.

It was God who gave David such favor in the eyes of Jonathan. It was God whoknit Jonathan's soul to the soul of David. This knitting is an inward dispositionthat cannot be produced by a rational process. It is like a spontaneous explosionof love and commitment. It happens in the spirit. It cannot be contrived ormanipulated. It is God given and dynamic. It may flourish for awhile and then dieaway, according to God's wise design. The word "knit" in this passage means, "totie or bind together as one."

Some years later, when Jonathan was killed in battle, David lamented over himwith these words, " I am dis t ressed for yo u m y brother Jonathan, you have


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been very pleasant to me. Your love for me was m ore won derful than the

love of women."(II Sam . 1:26)

This love that God put in the heart of Jonathan for David inspired him to giveDavid his robe, his armor, and his weapons of war. In other words, all the

resources of Jonathan were laid at David's feet and became available to him ashe might need them. This was no small gesture, for Jonathan was the son of aking and heir apparent to the throne of Israel.

For all that God has given you to accomplish in His kingdom, be assured that Hewill also provide the means to accomplish it. He will give you a Jonathan that Hewill knit to your soul in such a way that you will both move forward into the battleas one man.

But God will also make you a Jonathan to a David. Is this too humbling for you?Had you rather be a David only and not serve another as a Jonathan? Joshua

was a great man, but his greatness grew out of the years that he was faithful toserve Moses, the servant of God. Elisha was a mighty prophet in Israel, but hestarted out as Elijah's servant and remained faithful right up to the moment thathis master was taken up to heaven in chariots of fire. John Mark and Timothyboth became fruitful servants of God for they walked as humble servants to theapostle Paul and ministered to him as unto the Lord.

An old Indian proverb says, " He who helps his broth er get his canoe acrossthe river wi l l get his own canoe across in the process." Jesus said that hewho is unfaithful as another man's servant will not be entrusted with his ownestate. " If , then, you have not proved trus twor thy wi th th e wealth of thiswo rld, who wi l l trust you wi th the weal th that is real? And i f you h ave

proved unt rus twor thy wi th wh at belongs to another , who wi l l g ive you what

is your own?"

I believe God is calling his people to function at all times both as a Jonathan andas a David; both as a servant to another and as one who is being served. As aJonathan, we should always be helping someone to fulfill his vision and hiscalling; as a David, we should be sensitive in the spirit to recognize and receivethose God is sending to us to help us fulfill our vision and calling. God neverintended that we try to function as a "Lone Ranger" in the Body of Christ. He willalways be drawing people together with the cords of love so that our labor in theLord will be accomplished as teamwork.

" Two are better than on e, because they have a good return for thei r wo rk: I f

one fal ls dow n, his fr iend can help him up. But pi ty the man who fal ls and

has no o ne to help him u p! Also, i f two l ie dow n together, they wi l l keep

warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be

overpow ered, two c an defend them selves. A co rd of three strands is not

quick ly brok en."Ecclesiastes 4:9-12


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A NOW WORD FROM THE LORD TO YOU!

"I am coming to you walking upon the waters of your life. Above the sounds ofthe storm you will hear my voice calling your name. You are never alone, for I amat your right hand. Never despair, for I am watching over and caring for you. Be

not anxious. This difficult situation is all part of My planning. I am working out thedetails to the end that I may bless you and reveal myself to you in a new way.

I have opened your eyes to see and your ears to hear and you shall come toknow me even as did Moses in a face to face relationship. For I will remove theveil that separates me from you and you shall know me as your dearest Friendand truest Comforter.

No darkness shall hide my face, for I will be to you as a bright star in the nightsky. Never let your faith waver. All things shall be as I plan them, if you allow methe freedom to shape circumstances and lead you to the right decisions. I

purpose to do you good. I will bring to you those who can truly help. Leave all inmy hands.

I want you to prosper and be in health. I want you to know Me even moreintimately. When difficulties come, it is by my order and for your benefit. Manwould say you have trouble. I say you have testing. My peace I give you.

I Love you. I shed my blood to cleanse you. I made you new. You must believe it.In my eyes you are worthy of love. I have created you just as you are. Do notcriticize yourself for not being perfect in your own eyes. This will only lead tofrustration.

I want you to trust me for every step you take, one day at a time. Abide in mylove and in my power and be free. Be yourself. Do not allow others to manipulateyou. I will guide you. Be aware of my presence every moment. I give you my joy,patience, peace. Call upon me and I will answer you. I am your shepherd and Iwill guide you. Follow me, only me. Never forget this! Listen and I will show youmy will. I love you. I love you.

Dont be so concerned about yourself. You are my responsibility. I will changeyou without your being aware of it. Accept yourself and love others simplybecause I love you. Take your eyes off yourself. Look only unto me. I lead. Ichange. I work, but I will not do it if you are striving to do it yourself. I cannot fightfor you if you are fighting your own battle. You are mine. Let me transform youinto the image of Christ. Let me love you. Let me give you joy, peace, andgoodness. No one else can do it. You are not your own. You have been boughtwith the blood of the Lamb of God. Now you belong to me. It is not your businesshow I deal with you. Your business is to seek me and me only. Never yourself.Never others. Stop struggling! Rest in my love for you! I know what is best foryou and I will work it in you. I want freedom to love you freely.


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Stop trying to be what you desire to be and let me make you what I want you tobe. My love is an everlasting love, a transforming love. Receive my love. Rest inmy love. Relax in my love. Revel in my love and you shall surely prosper in allyour ways. And you shall be a delight to me, says the Lord your Redeemer."

THE BEST THING FOR ME IS NOT ALWAYS PLEASANT!

Being in the will of God does not make us immune to trouble. It often involveshardship and suffering, but the end result is always good. God said to Ananias,right after Saul of Tarsus was saved on the road to Damascus, " Get ready andgo to Straight Street . . . and ask fo r a man from Tarsus named Saul . He is

praying, and in a vis ion h e has seen a man named Ananias com e in and

place his hands on him so that he m ight see again. I have chosen him to

serve me, to make my name known to Gent i les and kings and to the peopleof Israel . And I my sel f wi l l show him al l that he must su ffer for my s ake."

(Act s 9:10-16) (TEV)

Paul later wrote to Timothy and said, "Those w ho l ive godly in Chr is t Jesusshal l suf fer persecut ion ."Jesus himself promised us a hard time when he said," In the w orld y ou s hal l have tr ibulation . . . "(John 16:33)

Moses was in the will of God when he went to Egypt to set the Hebrews free frombondage, but it got him into a lot of trouble with the leaders of Egypt. Even theelders of Israel said, "We had i t easier before you came onto the scene! Atleast they provided us w i th straw for making br icks, but now w e have to

gather our own straw ."

Moses was perplexed, " God, I've been ob edient to do you r wi l l and yet youhave not done your p art . There is only con fusion and hards hip, and yo u

have no t del ivered Israel at al l ."

Paul and Silas were in the very center of God's will when they followed theguidance they received from the Lord in the vision of the man of Macedonia whosaid, " Come over and h elp us."They went to Macedonia in obedience to God'sdirection and within a very short time they were thrown into prison and beatenseverely. But they were not confused. They prayed and sang praises to God inthe midst of the tribulation because they knew that trouble does not necessarilymean they we are out of the will of God. On the other hand, the fact that we arein trouble does not necessarily mean that we are in the will of God, either.

Jonah got into trouble because he ran from the will of God and wound up in thebelly of the whale before he finally realized that it is better to suffer doing God'swill than it is to suffer in our rebellion against His will.


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something new as we had to move into the thing we are doing now. Anythingless could be a big mistake. Paul and his team experienced this kind of guidanceon his first missionary journey.

" They traveled throug h the region of Phryg ia and Galat ia because the Holy

Spir i t did not let them preach the message in the prov ince of Asia. Whenthey reached the border of Mysia, they tr ied to g o into p rovince of B i thynia,

but the Spir i t of Jesus did no t allow them . So they traveled right on throu gh

Mysia and went to Troas. That night Paul had a vis ion in wh ich he saw a

Macedonian standing and b egging h im, 'Com e over to Macedon ia and h elp

us! ' As so on as Paul had this v is ion, we got ready to leave for Macedon ia,

because we decided that God had c al led us to preach the Good News to

the peop le there."(Ac ts 16:6-10) - TEV

Paul and his team were traveling in the direction that seemed best to them,trusting that what they wanted to do was what God was leading them to do. This

they did until they were "checked" by the Spirit of Jesus who let them know thatthis was not the right door to enter.

It is very comforting to know that if we do go in the wrong direction, the Lord willcorrect our heading and set us in the right direction. They tell us that the rocketthat landed on the moon was off course more than eighty percent of the time.The good news is that because of the many course corrections it safely landedon the moon and returned to earth. I may be "off course" a good percent of thetime, but if my will is to do His will, God is able to make the necessary correctionsand get me to where He wants me to be. Several years ago someone gave methe following couplet that certainly applies here:

If I will take care of spiritual realization,God will take care of my geographic location.

When Paul and his team knew they were not to go to Asia and Bithynia they wentdown to Troas where Paul had a vision of a man in Macedonia begging them to"come over and help us!" If God closes one door, He will open another door. Itmay take some time, but if we will wait on Him in faith, He will show us the rightway to go.

After Paul had the vision of the man in Macedonia "they gathered assuredly thatthey were to preach the gospel there . . . and they left immediately forMacedonia." We can only act immediately after we have gathered assuredly.That is the "principle of peace" at work. I can know with all certainty what Godwants me to do and I am not responsible to move out on any kind of guidanceuntil I have peace about it.


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GOING BACK TO NINEVEH

" The word of the Lo rd cam e to Jon ah . . . 'Go to th e great ci ty of Nineveh

and preach against i t . . . But J onah ran from the Lord and headed f o r

Tarshish . "(Jonah 1:1-3)

When Jonah headed for Tarshish he was headed for trouble. The word of theLord had come clearly to him. There was no doubt as to what he had to do. Hewas certain of God's will for him. Nevertheless, in the fullness of that light, Jonahdeliberately stopped his ears and went another direction.

But God's mercy was relentless in Jonah's life. God did not give up on himbecause of his rebellion. Scripture says that Jonah found a ship bound forTarshish and after paying the fare he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to fleefrom the Lord. Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea. This divineintervention was only the beginning of God's special love gifts to Jonah in the

midst of his rebellion. Six times in the tiny book of Jonah (which takes up only 2pages of space in a Bible of more then 1600 pages) we read of God's directprovision in this man's life to bring him to his senses and head him in the rightdirection:

" The Lord sent a great wind."(1:4);" The Lord pro vided a great f ish . "(1:17)"The Lord commanded the fish." (2:10)" The Lord prov ided a vine."(4. 6)"God p rov ided a worm ."(4:7)"God prov ided a scorch ing east wind."(4:8)

Notice that God's dealings in Jonah's life are called "provisions." Even the hardexperiences such as the storm at sea and the three days and three nights that hespent in that awful stinking darkness of the fish's belly are the gracious provisionsof God to an erring son. And because of the strict, harsh dealings of God inJonah's life, he finally made it back to shore and actually completed all that Godhad commanded him to do. He fulfilled the will and purpose of God, and throughit an entire city turned to God and averted a catastrophe of Gods judgment.

Jonah should have been happy! In response to his preaching all of Nineveh, fromthe king on his throne, down to the lowly servant, all were covered with thesackcloth of repentance, crying out to God for mercy. "Wh en God saw whatthey did and how th ey turned from thei r evi l ways, he had com passion and

did not br ing upo n them the destruct ion he had threatened.

Can you see yourself in the book of Jonah? Has God come to you with somehard yet specific word? Have you found yourself running from the known will ofGod for your life? Are you even now in the midst of the storm or in the belly of thewhale? Take courage! God can and will loose you from your bondage in a


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moment's time! Hear the tormenting, anguishing cries of Jonah, the man of Godhopelessly entangled in the captivity of his nightmare of death:

Oh, God, you hurled me into the deep,into the very heart of the seas,

And the currents swirled about me;All your waves and breakers swept over me.The engulfing waters threatened me,The deep surrounded me;Seaweed was wrapped around my head.To the roots of the mountains I sank down;The earth beneath barred me in forever.In my distress I called to the Lord,

And he answered me.From the depths of the graveI called for help and you listened to my cry.

When my life was ebbing away,I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you,To your holy temple.I said, I have been banished from your sight;Yet I will look again toward your holy temple.

And you brought my life up from the pit,Oh, Lord, my God.Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace thatcould be theirs.But I, with a song of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you.What I have vowed I will make good.Salvation comes from the Lord!"

When Jonah began to pray and to praise God with a heart of repentance, thingsbegan to change. His prayer was more of a paean of praise than it was aconfession of repentance, for somehow Jonah caught a glimpse of the grace ofGod in spite of the darkness that surrounded him and he knew God saw he wasnow ready to turn now and go to Nineveh. So God spoke to the fish and turnedagain the captivity of Jonah.

The writer of Proverbs reminds us that the way of the transgressor is hard. Haslife for me been hard lately because I have been running from the will of God?Have I been walking in darkness, confusion, sickness, pain, poverty, and distresssimply because I have not recognized God's storm upon my life and cried out tohim from the belly of hell asking him to help me get back to my Nineveh, my pointof obedience, and do what he told me to do?

Have I been so busy rebuking the devil and claiming healing and prosperity that Ihave been blinded to the root cause of my problems! Have I been living in


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As we walk in the Spirit, God will enable us to adjust to change, and cope withpeople and situations in creative ways that reach right to the heart of problemsand needs without violating His perfect will. The old traffic light speaks oflegalism and religiosity. The new traffic lights speak of walking in the Spirit andbeing real with people and problems.

The programmed traffic light does not relate to the real world. It cannot "sense"anything. It only operates by certain pre-determined laws. The more modern lighthas an inner sensitivity, and is therefore more related to the traffic as it really is inthe present moment. To walk in reality demands t h a t we become realists . Arealist is not an optimist who only sees the bright side of things, nor is he apessimist who only sees the dark side of things. A realist sees both thepossibilities and the problems in every situation. He looks at things as they reallyare, but with an ability to face reality with a positive faith and walk through itvictoriously.

Religiosity operates by laws, rules and principles, and not necessarily in the flowof life that surrounds us. The Holy Spirit is a real, living person, dwelling insideme, who can speak, feel, guide and motivate from within.

The law said, "You shall not kill." And yet God said to Abraham, "Go to themountain and sacri f ice your son on an al ter."Abraham knew what thatmeant. He was to put his son to death in obedience to a clear word from God.

Paul said, "Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers."And yet God toldHosea, the prophet, to marry a harlot. On another occasion, as the discipleswalked across a field on the Sabbath day, they plucked a few ears of grain andate them because they werehungry. Immediately they came under attack from the Pharisees because theywere breaking the Sabbath. "L ook, your d isc ip les are doing w hat is unlawfu lon the Sabbath!"said the Pharisees.

Jesus answered, "Haven' t you read what David did when he and hiscom panions w ere hun gry? He entered the House of God, and he and his

com panions ate the consecrated bread, wh ich was no t lawful for them to

do, but on ly for the priest? Or, haven' t you read in the Law that on th e

Sabbath the priests in the temp le desecrate the day and are innocent?"

God will never allow us to find any comfort in a system of law-keeping. We aredead to the law and the principle of law-keeping. This does not make us lawless,but rather, relates us to a higher law that enables us to do all the will of Godwithout being bound legally under a system of law keeping.

Apostle Paul says, in Romans, Chapter 8, verses 1 through 4, There istherefore now no co ndemnat ion for those who are in Chris t Jesus. For the

law of the Spir i t of l i fe in Chris t Jesus h as set me free from the law of sin


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and death. For God has don e what the law, weakened by th e f lesh, could

not do : sending his own Son in the l ikeness of sinful f lesh and for sin, he

cond emned sin in the f lesh, in ord er that the just requirement of the law

migh t be ful f il led in us, who walk not accord ing to the f lesh bu t according

to the Spiri t .

Walking in reality involves trusting God for the up-to-date, NOW kind ofguidance. As we walk through life we will not always find our particular problemspelled out in the written word. We must hear from God directly or by prophecy orword of knowledge or a dream or a vision, or even by angelic visitation such asPaul had during the storm at sea in Acts 27. In the midst of the storm an angelappeared to Paul and gave him a "NOW WORD" from God. Paul immediatelyshared this with the men aboard the ship. He said, "Last night an angel of theGod whose I am and whom I serve, stood beside me and said, 'Do not be afraid,Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you thelives of all who sail with you.' So keep up your courage, men, for I have f a i th in

God that it will happen just as He told me." Faith came to Paul because he hadreceived a personal word from God. Faith comes to us by hearing from Godpersonally , whether it be from reading the Bible or from hearing the voice of Godthrough some other channel.

Walking in reality involves:

Being filled with the Spirit. It is only by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit thatwe can properly relate to reality. Every Christian should know beyond doubt thathe has received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and is presently walking in thefullness of the Spirit.

Making certain I have a word from God before I move out in any direction. Paulsays, Faith comes b y hearing . . . the word of God."The literal meaning ofthis verse is , "So then fa ith com es by h ear ing f rom God."Disobedience tothe known will of God, whether from the written word or a word from the Lord,such as came to the prophet Jonah, will extinguish my spiritual sensitivity anddistort my outlook on reality.

Submitting my personal, subjective guidance to my fellow workers for theircounsel and wisdom. It is a dangerous thing to walk independently from the bodyof Christ and from Gods delegated authorities. The Word of God says, "Wi thwise counsel make war." In another place it says, " In a mul t i tude ofcoun selors there is safety." (See also I Thessalonians 5:12-13, Hebrews13:17, and Ephesians 4:11- 13.)

We are being driven into a corner in the matter of walking in reality. But, thankGod, it is a delightful one! That corner is walking in the Spirit and taking our life,our guidance, our wisdom, our all from Jesus moment by moment. Walking in


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There is a prayer of silence that we can enter into by a total surrender to theindwelling Christ. He prays for us, interceding for the saints, crying out to our

Abba, Father, for us and through us in a prayer of silence. (the English equivalentof Abba is Daddy.)

The interaction between my spirit and the Spirit of God is not limited within theboundaries of my intelligence, knowledge, or understanding. There are levels ofprayer that extend beyond into the mysteries of God that go beyond feltexperience, or expression in human terms. There are times when we can onlyexclaim with Paul: " By fai th we understand . . . "(Hebrews 11:3)

DEATH OF THE SELF LIFE

It is not easy to deny self, especially if self has been pampered and coddled andcajoled for many years. When Jesus said, " If any man wi l l com e after me let

him deny him sel f and take up his cro ss dai ly and fol low m e"he was dealingwith two separate issues: self denial and self death.

The denial of self takes place before the death of self. The one must precede theother. You cannot take up your cross before you deny yourself. Self will never dieuntil it is put on the cross, but, thank God, there is hope that self will die when it isput on the cross. But what is the difference between denying self and dying toself? Self denial is taking the bottle away from the sucking child. Oh, how the littleone cries and wails. It is so painful! But after awhile, the pain ceases and there isa death to the bottle. Is God weaning you from something?

No one expects that it will feel good to die. We always expect that dying is a thingalways to be shunned and never to be desired, but that is not always true. Deathcan be a friend, a welcome relief to the suffering that precedes death. This is truewhen it comes to the death of self. The death of self is to be deeply desired, for itis the self life that is the root cause of all sin and sin is the root of all our pain andproblems.

Paul learned by experience what it was to take up the cross. He was so excitedabout the cross that he gloried in it. At one point he shouted, "God forb id that Ishould glory in anyth ing except the cross of Chr is t by which the wo r ld is

cruci f ied to me and I unto the wo rld.

Have we ever felt that kind of excitement about being crucified? I doubt it. Why?It is because we never hear about the place of the cross in the life of the believer.We have been taught that only sinners need the cross and that once you havereceived Jesus at the cross and been forgiven of your sins through the blood ofthe cross you leave the cross and proceed to other things. The cross is no longerapplicable. We used it once and that's that! Now that we are saved, we dontneed the cross anymore.


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THE END OF THE STRUGGLE

" They do not know God 's r ighteousness, and sinc e al l the t ime they are

going abo ut try ing to prov e thei r own righ teousness, they have the wro ng

att i tude to receive His. For Chris t means the end of the struggle for

r ighteousness-by-the-law for everyone who bel ieves in Him." (Romans10:2-4 - Phil l ips )

" If you try to b e just i f ied by the law yo u autom at ical ly cut yours elves off

from the power of Chris t . You pu t yoursel f outs ide the range of His grace."

(Galatians 5:4 - Phi l l ips )

If deception were easy to detect, it would not be deception. Satan is the masterdeceiver, for he disguises his voice to sound just like the voice of the Lord. Heappears as an angel of light and tells you something that is right and good, andyet it is calculated to land you in a prison house of despair.

I have been going through a struggle. Many years ago I thought I heard the voiceof the Lord telling me that I should fast. This was to be a fast in preparation forlaunching out into a new phase of ministry as well as to heal me of some physicalproblems. I felt it was to be a complete fast of forty days.

How many times I have tried to comply with that "word," I cannot tell. But eachtime I tried, I failed. Then I would be faced with periods of guilt, condemnationand depression. Somehow, as time went on, the thought settled over me that Iwould never be healed or never be anointed for a powerful ministry if I didn'tcomplete that long fast. And furthermore, I was willing to accept that thought for Ifelt I deserved the pain of a long fast because I believed my physical problemswere somehow due to my own eating habits.

I had read how men and women of God had been launched into powerfuldeliverance ministries immediately after a long fast. So I was willing to sufferthrough a long fast in order to pay the price for spiritual power and to be healedof some long-standing physical problems.

However, as the months rolled on into years, and my struggle to achieve this fastbecame more intense, I began to question the source of this guidance. At times Iwas sure it was God, but at times I was not so sure. What I did not realize wasthat slowly but surely, the basis of my trust was being shifted away from Jesus toanother foundation. I found myself able to believe and perform when I wasfasting but crippled in my faith when I was not fasting. I can remember manytimes during this long struggle that I cried out in bitterness, "0 God, I wish I hadnever heard of fasting!"


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I knew that such a vision was humanly impossible to accomplish, but the Lordtold me to ask for the nations and I did. I never dreamed it would take nearly 40years of preparation, but as I look around me now and see what the Lord isdoing, I am saying, Thank you, Father, for letting me live to see the birth of thevision! Though the process was long and painful, It was worth it all!"

Jesus said, "When a wom an is in travai l she has sorrow because her hourhas com e; but when sh e is del ivered of the chi ld, she no longer remembers

the anguish for joy that a chi ld is born into the world."Are you feeling birthpangs? Be encouraged! Look to Jesus, keep on pushing, and let the baby comeforth! And remember that the word push in the Kingdom of God, stands for PrayUntil Something Happens.


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AFTERWORD

Much of what I have shared above, as you have seen, has come out my ownwalk with Jesus down through the years. It is not just theory or theology, but real,live, flesh and blood doings, goings, victories and failings. I pray these pages will

minister hope, strength, and encouragement to you in every phase of your lifeand your ongoing ministry to others.

Some of these insights will leap out at you and those are the ones to go back andread again and again. The word of God is alive and powerful to transform ourlives. May God use these words to minister deeply into your heart and life is myprayer.

Documents

Give Me This Mountain [Robert Fitts] ~Book