How to Live in the Glory Every Day

1. Praise & Worship
Many ask how to live in the Glory on a daily basis. I always like to start out the day with Praise and Worship. Heaven is full of praise and worship, the entire atmosphere is made up from it. It’s important to realize that Praise and Worship are 2 different things. Praise is what is needed to break-through into the heavenlies in order for worship to take us higher. Praise would be the faster victory, warfare, faith, or breakthrough songs. When you start, keep praising God until you feel a release and a breakthrough. Once the glory realms starts to descend, begin to enter into intimate worship which is typically slower love songs to God. Keep worshiping until the glory of God is stronger to the point which you can just soak in His presence, pray, and share with God. This is one of the fastest way to get in the glory on a daily basis.

2. Repentance
Holiness via repentance is necessary to bringing the Glory into your daily life. If there is anything standing between you and God or you and your fellow man, it must be removed. While we have inherited the righteousness of Christ at salvation, just like healing and other supernatural gifts, we must access it via repentance. You can praise and worship all day, but if there are known ‘glory blockers’ like unforgiveness, anger, gossip, or other sin, the glory of God cannot come. As the Word says, “Who can climb the mountain of the Lord, those with clean hands and a pure heart” (see Psalm 24:3-4). Confess your sin to God, ask Him to forgive you and begin to not only repent of the sin but ask God to break off the power of that sin in your life. Starving the flesh and feeding your spirit man is also a great remedy. Starve the sin by keeping yourself pure of evil thoughts or words that would trigger a memory and take you back to a situation that triggers your sinful response. Feed your spirit man by meditating on the pure Word of God and worshiping in His presence.

3. Fasting
Fasting coupled with prayer is a very powerful force when it is led by the Spirit and not led by the flesh or works. Jesus was filled with the Spirit but when He came out of His 40 day fast in the desert, He came back with the power of the Spirit. Fasting is seen throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Moses, Daniel, Elijah, Paul, the apostles, and Jesus Himself fasted at key moments; even for direction in choosing the next apostle or for direction for their next missionary journey.

Many great men and women of God especially those used in demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit spent time fasting. Worldwide figures, including many of the revivalists and revival intercessors in the 1800′s and 1900′s were found to fast. When you fast your spirit man seems to be “turbo-boosted” into a much higher level of sensitivity in the spirit realm. It seems to propel your spirit man in a very short period of time into a much higher plane where you are able to more easily hear, receive revelation, and prophetic direction. I have noticed that most people who operate in resurrections, the ministry of miracles, and high level prophetic ministries are often lead into seasons of fasting at certain times. While fasting you can add praise and worship which only intensifies your prayer and fasting time along with forgiveness and repentance.

Be led by the Spirit and respond to Him. He will lead you into wisdom and His glory! Be blessed!

True Friendship

Have you ever wondered what the real essence of the saying “A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed” is?
People talk about the true value of friendship actually without knowing what it stands for. True friendship is the one, in which the individuals do not have to maintain formalities with each other. Sharing true friendship is the situation, when the person you are talking about is counted as one among your family members, when the relation you share with him/her reaches a stage that even if you don’t correspond for some time, your friendship remains unscathed. Best friends need not meet up often to make sure that the friendship remains constant.

The trust between best friends is such that if one friend falls in trouble, the other will not think twice to help. If the bond between two friends is strong, true friends can endure even long distances. For them, geographical separation is just a part of life. It would not affect their friendship. They make it a point to stay in touch, even in the verge of being exhausted due to the drudgery of everyday life. True friendship never fades away. In fact, it grows better with time. True friendship thrives on trust, inspiration and comfort. Best friends come to know, when the other person is in trouble, merely by listening to their “Hello” over the phone. They can even understand each other’s silence.

True friends don’t desert each other when one is facing trouble. They would face it together and support each other, even if it is against the interests of the other person. Best friends don’t analyze each other; they don’t have to do so. They accept each other with their positive and negative qualities. Nothing is hidden between true friends. They know each other’s strengths as well as weaknesses. One would not overpower the other. They would respect each other’s individuality. In fact, they would understand the similarities and respect the differences. Best friends don’t stand any outsider commenting or criticizing their friendship and they can put up a very firm resistance, if anyone does so.

True friends are not opportunists. They don’t help, because they have something to gain out of it. True friendship is marked by selflessness. Best friends support even each other, even if the whole world opposes them. It is not easy getting true friends for the lifetime. If you have even one true friend, consider yourself blessed. Remember, all best friends are friends, but not all friends can be best friends. In this world of cynics and back stabbers, there are still some people who are worth being friends with; like I have in my life. They have to be recognized and respected for being best friends, for the lifetime.

The Love of God Surpasses A Mother’s Love

In Isaiah 49:15,16 we read:

“Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget; yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before Me.”

Now the strongest human love that we know of is a mother’s love. Many things will separate a man from his wife. A father may turn his back on his child; brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies; husbands may desert their wives; wives, their husbands. But a mother’s love endures through all. In good repute, in bad repute, in the face of the world’s condemnation, a mother loves on, and hopes that her child may turn from his evil ways and repent. She remembers the infant smiles, the merry laugh of childhood, the promise of youth. Death cannot quench a mother’s love; it is stronger than death.

You have seen a mother watching over her sick child. How willingly she would take the disease into her own body if she could thus relieve her child! Week after week she will keep watch; she will let no one else take care of that sick child. But let me tell you that no mother’s love is to be compared with the love of God; it does not measure the height or the depth of God’s love. No mother in this world ever loved her child as God loves you and me. Think of the love that God must have had when He gave His Son die for the world. I used to think a good deal more of Christ than I did of the Father. Somehow or other I had the idea that God was a stern judge; that Christ came between me and God, and appeased the anger of God. But after I became a father, and for years had an only son, as I looked at my boy I thought of the Father giving His Son to die; and it seemed to me as if it required more love for the Father to give His Son, than for the Son to die. Oh, the love that God must have had for the world when He gave His Son to die for it!

“God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Who can fathom the depth of those words: “God so loved the world”?

We can never scale the heights of His love or fathom its depths. Paul prayed that he might know the height, the depth, the length, and the breadth, of the love of God; but it was past his finding out.
It “surpasses all knowledge” (Ephesians 3:19).

If anyone is lost it will not be because God does not love him: it will be because he has resisted the love of God.

“Planted by the Waters”

Are you planted by the waters? Are you trusting Jesus in every area of your life?
Some years ago our house developed a major water blockage and I was using a water-hose in a desperate attempt to un-stop the main drain. To say that I, and everything around me, was completely soaked would not be sufficient.
As might be expected the phone rang, and with the gushing water-hose in one hand I answered the phone with the other; without even saying “hello” a voice on the other end blurted out, “And he shall be like a tree planted by the water!”
God definitely has a sense of humour! My Mother, who had no idea what I was doing at the time, was quoting what has become one of my favourite Scriptures.
“But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”
Jer 17:7-8 (NIV)
Years later, in the midst of my morning devotion, I sensed the Holy Spirit ask, “Do you trust me in every area of your life?” Again the Scripture in Jer 17:7 came to mind. I knew this Scripture by heart, but this time it had a much deeper message.
Perhaps for the first time I realized that God was describing a lifestyle that is based upon complete trust and confidence in Him. He was asking “do you trust Me in every area of your life, for anything you may encounter?”
So I ask, do you trust Jesus in every area of your life? There is assurance and confidence in knowing that He will be with you in every situation, and that He promises to never leave or abandon you. (Heb 13:5)
If you will trust in the Lord He will be there to help with decisions, temptations, illness, social situations, and whatever you may encounter. You will find renewed trust, hope, and a deeper walk with Him.
In good times, tough times, or in a year of drought, you can be like the tree near the waters that does not fear or worry; whose leaves are always green and never fails to bear fruit.
When your trust and confidence is in the Lord you are blessed. It’s His promise!

Take up Your Cross

Are you ready to take up your cross? “Then he said to them all, If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self”? (Luke;9:23-27)
There are at least three conditions in the above scripture that must be met by people who follow Jesus. We must be willing to deny self, take up our crosses, and follow him. Anything else is superficial lip service. When Jesus said to his disciples, If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and “FOLLOW ME” his disciples understood what he was saying.
Crucifixion was a common Roman method of execution and condemned criminals had to carry their crosses through the streets to the execution site. Following him meant making a true commitment, the risk of death, and no turning back.
Christians follow Christ by imitating his life and obeying his commands. To take up one’s cross means to carry your own cross to the end, even if it means death, if necessary, for your faith in Christ. We must also deny our selfish desires.
Following Christ requires dying to self and may seem costly now, but in the long run is well worth the pain and effort. Nothing can compensate for the loss of eternal life.
A good example of how to take up your cross is found in Acts 16:22-25. Paul and Silas had been severely flogged and thrown into prison yet about midnight they were praying and singing hymns to God. They were praising God even in the most difficult circumstances.
Another instance is when the people close to Paul learned that he was going to Jerusalem where he would likely be thrown in prison; they pleaded with him not to go. “Then Paul answered, Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 21:14)
Yet, according to Paul, the Christian life is the best life there is. It’s true that when you take up your cross there will be a burden to bear, but the benefits far outweigh the costs.
Not even life itself can compare to what we gain with Christ. Jesus wants us to stop trying to control our own destiny and let him direct our paths. He knows better than we do what real life is about.
When we give our life in service to Christ He will send the Holy Spirit to comfort, instruct, fill us with joy, and guide us through our troubles and onto the path he would have us follow.
We then discover the real purpose of living, and a brilliant future not only in this world, but a beautiful, glorious eternal life so fantastic it defies description.
As you take up your cross remember that there Christians in over 40 countries who face daily persecution, imprisonment, and even death for their faith in Jesus Christ. We must pray for these persecuted Christians that they will remain strong in Christ as they take up their cross. Therefore decide today to take up this cross laid upon you!

I SEE

Here’s what I’m seeing – I know it’s never happened; but, I know that it must before the end. There must be, not just individuals – I’m thankful we have individuals that are rising up with such anointing, such strength, we have people scattered all over the planet right now that are just making a mess of things in all the right ways. We are so encouraged. But, what I’m believing for is a generation – a generation that will rise up with a corporate faith, a corporate anointing to press into realms because it’s my conviction that as much as God put on a William Branham, or a Kathryn Kuhlman, or a Wigglesworth, He’ll put far greater anointing on a company of people than He ever would on an individual. To do that, there must be that corporate sense (Unity Of The Faith). ‘We have to deal with the issue of obeying the rules of this kingdom to tap into the resources of this kingdom’…we cannot use the principles of this world and expect to tap into unlimited resource of the kingdom of God…”

How To Communicate To Change Lives

Why do preachers preach?
Since the goal of preaching is to change lives, preaching is the ultimate tool for church growth. But how can you be effective in communication through preaching? Listed below are eight questions to ask about your preaching.

1. Who will I be preaching to? Asking questions like, “What are their needs?”, “What are their hurts?”, and, “What are their interests?”, will help us focus on where the people are. Why ask? Because although there are three things that always get one’s attention:
• Things that threaten us.
• Things that are unusual.
• Things that we value.
“A preacher can only consistently keep people’s attention by focusing on what people value.”

2. What does the bible say about their needs? Since the Bible is the Book of Life, is will have the answer to peoples needs! The preacher’s task is to show the Bible to be relevant for today’s needs.

3. What is the most practical way to say it? Application is the central task in preaching. So, preaching must be practical enough for people to know what to do. How to make preaching more practical?
• Always aim for action.
• Tell the people why.
• Show them how.
Exhortation without explanation leads to frustration. Too often people respond to a message with the expression, “Yes, but how?” In other words, I agree with what you’re saying, but “how do I do it?”

4. What is the most positive way to say it? Jesus never tried to convert anyone with anger. Although the Scriptures clearly warn of judgment, negative preaching only produces negative people.
• Promote the positive alternatives to sin and preach humbly.

5. What is the most encouraging way to say it? Everyone has three fundamental needs:
• To have their faith reinforced,
• To have their hope renewed,
• To have their love restored.
The key to encouraging people is don’t just tell it like it is, but also tell it like it could be.

6. What is the simplest way to say it? Jesus taught profound truth in simple ways. Since a person forgets 90 to 95% of what they hear in seventy-two hours, the sermon needs to be definable in a single thought. How do you simplify the sermon?
• Condense the message into a single sentence.
• Avoid using religious terms.
• Keep your outline simple.
• Make your application fit.
• Never make a point without a picture.

7. What is the most personal way to say it? People today are skeptical and resistant to sales pitches, so the message must be made personal “He’s preaching to me!” How do you preach with impact?
• Honestly share your struggles.
• Honestly share your progress.
• Share what you are learning.

8. What is the most interesting way to say it? To the unchurched, dull preaching is unforgivable. Vary your delivery! Jesus told stories about people and He also used humor. Humor relaxes people, makes painful medicine easier to accept and creates positive emotions.

In summary, good effective preaching is not just an accident. It should be thought through. Finally, the most effective key to preaching is simply LOVE PEOPLE!

N/B: Not for only preachers but also for those who want to communicate values to the lives of others