Posted: 03/14/2008 at 6:28pm | IP Logged

By Keith Miller, Stand Firm World Ministries

Part One

What's holding you back from being all that you can be in Christ Jesus? Do you wonder where the breakthrough is so that you can slay the giants that hold you back? I'm here to tell you that God wants to strengthen you with the might of the Holy Spirit to slay those giants in your life so that you will breakthrough for victory in every area of challenge and need. Not only that, but He wants to empower you so that your children and your children's children won't even have to deal with those giants, but experience the the fullness of God's promises for them. Yes, you can blaze a highway of revival right now in your lifetime for the harvest of generations to come! Jesus blazed the way! It's all there, the way to breakthrough and empowerment is by the effectual working power of Christ Jesus in and through you. Paul writes of the Thessalonians that they believed the Word and because they believed the Word, it became effective for them.

"For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe" (1 Thess. 2:13).

The Lord is sending forth a power anointing for harvest and He's raising up willing saints and releasing them into new dimensions of the effectual workings of Christ's power in their lives. He is raising up a mighty army of signs, wonders and miracles! Yes, you are destined to be a sign, wonder, and a miracle. All you have to be is hungry enough to glorify Him! Are you hungry? Do you want to be a sign, a wonder, and a miracle for the glory of the Lord and for a harvest of souls such as the world has never before seen?

God wants to activate the workings of Christ Jesus through you, workings that will release a Holy Ghost revival not only in the land, but also in your heart! Yes, upon you He will place a mantle of dominion power that will release you into signs, wonders, and healings for His glory! This anointing? It's for harvest! A harvest of hearts sold out for Him for a harvest of souls. God wants to empower you to be a walking sign and wonder to your children! He wants to favor you to influence a few for a thousand souls.

You're not overcome because Jesus overcame! Why waste time focused on what the giants are doing? Why not focus on who God is and what God is doing and what God can do through you by the effectual workings of His power that will overcome any diabolical scheme of the enemy that has prevented any sort of breakthrough in your life. We're living in a time of acceleration where I am confident that God will quickly restore those things you've lost. He's going to burst forth in your life the workings of Christ through you with a fresh empowering of power! This isn't just a season, but a forevermore of breakthroughs!

Are You Willing?

Everywhere I travel now, and in our own meetings, I hear more and more accounts about God's working power through the saints for the coming revival and harvest. God is working mighty signs, wonders, and miracles through His people:  Adults, seniors, and yes, children! Entire families are moving in the effectual working of His power.

In my own family, we're seeing incredible miracles and breakthroughs and recently a particularly exciting one, in what you could call "breakthrough in the realm of recovery!" This is exciting because nothing is too small or too insignificant for God. He knows our hearts and oh, how His love abounded in this recovery and His timing of course was great in light of the revelations He's given me for these teachings. More than anything else, this experience drove home the truth about how important it is to position ourselves to hear from the Lord and then to step out into His will to see His power manifest.

Recently our grown children spent a weekend away at a lake water tubing. Allison lost her wedding ring somewhere in the lake and tearfully called my wife Janet asking her to pray that they find it. She said that they'd searched for over an hour, but that the water was just too murky and deep to find it. My sons Josh and Justin dove repeatedly attempting to feel the floor of the lake for the ring, but each time all they did was stir up more sludge and raise clouds of mushy mire! They searched for more than two hours, but to no avail. However, at home, Janet prayed in the spirit at length, and then God told her to have them pray, right there at the lake. "Call them back," He told her, "and ask them to ask Me where the ring is."

Janet called them on their cell phone and told a tearful Allison to gather everyone, to have them stand in a circle, and to ask the Holy Spirit where the ring was. Josh led everyone in prayer. Immediately after prayer, they resumed the search in the lake but Josh sensed the Lord maneuver him. Each time he moved in the water, the Lord told him to move this way and that, a little to the right, a little to the left, and so on, before Josh sensed he was to dive. Then, down he dove into the dark water, raking the lake floor blindly with his hands, but he felt something there in the sludge. He grabbed a handful of it, rose out of the water, and presented the ring to a grateful Allison.

Here was this gigantic lake, with the odds of finding the ring as good as finding a needle in a haystack or of searching the ocean for a lost contact lens, but obedience and trust in God's wisdom and power made the impossible (to the natural eye) happen. This was not at all unlike the miracle God wrought through Elisha of making the iron axe head float in the water so it could be found (2 Kings 6:1-6).

God's power and wisdom is so awesome. This is just a small sampling of what we can expect as His faithful children. We can expect empowerment from on High to leap into impossible kingdom realms and new dimensions of Christ's effectual working power. If you can trust in Him and move forward in obedience to His will, He will activate the workings of Christ through you for a harvest of even all that has been lost! Yes, even your wedding ring. Nothing is too small or too great for Him to recover!

The Time of Great Opportunity

Become a Wall Leaper!

How would you like to leap the wall? We're coming into a forevermore breakthrough era of new opportunities! Favor, Grace, Favor, Grace! It's the age of the Great Opportunity. It's a time of divine open doors, favor, and grace grace! Double portions! Double favor, double grace, double harvest. Exponential grace, grace grace x grace grace and so on! Expect exponential blessings in your breakthroughs. Expect faith upon faith upon faith to rise up! Expect advancement from strength-to-strength-to-strength! Expect to go from glory-to-glory-to-glory, and so on, as God opens impossible doors for the advancement of His kingdom and His glory.

While in Minnesota with Patricia King the Lord said, "I want to bring favor to bring influence to give people effective voices in the land." How God uses you will astound you! I believe God is going to give His faithful ones much influence for harvest. He will open doors of opportunity whereby His people will gain positions of influence for their voices to become effective. For instance, whether you want to be elected mayor of your city to go after prayer in your city, or whether you need to blaze through hard ground at your workplace and are promoted, God will open the ears of influence for the harvest of hundreds if not thousands. It's all about exponential increase of the workings of Christ in you, and as you advance, the Lord is going to swing closed doors open. He's going to open the right ears, the right doors, and set out welcome mats for you to see harvest even in parched ground.

Harvest Thrust:  Out You Go!

"Then He said to the disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest". (Matt. 9:27).

In this text, we see the word, "Lord," in the context of the harvest. The Greek translation of Lord used here means "One who can empower harvesters, One who can literally oversee the harvest; One who can be empowered for harvest." [1]Interestingly, the Greek word translated "send out" is ekballo, which at the root level means to "drive out." Ballo is where we derive the English word for "ballistic," so we can see the force and sense of urgency, a driving out, a thrusting out of laborers into His harvest. We may be the instrument God uses, but God is the moving force for harvest. We see this same word used in the context of Mark 1:12 describing Christ's actions after He received the infilling of the Holy Spirit at the Jordon River where with the Spirit now in Him, "Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness."

With that sense of urgency, Jesus isnt going to thrust us out ill-equipped. No, He's going to give us His effectual wonder-working power and authority to help bring in the harvest quickly. He's going after the harvest and He's empowering us for it!

" . . . He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease." (Matt. 10:1)   

The Lord of the Harvest empowers us to harvest dormant promises and re-dig old wells in desolate places to see His harvest. He's giving us boldness to cast out every hindrance to breakthrough, to restore those dreams and visions of long ago that we thought were lost. He's empowering and sending you out! And quickly!

These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans " (Matt. 10:5).

Sending you where?

"But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (v. 6).

To do what?

"And as you go, preach, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give" (vv. 7, 8).

As you go, preach! God calls every believer to preach the Gospel with power. God will empower us to preach, to heal, to cleanse, to raise the dead, and to cast out demons. All of this to fulfill His purposes for each one of us. It's a multi-faceted purpose, for God will give you, commission you, and release you to fulfill it, and then give you another word and release you for another, and another fulfillment of it until the harvest is in. Likewise, you'll go from fulfillment to fulfillment to fulfillment of every true prophetic word ever spoken over your life. His word will be in your heart like a burning fire, shut up in your bones. You won't be able to hold it back:

"But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not" (Jer. 20:9b).

When the Word becomes as a burning fire in your heart and bones your focus will be on harvest and it won't be denied you. Because freely you have received the Word and freely you give of the powerful Word of the Lord. Those who receive you will receive Him, the Lord of the Harvest. With the workings of the Word in you, you'll become a slayer of any giant that stands in your way of harvest. Even if there's a wall, you'll leap right over it, slaying the giants to bring forth the victory.

"He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward" (Matt. 10:40-42).

They will hear of the works of Christ, see the works of Christ, know the works of Christ, and receive the good news of the Gospel. They will see the light of the fire of the Word burning within you.

"And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?" (Matt. 11:2, 3).

We see again reference to the "works of Christ" in John 9:4:

"I must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day. The night is coming when no one can work."

It's Still Day!

This speaks of the effectual, powerful, and mighty accomplishments and deeds of Christ. While it's still day, you can work the works of Christ through you, because Jesus is in you. He is still in the world, and it is still day. Jesus said that while He is in the world, He is the "light of the world" (John 9:5). You have enough light to work as long as the light is in the world, "While I AM in the world, I am the light of the world" (emphasis mine). The religious leaders of that day didn't know where Jesus came from or who He was but Jesus said, "I AM! I am THE LIGHT." Who is the light?

"Jehovah is my light and salvation" (Psalm 27:1)

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (Jas. 1:17).

In effect, Jesus was saying, "I AM GOD. I am the Jehovah of light and salvation. I am the Father of lights. As long as I'm in the world it's day because I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD."

As God's child, believing in the Son, and with His Spirit in you, you have the light! "While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light" (John 12:36a). We are the sons (and daughters) of Light! Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life" (John 8:12). As believers we are not to abide in darkness, but we are to abide (live, have our being) in Him who came as a light into the world (see John 12:46).

Oil and Fire Dispensers

Here we see Jesus in the midst of the seven golden lamps.

"Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band" (Rev.1:12, 13).

The lampstands are allegorical representations of the church, the body of Christ, God's people, believers in the Light:

"The mystery of the seven stars which you saw at My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches" (Rev. 1:20).

The lampstands are allegorical references to the temple at Jerusalem where there was a lampstand of seven branches; three on either side of one central one (see Exodus 25:31-37). We are golden lamps, precious in the sight of God and continually shining and burning with His abiding love.

He pours His oil and fire into us and we are the dispensers of the light! The lamp is not a light in itself; it's only the instrument for emitting the light. The lamp has to receive the oil and fire before it can dispense light. Christ pours the unlimited oil of the anointing in us so that we can shine and burn continually and perpetually with the glory and love of the Lord to the world. As Jeremiah, you won't be able to hold the Light, the Word back! Thus, there's no limitation for the workings of Jesus through you because He's constantly pouring, pouring, pouring

His workings in you, the rich oil of His anointing for harvest.

"Seven" biblically is completion, the ending of one thing, which means the start of a new thing. Do you want consummation in your life of some things? Do you want certain doors to close and new ones to open? Are you tired of going around the same old mountain hoping to get to the top, but the obstacles hold you back? This is the time to shake off the old and get ready for the new and for receiving the workings of Christ in you, for new beginnings, for this grand and mighty last days" anointing for harvest.

It's not yesterday's oil, but fresh oil for today. It's abundant oil that will fill you constantly and replenish yesterday's oil. It's faith faith, grace grace, to walk in what's happening today. Today!

You are the "light of the world" A city set on a hill "cannot be hidden" (Matt. 5:14).

You are a lamp, not hidden anymore, because He will fill you with the effectual workings of Christ in you, the effectual WORD in you as a beacon to all who are in the world.

"Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house" (Matt. 5:15).

As He went to the cross, Jesus said, I AM, I AM the LIGHT OF THE WORLD. He in you pours His workings into you to be that light. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:16). He's going to pour so much of Himself in you, that you won't be able to hold it back! 
 

God is turning up the light, to turn His people into "megawatt light bulbs" who will glorify God. Do you want the Lord to reach into your life today and turn up the light? Do you want to see signs, wonders, and miracles follow the preaching of His word? How about the finding of a simple gold ring in a dark and murky lake of impossibility, or the turning of one loaf of bread to feed thousands. Jesus says, "I am the Lord of the harvest, I empower people for the harvest. Are you willing to receive My workings?"

This is an abundant teaching. Don't miss Part Two where we'll unpack even more treasure in the effectual workings of Christ in and through your life for personal and harvest breakthrough.

Posted: 03/29/2008 at 8:04pm | IP Logged

A Forevermore of Breakthroughs
With the Workings of Christ In and Through You!

Posted: 03/30/2008 at 6:06pm | IP Logged

"We're coming into a forevermore breakthrough era of new opportunities! Favor, Grace, Favor, Grace! It's the age of the Great Opportunity. It's a time of divine open doors, favor, and grace grace! Double portions! Double favor, double grace, double harvest. Exponential grace, grace grace x grace grace and so on! Expect exponential blessings in your breakthroughs. Expect faith upon faith upon faith to rise up! Expect advancement from strength-to-strength-to-strength! Expect to go from glory-to-glory-to-glory, and so on, as God opens impossible doors for the advancement of His kingdom and His glory.

"This isn't just a season, but a forevermore of breakthroughs!"