"And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness."Acts 4:31

When the Jews celebrate the day of Pentecost, they look at the promise given 2000 years ago: that normal people will lead extraordinary lives; that disciples, who were terrified on the night of Jesus' death, were transformed into bold saints of God; and that fishermen, tax collectors, and housewives – normal everyday people – became empowered, and turned the Roman Empire inside out and upside down! In Acts 2, we read about the initial outpouring of the Spirit during Pentecost. Just a few chapters later the same saints who had been once filled to overflowing, sought to be refilled again [Acts 4]. It was not a one time experience, but rather a constant refilling of the Spirit which they needed to change their world. They repeatedly sought to be empowered to accomplish whatever task God assigned to them. They just kept going back, to the well that never runs dry, and so they kept getting filled – and refilled -- and refilled again! Brothers & Sisters, don't ever become spiritually "satisfied"! Seek to be filled -- once filled -- seek to be refilled! And refilled again! How do we live in a constant state of revival? By always seeking MORE! In doing so, God will empower everyday folk like us to turn our world inside out and upside down! BE EMPOWERED ...... AGAIN?

"Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" And the people answered him in this manner, saying, "So shall it be done for the man who kills him." Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab's anger was aroused against David, and he said, "Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle." And David said, "What have I done now? Is there not a cause?"1 Samuel 17:26-29

David's faith and courage in volunteering to fight Goliath was an embarrassment to his big brother Eliab, an officer in King Saul's army. I imagine his thinking went something like this; “If my little brother wins everybody will ask, 'How come you didn't go out and fight him?'” The Bible records that Eliab “burned with anger at David and asked, 'Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is...'” These are devastating words from an older brother. Before David could defeat Goliath he first had to overcome the attitudes, accusations and words, of those close around him. The defeat of Goliath had massive implications for Israel and for the Lord. Satan had staked a great deal on Goliath's terrifying power. So wherever the enemy had opportunity in the sinful attitudes of David's friends and family he maximized them, realizing that David truly had the anointing of God to turn the tide of battle. And God allowed David to be tested by his own closest kin. If there is a true Goliath in your life and you are appointed to slay him be assured you will face similar tests from those close by. When you make decisions to step out and follow God it will put pressure on others to do the same. Their shame and lack of faith will move them to attack, belittle and criticize you. It will come from among those closest to you, especially if your calling sets you apart! Brothers & Sisters, be careful around those who say, “I knew you when...” in an attempt to label, libel, or limit you – much like David's brother Eliab tried to hinder him. David was empowered by the Lord to slay Goliath – if you have that same Spirit and calling then humbly step aside and say, "What have I done now? Isn't there a real job to be done?" Then go ahead, and do it. WHO ARE YOU NOW?

"I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent, And give Him no rest till He establishes And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth."Isaiah 62:6,7

Why do you think Jerusalem is so significant? Let's look at a little of her legend and history. According to Jewish legend, the earth was created from Jerusalem's center, from the foundational stone on the Temple Mount called the Eben Shetiyah. And thus, on the first day, legend says, God created light, and that light came forth from the Temple Mount and illuminated the entire world. Hmmm. Very interesting. Especially being that Jesus was crucified, buried in and resurrected from Jerusalem, and He is the Light of the World. He not only departed Jerusalem, but the Bible says that His return will also be to this Holy City. It's no wonder that Jerusalem is constantly the focus of the news -- it's the center of prophecy! While we can see with our physical eyes, the restoration of the Land to her Rightful Owner, we also recognize there's much work to do in Israel spiritually. There are only about 15,000 Jewish believers out of 6 million Jews. We've barely touched the tip of the iceberg! Brothers & Sisters, the Lord is strategically placing watchman throughout the world who will attentively watch and pray over Jerusalem and those who are preparing the way of the Lord. Please continue to pray for the complete restoration of Israel -- we need it!

"And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."John 10:28

I read a story about a new young partner in a law firm. The senior partners had set extremely high standards and had coached him carefully. He did well in some minor trials but he lost his first big case. When the partners reviewed the trial, they pointed out his errors and suggested different strategies. Even with all their critique, he lost the next big one. He felt terrible. Were they ready to give him the boot? Then one of the partners took him aside. "Look," he said, "you're learning. Just keep going. You'll start winning. Meanwhile, your position is secure. You're one of us." Those words were exactly what he needed to hear. Have you ever experienced this kind of compassion when you were feeling hopeless? If we’re believers, we have. The Lord has taken us aside and said, “Yeah, you’ve made some mistakes, but don’t worry -- your position is secure. Brothers & Sisters, know that God has provided your security today. Rest assured in Him -- and be sure to convey that same kind of compassion to struggling siblings in the faith. All of us need to be reassured once in a while. KEEP YOUR HEAD UP!

"The humble have seen--they rejoice, Ye who seek God--and your heart liveth."Psalm 69:32

There is an important lesson here and in other places of God's Word, namely that humility and gladness go together. What do the humble and the joyous have in common? They both look up. The humble are those who don't look down on anyone. The truly humble look up all the time. They have to look up, because their eyes are on God, and He's above them. The joyous are always looking up as well, otherwise they wouldn't be rejoicing. The joyous are believing the Good News, so they rejoice! The prideful, however, are those who think they're above everything else and so they look down on people. The prideful are connected to the others who look down, the cynical, the doubting, the despairing, the depressed, the sorrowful and the hopeless. In the same way that the humble and the joyous go together, so do pride and despair. Humility leads to joy. Pride leads to despair. Brothers & Sisters, let's get our eyes off ourselves, off of our problems, off of the world around us. Let's fix our eyes on Him, the Redeemer of our souls. Those who look up in humility, also look up in joy! Together, let's fix our eyes on Him and be glad! REJOICE, THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE!

"Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you."Hosea 10:12

Revival is that sovereign work of God in which He visits His own people, restoring and releasing them into the fullness of His blessing. Over the years I've often gotten emails asking "Do you think revival will ever come to Zimbabwe?, When do you think it will come?" While re-reading Charles Finney's lectures on revival recently, I was reminded that a key aspect of world revival is revival within ourselves. Revival must begin within each of us ... and it's not just a one time event but an ongoing process of desiring to be closer to Him. Once, my Son asked me "Why do you keep having revival meetings?" And I quickly retorted, "Why do you always take a bath?" Brothers & Sisters, revival is an ongoing transformation of our hearts to be constantly moved by the Spirit of God. We need to be daily breaking up our fallow ground, those places in our hearts which we've allowed to grow hard. How? We have to first ask the Lord to reveal those hard places, pray that He would forgive us and ask Him to heal all our rough edges that we might be soft before Him and sensitive to His leading. Only then will we be changed and be in a place where we can contribute to revival around us. REVIVAL IS AVAILABLE TO US TODAY!

"He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform."Romans 4:20-21

A story is told of Napoleon Bonaparte. As he was busy conquering Europe in the 1800's during one of his military campaigns, Napoleon accidentally let the bridle of his horse slip while he was looking through some papers. The horse reared itself and the Emperor lost his balance. One corporal quickly leaped forward and caught the bridle just in the nick of time, bringing the horse under control and saving Napoleon from what might have been serious injury or even death. Napoleon saluted the corporal and said, "Thank you, Captain!" "Of what company, Sire?" asked the corporal. "Of my guards," replied Napoleon. The young corporal took his musket and hurled it aside, and walked across the field toward the Emperor's staff, tearing off his corporal's stripes as he went. When he took his place among the officers, they asked him what he was doing. I am the captain of the Emperor's Guards, he replied. "By whose order?" they asked. "By the order of the Emperor himself" he replied. A man of less faith might have been happy returning back to his ranks as a corporal and boasting for the rest of his life about how the Emperor once called him Captain. But no, He took the Emperor at his word. And He knew his potential. Brothers & Sisters, in the same way, some of us have been happy just hearing about the promises of God without ever laying claim to them. Others of us have never realized the strengths with which God has gifted us. May it not be! We who know the Lord must become aware of our status as sons and daughters of the King! We must believe that God has promised great things to those who love and serve him and we must also recognize the potential God has placed upon us from the beginning of time! Let's start practicing some faith today! RISE UP!

"And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I will bring adversity on all flesh," says the Lord. "But I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go."Jeremiah 45:5

"Seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not!" "The words came just as though it was God speaking. There were crowds all around me, and no one else heard the voice, but I heard it all right!" "I believe that was a real turning point in my service to the Lord." The world's standards of greatness -- money, success, power and fame -- mean nothing to God. If we truly aspire to greatness, we will learn from Jesus' example. He didn't exemplify His greatness by conquest or by riches or worldly success – but rather by humility, gentleness, and servant-hood. Brothers & Sisters, if we truly want to be great in God's kingdom, we will decide to transform worldly "ambition" into "Godly ambition". We will not seek honor, but humility. We won't desire power to rule, but to become the greatest servant. Beyond everything, we will long to be great in His love…and through His love, influence and transform the world around us. These are "ambitions" worthy of our Lord and Savior, who, because of His great love and humility, was exalted above every other name, and also promised that He will humble the exalted...and, exalt the humble. DEVELOP GODLY AMBITION!

"His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord."Matthew 25:21

"A good man are kept out of the service of Christ, deprived of the luxury of working for God, because they are trying to do some great thing. Let us be willing to do little things. And let us remember that nothing is small in which God is the source." The Lord is always looking for opportunities to promote us - to take us to a higher calling. The problem is that we're often so busy trying to promote ourselves that He can't get a word in edgewise! Brothers & Sisters, let's not neglect the little things God has put in our path to do. Help clean the congregation once a week, bless that neighbor or family member God has put on our heart, share the gospel with a co-worker. Those little things will eventually lead to bigger things -- don't you doubt it! There's so much work to be done! NEED A PROMOTION?

"Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears: But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock. Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads. So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found."1 Sam. 13:19-22

This interesting passage speaks of a time when Israel had no blacksmiths to make weapons and was without any armament to defend themselves. The enemy had succeeded to disarm Israel by removing their weapons, and those who forged them! He's attempting the same tactic today. A blacksmith is someone who works with raw material and fire, and who knows how to form and shape liquid metal into powerful weapons. Anyone who works skillfully and accurately with the word of God is a spiritual "blacksmith". The enemy, who is constantly attacking the word of God, the sword of the Spirit, also seeks to silence or remove the spiritual blacksmiths of this world. If he can get rid of them – the battle is over. We need to pray for God’s blacksmiths because the enemy is after them. Together with the fire of the Holy Spirit they forge the raw material of His word into powerful weapons which shape and mold God's people into His image and equip them for spiritual warfare and fruitfulness. But we are all called to be strong in the word, and to take it up as our primary weapon. Every spiritual blacksmith, himself started out as raw material which was shaped and formed by the fire of God to fight in this battle with Satan. Brothers & Sisters, so, as the battle rages, pray for the protection of God's "blacksmiths", even as you submit to His process of shaping you into one, yourself. SPIRITUAL BLACKSMITHS ARISE!

"Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed."Psalms 37:3

The word "verily", in this verse, is the Hebrew word “emunah” (em-oo-nah). It also means "faith" or "faithfully". When we trust in the Lord, and our trust is demonstrated by doing good, He declares that He will faithfully feed us. How will we be fed? The Hebrew word for "fed" is “roeh” (ro-eh), which also means "shepherd". Yes, the good shepherd feeds his flock who trust Him, by leading them to green pastures, and He does it faithfully. Messiah (Jesus) is our Chief Shepherd. We know His voice, trust him, and follow His direction, so we don't go hungry. Brothers & Sisters, we're continuing to trust in the Lord and do good; to dwell in the Land and be fed. But our deepest hunger is for the Shepherd Himself... to be nearer to Him. He feeds us, in every way. Yet His deepest longing is that we dwell with and in Him, as He said, "Abide in Me and I in you". Not only does our life depend on Him, Who is faithful, but the greater relationship He offers and desires is to be our friend, and even our Husband. BE FED AND MORE!

"Behold, I give to you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the authority of the enemy. And nothing shall by any means hurt you."Luke 10:19 ; "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves."Matthew 10:16

Discernment is not simply a matter of telling the difference between what is right and wrong; rather it is the difference between right and almost right. Often the question is whether something is "right" or "wrong”, and may be answered quickly and easily. But sometimes we are faced with a much more difficult discernment: the difference between “right" and "almost right”. The Bible identifies our enemy as a serpent, and just like the ones at the zoo he camouflages himself extremely well. Satan knows that the Lord has given us authority over him, so he has to seek ways in which we fail to recognize him. He knows that defending ourselves would be much easier if he came out and said, "I'm here and I hate you!" So he lurks in the background, in unsuspected places waiting for an opportunity to steal, kill or destroy— and much of the time we don't realize he's there until we find ourselves in the thick of an attack. And what is his "camouflage" ? Looking as much like a good guy as he can, so we would never suspect his true nature and intentions. That's why I give you the advice about discernment between "right" and "almost right"; and why the Lord Himself told us to be "wise as serpents"! Brothers & Sisters, pray to become skilled in discerning your enemy's camouflage, remembering he comes as a "minister of righteousness" or an "angel of light" who knows how to blend into your world, and to look and talk like a friend. Don't go by feelings alone, be careful about flattery, know your Lord through prayer and let God's Word dwell richly in you being filled with His spirit. You want to be well defended against the subtlety of the Serpent, especially these days! BEWARE OF SNAKES!

"The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge."Proverbs 18:15

I'm not sure where I read it, but the idea has always been ingrained in my mind -- if you want to be a good teacher, be a good student. When Jesus lived on the earth, his disciples were called "talmudim". The Hebrew literally means "students". "Talmudim" comes from the verb, "Lilmod", "to learn". In essence, talmudim are learners. We who know Jesus as Lord consider Him our Rabbi or Teacher, and ourselves, His talmudim. As such we continue to learn and grow in His wisdom, love, and character. This learning process involves regular tests from our Lord as He leads us from one level of faith to the next. I recall years ago when I was in school, never being a huge fan of tests -- in fact, rather disliking them quite a bit. I'd often find myself attempting to cram mountains knowledge into my poor brain the night before an important exam. Then, after completing the test I would quickly forget most of what I had crammed and scarcely absorbed. Doubtless had I been required to retake the test a week later, I'd almost certainly have failed it. But in the testing of faith, we cannot cram knowledge or understanding and still hope to pass. If we try this shoddy and superficial approach to learning we will simply find ourselves retaking the test, over and over again. If we are truly His talmudim, we will study, pray and delve deeply into the challenging material at hand, to learn and absorb the lesson well, so that we are educated, transformed, and well equipped to move forward in the Lord. Jesus wants us to learn today's lesson – because He has a new lesson for us tomorrow! Brothers & Sisters, what lesson is today's important lesson? Be diligent to understand and apprehend it, and even to begin applying it. So doing you'll be thoroughly equipped and prepared for the one your Rabbi will send next...maybe even, tomorrow! LEARN WELL!

"Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift."2 Corinthians 9:15

I recently read a powerful story about a Dutch pastor and his family who had been hiding Jewish people in their home during the second World War. One night, they heard the sound of heavy boots and the loud impatient knocking on the door. They were arrested and loaded into a cattle car. All night long, the pastor and his family rode along in anguish, knowing they were being taken to one of Hitler's concentration camps only to be separated from each other and likely killed. Finally, the train stopped. The doors of the cattle car were opened. They were marched out and lined up beside the railroad tracks. But then something very strange happened. They discovered that they were not in a death camp at all -- they weren't even in Germany! During the night a courageous employee risked his life and purposely tripped a switch which sent the train of prisoners to Switzerland, to their freedom. Instead of being marched to death, they were welcomed to new life. Wow. Thank you God. In the midst of his joy and relief, the Dutch pastor said, "What do you do with such a gift?" Brothers & Sisters, we have been given a gift of redemption much more powerful than this! And what are we doing with such a gift? Let's start being about doing the work of the Kingdom! WHAT DO YOU DO WITH SUCH A GIFT?

"who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"Est 4:14b

Brothers & Sisters, often we find ourselves in difficult situations or places and we can't for the life of us understand for what possible reason we're here -- but be encouraged! We may not understand but God does! And who knows whether you have come into the kingdom for such a time as this? GOD ONLY KNOWS!