Come now, you rich [people], weep aloud and lament over the miseries (the woes) that are surely coming upon you. 2 Your abundant wealth has rotted and is ruined, and your [many] garments have become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver are completely rusted through, and their rust will be testimony against you and it will devour your flesh as if it were fire. You have heaped together treasure for the last days. 4[But] look! [Here are] the wages that you have withheld by fraud from the laborers who have reaped your fields, crying out [for vengeance]; and the cries of the harvesters have come to the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5[Here] on earth you have abandoned yourselves to soft (prodigal) living and to [the pleasures of] self-indulgence and self-gratification. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and have murdered the righteous (innocent man), [while] he offers no resistance to you.  James 5:1-6 AMP

It is not a sin to be rich, neither is it holy to be poor. The Bible shows us that all of God’s obedient covenant friends were blessed beyond measure – for instance, Genesis 13:2 AMP says that “Abram was extremely rich in livestock and in silver and in gold” – God promises to bless all of His children, who obey His Word. God made Abraham rich – not man and not Abraham himself. It is not wealth that ruins people’s lives – it is covetousness. You are covetous when you trust in your wealth and possessions more than you trust in God and if you find it difficult or impossible to give them away. 

God has a great plan for the peoples of the earth – His will is that every person would hear and know what He has done for them and that they would be delivered from sin and from hell and that they would receive eternal life. Every person who hears and receives the Gospel and who has been transformed by the saving grace and the blood of Jesus Christ has a godly responsibility to share this great news with the world.

If you are a Christian then you have God’s heart – or you should. You are part of the family – you have the privileges and the responsibilities of a family member. The Lord promises that if you lend to the poor He will repay you and if you bless the ministry, then God will overtake you with blessings. You have to realize that God blesses you in order to make you a blessing and when you are a blessing, He blesses you some more! He is unwilling to abandon or to do without a cheerful, generous, prompt-to-do-it giver!

It is not angels who bring money and provision to God’s laborers on a daily basis – that is not their function – that is our function – you and me. The devil is not going to fund the gospel! The world is not going to build God’s kingdom! You represent God and if you don’t do your part, if you don’t do the right thing – the kingdom of God will suffer!  You are God’s arm on the earth to bring relief, blessing and sustenance, on God’s behalf, everywhere you go. If you do not use your resources to fund the preaching of the gospel then who will? God does not have anybody else but you and me.

Ministers – you are commissioned to obey God and His Word and to be faithful with your call, your anointing and everything else that God has placed in your hands, including money!

Christian business people – You are called to support those who preach the Gospel! You are commissioned to be faithful with the call that is on your life and with the financial resources that God has placed in your hands! You have a holy obligation to share the blessing of the Lord with those who work in the harvest fields. God does not even call it a gift – He calls it “wages” as if it is owed as payment for work done.

Don’t think that those who are called to ministry are the only ones who have to give an account for how they use their money and their time – you will have an opportunity to give an account to God for how you used your money and your time as well! Always remember that any wealth that you give into the kingdom of God is stored away, incorruptible and immovable for your eternity. However, any wealth that you store up here on earth is subject to the elements – it could get moth-eaten, rusted, corroded, ruined and wasted.

Your wealth will be a testimony for or against you. The wealth you give to God and to the preaching of the Gospel and to the building of God’s kingdom on the earth will testify in Heaven of your trust in God and your love for Him, your obedience and your faithfulness and you will be rewarded. The wealth you wasted, the wealth you trusted in and held onto and stored up here on earth will testify against you. It testifies of your rebellion, selfishness, fear, covetousness and unfaithfulness and you will lose out on all the rewards that could have been yours.

It is not a sin to be rich, but it is a sin to be covetous and selfish. If you would make it your responsibility to share your wealth with those who labor in the harvest fields, then God will see to it that you are richly rewarded here on the earth and also in Heaven.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.  Isaiah 9:6-7 KJV

I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.  Revelations 1:18 KJV

Jesus was sent from the Father to take back the authority of the earth from the devil and to give it back to man. Jesus has the ultimate authority, but He gives believers the right to use His Name in the earth to take authority over the devil and demons and over sickness, disease, poverty, death, and everything else that hell has to offer. As we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, we also celebrate His death – He was born to die in order to defeat the devil and to redeem mankind. Thanks be to God – Jesus fully accomplished the thing that He was sent to do.

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. 15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. 16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. 17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.  Luke 4:14-21 KJV

Jesus came to heal, deliver, and set us free. Jesus heals, delivers, and sets us free because it is His nature to heal, deliver and set free. He heals, delivers, and sets us free because He loves us. He healed, delivered and set people free while He was on the earth and He is still doing it today.

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.  Acts 10:38 KJV

God anointed Jesus, on the earth, with the Holy Ghost and power so that He could do good and heal all that were oppressed of the devil. Today, Jesus anoints us with the Holy Ghost and power so that we can do good and heal all that were oppressed of the devil. As far as God is concerned, healing and setting free is a good thing!

We can honor Jesus today by continuing to do His works on the earth today. There is a great attack on all things supernatural today. The devil is trying to suck people into the bondage of the occult and the demonic through psychics, witchcraft, speaking to the dead, Satanism and other ungodly religions. In the mean time, sadly, the Church is backing off of the Holy Spirit, the anointing and the display of the power of God. This is not a time for the Church to be wishy-washy and mealy-mouthed, but it is time for the Church to rise up in faith and power and take back what the devil has stolen. Let us honor Jesus this Christmas, and always, by following His example and doing His will and His works.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.   James 1:2-8 NIV

Why does it seem as if some people are stable and solid and blessed whilst others seem to be constantly unstable and always in the middle of a crisis?

These unstable people are blown all over the place by every wind of adversity that comes their way. Their circumstances totally control them – controlling their attitude, their mouth and their actions. They are full of doubt and fear. The word of God says that if you are a doubter, you are like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. You don’t know what it is that you believe. You are double-minded and therefore unstable in all you attempt to do. Because you are unstable and you don’t know what you believe and you can’t make up your mind what it is you want – you don’t receive anything from the Lord!

On the contrary, the man of faith – who knows what he believes and in whom he believes and what it is that he wants – is solid and stable. Because he asks clearly and he believes absolutely that God’s word is true, he receives what he asks for!

“Why do you call me, `Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”   Luke 6:46-49 NIV

You can call God your Lord, but do you really believe that He is your Lord? Do you really act like He is your Lord? “Lord” means “Master” – the boss! The boss tells you what to do. Do you do what He tells you to do? The only ones who have a right to call God “Lord” are those who do what He tells them to do and who put His words into practice. The person, who is a doer of the word, digs down deep to build the foundation of his house. He digs down into God’s word and he lets God’s word dig down deep on the inside of him! He builds his house – his life – on the foundation of God’s word by receiving it as if it is written to him alone and by applying it as if it is a command to him.

The person who hears God’s word, but does not receive it personally by doing it or acting on it is building his house – his life – without any foundation. Even though it may look good on the outside it is neither solid nor secure and the first storm is going to blow it away!

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-he will be blessed in what he does.  James 1:22-25 NIV

Those who hear the word and still do not receive it as written to them, nor put it into practice, are trapped in the bondage of self-deception. God’s word gives freedom. Those who receive God’s word and don’t forget it, but are careful to do it, will be blessed in all that they do.

If we want to be blessed, we should read God’s word as if it says on every page, “This means YOU!”

It is amazing how many of God’s people want all the best that God has for them, however they are running their lives according to the dictates of this world’s system and then they wonder why they end up in trouble. God created you – He knows what is best for you. Unless you do things His way  –always — you will have trouble.

Rodney Howard Browne shows us when God’s word becomes the final authority in your life — you will shut out the council of the ungodly and begin to delight yourself in the Lord. When you delight yourself in the word of God you will be like a tree planted by the rivers of living water and you will bring forth your fruit in season and your leaf shall not wither and whatever you do will prosper.

Rodney Howard Browne encourages you to take stock of your life — locate where YOU are by asking yourself these three questions: am I Walking, am I Standing or am I Sitting?1.       Am I patterning my life after the world’s standards — does the world dictate the standards I set for my life? If I am living according to the world’s standards, then I would have to conclude that I am walking in the counsel of the ungodly.2.     Do I fit in with sinners and feel at home with their company — is what they do and what they say — what I do and what I say? I can then conclude that I am now standing in the way of sinners.3.     Am I in a state of apathy in my walk with the Lord — am I critical of everything that God is doing – am I critical of spiritual leaders and the church in general? I can then conclude that I am now sitting in the seat of mockers.

This is a downhill progression. I don’t start off sitting in the seat of mockers. This deception takes place over a period of time. I slowly digress to the place where my life is totally open to poverty, lack and the attack of the enemy. This all happens because I have placed something else first in my life other than God and His counsel. In order to change and to begin to experience the blessing rather than the curse, I have to make some radical changes in my life and my habits.

 1.       I need to separate myself from those who are ungodly. I can minister to them, but I do not allow them to minister to me. I will pull them up to my level and not allow them to pull me down to their level.2.     I must not allow sin in any form to take hold in my life. I must guard my heart first because my heart attitude is central to every other aspect of my life. My thought life must be yielded to the Word and the Spirit of God.3.     I must keep myself free from a critical spirit and make sure that my heart stays pure. I must avoid becoming cynical and ending up a mocker.4.     I need to make sure that my life follows the pattern that God’s word has laid out for me and that I daily meditate in the Word of God. God’s Word must be my delight.

When these steps are a way of life then I know that according to God’s word I will be like a tree that is planted by the rivers of living water.  I am going to bring forth good fruit and whatever I do will prosper. 

Rodney Howard Browne shows us in this passage of scripture, Paul is quoting a prophetic word spoken by the prophet Jeremiah and recorded in Jeremiah 31:31-34. God is speaking to man and revealing the nature of the covenant that He is going to cut between Himself and us through the shed blood of Jesus. The old covenant did not change man’s basic problem. As far as God was concerned, the blood of bulls and goats covered their sin and they were counted as righteous, but their sin nature remained unchanged. This new covenant, when activated by believing in Jesus and receiving Him as Lord, would change the very nature of man. Something would take place on the inside of man – their spirit would be born-again and their sin nature would be transformed into the righteousness of God! Their sins would not just be covered – they would be removed and washed away.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.  2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJ 

Rodney Howard Browne teaches us that man would no longer be simply counted righteous, but they would actually be righteous. They would have God’s Word engraved on their hearts. They would be motivated from the inside to serve God instead of from the outside. They would choose to serve God because they knew Him and they knew His voice. They did not need a prophet to tell them what God was saying, but God would reveal it to each one of them personally. Even our children can know God on a very personal level because He lives in them. 

Me. “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  John 10:27-28 NKJ

When you know the Lord, you know His voice. He writes His Word on your heart and then you need to allow Him to put His Word in your mind by meditating on the written Word of God. Meditating is more than just a passing glance or listening with half an ear, while you are thinking about something else. When you meditate on God’s word, you focus on it, you give it your full attention and you receive it as if He is speaking to you personally – because He is! When you know Him and His word, you will have no trouble distinguishing His voice from all the other voices that clamor for your attention. The devil, who masquerades as an angel of light, will not be able to fool you or deceive you because you know your good shepherd’s voice.

“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.  John 17:3 NKJ

And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.    Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.  I John 3:23-24 NKJ

The Spirit of God lives on the inside of every believer, from the least to the greatest and every believer can know Him in a real way. God does not have favorites, but some people just press in to know Him better. Even if you have only been saved a very short time, you know Him better than a theologian who knows the Bible, but who has not been born again! If He lives in you – you know Him!

Just because you can’t do it – doesn’t mean I can’t do it.Just because you can’t see it – doesn’t mean I can’t see it.Just because you won’t do it – doesn’t mean I won’t do it. Where you see hopelessness – I see hope.Where you see lack – I see supernatural provision.Where you see barriers – I see bridges.Where you see weakness – I see God’s strength.Where you see darkness – I see a light shining.Where you see hindrances – I see God’s favor.Where you see no way – I see a path.Where you see desert – I see a river of life.Where you see fear – I see faith in God.Where you see sickness – I see healing power.Where you see man’s limitations – I see God’s unlimited resources.Where you see the curse – I see God’s abundant blessing.Where you see sin – I see grace and mercy.Where you see pain – I see restoration. Where you see confusion – I see wisdom.  The critic says, “Don’t do anything. Just stand there.”God says, “Don’t just stand there. Do something.” God gives the grape.The critic makes vinegar. The believer makes wine. 2 Corinthians 4:18  (NKJ)18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. Ephesians 3:20-21  (NKJ)20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Foundation Scripture: Mark 7:24-30  (NKJ)

24From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden. 25For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet. 26The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”28And she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs.” 29Then He said to her, “For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.” 30And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.

Healing is the children’s bread. Bread is a basic food. Every country and every culture has its own kinds of bread. The bread may look different and taste different from culture to culture, but around the world, most people eat it every day. Even if people are quite poor and don’t have much to eat, bread is usually one of the few foods they do eat. 

Galatians 3:26-27  (KJV)
26For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Healing is as much part of God’s plan for us, as is salvation. Healing is a basic right of every child of God – just as it is a basic right of every person to have and eat bread.  So many times, people wait for God to decide, one day, in the sweet by and by, whether or not to heal them. The only problem with that is that it won’t get you anywhere. That is because God has not only already done His part, but He has communicated His will and His plan with us through His word. If we are ignorant of the fact that healing is ours now, it is because we have not read or received His word.

Acts 10:38  (NKJ)
38how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

Healing is part of your heritage – child of God. Sickness and disease are from the devil, but healing is the children’s bread.

Revelations 22:2  (NKJ)
2In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

Healing and divine health is, and always was the normal state of anyone who belongs to God. Adam and Eve were not even able to get sick, before sin destroyed their and their children’s bodies. Because of Jesus, we once again have the right and the privilege to walk in divine health. Just as we received Jesus as our Savior, we must receive Him as our Healer. We are not waiting for some sovereign move of God to heal us, but God is waiting for us to receive the revelation that healing is the children’s bread!  

Two of us hit the streets for the first time yesterday (Monday), we led 44 people through the script in 4 hours. One guy totally stressed and drunk received Jesus outside a store in Ft Pierce. 4 kids home alone 4-10 yrs received Jesus together through the window. 13 teenagers at central high school received Jesus while waiting for parents to pick them up. Nicholas F.

Nursing home-bed ridden man, after saying to him “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life” he abruptly said “I won’t have anything to do with a God who took my wife of cancer 43 yrs ago and my son of a heart attack 23 yrs ago” I opened my mouth and the Lord filled it. The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy but Jesus came to give life. After sharing the goodness of God, I led him in the shortened script and he repeated and had a peaceful, smiling look on his face. Mary F.

Testimony: 
Last week we met a young guy on the street, who was very reserved in the beginning, when we approached him. We shared about the Fathers love and the soul-winning script with him and he started to open up more and more and we could see that he was deeply touched. After that, he invited Jesus into his heart. Before we said ‘bye’ to him, he received one of the salvation DVD’s and went away. While he went away his girlfriend showed up, from the other side of the street and surprise, surprise, she had one of the DVD’s too. She just met another group of our outreach team on that street and gave her life to Jesus at the same time like her boyfriend we talked to.