What Makes You Different: When God sent plague after plague on Pharaoh and his people to free the Israelites from slavery, what is interesting is that the Israelites lived right next door, but the plagues never touched them. Whether it was swarms of flies, hordes of frogs, or their livestock, the Israeli side was untouched. God put a distinction of favor and blessing upon His people.
God has also put a distinct favor on you that causes you to be different from those who do not honor God. The Scripture talks about how you have been called out, set apart as God’s people. It says that His face shines down on you and causes you to stand out. There is a marked difference. You have an advantage. You are not doing life by yourself. It is not up to just your skill, your talent, your connections. There is a force behind you breathing in your direction, protecting you, guiding you, favoring you. The Highest God has set you apart. Take advantage of every opportunity that God has placed before you. This will be a year of opportunity. Jesus took advantage of every opportunity presented to Him.
A. THE ABILITY TO SEE OPPORTUNITIES IS A KEY TO ANY SUCCESS
1. Mark 1:16-18 a. Jesus saw an opportunity to encourage others to be soul winners.
b. Some might say, they are busy – I’ll not bother them now” – but Jesus says opportunity.
2. Mark 6:2-3 a. Jesus took the opportunity to teach. b. Are we taking advantage of the opportunities we are confronted with – friends, co-workers, family?
3. Mark 6:41-44 a. Jesus saw an opportunity to help those in need. b. They had been following Jesus for many days…
4. Mark 10:46-52. a. Jesus took opportunity to help the infirmed. b. Jesus was a very busy man, but…
5. Mark 12:42-44. a. Jesus saw an opportunity to teach about giving.
b. Do we take the opportunity to teach as various situations arise.
6. John 4:35 _ Jesus taught his disciples to open their eyes and look at the opportunities surrounding them
GOD is not just a way maker. He is THE WAY. He can create what you need. That is why HE’s called the great "I AM."
I AM whatever you need.
I AM favor.
I AM breakthroughs.
I AM healing.
I AM victory.
We are in position for a move of God. What do you think? Ps 85:12 Yes, the Lord will give that which is good! Psalm 85:6. Will thou revive us again oh Lord that thy people may rejoice in Thee? Vs 12 THE ANSWER!! YES! Ingredients for a move of God. KJV 12 The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest.
Just like cold weather has knocked out power in recent weeks, so has coldness knocked out power in the church! Time to get the power of God back into His Church!! The greatest gift given to us! It is access to the throne of God given to us from the Son of God. God and Jesus gave us this wonderful privilege and we must use it! The Father, Son & Holy Spirit. Let us come boldly to His throne of Grace! If you are going to look back at your past, make sure it is to Thank the Lord! When life does not turn out the way you thought, you must learn to kiss negative things goodbye. People may walk away. It is tempting to get bitter, hold a grudge, lose your passion. You must kiss the bitterness goodbye, kiss the person that left you goodbye, kiss the dream that did not work out goodbye. You cannot embrace the new things God has in store if you are holding on to the old.
Our Position is "In Christ" God knows where you fit best on His Team. Most people do not know where they fit!!!
Your Father's World: We knew a phenomenally successful widowed man who remarried, and at the age of sixty-five found out they were going to have his first child. When his wife gave birth and he held his baby boy, he was overwhelmed and began to weep for joy. He looked his son in the eyes and said, I cannot wait to give you, my world. That is the way our heavenly Father feels about you. He has been thinking about you a long time. He did not create you to be ordinary, to just make it through life. He is lined up amazing opportunities, good breaks, and the right people. He is saying to you, I cannot wait to give you, My world. His world is big, filled with joy, filled with favor, filled with blessings, and filled with love. In His world, you are His prized possession. What He has in store for you is going to boggle your mind. My question is, are you expecting your Father to give you the kingdom?
Remember you have a history with God. When Abraham was old and close to death, he told his assistant to travel back to his hometown to find his son, Isaac, a wife. The assistant asked him how he would know if it was the right girl, and Abraham was saying, do not worry because I have a history with God. I have seen His faithfulness over and over down through the years. I am confident it will happen. I have walked with God and seen His goodness. Instead of wondering if something is going to work out, worrying about your health, or stressing out over your finances, remember your history with God. Look back at what He's done. As Abraham did, you will see times when God brought a promise to pass that looked impossible, He provided when you did not see a way, He showed you mercy and turned a situation around. Whatever you face, keep walking in faithfulness and be confident that He will do it again and make your journey a success.
Sometimes we act as though God has a limited supply of favor, but He has unlimited resources. When God laid out the plan for your life, He put in it everything you need to fulfill your destiny. He is already lined up the right people, the right breaks, favor, and increase. If you keep honoring God, you will come into a stored-up blessing at the right time. You will not have to go after it; it will find you. What God has destined for you cannot go to anyone else. When you understand this, it takes the pressure off. You do not live frustrated, wondering when a dream is going to come to pass, worried that a problem is not going to work out, or jealous because a friend got a promotion. You stay in peace knowing that what has your name on it is not going to go to anyone else. You know your time is coming. You know that God will get you to where you are supposed to be.
He Is Your Source: It is easy to look to people or to our job as our source. Yes, God uses people, jobs, and contracts, but they are not the Source. They are simply resources that the Source uses. If you are seeing anything or anyone other than God as your source, when something happens to that something or someone, you will think, “What am I going to do? My source has been cut off.” No, the Source is simply fine. God is still on the throne. That good gift may come through people, but it came from your heavenly Father. Your salary or contract may come through a connection, but it came from God.
That is why you do not have to play up to people at work or compromise to get a good break. You are not at the mercy of the economy, or who likes you, or what your boss does. People are not your provider; God is your provider. God has all kinds of resources He can use.
Increase in Favor. Did you know that one way our faith is released is through our words? There is a connection between speaking God's favor and receiving His favor. You can increase in favor. It is not enough to just believe you have favor or expect favor; you must take it one step further and declare favor. Every day you should declare, I have the favor of God. I have favor on my business, my finances, my family, and my health. When you speak something out, you are giving it the right to come to pass. When you are in a difficult situation, instead of complaining about it, you need to declare, the favor of God is turning this around. His favor is bringing healing, freedom, vindication, and victory into my life. It is one thing to think it, but when you declare it, things begin to happen in the unseen realm. You have hoped, you have prayed, you have believed that is good, but it is time to start speaking favor.
Many people get frustrated and soured on life because of their unanswered whys. Not everything along your life’s way is going to make sense. You may never understand why something happened the way it did, but God knows what He is doing. He would not allow it if it were not going to somehow work for your good. This is where faith comes in. Nothing that has happened to you can keep you from your destiny. The only thing that can stop you is you. If you get negative and bitter and lose your passion, that is going to keep you from God’s best. You may have had unfair things happen to you, but I have learned that the depth of our pain is an indication of the height of our future. The taller the building, the deeper the foundation. When you go through difficulties and unfair situations, God is getting you prepared to be taken higher than you ever imagined.
Be thankful for all the struggles you go through. They make you stronger, wiser, and humble. Do not let it break you. Let it make you.
I am fully persuaded God allows a lot of the stuff we endure to come our way, because it sends us running right back to the prayer room! At least in trouble God gets to hear our voice! But should this really be the only time God hears from us? When we are in trouble? And He's the last lifeline left?
2023 is the year where GOD will put you where people do not think you belong. PREPARE FOR AN UPGRADE!!!! Prequalified for Double.
God has seen every unfair thing you have gone through, every person who did you wrong, every tear, every lonely night. He is your heavenly Father, and He knows how to pay you back for what is unfair. You do not have to live worried because God is going to make up for the wrongs that were done.
The prophet Isaiah says that when God pays you back, “He will give you a twofold recompense.” That means God will pay you back double. In the Scripture, it was not a coincidence that after all the heartache and pain that Job went through, he came out with double what he had before the testing of his faith. When you are in an unfair situation, instead of getting sour, have a new perspective—that just qualified you for double. They meant it to harm you, but God is going to use it to promote you. When He pays you back, you are going to come out loaded down with blessings.
Meek Is not Weak.
Meek does not mean weak. Meekness is strength under control. When you ignore someone's negative comments, when you do not pay attention to other people's insults and criticisms, you are not being weak; you are being meek. You have the power to fight, you have the strength to straighten them out and let them know how you feel, but your strength is under control. You are not wasting your time and energy on things that are not between you and your destiny. If you stay on the high road, God will take care of your enemies. He can defend you better than you can defend yourself.
Religious people always get upset when God uses the people they deem as unqualified.
My message is amazingly simple: Quit letting other people get you upset and steal your joy. You cannot control what people do; you cannot control what they say, but you can control how you respond. Quit letting their negative comments upset you. You are not defined by what they say. Do not give it the time of day. If you maintain your meekness, God will fight your battles.
Be careful who you vent to, not everyone is for you. Not everyone wants to see you overcome your struggle. Pay attention to your mood. Stop running your mouth in the heated moment. Emotions go away but your words live on forever. Do not take it to the phone, take it to the throne. As you waste your breath complaining about what somebody said or what somebody posted or what somebody did and that somebody has no clue that you have an attitude with them, that somebody is moving on with their life and their day. Some of y’all need to take those boxing gloves off & give them to God, he will throw them away for you. Stand outside the ring of life & watch Him fight your battle(s).
Every Need Supplied Abundantly. Sometimes religion can make you feel like it is wrong to be blessed and have resources, but David says, “God takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.” Let the Lord be magnified, who takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.” Psalm 35:27
It brings a smile to God’s face to make things happen that amaze you, to increase you in ways that you have never imagined. It gives our heavenly Father pleasure to see you blessed. You may not see how it can happen, but that is not your job. Your job is to believe.
You were created to live an abundant life. Today’s Scripture says that God will supply all our needs according to His riches. It does not say according to your talent or your education, or if your boss likes you, or if the economy is good, or if you have the right friends. It is not according to what you have; it is according to what He has. The good news is, God owns it all. If He does not have what you need, He can create it.
You do not ALWAYS need a plan. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go, and SEE what happens. Take the pressure off yourself. Quit living worried, frustrated. It is not going to be by your strength or by your ability, but by the SPIRIT of the living GOD!!!! You will have some storms but know this Peace does not come from finding a lake with no storms. It comes from having Jesus in the boat."
High Time: When God first put that dream or promise in your heart, you were excited; you told people what you were going to do. But now it has been months, maybe years, and things have not turned out like you planned. Today’s Scripture says you are closer now to seeing it come to pass than you have ever been. You are coming into a high time. High time is when things suddenly change in your favor when blessings chase you down. High time is when your healing shows up, you break the addiction, you meet the right person. God makes things happen that you could never make happen. Let us look at the Samaritan woman. John 4: 28-29. Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” The Samaritan woman grasped what Jesus said with fervor that came from an awareness of her real need. The transaction was fascinating. She has come with a bucket. He sent her back with a spring of living water. She had come as a reject. He sent her back being accepted by God Himself. She came wounded. He sent her back whole. She came laden with questions. He sent her back as a source for answers. She came living a life of quiet desperation. She ran back overflowing with hope. The disciples missed it all. It was lunchtime for them.
If you are going to see this high time, you must wake up out of your sleep. That means to get your passion back. Start believing again, start expecting things to change, start talking like it is going to happen. You cannot be complacent and step into the fullness of what God has in store. My question is, are you awake? High Time. Are you going to choose to stay comfortable, or are you going to step out on FAITH and take a risk? If you will leave the comfort and come into your calling, GOD will make things happen that you could not make happen. Doors will open that you could not open.
When God first put that dream or promise in your heart, you were excited; you told people what you were going to do. But now it has been months, maybe years, and things have not turned out like you planned. Today’s Scripture says you are closer now to seeing it come to pass than you have ever been. You are coming into a high time. High time is when things suddenly change in your favor when blessings chase you down. High time is when your healing shows up, you break the addiction, you meet the right person. God makes things happen that you could never make happen.
Beware of the Dream Killer. Do not let people kill your dream. Watch Out for Ones When You Say That God Has Called You to Something and They Say How You Are Going to Do That. Watch out for the dream killer. Watch out for the one that you share your ambitions with. And they laugh in your face. Watch out for dream killers. Watch out for the ones that cannot see your vision. Watch out for the ones that do not support you. Watch out for the one, that when you say you are going back to get that degree. They say you are too old. Or you are just not smart enough. Watch out for dream killer. People that you think you can trust with your visions; people you think you can trust with your dreams will often try to kill your dream and vandalize your visions. Joseph had a dream and he said that dream to his brothers. That is when the enemy stepped in. You cannot tell everyone your dreams, even the ones that you think are the closet to you because everyone will not be excited about your dream. Genesis 37:5-11. 5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”8 His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him more because of his dream and what he had said.9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
There is also a difference between chasing opportunity and making the most of every opportunity. Rather than flow in God's favor we chase opportunities. When you make the most of every opportunity, God’s favor will make sure greater opportunity finds you. This is the key to staying in a place where God’s Favor can flow in your life.
If you are a server at a restaurant, give people the greatest experience you can. If you are a gopher at work, running small and trivial errands, do it with the attitude of an executive. When you are out and about in daily life, have genuine conversations with other people.
But we often forget that God has a way of using the unseen, unnoticed places of life to promote people. Some of the most visible people in life started in the most invisible places.
If you are going to see this high time, you must wake up out of your sleep. That means to get your passion back. Start believing again, start expecting things to change, start talking like it is going to happen. You cannot be complacent and step into the fullness of what God has in store. You Will Either Stretch or Shrink Depending on What You're In. Move from Where You Are and Move Towards Where You Need to Be. My question is, are you awake.
Your NEXT season is going to have some people wishing they would have treated you better in your NOW season. And the same applies to you. You reap what you sow. Be mindful of your BEHAVIOR and HOW you treat others! Start today by handing EVERYTHING over to GOD!!! The odds can be stacked against you BUT when GOD gets ready to move, NOTHING can stop HIM!!! HE is able!! Whatever made you cry in the past is nothing compared to the blessings that are going to make you smile in the future. Do not let anyone who has never been in your shoes judge the way you walk. Only God can judge, the rest just have unrealistic opinions and expectations, do not give them any credibility, or even acknowledge their judgments just compare it to the truth of Christ and it falls apart. We must stay empowered by His word. Let them be wrong about you, do not concern yourself with what people think. You have nothing to prove. God knows the truth & truth is the light which infiltrates darkness/lies & will reveal. Do not let anyone appraise you. Know your worth, you are from the family of Jesus Christ, and this applies to each of us who are believers, Choose Not to Judge Others, Because in Some Areas of Our Own Lives, We Are Still on Trial Ourselves.
Romans 2:1-2 New International Version (NIV): God’s Righteous Judgment
2 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth.
I have said it and I have heard other leaders say this as well. There are blessings that have your name on them—promotion, businesses, a house, healing, a spouse, a baby, restoration—that you have been believing for. There are forces trying to hold back what you have been praying for. GOD is about to release what has been held up. Stay encouraged; it is on the way. Just imagine GOD breaking the way wide open through those forces that are holding it back. You are going to see what GOD promised. What has your name on it is on the way. All the forces of darkness cannot stop it.
You cannot control what others do to VIOLATE YOU, but you can control your CHOSEN RESPONSE!!! Sometimes it is best to take the "high road" and DISCONNECT just so you will not have to DISRESPECT!!! You can stay right there where Jesus is the center of your joy. Be okay with the fact that you are not for everyone. You should not even want to be. God knows where you belong and the people you should be amongst. He who wins souls is wise you must not be afraid to go where the fish are biting! And you must use the right bait to catch one. Every time you bring encouragement to someone, you release divine favor.
The Chain Has Been Broken
The Israelites had been bound in slavery in Egypt for over four hundred years. All they had seen was injustice, being taken advantage of, mistreated, barely making it. God supernaturally brought them out of Egypt, and they were headed to the Promised Land when He said to them, “The enemies you see today, you will see no more.” That is what happens when the chain breaker shows up. True freedom.
He was saying to them and to us, “Those things that have held you back for years, you’re not going to see them anymore.” This is a new day of freedom, a new day of wholeness, a new day of increase. Chains are falling off; chains of debt are being broken. Chains of cancer, diabetes, and heart trouble are being loosed. You will no longer see those chains of fear, insecurity, and low self-esteem. The addiction is not going to control you. Why? The chain has been broken.
“To trust God in the light is nothing, but to trust him in the dark. That is faith.” ~C. S One of the most frustrating things is to experience hard times when you feel that you are living right. Where is your faith? When you have done everything, you can do, that's when God will step in and do what you cannot do. Trust the process. If you want to fill your life with things that matter; remove things that do not. The weakest part of your life can be the strongest part of your faith.
Blessings
J.P. Olson
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