5 keys to a happier you!

The Lord says:

"There's a release! There's a release from your past, whatever your past may be! Released from your past bondage! Released from your past hurts! Released from your past bitterness! Released from your past curse! Released from your past cycle! Released from your past trauma! My anointing has been released to you to set you free! Walk in this new cycle! Walk in this new season! This is the time to walk in the new freedom that I've given you!" 

What is the definition of this word 'release'? It can mean 'allow (or enable) to escape from bondage, allow (or enable) to be set free, allow (or enable) someone to move and flow freely'.

Isaiah 61:1-2a (NKJV) says, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted; to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." 

In cross-reference, Jesus quoted this in Luke 4:18-19, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

This word 'anoint' here is 'maschiah' in Hebrew. Literally, this word 'maschiah' can mean 'to rub oil on'. As the oil is being rubbed on you, you are being empowered and enabled. So, 'to anoint' is 'to empower', and 'to anoint' is 'to enable'. Not just that. 'To anoint' is 'to consecrate, to set apart, to make holy'. 

2 Corinthians 3:17 (The Expanded Bible) says, 'The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.' That is to say, 'where the Spirit of the the Lord is, there is this anointing, there is this power of God that sets you free from your bondage'. Therefore, right now, there's freedom for you! You can now walk in this freedom! 

Beloved of God, let this anointing be released upon you right now! This anointing destroys every yoke and bondage in your life. This anointing destroys all those past in your life, so you can now walk in a new phase, a new season, and a new cycle in your life!

John 8:36 (The Expanded Bible) says, 'So if the Son (Jesus) makes you free, you will be truly free [free indeed].' Free to be what? Free to be who God wants you to be, and free to do what God wants you to do in this new time and season!

Galatians 5:1 (The Expanded Bible) says, 'Christ set us free so that we could live in freedom [to a place of freedom, or by means of freedom].' Indeed, it's for this freedom that Christ has set you free! Free to walk in God's destiny for your life! Free to walk in God's plans and purposes for your life! Free to walk in God's perfect will for your life! 

Psalm 119:45 (The Expanded Bible) says, 'So I will live in freedom [liberty], because I want to follow [seek] your orders [precepts].' If you choose to follow the Holy Spirit, and if you choose to follow the instructions of the Lord for your life every step of the way, you are indeed walking in the freedom and liberty that God has for you! So, we are not talking about anarchy here. But we are talking about freedom in the Holy Spirit. Freedom to walk in the ways of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will always lead you and guide you. The Holy Spirit will never lead you into trouble. 

So, whatever your situation may be in your past, you are now set free! By faith, receive this anointing and be set free! As you flow with the Holy Spirit, you are walking in God's perfect will for your life. That's how easy it is to live a life that's in communion and in communication with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives in you. And the Holy Spirit will know how to lead you and guide you in the right direction! 

Now, with this freedom that you have, knowing that you have been set free and released for this new season ahead of you, here are the five keys to walk in a happier you, and to enjoy your new season to the fullest! 

Number One: Live in the present moment

Take one day at a time. You can plan ahead. You can plan for your future. But never forget to live in the present moment. Never forget to live in the now. Live today. You can't control your past and your future. But you can make full use of your present moment. So, live in the now. Enjoy your present moment. Learn to appreciate all the good things and the good people around you at present. 

Number Two: Forgive and let go

Let the past be past. Let the bygone be bygone. You have a fresh new start today. And you have wonderful things ahead of you. So, look forward to it. Just do not hold grudges against anyone, whoever that person may be. It's so refreshing and liberating to live a 'let go' life. So, right now, receive God's unending and unfailing love for you. Let His love fill you. And He will know how to help you let go and forgive. 

Number Three: Be thankful and grateful

Be thankful and grateful for what the Lord has given you. Do not compare with others. Each person's path in life is unique and special. The fact is no one else is like you. You are unique and special in God's eyes. So, thank the Lord because He sees you as His beloved, and you are the apple of His eye. Psalm 17:8 says, 'Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings.' The Lord wants to keep you as the apple of His eye. In other words, He sees you dear. He sees you precious. He sees you not how the world sees you. He sees you as His beloved. You are the apple of His eye. Today, the Lord wants to assure you that you are indeed the apple of His eye. Learn to live a life of contentment. You become happier if you are living a contented life. So, be thankful and be grateful for all that the Lord has given to you. And yes, be thankful and grateful in advance for all the good that the Lord is going to give to you!

Number Four: Flow with the Holy Spirit

I cannot emphasize enough how important this key is. Flow with the Holy Spirit. Not against the Holy Spirit. Why? Because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of joy. One of the fruit of the Holy Spirit is joy. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. You can see that in Galatians 5:22-23. So, receive this joy of the Lord. How? By flowing with the Holy Spirit. Not against the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit's nature is like that of a river. When you flow with the Holy Spirit, like a canoe flows with the river, life becomes easier and life becomes more fruitful. You are flowing with the current of the Holy Spirit. You are not coming against the current of the Holy Spirit. That's the key. Now, when the Holy Spirit gives you peace regarding something or a certain decision you are about to make, you follow the peace. If the Holy Spirit never gives you the peace regarding something, you avoid it. That's how you can walk guided and led by the Holy Spirit. That's how you can avoid certain pitfalls and traps in life. 

Number Five: Start each day with the right focus

What do you think of the first thing you wake up in the morning? If you have the right focus as you wake up in the morning, you already have a head start. Start the day right, and many things will be right. Start the day with your personal time of praise and worship, reading and receiving the Word of God, and praying in the spirit. As you pray in the spirit, the Holy Spirit may even give you ideas and revelations on what to do and how to go about each and every new day. So, the first thing you do when you wake up is remember God and think about Him. Start by focusing on Him. Don't pick up the phone to check news or social media yet. But start with God. Start with personal time of praise and worship. Sing a song from your heart to the Lord. Sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, making melodies in your heart. Sing to the Lord, exalt Him, worship Him, and bless His holy name. Read and receive the Word of God. Eat of His fresh daily bread, the Word of God. Pray in the spirit. Let the Holy Spirit fill you all in all. Let the Holy Spirit fill you with joy. Let the Holy Spirit fill you with love and peace. And that's how you start each day with the right focus. You will surely see the difference! 

Let us pray:

"O Lord God, we thank You that You have released us from our past. We thank You for setting us free from our past bondage, past hurts, past bitterness, past curse, and even past cycle. Right now, we receive Your fresh anointing that sets us free. We begin to walk in this new cycle. We begin to walk in this new season. We begin to walk in this new freedom that You have given us. We can now look forward to many more great and wonderful things ahead of us. In Jesus' name. Amen."

Click here for the full message in TiC YouTube Channel

Discern between the work of God and the work of man

Happy Resurrection Day to you! Let your life be filled with His resurrection life! When you know that you have Christ living in you, you also know that His resurrection life lives in you! 

I want to share with you the difference between the works of God and the works of man. You see, there's always a battle between the works of God and the works of man. The works of man, or the works of the flesh, or the works of this world, will always try to undermine the works of God. But no matter how the works of man try to undermine the works of God, the works of God will eventually prevail, and the works of man will be as dead! And this is exactly what I'm going to show you in the Scripture today! 

Therefore, choose to let God work in your life! Do not be conformed to the patterns of this world, to the ways of this world, or to the fallen systems of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you will prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God (Romans 12:2).

Now, there may be changes in season and strategies along the way (along your journey of faith), but as long as you flow with His season and His strategies for your life in every time and season, you will reach His destiny for your life. Your part is to allow Him to guide you, lead you, and even correct you, every step of the way.  

Back to our topic today. I can't emphasize enough it is so important to discern the difference between the work of God and the work of man. Let me show you one example in the Scripture today. 

Matthew 27:62-63 (NKJV) says, 'On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, "Sir, we remember while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise.'"' 

You see, they may be chief priests, they may be Pharisees, they may be knowledgeable in the Scripture, but their spiritual eyes couldn't see. And what did they call Jesus? They called Jesus a deceiver! In other words, they called Jesus a conman! This is one example of the work of man (or work of flesh). That's why it is so important to discern what is of God and what is of man (i.e. man's mere ideas or traditions). The Holy Spirit can help you.

Here, the chief priests and Pharisees told Pilate, "Sir, we remember while He (Jesus) was still alive, how that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise.'" And that's how they undermined the works of God. Their spiritual eyes were not opened. Though they were knowledgeable in the traditions of men, and though they read the Scripture, but they still couldn't see with their spiritual eyes. They didn't believe Jesus meant what He said, and they didn't believe He would rise after three days!

In Matthew 27:64-66, they were saying: "Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, 'He has risen from the dead.' So the last deception will be worse than the first." Pilate then said to them, "You have a guard. Go your way. Make it as secure as you know how." So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard. You see, all along, these chief priests and Pharisees thought that Jesus is not of God. But of course later on, they were proven wrong. 

Matthew 28:1-4 says, 'Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.' 

Notice the statement 'And the guards shook for fear of him (of this angel), and became like dead men'. In other words, the guards were so shaken by what they saw, that they froze, and therefore became as 'dead men'! You see here? The works of God shook the works of man right to the core on that day! Not even the guards (they must have put the best guards there), not even the stone, which has been sealed to the tomb, and securely shut, could stop Jesus! None of these could stop Jesus from coming out from the tomb! Indeed, Jesus has risen! Not only that, Jesus has triumphed over every power of the enemy and prevailed against every work of darkness that tried to undermine Him! 

You see the words 'dead men' here? What does this imply? It means the works of man are as 'dead', and the ways of man are as 'dead'! The works of God will always prevail in the end. Nothing's going to stop the works of God! And it is the same in your life. Nothing's going to stop the work of God in your life! Remember, the good work that the Lord has begun in your life, He shall bring it to full completion!

Rejoice therefore, beloved of God, because He lives in you! His works in your life shall prevail against (and over) all those works of darkness in this world! You are the head, and not the tail. You need not bow down to the ways of man or the ways of this fallen world. But you follow the ways of God. 1 John 4:4 says, 'He (Jesus) who lives in you, who is in you, is greater than he that is in this world.' Just because there are majority of people who are in this way or that way in this world, it doesn't mean they are correct. But you follow the Lord. And you follow Him, no matter what other people may say against you. There'll come a day you'll be glad you did!

Click here for the full message in TiC YouTube Channel

Words from God: No more hindrances!

Jesus is alive! A very happy day to you! Welcome to the borderless ministry of Triumph in Christ! Every week, we seek the Lord for the timely revelation in the Word to be released to you! Whether you are an individual, a family, a house church, or church in any form, we are here to minister to you! 

The Lord says for this time: "Declare over your life this is the time the stone has been rolled away! This is the time every hindrance and every work of man against you will have to get out of the way! Because nothing in this world can stop My will and My purpose from coming to pass in your life. Seek Me, and you will find Me. Seek My will for your life this new season, and I will show you what to do and how to go about doing it." 

Hallelujah! 

On this occasion of remembering the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord wants you to declare, "The stone has been rolled away!" I'm going to share with you what does "stone" mean in this context. 

Mark 16:1-2 (NKJV) says, 'Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him (Jesus). Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week (i.e. on that Sunday), they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.' 

Early on that Sunday morning, that's the earliest time the women could go to the tomb and embalm Jesus' body. Otherwise it's too dark to properly embalm Jesus' body. That was actually the reason why they went to the tomb. They had wanted to make sure there's no stench from Jesus' body.

And look what happened next. Mark 16:3-4 (NKJV) says, 'And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?" But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away - for it was very large.' 

You know what this implies? Somebody must have rolled away the stone! I will tell you who!

But before that, let's talk about "stone" here. What is the symbolic meaning of "stone" here? Now, "stone" here can speak of 'any hindrance to God's will and God's purpose for your life.' 

So, what are the "stones" in your life? It may be a spiritual hindrance. It may be a hindrance in your soul. Or it may be a hindrance that is caused by the enemy against you, by some people against you, or by the power of darkness against you. 

Whatever the hindrance may be, this is your time to declare: "The stone has been rolled away!"

Mark 16:5 (NKJV) says, 'And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe...' You know who that is? An angel in the form of man! 

This angel then said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him." 

So, who rolled away the stone? It was that angel who rolled away the stone! 

Of course, these women did not expect to find an empty tomb. They were expecting to find Jesus' body there. But Jesus had already risen! He's no more there!

In Mark 16:7, the angel then told the women, "But go, tell His disciples - and Peter - that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."

Notice the angel told the women, "Tell His disciples - and Peter..." 

The Peter who denied Jesus just a few days ago! Yes, him! I was asking the Lord why that name 'Peter' was specifically mentioned here? And you know what the Lord said to me? 

The Lord said, "Tell My people that no matter how they have walked away from Me, no matter how they have denied Me, no matter what wrong they have done in their past, if their hearts are still open to Me, I will embrace them. I will look for them. I will restore them. I will heal them. I will show them My will and My purpose for them. I have great hope for them." 

Beloved of God, if you have been like a 'Peter', and you have been far away from the Lord, today the Lord wants you to know that He loves you. He wants to embrace you, He wants to restore you, and He wants to give you a new purpose for your life!

Notice "there you will see Jesus..." What does this imply? In this world that is lost and so dark spiritually, in this fallen world; in spite of all that's happening in this world, if you seek Him, you will find Him. You know what? To find Him is also to find His will for you and His purpose for your life!

It's mentioned here, "there you will see Him, as He said to you." What does this imply? Whatever the Lord has spoken regarding your life, He remembers. He is indeed a God who keeps His promises. So, take heart. 

Mark 16:9 (NKJV) says, 'Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.' 

Wow! Out of all the people, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene! Mary Magdalene then went and told those who were still mourning and weeping, because they were still thinking that Jesus was dead. And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by Mary Magdalene, they did not believe. 

What is the implication here that Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene? It means Jesus trusted her! Even though others did not trust her or believe in her, Jesus trusted her. What can we learn here? Jesus looks into one's heart. No matter what one's past may be, this does not matter to Jesus. You see, Mary Magdalene had a turbulent past. Jesus had to cast seven demons out of her!

Beloved of God, Jesus is not looking at your past, but He is looking at your present. He is looking at your heart right now. And as you dedicate yourself to Him this day, He will know how to take it from here, no matter how terrible or bad your past may be.

Mark 16:14 (NKJV) says, 'Later Jesus appeared to the eleven (disciples) as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.' 

Notice the words 'unbelief and hardness of heart' here. In other words, hard as a stone! Remember I was writing about "stone" just now? And "let the stone be rolled away"?

So, let your unbelief and hardness of heart be rolled away! Because all these "stones" are barriers and hindrances to all that God wants to do in your life! 

Let go of those unbelief and hardness of heart, and yield to God. Let your heart be like a "sponge" that absorbs all that He wants to tell you or do in your life!

I continue with Mark 16:15-18. Here, Jesus gave the disciples new purpose and new direction in their lives. Interestingly, He only gave these disciples new purpose and new direction in their lives after they have believed! You see? That's how important a believing heart is! 

And when they were ready, when they believed, when they have the revelation that Jesus was indeed risen, that's when Jesus said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." 

Yes, even if they're being surrounded by "serpents", or even if anybody tried to poison them (in the course of them doing what God told them to do), all these will by no means hurt them! Here, Jesus actually gave the disciples His assurances as they 'go and do His will'! 

Mark 16:19 (NKJV) says, 'So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God...' 

Even now, He is still that glorious God, the resurrected God! He is forever alive! 

You are blessed, because you have a Savior Jesus who is alive! Hallelujah! 

Click here for the full teaching in TiC YouTube Channel

You have this life in Him - the resurrection life!

The stone has been rolled away! And Jesus is risen! Hallelujah!

Luke 24:1-3 (NKJV) says, 'Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus'.

Luke 24:4-7 (NKJV) says, 'And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.'"

Beloved of God, because you are in Christ, therefore the 'stone' ('stone' here speaks of 'any bondage or hindrance in your life') has been removed too, and you are now made alive together with Him! This is the time to look to Him and receive this resurrection power of God!

Colossians 2:13-15 (NKJV) says, 'And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it'.

The words 'made alive together (with Him)' or 'quickened together (with Him)' in King James Version (KJV) is 'suzoopoieo' in Greek; from the word 'sun' (pronounced 'soon') meaning 'together', and the word 'zoopoieo' meaning 'make alive, give life, vitalize'.

How about 'the handwriting of requirements' in Colossians 2:14? What is that?

It is basically a list of our wrongs or 'debts' before God, that none of us (imperfect as we are) is able to pay completely. It can only be taken out of the way (paid completely) by Jesus Christ Himself, who is the perfect man and perfect God. 

This term 'the handwriting of requirements' is like a handwritten document:

- in legal sense, it is a list of criminal charges against a prisoner. 

- in financial sense, it is like a ledger sheet that shows a person is bankrupt.

Either way, it means this document represents 'a person is doomed and condemned'. 

Indeed, without Christ, we are like prisoners (i.e. prisoners of sin) and debtors who can never fully pay off our debts. It is only through Christ Jesus that all these 'criminal charges' and 'debts' can be taken out of the way when He died on the cross for us!

Beloved of God, what are the areas in your life that seem 'dead' or 'doomed' at the moment? 

Maybe it's your personal life or spiritual life. Maybe it's your health. Maybe it's your finance. Or maybe it's your family's situation, your career, your business, or even your ministry. Whatever it may be, my prayer for you is that every 'stone' that keeps you in bondage be removed, and every 'dead' or 'doomed' situation be made alive. In Jesus' name. Amen! 

There's always hope if you look to Jesus. This is not a cliche or a slogan. But this is the reality in the spiritual realm. After all, He is the King of kings, and Lord of lords. He is the omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God. In other words, All-powerful, All-knowing, and All-present God. See Psalm 139. 

And if He can rise from the dead, there's nothing in this world that He cannot do. To man, it seems impossible; but to Him, nothing is impossible. So, take heart. This is your time to declare your breakthrough and victory by faith! This is your time to receive the 'zoe' life that comes from heaven! And that's how you can 'suzoopoieo' and be made alive together with Him! See the word 'together' here? You know what this means? You aren't alone! He is now here together with you, going through your challenges together with you, triumphing over the enemy and making a way for you (even where there seems to be no way)!

Hallelujah!

Click here for the full teaching in TiC's YouTube Channel

Receive the breath of God and you shall be full of life!

Words of the Lord for this coming month: 

"Whatever the enemy has taken advantage of you or has disrupted you, this is your time to receive a fresh new life and fresh new opening! Whatever that has been 'dry' or 'in the valley' in any area of your life, this is your time to receive the breath of God that brings life!"

Ezekiel 37 is the key chapter to read as you look ahead and look afresh in this coming month.

Ezekiel 37:1-2 (NKJV) says, 'The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry'.

The word 'valley' here is 'biqah' in Hebrew, from the word 'baqa' meaning 'being broken, being ripped, being torn'. 

You see, these dry bones that Ezekiel saw were not only dead, but they were long dead. For something that has been long dead, people would usually give up hope that it will ever live again. Such was the condition or situation described by Ezekiel during one of the darkest times in the history of Judah and Israel. The people of God at that time have been taken captive in Babylon and the city of Jerusalem have been plundered, crushed and destroyed. Therefore, not only the condition or situation of the people of God at that time was broken, ripped or torn, it was also hopeless and disgraced.

People of God, maybe you too have gone through such 'crushing' time recently. Maybe it is in your career, business, marriage, ministry, health, or even finance. Or maybe you've not been able to see any 'light at the end of the tunnel' no matter what you try or how you try, and you are now on the verge of giving it all up. 

But hang on there! Let's see what God spoke to Ezekiel regarding such hopeless situation those days.

Ezekiel 37:3-4 (NKJV) says, 'And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" So I answered, "O Lord God, You know." Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!'"'

Ezekiel 37:5-6 (NKJV) then says, 'Thus says the Lord God to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord."'

Even at a time when the people of God those days were totally broken, ripped, torn, hopeless, disgraced, and with no human ways of being revived or restored in sight, the Lord spoke these words to Ezekiel! 

Ezekiel, by the way, is Yekhezqe'l in Hebrew, meaning 'God will strengthen, God strengthens, Strengthened by God'. Indeed, Ezekiel was strengthened by the Lord to bring life and purpose again to the people of God (in spite of whatever that had happened), and they were therefore strengthened and received a renewed hope and life!

It is the same today. Whatever area or areas of your life that have been 'crushed' by the enemy recently, the Lord is now breathing His Spirit and His life into those areas right now! Receive this breath of God by faith! Look to Him and receive from Him! To man, it may be impossible; but to God, all things are possible! If those 'very dry' and 'long dead' bones in the Death Valley could be revived those days, there is absolutely nothing that God cannot revive and restore in your life, going forward.

My prayer for you is that you are going to see things beginning to look up and up, no matter what happens around you in this world. In Jesus' name. Amen!

Click here to watch the full video of this preaching in TiC YouTube Channel

What are the keys to riches, honor and life?

The Lord says these words: "For many of you, the devil has been trying to make you feel helpless and hopeless! The devil has been trying to make you feel like out of control in your life! Take authority over the devil and put all these to a stop!"

People of God, ya, put all these nonsense of the devil to a stop! Take authority in Jesus' name, and declare: "Even though many things in this world seem to be out of control, but God, You are a God who is still in control of my life!"

There's a renewed hope and refreshed hope being released to you right now! Don't let the devil talk you out of it! But instead, receive by faith a renewed hope and a refreshed hope from the Lord, no matter what challenges you've gone through recently! 

In fact, this is your time to declare the Lord has paved the way for a greater future for you! Amen!

The Lord says further: "Commit everything you do to Me! Roll all your cares and concerns to Me! And I will show you the way to lasting riches, honor and life!"

Psalm 37:5 (NKJV) says, 'Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass'. 

The word 'commit' here is 'galal' in Hebrew, and it means 'to roll it all'. 

As you 'roll all your ways' - your life, your career, your business, your relationships, your health, your problems, your fears, and even your frustrations onto the Lord, He will know how to take over from there. 

It also means to believe that He is trustworthy, and to acknowledge that by yourself, you are insufficient to cope with the pressures, complexities and challenges in life. Now, this requires humility on your part. Because not everyone on earth will admit this. But blessed are you if you do.

Proverbs 22:4 (NKJV) says, 'By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life'. See, these are two keys to lasting riches, honor and life. First, humility. And second, the fear of the Lord!

Let's talk about 'humility' first.

In Matthew 5:5 (NKJV), Jesus says, 'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth'. In cross-reference, Psalm 37:11 (NKJV) says, 'But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace'.

You may be asking: "What does it mean by 'inherit the earth' here?" 

To 'inherit the earth' simply means whatever the Lord wants to give to you on earth, no one can take it away! Indeed, He has given you an inheritance, and it's yours! The Bible says you are an heir of God! (Romans 8:17) But there is a way to receive it, as written in Matthew 5:5 and Psalm 37:11!

Interestingly, the word 'humility' in Proverbs 22:4 is 'anavah' in Hebrew, and the word 'meek' in Psalm 37:11 is 'anav' in Hebrew. So, these two words - 'humility' and 'meek' share the same root word 'anav'! To 'anav' literally means 'to be lowly, meek, humble (before the Lord)'!

How about 'the fear of the Lord'? 

To fear the Lord is to have a deep reverence and respect before the Lord, and being found obedient to whatever He has spoken. It is to acknowledge that He knows better and He sees further. And He knows what's best for us. Amen.

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God's grace is sufficient for you!

The Lord says,

"Hear this, My people! My grace is sufficient for you, and in your weakness, My strength is made perfect. Look to Me therefore in these precarious times. Count on Me, for I am the Giver of strength to you. If you have no more strength to carry on by yourselves, receive My strength and My power! Even the power to give you a new start, the power to give you new life, and the power to revive!"

Isaiah 40:29-31 (NLT) says, 'He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint'.

The word 'power' here is 'kowakh' in Hebrew, which speaks of 'His ability, His (unlimited) capacity, His vigor, His might, His strength, His substance, His wealth (of supply)'.

What a promise from the Lord! So, take heart if your own strength has failed, or if you are on the verge of giving it all up! Because He is in the midst of releasing His power and strength to you! Even the power to give you a new start, the power to give you a new life, and the power to revive!

In 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, the apostle Paul wrote, 'And He (the Lord) said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong'.

Let's look at the word 'strength' here. It is 'dunamis' in Greek, which speaks of 'His miraculous power, His mighty work, His divine ability (and supply)'. In other words, His miraculous power, mighty work, and divine ability (and supply) - these are made great especially when you are at your weakest point! Wow! Do you see something now? Do you see why Paul wrote what he wrote, 'For when I am weak, then I am strong'?

At that time of writing, Paul was going through what he described as 'thorn in the flesh' that buffeted him. So, what is this 'thorn in the flesh'? In the context today, 'thorn in the flesh' can be 'anything (or anyone) that troubles you in a persistent manner'. But the good news, my friend, is that God's 'dunamis' (miraculous power, mighty work, and divine ability) is infinitely greater than any 'thorn in the flesh' that you may be facing now!

How about the word 'infirmities' here? It is 'astheneia' in Greek, which speaks of 'weakness (or a situation where one is strength-less)'. As you can see here, this word isn't just referring to a sickness or disease, but it can refer to any area of your life that you are 'strength-less' to carry on!

Have you reached a point when you can't carry on anymore?
Have you reached a point when there's just no answer to your problem?
Have you reached a point whatever you do, there's just no breakthrough?
Have you reached a point you are tempted to just give up?

In a time like this, rejoice! Because when your own strength ends, that's when the power of God starts!

Therefore, receive His power right now!

And not only His power is here for you to receive, His life is here for you to receive too!

In Romans 8:11, the apostle Paul wrote, 'The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you'.

See the words 'same Spirit' here? In other words, the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is the same Spirit that's living within you right now! Hallelujah!

By the way, the words 'give life' here is 'zoopoieo' in Greek, meaning 'to make alive (whatever is dead), to vitalize, to revitalize, to revive'; from the word 'zoe', meaning 'the life of God (i.e. the life that comes from God)'! Therefore, receive this 'zoe' life that comes directly from God right into your condition/situation now! Be it in your health, finance, career, business, family, or even ministry!

Prayer for you:
"O Lord, I ask that You look at the condition/situation of Your beloved ..... here. I ask that You breathe Your 'zoe' life into that condition/situation right now! I ask that You release Your power, Your 'dunamis', Your supernatural strength, Your mighty work, even Your vigor into that condition/situation right now! Revive, O Lord! Refresh, O Lord! Renew, O Lord! In Jesus' mighty name. Amen!"

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Like a tree planted by the waters

The Lord says:

"In a time like this, stay rooted in Me and keep drinking from Me. Like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, you will not fear even when 'heat' comes, and you will not be anxious even when 'drought' comes. In a time like this, your leaf shall be green, and you will not cease yielding fruit!"

People of God, even though many in the world may look at the future with doom and gloom, there is certainly hope for you who are the believers! As long as you stay rooted in Him and keep drinking from Him, you need not fear or be anxious, whatever happens in the world around you!

In John 7:37-39, Jesus said, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." The 'rivers' here speaks of the Holy Spirit, and as you receive from the Holy Spirit, you can tap into His wisdom and His revelation that leads to life, healing and prosperity in all that you do!

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NKJV) says, 'Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit'.

You know what that means? Even in a time of 'economic heat' or 'economic drought' (i.e. recession, job cuts, shutdowns, etc) happening around you, you will not fear or be anxious, because your trust and hope is in the Lord!

You may be asking, "How to drink from the Holy Spirit?"

It is as simple as coming to Him with an open heart and receiving from Him! Pray in the spirit and sing in the spirit. Flow with Him and do not resist Him. Hear Him and lean not on your own understanding. As you receive, take heed of His instructions and act on what He says! The Holy Spirit may even bring to your remembrance certain Scripture verses that you've read before, and as you follow His prompting and leading, you'll begin to see the solution to that particular situation in your life!

Therefore, do not fear or be anxious, whatever the 'sticky' or 'tricky' situation you may be facing at the moment. Your answer is on the way! Your part is to keep spreading out your 'roots' to His living water, and keep hanging on to His promises (in the Word) for you! Because there'll never be a situation where He has no answer! 

In this time of change, the Lord is releasing these words to you who are reading this: 

"This is a time of greater opportunity coming your way! This is a time of grand opportunity coming your way! Bigger things are going to happen to you! Unprecedented things are going to happen to you - in a good way, not in a bad way! Your best is yet to come!"

Receive by faith! 

In Jesus' name. Amen!

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Sound out the ram's horn!

Matthew 27:50 (NKJV): And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

Leading up to Jesus' death on the cross, here's what Matthew 27:45-46 say, 'Now from the sixth hour (12 pm) until the ninth hour (3 pm) there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour JESUS CRIED OUT WITH A LOUD VOICE, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"... Matthew 27:50 then says, 'And JESUS CRIED OUT AGAIN WITH A LOUD VOICE, and yielded up His spirit'.

Interestingly, at the time Jesus cried out with a loud voice and yielded up His spirit, the sound of ram's horn was also heard from the temple not far away! For the record, the ninth hour was an important time in Jerusalem, because it was the time for evening sacrifice. As it was also the Passover week, the Passover lambs were being sacrificed in the Temple as well.

Therefore, these happened at the SAME time:
- the Passover lambs being sacrificed in the temple;
- the Lamb of God (Jesus) being sacrificed on the cross!

What then is the significance of blowing the ram's horn?
Jesus crying out with a loud voice is synonymous with the blowing of the ram's horn! On the cross some two thousand years ago, JESUS CRIED OUT IN AGONY (and the ram's horn sounded); but when He comes again, HE WILL CRY OUT IN VICTORY (and the ram's horn will sound again)! (see 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 1 Corinthians 15:51-57)

The ram (male sheep) is a 'picture' of our Lord Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, the ram has to be killed in order to get the horn. There's no other way around it. In other words, the ram has to die. 'Horn', by the way, is a symbol of 'strength and power', and Jesus is the strength of our lives. Psalm 73:26 says, 'My flesh and my heart may fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (i.e. mine forever)'.

On the cross, He (who is the strength of our lives) laid down His life for us, and carried all our sins, cross, and shame with Him. He who knew no sin became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21), hence became weak and died; so that we might become the righteousness of God through Him (2 Corinthians 5:21), hence become strong and alive! You see, sin always weakens; whereas righteousness always strengthens! Jesus (who is strong and mighty) gave Himself up for our sake, so that we can have the forgiveness of sins and a new life! (Ephesians 1:7)

And you know what? When this happened on the cross, the veil that separated us from God was TORN! Matthew 27:51-54 says, 'Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!"'

Now, let's look at the Old Testament parallel in the book of Joshua. Joshua 6:2-5 says, 'And the Lord said to Joshua: "See! I have given Jericho into your hand... You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him."

'Joshua' ('Yehowshua' in Hebrew, meaning 'YHWH saved') is a 'type' of our Lord Jesus Christ. How about 'Jericho'? This city was known those days as 'the city of palm trees', and 'palm trees' symbolize 'triumph, victory, prosperity, peace, and eternal life'. 

When the ram's horn was blown, and with a great shout from all the people, the wall (that separated God's people from entering 'the city of palm trees') crumbled! In other words, the wall that separated God's people from walking in triumph, victory, prosperity, peace, and eternal life was BROKEN; just as the veil in the temple was torn!

On the third day after the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, Matthew 28:1-10 says, 'Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, came and ROLLED BACK THE STONE from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for HE IS RISEN, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that HE IS RISEN from the dead, and He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you." So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word'.

People of God, as we celebrate the life and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, this is your time to shout out aloud, and declare that HE IS RISEN, HE IS ALIVE, EVERY STONE HAS BEEN ROLLED AWAY, and YOU TOO HAVE BEGUN WALKING IN TRIUMPH, VICTORY, PROSPERITY, PEACE, AND OF COURSE, ETERNAL LIFE! AMEN!

Receive the life and the breath of God!

I heard these words from the Lord recently:

"When the enemy puts death in you, I put life in you! This is a time to receive the breath of My life in you, especially in those areas that seem dead in your life."

Prior to these words that I heard, I had a dream in the night where I saw someone having a chronic disease (even though in reality, this person has no such disease!) and he seemed to be shunned, ignored, and isolated in the confine of a house, while the people in the house passed him by, going about their own businesses. As I woke up, I began praying in the Spirit for the Lord's divine protection and health for that person. I was also led by the Spirit to take authority and bind the spirit of death and disease that tried to 'invade' that person.

People of God, this is an important time to guard your heart against every form of lies, negativity, discouragement, or even despair sown by the enemy against you. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word 'despair' as 'to lose all hope or confidence'. For some of you, the enemy has been trying very hard to put such 'despair' in you recently. Take authority and bind it in Jesus' name! And fill yourselves with the Word of God, because the words that He speaks to you are spirit, and they are life! (John 6:63)

In the days after Jesus' death, the disciples were rather discouraged and downcast, and they certainly felt like failures, hopeless in every sense of the word! Some had even thought of quitting ministry altogether and walk right back to their former jobs. 

But God! When everything seemed 'hopeless' and 'dead', Jesus showed up!

Let's go to the Scripture now.

John 20:19-22 says, 'Then, the same day (of Jesus' resurrection) at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you." When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit."'

See the word 'breathed' here?

This word 'breathed' is 'emphusao' in Greek (from the word 'phuo' meaning 'to blow'), and it literally means 'to cause to spring up'! In other words, Jesus came to re-commission them and give them a new lease of life! It was a time of imparting new hope in them! And it was a time of releasing them to be of use again!

People of God, no matter how 'hopeless' and 'dead' your situation may be at the moment (be it in your health, finance, family relationships, career, business, or ministry), do not lose heart, because the Lord is also here to breathe His Spirit and His life in your situation right now! This is a time to receive by faith, and declare boldly that when the enemy puts death in you, the Lord is here to put life in you!

Let's go all the way to the Old Testament now. 

2 Kings 4:32-36 says, 'When Elisha came into the house, there was the child, lying dead on his bed. He went in therefore, shut the door, and prayed to the Lord. And he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands; and he stretched himself out on the child, and the flesh of the child became warm. He returned and walked back and forth in the house, and again went up and stretched himself out on him; then the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. And Elisha called Gehazi his servant and said, "Call this Shunammite woman." So he called her. And when she came in to him, he said, "Pick up your son."'

The name 'Elisha' ('Eliysha' in Hebrew) is a 'picture' of 'God who is rich in all His supplies', the One who can even breathe 'life' into every dead (or impossible) situation. The son of the Shunammite woman was already dead on his bed, and 2 Kings 4:27 says the woman's soul was in 'deep distress'. But in the midst of all these, Elisha showed up! 

Having entered the house of this woman, and shutting the door behind him, Elisha then breathed into the mouth of the boy. Notice he wasn't satisfied with the flesh of the boy becoming warm, but he continued till the boy 'sneezed seven times' and 'opened his eyes'! You see, Elisha would not give up until he saw 'clear evidence of a perfectly (and completely) restored life'! The number 'seven' in Hebrew speaks of 'perfection, completion'.

People of God, the Lord your God will also not give up on you, even when everyone else on earth has given up on you! Like a vase that is broken and crushed, let Him mend what is broken and crushed in your life right now. To man, it is impossible, but with God, nothing will be impossible (Luke 1:37). And like the woman who was asked by Elisha to 'pick up her son', you too will 'pick up your God-given dreams again'. Amen!

God's works in your life shall prevail!

While I was immersing myself in reading the four gospels recently, the Lord spoke:
"The works of men shall be as dead, but the works of God shall prevail! No matter how men may try to undermine you, look to Me, and trust in Me, for My works in your life shall prevail!"

'To undermine', according to the Oxford Dictionary, is 'to weaken (something/somebody) gradually and insidiously'. And that was exactly what the works of flesh and the power of the enemy did against Jesus during the crucial period leading to, during, and even after His crucifixion!

Let's look now at Matthew 27:62-66, and see what happened after Jesus was crucified and buried, 'On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, "Sir, we remember while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise.' Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, 'He has risen from the dead.' So the last deception will be worse than the first." Pilate said to them, "You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how." So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard'.

Note: 'The Day of Preparation' mentioned above, in our time and day, is Friday. Mark 15:42 says the Day of Preparation is the day before the onset of Sabbath. It is a day to prepare in advance for Sabbath (rest day), e.g. food being prepared in advance, because cooking on Sabbath day is prohibited by the Jewish Law.

Let's move on to Matthew 28:1-4, 'Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week (i.e. our Sunday) began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men'.

Notice the statement 'And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men'! In other words, the guards were so 'shaken' by what they saw, that they 'froze' and became as dead men! And behold, the works of God shook the works of men right to the core on that day! Jesus has risen, and He has triumphed over every power of the enemy! He has prevailed against every work of darkness that tried to undermine Him!

Indeed, as the Lord has spoken loud and clear for this time and season, "The works of men shall be as dead, but the works of God shall prevail!" Yes, proclaim it even from the rooftops! Proclaim it over every area of your life! Proclaim it over whatever you put your hands on!

So, rejoice, because He lives in you, and His works in your life shall prevail! The Bible says 'He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world' (1 John 4:4). Know that He is not dead, but He is very much alive in your life right now! And no matter what situation you may be facing at the moment, or how men (or the works of flesh) may try to undermine the works of God in your life, 'no weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment, you shall condemn'! (Isaiah 54:17)

People of God, this is a time to declare the works of darkness shall NOT prevail against you, but they shall be as dead before you! Just as happened in Matthew 28:1-4! The power of God is at hand! He is the same today as He was on that Resurrection Sunday! And as the apostle Paul wrote, 'being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you, He shall also bring it to full completion, till the day of our Lord Jesus Christ' (Philippians 1:6). Hallelujah! Amen!

Depend on God's power to breathe life in you!

I heard these words from the Lord recently:
"This is a time I am breathing life in the valley of dry bones! For I am causing the 'dead' to be turned into 'life'! And I am causing the 'hopeless' to be turned into 'hope'! Let Me breathe upon you the breath of life! And let Me blow upon you the wind of My Spirit! Receive and be revived!"

Ezekiel 37:1-3 (NKJV) says, 'The hand of the Lord came upon me (Ezekiel) and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" So I answered, "O Lord God, You know."'

Humanly and scientifically speaking, nothing on earth can restore the bones back to life. You can't just throw a dry bone into water and expect it to come back to life again! These 'dry bones' therefore represent 'people/situation without any hope, whatsoever'. And the fact that they were 'very dry' symbolizes 'people/situation that look completely hopeless and dead'. If there's anyone who can bring these 'dry bones' back to life, it has to be the Lord!

You see, 'bones' are different from 'seeds'. Not long ago, some archaeologists found lily seeds from an ancient civilization in England. These were thousands of years old seeds. They watered it and put fertilizer as they planted the seeds. Guess what? The seeds sprouted and produced a very ancient type of lily plant! Life somehow was preserved in those seeds and the flower could live again! But not so for 'dry bones'!

The word 'valley' here speaks of 'hopeless, driest situation in one's life'. Geographically, this valley mentioned in Ezekiel 37:1-3 was near the Dead Sea, more than 1300 feet below sea level. Being one of the lowest, driest spots on earth, this valley was also called 'Death Valley'. Those days, when an army was defeated in a battle, the victorious soldiers would strip the valuables from the slain army, and leave those dead bodies unburied. Skeletons sometimes remained for years. Bones were scattered everywhere by wild animals and left to be bleached by the scorching sun.

These 'dry bones' mentioned in Ezekiel 37:1-3 were the very state (condition) of the people of God at that time. It was during one of the darkest days of Judah's history, i.e. the seventy-year period of Babylonian captivity. They were dispersed abroad, destitute of life (both spiritual and national), and have lost their identity. Take Ezekiel for example. From the time of his youth, he had been educated and trained to be a priest in the kingdom of Judah. But his hopes and dreams were dashed when King Nebuchadnezzar invaded Jerusalem and took him (and other young Jews) into captivity in Babylon. He was now far and separated from where he was meant to be, totally hopeless and with no way out.

And it was in this background that the Lord spoke to Ezekiel, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord."'" (Ezekiel 37:4-6)

Ezekiel 37:7-8 then says, 'So I (Ezekiel) prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over...'

Notice the words 'prophesied as I was commanded'? The word 'prophesied' here is 'naba' in Hebrew, and it means 'to speak (or sing) by the inspiration of the divine' (in this case, by the Spirit of the Lord). You see, it is the Spirit who revives and brings back life! In John 6:63, Jesus says, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are Spirit, and they are life." 

So, people of God, whatever hopelessness you may be facing at the moment, take heart that the Lord is breathing life in the valley of (your) dry bones. Your part (like Ezekiel's part) is to speak as the Holy Spirit puts in you to speak. 

Indeed, this is a time to speak life and declare life over your situation, no matter how 'dried up' or 'hopeless' it seems to be! Prophesy to those 'dry bones'! Be it your family matters, your career, your ministry, your business, your finance, even your health! And watch how the Lord do the rest! He can do a miracle for you today. Believe, receive and be revived!

Jesus can breathe 'life' into your current situation!

2 Kings 4:34 (NKJV): And Elisha went up and lay on the child (Shunammite woman's son), and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands; and he stretched himself out on the child, and the flesh of the child became warm.

Jesus can breathe 'life' into your current situation (no matter how 'dead' or 'stagnant' it may be), the way Elisha put life back into the Shunammite woman's son (see 2 Kings 4:34-35).

In fact, when I read this verse, it reminds me of our modern 'Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation' (CPR), or 'mouth-to-mouth resuscitation', though the exact technique may differ from what Elisha did in 2 Kings 4:34.

The word 'resuscitation' means 'to bring back to life, or to bring back to consciousness'. CPR is normally performed on a victim, say, a person who's unable to breathe due to drowning. This is done so that oxygen can be released through the flow of blood to the cells (and therefore the vital organs) in the victim's body. All cells in a human body need oxygen to survive. Just give some minutes without oxygen, and these cells would be dead!

Let's look at the background of 2 Kings 4:34 now. The whole account can be found in 2 Kings 4:8-37. This Shunammite woman was a person of great hospitality to God's prophet, Elisha (2 Kings 4:8-10). She also prepared a place in her home for him to lodge, whenever he passed by her town. In short, she's a woman who honoured God and His anointed servant. And in return for her kindness and care, Elisha then prophesied that she would have a son (2 Kings 4:16-17). This prophecy came to pass about a year later, but not long after, that very son died (2 Kings 4:20).

Upon laying the dead son on Elisha's bed, she then hurried to look for him at Mount Carmel (2 Kings 4:22-25), some distance away (about 30-40km) from her hometown in Shunem. When she arrived and was asked if all is well, amazingly she answered "It is well" (2 Kings 4:26), even though Elisha did sense that 'her soul was in deep distress' (2 Kings 4:27), and something must have gone wrong.

Beloved, whenever you are stuck in any situation, run to God first ('Elisha' here represents God) and keep looking to Him, instead of running to man or methods. When you run to Him, He will run to you! And in fact, that was exactly what Elisha did upon knowing that the woman's son had died! (2 Kings 4:29-33)

By the way, the word 'Shunammite' in Hebrew is from the word 'shuwnem' or 'shuwniy', which means 'quiet, rest'. This woman is a 'picture' of someone who has learned to rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, and whose trust in the Lord remains 'unwavered', no matter what had happened.

How about the name 'Elisha'? Interestingly, this name in Hebrew means 'God of supplication or riches'. Your God is indeed rich in supply! No, I'm not just talking about the area of finance here. He is also rich in His supply of life to any 'dead' situation of yours! 'Elisha' also means 'My God is help' or 'My God is salvation'. Praise God! He is your very present help in times of need (Psalm 46:1-3), and He is here for you today!

So, if 'Elisha' in this context speaks of Jesus Christ who is in you, then the 'Shunammite woman' speaks of you (His beloved), and the 'son' here speaks of 'God's promises for you'.

Is there any area of your life that is currently 'stagnant' or 'dead'? For some of you, it may be your marriage, and for others, it may be your family relationships, career, or even ministry. Whatever it may be, take heart, for your 'Elisha' ('My God is help') is here. The Lord who resuscitated the Shunammite woman's son is also with you and in you today. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

So, right now, receive a breath of His life in Jesus' name, and also over your situation! (whatever it is) Your miracle is also in your mouth. As you believe that "It is well" with you, speak it also over your current situation now, saying: "It is well with my ............... (e.g. marriage, career, business, ministry, etc)" Never underestimate the power of your words (Proverbs 18:21).

And as you receive from Him today, believe that (as in 2 Kings 4:34)...
a) His mouth is also upon your mouth, i.e. His life and breath is resuscitating any 'stagnant' or 'dead' area of your life right now, so that it flourishes again.
b) His eyes are also upon your eyes, i.e. His vision and revelation is being restored to you right now, so that you'll begin to see what He sees again.
c) His hands are also upon your hands, i.e. His hands are upon all that you put your hands to do right now, so that whatever you do shall prosper again.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

Those who are in Christ have also His Life!

Luke 24:1-3 (NKJV): Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they (the women who came from Galilee) and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

And as the women were still greatly perplexed, two men stood by them in shining garments and said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” (see Luke 24:4-5)

JESUS IS ALIVE!

People of God, know that He can 'resurrect' any ‘dead’ area of your life as well! Maybe it's a ‘lost’ dream, or a ‘dead’ dream, a dream you 'used to believe' (or have received). Or maybe it's something you have long given up hope of, even though you knew it was God who has begun it, given it, or spoken to you about it. 

Take heart, my friend. In Christ, there's always hope! Because He is alive, everything 'dead’ in your life can be made 'alive' again through Him. You see, He is not just the way, and the truth, but He is also the LIFE! (see John 14:6) In John 11:25-26, Jesus Himself said, “I AM the resurrection and the life”, and He went on to say, “Whoever lives and believes in Me (i.e. in Christ) shall never die.” Will you take Him at His Word? The Bible says heaven and earth will pass away, but His Word will still remain (Matthew 24:35). In John 11:25-26, Jesus was actually responding to Martha, Lazarus' sister. Lazarus was already dead 4 days by then, his body rotting, and there was already a stench. But even in the most impossible situation, and just as everyone has already 'given up hope' of seeing Lazarus alive again, Jesus did the 'unthinkable' and called out, “Lazarus, come forth!” 

And then in 1 Samuel chapters 1 & 2, Hannah’s ‘dead’ womb was ‘resurrected’ & ‘made alive’ again when she cried out to the Lord. The Lord did hear her cry, 'touched' her womb, and later on, Samuel was born! In fact, the name ‘Samuel’ means ‘Heard by God'. Hannah has indeed found grace in God! The name ‘Hannah’ in Hebrew actually means ‘find grace’ or ‘find favor’. The Bible then says Hannah 'rejoiced in God’s salvation’ (1 Samuel 2:1) because her 'dead' (womb) has become 'alive' and borne 'fruit'! The word ‘salvation’ here is translated in Hebrew as ‘Yeshuwah’, which means ‘Jesus’. Praise the Lord! Everything Jesus touched became 'alive' again, because HE IS the LIFE! And not only that, Hannah went on to give birth to 5 more children after that! Glory be to God! Jesus truly is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think of (Ephesians 3:20). Amen!

Friends, do you see it now? Everything Jesus touched became ‘alive’ again! In the Old and in the New Testament alike. And those who are in Christ have also HIS LIFE! It's the same for you today! He is indeed the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Believing, you'll receive.