Don’t Worry

By: Alan Smith

• Phil 4:6-7: Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don't forget to thank him for his answers.  If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus. (TLB)

Do you worry; or have you ever worried?  Of course you have, and maybe you still do.  At some point in life, and in certain situations in life, we have all worried.  But how can something that feels so noble cause us to have so much fear and emotional pain?  In my mind it seems that worrying proves how much I care about someone or something.  But does it really; is there any truth in this thought?  Let’s take a look at the scripture above and see what it says about worry.  First of all, it admonishes us not to “worry” about anything.  Come on now!  Who can really do this one?  In day-to-day life, worry seems to be an automatic emotional response for caring.  For some reason I must believe this to be true, as I can see it in my actions; and I feel that I really do care when I worry.  However, could it be that I am not really worried about someone or something else; but instead, could I be worried about myself and how situations could affect me?  Could this be a selfish act in disguise?  Could the act of selfish worry really create an entrance into my soul where fear would flourish?

Let’s look at the Webster’s Dictionary definition for worrying:

• Inflected Form(s): wor·ried; wor·ry·ing
• 1 dialect British : CHOKE, STRANGLE
• 2 a : to harass by tearing, biting, or snapping especially at the throat b : to shake or pull at with the teeth <a terrier worrying a rat> c : to touch or disturb something repeatedly
• 3 a : to assail with rough or aggressive attack or treatment : TORMENT b : to subject to persistent or nagging attention or effort
• 4 : to afflict with mental distress or agitation : make anxious

Can you believe this definition?  I thought for me to “worry” was a noble act; that it was proof of how much I cared.  This thought does not appear to be accurate, based on the definition noted above.  Let’s go a step further.  Have you ever had an experience of feeling like someone was strangling you or of feeling like you were choking for no apparent reason?  Have you ever had a panic attack or felt that you just could not get enough air?  I would like to suggest to you that this could be the fruit of the selfish act of worrying.  Who is doing this to me, you might ask?  I believe it is directly related to the act of worrying; in other words, we are doing it to ourselves.  Our stinking thoughts are strangling the very life out of us.  We then experience a feeling in the natural world that someone has their hands around our throats.  I have had people ask me to pray for them because of this problem of feeling like someone or something was strangling them.  When I shared with them that their problem was the act of worrying, they were in disbelief.  I said to them, “You must trust in God and not in your worrying.  Stop your worrying, for you are in the act of agreement with a false assumption”.  A false assumption is not a reality, and it comes from a false perception.  A false perception is a perception that is not true.  Thus, worrying comes from a thought that is not even true.  We must remember that it is important that we own our own thoughts and perceptions.  We are responsible for what we think and for what we do.  We are not responsible for others, but we are responsible for ourselves.

I believe to worry means we are tormented.  Like Webster says, it is a persistent, nagging of attention we give unto ourselves.  This tormenting is based on a lie that comes from a false perception.  The scriptures say that when we feel tormented it is an unclean spirit.  Do we really want to fellowship with unclean spirits?

• Luke 6:18-as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. (NKJV)

Webster also says:

• 4 : to afflict with mental distress or agitation : make anxious

Could this be true spiritual warfare?  It appears that the dark side of the spiritual world would like to afflict upon us a mental distress and agitation.  How does this happen?  The only way the dark side can cause us mental distress and agitation is for us to be in a working relationship with it in how we think.  We have entered into an agreement between darkness and ourselves.  We have been deceived by our selfishness, because we thought we were being noble.  The truth is that our trust for all of life’s circumstances was in ourselves and not in God.  How can we truly get free?  We must simply repent: repent of being selfish; repent of the thought that to worry is noble; repent of not trusting God with all of life’s circumstances; repent of being in agreement with the powers of darkness.  True freedom comes when we agree with the truth.  The scriptures say that we shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free.  Let’s now take hold of the truth and walk in the freedom that it offers.

Blessings,

Alan

One Touch

By: Alan Smith

• Matt 9:20-22: Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak.  She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed."  Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment. (NIV)

Have you ever felt like this woman?  You know; if you could just receive one little touch from God?  If God would only touch your pain or your disappointment or your sickness, you would be healed.  I have noticed that most people, if not all, have felt this need before.  This woman had a need and she knew if she could just touch the hem of His garment, she would be healed.  He didn’t speak to her, so why did she have any reason to believe that touching His garment would change her situation?  There had to be something in Jesus that was drawing this woman to Him.  This is so amazing to me: something very special was drawing her to Jesus.  Could it be that His love was exceeding His message?  Could it be that without even speaking, the love of God so filled Jesus and so penetrated His garment that it permeated throughout the crowd to this woman?  His love enveloped the crowd and reached out and touched her.  She pressed through the crowd and knew that not only touching Him would change her; but if she could just encounter His love, she would be healed.

Sometimes we think if we could just hear the correct words or if we could just say the right prayer that our pain and disappointment or our fear and shame would be gone.  This woman may have felt this way too at one time; but it appears, at this point in the scripture, that she was very desperate in her situation.  She knew that she needed more than a good sermon; she needed a touch from heaven.  She knew that just one touch from Jesus would be her answer.  She stepped out in faith, not knowing what He would do, but totally expecting a touch from Him to make her whole.

Do your circumstances seem hopeless?  Do you need a touch from God today?  What if you step out by faith right now, just like this woman, and try touching the hem of His garment?  You know; not just talk about it, but actually do it.  He won’t disappoint you.  He is pleading with you to step out by faith in your circumstances and touch the hem of His garment.  He longs for you to trust Him this deeply.  Even more, can you see that He also longs to press through your madness to reach out and touch your garment with His love and make you whole?  Just reach out and touch Him, and in so doing, let Him touch you!  Let’s try it now and go to this youtube website, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP71mZZ0hbk&feature=related  just ask Jesus to touch you.  He is waiting on you to press through the crowd with your desperate need.  Go ahead; press through and reach out right now and touch his cloak in prayer.  Come on—reach out and touch Him!  But remember, this is a daily reaching out.  You must daily reach out by faith and touch the hem of His garment to receive His “One Touch” for today.

Thank you and blessings in the name of our Lord.

Alan

God Is With You Wherever You Go

By: Alan Smith

• Josh 1:9: Yes, be bold and strong! Banish fear and doubt! For remember, the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." (TLB)

What an incredible statement this is!  Be bold and strong! Banish fear and doubt.  This is the statement God spoke to Joshua after the death of Moses.  God was calling Joshua to be bold and strong and to enter the promises of God.  Evidently, Joshua was walking in fear and doubt: fear of all the problems that were before him; fear and doubt of the battles that were ahead of him.  Have you ever had fear, and then so much doubt that you could not make a simple decision?  I think all of us have had this problem from time to time.  Fear is the beginning of doubt, and doubt is the beginning of confusion.  How can we conquer fear and doubt, you might ask?  Let’s take a look at the scriptures to find this important key.

In the scripture above, God tells Joshua to “be” so he can “do”.  We first must “be what we are to be” before we can “do what we need to do”.  We see that Joshua was to be bold and strong, and then he could banish fear and doubt.  Have you ever had your hopes and dreams banished by fear and doubt?  Of course you have, and so have I.  Often, I wonder what has happened to my hopes, my dreams, and my joy.  I believe they have been banished:  they have been destroyed by two enemies called “fear” and “doubt”.  These enemies leave me in a state of confusion, which ultimately leads me into depression.  I now find myself in this deep, dark hole of the soul.  So, how can I crawl out of this hole?  Can you see it?  All of us must see that the weapon used against our hopes and dreams is the same weapon that we must use against our fears and doubts.  It is the weapon called “to banish”.

Let’s look at the definition of this weapon of the spiritual world.  Webster’s dictionary says this: To banish someone or something is to require them, by authority, to leave a country.  This truth is unbelievable!  We must take back this weapon of authority that is being used against our souls.  Satan takes the very authority given to us through Jesus Christ and uses this weapon of banishment against us.  When we agree with the spirit of “fear” and “doubt”, we empower them.  To be in agreement with fear and doubt is to speak death to our hopes and dreams.  Instead of our hopes and dreams being “banished” from the country of our lives, we must banish fear and doubt from our borders.  How do we take back this weapon?  We must be bold and strong.  God is giving us revelation, and then permission, to do this.  We are to walk in our authority to banish “fear” and “doubt” and say, “Be gone ‘fear’ and ‘doubt’ by the authority that has been given to me in the name of Jesus Christ.”  Then, let’s use this same authority and say, “Hopes and dreams, be alive in my life.  I refuse to be robbed of them.  Fill the borders of my life from coast to coast: from the top of my head to the bottom of my soul.”

After Joshua banished fear and doubt, he was reminded of something.  Let’s read the scripture again.

• Josh 1:9: Yes, be bold and strong! Banish fear and doubt! For remember, the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." (TLB)

Joshua was reminded that the Lord God was going to be with him wherever he went.  Yes, Joshua was going into the land that God had promised, but he did not have to go before God was with him.  As Christians we tend to believe we must go here or go there so we can be in the presence of God.  We think if we could only have a certain job or if we could be seen and discovered by certain people or if we could just go to the Holy Land, we could then experience His presence.  God was telling Joshua that He was with him already; that the promise was more than a destination—it was a relationship!  God was telling Joshua that he was “to be” in relationship with Him, and then he could do what he needed “to do” and take the land of promise.  Let me remind you that God is with you wherever you go.  Just be careful where you take Him today.  Be bold and strong and do not let fear and doubt control your life.  God will be with you; just trust Him for His boldness and strength to be upon you.  Do not let go of your hopes and dreams, for God will accomplish His will in His time.

Blessings,

Alan

Walking in Favor

By: Alan Smith

• Ps 44:3
  They did not conquer by their own strength and skill, but by your mighty power and because you smiled upon them and favored them. (TLB)

Can we really have the favor of God upon our lives? Can we walk in divine favor from heaven? I believe we can. King David was just a man, a man like you and me. Some days he seemed to be a saint and other days a sinner.  Have you ever felt like this? David had times of despair and times of victory. As David walked in the path of God his strength increased. For it is on this path that a true and healthy life can be experienced. When David chose not to walk in God’s path but his own, his life would be full of pain and destruction. How can we walk in a continual state of the “favor of God”? Life is full of challenges and crisis. Some days we are convinced that we are in a war zone of the mind. How can we conquer these challenges of each day? How can we be victorious and not beaten down by these circumstances and thoughts? First of all we must remember that we have been given the road map and battle plan for our lives. The road map is the Bible and it contains all we need for our daily battles. It will direct our path. Let us consider the following verses.

• Ps 25:4-5 Show me the path where I should go, O Lord; point out the right road for me to walk.  Lead me; teach me; for you are the God who gives me salvation. I have no hope except in you.

David knows where to go when he feels lost and defeated. He asks the Lord to show him the path that he should walk. He is confident that the Lord will point out the right road. First of all we must be aware of the danger that surrounds us when we leave the path of God. We discover that the favor of God shines upon His path. We enjoy this favor so much we often forget it is a gift and benefit from God. When we walk the pathway created by God we receive a divine strength. The strength comes from the rays of son shine which shines upon the path we are walking and warms our souls. This warmth we now feel within us reminds us of the verse that says, Col 1:27 Christ in you, the hope of glory. When this warmth of peace and contentment leaves us we discover we have left the pathway of God from where the Son always shines. Also we see in Ps. 25:4-5 that the Lord will teach us as we walk upon His path. He teaches us about the landscape of this path of life we are walking through. How this path of life is so beautiful and refreshing to the soul. He shows us the beauty of this life that can only be seen through the eyes of one that is on this pathway of heaven. He teaches us about the truth of peace and joy, the truth of life. When we stray from this heavenly path we encounter destruction and even a feeling of death. Let us read once again the verse for today.

• Ps 44:3
  They did not conquer by their own strength and skill, but by your mighty power and because you smiled upon them and favored them. (TLB)

We now understand we can conquer our challenges and fears through the strength and skill given to us by God. It is Christ in us that give us this strength and skill to overcome. The skills to slay these dragons of life are taught to us through the Word and by the still small voice of the Spirit. Let me remind you of this strength that is within you when you accepted Christ into your heart and life. God smiled upon you and has now given you favor because he loves you and wants you to be victorious and have peace and contentment in life.  The rays of His son are the smile upon your heart from our heavenly father. I encourage you to stay on the pathway of heaven so the rays of His son shine may warm your heart and soul.

Blessings

Alan

God’s Test of Faith and Obedience

By: Alan Smith

• Gen 22:14: So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided." (NIV)

Have you ever felt like God has always been giving you tests throughout your life?  You know, you say to yourself “Well, God, did I pass this one today?”  It is amazing to me how much of our lives is spent in testing.  When I was in school, I always dreaded the tests.  Tests seemed to be a method in which a teacher could bring pain to her students.  I remember how I would study right before the test to cram as much data as possible into my small little brain.  When test time came, I would be nervous because I knew that my learning had not been etched upon my brain; instead, it was only memorized for a short period of time.  As I took the test, I would proceed to unload what I knew for only a short time.  My grades would make the acceptable marks, but sometimes the learning had no lasting impact upon my life.  Could this also be true when I am being tested by God?  Do I give him the correct answers, only to find myself taking the test over again and again?  Did I really pass the test with just the correct answers?  Could it be that God is looking for more?  Let’s look for this answer by reading about an episode in Abraham’s life from the Bible.

• Gen 22:1-2: Later on, God tested Abraham's [faith and obedience]. "Abraham!" God called."Yes, Lord?" he replied. "Take with you your only son-yes, Isaac whom you love so much-and go to the land of Moriah and sacrifice him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I'll point out to you!" (TLB)

Have you ever had this test from God: one where He asks you to trust Him with someone or something that you love very much?  One day Abraham found himself confronted with this request from God.  The Lord asked Abraham to kill his son, because He was testing Abraham to see if he really loved Him more than his son.  Abraham was being tested to see if his obedience to his God was greater than his love for his own son.  I can just hear what was going on in Abraham’s mind.  “Lord this is not fair.  You made me a promise and now you are asking me to let it die.  You are not really a good God.  Your requirements are just too painful.”  Have you ever said this to God?  Maybe you haven’t said it, but perhaps you have felt it.  God’s Word gives us the illustration of how much we can really trust God. Let’s read on a little further.

• Gen 22:3-6: The next morning Abraham got up early, chopped wood for a fire upon the altar, saddled his donkey, and took with him his son Isaac and two young men who were his servants, and started off to the place where God had told him to go. On the third day of the journey Abraham saw the place in the distance.  "Stay here with the donkey," Abraham told the young men, "and the lad and I will travel yonder and worship, and then come right back." Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering upon Isaac's shoulders, while he himself carried the knife and the flint for striking a fire. So the two of them went on together. (TLB)

It appears to me when God is asking me to sacrifice what I love unto Him, that I always have to go on a journey to make the sacrifice: just like Abraham.  The journey gave Abraham time to think and process the sacrifice that he had to make.  The journey to the altar of God seems to take time; but we see that Abraham was still walking toward this destination called by God.  Now, let’s look at the correct response of the loved one, Isaac, who was to be given.

• Gen 22:7-10: "Father," Isaac asked, "we have the wood and the flint to make the fire, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?" "God will see to it, my son," Abraham replied. And they went on. When they arrived at the place where God had told Abraham to go, he built an altar and placed the wood in order, ready for the fire, and then tied Isaac and laid him on the altar over the wood. And Abraham took the knife and lifted it up to plunge it into his son, to slay him. (TLB)

We see that Isaac’s obedience to his earthly father to climb upon the altar was as important as Abraham’s obedience unto his heavenly Father.  If Isaac had not cooperated, Abraham would have failed.  So we see that Abraham’s test results were determined by the obedience of the one that was being sacrificed.  Here is a look at the reward of the obedience of Abraham and Isaac.

• Gen 22:11-14: At that moment the Angel of God shouted to him from heaven, "Abraham!  Abraham!" "Yes, Lord!" he answered.  "Lay down the knife; don't hurt the lad in any way," the Angel said, "for I know that God is first in your life-you have not withheld even your beloved son from me."  Then Abraham noticed a ram caught by its horns in a bush. So he took the ram and sacrificed it, instead of his son, as a burnt offering on the altar. Abraham named the place "Jehovah provides"-and it still goes by that name to this day. (TLB)

What a loving God we serve.  When we give God everything, we can see that even for that which we love the most, His reward is far more than anything we could imagine.  Abraham passed God’s test.  God also passed His own test.  He gave His only Son upon the cross so our Isaac’s could live.  Someone has to pay the bill and God has paid for all of our desires.  He just wants us to give them to Him so He can provide in His time and in His way.

Blessings to you this day,

Alan

I spoke Sunday at New Life Church on the prophetic topic "A Ray of Hope". You are invited to watch the webcast at http://www.newlifenc.com/  . Just click on "Live Webcast" and look under the archives. There is a spirit of fear that is being released upon the earth and I will attempt to bring some light in regards to this topic. Be blessed everyone and thanks for being a part of The Kingdom Prophetic Society.

blessings

Alan Smith

Dear Brother Alan,

The Lord's reign is coming over Haiti very fast. At Eben-Ezer in
Gonaïves, there is such a pwerful anoiting since we came from our trip
to Moravian Falls when we visited your church. This anoiting is
spreading over everything that we touch to the point where the local
government authorities are entrusting us with state lagacies such the
management of the construction of an international airport in
Gonaïves. This airport is being built on land that belongs to
Eben-Ezer. Therefore this will be a joint venture.

We have signed a contract with the Mayor's office for us to supply
merchandise to merchants in six (6) public markets and to conduct a
microfinance project for the recapitalization of the families.

I am invited by the two congressmen of our region to be their
consultants and undertake projects of all sizes and in every area of
the social and economic life of our people.

We are developing programs in Health care, Education, Import/Export,
Agriculture and Banking. We multiply our praying, fasting and night
watch times. We are happy to be vessels and channels be used by the
Lord to invade Haïti. Influential leaders from the Capital City are
joining our team. We are kept excited by the Holy Spirit.

Now, there will be great harvests following this aboundant time of
sowing.
Please, help us share the good news and the challenges with others.

More later,


Michel Morisset

Dear Brother Alan,

I am happy to report that the government authorities are relying a lot
on Eben-Ezer Mission for the reconstruction and the development of
Haiti. For over 42 years, Eben-Ezer has developped income generating
programs that help finance the humanitarian projects. We favour
self-sufficiency instead of hand-outs.

For years, we received no regular outside support from individuals or
organizations. We depended on revenues generated by activities that
met the needs of the people as well as being a source of financial
support. That model is now coveted by the local and national
authorities who are inviting us to give lectures in public gatherings,
consulting with us in making major decisions and entrusting us with
projects that will have an impact on the general public.

The city of Gonaïves has suffered from two major floods, one in 2004
and one in 2008 followed by the devastating earthquake in
Port-au-Prince. That earthquake caused a large number of people to
migrate from Port-au-Prince to the other cities, mainly Gonaives. All
that has led us to add an orphanage and a large vocational training
program to our list of institutions.

We have acquired well over 1000 acres of farming land that used to
feed all our people and part of the city of Gonaives, St Marc and
Port-au-Prince. Unfortunately, our land was under water for a long
time and is just now recovering.

 Thanks to a church near Charlote and an individual in Asheville, NC,
a large portion of the property is now fenced in, we have been able to
bring irrigation water to where it is needed for the crops and we are
preparing the ditches in order to expand irrigation over more and more
land. In another month or two we should be back on our feet.

In the meantime, there is a severe hunger crisis all over Haiti. In
Gonaïves, people are running to us and we are in no position to help.
The sad thing is to see the children of our own orphanage going
hungry. The families around us are struggling to meet their basic
needs. We are praying for more start-up fund.

Anything invested in Eben-Ezer is invested in Haiti in general.



Michel Morisset
President of Eben-Ezer Mission

Prophetic Word for 2012:

A Fresh Ray of Hope

By: Alan Smith

Lam 3:21-26: Yet there is one ray of hope: his compassion never ends. It is only the Lord's mercies that have kept us from complete destruction.  Great is his faithfulness; his loving-kindness begins afresh each day.  My soul claims the Lord as my inheritance; therefore I will hope in him.  The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for him, to those who seek for him.  It is good both to hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. (TLB)

Have you ever felt your life was not reaching its potential?  You know, the feeling that you are running behind the schedule of destiny?  Or perhaps your life is missing your goals and dreams?  You start the morning without a “ray of hope” for the day or the week, or perhaps even for the rest of your life.  I believe most of us experience these emotions and struggles from time to time.  Just as hope is prophetic to our future, so is hopelessness.  Hopelessness is the prophetic voice of the hidden part of the soul.  What is the hidden part of the soul, you might ask?  It is the place where we hide our fears.  We keep this place so hidden we are not even aware that it exists.  We hide all kinds of thoughts here; mainly the thoughts we tell no one.  The thoughts we think are not acceptable to those around us.  The thoughts we believe, if told, would surely come to pass and devour us.  This hidden room in our soul has a door that is always closed, and is never opened.

Come away with me for a moment.  Let’s imagine a room in your house.  This room is hard to see and is almost hidden at the top of the attic stairs.  This room has always seemed a little scary, so you have refused to open the door to take a look.  Days pass and you don’t open the door.  Suddenly, you hear all kinds of creatures moving in the darkness of this hidden room.  A week passes before you venture by this room again.  The door is still closed.  You hear more sounds and now you can even hear a faint voice in the background.  Your imagination begins to give form to this voice; this creature.  It is very scary as you do not know what this creature looks like.  You think you can see this creature in your mind.  It appears to have ten heads and ten eyes.  The scales on its body shine as the reflection of the moon pours into the night window.  Its tail is dangerous and appears to be pointed like a spear.  Surely it could pierce your heart and bring sudden death.  This hidden creature, if exposed, would surely be the end of you.

Now, isn’t it amazing how we can take the imagination that God has given to each of us to speak prophetically into a wonderful future; and then use it to destroy our God given destiny?  This hidden room becomes a breeding ground of the unseen.  When we store our fears and possible failures in this hidden room, they grow into false realities.  We then start to live in these false realities; and even though they are false, they take on the appearance of being true.  They might as well be true, because we live in them just the same.  These false realities produce a painful hopelessness that destroys our very existence.

So how can we escape this place of hopelessness?  The first thing we must do is open the door of the hidden room in our souls.  We must be truthful and honest with ourselves and with God.  There are no creatures in this land of the hidden soul; only our fears.  Fear is the hidden creature.  It is a false reality, and it is not even real.  Let’s open the door to this hidden room and let the light shine in and expose all of the false realities that have been living there.  Then, let’s see what God has to say about this.

First of all, Lam 3:21says: Yet there is one ray of hope.  This is all it takes to make it today; just one ray of hope, a ray of hope from heaven.  There is one ray for each day, and we must live one day at a time.  Tomorrow is not here so we must trust the Lord for today.  Do not look for a ray of hope for tomorrow, because tomorrow has not yet come.  Tomorrow’s ray of hope will be asked for tomorrow.  You can trust that God will give you this ray of hope for tomorrow because his compassion never ends.  His love for us is unbelievable and endless.  Your fears are only trying to destroy you while it is the Lord's mercies that have kept us from complete destruction.  Great is his faithfulness; his loving-kindness begins afresh each day.  Our ray of hope comes fresh each day as we call upon the Lord.  Why—because of his loving-kindness.  This part of the inheritance we have in Christ must be claimed.

Let’s take another look at the scriptures.  Lam 3:24: My soul claims the Lord as my inheritance; therefore I will hope in him.  The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for him, to those who seek for him.  It is good both to hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.  Let’s make a choice this day to wait upon the Lord and continually seek Him.  Our hope is not in the hidden room of our souls, but in the Lord who willingly sends us a “ray of hope” for each day. Fear will be offered to us in great abundance during the next 12 months.  But we must not allow our souls to agree with this fear and hopelessness. This is the year to experience freedom from fear, hopelessness, and destruction. The Lord is the One who holds this day and He is the One who issues each of us a “ray of hope”. Let’s embrace His voice and receive His Word as His “ray of hope” warms our hearts with truth and freedom.

May God bless you in 2012.

Alan

 A Thankful Heart:

The Lifestyle of a People That Can See the Invisible God

By: Alan Smith

Psalm 100: Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!  Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.  Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; W e are His people and the sheep of His pasture.  Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.

Hmmm: to be a person that is really thankful; thankful for all things.  Is it possible for us to be transformed into this heavenly creature?  Does the condition of our hearts determine what we see?  Does the condition of our hearts help to focus our spiritual eyes?  How can we see this invisible God we love?  I mean, how can we really see Him?  But then we have to ask, is He really invisible or do we just need eyes that can see Him?  Let’s take a spiritual journey and explore a little of the invisible world.

Things we see can be a language.  The things we see around us do not come out of nowhere.  They were created according to something in the invisible realm.  What if we look at a “key” verse that unlocks this unseen world?

n  Col 1:16  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him. (KJV)

So we can see that the scripture above has given us a road map into the unseen world.  The Bible is teaching us that there are two worlds: one is visible and the other is invisible.  Both worlds were created by Him.  The created world, which is the visible, gives us the capacity to understand the unseen world, which is the invisible.  The created world is a reflection of the unseen world.  The unseen world has two speeds in which it moves.  It moves faster than the naked eye and it moves slower than the naked eye.  Let me give you an example.  Can we see a tree or a child grow?  I think not, but we can see a miracle of life.  It is just moving at a pace that is slower than we can see with the naked eye.

On the other hand, there are also things that move faster than we can see.  This means there is part of this creation that we just cannot see with the naked eye.  This part of creations makes up the unseen world.  God gives us revelations in which we can understand and see the unseen world.  One of these revelations is that of the “thankful heart”.  If God is in an unseen world, perhaps we need the capacity to go where He is.  It is becoming very evident that we cannot enter into this world with our own understanding.  The scriptures reveal to us a truth.  We see in Psalm 100 above that we are to Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.  If we are truly going to enter into this unseen world and into His presence, we first must do this with “thanksgiving”: thanksgiving unto Him.  Are we truly thankful to God?  I often find myself not very thankful at all.  On the contrary, I find myself very unthankful most of the time.  Why, we might ask ourselves?  Could it be that what we focus on determines what we see?  If what we see in the invisible world is determined by the condition of our hearts; then an “unthankful heart” sees that which is dark and depressing.  It is always seeing what is going wrong on the planet.  A “thankful heart”, however, can see dark as well as light, but chooses to focus on the light and the good.  It sees what could be on the planet if our hearts were truly thankful for the opportunity that God has given us.  I pray that we will consider our ways and become a thankful people unto our worthy God for all He has and is doing for us.  

Blessings,

Alan

Forward and Upward:

A Parable of Destiny

By:  Alan Smith

Dan 5:23: But you have not praised the God who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny!

Have you ever felt that your “destiny” would never be fulfilled?  Could you consider that “destiny” is the road traveled unto your heavenly destination?  I have written a short parable on this subject.  In the parable there is an angel whose name is “Destiny”.  “Destiny” is full of life, given to him by his Creator; but his gift of life needed a little direction.  Come with me as we fly away into the heavens and meet the one called “Destiny”.

“A Parable of Destiny”

As the angel, “Destiny”, gazed through the heavens at what God had made for all of His creation; he also reflected on the past regarding his earthly and spiritual relationships, and how important it was to make corrections through life’s journey.  As a young angel in training, there were times he did not listen to his instructors and thus, he would end up at the wrong place at the wrong time.  As a result, confusion and sorrow filled his life; and his inability to end up at the proper destinations brought much sadness and many unanswered questions.  But “Destiny” was learning…learning to be a messenger: one who would chart a course in the next direction.  It wasn’t that he didn’t always have the correct coordinates; sometimes he did.  Unfortunately, he constantly ignored these new instructions!

All of the instructors in his life loved him greatly.  They had spent long hours with him, but he just could not seem to grasp this lesson.  The Heavenly Father also loved “Destiny”.  He was one of His favorite angels.  He was so full of life and mischief.  It was because of this eternal love of the Father that He sent his Son to personally help “Destiny” in his training.  The Son declared to “Destiny” that He had been sent to show him the way.  “The way?” said Destiny.  “Yes,” said the Son.  “I will send you a friend and he will help you.  Always remember that a true friend is the most longed-for relationship in the heavens and on the earth.  This friend will give you an electronic book to hold in your hand which will show you the way to go.”  “When will He come?”  Destiny asked.  The Son replied, “When I leave, He will come.  You will not be able to see Him, but He will be with you.  This I promise.”

As the Son left, a little book suddenly appeared in Destiny’s hand.  Looking like no other book he had ever seen, it had a monitor, numbers, and the alphabet within its covers.  It fit perfectly in the palm of his hand.  He punched buttons and different things appeared on the monitor screen.  Excitement so overtook Destiny over the gift, that he sang, ran, and danced across the heavens.  Never before had he been so confident that he could complete the tasks that were given to him.  As he came to a stop, he noticed the name of the book…G-GPS, God’s Global Positioning System.  Instantly, he heard a voice, but saw no one.  The Voice, who was the true friend spoken of earlier, and who is also called the Comforter, called out, “Destiny?”  Trembling, Destiny replied, “Yes, what do you want?”  “I am here to comfort you and to show you how to use the G-GPS,” said the Voice.  Winds surrounded Destiny, blowing into him peace and comfort.  The Voice then responded, “This book is to show you how to move forward.  It will also show you where you have been, where you are, and where you are going.  Listen as I give you these very important instructions.  First, I will give you the latitude and then the longitude.  These are the coordinates that you will need to put into the book.  These coordinates will tell you where you are now.”  Destiny asked, “What do you mean by the latitude and longitude?”  The Voice responded, “The latitude is to the natural what vertical is to the spiritual.  Longitude is to the natural what horizontal is to the spiritual.  Vertical is your relationship to the Father and horizontal is your relationship to your brothers.  I will tell you about your vertical and horizontal positions as you go.  The key to your going is that you do not overlook or skip any set of coordinates.  If you do, I will not give you another coordinate.  You have to complete the requirements of the previous settings to go to the next settings.  These settings will guide you, even around danger in your goings.  So, therefore, you must listen to My voice and be obedient to every vertical and horizontal setting as you walk in a straight line with no variance.  When you reach where I want you to be, I will then give you another setting.  Your movement will be forward and upward.”  Destiny then asked, “What is the key to this understanding?”  Wisely, the Comforter replied, “When you reach each setting on the G-GPS, repent.  The act of repentance turns you to proceed in a new direction and allows you to receive new vertical and horizontal settings.  Repentance will turn you to the way I want you to go and establish your path to the next settings.  Forward and upward: the ways of the Spirit.”  Destiny then asked, “Where am I going?  Where will this G-GPS take me?”  The Comforter breathed the words, “To your Heavenly destination.”

Could repentance be more than being sorry for something?  Could repentance be the very coarse correction needed to send us to our next destination?  Just a thought for another day.

Blessings,

Alan

 A Gift Giver

By: Alan Smith

• Luke 2:8-12: Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.  Then the angel said to them,"Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.  For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."  (NKJV)

It was at this time that God wanted to give His greatest Gift to mankind.  This Gift would be a living example of the Spirit of God in human form, and God would be giving all that He had in and through this Gift.  It is God’s nature to give all of the time, and when He gives, a supernatural element is released.  He has given us life, opportunities, food, jobs, the air we breathe, and as noted in the scripture above, even the Gift of a Savior.  Just think, every day that is experienced is a day which has been created and given as a gift by the Father.  Would you like to give to others as the Father gives to each of us?  Would you like to know the secret of the Spirit of giving?  Let’s look at the life of Jesus to gain more spiritual understanding of this giving.

Jesus, God’s greatest Gift to the world, has given more to mankind than anyone who has ever been born.  He has given us the instructions for how we begin this secret journey of gift giving.  First of all, He knew He had to go to the source of all things if He was going to be a Gift Giver.  Jesus knew that within Himself He had nothing to give, but when He cooperated and worked with the Father all of a sudden every thing the Father owned became “substance” which He could give away.  His “faith” in the Father made Him whole in every thing He did.  What a perception Jesus had in being our example of a Gift Giver!  Jesus had “faith” that the Father would show Him what He should give each and every day, and His faith became “substance”.

Jesus was also a thinker.  He didn’t walk around in a lifeless form.  On the contrary, He was always praying; which being interpreted means, He was talking to God.  Jesus knew the Father wanted to create and give something new and fresh each day so therefore, Jesus would talk and then think with the Father every day.  If we want to be a Gift Giver, we must talk to the Father and then we must think in a certain and a different way.  We must understand that how we do things is a direct result of the way we think.  If we want to do things in life in a “certain way”, then we must learn to think in a “way” that will be in harmony with the “certain way” we want life to be.  Jesus wanted to give so He would “think” in a way which was conducive to giving.

Jesus also wanted to set “free” the riches of the Kingdom of Heaven and He knew that only the “truth” could accomplish this heavenly task.  So we see we must “think” in a certain way in order to be in harmony with the “truth”.  To think and live life in “truth” for the future requires much more of us than allowing our present surroundings to tell us how to think and live.  We must “think” and live in “truth” regardless of our surroundings.  This type of “thinking” is creative in nature.  So how will we be able to give out of what we now have?  Jesus did not think according to His surroundings; no, not at all.  Our surroundings are only the truth of the past and not the truth of the future.  Our surroundings are proof of past “thinking”.  This type of past thinking is very easy and requires no effort, and it will not bring new and fresh things to give away.  If we are going to be Gift Givers and give out of the treasures of Heaven, we must start thinking and living for the future and not thinking and living out of the past.  We must start doing as Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing.”  Remember that God is creating a new day every day and He wants us to create it with Him.  To do this we must have a creative type of thinking and not a competitive type of thinking.  It is very hard to maintain this type of creative thinking, especially when our surroundings contradict the “truth” and our “thinking”.  But this is where “faith” comes in.

• Heb 11:1: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (NIV)

Every action in the world which is seen will produce an image in the mind that will start a conflict of “past” versus “future”.  Only the “truth” sustained by “faith” will change the future.  When we walk in this, we will flee from all fear and doubt and walk with the Father into a new day of created abundance from the Kingdom of God.  It is from the abundance of this Kingdom that we can give gifts to God and man.  God sent His Son to this earth as an eternal gift to mankind.  God is the Creator of all things, but this is a minor gift.  His major gift is that of giving: giving freely; giving when there is no appreciation; giving when He is not recognized; giving not expecting anything in return; giving because He first loved us.  God gives because He sees into the future.  He knows that giving freely is pure spirit and pure spirit will last forever.  It transcends time and space and will last for eternity.  The life of Jesus was given freely and God expects nothing in return from us.  All we need to do is receive this wonderful gift from our Father.

Receive this One called Jesus today and receive the true gift of Christmas.  When we have done this, we may live and walk through life asking the Father each and every day what we can give.  Giving is not just one day a year, but instead, the lifestyle of heaven.  Let’s build a fire within our souls today and allow our hearts to be warmed with the Spirit of Christmas.  Let’s give what the Father says He wants us to give.  Let’s not give out of necessity, but out of hearing our heavenly Father say to us: “Help that mother with food for her children this week.  Or, give that homeless man a hug and tell him that Jesus loves him just the same”.  Giving comes from a heart that is in harmony with the Kingdom of Heaven.  Let’s give out of the riches of the Heavenly Kingdom those gifts which have eternal value.

• 1 Corinthians 13:13:  And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.  (NIV)

Merry Christmas,

Alan

“Love Must Exceed Your Message”

By: Alan Smith

Esther 5:6-7: During the wine course the king said to Esther, "Now tell me what you really want, and I will give it to you, even if it is half of the kingdom!"  Esther replied, "My request, my deepest wish, is that if Your Majesty loves me and wants to grant my request, that you come again with Haman tomorrow to the banquet I shall prepare for you. And tomorrow I will explain what this is all about."

Do you remember the story in the Bible about Esther?  This is such an incredible story about how “love” exceeded the message.  King Ahasuerus’ love for Esther exceeded the message of Esther, and Esther’s love for her people exceeded the message of Haman.  You may wonder how this applies to your life.  Well, have you ever had a word or a message for someone?  You know, a message that you just knew the person needed: a message that would change his/her life?  Even though your zeal and determination were real, the message which you delivered only caused the opposite of what was intended?  Could it be that the message lacked the element of love that it needed to be received?  In the story of King Ahasuerus and Esther, love was the factor which saved the lives of many.  So let’s explore further, which came first: the love or the message?

It is very obvious in the story of Esther that love was the driving force that preceded the message.  But what if the message had come first; would it then have been received?  Probably not.  True love for someone is like a bank account from which a message must make a withdrawal.  In this story a beautiful woman, named Esther, was a Jew who found herself in the king’s court as his wife and his queen.  Esther found favor in the heart of the king.  Her beauty and humility won his attention and his heart.  However, a man in the king’s court, named Haman, was very prideful and wanted attention and power for himself.  It truly was a very sad thing for a man to allow his life’s passions to be so selfishly motivated, but so it was with Haman.  He was willing to kill, steal, and destroy so his selfish desires could be satisfied.

Esther’s stepfather, named Mordecai, was hated by Haman because Mordecai would not bow down to him.  For this reason Haman persuaded the king to let him kill all of the Jews in the kingdom.  Queen Esther was of Jewish decent, but no one in the king’s court knew this except Mordecai.  Esther loved her people very much, and she could not bear the sentence that Haman had decreed upon them.  She knew she must petition the king on behalf of the Jewish people.  Let’s read what happened.

Esther 5:1-2: Three days later Esther put on her royal robes and entered the inner court just beyond the royal hall of the palace, where the king was sitting upon his royal throne. And when he saw Queen Esther standing there in the inner court, he welcomed her, holding out the golden scepter to her. So Esther approached and touched its tip.

Esther is a type of us, the church.  We, like Esther, are to enter into the inner court of the King, Jesus, and make a request.  We have been clothed with royal robes that have been provided for us by the King Himself.  Esther did nothing in her preparation to meet the king, other than receive what the king had already provided for her.  She then boldly entered into the inner court and spoke as follows:

Esther 5:4: "If it please Your Majesty, I want you and Haman to come to a banquet I have prepared for you today."

In this scripture we see that Esther was always considerate of the king and assumed nothing.  Her request was that of love first and then the message.  There was such a great love in the heart of the king for Esther.  His love far exceeded any message she could give him.  He knew that no matter what the request was he would give all that he had for her.  It is the same with Jesus.  Jesus loves you and me so much that He has given all that He has for us.  He has given His life and His kingdom too.  Now, let’s read what the king said to Esther.

Esther 5:6: During the wine course the king said to Esther, "Now tell me what you really want, and I will give it to you, even if it is half of the kingdom!"

The king’s love for Esther was unbelievable and so is God’s love for you and me.  God’s love exceeded His own message.  God’s message required for man to live a perfect life.  After the fall of man in the garden, the perfect life was an impossible dream.  God’s love for His creation far exceeded His own message of perfection.  Because God’s love exceeded His own message, He sent His Son to live the perfect life for us.  When we receive His love, the message that He required is fulfilled.  There is nothing that you have done or nothing more that you can do to be received by the King.  Just accept His invitation of love to come unto Him.  He has already completed perfection through His Son.  Just receive His love this day.  He really does care about you.

The Kite
By: Alan Smith

  
Life with no direction: have you ever been there?  You know, just blowing in the wind.  Just letting the cares of life take you where they may.  You don’t really care where you have been or where you are going. You are just floating along life’s journey with seemingly no purpose or direction.  Are you giving up?  Do you not care?  Well, I care and God cares.  You also need to care.  I have written a little parable that will perhaps help us with this “just blowing in the wind” mentality.  Open your mind and your heart.

“Parable of the Kite with no Tail”

It is springtime.  The flowers are blooming, the trees are budding, and the grass is green.  All of the colors of spring are very bright.  Everything is growing and coming to life.  The excitement of new life fills the air, as we smell the fragrance of a new day dawning.  Old things are passed away and all of creation is coming into newness.  The wind is blowing and it reminds me of flying a kite.  Why don’t we stop and read about the “children” as they learned to fly their kite.

Isaiah 40:31: But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (NIV)

The "children" were in the meadow flying a kite.  It was obvious that they were on a great adventure; but they were not having very good success with their kite.  The kite would go up in the air fast, and then go side to side as if to say, "I will go where I please."  The kite did not have any particular direction in which to go.  It just knew that it wanted to go somewhere without anyone controlling it.  Only the resistance of the string would hold the kite down.  The kite was so fighting the resistance that it would go around and around until it would crash to the ground.  The children would launch the kite again, only to repeat the same events of the day.

Suddenly, there appeared an old man: a grandfather of the children.  He sat with them and taught them about the laws of the wind and told them that their lives were like a kite.  He told them how the wind was created for their good; how his Father enjoyed blowing onto the ground with his breath, making it possible for things of the earth to soar.  He told them that God created them to fly and soar in life just as the kite.  He shared with them that it took three things for the kite to soar.  The first thing was wind, the second thing was a tail for their kite, and the third thing was resistance.

The grandfather first addressed the wind.  He said to them, “The wind represents the Holy Spirit of God.  When He blows into your life, you have the power to soar.  Without the wind the kite cannot leave the ground.  Its power must come from another, for the kite has none of its own.  The wind of the Spirit is always in unity with the Words of God.”

Next, the grandfather addressed the tail of the kite.  He told the children that their kite did not have a tail, and they asked him why it needed a tail.  He shared with them that the kite needed direction for its journey.  He told them that without a tail the kite could not go very high and that it would crash to the ground every time.  He said that the tail felt like a weight to the kite, but in fact, the tail gave the kite direction.  He said that the tail of the kite would not let the kite go astray when it was attached to the kite.  He then told them that the tail was "the Word" for them that day.  He said that it was very important for them to hear "the Word"; for it was “the Word" that would give them direction to fly higher in this new season and not crash to the ground.

As he shared, he looked to the ground and saw the tail of the kite lying there.  The grandfather asked them why the tail was there.  The "children" said that the tail kept getting tangled in the string and they thought that it could fly better without it.  It appeared to be in the way.  The grandfather took an old Bible out of his pocket.  He tore the pages out of it and tied them to the kite’s tail.  The old man taught them that the kite represented their lives.  He told them that life was a great adventure through which everyone would fly.  They would want to fly high and fast so they could see everything.  They would want to go where they wanted to, anytime they wanted to.  However, without the Word of God to give them direction, they would only fall to the ground.

The last understanding the grandfather addressed with the “children” was resistance.  When they resist the Devil, which is a negative force, then the wind, the Spirit of God, which is a positive force, would blow against them.  He told them that without resistance the kite would not have a "negative" from which to trust unto a "positive".  When the kite agreed with the resistance and used it for its good, it would take a negative resistance and "transform" it into the power that would cause the kite to go higher.  He then told the children what his heavenly Father had told him.

Romans 8:28: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (KJV)
After sharing with them, the grandfather told them it was time to go home and they could come again another day.

When the Word of God is attached to our lives, it is then that we have direction.  This will cause us to soar higher and higher in life.  When we soar higher we can begin to see things as God sees them.

What truly supports the fabric of a kite?  It is the cross that is behind it.  Open the fabric of your heart today because the cross of Christ is supporting you.  The fabric cannot support itself.  Let the wind of the Spirit of God blow against you.  Take the Word of God and let it give you direction for this new season.  When resistance comes, remember that it is necessary for you to go to higher places than you have ever been before.  Do not despise the resistance as it can be used for your good.  It’s your choice.  Choose this day to believe God.  He will take you on a journey that is unbelievable!

Blessings,

Alan

“The Unbelievable”

By: Alan Smith

Zech. 8:6: The Lord says, "This seems unbelievable to you-a remnant, small, discouraged as you are-but it is no great thing for me. (TLB)

Do I dare to believe the “unbelievable”?  Even though I get discouraged so easily, the Lord says that the “unbelievable is no great thing for Him”.  Consider this: an “unbelievable” is a “believable” waiting to be born.  How could the Wright brothers have invented the airplane without first having the courage, and then the faith, to believe the “unbelievable”?  How could scientists send a man to the moon or even have a vision for the Space Shuttle?  Things which are created begin as something that is first “unbelievable”.  Perhaps the “unbelievable” is the birthing of a vision.  Could the “unbelievable” be prophetic unto our futures?  How can we have courage to bring the “unbelievable” into our reality so it can be believed and enjoyed by all?

First, let’s look at the definition of the word “unbelievable”.  Webster’s Dictionary says this: Unbelievable: Too improbable for belief.  Webster’s is saying that the “unbelievable” probably will never happen.  I sure am glad God does not believe Webster’s “unbelievable” definition of this word.  But what does God believe about this?  Let’s receive the key that unlocks the “unbelievable” door.

Heb. 11:1-3: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.… By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

We see that faith is a characteristic of God.  It is the combination of “faith” and the “words of God” which cause things that are not, to become things that are.  So how do we know that we truly have faith in God?  We have faith in those whom we trust, and we trust in those whom we love.  Let’s ask ourselves these questions.  Do we really love God?  You know, are we thinking about Him all the time?  When we truly love someone, we cannot get that person out of our thoughts.  We may try, but they just automatically pop up in the windows of our mind.  We long to be with them and spend every moment with them; we long to share our heart and our very life with them.  Well, so it is when we love God.  He just invades our every moment; and we long to be with Him and spend time with Him and share our heart and life with Him.  When we trust Him, His love bends the fibers of what is not, into what is.  He is waiting for someone to trust Him, so He can create a new future for the ones who do love Him.  He is just waiting for someone that has an “unbelievable” so He can create something new this day.  He is waiting to do this for you.  Just ask Him.  He loves you so much.

Be encouraged this day and believe for the unbelievable.  It is His smile upon those who trust Him that creates a new day for the “unbelievable” to become history unto our tomorrows.  Remember this, The Lord says, "This seems unbelievable to you-a remnant, small, discouraged as you are-but it is no great thing for me.  God says your unbelievable is no big deal for Him.  Let’s trust Him this day.

Blessings,

Alan

“Star Search”

by Alan Smith 

Dan. 12:3: Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. (NIV)

Have you ever been to a country music or rock concert?  It feels like electricity is in the air.  Everyone is excited and full of life.  You look on stage and see the performers, in all their glory, leading the crowd in an uproar of praise.  You think to yourself, if I could only meet those performers, I bet they would really like me and give me their nod of approval.  Perhaps if they liked me, then I would have a reason to even like myself.  Have you ever wanted the approval of others?  Most of us have wanted the approval of others and we still do.  When we do not get this approval, it causes us to experience rejection.

But what causes us to think this way?  It grieves me when the children of God are looking for approval from a man or a woman, when we already have it from our heavenly Father.  His grace and His mercy await us.  I have observed that there is more rejection experienced than is given.  What do I mean by this, you might ask?  When we look for acceptance in all the wrong places it sets us up for “rejection”.  The spirit of rejection is always waiting for us in the cul-de-sacs of life.  When we go down the wrong roads of life for acceptance, there will always be dead ends.  We find ourselves turning around in life, once again, looking for another road to lead us to this oasis that brings security, peace, and love.

Let me tell you what the word of God says about you and me.  It says if we will only be wise, we will shine like the brightness of the heavens.  Have you asked Jesus to come into your life?  If so, this is a wise move on your part.  Jesus tells us we have this light within us and we are to let it shine.  He says: Matt. 5:15-16: Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men.  Jesus encourages us to let the light that is now in us shine before all men.  How can you hide light from darkness?  You can’t.  Light will always expel darkness.  The verse in Daniel gives us the understanding that when this light truly shines from us, it will lead many into the righteousness of God.  He then goes on to say that these wise ones will shine like the stars for ever and ever.  Why would we want to meet the performing “stars” of rock and country music when we ourselves are called “stars from heaven”?  I beg of you children of God, receive your stardom from the one who truly knows a “Star”.  You never need to look for another.  

Blessings,

Alan

Visit Kingdom Prophetic Society at: http://www.kingdompropheticsociety.org/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

Don’t Open your Heart to Strangers

By: Alan Smith

Proverbs 12:25: Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad. (NKJV)

Have you ever had an arrow shot into your heart?  I’m not talking about a physical arrow, but one that hits the very heart of your soul.  If you think about it, I’m sure you have.  Sometimes we open our hearts to the wrong spirits.  These spirits take on the appearance of friends that are kind, loving, and very understanding; but for some reason they always leave us feeling sad and unfulfilled.  In truth they are our enemies sent from the dark side, shooting an arrow into our hearts.  How can we identify one of these arrows?  Well, let’s look at the one called ANXIETY.

Anxiety is stealth in its activity and it is a deadly killer to our souls: it just keeps on hurting.  Once the anxiety is in us, our human soul becomes acclimated to its presence and we begin to call it a friend.  Now, before we go any further, let’s take a minute to look at the Hebrew word for anxiety.  It is OT: (daw-aw'); a primitive root; to dart, i.e. fly rapidly; (deh-aw-gaw'); from OT: anxiety: fear, heaviness, sorrow (KJV).  As we look into this meaning, we see that this arrow of anxiety “flies rapidly” into our hearts.  I know I have felt this one before, have you?  First the arrow must enter our hearts.  It enters through openings called “doors” of the heart.  A door can let things in or it can let things out.  Some things that come into our hearts we need; but some things we do not need.  Anxiety is the name of the arrow and it has been dipped into poisons called heaviness and sorrow.  Slowly, these two deadly poisons destroy our spiritual nervous system.  We become weary and heavy laden, and then we begin to walk in our own strength and knowledge and wisdom.  Before we know it, our trust is not in God, and the heaviness and sorrow increase.  It is important that we understand here that this anxiety, dipped in heaviness and sorrow, is usually induced by fear—fear we cannot see.  So, from the Hebrew meaning above, who is fear?

Fear is the one that knocks at the door.  Let me show you the dialogue that occurs when he tries to enter into our hearts.  Fear says, “Knock, Knock.”  “Who’s there?” I ask.  “The spirit of Fear,” he replies.  “May I come in?”  “You certainly may not,” I reply with a good religious yell!  “I am a Christian and I do not let spirits like you into my heart.”  “I have a gift to deliver to you,” he says.  “Just open your door a little and I will hand it over to you.  I promise you will not even see me.”  If he promises I will not even see him, he must be honest.  I have heard this voice before, so it must be fine.  I finally reply, “Okay, come in.”  As I slowly open the door of my heart, a package appears and lands in a dark corner that has been prepared to receive it.  It is a vacant place in my heart in which no one else resides.  I walk over and pick it up.  I cannot believe how heavy this package is.  Suddenly, there is a black substance that starts oozing from the package.  It has a horrendous odor and it makes a stain that I cannot remove.  I begin to work diligently to scrub and clean the stain, but nothing seems to remove the smell or the stain of sorrow that I am now experiencing.  Sadness overcomes me for fear this smell and stain will always be with me.  I feel so hopeless and alone; anxiously trying to determine what to do.  How did this happen; how could I have let this spirit enter into my heart?  I need help, so I begin to cry out aloud to God.  “God, if you are real and if you are out there, please help me.  I feel so dirty and so forsaken.  Please help me!”  He replies, “I have always been here.  It is my greatest joy to help you.  The very fact that I created you is proof that I love you already.”  Now I begin to sense a little hope.  God is hearing my cry, and perhaps He can help me get rid of the smell and the stain.  I turn to Him and ask, “What must I do to get out of this trap?”  “Only trust”, He replies.  “But trust what?” I ask with tears flowing down my face.  Then, with the kindest words I have ever heard, He says, “Just trust Me; trust that I can change this smell into a fragrance that smells like roses, and that I can clean the stain whiter than snow.  Just trust me to finish this work that I have begun in you.  Just let me in when I knock.  Just receive my gift of Grace, dear child.”  ”Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)  Let’s not open the doors of our hearts to strangers, but only to the ones that truly love us.

Just a thought for today!

Alan

Garments of Christ

By: Alan Smith

Col. 3:12-14: Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. (NIV)

The garments of Jesus Christ: what a thought for today! How will I know I have put on these heavenly garments.  I will know if I am wearing His garments because of their weightless nature.  When the garments feel heavy, then I know I am wearing my own and not His.  In fact, as I consider this, it becomes so amazing to me how Jesus and I just do not think alike.  You know, turn the other cheek and stuff such as that: an action which comes from the attributes of the clothing listed in the scripture above.  An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth come more naturally to me.  So how does Jesus come up with this type of thinking, which ultimately creates His garments?

Could it be that He has the best seat in this stadium of life, which allows Him to have a vantage point over us?  He gets to see the big picture because His seat is far above the earth into the room of heaven.  I sure would like to have a pass into this room so I could sit in the VIP section.  Well, actually, I do have a pass to enter into this room; but I’m not sure that I have been using this pass as Christ intended for me to use it.  This pass He has given me is one of the benefits of receiving Him into my life.  Paul said it as follows:  Eph. 2:6-7: “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.”  Is this cool or what?  But wait a minute!  If this is where I am to be seated, why is my view of life so messed up and full of problems?  Perhaps I need to leave so I can go.  You know, if I do not like the view from here, I need to go to where the view is better.  I need to leave my way of thinking and start thinking like Jesus, so I can enter into the VIP room of the Spirit.  Come with me as I take a journey into this room.

As I approach the room I see a sign on the wall, which says, “DRESS CODE REQUIRED”.  I really do want to enter in; so—I will “just do it”.  The dress code begins like this: “clothe yourselves with compassion”.  Boy, am I in trouble now!  I know, if possible, I will need to exchange my old clothes at the door, because I am not clothed in compassion.  I ask the kind man at the door, “Will you please exchange my selfishness for your compassion?”  He replies, “Sure, I would be glad to.”  I then think to myself that this is a really great deal: old clothes for new ones.

The next item on the dress code is “kindness”.  So I ask again, “Will you exchange my hatefulness for your kindness?”  With a little smile he turns and looks at me and says, “I would love to make this trade.”  I find myself in unbelief once again, as I am sure in my mind that this man is going to lose everything he has.

I move on to my next item of clothing, which has a bad smell, so I ask the kind man, “What do you have in exchange for my pride?  And, remember, it is very valuable to me.”  The man replies, “I will give you humility in exchange for your pride.”  It seems to me that he is getting the better deal here, but I then think to myself, “What the heck?  I can get more of this pride anytime.”

The man then looks at me and says, “I think you need a new pair of underwear.”  My reply is one of shock: “Underwear!  What do you mean: underwear?”  He responds with a smile and says, “You know, the part of your clothing that no one else can see until you show your behind.”  I then slowly ask, “Is anyone looking?”  And he says, “No one but me.  Here, take this new underwear of the spirit called gentleness and patience and wear it very close to you.”

His eyes catch mine and he says, “Now then; you need one more piece of clothing to enter into this room.”  “But,” I remark, “I have nothing left to exchange!”  He laughs and says, “You need nothing to exchange.  It is a free gift.  It will cover all of your new clothing: just ask and you will receive.”  I question him again: “What is this covering called?”  Here is his reply.  “It is called my love, and it will cover all things.  It will keep you very warm, so wear it at all times.  It will keep your new clothing from getting soiled.  Enter into this room and see as I see.”  When I ask his name, he replies, “Just call me JC, your friend.”

Just a Thought for Today!

Alan