Friday, February 24, 2012

WHY WE PRAY!

I hope to see you all tonight as Now Faith Int’l Ministries host “60 Minutes with the Father” Midnight Prayer. Held at Another Level Ministries ~ 8839 Walker Mill Road, Capitol Heights, MD~ 12am-1am

THERE IS A CONVERSATION taking place in the spiritual realm. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were part of it. Throughout the history of humanity others have joined it, and there's something in each of our hearts that tells us we were created to be part of it as well. We long for it. We yearn to be in on it. ~Dr. N. Cindy Trimm
This big conversation concerning our lives is taking place in heaven and the only way we can be a part of it is if we connect with our Father in Prayer. Anyone can pray, anywhere and at any time. Whether we're kneeling, sitting or standing, praying out loud or silently, praying in groups or by ourselves, God will hear and answer us. Prayer is so easy and so simple we might not appreciate what a privilege it is. It is a direct line of communication with our Heavenly Father who wants to help us with all of our problems and questions. Though He may not always answer right away or in a way we expect, we believe the scriptures when they say, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7).

The Power of Prayer
We are commanded to pray often because the more we speak with God; the more open we will be to His guidance through the challenges we face. The Holy Spirit that lives inside of you is waiting for you to ask for His guidance, He is not an “it” but He is a very important part of the Trinity. The more you speak to Him, use Him, and activate Him in your life the closer you become to the Heavenly Father. The power of prayer is not the result of the person praying. Rather, the power resides in the God who is being prayed to. 1 John 5:14-15 tells us, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him." No matter the person praying, the passion behind the prayer, or the purpose of the prayer - God answers prayers that are in agreement with His will. His answers are not always yes, but are always in our best interest. When our desires line up with His will, we will come to understand that in time. When we pray passionately and purposefully, according to God's will, God responds powerfully!
Jesus gave us the Lord's Prayer, as a model prayer and Jesus himself often went off to pray, setting an example for us to do the same. In Matthew 14:23, it says, "And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone." (KJV) If Jesus needed to go off and pray, how much more do we need to? Praying should not be something we do out of duty and routine. Prayer is talking and listening to our loving, all knowing, heavenly Father.

The book of James tells us to pray for wisdom when we don't know what to do (James 1:5).

In Philippians 4:6, 7, prayer is connected with receiving God's peace.

In Ephesians 6:18, prayer is a very important part of battling the forces of evil.

We are also told to pray for those in Authority over us (I Timothy 2:1, 2).

In the midst of our busyness let's remember how much we need God and need prayer and make a daily practice and our first resort instead of our last.
Keep the Faith,
Rev. Bert
Hebrews 11:6

Friday, February 17, 2012

I Want to Hear God!

Have you ever asked the question “How do you hear God?” Ever wondered how to differentiate His voice from the voice of the enemy?

For Starters
We have to choose to give the Lord our members and faculties, In other words, we offer Him our bodies, minds, abilities and emotions. We must be careful not to let the devil use our minds. The human mind is his favorite battleground and he will fire thoughts at us all day about any and everything. These foolish, confusing and degrading thoughts will often times drown out the voice of God. Things such as our surroundings, music, people and our environment are all things that can play a part in being confused on whether you are hearing from God.

What I Know Now
We cannot stop him (the enemy) from sending thoughts our way, but we can resist them in the power of Christ. To be honest, there are many days where I have to cast down thoughts and imaginations that enter my mind. I do it as I shower and get dressed in the morning. We have to do it as often as needed. Each day we must continue to fill up, gas up, and refuel on the Word of God. Often times that is what’s missing. We want to hear God. We want the power of God. We want the glory of God but very rarely are we spending alone and study time getting to know who God is through His Word.
I remember sitting in my bedroom many years ago one evening following church service. I said to God, “I pray but still don’t know when you are talking and I don’t understand why?” I heard Him so clearly say “I speak through my Word. If you don’t know my Word then you can’t know Me.” Very powerful for me and it still rings true today. The Bible tells us to Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately the Word of Truth. II Timothy 2:15 AMP We have to study the Bible and other resources that are made available to us today.

What I Want You to Keep
Think of it this way: two voices are competing for your attention. You can focus on one or the other. Choose to hear the voice of God. When we fill our minds with the right things then the wrong ones have no room to enter. When I came across this scripture I felt as if I hit the jackpot. I have chosen this scripture as my meditation each morning.Philippians 4:8-9 Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

What I Suggest
1)Set time for God - 60 minutes each day
2)Buy Devotionals
3)Become Still & Meditate – get in a quiet place
4)Journal- writes what you hear and feel in your spirit

I encourage everyone to spend at least 60 minutes with God each day; the results are life-changing! Also, I’d love for you to join me for “60 Minutes with the Father” Midnight Prayer on Friday, February 24, 2012. Bring a friend.
Have Faith,
Rev. Bert
Hebrews 11:6

Friday, February 10, 2012

Yea & Amen!

One of my favorite scriptures is found (2 Corinthians 1:20)
For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of
God by us. The “yea” in this verse means= to concur or agree with. The Amen
means= so be it. Therefore; it is saying I concur with His promises and let
them be so.

When the angel Gabriel was sent to the virgin Mary, her life was pretty much uneventful. She served the Lord but not much excitement happened in her life. Then God spoke the wonderful words that she was blessed among women, found favor with God, and would bring the Messiah into the world. Mary - being a human with free will to choose - could have said “no thank you. That sounds VERY scary.” But Mary's faith and dedication to God showed up as she responded:
Luke 1:38 “And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to Thy word.” To put it into one word: Mary said,“YES” to the will, direction, and promises of God! NOW, Mary's life begins to change! Not only did she have a beautiful baby, she had a great (God loving)husband (Joseph), her finances improved (God sent Wise Men with gifts), she had a life of purpose, and became a great blessing to ALL people! Luke 1:34,35 “HOW shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee.”

Mary could not figure out how, when, nor all the details of this miracle. When she asked, the answer was by the power of the Holy Ghost. When God said He would bless, lead, guide, direct, and prosper us, we could not and still cannot figure out how, when, nor the details of the miracles He has lined up for us (from Genesis to Revelation) but the answer is “by the power of the Holy Ghost!” How can you get that job when so MANY others have applied for it? By the power of the Holy Ghost! How can your family members become born again? By the power of the Holy Ghost! How can your health and finances improve? By the power of the Holy Ghost!

Today, when the enemy of your soul tries to make you believe that God isn't
concerned with you - because if He was, He would just speak the word and “poof”
it happens, keep trusting the promises of God and remind your enemy that YOU have said YES to all the promises of God (by your faith in and obedience to Him) and your God can NOT fail!!When you say yes - God says Yes, it remains Yes and no devil in hell can change it. The world may try to block and mess you up to the point of frustrating all your hope but people’s ill actions against you becomes the very formula for your exaltation. The more people plan and strategize to bring you down the more they are helping you to be easily lifted up.

YES, every promise of God is, Yes and Amen in Christ Jesus. When we act on those promises and believe that our actions released the blessing of increase that is in them, then they are Yes and Amen in us. It is done!

I can’t Stop, I won’t Stop because serving God is always a
winning situation!

Keep the
Faith,
Rev. Bert
Hebrews
11:6

Friday, February 3, 2012

Move that Elephant!

One day not too long ago the employees of a large company in St. Louis,
Missouri returned from their lunch break and were greeted with a sign on the
front door. The sign said: "Yesterday the person who has been hindering
your growth in this company passed away. We invite you to join the funeral."
At first everyone was sad to hear that one of their colleagues had died, but
after a while they started getting curious about who this person might be. The
excitement grew as the employees arrived to pay their last respects. Everyone
wondered: "Who is this person who was hindering my progress? Well, at
least they are no longer here!" One by one the employees got closer to the
coffin and when they looked inside it they suddenly became speechless. They
stood over the coffin, shocked and in silence, as if someone had touched the
deepest part of their soul. There was a mirror inside the coffin: everyone who
looked inside it could see himself. There was also a sign next to the mirror
that said: "There is only one person who is capable to set limits to your
growth: it is YOU.

This Faith Friday is about moving the Elephant of your life, moving the hinderances and those things that set you back so that you can continue growing. You are the only person who can
revolutionize your life. You are the only person who can influence your happiness, your realization and your success. You are the only person who can help yourself. Your life does not change when your boss changes, when your friends change, when your parents change, when your partner changes, when your company changes. Your life changes when YOU change, when you go beyond your limiting beliefs, when you realize that you are the only one responsible for
your life. During this past year after experiencing many shipwrecks, the loss of close friends, disconnects from family I found that the most important relationship you can have is the one you have with yourself.

The scripture says Gal 5:7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
Paul is comparing our pursuit for God to a runner in a race. The race that he is describing is a marathon; not a 100 yard dash. If the runner is going to win his race, there has to be total concentration on only one thing; the Finish Line.

The word "hinder" here is talking about "being pushed back". Paul is
saying, don’t allow anything to get in your path that will slow you down or
push you back from the prize that you are running for. We too need
to keep our focus on our goal, Jesus Christ; who is the author and Finisher of
our faith. He is encouraging us to keep running forward. Keep "...pressing
toward the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Php 3:14)

Don't allow anything to hinder you today from moving forward toward what God
has planned for your life. Every direction there will be distraction and
hinderances that will try to slow you down, or turn you around. Yet before you
is Gods best for your life. MOVE that elephant and Move FORWARD!

One sure way to get started is communicating with God. He is our HELP! Pray daily. Prayer is simply talking to God. You don’t have to use big fancy words. There are no right and wrong words. Just be yourself. Give thanks to the Lord daily for your salvation. Pray for others in need. Pray for direction. Pray for the Lord to fill you daily with His Holy Spirit. There is
no limit to prayer. You can pray with your eyes closed or open, while sitting
or standing, kneeling or lying on your bed, anywhere, anytime. So begin to make
prayer a part of your daily routine.

I pray you enjoyed this read. Encourage a friend to follow along or submit their email
address for them. I love you!

Have Faith,
Rev. Bert
Hebrews 11:6

Step out of fear and into Faith!

Step out of fear and into Faith!