Anne led group in worship…
Pastor Ray…
This morning, I was looking at Luke 4. This is where Jesus was tested by the devil after all of the great and wonderful things in the Jordan took place. I want to read you a couple of scriptures. It’s almost a joke. Jesus was hungry, right? This is His first test. The devil said to Jesus, “Since you’re God’s Son, command this stone to turn into a loaf of bread.” I love how Jesus responded with the Word. “It takes more than bread to really live.” So his second test, “he led him up and spread out all the kingdoms of the earth on display at once. Then the devil said, “They’re yours in all their splendor to serve your pleasure. I’m in charge of them all and can turn them over to whomever I wish. Worship me and they’re yours, the whole works.” Jesus refused… That stuck out to me. I wonder what He said right there. I know what He said in a minute but He refused… “again backing his refusal with Deuteronomy: “Worship the Lord your God and only the Lord your God. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness.” I like that. I like the way that verse says “single-heartedness,” meaning we’re asking for more, we’re yearning for more, we’re hungry for more, we’re thirsty for more, we’re expecting more. And the more we do, the more we will. And the more we get it, the more we want more. And it becomes whole heartedness. Or single-heartedness. That’s our biggest thing.
The devil wasn’t finished. He tried a third time. He’s got Jesus up on top of the temple. He said, “If you are God’s Son, jump. It’s written, isn’t it, that ‘he has placed you in the care of angels to protect you; they will catch you; you won’t so much as stub your toe on a stone’?” “Yes,” said Jesus, “and it’s also written, ‘Don’t you dare tempt the Lord your God.’”
BAM! It was over for the devil. “That completed the testing.” And he exited. Then it goes right into Jesus was absolutely stirred up, filled up by the Spirit. He was overflowing, we could say. He had a flood. “News that He was back spread through the countryside and He taught in their meeting places to everyone’s acclaim and pleasure.” They’re all wondering. It was such a pleasure to hear Him. “He came to Nazareth where he had been reared. As he always did on the Sabbath, he went to the meeting place. When he stood up to read, he was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written, “God’s Spirit is on me; he’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the burdened and battered free, to announce, “This is God’s year to act!”
Can we take that for this year? I’m taking it for this year! This is His year to act! And He’s put these things within us. He’s given us the authority to be His hands, His feet, His mouthpiece on the earth. Then He rolled up the scroll and sat down.”
Wouldn’t you have like to have been in that meeting? Let me read this in the Amplified. Luke 4, “The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me, because He has anointed Me [the Anointed One, the Messiah] to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity]” Verse 19 “To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound].”
Thank You, Lord. I found something to go along with this from Pastor Bill Winston. This is a short little “favor confession.” I like it.
FAVOR CONFESSION
Bill Winston MinistriesIn the name of Jesus, I am the righteousness of God. Therefore, I am entitled to covenant kindness and covenant favor. The favor of God is among the righteous. The favor of God surrounds the righteous. Therefore, it surrounds me everywhere I go and in everything I do. I expect the favor of God to be in full manifestation in my life.
Never again will I be without the favor of God. It rests richly upon me. It profusely abounds in me. I am a part of the generation that is experiencing God’s favor immeasurably, limitlessly and surpassingly.
Therefore, favor produces supernatural increase, promotion, restoration, honor, increased assets, greater victories, recognition, prominence, preferential treatment, petitions granted (prayers answered), policies and rules changed, and battles won in which I do not have to fight!
The favor of God is on me and goes before. Therefore, my life will never be the same! This is the year of God’s favor in my life. That is the favor of God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Scripture References: II Corinthians 9:8, Exodus 12:35-36, Genesis 39:21, Luke 2:52,
Deuteronomy 33:23, Esther 8:5, Esther 5:8, Psalms 44:3, Psalms 102:13
Pastor Ray continued…
Favor. What does that look like? It looks like everything works out right. Looks like whatever the resources that are needed, there is more than enough resources to complete what needs to be completed. The favor of God brings about change that we cannot make happen, but He did make it happen through His Son on the cross.
Thank You, Lord.
Now just one other thing. I found this prophecy that Kenneth Copeland gave in 2007 concerning the manifestation of the blessing. The Lord said the blessing is at an all-time high. The blessing.
Let’s pray in tongues for a bit here.
Group prays in the spirit…
Pastor Ray interjects…
There is something right there concerning the United States. Something that we don’t know about. Something that there needs to be divine help or revelation or assistance to help it, speaking of our country, move continually more in God’s perfect way. Let’s pray a little longer about it.
Anne led group in worship…
Prayed…
Thank You, Lord… You’re making us strong… secret things are being revealed unto us… each one of us, all day long… You’re making us strong… Your peace that passes all understanding is working for us… You’re making us strong… to walk it out, all the day long… thank You for it, Lord…
Pastor Ray interjected…
Anne, when you were singing, I saw something. It was so clear. I saw a city, or village, with curvy streets. It seemed like a European city or village with its storefronts. I could see down the street a man in the distance. He had a broom. He was coming toward us as we prayed. He was sweeping the debris away from the streets. As he got closer, I saw who it was. Jesus. It was so clear. He made a way for each of us. He’s cleansed us by His blood. I believe it was a picture of the cleansing of the power of His blood for these days we’re living in. Today, we’re in a new time. In one of those same prayer meetings, I saw that if you go to the airport or wherever there’s a people mover. We were praying in tongues and I saw we had two choices to make. One, we could go status quo. Just keep praying in tongues but our heart was not into our prayers. And if our hearts aren’t in it fully, then our expectation won’t be there either. It was like we had a choice. We could get on the people mover and stay status quo. Ride it. But there was another way. There were hills, curves, changes, new things. It was so clear that, that was the right way. We got that way, not the status quo way. That we keep believing and using our faith for God’s plan to come to pass.
Let’s just relax, rest in him. Anne would you sing for a while?
Anne led group in worship…
We do honor and reverence You, Lord… thank You for the picture that was presented to us through brother Savelle… it’s a picture of what it looks like to be in the land that is more than enough…
Here is the prophecy by Kenneth Copeland.
Kenneth Copeland
Prophecy given to the Body of Christ at the 2007 WCBC
Monday, 07/09/07
“And I Will Bless You Beyond Your Means”“The manifestation of THE BLESSING,” saith the Lord, “is at an all-time high. You are approaching a blessing manifestation of Glory that is an explosion in ways and in intensity that the human race has never seen before. It will look in the spirit the way terrorism looks in the natural as if it is absolutely everywhere and unstoppable.”
“Don’t ever get the idea that terrorism is unstoppable. No, no, no. I said in the 54th chapter of Isaiah that terror will arise but not by Me and it will not come nigh you. That’s my promise,” saith the Lord, “and if you will take it, THE BLESSING will surround you, THE BLESSING will encase you, and you will learn to walk in the secret place of the most high God. Blessed in His blessing, blessed in His Glory, blessed in your comings, blessed in your goings. Blessed in your pocket book. All debt will have to get up and leave you the way leprosy left the lepers of old.”
“Debt,” saith the Lord. (Oh my, my Lord, oh my, say that again. I’ve never heard that before. Oooweee!) “Debt is financial sickness. It is financial leprosy. It’s an attempt to do with the natural world’s monies and abilities what I created THE BLESSING to do for you. Only it is a burden and not a blessing.”
“Debt is part of the curse. And if you will begin to confess it, you will be shocked and thrilled at how quickly you will have the glory arise and drive the debt out of your life. And if you’ll bring your tithe to Me and spend time with Me… spend time with Me… spend time with Me… tithing that tithe to Me, then I will teach you and I will train you and I will show you how to be debt free just like I have others around you.”
“And I will bless you beyond your means. I will bless you beyond your income. I will bless you beyond your salaries. I will bless you beyond anything you’ve ever known before. I will show you things to come. I will show you things that you’ve never heard of before. And you will take advantage of those things and be financially blessed in all of that. But I tell you I’ll bring financial blessing on you that you ain’t got any idea where it came from. It has come to an explosive place. It’s ready, I’m ready,” saith the Lord. “If you’ll begin to confess it. And if you will begin to walk in it and if you will make it a priority in your life, then the glory will manifest in your midst. And you will give Me praise, and I will come and visit you. And together, we will have a grand time,” saith the Lord. Hallelujah, hallelujah.
“Pastors, ministers of churches, it’s time for the glory to manifest in and among your congregation. If you will begin to teach it, if you will begin to preach it, if you will begin to reveal it from My Word, I will manifest Myself,” saith the Lord. “If you’ll preach and teach on the love of God and if you will preach and teach on My glory, I will begin to manifest it in your midst and you will have glorification manifestation. And there’ll be things happen that it will take you six months to figure out what it was. It will get so heavy in your congregation from time to time that people in there will not be able to see one another because of the thickness of the manifestation of the glory. Some of you are going to have it manifest in your cars, manifest as you travel.” Praise God, Amen.
