The Marriage of Faith and Humility

The Marriage of Faith and Humility
(En Español)

We cannot advance spiritually without both faith and humility. Indeed, faith without humility inevitably becomes presumption, while humility without faith never ascends above oppression.

Consider: faith's nature, in part, is to possess the promises of God. Israel was commanded by the Almighty to possess the Promised Land. Scriptures tell us that without faith it is impossible to please God and that whatever is done without faith is sin (Heb. 11:6; Rom. 14:23). Thus, faith unites the human heart to God. As a result, the sinful appropriate God's righteousness, and those who were dead gain access to God's life. Christianity without faith is like a computer without electricity: the circuits of "proper knowledge" may be in place, but there is no light, no power nor functionality.
Yet where faith possesses, humility surrenders. Consider Christ as our example. There will be a time when every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Phil. 2:10-11); the kingdoms of this world will finally become the kingdom of our Lord (Rev. 11:15). However, Christ's reaction to subduing the world is He then "hands over the kingdom to the . . . Father" (1 Cor. 15:24). This is the humility of Christ: what He conquers, He then surrenders. In America we want the first part, having faith to conquer, but we're not sure we want the second part, giving it back to God. Yet this is the pattern of those who have followed God: Abraham believes God and a son is born; humility takes Isaac and offers him back to God. David conquers Jerusalem then dedicates it to the Lord, calling it the "city of God."
You see, the motive behind the exercise of our faith must mature until what we've appropriated through faith becomes an offering we now surrender back to God. Our goal is not only to create a better life here but, through surrender, to extend the Kingdom of God to earth. Faith brings to earth Heaven's provisions; surrender brings God's presence into those provisions.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

All of us serving here thank you for your prayers and support. May this new year see breakthroughs into the Lord's presence like never before!
Tax deductible donations for 2015 can still be given online through tomorrow, the 31st. If sent by mail, they must be postmarked no later than the 31st. www.frangipane.org/support.html

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

To comment or send this message to a friend or print this message, use our Printer-friendly version.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

If you are financially unable to purchase a product by Pastor Frangipane, he would love to give you your choice of one of his ebooks for free (*see exceptions). One free ebook per household please. (Visit our *FAQ page for more information.)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Please feel free to forward this message to others; acknowledging our website (and publisher) would be kindly appreciated.

GREAT QUOTES on EVANGELISM

GREAT QUOTES on EVANGELISM

"If your Gospel isn't touching others, it hasn't touched  you!"
--Curry R. Blake

"I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it
out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light"
-- John Keith Falconer

"We talk of the Second Coming; half the world has never heard of the first."
-- Oswald J. Smith

"The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get
to Him, the more intensely missionary we become."
-- Henry Martyn

"Use your ministry to build people, not people to build your ministry."
--Jacquelyn K. Heasley

"We Christians are debtors to all men at all times in all places,
but we are so smug to the lostness of men. We've been "living
in Laodicea ", lax, loose, lustful, and lazy. Why is there this
criminal indifference to the lostness of men? Our condemnation
is that we know how to live better than we are living."
--Leonard Ravenhill

Protected From the Accuser

Protected From the Accuser
(En Español)
How do you handle criticism? How does one protect himself from the "scourge of the tongue" (Job 5:21)? If you are going to be successful in the Lord's work, you must find God's hiding place from one of the most painful weapons in Satan's arsenal: the critical tongue.
The fact is, for better or for worse, people are going to talk about you. You cannot do the will of God without causing changes, and changes will always cause some to stumble. In fact, Jesus said we were to beware when all men speak well of us. He said we cannot serve two masters; if we are to truly please Him, we cannot be distracted by trying to please everyone else.
At the same time, there is a demonic strategy that is set against those who teach God's Word and minister to His people. The enemy's campaign is not only aimed at destroying the shepherd; he also seeks to scatter the sheep. If Satan's attack is successful, everyone involved will come out of the battle with less love and a hardened heart.
I find it amazing that individuals can react so differently to the same teaching. One will be uplifted and encouraged while another may not only miss the Lord's blessing, but also actually be offended by an isolated statement.
It seems that for every person who takes the hammer and chisel to make an idol of a preacher, there is someone else with a hammer and spikes ready to crucify him. Unless that man is sustained by the Lord, the pressures against him can be overwhelming.
Most people fail to remember that a minister is just like any other Christian. He or she is not Superman; bullets (and words) do not bounce off his chest. He is not invulnerable to cruel and malicious talk. He is an imperfect person called to serve the living God in the body of Christ; but he is nonetheless just a person.
For most, church is a place where people go to express their worship of God, to be taught, and to have fellowship. But to the man or woman of God, the church is God's garden. Most of the real work a pastor does is not in the pulpit but in the unheralded service of cultivating love and trust in personal relationships.
In God's eyes, the church is much more than a meeting place of casual acquaintances or doctrinally united believers. To the Father, the church is a living temple, a human house for the Spirit of His Son. The Bible says that when He placed us in our particular church it actually gave Him pleasure (1 Cor. 12:18). Together with the Holy Spirit, the pastor and elders work to bring the church into a right relationship with God's love and then to spread that love throughout the entire citywide church.
God has provided honorable ways for people to transfer from one church to another. If someone wants to leave a church to start their own, there are proper ways to receive God's anointing and be sent. (See Acts 13:1-3.) It is not necessary to find fault and cause a church split. When things are done correctly and in order, people are edified.
But when relationships are severed and destroyed through malicious gossip, or when a developing trust is turned into mistrust through backbiting and criticism, God Himself is angered (Prov. 6:16-19). And if God is offended, how much more difficult is it for His servants to remain aloof from the conflict that sin causes.
The Answer
So how does a man or woman of God find the balance between his basic need to survive and his responsibility to please God? The answer is to put on Christ's love.
A number of years ago I went through a difficult time during which a handful of people made me the target of ongoing criticism. There is a type of constructive criticism coming through people who love you that teaches and helps you to prosper, and there is a different type of criticism that comes through an embittered spirit that is not meant to correct you but to destroy you. It was the latter relationship that I had with these people.
To be honest, I am sure that there were areas in my life that were out of balance; some of their complaints were justified. Much of what they had to say, however, was said to others behind my back. Our congregation was being destabilized by these individuals. Try as I did, nothing I could say or repent of would silence them.
For three years I sought the Lord, yet He would not vindicate me of their accusations. Instead, He dealt with me. He reached deep into the very substructure of my soul and began to touch hidden areas of my life.
At issue with the Lord was not my sin, but my "self." The Bible says our sins are ever before us (Ps. 51:3); these I could see. But I had no perspective on my own soul. The Lord allowed this criticism to continue until it unearthed something deeper and more fundamentally wrong than any of my doctrinal interpretations or sins. It unearthed me.
The Holy Spirit began to show me how easily I was manipulated by people's criticisms, and especially how much my sense of peace was governed by the acceptance or rejection of man. As much as I prayed, God would not deliver me from my enemy. He saved me by killing that part of me that was vulnerable to the devil, and He did it with the accusations themselves.
I will never forget the day it dawned on me that both God and the devil wanted me to die, but for different reasons. Satan wanted to destroy me through slander and then drain me with the unceasing activity of explaining "my side" to people. At the same time, God wanted to crucify that part of my soul that was so easily exploited by the devil in the first place!
It was a pivotal day when I realized that this battle was not going to be over until I died to what people said about me. It was probably at this point that I finally and truly became a servant of God.
Today I stand in awe of what the Lord did during those terrible yet wonderful months. He knew a time would come when the things I wrote would touch the lives of millions of people. To inoculate me from the praise of man, He baptized me in the criticism of man until I died to the control of man.
Do not misunderstand me: I still honestly pray about things submitted to me by others, and I am accountable to other leaders. I even have staff people whose assignment is to give me a critical analysis of my life and work. But I am no longer ruled by man. I live for God's pleasure, and if I happen to please man, that is His business, not mine.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

The preceding excerpt is adapted from the book The Shelter of the Most High by Pastor Frangipane. This book with associated audio resources are currently on sale at www.arrowbookstore.com.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Save up to 45% this week
Limited time offer

The Shelter of the Most High

Is there a spiritual place, a shelter, where God actually keeps us, "and the evil one does not touch" us (1 John 5:18)? Yes, there is a place in the heart of God where we can find immunity and protection, where we are literally surrounded by the Lord's presence. Once we enter this place, nothing can defeat us. Twenty-one profound chapters, each highlighting a different dimension of our Father's love and protection, each well able to escort you into the warmth and safety of the shelter of the Most High.

View Francis introducing this book

Book $8.45 (Retail $13.00)
Ebook $8.45 (Retail $13.00)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Shelter of the Most High
Audio Companion Teaching

Message titles:
Healing in Horeb  |  Opportunity in the Secret Place
The Lord Indeed is Good  |  Perpetual Rescue
Significant to God |  Abiding in God's Love  |
Check Your Attitude  |  Immunized from Assault
New Every Morning  |  Greater Immunity
A Thought Concerning Criticism  |  Christ in You
Identified with Heaven

CD Series - $22.75 (Retail $35.00)
Audio Series MP3 Download - $11.38 (Retail $17.50)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Power of Covenant Prayer

Gain the victory over the effect of curses. The section on persevering prayer is a must for anyone serious about attaining Christlikeness. The second part is the conclusion of a teaching on spiritual protection. Powerful insights on the nature of curses and how to walk in spiritual victory and freedom.

Book - $6.50 (Retail $10.00)
Ebook - $6.50 (Retail $10.00)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Book and CD Series $28.80
(Retail $48.00)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Two-books and CD Series $31.90
(Retail - $58.00)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Two-books $13.80
(Retail - $23.00)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Visit Arrow Bookstore to order

Possessing the Redeemer's Mind

Possessing the Redeemer's Mind
(En Español)

As Christians, we spend too much time battling basic, elementary battles: "Am I truly saved?" "Am I really forgiven?" The fact is, God has so much more for us. He seeks to conform our thought-life to the actual thought-life of Christ. Indeed, the Holy Spirit comes not just to give us goose bumps and chills but to restructure our attitudes and perceptions until we think the thoughts of Jesus.

Consider Paul's remarkable insights. He wrote,

"But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ" (1 Cor. 2:14-16).

This revelation is stunning: we have the mind of Christ. God wants us to have Christ's very discernment.

Or consider again what Paul wrote to the Galatians. He said, "My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you" (Gal. 4:19).

Critics will call the revelation of Christ in us a heresy, as though all we were to have was the name but not the nature of Jesus Christ.

You see, God's goal is not only to see us saved and go to Heaven but for Christ to be functionally formed and living through us on earth. We are not just to have a religion about what Jesus did; we are called to possess the very substance of who Jesus is.

Yes, it means we indeed will go to Heaven; but it is more. Through our knowledge of Christ's word and our yieldedness to the Holy Spirit, the actual person of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, gains living access to the needs of man. As His body, we give Him flesh and blood contact with this world. True, we face conflicts, but these difficulties are staged by God so He can showcase His Son through us. Indeed, we face persecution, but it's only so Christ, in the midst of injustice, will reveal how His life overcomes death.

Again, Paul wrote,

"For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh" (2 Cor. 4:11).

Isn't this exactly what you desire, the "life of Jesus . . . manifested in [your] mortal flesh"? Aren't you tired of the cycle of judging people, and then, because of pride, being judged by God in return?

What does it mean to have the mind of Christ? Does that mean we walk on the water or do great signs? Miracles are indeed a part of Christ's life, yet there is something greater than miracles to attain: our hearts can be filled with the redemptive, creative thought-life of God! (See 1 Cor. 2.)

Lord, deliver us of our fleshly motives! Free us from our human instincts and fallen passions. Grant us, Lord, the motives of Jesus. Teach us to think, not as a prosecutor whose quest is to condemn, but as the Savior whose heart is to redeem.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

In Christ's Image Training

Level I classes begin January 8, 2016

There are qualities of heart that actually attract the pleasure of God. If we possess unoffendable faith in our pursuit of Christ's likeness; if we walk humbly with our God; if we position ourselves in the intercessor's gap; and if we abide in Christ-centered unity with the local body of Christ -- we will attract the pleasure of God, and when we awaken His pleasure, His power soon follows. Sign up today for our next In Christ's Image Training course starting January 8. Registration closes Dec. 31, 2015. www.icitc.org.

In Christ's Image Training is a six-month, online course developed by Pastor Frangipane. It is based on 45 years of seeking God, study and revelatory insights. These are proven truths that break chains and lead to power in our Christian walk.

ICIT provides focused training in four essential stages of spiritual development:

The vision of attaining Christ's likeness
Possessing Christ's humility
Developing a strong prayer life
Becoming one with other Christ believers

The course comes right to your home via email and audio messages and is designed to lift one's focus toward the actual presence of Jesus Christ. The full course not only includes 44 lessons and 39 audio messages (sample audio), but the discerning student will actually find the Lord using the weekly lessons to stage opportunities to deepen the truths found in the training.

For those with limited funds, the entire text is free by email. Just enroll in the Free Lesson Plan.

Student testimonies   |   Francis presenting the course

Enrollment overview:

     1) Go to www.icitc.org and read through the Level I page, FAQ          page, Level I Syllabus page, and Tuition page.

     2) Choose an enrollment plan.

     3) Next, complete the Level I Registration form.

     4) Submit the registration form - registration closes Dec. 31. Class          begins January 8, 2016.

For more info, please see www.icitc.org.

Training also available in Spanish / Español

NUKES OVER AMERICA??

NUKES OVER AMERICA?? - Andrew Strom

During the days of the cold war, of course it was not uncommon
for people to prophesy nuclear bombs hitting America. Nowadays
it is not common at all. But a friend of mine from Texas - a man
I know personally to be a balanced and well-grounded Christian -
reminded me of this topic not long ago. He (and other believers)
have seen visions of nuclear devastation on American soil that
have so shaken him that he moved his family right out of Dallas
and right out of Texas. Just another crackpot, you say?

Below is an excerpt from David Wilkerson in 1985 on this very
topic. After that we will hear from my Texas friend. And after
that I would love your comments, my friends.

DAVID WILKERSON wrote: "America is going to be destroyed
by fire! Sudden destruction is coming and few will escape.
Unexpectedly, and in one hour, a hydrogen holocaust will engulf
America -- and this nation will be no more.

"America has sinned against the greatest light. Other nations are
just as sinful, but none are as flooded with gospel light as ours.
God is going to judge America for its violence, its crimes, its
backsliding, its murdering of millions of babies, its flaunting of
homosexuality and sadomasochism, its corruption, its drunkenness
and drug abuse, its form of godliness without power, its lukewarm-
ness toward Christ, its rampant divorce and adultery, its lewd
pornography, its child molestations, its cheatings, its robbings,
its dirty movies, and its occult practices. In one hour it will all be
over. To the natural mind it is insanity to come against a prosperous,
powerful nation and cry out, 'It's all over! Judgment is at the door!
Our days are numbered!' The Church is asleep, the congregations
are at ease, and the shepherds slumber. How they will scoff and
laugh at this message. Theologians will reject it because they can't
fit it into their doctrine. The pillow prophets of peace and prosperity
will publicly denounce it...

"Let the whole world and all the church call me crazy, but I must
blow the trumpet and awaken God's people. Believe it or not,
America is about to be shaken and set aside by swift and horrible
judgments. Many other praying believers who have been shut in
with God are hearing the very same message - 'Judgment is at
the door! Prepare, awaken!'"  (-Wilkerson - ''Set the Trumpet to
Thy Mouth', 1985).

JEFF FROM TEXAS wrote: "A few years ago now (3-4?), when I
had slid into a great discouragement (before I fully understood
the depth of God's love for me & a full rest in His complete &
total sovereignty) & had backslid, hiding in my new 5 bedroom
home with my fancy home theater system, The Lord stopped me
walking up the stairs and spoke to me: "There is something big
coming, & you are not ready". In my minds eye, I could see a
mushroom cloud and much devastation. I knew what The Lord
meant, & I was touched He still loved me and came and got me
after all I had done in hardening my heart.

"I've never been the same since. The Lord led us shortly after to
sell all we had and move (we had no idea where at first, for quite
some time). Anyways, we ended up here in the perfect will of
God in fellowship in Albuquerque, NM, with brethren we have
known for many years (some of which we met at the John the
Baptist conference in Dallas years and years ago).

"I still have had dreams of Texas & destruction to this day... I
take no joy in it (all of our natural family still lives in the Dallas
metro area), but I know something is coming there nonetheless...

"War is definitely coming, as is great destruction... Many in our
fellowship (particularly those with prophetic giftings, but not just
limited to them either, but to many in our local Body), have had
prophetic dreams of such. We all came originally from Texas
(though some had lived at times in California, Mexico, India, etc.),
but God sovereignly moved all of us (at different times) out of
Texas and together here in New Mexico.

"Several of us have had dreams of the outright annihilation of Texas.
Stuff like bombs going off in the major cities (particularly Dallas
& Houston, but maybe San Antonio & Austin also?). Dreams of
mushroom clouds over Dallas..."

ANDREW AGAIN:  I am only sending this out because I have
read many similar warnings over the years - so I believe it is
something the Body of Christ needs to discuss. We would be
very interested to hear the comments of other Christians, since
I know many American believers read this newsletter. Has God
been speaking to any of you to perhaps get out of some of the
larger US cities? Does this warning ring true or not?

PLEASE COMMENT at the following website, my friends-

http://www.revivalschool.com/


God bless you all.

THE END of THE WEST

THE END of THE WEST
-Andrew Strom

For some time now I have been convinced that this century will
see the collapse of our civilization - whether Jesus returns in that
time or not. Western civilization has taken literally centuries to
build. But by the end of this century I believe it will be in a state
of ruin and collapse that few can imagine.

Recently there were a couple of posts by others on our website
that I thought were pretty insightful in regard to all this. Here they
are below-

Therese wrote:
"Someone I know had a dream of the western hemisphere being
picked up like a paper map by a huge hand and rolled into a ball
in His hand and tossed away... It is His grace that warns and why
would He not, He is not a dumb idol that cannot speak, He is the
Living God. The Spirit of prophesy is the testimony of Jesus...

The difference between our nations that sin and the heathen nations
that sin, is that our nations have professed Christ and are known
around the world as Christian nations... we are blaspheming and
profaning His name before the whole world. It is for the honour of
His name that His longsuffering will have to come to an end if His
warnings have wrought no repentance. Judgment begins with His
house.... and then the world!"

Bill Fowler wrote:
"In the early nineties I saw in my spirit a hand with the fingers
splayed apart. Then the hand slowly began to close, but only a
partially before opening again, only it never opened fully. That
position became the "new normal." Soon, the hand began to close
again and then open again slightly, thus creating another new
normal. This happened several more times until the hand closed
into a fist and no longer opened.

"As I pondered this vision, I believed then as I do now, that the
Lord was warning me that America was going to go through a
series of judgments followed by some level of reprieve. But instead
of repenting, she would adapt and try to move ahead with a
business as usual attitude. Ultimately the country will be brought
to a place of absolute crisis with no remedy, no more options, no
more time to repent.

"Obviously these shakings became most noticeable during and
after 9/11, along with other convulsive judgments since that time,
but we have not reached the absolute crisis point that will inevitably
come sooner rather than later.

"Nevertheless, this is not a time to panic, but to repent, to pray,
to get serious about building up the body of Christ, particularly
the remnant that is paying attention, and to share the gospel
boldly with those who are lost, as well as those who are wandering
from the faith. This would be a depressing message indeed if not
for the hope we have in Jesus, His glory and the life to come. I
experienced some measure of depression for several years
contemplating the magnitude of destruction coming, but I am glad
to say the Lord has shown me the X factor in all this is His glory,
His power, and His grace that will carry those who trust and obey
Him through the greatest storms we will ever face in this life."

-PLEASE COMMENT on this topic at the following website-

http://www.revivalschool.com/


God bless you all.

THE VALUE OF a SINGLE BELIEVER

THE VALUE OF a SINGLE BELIEVER
by David Wilkerson

One Saturday evening, I walked down to Times Square as it bustled
with tourists and others doing holiday shopping. It is estimated that
at rush hour, nearly a quarter of a million people pass through that
area. As I stood there, I prayed while watching the masses of people.

At one point, the Holy Spirit whispered to me, "David, take a look
at these throngs. Multiply them several times, and that's how many
of my people died in the wilderness. Out of all those masses, only
two entered into my rest, Joshua and Caleb. Everyone else died
before their time, in despair and unbelief."

The thought was overwhelming to me.As I watched the crowds, I
realized they all had the gospel message available to them at
any time, through television, radio, literature, even free Bibles in
their hotel rooms. If only they wanted to know, they would be
told that the same God who performed miracles for ancient Israel
does the same for all who love Him today. Yet these don't want
to know Him. If they see someone handing out a gospel tract,
they race by and wave him away. They have no gods but pleasure,
money and possessions.

Suddenly, I began to see the value of a single believer in God's
eyes. And I hear Jesus asking the same question today: "When
I return, will I find faith in the earth?" (see Luke 18:8). I see Christ,
the searcher of men's hearts, scouring all these venues, and finding
few who truly love Him. I see Him searching college campuses,
asking, "Who here will believe Me?" I see Him searching
Washington, D.C., for those who would accept Him, and finding
few. I see Him searching entire nations, and finding only a remnant.

Finally, He searches His church, looking for servants with a true
faith. Yet, what He sees breaks His heart, grieving Him deeply. I
hear Him cry as He did over Israel, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . .
how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a
hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!"
(Matthew 23:37).

As a minister of the Lord, I bear my Shepherd's burden. And I feel
His grief. Right now, I hear Him saying, "Even in My house, I find
so few who have faith. Many of My own children, including My
shepherds, faint in their times of trial. They don't trust Me for their
families, their jobs, their futures. Indeed, many have made their
choice."

So, what about you? The Lord comes to all of us, asking, "Will
you believe Me? Do you trust Me? When I come, will I find faith
in you?" How will you respond?

-Source-

http://sermons.worldchallenge.org/en/node/33948

© 2015 World Challenge. All rights reserved. PO Box 260, Lindale,
TX 75771-0260, (903) 963-8626

The Valley of Fruitfulness, Part 2

The Valley of Fruitfulness, Part 2
(En Español)
"How blessed is the man whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion! Passing through the valley of Baca [weeping] they make it a spring" (Ps. 84:5-6).

The Highway to Zion
Has the enemy isolated you, causing you to doubt God's love? Do not forget, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Even the hairs on your head are numbered. He cares. It is His love for us that redeems our hardships, which not only brings good out of what was meant for evil but also trains us to deliver others.
Consider Joseph. He was the second youngest of Jacob's sons and his father's favorite. His walk with God began with dreams and visions. Joseph's life is a pattern for many who have had a genuine call from God. Our walk with God may also have begun with a "travel brochure" of dreams and visions where God gives us a picture of His destination for us. What we fail to see is the route to the fulfillment of God's promises.
Joseph was betrayed by his brothers and delivered up by them to die. He was unjustly accused when Potiphar's wife tried to seduce him. He was imprisoned and forgotten by all except God, who was patiently watching and measuring Joseph's reactions to difficulty.
Rich or poor, blessed or smitten, regardless of his circumstances, Joseph served God. He continued to pass his tests. Joseph was on trial before men, but he was found innocent before God.
Finally, at the right moment, the Lord suddenly connected all the loose ends of Joseph's life. Everything that he went through, as unfair as each thing was, God used to shape him for Heaven's purpose.
God alone sees the future and how the promises He gives us will unfold. Our task is to lay hold of Christ's integrity and keep faith in what God has promised. Just as He allowed Joseph to go through many trials, so He allows us to go through great conflicts as well. For He knows that our lives, tested as they are, will help others find the shelter of the Most High in their lives.
"Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, 'For,' he said, 'God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household'" (Gen. 41:51). God caused Joseph to forget the difficulty and pain of his life. There is something wonderful about the Lord's capacity to cause all things to work for good. With Jesus in our lives, a time ultimately comes when God causes us to forget all the troubles of the past.
"He named the second Ephraim, 'For,' he said, 'God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction'" (Gen. 41:52).
God made Joseph fruitful in the very land of his affliction -- and in the land of your affliction, in your battle, is the place where God will make you fruitful. Ultimately, the Lord will touch many others with the substance of what you have gained. In a world that is superficial, Christ will produce something in you that is deep and living.
God has not promised to keep us from valleys and sufferings, but He has promised to make us fruitful in them. Without a doubt we each will pass through valleys before we reach our final goal in God. As we remain faithful to Him in trials, the character and nature of Christ Jesus will emerge in our lives.
Lord, You are God of the mountains and the valleys. I know that Your faithfulness is my shield and my bulwark. Thank You for redeeming the conflicts of my life; I praise You for healing me and causing me to forget all the trauma of my past. Now, Lord, help me now to help others as well.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

The preceding excerpt is adapted from the book The Shelter of the Most High by Pastor Frangipane. This book with associated audio resources is available at www.arrowbookstore.com.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Save 50% on ebooks
Limited time offer

Use coupon code EBOOK50

 

Several titles also available in Spanish

Visit our Special's page for a complete list
of ebooks on sale.

Use coupon code EBOOK50

The TRUE GOSPEL

The TRUE GOSPEL
by David Wilkerson

What is the true gospel of Jesus Christ?

The Lord told Peter, "If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Matthew 16:24).

Clearly, belonging to Jesus' Church means more than simply
believing in Him. Many Christians today merely "cast a vote for
Jesus." Their attitude is, "I voted for Christ. That makes me a
member of His party." But once they cast their vote, they walk
away and forget all about His lordship over their lives.

Jesus says belonging to His Church means committing to follow
Him. And that involves a life of self-denial and taking up a cross.
"He that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me is not worthy
of me" (Matthew 10:38).

Our Lord makes it clear: "If you're in My church, then be prepared
to suffer and be persecuted for your faith in Me. Be prepared to
deny yourself all fame, acceptance and worldly pleasure-seeking."

The fact is, Christ's Church has never been approved or accepted
by the world and it never will be. If you live for Jesus, you won't
have to separate yourself from others' company; they'll do it for
you. All you have to do is live for Him and you'll find yourself
reproached, rejected, called evil: "Men shall hate you, and . . .
shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you,
and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake"
(Luke 6:22).

Yet, Jesus adds, this is the path that leads to true fulfillment.
"Whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will
lose his life for my sake shall find it" (Matthew 16:25). In other
words: "The only way you'll find meaning in life is by selling out
your all for Me. Then you'll find true joy, peace and satisfaction."
Christ tells us, "My Church is without spot or wrinkle. So when
you come to Me, you must be willing to lay down all sins. You
must surrender all to Me, to die completely to self, to all ungodly
ambition and ego. By faith, you'll be buried with Me. But I will
raise you up into new life."

-Source-

http://sermons.worldchallenge.org/en/node/34218

© 2015 World Challenge. All rights reserved. PO Box 260, Lindale,
TX 75771-0260, (903) 963-8626

Surrender of the Vision Keeper

Surrender of the Vision Keeper
(En Español)

To walk with God is to walk a path of increasing surrender and trust. Indeed, the time is at hand when the Lord Jesus shall confront our tendencies to control Him. Not only will we know doctrinally that Christ is Lord, but we will also serve Him as Lord.

Christ in Us
To better understand the changes God is initiating in the church, we are going to study the life of Mary, Jesus' mother. God had blessed Mary more than any other woman. She alone was granted the wondrous privilege of giving birth to the Son of God.

While the Lord's promise and purpose with Mary were unparalleled, in two significant ways His promise to us is similar. First, even as Mary received Christ into her physical body, we have received Jesus into our spirits. And second, as she birthed Christ, our quest is to see Jesus unfettered from the womb of our religion about Him. Our destiny is not just to carry Christ inside but also to reveal the fullness of His glory in this world.

Even now, abiding within our spirits, deeper and more profound than our church doctrines, is the actual Spirit of Christ. The consequence of this union of Christ's Spirit with our spirits expands the original seven days of Creation into the eighth day. We are new creatures in a new creation (Gal. 6:15). In this new beginning to God's eternal plan, Jesus Christ is the firstborn of a new race of men (1 Cor. 15:45).

As Jesus was both God and man, so the church is actually the dwelling of Christ in the temple of man. There is not a different Jesus in us than He who dwells in Heaven. He is Christ wrapped in glory in Heaven; He is Christ wrapped in our human flesh on Earth.

Our salvation is nothing less than the Perfect One dwelling in the imperfect ones, the Almighty abiding in the feeble, the all-sufficient God dwelling among insufficient people. This is the mystery and glory of our salvation: Christ in His completeness has extended Himself into our lives!

Crucial to the success of His mission is our receiving these truths with faith, determining that they shall be our reality, not just our theology. It is here, in this carrying of the actual presence of Christ within us, that we share with Mary the awe of God's purpose for us.

Jesus in Subjection
While Joseph was a good man, it was Mary who nurtured Jesus and continued to raise Him after Joseph died. In fact, we shall see that Mary became the matriarch of the family. Uniquely, under her spiritual influence, Jesus matured. It was natural that over time Mary would consider herself the Keeper of the Vision, Guardian of Him Who Is to Come, for in truth she was.

"And He continued in subjection to them" (Luke 2:51). This is an astonishing thought -- Jesus, Lord of Heaven, in subjection to a lowly carpenter and his wife. Yet if we think about it, is it not equally astonishing that the rule of Christ in His church is, at least in part, subject to our initiatives? He submits Himself to our schedules and to our service times. He works within the confinements of our weaknesses and temperaments. Yet we should honestly ask ourselves, is it a voice from Heaven or the traditions of earth that determines how long we shall worship Him on Sunday morning?

If the Lord so decided, in an instant He could reveal His majesty and draw trembling surrender from all mankind. However, He restrains Himself, choosing not to intimidate but to inspire our obedience. He has chosen to hide His glory not from us but in us. And then, in order to perfect our character, He subjects Himself to our initiatives of hunger and faith.

However, the fact that Jesus will accommodate and submit Himself to the conditions we offer Him does not mean that He has approved of our limitations upon Him. The standard of the church is not the church; it is Christ. This is our present dilemma: just as Jesus subjected Himself to Mary and Joseph and they became, for a time, the vision keepers, so we have assumed that Christ will continue to exist in subjection to us.

He will not. For as Jesus arises in His Lordship, to save us He must first deliver us from our efforts to control Him.

A Time to Let Go
It is significant that Mary still exercised matriarchal supervision over Jesus even after He was a mature man. At the wedding feast in Cana we find Jesus, His disciples, and Mary, the vision keeper. "They have no wine," Mary told her son. Jesus answered, "Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come" (John 2:3-4). In spite of what Jesus just said, Mary tells the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it" (v. 5). While I am amazed at the fact that the Father worked through Mary's orchestration of this miracle, the fact is, Jesus did not come forth to do the will of His mother but His Father. It was time for Jesus, Mary's son, to begin His ministry as Jesus, God's Son.

A significant and necessary reversal of authority was needed in Mary's relationship with Christ -- a change that she had not anticipated. In her mind, her sense of influence was simply a continuation of her God-given responsibility as vision keeper.

The problem of control worsened after the miracle at Cana: "After this He went down to Capernaum, He and His mother and His brothers and His disciples; and they stayed there a few days" (John 2:12). The verse reads, "He and His mother" went to Capernaum. Do you see? Mary, the keeper of the vision, has taken what she thinks is a legitimate position, an earned place of influence, with Christ.

In defense of Mary, she clearly has been with Jesus the longest; she has paid the highest price. More than anyone, she has heard the Word and believed it; her faith has borne Christ Himself! She has magnificently served the purposes of God. Perhaps she had every right to think that Christ could work the miracles as long as she remained a guiding influence. Her continued mothering was not evil but natural.

However, God had determined it was time for Jesus to be unfettered from all human influences of control. Jesus would now only do the things He saw His Father do.

This, I believe, is where God is jealously directing us: We are being emptied of our agendas, false expectations, and nonbiblical traditions so that Christ alone will be Lord over the church. God is requiring a fresh surrender of the vision keepers.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Adapted from Francis Frangipane's book, The Days of His Presence, available at www.arrowbookstore.com. This message is also included in the In Christ's Image Training course - www.icitc.org.

"VICTORY over INGRAINED HABITS & STRONGHOLDS"

TWO YOUTUBE VIDEOS-

"VICTORY over INGRAINED HABITS & STRONGHOLDS"
by Andrew Strom


Do you know Christians who still suffer from depression, anger,
ingrained habits, abuse, addictions, strongholds of various kinds?
Is there really a practical way that God can literally destroy these
bondages overnight? As a teenager Andrew Strom suffered for
years from suicidal depression. And even as a Spirit-filled Christian
ten years later he still suffered from dark moods and anger caused
by the same issues in his life. But over a period of three days
God delivered him from every major stronghold.

In the two videos below, Andrew shares in a very practical way
how God delivered him from these things. And how you too can
be free in Jesus' name! Here are the videos below-

(1)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YRcIbT0UJ0

(2)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7MED4rf4Ew


If you know others who might be helped by these teachings,
please share the videos with them.

Special blessings to all.

AMAZING FILM TRAILER FROM TORBEN

AMAZING FILM TRAILER from TORBEN

A full-length film showing incredible healings and miracles and
baptisms out on the streets has been made by my old friend
Torben Sondergaard. People cry when they see the video clips.
Here is the first trailer for this amazing film-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1est65LcdI


Please pass it on.

Blessings to all.

More GREAT QUOTES

More GREAT QUOTES

"To silence a preacher from preaching judgment is like being
awoke from sleep by a fire alarm, and just silencing the alarm,
and going back to sleep."
--Unknown

"If I am content to heal a hurt slightly, saying "Peace, peace,"
where is no peace; if I forget the poignant word "Let love be
without dissimulation" and blunt the edge of truth, speaking
not right things but smooth things, then I know nothing of
Calvary love."
--Amy Carmichael

"Unless we have invested a great deal of time in our secret
ministry to the Lord then the shallowness of our public ministry
will be very evident. Today it is abundantly clear that not enough
time is spent ministering to the Lord, and way too much time
is spent ministering to people; hence, most of what is done in
the name of ministry is performed in a fleshly, human way
which never bears any lasting fruit."
--Chip Brogden

"It is now possible to live a "christian life" without doing the things
that Jesus commanded us to do. "We have hired people to go
into all the world, to visit those in prison, to feed the hungry, to
clothe the naked, to care for widows and orphans. The average
Christian doesn't have to do it."
-Cal Thomas

"Sympathy is no substitute for action." -- David Livingstone

The Stronghold of Christ's Likeness

The Stronghold of Christ's Likeness
(En Español)

God's Highest Purpose
Most Christians only engage in spiritual warfare with a hope of either relieving present distresses or attaining a "normal" existence. However, the purpose of all aspects of spirituality, warfare included, is to bring us into the image of Christ. Nothing -- not worship or warfare, neither love nor deliverance -- is truly attainable if we miss the singular objective of our faith: Christlikeness.

Let us recall that when the Lord delivered the ancient Hebrews out of Egypt it was so He could bring them into the Promised Land. Likewise, we are delivered out of sin, not that we might live for ourselves, but so we might come into Christlikeness. What we call "salvation" is the first phase of being conformed to Christ. If we fail to see this we easily become entangled in the same sins that oppressed us in the first place.

While we may not want to hear this, many of our spiritual conflicts simply are not going to cease until the character of the Lord Jesus is formed in our hearts. The Father's goal in delivering us is much more than simply seeing our burdens taken off our backs. Indeed, God is working all things in our lives to conform us "to the image of His Son." The Father's purpose in our salvation is that Jesus would become "the first-born among many brethren" (Rom. 8:29). In other words, to realize God's ultimate victory we must reach toward God's ultimate goal, which is complete transformation into the likeness of Christ.

When we are born again, the actual presence of the Lord Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, enters our lives. To the degree that we cooperate with God's will, God's glory will advance within us. Indeed, Jesus likened our salvation to the lighting of a lamp. He said, "If therefore your whole body is full of light, with no dark part in it, it will be wholly illumined, as when the lamp illumines you with its rays" (Luke 11:36).

This immediacy of the Lord's presence produces an indestructible defense, a fortress within us in which we are hidden from evil. Through Him, we enter the excellence of His ways in our relationships both with the Father and one another, thereby walking in immunity from countless satanic attacks. Indeed, as His fullness within us increases, then that which is written is fulfilled: "As He is, so also are we in this world" and "He who was born of God keeps [us], and the evil one does not touch [us]" (1 John 4:17; 1 John 5:18).

We must realize that it is not Satan who defeats us; it is our openness to him. To perfectly subdue the devil we must walk in the "shelter of the Most High" (Ps. 91:1). Satan is tolerated for one purpose: the warfare between the devil and God's saints thrusts us into Christlikeness, where the nature of Christ becomes our only place of rest and security. God allows warfare to facilitate His eternal plan, which is to make man in His image (Gen. 1:26).

Once we realize that the Father's goal is not just to save us but to transform us, we will continually find that God has one answer to all our spiritual problems: appropriate the nature of His Son!

Are you troubled by demons of fear or doubt? Submit those areas to God, repenting of your unbelief, and then yield yourself to Christ's faith within you. Are you troubled with spirits of lust and shame? Present those very areas of sin to God, repenting of your old nature, drawing upon the forgiveness of Christ and His purity of heart. It is a great truth that once the devil recognizes his assault against you has not pulled you from God but toward Him -- once he perceives that his temptations are actually forcing you to appropriate the virtue of Christ -- the enemy will withdraw.

Remember: your victory begins with the name of Jesus on your lips, but it will not be consummated until the nature of Jesus is in your heart.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~ 

Adapted from Francis Frangipane's book, The Three Battlegrounds, available at www.arrowbookstore.com.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

In Christ's Image Training

Level I classes begin January 8, 2016

There are qualities of heart that actually attract the pleasure of God. If we possess unoffendable faith in our pursuit of Christ's likeness; if we walk humbly with our God; if we position ourselves in the intercessor's gap; and if we abide in Christ-centered unity with the local body of Christ -- we will attract the pleasure of God, and when we awaken His pleasure, His power soon follows. Sign up today for our next In Christ's Image Training course starting January 8. Registration closes Dec. 31, 2015. www.icitc.org.

In Christ's Image Training is a six-month, online course developed by Pastor Frangipane. It is based on 45 years of seeking God, study and revelatory insights. These are proven truths that break chains and lead to power in our Christian walk.

ICIT provides focused training in four essential stages of spiritual development:

The vision of attaining Christ's likeness
Possessing Christ's humility
Developing a strong prayer life
Becoming one with other Christ believers

The course comes right to your home via email and audio messages and is designed to lift one's focus toward the actual presence of Jesus Christ. The full course not only includes 44 lessons and 39 audio messages (sample audio), but the discerning student will actually find the Lord using the weekly lessons to stage opportunities to deepen the truths found in the training.

For those with limited funds, the entire text is free by email. Just enroll in the Free Lesson Plan.

Student testimonies   |   Francis presenting the course

Enrollment overview:

     1) Go to www.icitc.org and read through the Level I page, FAQ          page, Level I Syllabus page, and Tuition page.

     2) Choose an enrollment plan.

     3) Next, complete the Level I Registration form.

     4) Submit the registration form - registration closes Dec. 31. Class          begins January 8, 2016.

For more info, please see www.icitc.org.

Training also available in Spanish / Español

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Your Children Will Return

[This message was written by Francis' daughter Joy in 1995. We felt that this would be a special encouragement to those who are standing in prayer for your children. Currently, Joy and her husband, Steve, have two children. She is a successful businesswoman who continues to be an immense blessing to her parents.]
 

Your Children Will Return
By Joy Frangipane Marion
(En Español)

No one can tell me that fathers and daughters can't have close relationships, or even become best friends. People are almost envious of the love my dad and I share. The only time we argue is about who loves who the most. But our relationship was not always this warm. There was a time when I felt I had lost my ability to love my father. I was a teenage Christian in a public high school. My Christian background made me different. I was new, craving acceptance. My father's rules seemed to be the source of my rejections.

Fueled by my insecurities, in my eyes my dad became the root of my problems. While I set an adequate standard and struggled to live by it, he was strict. I was angry because he refused to back down from the standard he knew was right. He refused to appeal to my ignorance in order to keep my acceptance.

Things were going from bad to worse during those years. We hit bottom the day I looked him square in the eyes and told him that I hated him. They were harsh words, but it was a hard time. I didn't really hate him. I hated me. I felt I wasn't bad enough to be accepted by my friends and not good enough to be accepted at home. When these feelings take over your life, you search for something---anything---to blame. I chose my father. He carried the blunt of my pain. He even became my enemy.

In my heart I knew I didn't hate him. I was angry and confused. I felt he wasn't concerned with how I felt. It seemed he had made no room for compromise with my situation. He risked losing my love to save my soul.

It was a hard time for us both. He suffered the pain of rejection as I did. He suffered the hurt and the loss, but from a different angle. His fear of the Lord withstood his fear of pain. He loved me, but he had a higher obligation than my favor and my approval. I'm sure at times he wondered if he was doing the right thing. There must of been times when he felt like his prayers were hitting the ceiling and bouncing back at his feet.

At times I'm sure he considered lowering his standards. It would have made things so much easier than wrestling with the power of an independent, strong-willed child. These considerations may have come, but he never gave in to them. He stood firm and prayed harder.

The "prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (James 5:16 KJV). Many times he cried out to the Lord in anguish and in frustration. "What have I done wrong?" My father has a wonderful ministry to God in prayer. I think I had something to do with the character God worked in him during those days. Before he ever prayed for cities and nations he was on his face praying for me.

"Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it" (Prov. 22:6). That verse was a promise that he would hold on to. "Your sons and daughters will prophesy" was another promise he stood upon (Joel 2:28). He had given me to the Lord, set a godly standard and held God to His word.

At the same time, I was wrestling with my salvation. My desire to be accepted by my non-Christian friends at school warred against my desire to be with the Lord. James speaks of a double-minded person being unstable in all of their ways (James 1:8). I was completely unstable. I walked on a line between Heaven and hell. I wanted the best of both worlds and was satisfied in neither.

Although I had been brought up in the church, the world had taken its toll on me. My eyes had been blinded to the sin in my own life, further separating me from God and parents. It was so hard for me to see my way out.

When a child is brought up in a Christian home, regardless of what may happen, there is a seed that has been planted in their heart that continues to grow. It's an amazing seed because it can grow in the dark without water; it can even bloom in adversity. The reason we can never outrun God is because He is that seed growing within us. Once you have tasted the presence of the Lord, nothing satisfies you like He can. Sometimes those who seem to be running the hardest from God are doing so because He is so close to them.

On the outside my witness was weak and I was in bondage to my unsaved friends. But inside my heart cried for oneness with the Lord. I hated my double-mindedness as much as my father did. My whole life I wanted strong Christian friends to save the world with me. I wanted the support, I just never had it. I did the best I could, but I lost my sensitivity to sin, and the more I was with non-Christian people the more deceived I became.

Paul warns us to not be deceived: "For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousnes?" (2 Cor. 6:14). I didn't realize the impact my unsaved friends had on me. The more I was with them the more I conformed to them. When I look back, I know, unless my parents had been praying for me, I would have been on my way to hell.

Sin has a way of moving in and taking control. But "love is as strong as death" and "many waters cannot quench love" (Song of Sol. 8:6,7); "love never fails" (1 Cor. 13:8). And prayer is the highest power through which love is released. I had to relearn how to love. My love had become completely self-centered and conditional. I had failed to realize that my father and my Lord loved me unconditionally. I had only to try. I had only to bridge the communication gap to understand that God had loved me before I was even aware of His standards. And my dad loved me for me alone, not for something I had to become.

My relationship with my father is wonderful, and that's the truth. God has proven faithful in the working of both our lives. The Lord has bridged the gap and filled it with love. It took me leaving my environment and being planted with Christian people who faithfully loved me. It also took my will to change, but it did happen.

Listen, please don't give up on your teenagers. Don't sacrifice God's standards of righteousness to appeal to their carnal nature. They can't respect you for it and God won't honor it. Your children were not consecrated to Satan; they were dedicated to the Lord. He has had His hand on them and He will not forget them. He has heard your prayers and He is faithful to your cries. He is your God.

Prayer works. I'm living proof of it. I look back now and see how many times nothing but the miraculous dedication of loving parents took me out of hopeless situations. The Lord will not forsake His children. He will not turn His back on them. We are never too far from His reach. Believe the promises of the Lord. He is not a liar. He honors a steadfast heart. Hold on. Your children will come back to the Lord.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The preceding excerpt is adapted from the book This Day We Fight by Pastor Frangipane, available at www.arrowbookstore.com.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Save up to 45% on these selected products
Limited time offer

This Day We Fight!

This book is anointed to help the reader get their fire back. The Holy Spirit is ready to impart a fresh anointing to God's people - an anointing that will activate the "war mode" in the church.

View Francis introducing this book

Book $10.05 (Retail $15.00)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Three Battlegrounds

Any time the Spirit of God's kingdom is truly manifested in the earth, it will ultimately confront the strongholds of hell. Indeed, wherever evil spirits have either a foothold or a stronghold, you can expect that the overcoming church will be engaged in warfare, and expect also that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church that Jesus builds.

In this book, Francis Frangipane explores the three arenas of spiritual warfare that the maturing Christian will face: the mind, the church and the heavenly places. It provides a foundation of insight, wisdom and discernment on the nature of the battle and the keys to victory.

View Francis introducing this book

Book - $8.34 (Retail $12.45)
Ebook - $6.85 (Retail $12.45)