“When the righteous see God in action, they’ll laugh, they’ll sing, they’’ll laugh and sing for joy.  Sing hymns to God; all heaven, sing out; clear the way for the coming of Cloud-Rider.  Enjoy God, cheer when you see Him!”  Psalms 68:3&4

Our God is an awesome God who truly reigns from heaven above!  The earth is His and the fullness of it; the silver and gold are his.  Our Father is calling to His children in this hour to ARISE & SHINE!  He is “a shield around about us, He is our glory and the lifter up of our heads.” Psalms 3:3

So much in our world has seemingly shifted, and not all pleasant nor desirable. And yet, God is calling to His children to ARISE & SHINE!  He’s given us His Word, His Spirit, His anointing, the gifts of the Father, the gifts of the Son and the gifts of the Spirit; as the Apostle Peter said, “All things that pertain to life and godliness.”  But the happenings around us have the tendency to stun or try to paralyze us, to render us harmless and ineffective.  Saints, call out to one another, encourage one another daily.  God is still the God who answers by fire, who rescues His from the fiery furnace, from the mouth of the lion, who has promised to “never leave us nor forsake us.” He’s not a man that He should lie, neither is He the son of man that He should repent.  He has spoken and HE WILL MAKE IT GOOD!  Numbers 23:19

He has given us precious promises and Jesus said, “The words that I speak, they are spirit and they are life.”  KJV  “The Spirit can make life.  Sheer muscle and willpower don’t make anything happen.  Every word I’ve spoken to you is a Spirit-word, and so it is life-making.”  John 6:63  The Message

Remember David when he and his men returned to Ziglag after Achish and the Philistines turned him away.  They found the city burned to the ground and their wives and children taken captive.  At first, David and his men wept until they could weep no more, but the people turned on him and were threatening to kill him.  “But David encouraged himself in the Lord.”  I Samuel 30:6

THIS WEEK -  SHAKE OFF discouragement, depression, despair and fear, and TAKE COURAGE!    This is a NOW word to His children!  Listen to God’s Word to you, “BE STRONG, BE BOLD; for you will cause this people to inherit the land I swore to their fathers I would give them.”  PRAY this over yourself and two other people.  DECLARE that you will cause those people whom the Lord has given into your care, be it family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, bus driver to inherit their God-ordained portion/inheritance.

“ONLY BE STRONG AND VERY BOLD, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded you.  Turn not to the right or to the left, THAT you may PROSPER wherever you go.”  “Then your undertakings will PROSPER, and you will succeed.”  CJB & NKJV  REPENT for believing the lies of the enemy that he whispers in your ear, and turn to God.  RENOUNCE fear,

Discouragement, despair and hopelessness.  Tell the Lord that you WILL BE STRONG AND VERY BOLD.  ENCOURAGE yourself; tell the Lord that you TAKE COURAGE!  Then pray this over 3 or 4 other people!  Be a Barnabas, an encourager for the next 7 days!  Watch people’s countenance change as you encourage them, some may want you to pray for them.  Pray in faith believing God to answer their prayers!

I was encouraged with the testimony my hair designer gave me today!  I’ve watched she and her husband grow in their faith for several years, but recently they have taken a giant step.  It started with a daughter-in-law losing her $30.00 an hour job after they had built a home and bought a van and a car.  My hair designer and her husband decided to turn off the TV completely for now and pray and read God’s Word together.  They prayed for two days without seeing a change, but after 4 days, their son was offered a new job with a tremendous pay raise.  The next thing that happened was a nephew fell from 8’ high from a crane; normally just below would have been another machine that would have sliced him in two had it been there.  Somehow, it had gotten moved.  They took him to the hospital and released him.

Now they have decided to make a prayer list for them to pray every day together and after each prayer is answered, to praise the Lord and write PRAYER ANSWERED!

God has spoken change!  He desires the changes that are in alignment with His Kingdom and He’s looking “for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap…on behalf of the land, that (HE) should not destroy it…Ez.22:30

He has invited us in to the Throne Room, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”  Hebrews 4:16  Kenneth Copeland tells of a time when he was in prayer, begging and pleading, bombarding the gates of heaven for revival.  He writes, “After I’d been at it a little while, the Lord spoke to me.  “What are you doing?”  He said.  “I’m bombarding the gates of heaven with prayer for revival,” I answered.  He says the Lord asks him, “How big is My city?” and Kenneth answers, “As far as I can tell from what the Bible says, it’s about 1200 cubits or somewhere around 1500 miles square and 1500 miles high.”  God’s answer to him was this, “Then why are you bombarding the gates?  Assuming that My throne is in the middle of the city, THAT LEAVES YOU ABOUT 750 MILES SHORT!  And, by the way,” He added, “those gates aren’t locked.  Why don’t you quit bombarding them and just come in.”  From Faith to Faith, A Daily Guide to Victory!, by Kenneth & Gloria Copeland

We are praying for the Seven Mountains or 7 mountains of societal influence!

For the Government Mountain, pray Ezekiel 22:30 and be willing to stand in the gap!  “God is looking for and legally needing at least one leader/official at every level and in every layer of government and influence to stand before Him on behalf of the land-----so that He can work to undo corruption and preserve our nation.”  “Let us cry out for more righteous individuals and courageous moral voices in every sphere of rulership and influence.’  Intercessors for America newsletter, March 2009, Gary Bergel

Let us petition the Lord for at least ONE individual in every level and every layer of government and influence to stand before Him on behalf of the land

As we fast and pray these three days, pray Isaiah 58:6-12.  This has been a hard year on the homeless and on ministries, churches and agencies that offer meals, a warm bed and sometimes clothing as well  According to the IFA newsletter, “A new Wilson Research Strategies survey commissioned by Dunham + Company finds that U.S. Christians don’t plan to cut their giving to faith-based groups, despite the sluggish economy.  While 58 percent said they are cutting back on entertainment and short-term savings, only 43 percent said they had reduced or stopped giving to charity.  Of those who attend religious services more than once a week, 60 percent said they intended to continue to give the same in 2009, 21 percent said they intended to give more. WOW, give a SHOUT TO THE LORD. Pray for your church, ministry, business, other churches, ministries and businesses.  PRAY for the faithful ones to flourish, prosper, be “exceedingly, abundantly blessed” so that the world will take notice.

Let us not forget Malachi 3:9-12 declaring that neither you nor your nation will be cursed because of God-robbing!  Pray for all members of the Body of Christ to be faithful in tithing, giving of offerings and first fruits’ offeringsl

There are some big needs out there to be answered and we serve a BIG GOD with whom “nothing is too hard, nor impossible!”

For Thursday, February 26 and Friday, February 27, Pray for WISDOM, Proverbs says it is the principal thing!  Pray that your soul prospers, III John 2, “Beloved, I wish above all things that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.”

Pray from Acts 3 & 4.  Pray for unusual healings such as the lame man at the Gate Beautiful!  Pray for boldness to speak the Word of God, for healings, signs and wonders, powerful prayer gatherings with Holy Spirit empowering and infilling.  Pray for great power and great grace for God’s apostles to give witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and there be none lacking.  Acts 3:1-8, Acts 4:29-35

Pray for all who have recently lost their jobs for their needs to be provided, to find God’s better plan for their lives and for jobs to open up.  If the jobs aren’t there, that God will create the jobs for them.  Pray that among the believing community, there be none lacking. Ask the Lord to use this time to draw the unsaved to Himself and petition Him as to what your part might be.

Don’t forget FIRST FRUITS’ GATHERING AT HEARTLAND MINISTRIES, SHARPSVILLE, IN,  Saturday, February 28 from 10-12:00 noon.

Bring used or new clothing and non-perishable items!

“By you Israel will bless, saying, ‘May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!”  May God make you forget the pain of your past, and cause you to be fruitful and prosperous in your future.”  See Genesis 40:51&52, Genesis 48:20

Declare this over yourself and your family, “My Strength, I will watch for you, for God is my fortress.  But as for me, I will sing of your strength; in the morning I will sing aloud of your grace.  For you are my fortress, a refuge when I am in trouble.  My Strength, I will sing praises to you, for God is my fortress, God, who gives me grace.”  Psalms 59:10, 17-18 CJB

Blessings,