What’s your flavor? Taste the Rainbow! God’s Covenant Promise

According to the Dewey Color System, if you like yellow and orange, your first thoughts are about how to get things done.

Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the rest of the gang embark on a road trip with Bonnie and a new toy named Forky. The adventurous journey turns into an unexpected reunion as Woody's slight detour leads him to his long-lost friend Bo Peep. As Woody and Bo discuss the old days, they soon start to realize that they're worlds apart when it comes to what they want from life as a toy.

By establishing a systematic approach, you can figure anything out. Your realism makes others see you as technical and efficient. You see yourself as someone who makes the most of his or her resources and gets results.

You embody the saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” You are an innovator, far ahead of your time. This is your great talent! You have the ability to create something from nothing by reinventing the resources around you.

When you put your mind to something, new ideas and possibilities arrive with a bang! Use your abilities to encourage people as you are also a great motivator and construct new things as you are also an inventor and great at producing new products.

By pulling together the resources and talents around you- your know-how is unparalleled! Global competition, rapid-fire changes, increase customer demands, mergers, shrinking profit margins, downsizing, bankruptcies, insider stock trading scandals, and an unstable economy all contribute to the uneasy situations we experience in the world of business today.

Customer loyalty has been transferred to competitors offering better quality and faster delivery of products and services. Profits decline as costs increase and PRICE WATERs down, forcing you to be more cautious with your Sovereign Investments.

Happy Father’s Day- Honoring Father’s and Fatherhood

Father’s Day is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. It will be celebrated on the 16th June 2019

Father’s Day is also celebrated in Burscough, Lancashire, North West of England

The idea for Father’s Day originated in the USA and has been officially celebrated there on the third Sunday in June since 1966.

The exact origins of what we now know as Father’s Day are disputed, though we do know the movement for a day which celebrated fatherhood began roughly 100 years ago.

While in the UK fathers can expect, at best, a breakfast in bed and handmade card and, at worst, the day to be completely ignored, elsewhere the festival is done a little differently.

In Germany it is called Vatertag (Father’s Day) but is also sometimes known as M?nnertag (or men’s day).

In China, Father’s Day used to be celebrated on 8 August as the Chinese for eight is “ba”, while a colloquial word for father is “ba-ba” – so the eighth day of the eighth month sounds similar to “daddy”.

The day has since been moved to the third Sunday of June, in line with the UK and US.

The Prayer of Jabez

The prayer of Jabez (1 Chronicles) is not a “quick fix”, a magical lamp with a genie or a magic wand. It’s not a few words that you memorize and just recite every day.

It is not a prayer that elevates you above your competition, gives you an unfair advantage or sets you on the path to prosperity.

No, the prayer is specifically for God to look upon you favorably with blessings as He sees fit. When you pray Jabez’s prayer, you’re asking God to bless you, to expand your territories, to guide and to protect you from evil.

The Lord changes everything based on the intent of your prayer. Jabez’s intent was focused on his desire to be used by God and was void of selfishness. His prayer was not asking God to show favoritism, partiality or take blessings from someone and give them to him. An act becomes selfish when someone is deprived or hurt by it.

Prophecy is a powerful gift to be handled very carefully. We can easily do harm if we have either got incorrect revelation for somebody, or have given them correct revelation but in an inappropriate way.

If we seek to exercise the gift of prophecy with anything in our hearts other than love for the Lord and the person or people we may be speaking to, it is all too easy for things to go wrong.

For those reasons, I believe anyone wanting to grow in the gift of prophecy, aught to be hungry for words that will strengthen, comfort and encourage as their first priority.

It is also vital that anyone exercising the gift of prophecy does so with a submissive heart. Prophecies should always be weighed and tested and confirmed by several different sources.

Most recently I located verses in the bible which once again, demonstrates the importance of understanding from a biblical perspective:

1 Corinthians 14:13-25

13 For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15 So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding.

16 Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer, say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying? 17 You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified. 18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.

19 But in the church, I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue. 20 Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.

21 In the Law it is written: “ “With other tongues and through the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then, they will not listen to me, says the Lord.”

22 Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers.

23 So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?

24 But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgement by all, 25 as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So, they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”

The Bible has always been and I strongly believe, will always be the best-seller year after year until the end of time and is peppered with many prophecies. In our fallen and double-minded world, we can either be encouraged or terrified by prophecy.

In 2 Peter 1:19 of the New International Version (NIV) it states, 

“19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shinning in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts”.

And it continues to solidify verse 19 in verses 20 and 21 by saying the following:

“20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit”.

In the Old Testament there are many stories of the prophets of Israel. One story in particular features the Priest Ezekiel who was among the Judeans that Nebuchadnezzar brought to Babylon in 597 BC.

Five years into their exile, God called Ezekiel to go to Israel and “speak my words to them” or prophesy. The Priest Ezekiel often spoke his messages by composing exceptionally polished poetic oracles which he would either speak or perhaps sing to the public.

He was also known to be a very talented and creative individual and told many of his stories with symbolic meanings, symbolic actions and often described and demonstrated his extraordinary visions that he had received to the public using his various abilities.

It’s interesting to note however in Ezekiel Chapter 2 verses 14, that when he was called to be a prophet, he wasn’t exactly jumping with joy. It says he went on his mission in bitterness and anger.

I believe there are still true prophets among us today, however we need to be cautious of people- even those inside the Church, who astonish us with their exploits.

Astonishment or amazement is not enough. I sincerely believe it would be wise for us as believers to observe their lives and determine if they have truly been transformed.

Many people agree that we should be able to see conviction, repentance, love and unity taken place within their lives. I strongly believe that people can be very susceptible or naive when they have never experienced the power of the Lord. When supernatural things take place that they don’t understand or can not explain, they may call it divine or of God. But watch out!

Just because a person believes in Christ does not automatically qualify him or her to receive everything that is divine. I believe spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy is very much needed in the church today, but many who are ignorant regarding how God chooses to deliver the Spirit, may feel that they can imitate the Spirit. They may even believe it’s a gift that can be purchased.

However, the bible said that for every supernatural gift that comes from God, Satan has made a substitute. Ancient diviners or psychics have foretold events by countless methods but the Priest Ezekiel has warned us against this in the entire book of Ezekiel Chapter 13.

Ezekiel Chapter 13:1-23

It reads as follows:

“ 1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imaginations: ‘Hear the word of the Lord!’ 3 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!

4 Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals among ruins. 5 You have not gone up to the breaches in the wall to repair it for the people of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the Lord. 6 Their visions are false and their divination a lie. Even though the Lord has not sent them, they say, “The Lord declares,” and expect him to fulfill their words.

7 Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, “The Lord declares”, though I have not spoken?

8 “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because of your false words, and lying visions, I am against you, declares the Sovereign Lord. 9 My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.

10 “Because they lead my people astray, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with white-wash, 11 Therefore, tell those who cover it with white-wash that it is going to fall. Rain will come in torrents, and I will send hailstones hurtling down, and violent winds will burst forth.

12 When the wall collapses, will people not ask you, “Where is the white-wash you covered it with?”

13 “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: In my wrath I will unleash a violent wind, and in my anger hailstones and torrents of rain will fall with destructive fury. 14 I will tear down the wall you have covered with white-wash and will level it to the ground so that its foundation will be laid bare. When it falls, you will be destroyed in it; and you will know that I am the Lord.

15 So, I will pour out my wrath against the wall and against those who covered it with whitewash. I will say to you, “The wall is gone and so are those who whitewashed it, 16 Those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for her when there was no peace, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

17 “Now, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own imagination. Prophesy against them 18 And say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the women who sew magic charms on all their wrists and make veils of various lengths for their heads in order to ensnare people. Will you ensnare the lives of my people but preserve your own?

19 You have profaned me among my people for a few handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. By lying to my people, who listen to lies, you have killed those who should not have died and have sparred those who should not live.

20 “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against your magic charms with which you ensnare people like birds and I will tear them from your arms; I will set free the people that you ensnare like birds. 21 I will tear off your veils and save my people from your hands, and they will no longer fall prey to your power. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

22 Because you disheartened the righteous with your lies, when I had brought them no grief, and because you encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways and so save their lives, 23 Therefore, you will no longer see false visions or practice divination. I will save my people from your hands. And then you will know that I am the Lord”.

Wow! That’s some serious revelations right there!

However, as I stated previously, the Apostle Peter calls prophecy a “light that shines in a dark place” (2 Peter 1:19). I also believe that even though their may be different interpretations of prophetic theories, some things are still held in common by all legitimate people involved:

1 Jesus Christ, Son of God, is Savior and Lord

2 The Bible is the Word of God

3 Jesus Christ is coming back again (Titus 2:13, 1 Peter 1:3 and 3:15, John 3:2-3 etc.)

I still strongly believe that we must be willing to submit what we have heard from the Lord in good faith as we speak or shared to others around us, and especially to our leaders.

Doing it this way, preserves “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace”.