Phase 4

Psalm 66:10-12

This scripture defines the process (The 4 Phases of Abundance) that God takes us through in order to bring us into the place of Abundance that he has for us.

1. You have tested us; you have purified us like silver.

2. You captured us and laid burdens of slavery on our backs.

3. You put a leader over us, who lead us through the fire and flood.

4. You brought us to a place of GREAT ABUNDANCE.

How you respond to the first 3, determines if you will ever experience phase 4.

The Donkey's In Your Life

Numbers 22-23:30

In this story we see that Balaam had become a prophet for hire. He was selling himself to the highest bidder and was going to use his God given gift to curse the people of God instead of bless them. The angel of the Lord confronted Balaam’s act of rebellion and by the grace of God and a spiritually minded donkey, Balaam’s life was spared and he repented and turned back to what God had called him to do.

There is a great lesson to be learned from the donkey in the story, when God opened the donkeys mouth the last thing the donkey said was “have I ever done anything like this before?” This is a great lesson, because all of us have people in our lives that love us, help us and seemingly always support us. So when one of those individuals begin to buck you or a decision that you are making, you need to stop and ask your self what is really going on. If your lifetime supporter is now resisting you, you need to ask God to show you what they are seeing that you have become blinded to. Balaam’s donkey resisted him because he saw something Balaam did not see. Many times our loves one see things that we don’t see and we need to learn to listen and pray, because they may actually save your life. So lets thank God for all the faithful donkeys in our lives.

Jesus - Author and Finisher

Wow, what can I say about Jesus, except he is our everything. Hebrews 12:2 says that he is the "author and finisher of our faith." That excites me because that means that I am never alone. Every step of faith that I take is instituted by the Lord and with every beginning he promises an end. So when God leads us to step out in faith and follow him, we can know that he already has an end in mind, sometimes we can see it, but many times all God gives us is an invitation to join him on an exciting journey and we don't have a clue where the road is really going to take us. All we know is that the Author and Finisher of our faith has called us to "follow him". So step out in boldness, knowing and rejoicing in your heart, that God never starts anything that he does not fully intend on finishing. Your in good hands, when you are following Jesus.

Love and Hate

Psalm 45:7 “You love justice and hate evil, therefore God, your God, has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.” What you love and what you hate, determines your anointing and the calling of God upon your life. The things that make you glad and the things that make you mad are indicators of God’s anointing and calling on your life. For me the thing that makes me glad is seeing people live out their God given calling, walking in victory over the enemy. The thing that makes me mad is seeing Christian’s live purposeless and defeated lives. These two things help to clarify God’s call on my life; to empower believers to step into their gifts and calling and become spiritual leaders in the body of Christ. So what do you love and what do you hate and what are you doing about it?

Wise As A Serpant

Matthew 10:16 says "Behold I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves." Everyday we are reminded of the violent society that we are living in. School shootings, hate crimes and even road rage, but in spite of the violence around us Jesus tells us to be harmless as doves but that is not all that he says. He said the key to combatting a violent aggressive society, is wisdom. "Be wise as serpents" wisdom is our weapon against the enemy. Don't get caught in the snare of the enemy by trying to fight the world with the weapons of the world. 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 says "though we walk in the flesh , we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,". So how do we fight the violent schemes of the world, with the wisdom of God. Through wisdom we will pull down the strongholds of the enemy and establish the righteousness of God.

The Heart

In Mark 7:20-23 Jesus explains to his disciples that it is what comes from our hearts that defile us. He said that out of the heart comes "evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness." So if we want to change our lives, we have to change our hearts. So how do we change our hearts, we renew them with the word of God. Romans 12:2 says we are "transformed by the renewing of the mind", when we allow God's word to renew our minds, it changes how we think and when you change how you think you will change how you act, what you say and where you go. Not only must we renew our hearts, but we also must guard them. Proverbs 4:23 says "keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life." As we renew our hearts with the word, we also must guard our hearts. What you watch and listen to effects your heart. Make a commitment to your self today, to renew your heart and guard your heart against the things of this world that want to rob you of the life that God has for you.

Waiting

In Psalm 40:1-2 David says "I waited patiently for the Lord to help me and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along" One of the hardest things for us to do is wait, because when we are waiting we feel out of control and powerless over our circumstances. Yet it is in the waiting that we learn how to trust God to do for us what we can not do ourselves. I have learned that the key to peaceful waiting, is knowing in whom you have believed. When we know that "he is for us and not against us" and we know that he came so that we might "have life and have it more abundantly" and that he is "working all things together for our good", then waiting becomes easier and trusting Him makes sense, because why wouldn't we trust someone who loves us enough to give his son as a sacrifice for our sins.