Everything for Christ

Written by Jack Hayford

All things were created through Him and for Him. – Colossians 1:16

Every year, my wife Anna and I enjoy the splendor of the autumn landscape; its colorful display always ignites anticipation in my soul for the celebrations of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Perhaps autumn is my favorite season not only because of its beauty, but for what it represents—the harvest.

Harvest is indicative of multiplication, not simply of crops, but also of human souls. On Earth, we know that if we plant good seed and nurture it, we will reap a fruitful harvest. In Scripture, harvest is about reaping what God has promised through the seed of His Son—abundant and eternal life. That harvest, characterized by God’s adequacy, victory, and revival, is multiplied through us to others as we open to everything He intends for our lives. In that regard, there are two special dates that stand out in my life.

“Heaven’s Solution to Our Emptiness” Part V

EXPLORATION:

I Find All My Joy In You

“I find all my joy in you,
like a friend
who invites
a beloved friend
to a garden
to breathe together
exotic air and sweet fragrances
to delight in lovely flowers
to hear an exquisite concert
and feast on luscious,
delicious fruit.”

Gertrude the Great

Do I believe God has designed a bountiful harvest in my empty life?

What do I believe that harvest will yield?

INSPIRATION:

“All the great blessings of my life are present in my thoughts today.”

Phoebe Cory
My Blessings

A New Time & Place

Written by Jack Hayford

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” (Is. 43:18-19 NIV)

Permit me to ask you something rather pointedly: Are you prepared to allow the Spirit of God to change your status quo? Are you truly ready for the Lord to do something new in your life? Something unexpected? Out of the ordinary? Are you ready to follow Him down roads you’ve never traveled? Are you open to the possibility that He might bless you in an unexpected, perhaps startling way?

None of us would be so arrogant as to say, “I know it all,” yet from time to time we may affect a certain blasé sophistication, a posture of pride that finds it stylish to be critical, cynical, or “laid back.” Yet this prideful attitude hamstrings our ability to move into the fresh and the new... and grieves the Spirit of God.

Who says you know what’s next for your life?

Who says God can’t use you in a dramatic, wholly unexpected way?

Remembering to Forget

Sharon Jaynes

Today’s Truth
Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13, 14 NIV).

Friend To Friend
As humans, we tend to remember what we need to forget and forget what we need to remember. God, on the other hand, forgets what He promises to forget and remembers what He promises to remember. God said, “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more” (Hebrews 10:17). 

Paul tells us one of the secrets to his success as a Christian and in life. “But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13,14). 

In the Bible, God tells us that He “forgets” our sins and remembers them no more.  But how does an omniscient, all-knowing God forget?  Let’s look at the antonym to get a better understanding.

There Is A Miracle In Your House!

by Jeanniene Lee

Are you in need of a miracle? Within your house, within your hand, within your possession is the seed for your miracle. Yes, beloved, today you have within your possession the seed for the miracle you need right now. The seed for your future harvest is in your possession today.

The harvest you are reaping today, whether good or bad, is a product of the seed you sowed yesterday. Whether your yesterday was last week, last month, last year or ten years ago. You are reaping the harvest from the seeds you sowed in days gone by.

Galatians 6:7 warns us not to be deceived concerning God's law of sowing and reaping - "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Whatsoever means just that - what-so-ever.

The God of Your Buried Dreams

Photo by Rebecca Barlow Jordan

God is not only the God of your buried dreams. He’s also the God of surprises.

Whether you’re writer, a reader, a parent, a grandparent, a single, a spouse, or a senior–I hope you’ll find a piece of encouragement in this short post that will lift you up. At the end of the blog, I’ll explain the picture from my garden that inspired it.

The God of Your Buried Dreams

by

Rebecca Barlow Jordan

Expect a Harvest

"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." (Luke 6:38)

Give and it shall be given unto you. That statement came straight from the mouth of Jesus. Yet there are a great many believers who flatly refuse to believe it. In fact, they actually have the mistaken idea that it's wrong to expect to receive when they give.

The truth is--it's wrong not to!

What would you think about a farmer who planted seeds, then let his crop rot in the field? You'd think he was a fool, wouldn't you? And if he did it when others were starving, you'd think he was criminally irresponsible.

Well, it's just as irresponsible to give financial seeds and ignore the harvest God promised. Especially when that harvest could help send the gospel to people who are starving to hear it. It's just as wrong to ignore the key to prosperity that Jesus Himself gave us as it is to let a wheat crop rot in the field.

When God's Timing Is Taking Too Long

by Joyce Meyer

We all want good things to happen in our lives, but too often we want it now...not later. When it doesn't happen that way, we are tempted to ask, "When, God, when?" Most of us need to grow in the area of trusting God instead of focusing on the "when" question. If you're missing joy and peace, you're not trusting God. If your mind feels worn out all the time, you're not trusting God.

The tendency to want to know about everything that's going on can be detrimental to your Christian walk. Sometimes knowing everything can be uncomfortable and can even hurt you. I spent a large part of my life being impatient, frustrated and disappointed because there were things I didn't know. God had to teach me to leave things alone and quit feeling that I needed to know everything. I finally learned to trust the One who knows all things and accept that some questions may never be answered. We prove that we trust God when we refuse to worry. 

CAN WE LOSE OUR ABUNDANCE DURING A TESTING TIME?

Serge Roux-Levrat

Did you answer yes to the title question? Why? Is your Father in Heaven surrounded by less abundance while you go through a trial? No. Do you lose your adopted son or daughter-ship status when you navigate in rough seas? No. Does God love you less when you face tough challenges? No. So, why did you answer yes to my question then? The simple truth is that the devil can seek to steal everything from you (like he tried to with Job), but if you resist him by flexing your faith muscles, he cannot win.

If you have been born again, you are a child of God. As such you are rich beyond measure and can enjoy the abundant life that Jesus died for you to have. God has already given you a “Promised Land;” a land that lacks nothing and where everything exists in abundance. Yes, God’s plan for your life may require that you appear poor in the eyes of the world. However, do not make the mistakes of seeing yourself as a poor person, because you are wealthy beyond imagination.

→ Don't believe me? Then think about this: was Jesus poor or rich, living in abundance or in scarcity? Before you answer, let me give you a clue. Imagine that the world’s richest person decided to live one year with the poorest tribe on earth. And, in order to experience firsthand what they have to go through each day, he decides to take no money, no credit card, and no mobile phone with him. Put differently, he leaves all his material wealth to a steward to manage it. Now, while our richest man is in the “land” of poverty, is he rich or poor? Well, for the tribe he currently lives with, he is probably poor, as they do not know how wealthy he really is. But for the rest of the world, he is still the richest man on earth.

Stop, Look And Listen

Growing in the Lord.

A corn plant when it is fully grown and at harvest may have 2 -3 cobs per plant.

However when the plant is only a few weeks old and has sprouted it doesn't have the strength or ability to hold the corn cobs. 

If we focus upon growing the harvest will eventually come.

Too often we focus upon the wrong areas of life.

So how do we grow in the Lord.

One way is by knowing what God says about you and accepting this. 

I consider this to be one of the hardest areas of our lives.

Naomi: Having Hope Through the Famines of Life

And Naomi said, "I went out full, but the Lord has brought me home again empty." ~ Ruth 1:21 (AMP)

Have you ever gone through a famine in your life?

In this Bible study on Naomi, we will look at how God turned one woman's famine into a bountiful harvest. We will learn how, even in her darkest hour, God's plan was working to shine His light on Naomi's life.

Though she felt abandoned, He had in no way forsaken her. In all of her darkness, God had left Naomi a ray of hope.

This is the first of two Bible studies on the Book of Ruth. The next lesson with focus on Ruth herself. But, this Bible study on Naomi is here to give you hope in your life's driest seasons.

Ruth Gleans in the Field

Scripture Passage : Ruth 2:1-23

INTRODUCTION: The first chapter of Ruth demonstrates the great need and lowly condition of both Naomi and Ruth. This chapter begins to give hope and demonstrates the wonderful grace of God. In chapter one, Ruth claims Naomi’s God as her God (Ruth 1:16). In chapter two, Ruth begins to understand what it means to come under the wings of the God of Israel (Ruth 2:12).

1. RUTH GOES TO GLEAN IN THE FIELD (Ruth 2:1-3
   )
1. The Introduction of Boaz (Ruth 2:1
   )
1. A kinsman of Naomi’s husband
2. A mighty man of wealth
2. The Determination of Ruth (Ruth 2:2
   )
1. She determines to glean grain in the field.
2. She is not only loyal to Naomi (Ruth 1:16-18
   ), but she is also willing to work.
3. The law commanded those who harvested a crop to leave the corners of the field so the poor and the stranger could gather the remains to meet their needs (Leviticus 23:22
   ).
3. The Providence of God (Ruth 2:3
   )
1. This passage speaks of “her hap”; this refers to good fortune, luck, happenstance (thus, the word hap).
2. Yet we see God’s working in everything that happened. It was part of God’s providential working in Ruth’s life (Romans 8:28
   ; Proverbs 16:9
   ).
2. BOAZ DISCOVERS THE IDENTITY OF RUTH (Ruth 2:4-7
   )
1. Boaz Checks on the Reapers (Ruth 2:4-5
   ).
1. Boaz’s godly relationship with the reapers (Ruth 2:4
   )
2. Boaz’s curiosity about Ruth (Ruth 2:5
   )
2. The Servant’s Report about Ruth (Ruth 2:6-7
   )
1. She is a Moabite (Ruth 2:6
   ).
2. She asked to glean among the reapers (Ruth 2:7
   ).
3. She has worked from morning with little rest (Ruth 2:7
   ).
3. BOAZ INSISTS SHE GLEAN IN HIS FIELD (Ruth 2:8-9
   )
1. He Requests That She Not Glean in Another Field (Ruth 2:8
   ).
2. He Promises Her Protection and Provision (Ruth 2:9
   ).
1. The young men shall not touch you.
2. Drink water of the vessels they draw.
4. BOAZ EXPRESSES HIS ADMIRATION FOR RUTH (Ruth 2:10-13
   )
1. Ruth Is Amazed at the Grace Shown by Boaz (Ruth 2:10
   ).
1. That he took knowledge of her (cp. John 1:48
   )
2. That he considered one who was a stranger (cp. Ephesians 2:11-13
   )
2. Boaz Tells of His Admiration for Ruth (Ruth 2:11
   ).
1. Her devotion to Naomi
2. Her departure from her family and land
3. Her coming to a strange land
3. Boaz Blesses Ruth (Ruth 2:12
   ).
1. May the Lord recompense her work.
2. May the Lord reward her trust in Him.
3. NOTE: She, as a Gentile, has come to trust in the God of Israel and has placed herself under His care.
4. Ruth Is Overwhelmed with Gratitude (Ruth 2:13
   ).
1. His favor
2. His comfort
3. His friendship
4. Despite her being foreign
5. BOAZ TAKES SPECIAL CARE OF RUTH (Ruth 2:14-17
   )
1. He Provides for Her at Mealtime (Ruth 2:14
   ).
1. Boaz provides the meal.
2. Boaz serves corn to Ruth – “reached her parched corn” means that he reached in and got it for her lest she be too modest to get it for herself.
2. He Provides for Handfuls of Purpose (Ruth 2:15-16
   ).
1. She is to be allowed among the sheaves (Ruth 2:15
   ).
2. She is not to be reproached (Ruth 2:15
   , 16).
3. She is to be left handfuls of purpose (Ruth 2:16
   ).
3. Her Daily Harvest Amounts to an Ephah (Ruth 2:17
   ).
1. She gleans until evening.
2. She beats out the grain.
3. She has an ephah of barley.
4. NOTE: This is an amazing amount for one who is simply gleaning the fields. Though the records vary, it is said to amount to from 30 to 50 pounds of grain.
6. RUTH TELLS NAOMI OF HER GOOD FORTUNE (Ruth 2:18-21
   )
1. Ruth Returns to Naomi (Ruth 2:18
   ).
1. She shows her the bountiful harvest.
2. She gives Naomi the remainder.
3. NOTE: Naomi (the Jew) is now getting her blessings from Ruth (the Gentile). See Acts 15:11
   .
2. Naomi Discovers Ruth’s Benefactor (Ruth 2:19-21
   ).
1. His name is Boaz (Ruth 2:19
   ).
2. He is near of kin (Ruth 2:20
   ).
3. He has offered continued help (Ruth 2:21
   ).
4. Naomi sees God blessing again (Ruth 2:20
   ).
7. RUTH GLEANS UNTIL THE END OF HARVEST (Ruth 2:22-23
   )
1. She Is Encouraged by Naomi (Ruth 2:22
   ).
2. She Continues through the Time of Harvest (Ruth 2:23
   )

CONCLUSION: Grace and provision have been shown to Ruth and to Naomi through Ruth. Boaz (the type of Christ) has been the source of it all. However, full redemption has not yet been made. That comes in the last half of the book. Then, of course, comes the marriage. What a blessed book!

David Reagan and Andrew Ray

http://www.learnthebible.org/sunday-school-outlines/ruth-gleans-in-the-field.html

Reaping a Harvest of Healing

If you're in need of a supernatural harvest, learn how to plant the Word of God concerning your healing...soon you'll reap a crop of divine health.

The Bible teaches us in Mark, chapter 4, that the Word of God is seed. If you plant the seed of God’s Word, you can reap a harvest of results; but you must plant the specific seed that you want. If you plant corn, you will reap corn. If you plant the Word for salvation in your heart, you will have faith to receive salvation. When you plant the Word concerning healing in your heart, you will reap the healing harvest.

1 Peter 1:23 says, Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. The incorruptible Word is the seed that goes into the heart of man. God’s Word cannot be corrupted. It cannot be spoiled by any power. When you heard that Jesus died for you and was raised from the dead. you decided to make Him your Lord because of the Word that you heard. When you made Jesus the Lord of your life, that incorruptible Word went into your heart and no satanic influence could stop it from producing results in your life. At that moment, you were born again.

Faith comes for healing in the same way it comes for salvation—by hearing the Word of God. There is no substitute for the seed of the Word. For a while, you can receive healing by having someone else pray for you, but ultimately you will have to plant your own crop in order to enjoy divine health. In the middle of the night when Satan attacks you with symptoms, there may not be anyone there to pray for you. If you have taken the time to plant God’s Word in your heart, then you will have that knowledge with you always.

A mistake many people have made is in trying to fit the Word into their own traditional ideas. In Mark 4:23 Jesus said, If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. The Amplified Bible says, If any man has ears to hear, let him be listening, and perceive and comprehend. If you will listen to God and study the Word for yourself, you will receive the truth that will set you free. The respect that you give to the Word of God as being the authority will be the measure of virtue, or power, that comes back to you. If you will make a decision to do whatever you see in the Word and make God’s Word the final authority in your life, then you will have the hundredfold principle of power working in you. Traditional ideas and teaching have kept the body of Christ robbed of power. You would be helpless to receive healing if you didn’t know it was God’s will for you to be healed.

Many try to reap a healing harvest without first planting the seed. F.F. Bosworth says in his book, "CHRIST THE HEALER", “Until the person seeking healing is sure from God’s Word that it is God’s will to heal him, he is trying to reap a harvest where there is no seed planted.” He is like a farmer that sits on his porch and says, “I believe in cotton, so this year I’m going to sit here and believe for a harvest. I’m not going to plant any seed; I’m just going to believe for a harvest.” He can sit there forever, but he will not reap a harvest until he plants the seed.

You can do the same thing with healing. You can say, “I believe in healing. I know God heals.” But if you don’t go another step and say, “I believe that it’s God’s will to heal me,” you will sit on the front porch and watch the healing harvest go to somebody else. If you expect to get results, you have to believe that it’s God’s will to heal you.

God desires for you to be healed and whole. In fact, He desires for you to walk in divine health. You need to allow revelation knowledge of divine health to become a reality in your life. For years, Kenneth and I were believers. We believed in healing. We knew it was real. When we got sick, we would pray. Sometimes we got healed; sometimes we would stay sick. But then one night we heard that healing had already been bought and paid for us by Jesus. When we heard that, we knew that our days of sickness were over. We received God’s Word and that seed bore fruit in our spirits instantly. It doesn’t take God’s Word long to bear fruit. If it is planted on good ground and you take heed to what you hear, you can plant the crop and reap a harvest of healing quickly. From the day we heard of the substitution of Jesus Christ for our sicknesses and diseases, sickness absolutely lost all power over us.

When the seed of God’s Word becomes real to you in your spirit concerning your healing, that Word will produce healing in your life.

Matthew 8:17 says, That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses. You have a choice here: You can take heed to what you hear or you can write it off. If you want results, you will listen to what you hear and believe this Word more than anything else you have been told. When Jesus bore our sins, He also bore our sicknesses and disease. The cross produced a double-cure for the ills of mankind. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil—all of them! He couldn’t take away sin and leave sickness. Jesus destroyed the curse and everything it involved. He stripped Satan and left him powerless, with nothing but deception.

Allow God’s Word to be planted in your heart and your days of sickness will be over! The light of God’s Word will destroy Satan’s grip in your life. The truth will make you free from his dominion when you realize that your healing has already been purchased by Jesus. The Word says, “By his stripes, you were healed.” That is not a promise. That is a fact! The work has already been done. Your healing has already been provided for you.

The only thing left is for you to make the decision to live in divine health. Refuse to allow any sickness to stay in your body.

Determine today to make the decision to live in health and healing. God wants His people well. He wants you well and whole! He has provided His incorruptible Word as the avenue for you to receive your health and healing. Have the determination of faith to enjoy all that Jesus has provided for you. He was made sick with your sicknesses. You don’t have to bear them.

Make this confession of faith before God:

“Father, in the name of Jesus, I have accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, so now I accept Him as my healer. I say now with my mouth that my body is healed—from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. I determine now to walk in the light of healing in my spirit, in my mind, and in my body. I believe that just as surely as Jesus bore my sins, He also bore my sicknesses. I stand now, in Jesus’ name, and proclaim that I am free from the bondage of Satan.”

If you have sickness in your body right now, then speak to it now:

http://www.kcm.org.au/content/reaping-harvest-healing

“Sickness, I resist you in Jesus’ name. I refuse to allow you in my body any longer. I command you to leave. Satan, you’ll not lord it over me. In Jesus’ name, your work has been destroyed!”

Now rejoice in what God has already done for you through Jesus and what He is continuing to do in you at this moment! Praise God!