The Reception

List! 'Tis the morning hours in Glory.
A shadow through the mists doth now appear-
A troop of angels sweeping down in greeting.
A "Welcome Home" rings out with joyous cheer!

A traveler from the earth is now arriving;
A mighty welcome's ringing in the skies!
The trumpets of a host are now resounding
A welcome to the life that never dies.

Who is the victor whom the angels welcome?
What mighty deeds of valour have been done?
What is the meaning of these shouts of triumph?
Why welcome this soul as a mighty one?

She's but a woman, frail and slight and tender,
No special mark of dignity she bears:
Only the Christ light from her face doth glisten:
Only the white robe of a saint she wears.

She's but a soul redeemed through the blood of Jesus.
Hers but a life of sacrifice and care;
Yet with her welcome all the heaven's ringing,
And on her brow a victor's crown she bears.

How come she thus from sin's benighting thraldom,
The grace and purity of heaven to obtain?
Only through Him Who gave His life in ransom,
Cleansing the soul from every spot and stain.

See! As you gaze upon her face so radiant,
'Tis but the beauty of her Lord you see;
Only the image of His life resplendent;
Only the mirror of His life is she.

See with what signs of joy they bear her onward;
How that the heavens ring with glad acclaim!
What is the shout they raise while soaring upward?
"Welcome! Thrice welcome, thou, in Jesus' Name!"

Rest in the mansion by thy Lord prepared thee,
Out of the loving deed which thou hast done,
Furnished through thoughts and acts which have portrayed Me,
Unto a lost world as their Christ alone.

Hear how thy heavenly harp is ringing!
Touched are its strings with hands by thee unseen.
Note that the music of thine own creating
Heaven's melodies in hearts where sin has been.

See how the atmosphere with love is laden,
And that with brightness all the landscape gleams!
Know 'tis the gladness and the joy of heaven
Shed now by rescued souls in radiant beams.

Oh, that here on earth we may learn the lesson
That Christ enthroned on our hearts while here,
Fits and prepares the soul for heaven,
Making us like Him both there and here.

Doing the simple and homely duties
Just as our Christ on earth has done,
Seeking alone that the Christ's own beauties
In every heart should be caused to bloom.

Showing all men that the blood of Jesus
Cleanses our hearts from all sin below,
And that the life of the Christ within us
Transforms the soul till as pure as snow.

When we thus come to the dark cold river,
No night, no darkness, no death is there,
Only great joy that at last the Giver
Grants us anew of His life to share.

Given to John G Lake
in Tongues and Interpretation
while in Africa

John G Lake

In reading the life and sermons of John Lake I am struck by many uplifting and faith edifying ideas and stories but there is one characteristic of the man that stands above every other miraculous story and experience encountered. In Lake I see a beautiful representation of Jesus Christ. Lake clearly had his doubters and critics and was most definitely a radical thinker who stirred controversy in the church both in his time and indeed right up until today but then so also did Jesus and remains also to this day a divisive character. Not afraid to express his views and tackle some of the more challenging, hotly debated and often divisive topics in theology Lake voices opinions on dominion theology, Paul’ thorn in the flesh, soul absolution and most recognisably healing. Indeed his whole life was shaped by his healing ministry and his standing point was that it’s always Gods will to heal and that any doubt or questioning of this understanding shows a lack of faith in who God is and shows weakness in the life of a believer. He even goes as far as to suggest that the believer who does not fully believe in supernatural healing as a normal response to sickness is under the influence of the devil. He is very strong in his criticism of Cessationism and will be remembered as a revivalist who challenged their way of thinking and promoted the belief that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are as important today as they were for the first century church.

Lake was an admirer of John Wesley and the Methodist movement. Wesley’ call to be “ready to pray, ready to preach, and ready to die” was the calling Lake also viewed as the ultimate Spirit of Christianity. Anything other was in his words, a foreign spirit and a sissified substitute (pg 105). Battling against some common beliefs that God gave sickness and disease to some to build character or so they could glorify God in their tribulation, it was the 10th chapter of Acts that opened Lake’ eyes to who really brings sickness. “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were Oppressed of the devil; for God was with him” (pg 240). A further scripture reference from Luke’ gospel in chapter 12 said that a woman whom Satan hath bound reassured Lake that sickness was not from God or his will for anyone but from the devil. He argues that Jesus’ model prayer the Our father does not include an ‘if’ to thy will be done. It is always Gods will to heal and Jesus never refused to heal any who were sick or oppressed.

In his 17th chapter Lake outlines his argument for Divine Healing in a letter of reply to Dr. Elwood Bulgin and it is one of the most remarkable and compelling arguments I’ve ever read. In it he launches a stinging attack on medical science stating of Bulgin “you come to the dying, kick their hope from under them, and let them fall to the ground, and leave them to die without bringing them the true healing power in the blood and Spirit of Jesus” (pg 160). Known for his strong man theology Lake was utterly convinced that the church had believed and heralded the devils lie, that miracles were no longer for today thus robbing mankind of their rightful inheritance through the blood of Jesus (pg 241). Throughout his book he not only backs up his theology with scriptural arguments but also with countless records of healing stories from his ministry of Gods miraculous power at work. I was enthralled as I turned the pages to read of all these accounts but one in particular captivated my attention. In one of their meetings the Spirit of God fell so powerfully on the congregation as they lay prostrate they each began to pray and confess their waywardness to God. As Lake placed his hand on a mans chest he fell under the conviction of God and motioned for his wife. In her arms he confessed that he had been living in adultery and they wept and prayed together. The next day he called Lake to say that he had in fact had a diagnosis of cancer of the chest and the very area that Lake had laid his hand was where he needed healing. He removed his shirt to show that he had a visible mark for years of cancer on his chest which overnight had withered and turned a brown colour as if burned by the fire of God. It totally disappeared a few days later. What a remarkable tale of God’ healing and restoring power. In yet another story Lake describes the condition of a 6 year old boy, born with a closed head. As he grew the distortion of his head took the shape of the hull of an upside down yacht and he became paralysed. Then as a 12 year old and under Divine healing the bones in his head softened, his head was reduced to normal size, the paralysis disappeared, and he became like any regular child. Incredible! These are just two examples of many from the pages of his book which back up his preaching on healing.

When all is said and done and every angle of theology scrutinised Lake gives a warning to stay hungry for the word of God. Losing ones appetite for the Book and choosing rather to talk with people or read books about the bible than the actual bible is a sure sign that one has backslidden (pg 390). A really good reminder to those of us who value theology and study.

One final challenge I felt from Lake’ teaching was on prayer. He describes some prayers as an offence to God. Sometimes God is requiring action from his people and we turn it back on God with our prayers asking him to intervene in the situation and have his will. While these prayers might be well intentioned, Lake describes them as weak and offensive. He says “It is a humility that is always hiding behind the Lord, and is excusing its own lack of faith by throwing the responsibility over on the Lord” (pg 415). Reading his words I began to search myself to see if I was guilty of praying such prayers.

Amongst all his stories of healing and his numerous arguments to support his belief system, I was encouraged to read that Lake valued above all else getting to know the author of the book and the one who brings the healing. Lake has challenged my thinking with his compelling arguments. He has captivated my imagination with his stories of Divine healing and I’m left to draw a similar conclusion to Rev. A.C. Grier in Truth Magazine, “John Graham Lake has a ministry more like Jesus Christ than any man I know.”

There's something about Mary

Yesterday I visited my 87 year old Granny to say my goodbyes before leaving for America. Something happened during our chit chat that really resonated with me although I wasn't fully sure why. I had been sharing a little about my school in America and how I will be learning and deepening my relationship with God when the phone rang. My Aunt Mary left the room to answer it leaving just Granny and I to continue the conversation. As I continued to talk I noticed her lean back in her chair, and with arms folded, she raised her head to one side. At that moment I became aware of how long I had been talking and that she had something to contribute to the conversation, so I quickly shut myself up. "Paul, you remind me of Mary" was her observation. I looked out at the Kitchen assuming she was talking about my Aunt but as she continued I realised it wasn't her she was referring to.

"She just sat at the feet of Jesus while Martha busied herself in the Kitchen" she explained. I smiled as I enjoyed the delicious irony of my Aunt Mary (not Martha) busying herself in the kitchen as Granny drew this comparison. Granny went on to explain how she was so proud that I am pursuing this course and taking time out to prioritise my relationship with God above all other pursuits in life.

This morning as I reflected on our conversation I flicked over to Luke' gospel to read the account of Jesus at the home of Martha and Mary and it was water to my soul. I realised how encouraged I was that Granny drew a comparison between myself and Mary because all I could see in myself was Martha. I'm taking it as my Granny' prophetic voice!

Being so worried about my financial lack recently I was challenged by the words of Jesus to Martha. "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled by many things". That was me for sure! Allowing anxiety of bills and tuition expenses to get in the way of what Jesus wanted to give me. Jesus continues to say that only one thing is needful and that Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.

I realised from my reading this morning that society and even the church, too often gets busy with the things of this world. Most my conversations about leaving full time employment to pursue a journey of rest and focus on God, is met with rigorous questioning and profound confusion. It does not really sit well with people in my inner circle. It's seen as a lazy option and draws a reaction not unlike the reaction of Martha in the story and yet Jesus says Mary' choice was the good portion and it wouldn't be taken from her. Sometimes in life suspending employment to attend to matters of the soul is the greatest choice.

It's interesting for me to think about Martha in this story. We often paint her in a bad light because of Jesus' correction but she too was a follower of Jesus and he loved her deeply. Sometimes in our affection for Jesus we get busy with work and while that is sometimes what he is requiring of us, more often than not he is calling us to sit at his feet. We must be careful that we don't become like the double minded man in James 1:8. Unlike Mary, who received as much as Jesus was willing to give, the double minded man is in danger of not receiving anything from him. In this passage the writer of Hebrews is specifically talking about doubts but the principle can equally be applied to the story of Martha. She is a follower of Jesus and yet in her devotion she becomes so busy and distracted that she is seen as double minded and ultimately is in danger of missing out on what Jesus has to give.

I have decided that in order to not have my portion taken away from me I am going to cast aside anxiety and as the wise business man Stephen Covey once said "keep the main thing the main thing". Embracing what my Granny see's in me, I choose to be like Mary and sit and draw life from the feet of a King.

Gambling on Gods goodness

When I was in College I had a friend, lets call him Tom who was what people in our inner circle called a smart gambler. Horses was his game although other sports didn't deter him from the occasional flutter. He would calculate odds and spend months on end studying the form of a particular horse before ever placing a bet. Of course when he eventually did it was a particularly sizeable bet. At least to us College students it was and at times he could have up to 500 or 600 euros riding on one race! While most of us saw this as a ridiculous risk to take, to him it was smart and calculated. Most of us would have lost that amount of money on multiple bets in the length of time it took him to finish studying one horse. He saw our approach as a ridiculous risk to take. Tom became quite popular in college for his dedication and commitment to betting and it was Tom that people approached when looking for racing tips. It turns out his approach was seen as the lesser risk and people valued and respected his opinions for it.

I found myself caught up in this world of gambling in college. I was captivated by Tom and would spend hours sitting and learning from him in a bookies often at the expense of my structural design lectures or my early morning class on land surveying. I wasn't really that interested in horses or in making money through gambling so what was it that drew me? The lure of money was never a strong motivator for me. So what was it then? Honestly I believe it was a number of things. I loved to win. I loved the excitement of gambling. I loved the highs and the lows. Perhaps though on a deeper level, I loved the sense of accomplishment I got from choosing a winner. I loved the attention and congratulations I received after picking a winner. In those times I felt smart like I had tapped into a cleverness that gave me an edge over other gamblers. I loved the time spent with friends checking the form books, planning our race cards and deliberating over and accumulating odds together. I felt like I was part of something. We were the underdog band of brothers taking on the greedy bookmakers and eventually going to take that one elusive windfall.

Yet looking back now we lost a lot of money and our decisions were not always clever. I recently went back to a card room to play a poker tournament. In those earlier college years I spent many nights grinding at the tables but it had been years since I darkened the door of a casino. Two friends asked me to go with them and I thought to myself it might be fun. For one night only, Ill relive the glory days. I didn't play with as much money as I would have back in my former years of betting but I didn't find the glory days either. There was still an excitement within me chasing the win but the people in that room seemed desperate and hopeless, searching for something that could not be found in that perfect roulette spin or in flopping aces over kings. It was a far cry from what I remembered in my college days and yet it probably wasn't that different.

Today I was sitting in my living room watching the sun rise while spending time with God and reading my bible. I have found myself stressed and anxious over how I will find money to support myself this year as I no longer have a job. Interestingly it was in this moment that I felt God remind me of my gambling days. I began to ask deeper questions of myself. Questions like why do I enjoy gambling? What is it that pulls me in? I already mentioned that it's never been about the money.

I want to be careful not to offend people as I do realise so many people and families have been ripped apart and lost everything through gambling addiction but I felt God speak to those questions by saying he placed that gamblers spirit in me. What?? Surely not! That can't be the voice of God!

Well wait, let me tell you the statement I heard and then attempt to qualify it. As I sat there worrying about whether the money would come in for my school year and if I would be able to pursue everything that was in my heart to do, I heard a voice in my spirit say, Paul I want you to gamble on my goodness. Gamble on your goodness? What does that actually mean? I began to question how I see my heavenly Father. Do I actually believe that he's a good Dad? As I turned the pages of my bible he started to speak to me again. Will I not provide for you as I did for Abraham? For Moses? For Joshua? For countless others?

The definition of the word 'Gamble' is 'a risky action undertaken with the hope of success'. As I meditated on this I reminded myself that the Christian life is not for the faint hearted. Somehow we have allowed the world to influence the church by celebrating safety, security and stability and yet Christ calls us out of our comfort bubbles to embrace risk and the unknown. The dictionary definition places the risk in a hope of success. This hope is of course a faint hope of things getting better in the future. This is where the conventional gambler differs from the Christian life. We don't place our hope on a future success but on a past one. Christ risked everything to come for fallen man. What a gamble! The stakes are always high with Jesus. He said that whoever clings on to their life will lose it but whoever gives up their life for him will find their life. (Matt 10:39). To the rich young ruler he said to gain treasure in heaven he needed to sell everything (Luke 18:22). It's all are nothing with Jesus. It's high stakes and guess what? We are wired to seek after and go all in on these high stakes. It's time to be courageous and I'm not talking about the courage of my friend Tom who bet 600 euros on a horse but to have courage far greater. Lay down our lives as Jesus did and step into the unknown for the sake of the gospel. 2000 years ago Christ won the victory and we benefit from that windfall for all eternity.

One of my favourite movies Rounders sees young Mike Mcdermott played by Matt Damonn chase a dream to make it rich through playing poker. To him it's about learning a craft. Poker is a skill game and not really about luck. Of course in taking this view there often can follow crushing defeats and it can never truly be a sure bet. However gambling on Gods goodness is always a sure bet. The movie finishes with a great quote as Mike takes a taxi to Vegas to play the world series and it made me realise that there is not much difference between both his attitude and mine. My questions as to whether I will have enough money to survive the year and in stepping into the unknown I am taking a similar gamble to Mike McDermott. He is chasing a million dollars and betting on the strength of his cards and I am chasing real life experiences with God and choosing to bet on his goodness. Mike says.... 'first prize at the world series is a million dollars. Does it have my name on it? I don't know but I'm going to find out.

I might not know exactly how I plan on paying my rent or my missions expenses but I know God is a good Father and my provider. I don't have it all worked out but I'm going to take the gamble. Like Mike McDermott, I'm going to go and find out.

David gave his life to the Lord when we met him in the starbucks line. He was so overwhelmed by the Fathers love as we prophesied about his destiny.

This woman had very bad pain in her stomach and as we prayed together, all her pain left. Her and her husband then told me about their recently adopted daughter who has down syndrome and so we joined together to pray for her and released healing over her body. They were really encouraged by what God was doing.

My first day in LA

No one filled out a card! No one was saved and no one was healed!!

I want to encourage those of you that felt worn out and beat down yesterday because your own stepping out and evangelising didn't quite have the success rate you were hoping for.

Let me first be clear. My group as a whole was amazing and had a very high success rate, seeing lots of fruit from their evangelising. They were on fire but personally when I shared I felt people were not interested and I even experienced some pretty strong opposition to what I was sharing. There is a temptation for us to forget our identity in this moment and fall into comparison, or wonder why our techniques aren't as effective! Am I not qualified for this? Am I bad at sharing the gospel message? What a crock of lies from the enemy!!

After a pretty difficult day the Holy Spirit reminded me that just because I came back to the church with a bag full of leaflets, it didn't make me any less successful than those that distributed all theirs. How do you measure success?

In 1 Corinthians 3 Paul says he planted seed, Apollos watered it but it was God that made it grow. I planted some seed into some very hard soil yesterday but that's what I am called to do. I don't need to see the fruit. The fruit is not my responsibility but God's. He called me to minister to some hard ground yesterday and I was obedient. Were you obedient to the prompting of the Holy Spirit? Did you step out and speak life into people?

It's wonderful to read all the wonderful testimonies of healing, salvation and deliverance but if you were obedient to the voice of the Holy Spirit and even then experienced no fruit, you had a successful day. Remember that your Father is proud of you and everyone that acknowledges Jesus before men, he will acknowledge you before His Father (Matt 10:32).
Bless you all,
Paul.

The God of Miracles

This week was a defining week in my journey to discover more of Gods goodness. On Monday morning last week, over 2000 students left Redding by bus to bring the good news to Los Angeles. It was a 10 hour drive down there and an uncomfortable one for me as I woke up Monday morning with a sharp pain in my lower back.

We stayed in the Sheraton Hotel and had shared bedding, four to a room. I barely slept that first night as it was a new environment and the pain had now increased from my back all the way down my right leg creating an uncomfortable numbing sensation. I was worried that I would not be able to walk on the first day of the trip!

We met in the lobby each morning and my pain level had not decreased much from the previous night. Each day some people stayed back to recover from various sicknesses but I didn't tell my pastor that I was in pain because I didn't want to miss out on the days events.

We loaded on to the bus and as I sat there anxious that my back would not improve, one of the girls asked if anyone needed healing for anything. I raised my hand for prayer and as a few gathered around me to pray, I started to feel a sense of Gods presence. Earlier that day Johnny had laid his hand on me and felt a lump that was about the size of a grape moving around in my lower back. When the girls prayed over me on the bus my pain completely disappeared and I could barely feel the lump in my back as it had dramatically decreased in size! Jesus healed my back before we even arrived at the college campus to minister to students. I was so thankful and encouraged in my faith in this moment.

We had a great day at the college campus on day one although my own day was a struggle as the seed I planted was falling on some very hard soil. I strengthened myself by remembering who I was in Christ and it was not me that was being rejected but Christ. God says we are wholly accepted and loved. He took on the chastisement that brought us peace. He was the one who was despised and rejected so we could walk in freedom (Is 53). We had a wonderful service on the college campus that evening where two girls gave their lives to the Lord. We all gathered around them and welcomed them into the family, celebrating their decision to follow Christ. They were introduced to the senior pastor and his wife and told they would now be their spiritual parents.

The next day we ministered on Venice beach. There was a lot of spiritual activity there and people were very hungry for encounters with the Father. We prayed with many people that day including Satanists, psychics, business owners, homeless people and anybody else God highlighted to us. We saw God heal people of sicknesses and diseases and many gave their lives to the Lord.

The next day we went to central LA where there was a lot of gang violence in the past. It was a lower class area of LA with a lot of poverty and crime. We connected with a hispanic church there and ministered to people on the streets both black and hispanic, inviting them to encounter the love of the Father. I think people were so surprised to see our team of mostly white people in the area that even that was enough to engage people in conversation and bridge the gap of racial division.

The next day we were focused on the area surrounding the Coliseum stadium, where the Azusa Now event would happen that coming Saturday. The very first person that was highlighted to me that day was Thomas (pictured in the yellow) who was sweeping the streets in the rain. As I approached him I felt so much of the Fathers compassion for him. We prophesied over him and called him into his Godly identity. He was so touched that he accepted Jesus into his life there on the streets.

He was embarrassed because he was dirty from cleaning the streets but we were able to give him hugs and tell him how loved he was. I imagine the prodigal Son was also filthy on returning to his Father and yet his Father embraced and kissed him. God is looking for his children to return to him regardless of their state or condition.

The next day we were up early and on our way to the coliseum as this was the big day! Bethel teams and other world ministries had flown in the previous day to usher in a new wave of the Spirits outpouring. It was an incredible day of unity between the churches who gathered

with one heart, to see Gods spirit pour out over this land and the nations. A Catholic leader on stage, fell to his knees and kissed Lou Engles feet as a mark of repentance for how the Catholic church had treated the protestant churches. Lou then did the same and there wasn't a dry eye in the stadium of 90,000 people.

Shawn Bolz prophesied over people from the stage through words of knowledge and Bill called out various diseases and sicknesses that God wanted to heal.

We were the ministry team for the event and went around all day healing the sick and casting out demons. Gods power was manifest all over the stadium. We saw multiple people get out of their wheelchairs, arthritis healed, blind eyes and deaf ears were opened, Fathers return to their sons, mothers to their daughters and many more miraculous signs throughout the day and week.

I cannot write everything that happened this week in words and do it due justice but only say, God is a good Father who loves his children. He is still the healer and restorer of the broken. Jesus Christ died so we could experience our Daddy' love and give it to the next person. The Holy Spirit is moving in the church through signs and wonders and this generation will see the greatest outpouring of the Spirit where we will be part of a billion soul harvest. We owe the world an encounter!

Judge not!

When recently sharing a concern I had about the body of Christ with a friend. She responded by telling me that only God can judge and it wasn't my job to judge. I have an issue with this response for a number of reasons mainly because the discussion was about a correction (which she didn't believe in either), and not a judgement. Correction is very different to a Judgement although I believe both are important and necessary. It is true to say that God is the ultimate Judge and He will make a final decision on Judgement Day. Casting a judgement on something or someone is giving a verdict, sentence or punishment whereas correction is giving a person a chance to change before the final judgement. It is done out of love and a concern for the other persons soul.

People who don't like to be corrected by others often interpret it as judgement and quote passages like Matthew 7 "Judge not, that you be not judged." Well that settles it so, the bible is clear. We are not to judge others. Wrong!! People who quote this fail to quote the rest of the passage which says in verse 5 "first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brothers eye." When we have looked within ourselves and with purity of motive and heart we can indeed remove the speck from our brothers eye. In fact, the bible says one day the saints will judge the world. One day we are to judge angels! If we don't learn anything about pronouncing righteous Judgement on the earth now, how are we going to be a good stewart of what He has called us to later? It is my responsibility to love people so well that I am effected by their poor choices and I don't just 'turn a blind eye'. We must be a people who value correction when we are steering the ship in the wrong direction. Pointing out an error in the church or in an individual needs to always be for the benefit of the church or the person and not to prove ones own knowledge or wisdom. This being our motivator is stupidity and not wisdom!

Proverbs 27 says that iron sharpens iron, and so one man sharpens another. Lets be a people who value the sharpening of others, recognising that it is for our own benefit and for the glory of God.

Good gifts

I've been thinking a lot recently about the tension between God supplying all our 'needs', and living in Gods 'abundance'. Often those who say the Christian life is not a life of material or monetary abundance but abundance in the spiritual sense, have formed this view based on some outrageous church abuses. We can all think of people who have used manipulation and persuasive teaching for personal monetary gain.

Yet there must be some physical manifestation of the abundant life for the here and now. Surely we cant be just living with a futuristic hope of life abundant.

We often lay down our God given dreams because they just seem too big or unattainable. Why is that? I have been guilty of laying down some big dreams and generally its because of a lack of resources. Would God place dreams in my heart and then not supply the necessary resources to live out those dreams? Is that what a loving Father does? Matthew 7 says 'your Father who is in heaven knows how to give good gifts to those who ask him'. Until we begin to see God as 'Father' or our 'loving Dad' we can never begin to walk in abundance.

In the previous chapter Jesus says not to be like the Gentiles who like to be heard by their many words. He says your Father knows what you 'need' before you even ask! Interesting that in the very next chapter he encourages then to continue asking!! Whats the difference?

In chapter 6 he is specifically talking about their needs and in chapter 7, he is referring to gifts. Maybe we aren't experiencing the abundance that God has for us because we simply aren't asking? We are thanking him for meeting our daily needs and missing out in the abundance he has for us because we have embraced a sacrificial poverty gospel message. He came that we might have life and life abundant (John 10:10). Has the enemy being using a theology of embracing poverty to steal from us our rich inheritance (both now and eternal)?

Yes our God supplies all our needs which by the way are according to his 'riches' in glory in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19), yet He also wants to give good gifts. Some seasons are for sowing and some are for reaping. If we only ever learn to sow in generosity and never learn to reap, we will never experience the Father who wants to give good gifts to his children. If my earthly dad bought me a brand new piano and in the name of generosity I gave it away to someone else, how do you think my dad would feel? Lets not dishonour the giver by showing contempt for the gifts. By rejoicing in the gift we are in fact giving honour to the giver. My dad would get great delight and pleasure by seeing me play and love my new piano.

When we are seeking first the Kingdom and His righteousness, he has promised that all things will be added. I don't want to live a life where I cant walk in all the fulness of what God has for me. Im thankful to my Father for meeting all my needs but Im also grateful that he is a Father who wants to bless his children with gifts and heavenly abundance. There is no lack in heaven and as we bring heaven to earth, we should not be experiencing lack in our lives. My hope is that His Kingdom will expand in my life and of those around me both in the spiritual and in the physical.