Mid-May 2012 Partner Letter
Dear Partner,
I declare by faith right now a GOOD WORD into your life… By the spirit of God, I speak blessings over you today… I believe it’s time RIGHT NOW for you to walk in the full inheritance of blessings that God has for you!
So, I encourage you to sit down, put aside any distractions, and receive this word from the Lord that I have for you…
God’s power to work in your life is unlimited! Whatever circumstances you are facing, God has a good plan for you, and there is HOPE for you today! Reach out for all He has for you by faith… See yourself and your loved ones blessed with healing, deliverance, wisdom, godly relationships, abundant provision, and divine protection…
You see, this is the blessing we can have as Christians when we choose to pursue UNITY according to 1 Peter 3:8–9, which says, Be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.
This is so important to your victory in the Lord… There is a powerful BLESSING available to you when you live in unity with others, especially with other believers in Jesus. God’s unlimited power can flow into our lives and our nations as we obey His Word and love others as He loves us.
First Peter 3:10–13 tells us what the blessing of unity looks like… He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?
Let me show you what this blessing of unity means to YOU…
#1—You will love life! Think about it… Strife leads to stress. People who are argumentative, jealous, and judgmental can weigh you down. But it feels wonderful to be with people who are peaceful, cooperative, and kind. Unity brings you godly enjoyment in the everyday moments of your life.
#2—You will see good days! Strife leads to all kinds of evil works (James 3:16). As you avoid strife, you avoid the troubles that result from it—like anger, violence, gossip, unforgiveness, lying, and other evil works. Instead, you see good days and enjoy the good things that God has planned for you.
#3—Your prayers will be heard! This scripture makes it clear that God is pleased when He sees you pursuing unity, watching your words, avoiding evil, and loving others as He loves you. He hears the prayers of those who please Him by obeying His Word.
#4—Your life will be protected! In the midst of trouble, unity helps you to experience God’s power to preserve you and bring about good for you. As you pursue peaceful agreements with others, it’s harder for the devil to isolate you and attack you. You have the benefit of receiving help from others when you’re in unity with them.
This is the blessing of unity… A good life filled with joy, answered prayers, and the Lord’s protection… And it is the harvest you reap when you sow seeds by forgiving others, loving them, and standing in faith with them in the name of the Lord. This is why it is so important to avoid strife and choose to do things that promote God’s peace in your life and in your nation.
Now, I want to be clear… I am NOT talking about compromising the Word of God to achieve a false sense of peace. If the Bible says something, you must obey it and be in agreement with it. Sometimes, it seems as if the world believes that the only way to have peace is to stop Christians from talking about Jesus. But those who say such things are deceived! They don’t see the truth that GOD-GIVEN PEACE—the kind that LASTS—is possible only through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
God has a better way to live than what the world offers (Proverbs 14:12). He has called you to follow Him, obey His Word, make godly decisions, and avoid the things that divide us, such as offense, unforgiveness, judgmentalism, and pride.
If you want to see the blessing of unity, you must avoid the traps that promote division. Remember, our enemy the devil causes strife by convincing us to focus on things that are hurtful and negative, provoking people to jealousy and anger.
However… God’s will for you is that you focus on what is GOOD, because God Himself is good (Philippians 4:8). He instructs you to renew your mind and change your thinking so that you can see things from His perspective (Romans 12:1–2). Living in unity means being of ONE MIND with God and with other Christians (1 Peter 3:8). It means you are to have the same attitude that Jesus Christ has. Let me explain what the mind—or attitude—of Christ looks like…
The Bible says that although Jesus is the Son of God, He wasn’t dominated by pride or by a desire to lord His position over others. Instead, He humbled Himself to come to earth in the form of a man (Philippians 2:5–11). And He willingly went to death on the Cross, a humiliating form of execution, to pay for our sins. He did it because by faith He saw the reward that would come of it… He knew there would be forgiveness of sins, the presence of the Holy Spirit within us, and eternal life for all who believe on Him as Lord and Savior.
To put it simply, the attitude (or mind) of Jesus Christ is LOVE… He loved you enough to sacrifice Himself for you. He LOVES you enough to be with you in your time of need. He was and is not afraid to humble Himself and put others first. That’s how He was able to resist the devil, fulfill God’s plan for His earthly life, and receive the Name that is above every other name!
As you choose to humbly love others, you can see them as God sees them, which makes it so much easier to walk in unity with them. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all ONE in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). God doesn’t focus on the outward things. He doesn’t play favorites based on whether you are male or female, boss or employee, Republican or Democrat or other political groups, American or Canadian or another nationality, black or white or brown or any other skin color…
Partner, what matters MOST to God is YOUR HEART (1 Samuel 16:7). What you have on the inside is what matters most to Him—your faith in Him, your obedience to His Word, your motivations, your character, and your love for Him and His ways of doing and being.
We see this in the life of Jesus Christ, who did not play favorites (Romans 10:12). He ministered to the rich ruler Jairus and the poor Mary Magdalene. When He taught His disciples (men), He let Mary (a woman) listen in and He invited Martha (a woman) to join them and worry about the cooking later…
Jesus healed Jewish people like Peter’s mother-in-law, but He also healed the Roman centurion’s aide and the Syrophoenician (Gentile) woman’s demon-possessed daughter. He talked to Nicodemus, who was a respected member of the Jewish religious counsel, but He also talked to Zacchaeus, who was despised because he stole from others for his own personal gain.
Jesus ministered to everyone who would receive Him, no matter who they were.
If you want to enjoy the blessing of unity, you must pursue it just as Jesus did. You must choose to allow God’s Word to be the deciding factor in what you think, say, and do. As you avoid strife and choose to focus on what you have in common with others, you are doing your part to promote godly unity, and the blessing of His anointing will flow more freely in your life and in your nation.
Of course, you won’t always agree with others on every little thing. Sometimes, you’re going to see things differently. However… You always have the power to CHOOSE how you will respond when disagreements happen. You can CHOOSE to get angry and be divided from others… OR, you can CHOOSE to walk in love, forgiveness, and unity. It’s up to you to ALLOW God’s Word to be the final say in your life.
As you pursue godly unity, beware of people and groups that promote violence, division, or evil-doing. Don’t associate with them, and don’t give them place in your thinking. As a Christian, you don’t repay evil with evil, but instead you overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).
So… When people attack others, promote the idea of robbing others of what they have worked hard to earn, take offense instead of forgiving, and adopt an “ends justify the means” philosophy, God isn’t in it! Don’t align yourself with people who choose to live this way. Avoid these kinds of behaviors, because they encourage division and strife.
Instead, align yourself with God, not man. Base your actions and your words on His Word—not on gender, race, political affiliation, financial status, or any other earthly thing. If you and I are truly His children, then we are going to live like our Father lives… dominated by peace, truth, love, mercy, goodness, and generosity. No matter what is going on in your circumstances… It is God’s Word that should ALWAYS determine your actions, because God’s Word is what produces lasting victory in your life!
Remember, the unlimited power of God is present when His people are in one accord (Acts 2:1–4). When we come together in faith before the Lord, humbling ourselves and seeking His face in unity, His healing can be poured out on our land, bringing much-needed godliness, wisdom, and a turnaround to the troubles we see at work in the world today.
This is why I’m calling on YOU to stand in faith and act on God’s Word for the healing of our nations! Through our prayers and our commitment to listening to the Holy Spirit and pursuing unity, I believe we can put the devil to flight and give God room to pour out His power to change our lives and heal our nations!
As you pray in faith, do things that promote peace instead of strife, and bless others, you are placing your faith in God to be the Source of the solution to any challenges in your life and in your nation. And what you sow—doing good and blessing others—is what you will reap in due season (Galatians 6:9).
The unlimited power of God produces great harvests from our seed-sowing! I believe that as we pray for our nations, God will not only hear us and answer us, but I believe He will also begin to work in your individual life… I am expecting Him to send His healing power to you and your loved ones, in every area where you need His help.
When you send in your Prayer Response, be sure to tell me what you are believing God to do for you and your loved ones. I will hold your prayer requests in my hands and pray over them, believing God to send you His perfect answers for every situation you are facing. Remember, He is no respecter of persons. He wants to be involved in your life TODAY! Let’s come into agreement for His will to be done in your life and for His blessings to flow to you.
I also want to stand with you in agreement for healing in our lands… Invite your family and friends and coworkers to tune in to The Place for Miracles on Thursday, May 31 for our Day of Prayer for the Healing of Our Nations. We can make a difference and be a godly influence on the direction that our leaders take as we humble ourselves, pray, and seek the Lord’s will for our lands.
Let’s turn this time of prayer and seeking God’s face into a black eye for the devil! Ask the Lord how to sow the very best seed you can sow right now… First, plan to pray with Lindsay and me on May 31…and take time to pray before and after May 31 too.
Ask the Lord how you can sow seeds of unity in your family, on your job, in your community, and in your nation. Look for ways to bless others and encourage peace instead of strife, everywhere you go.
And finally, I am asking you for a very special seed-faith offering into this healing ministry this month… This is good ground, and I believe it WILL produce a harvest for you! I will use the seed you sow for God’s glory, expecting blessings and answers to prayer as we reach out to the world with God’s Word and healing power… And I am expecting God to multiply your seed back to YOU in the way you need it.
As you sow your seed this month, use it as a point of contact to release your faith to God and expect His unlimited healing power to come into your life and your nation. Join with me in believing Him to turn around a down economy and reverse the unemployment rates. Let’s stand together expecting Him to bring godly leaders to the forefront and give them favor. Release your faith for the needs of your nation as you sow your seed in faith to the Lord!
And KEEP EXPECTING YOUR HARVEST, because God is the Lord of the Harvest. As you sow to Him, He multiplies it back to you! Sowing your seed puts you into unity with this ministry and our outreaches. It brings you into one accord with Lindsay, me, and the Lord. And remember… When we are in one accord, the power of God comes into your life! Your seed is going to produce a harvest for you.
I want you to know that I am standing in faith with you for abundant harvests of healing, deliverance, ideas, concepts, insights, godly relationships, jobs, finances, and everything else that you need… In Jesus’ name, may your every seed sown in faith come back to you good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over (Luke 6:38).
You are a great blessing to Lindsay and me, and I thank God for you daily. I look forward to hearing from you very, very soon!
Your partner for miracles,
PS. Don’t forget to tune in to The Place for Miracles on Thursday, May 31 to be a part of our Day of Prayer for the Healing of Our Nations. Together, let’s stand in faith for you, your loved ones, and our nations. I’m expecting to see signs, wonders, miracles, and answers to prayer, and I encourage you to be expecting too! Invite your loved ones to join in, so we can make a UNITED stand in faith for the Lord’s healing and restoring power to be poured into every area where it is needed.
