Put Unbelief Outside!

While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” Mark 5:35

Have you ever been standing for a miracle when someone from church comes to you with the discouraging news that what you are believing for is beyond the help that Jesus can give? They start sharing about either their failed faith experience or that of someone they know. Such was the case with Jairus a ruler in the synagogue whose daughter was dying. While Jesus was on the way to pray for his daughter, a woman with an issue of blood received her healing and immediately after that some people from church informed Jairus that his daughter was already dead. Sadly, many times we know Jesus heals but have a difficult time believing that God will do the same for us. We allow the experiences of other people's failures in church to dissuade us from standing for our miracle. Be sure that the the devil is always shouting GIVE UP, GIVE UP Jesus can't do this. Don't even bother him with prayer. 

Not only does the devil use people to make you feel that Jesus can't help you but the devil wants you to believe that what you are believing for is dead. Are you dead in the water financially? Is your marriage dead and has your love grown cold? Do you feel that God is distant and unreachable? Maybe you are looking at your situation and it looks lifeless. It doesn't even look like it has a pulse. Is what you have been believing for been dead for days, years, and decades? Are you accusing God of not being on time? Do you feel that if only he would have been there for you things would have turned out differently? Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” (John 11:21-22) As you can see our natural response in times of crisis is to take a stand of accusation towards God's character when actually it our hearts that God is dealing with. 

There are some of you who are believing for the prodigals to come home but feel that their sin may be too great for God to pull them out of. I am declaring that even if we are DEAD in our trespasses, and sins that God's resurrection power can bring life to those dry bones! I don't care how far you have run from God. The moment we repent from our hearts God is ready to begin the restoration process, and make us alive again! "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins." (Ephesians 2:1) But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-5) Part of God's restoration process is to once again give us our rightful position as son's and daughter's in His kingdom. He makes us to sit together with him in heavenly places. 

And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.” (Ezekiel 37:3) As the prophet Ezekiel stood in the valley of dry bones he saw nothing but death, destruction and wasteland of what used to be a great and mighty army for God. Sometimes we can look at people on the street, look at fallen ministers, look at our prodigals, and look at the lives of people who the enemy has destroyed with a sense of hopelessness. God then turns to us, and asks, "Can it live?" The prophet modestly answered, "Only you know." That's the problem we have. Sometimes when we are faced with something that is too hard for us to believe for we throw back the responsibility of believing on God with "If it is your will." I am going to say this boldly, "IT IS ALWAYS GOD'S WILL THAT WE LIVE FOR HIM! IT IS ALWAYS GOD'S WILL THAT OUR LOVED ONES COME INTO THE KINGDOM!" 
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 God is not slacking off. He is waiting for us to speak to the dry bones, our wilderness, our storm, and our circumstances. We were made in His likeness, and have the power to declare what we want to see happen. Some of you need to dip your tongue in God's Word, and start declaring God's promises of those lifeless situations until your Lazarus comes forth. We need stop throwing the responsibility on God, acting helpless, hopeless, and start believing we serve a good, good Father. Come on can anyone say Amen! Brothers, and sisters it is time to believe God's Word. It is time to stop being victimized by the devil, and yes even in some cases stop making excuses. 

Today let us pray: Lord, I am believing and even declaring a shift over my circumstances. I am speaking to those dry bones. I am calling my Lazarus of impossibility out of the tomb. Live! I call back the prodigals, the stubborn and rebellious back into the house of God! Help me God to be love, and love them back into your loving arms! I choose today to dip my tongue into your Word, and write a different story about my life. I will prosper as my soul prospers. I will live, and not die. I will serve the Lord and become a fruitful servant in His kingdom! I am revival and his passion forever will live in my heart. Nothing is impossible for you God. Resurrect my situation in Jesus name!

Victory In Adversity

There was a time when I was experiencing true hardship and somehow I felt like I was less than a Christian in my adversity. I felt shame that I was going through so much tribulation and trials. I felt as if God was punishing me or if I had done something wrong. These thoughts are all lies from the enemy! Depending on your view of God the wilderness can be a place of victory or misery. One day a brother came up to me inspired by God and said, "The wilderness is where God performed the most miracles!" Indeed. The wilderness doesn't have to a place of defeat. It is a place of training for reigning. Even though Jesus was tempted in his wilderness He left that place in power. In times of resistance that's when we build spiritual muscle. The key is what we do with our tongue. Do we declare what is written or do we complain. Do we stand in faith or wallow in self pity and doubt.

Satan, always tries to short circuit the process of dying to self. He offered Jesus everything before he went to that cross. It won't be any different for us. The greatest temptation of mankind is to take the easy way out. In the garden, Satan got Eve to question God's word. In the wilderness Satan tempted Jesus to doubt His own identity. "If you are the Son of God..." However, if you know who you are, there isn't anything the devil can offer you that don't already have. The devil always tries to deceive us into forfeiting what we already have. Yes, read that statement again. The devil always tries to deceive you into forfeiting what you already have by offering you a counterfeit. What are the counterfeits you may ask?

  The counterfeit of peace is self assurance. Self assurance is trusting in your own ability, strength and finances.
  The counterfeit for love is lust. Lust drives people to take from others. It only wants to satisfy itself at someone's else's expense. Love wants to give and sacrifice to meet a need.
  The counterfeit for faith is fear. Fear is relied upon like an old friend because it has shown people how to act out of instinct and desperation instead of God led revelation. We walk by faith and not by what we see in the natural.
  The counterfeit for righteousness is religion. Men trying to obtain God's favor and love by doing good works. However, righteousness is the position that every son and daughter have before their Father. It is our simple child-like trust in Jesus' sacrifice that causes us to come boldly before the throne of grace. If we could be good enough outside of the blood sacrifice Jesus' death would have been pointless.
  The counterfeit for joy is happiness. Happiness is based on circumstances and joy is a fruit of God's spirit that does not waver in the storms of life. It wells up from deep within our spirit when we praise God.

Our surrendered life is in good hands we don't have to take the devil's counterfeit offers. I want to encourage you that just because you are going through things doesn't change who you are in Christ. Jesus dying on the cross did not make Him less of a Son of God and it doesn't make you less than a child of God. The cross positioned Jesus for the greatest victory known to mankind. If we can understand that then we will never despair again when we are standing there facing our cross or mountain. We are given an opportunity everyday to forgive those who have hurt us while we hang on our cross of tribulation and circumstances. Raise up your hands and thank God that the devil only pushes us into the will of God.

Look at the life of Joseph. He was pushed into a pit, sold into slavery, thrown into prison and raised up a prince in a palace. Paul was taken from place to place appealing his innocence while persecuted, thrown into prison and inspired to write the churches the revelations he received and because of that we have our New Testament. Their cross became their victory and ours! Our tendency is to feel like God is mad at us or that he loves us less when we are going through things. Our circumstances cannot separate us from the love of God and neither do they define who we are. We are not defined by our past, our present, our background, or even an event. We are only defined by who God made us to be. We were made to be over comers! God uses what has been intended to be our defeat, makes it our victory and defining moment. In the fires of adversity he refashions us for His purposes. Then stands back in admiration and says, "It is good!" I will further illustrate this by the following story of the Three Trees.

The following story was e-mailed to me. I read it to the women in Chino Women's Prison on September 14, 2013. They were wrecked when I was through reading it. Enjoy!

The Three Trees

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, 'Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty.'

Then the second tree said, 'Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take Kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull.'

Finally the third tree said, 'I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest Tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me.'

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, 'This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter, 'and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree the woodsman said, 'This looks like a strong tree. I should be able to sell it to the shipyard.' The second tree was happy Because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, 'I don't need anything special from my tree, I'll take this one,' and he cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for.

The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end.

The third tree was cut into large pieces, and left alone in the dark.

The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.

Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.

Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and He stood and said 'Peace' and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, God will give you great gifts.

Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined.

We don't always know what God's plan are for us. We just know that His Ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.

Please keep this moving... Pass it on, so God may inspire more people on The Way.

May your day be blessed. And until we meet again, may God cradle you in the palm of His hand.

If you find this article helpful or would like to leave a comment or visit our website:
Jaziz Gutierrez
http://www.loverevivalrevolution.com
Facebook: School Of Impartation and Living