Your Identity Determines Your Future

The following is from a daily devotional by

Jerry Sevelle

and had been taken from:

http://www.jerrysavelle.org/your-identity-determines-your-future/

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Your Identity Determines Your Future

For as [a man] thinks in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7 NKJV).

If you want your future to improve, the first thing you need to do is change your identity, meaning what you see yourself to be. Your life today is a result of how you have viewed your identity in the past, and you will never think, speak, or act in a way that is contrary to your identity.

Gideon transformed from being a coward into a man of great courage the moment he took on a new identity (see Judges 6). When God called him a mighty man of valor, Gideon received his new identity and went on to become a strong and courageous leader. The only thing that changed that day was Gideon’s identity; he saw himself as God saw him.

Gideon could have been a mighty man all along, but God had to bring him to the point where he identified with God’s might rather than his own cowardice.

If you’re fed up with being the way you are and dealing with the same old problems, you can become a new person by taking on a new identity. You can throw off the old identity that you took on from other people, circumstances, and the world. Then you can take on the identity that was given to you by your loving heavenly Father, and become the person He always intended you to be.

When you made Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior, your position became “in Him” or “in Christ.” Now that you are in Him, you have access to the future God has prepared for you—a future that overflows with success, fulfillment, and prosperity in every area of your life.

But let me offer a word of caution: If you cling to your old identity you’ll never experience life to the full. I’ve seen people who have been saved for forty years and still have not discovered who they really are. They still they they’re losers who will never amount to much.

Just as Gideon had to receive his God-given identity, so you must receive your identity in Christ. Choose to identify with Him and to enjoy the abundant future that God has determined for you.

Confession: In Him I am a new creation. I am victorious, an overcomer who can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. My future overflows with success, fulfillment, and prosperity in every area of my life.

Author: Jerry Savelle

No Murmuring Allowed

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,  

Hebrews 12:1

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While I was reading this evening I came across

NKJV I Cor. 10:10 that says: nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.

KJV says:  Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

To murmur according to Greek in Strongs Concordance means: murmur say anything against in a low tone, of those that confer secretly together, of those who discontentedly complain..

Psalm 106:21-27 tells us this:

²¹ They forgot God their saviour, which had done great things in Egypt;

²² Wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red sea.

²³ Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.

²⁴ Yea, they despised the pleasant land, they believed not his word:

²⁵ But murmured in their tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of the Lord.

²⁶ Therefore he lifted up his hand against them, to overthrow them in the wilderness:

²⁷ To overthrow their seed also among the nations, and to scatter them in the lands.

In this account in Psalm, the people had forgotten their Savior, God, and all He’d done for them.  God had determined to destroy them, but Moses interceded on their behalf.  Their lives had deteriorated to the point of murmuring and complaining in their homes and would not listen to the voice of the Lord to them.  It’s a dangerous place for any of us to be in.  Having an unthankful heart will lead us to forget all God has done for us and then, just like in I Corinthians 10:10 it says, they were destroyed by the destroyer

Something about us is always destroyed when we murmur – it may be fellowship or communion with God; it may be health and strength and joy – something will surely be destroyed, for God said so.

They would not listen to the voice of the Lord to them.  Are we listening to the voice of God to us, in our spirit and through His Word?  WE MUST take what He says to heart and not only listen but DO what He says to each of us.  Simple really….Listen and Do, Listen and Do, Listen and Do.

Philippians 2:1-16 has this to say: 

¹⁴ Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

¹⁵ That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

¹⁶ Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

Father, HELP us to always have a thankful heart towards You, that we NOT forget all You have done for us.  We purpose not to give place to the destroyer to destroy any part of our lives. Father nobody has a better idea than You, and the sooner that we understand that, the sooner we will be able to cut off access the devil would have in our lives and that of our families.  Thank You for Your mercy towards us. We WILL offer You praise for all You are, for all You have done for us, for all the strength You give us to DO as You lead us - We choose NOT to murmur and complain, In Jesus' Name.

Lester Sumrall's 7 Troubling Prophecies Over America

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Lester Sumrall went home to be with the Lord in 1996, but his legacy continues—and his God-breathed prophetic words are still alive.

In this 1987 video Mr. Sumrall, whose spiritual father was Smith Wigglesworth, shares seven prophetic insights God revealed to his heart, earlier in his walk with the Lord. I wish they weren't accurate, but it seems he heard rightly. You can watch the video to see all the warnings. 

What our obligation is now, as it has always been, is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with all we can. We're charged to live right in God's eyes, according to His Word, and be prepared for the Catching Away (Rapture) of His people.  In the Bible we are told of the parable of the 10 Virgins, that 5 were wise, and 5 were foolish.Virgins in Matthew 25.
The 5 wise Virgins had lived diligently and prepared their lives to meet the Bridegroom, and the 5 foolish ones did not.  God has already told us in His Word - Hebrews 12:14 - Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.

Have you thought about your need for Christ?  If not, you may come HERE to learn how to become part of God's family and be ready to meet our Bridegroom (Jesus) when He returns for us.  He wants to make His home in us and is eager to bring us into safe places in our lives, regardless of what is taking place in our country, and across the globe.

The 20 minute clip of Lester Sumrall can be viewed HERE.

Abiding with Jesus

This article was authored by Pastor Jack Hayford

and may be found at:

http://www.jackhayford.org/teaching/articles/abiding-with-jesus/

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"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without me you can do nothing...If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you." - John 15:4, 5, 7

It was Pentecost Sunday, and I felt a tender touch of the Holy Spirit. Call it a tap on the shoulder. A whisper. He seemed to speak quietly to me, nudging me to avert a recurring danger. It's the danger of becoming so caught up in prayer warfare and faith's pursuits that I neglect simply "being with Jesus."

At the same time in which He calls His disciples His "friends," Jesus says to them, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you" (John 15). If you abide in Me... It's so simple. So clear.

First and foremost, Jesus wants us to experience, sustain and enjoy a personal, intimate walk with Him. It isn't that He's disinterested in the demands of our daily duty or the pressures of our private world. Far from it. He just knows that the fountainhead of life is with Him. He is the Source of everything: strength for your day, wisdom for your task, comfort for your soul, grace for your battle, provision for every need, understanding for each failure. Assistance for all we encounter. Everything.

So today I invite you to come before Him with an open heart and in childlike simplicity. Come with plain talk. With laughter or tears. Come. On your knees, alone, without fanfare, with all candor.

I write these things because I became so concerned in my prayers for "the work of ministry" that I began to feel something of His divine jealousy. He was saying to me, "I want you more than I want your work." My calendar was so full, the agenda so packed, the opportunities so many, the need so great ... that I began to feel crushed in spirit, the same way pressure wilts a flower. So the Holy Spirit tapped me on the shoulder to slow my mind and redirect my gaze.

Today I am praying for you and with you. There are indeed great ministry opportunities before each one of us. These are days of opening doors. And yes, the needs have never been "needier." But before we move together on all that, we are wise if, alone and apart from one another, each one of us moves to another place: That is, in intimate fellowship, alone with Jesus.

He wants that for us. And when you think about it, nothing of eternal value occurs in your life without it.

About Astrology

This article was authored by Pastor Jack Hayford 

and may be found at:

http://www.jackhayford.org/teaching/articles/about-astrology/

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Some years ago, a local television reporter asked me by telephone to state my position on astrology, "as a Christian and as pastor of one of Los Angeles' well-known churches."

That conversation reminded me of the necessity for everyone to have a basic understanding of the subject, hence:

1) The Bible not only rejects but condemns astrology. Isaiah 47:12-15 should be read carefully. The concluding words of warning regarding the person committed to astrology and related occult practices make clear that confusion is the inevitable lot of such a person and tragic, eternal loss the final price.

2) The supposition that the wisemen (magi), who found the young Christ as the result of astrological pursuits, somehow supports the practice of astrology by reason of their inclusion in the Bible story, is a groundless one. They only evidence how God meets earnest hearts where they are, and if they honestly are searching for Him, He'll see that they get there. But please notice: the whole story in Matthew 2 notes that (a) it took the revelation of the Word of God to finalize their quest and (b) their quest wasn't final until they found the Son of God.

3) The danger of astrology is beyond a simple, superstitious misuse of time. Plying the trade of occult practices is to traffic with the demonic. The "uncanny" concurrence of events, people contacts and trivia in a person's life, seeming to confirm the forecast of their horoscope, is the direct result of demonic manipulation of people and circumstances. It isn't the result of some cosmic influence radiating from the stars, but a hellish one emanating from Satan himself, having found but one more way to steal, to kill and to destroy sheep-like humans (John 10).

4) Presumably, everyone reading these words knows the difference between astrology and astronomy: the former is a metaphysical or occult practice; the latter an objective pursuit of physical science. There is nothing wrong with the study of astronomy. Indeed, there is great inspiration in studying any aspect of God's creation. In this realm, the acid test is the willingness of the student to acknowledge God's handiwork and to overcome the idolatrous systems of human pride which chalk galaxies off to a deity named Chance (Psalm 19:1-6; Romans 1:18-32).

5) Finally, knowledgeable Bible students are aware of the fact and the reason that the name of some star groups occur in the Bible (ex: Job 9:9; 38:31, 32; Amos 5:8). These references to constellations are not astrological, but are didactic—that is, they are a means of teaching. It is a fact that before the ancient Babylonian systems of astrology came into vogue, the godly patriarchs linked the spiritual lessons of God's promised redemption in the minds of their children by using the canvas of the skies (and in a day when pen and paper were unknown).

The way to relate to a person involved in astrology is not to preach against their practice, but to show them the love of Jesus Christ. It may be that their quest is an honest one, not an avoidance of confronting the reality of the Savior. If so, when they encounter His love in you, they'll do what wise men do every time. They will cease "following stars" and bow before Jesus.