Door Of Hope

People need hope. I believe we will walk into those low places with people who need Jesus, offering them the entrance to the door of hope whose name is Jesus Christ. As a Christian, we have the answer to all the world’s problems and we should be sharing it to all we meet.

Joel 3:14 

“Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.”

There will be multitudes who need hope. They will make a decision to come to Christ and live passionately for Him. There will be people who are haunted by their past, cannot cope with the present, and have no hope for their future.

Today, people have put their hope in so many things and all of them have failed them. They are looking for the real deal. They want to see genuine people expressing living hope. They are attracted to that.

What Jesus did on the cross is everything. He died so that we might live. But He didn’t stay in the grave, No, He is risen. He is alive! It gives us hope for tomorrow.

Hope is the sustainer of life. It’s the motivator to action. It’s the promise of tomorrow. What each one of us needs more of is hope. What our country and world needs is hope.

What is hope? Often we use the word hope as a form of wish. “I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow.” “I hope the Seahawks or Bulldogs win their next game.” However, hope in the Bible, has quite a different meaning.

Hope in the Bible is a “confident expectation of a divinely provided future.”

Biblical hope is a confidence and expectation that God has provided for a good future for you. This morning God wants to fill every person here with hope that God has a great future planned for you.

The opposite of hope is despair or hopelessness. We see examples of despair and hopelessness all around us.

”Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that.

Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

I would like to add to this quote;

“Despair cannot drive out despair: only HOPE can do that.” 

Pastor Kris Belfils 

How many times do we try to drive out our own despair with more despair? This will never bring encouragement.

The word despair means: “A state in which all hope is lost or absent, The feeling that everything is wrong and nothing will turn out well, abandon hope; give up hope; lose heart. Other terms:  Discouragement, disheartenment, dismay, hopelessness, pessimism, resignation, surrender.”

This happens to many people everyday. When a tragedy occurs or our expectations have not been met, we can fall into despair easily. We can fall into despair just by thinking wrong thoughts about our self and others.

There are really only two things you can have in life: 

1. Despair

2. Hope

Hope in the dictionary means: “A general feeling that some desire will be fulfilled, grounds for feeling hopeful about the future, Someone, or something on which expectations are centered.”

Having hope is so essential to surviving in life. If we lose hope, we have lost the race.

Despair and hopelessness drives people to harm themselves or others in many ways. Hopelessness leads people to try to escape life’s despair through different kinds of addictions. Despair about your future saps the joy from life when it comes to our future.

This is what the world is experiencing today. They have no hope. Some tried to put their hope in the Government or financial institutes, some in their education, some in what they buy or wear. All these things will leave you hopeless.

Psalms 42:11

“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.”

This verse is telling us to put our hope in God and to praise Him for saving us from our trouble.

What are you thinking? Are you thinking despairing thoughts? Then you will be filled with despair! Despair and discouragement are dead end roads. They lead to no where!They don’t get anything done.

Discouragement leads to despair, despair leads to feelings of anxiety and hopelessness, hopelessness leads to depression and suicidal thoughts, and suicidal thoughts leads down a path of total darkness.

If you are feeling despair, don’t jump to Satan’s illusions. Remind yourself that you are valuable and God has a plan for your life. Tell yourself that your current condition is not permanent. It will pass. Tell yourself you can stand in the midst of all the bad. Also distinguish the difference of something that is truth about you or your situation, or just a lie or illusion the enemy is trying to sabotage you with.

In the natural, darkness always makes us scared, but sunshine and light make us feel safe and happy. The doom and gloom go away instantly when light is put on the subject.

Light is the only thing that can drive out darkness. We sometimes wallow in self-pity or focus on the negative, thinking you will feel better, and the dark cloud will lift. This will never happen. Darkness cannot drive out darkness, and despair cannot drive out despair.

We have to guard against darkness in our hearts and minds. The best way is to focus on, and bring in the light.

Psalm 36:9 (NKJV)

“For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.”

John 12:46 (NKJV)

“I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.”

1 Thess 5:5 (NKJV)

“You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.”

John 1:5 (NKJV)

“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”

Isaiah 60:1

“Arise, shine; For your light has come! and the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”

We have to set our minds on new things, and what God is capable of doing. We have to turn our thoughts from the bad and purposely set our thoughts on the good.

Jesus said this about our light:

Matthew 5:14 – 16 (NKJV)

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Now let us take a look at Psalm 146 and see what the LORD is doing in our lives, which brings us much hope:

Psalm 146 (NKJV)

“PRAISE the LORD! (Hallelujah) Praise the LORD, O my soul! While I live I will praise the LORD; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Do not put your trust (hope) in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. His spirt departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish. Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the LORD his God, Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever, Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners. The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; The LORD raises those who are bowed down; The LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow; But the way of the wicked He turns upside down. The LORD shall reign forever – Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!

To overcome Hopelessness we need to remind ourself 

who the LORD is in our life:

(Based on Psalm 146)

Praise the LORD! (Ps. 146:1 – 2)

Do not put your hope in princes or in man as they will perish (146:3 – 4)

Put your hope in the LORD – it will make you happy (Ps. 146:5)

The LORD made the heaven and the earth, the sea and all that is in them (Ps. 146:6)

The LORD is the keeper of truth forever (Ps. 146:6)

The LORD executes justice for the oppressed (146:7)

The LORD gives food to the hungry (146:7)

The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners (146:7)

The LORD watches over the strangers (146:8)

The LORD opens the eyes of the blind (146:8)

The LORD raises those who are bowed down (146:8)

The LORD loves the righteous (146:8)

The LORD watches over the strangers (146:9)

The LORD relieves the fatherless and widow (146:9)

The LORD turns the way of the wicked upside down (146:9)

The LORD shall reign forever, to all generations (146:10)

Psalm 27:14  (God’s Word)

“Wait with hope for the LORD. Be strong, and let your heart be courageous.

Yes, wait with hope for the LORD.”

We have to wait with hope for God. We have to be courageous and strong in our waiting. The word; “wait” was a bad four letter word to me. I hated waiting. Waiting made me feel I did something wrong. It made me feel I wasn’t ready. But, this is not why we have to wait at times. Waiting helps us to mature in Christ. Waiting burns out the impatience in us. Waiting is better then rushing into something without God’s wisdom and direction.

Human nature gives up easily when we pray and don’t see our prayers answered. We pray once, and no answer, so we give up, or think it is not God’s will. We have to be persistent in our prayers and in faith. God is looking for people who have their hope in Him and don’t give up when they don’t see an answer to their prayer.

A great example of praying and not giving up is Elijah. I am sure Elijah waited with hope as he prayed to God for rain to come.

Read 1 Kings 18:41 – 46

Elijah could have given up after the first time praying for rain and then sending his servant to go up mount Carmel to see if any clouds were forming. Elijah’s hope was in God and he believed God would come through. Again and again Elijah prayed without any answer to his prayer. He pressed in and continued to pray.

Elijah persevered and kept praying and believing God would come through. He was relentless! He didn’t stop praying until God gave him a sign. It was in a form of a cloud the size of a man’s hand. It was all he needed to move on in his life. God gives little clouds to spark hope in our hearts that He is working and bringing the answer.

We can learn from this great man of God. We too need to keep praying without giving up. We too need to believe God will answer in spite of our circumstances or what we see or don’t see happening.

The hope is knowing God is faithful! What He did before He will do again. He used men and women in the Bible to bring about His agenda and His Kingdom. He wants to use us too.

Hebrews 11:1

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

Faith in action requires a time of waiting. The word “Hope” is interchanged with the word wait in the Bible. HOPE: Is the place between praying and answered prayer!

It can seem like God didn’t hear us or holds his answer from us.

Where can we get the hope that we need in life? …….Our hope comes from Jesus.

Matthew 12:21 (NIV)

“In his name the nations will put their hope.”

Some people put their hope in wrong things and they are disappointed. But everyone who puts their hope in Jesus will never be disappointed.

Hope for the multitudes to give them a door of hope in trying times!

Hope is the only thing that stands against fear. Having hope propels you to keep trying in the middle of your fears. This is the action or active part of hope. Hope helps us to stay focused. If we don’t have hope, we will fall into our fears and doubts and give up.

Let Hope arise in you today! The Hope of Jesus Christ is powerful. No one can take that away from you. Hope sustains you. Hope keeps you.

You might be living in a hard situation right now. It might seem hopeless, but remind yourself Who is living inside of you! Jesus, the conqueror of death! Jesus, the giver of new life and new beginnings!

Door of Hope

Hosea 2:15

“I will give her her vineyards from there, and the Valley of Achor as a door of hope; She shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.” 

This verse is for all who are facing trouble right now, be it financial trouble, family trouble, physical trouble. I don’t care what trouble you have, maybe emotional trouble? God will give you hope in the middle of your troubles.

“Her” is basically Israel, but can refer to all of us as God’s people today. “I will give her…” we are the bride of Christ! We are so blessed. We can be called “him” and “her;” the bride of Christ.

“I will give her her vineyards from there, and the Valley of Achor as a door of hope; she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.”

What a wonderful prophecy. Now, see the words, “door of hope?” In Hebrew; Pethach tiqvah. There is a Jewish Anthem entitled; “The Hope.” HATIKVAH it is sung to remember that as long as deep in the heart a Jewish soul yearns and looks to Zion our hope will not be lost.

Hope doesn’t mean; “I hope things will happen.” No, hope means it will happen. What you dream and believe in God will happen. God will meet the desires of your heart. God says, “Have hope!” Man says, “Don’t raise your hope.” God says, “Raise your hopes as high as the throne of God, hallelujah! Amen!” You have a God. Those other people who say, “Don’t raise your hope.” They don’t have a god. You have a God of grace, of goodness, of mercy!

Do you know where He puts this door of hope? Do you know where to find the door of hope? God says there’s no temptation, no testings, no trials that has come on you that God will not give you the strength, and will find the way of escape. There is a door in every test! There is a door. Where do you find this door of hope? In the Valley of Achor! What is the Valley of Achor? Listen this is a word for all of you!

The word Achor means: trouble in Hebrew (Strongs Hebrew and Greek Dictionary).

It means trouble! Wow, in your valley of trouble. When you are in trouble you don’t feel like you are on the mountain, no, you are in the valley. You may say, “Pastor Kris I have all these bills looming. I feel crushed.” God says, “In your valley of trouble I will open to you a door of hope!” “Pastor Kris, you don’t understand. The Doctors have given me some bad news.” You are going through a valley now and God is going to put the door of hope before you. And every time you open this door you step into life more abundantly (John 10:10). You will find pasture. God puts a door there.

Listen, don’t open other doors that man tries to put there. The Door is Jesus. When you open the Door you will find life, and life more abundantly!

So what trouble are you going through right now? God is putting right now, in your valley, a Door of hope. His name is Jesus, and what do you do with a door? Open it. Jesus says, “I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and opens the door, I will come in.” Once He comes in your sickness goes out! Once He comes in your lack goes out! Once He comes in, peace in the house. And by the way people forget that Jesus says, “I knock at the door” in Revelation 3:20. It is not written for sinners. It is written for the church. Okay, but He invites you to open the door. He will not break down the door. The door of grace has only one knob and it is not out side, the knob is inside. Jesus can only knock, you have to open the door and say, “Lord Jesus, come into my trouble, come into my mess. Lord, I don’t know what to do, my hands are off.” Then Jesus will say, “Come you will find pasture and life more abundant has come.”

Zacheous opened his door and said, “Come in,” and Jesus said, “Salvation has come to this house!” Hallelujah! Amen! Let’s do that right now!

Your Sister,

Pastor Kris Belfils

Entrapped By Offense

Matthew 24:3
“Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

How many believe we are living in the last days? We see wars, bad economy, natural disasters, people turning away from each other, so much hatred everywhere you go.

Matthew 24:6 – 8
“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”

Dropping down to verse 10…

Matthew 24:10 (NKJV)
“And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.”

Have you ever been betrayed? Have you ever betrayed someone?
Have you hated someone for something they did to you?
Have you been mistreated?
Are you holding onto a grudge and have become bitter over an event and the people surrounding it?

You may be offended and don’t even know it.

Again…
Matthew 24:10 (NKJV)
“And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.”

Many = much, largely, abundant, great, plenteous, majority, at least 51% will take offense. Over 51% will betray one another and hate one another.

There is a progression:
Offended, wounded, hurt person will eventually put up walls and betray.

Being offended is a trap from the enemy to put you in bondage and bring division. We can be entrapped by an offense and not even know it. That is the reality of be offended. We don’t see how it is affecting us, our family, our church, and everything that is connected with us.

Proverbs 18:19
“An offended brother is harder to reach than a fortified [strong] city, and quarrels [contentions] are like the bars of a fortress [castle].”

A strong city has walls for protection. They were built to keep out those people that you believed were against you.

This is exactly what an offended person does, they begin to build walls to protect themselves.
The New Testament calls these walls Strongholds.”

2 Cor. 10:3 – 5
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for the pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments (Imaginations or reasonings) and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”

They are thought processes or reasonings developed deep within our soul and are contrary to the will or Word of God.

The Word of God is always congruent to the nature of God. The nature of God is love.

The word of God is always to give, to give, to give.

An offended person builds up walls to protect, protect, protect.

They think, “I’ve been hurt and I don’t want to get hurt again!” This sets them up for betrayal.

A lot of us really don’t understand what betrayal means as we look at the extreme cases of it like Benedict Arnold or Judas.

Betrayal is when a person seeks his own benefit or protection at the expense of one he has a relationship with.

Betrayal is the ultimate abandonment of a relationship.

Betrayal, if not dealt with will ultimately lead to hatred.

Hatred is the absence of love or they are “loveless.”

Then Deception. The offended heart is the breeding ground of Deception.

Deception is deceiving – a person who thinks they are really right, turns out to be really wrong. (The devil makes the wrong look right and the right look wrong.) He knows how to present false information looking like the truth.

Matthew 24:11 (NKJV)
“Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.”

When we become deceived we are like a false prophet. False prophets are
wolves in sheep’s clothing – notice wolves in sheep’s clothing not shepherds clothing. Many times they are sitting in the pews.

Wolves travel in packs to isolate a sheep from the herd. There is protection for sheep staying in a herd.

Proverbs 18:1 (HCSB)
“One who isolates himself pursues [selfish] desires; he rebels against all sound judgment.”

Where does the isolation occur? In the thinking process – you can still be a member of a church but the isolation happens in our hearts and makes you a perfect candidate for deception……

Matthew 24:12 (NKJV)
“And because of lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.”

The word Lawlessness in the Greek is “anomia” which is translated, “Law unto yourself”. It is what you want to do. King James Version uses the word “Inequity,” which is sin. It is action that is against God’s Word and law. It is being selfish and doing things your own way. You make the rules. You decide what is right or wrong. This thinking will lead you astray always!

Looking at Matthew 24:12 again, “And because of lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.”
Again, the word “Many” means over 51%. The love here is translated in the Greek “Agape.” The love that is placed in a Christian’s heart. 51% or more will be offended in the last days. We need to beware of this. We need to guard against this.

The person who can offend you the deepest is the person closest to you. Why is that? Our expectations are higher on them.

We set ourselves up by having expectations. Not expectations of God, as that is good to have, but of man, which is always bad to have.

When we put our expectations in man we will be disappointed every time.

2 Categories of Offense:

1. Those who have genuinely been mistreated.
2. Those who think they’ve been mistreated (Often the case).

If you have been mistreated do you have the right to be offended?

A person who is offended is a person who’s forgotten what they’ve been forgiven of!

Holding unto an offense is un-forgiveness.

If you want to walk with God you don’t have a right to be offended.

Matthew 18:21 – 35 (NKJV)
“Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

70 x 7 = 490 (All in one day – Luke 17:4). We would have to sin once every three minutes as long as we don’t go to sleep in that 24 hour period.

10,000 talents = $5 Billion (Un-payable debt)
100 Denari = $10,000 (possibly a 1/3 of a year’s salary today)

Who are we to decide we won’t forgive some little offense compared to God forgiving us of all the wrong we have done. It doesn’t compare.

A person who doesn’t forgive is a person who forgot what they were forgiven of. What have you been forgiven of?
Christians think of “sin” as: Murder, adultery, stealing
Christians say they have “weaknesses”: un-forgiveness, slander, gossip, strife

Proverbs 6:16- 19 (NKJV)
“These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.“

Some translations state: “a person that stirs up conflict or trouble in the community or among the brothers.”

These are things the Lord hates! The last is an abomination – one who sows discord among brethren… this is a Christian who sows seeds of discord, not an outsider.
Discord means: “Lack of concord or harmony between persons. Disagreement, difference of opinion, strife; dispute; war.”

Abomination means: anything greatly disliked or abhorred, Loathing, a vile, shameful, or detestable action.

This is what we do when we stir up strife in church. When we go and talk to others in a negative tone about someone else at work. This is gossip. This is a lying tongue! This is judging one another.

Have you done this?
Have you heard other people do this lately?
What do you do when you hear it?
We should STOP it right away! Don’t allow the sin to manifest even bigger by staying silent while someone talks bad about another person. Do you know by just listening to it you have committed the sin as well. Remember with the same judgement you give it will be measured back to you.

Matthew 7:1 – 2
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

We categorize sin, God doesn’t.
Sin is sin.
If it doesn’t please God, don’t do it!!!

If we treat gossip like we treat murder we will be free. Treat it as a “weakness” and you will be bound to it.

We deserve to burn in the same hell as Hitler is burning in. That is our just punishment.

Were you a nice person and got saved? That’s why it is hard for you to give mercy.

Going back to the wicked servant:

Matthew 18:35 (HCSB)
“So My heavenly Father will also do to you if each of you does not forgive his brother from his heart.”

-Are you too proud to admit you are offended?
-Is your fire dying?
-Are you going to church because it is the thing to do?
-Has your love for God and man grown cold?
-Have you lost your desire to worship?

You might say, “I have forgiven them! I have prayed over this.”

Yet when you see the other person you get critical and you feel a twinge in your heart. You start rehashing all the wrong this person has done in your mind. This is not a person who is over an offense. Stop trying to deny the obvious. You are still OFFENDED!

Acts 24:16 (ASB)
“Herein I also exercise myself to have a conscience void of offense toward God and men always.”

And in the Amplified Bible it reads:

Acts 24:16 (Amplified Bible)
“Therefore I always exercise and discipline myself [mortifying my body, deadening my carnal affections, bodily appetites, and worldly desires, endeavoring in all respects] to have a clear (unshaken, blameless) conscience, void of offense toward God and toward men.”

We need to EXERCISE and DISCIPLINE ourselves not to get offended.

-Are you out of shape spiritually?
-Are you reading God’s word? (not just for school or a ritual – but is it feeding your spirit?)
-Are you spending time with God?
-Are you pushing into God?

If you are not doing these things then spiritually you are weak.

How do we exercise or overcome an offense?

Matthew 5:44 (NKJV)
“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you”

Pray for those who mistreats, abuses, and misuses you.

DAVID knew what it was like to be mistreated…

Psalm 35:11 – 12 (GNT)
“Evil people testify against me and accuse me of crimes I know nothing about. They pay me back evil for good, and I sink in despair.”

Do you ever feel like that? Treated unjustly and falsely accused?
Are People speaking lies about you and spreading gossip?

Just wait and God will get them, RIGHT?! Read on…

Psalm 35:13 – 14 (GNT)
“But when they were sick, I dressed in mourning; I deprived myself of food; I prayed with my head bowed low, as I would pray for a friend or a brother. I went around bent over in mourning, as one who mourns for his mother.”

Pray for that person who offended you like what you want God to do in you, your friends, or a family member’s life.

Pray what is truth, not what feels good to the flesh.

Go to the one who hurt you, not pointing out what they did wrong, but with words of reconciliation and kindness.

What if the person doesn’t want to forgive you or they don’t admit their part or what they did wrong? What if they are offended by you and don’t want to forgive? We can, through prayer and intercession (standing in the gap), accomplish the same healing without them.

Parent passed away – you can’t go to them and reconcile.
Someone who is unreachable – you can’t go to them and reconcile.

Allow God to heal your wounds and the wounds you have caused knowing He sees and has the healing power to overcome anything in our lives if we just yield it to Him.

The Holy Spirit can be your best counselor!

But when we can, we need to go to our brother or sister and create an atmosphere of goodness that’s going to help him say, “I am sorry!” Kind, reconciling words! Maybe even give them a nice gift with no strings attached. It is a true jester that you really care about this person and want to forgive.

The love of God He has given us can flow from us, as we receive it, to the one who has offended us.

Love covers a multitude of sins.

Choose to love instead of hate. Hatred turns into bitterness and bitterness is revenge unfulfilled!

Luke 17:1 (NKJV)
“Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!”

In other words, if you breath air you will have the opportunity to be offended.

What you do with the offense will determine your future. Either you will become stronger or bitter.

2 Tim. 2:25 – 26 (NKJV)
“In humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.”

God has so much blessings ready to pour out to us. Sin separates us from His blessings. Being offended turns off God’s goodness in our lives.

You have to remember 2 wrongs don’t make a right. If someone has hurt you and you put up walls, have un-forgiveness in your heart, and hatred it doesn’t make the wrong situation right. It makes it even worse.

The sin of offense doesn’t justify how badly you’ve been treated.

Wounds will happen. “Offenses will come…” (Luke 14:30). People will hurt us. What will be our reaction?

Don’t let pride keep you from being set free.

Are you ready to run to God with this offense and ask forgiveness?

Are you tired of carrying around this burden/bondage as long as you have been?

Prayer, repeat after me:
Father in Heaven, thank you for speaking to me through your servant. I’ve realized I’ve sinned against you by holding onto un-forgiveness. 2 wrongs don’t make a right. Yes, what was done to me was wrong. But, that doesn’t justify my sin of offense. So today I repent of my sin of offense. I ask you to cleanse me with the blood of Jesus. Father from my heart I forgive _____ (whisper their names – Dad, mom, friend, brother, sister, co-worker) Say this, “I completely release you. You owe me nothing. Nothing! I release and forgive you in the presence of God. In Jesus Name.

Ok, now I want to pray for you:

Lord God, I ask you to draw near to these people. I break the chains. I pull up the roots of bitterness now. I uproot resentment. I uproot un-forgiveness from their life, from their home. And now Lord, in it’s place poor in your love I pray, and your Holy presence. I speak freedom to your life and to your household my brother and my sister in Jesus name, Amen.

Now, let’s give Him praise!
Your Sister in Christ,

Pastor Kris Belfils

http://www.krisbelfils.com
http://www.krisbelfils.wordpress.com

It’s not About Trump!

So many people think it is about Trump and how “bad” he is. I disagree on both of those counts. I want to tell you it is not about Trump. It has nothing to do with him or Biden in this election…. say what? Hang on now and allow me to explain. It is about destroying the Conservative voice. It is about how mainstream media, social media, those in the Democrat Party, Liberals, who are head bent to destroy the conservatives. It was happening before Trump and Biden, and it will continue after. Liberals hate conservatives. Why? Because we speak TRUTH!  They hate our country and want world governance. But, there is good news! God is setting them up to be destroyed! You might say, “Aren’t you a Christian?  I thought you were a Pastor, how can you say such mean things?” First of all, I’ve heard worse coming from liberals towards me. But there is good news for the upright! I came across these verses a few days ago in my quiet time with God and this is what it says:

Psalm 92:6 – 9 NASB “A senseless man has no knowledge, Nor does a stupid man understand this: That when the wicked sprouted up like grass And all who did iniquity flourished, it was only that they might be destroyed forevermore.”

Wow, that’s in the BIBLE? Yes, it is. Here’s another;

Psalm 68:1 – 3 NKJV “Let God arise, Let His enemies be scattered; Let those also who hate Him flee before Him. As smoke is driven away, So drive them away; As wax melts before the fire, So let the wicked perish at the presence of God. But let the righteous be glad; Let them rejoice before God; Yes, Let them rejoice exceedingly.”

“As wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. Immediately I remember the movie of Indiana Jones and the Ark of the Covenant. Remember the scene when they open the Ark and at first it looks lovely, then it is evil and swarms through everyone looking and they melt like wax? What a visual!

” ….. Let His enemies be scattered…” Are you seeing a pattern here? God’s enemies will be scattered. You might ask, Kris, when will all this happen? When all the “rocks” are turned over and all the insects go running! When in court, Trump and his lawyers start turning over all the “rocks” from the election that have been thrown by the liberals trying their best to cover up the biggest scandal of our lifetime, to cheat their way into power. When will it happen? When God says, … ENOUGH! God only allows sin, wrong doing, and iniquity to last a season and says, enough! That time is NOW!

“How can you say that Kris? You are speaking evil towards others and Christians are suppose to be loving and kind!” Listen, these are not my words, but God’s. Second, they have brought this all on themselves. It has nothing to do with what I say. Look at this verse:

Psalm 94:23 NKJV “He (God) has brought on them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off (destroy) in their own wickedness; The LORD our God shall cut them off.”

The more they try to cover this iniquity up  the more they are causing destruction in their own lives. Can you see it? I sure can! 

Remember the good news Saints, the upright in heart, the righteous ones, you and I, be glad! Rejoice before God exceedingly! God will rescue us!!! There is hope! There is always hope!!!

Your sister in Christ,

Kris Belfils

krisbelfils.com

A Prophetic Word God gave me concerning the election.

Prophetic Word God gave me today (November 6, 2020):

I was cleaning and reorganizing my basement earlier today. I have a weekly Worship Team practice at my home every Thursday night. I wanted to make my basement more usable and welcoming for practice. There was clutter of boxes, instruments, husbands tools computer stuff, cables, big acoustic drum set, 2 couches, boxes of books and so much more. As I looked at the mess, I knew I had a plan for an outcome I wanted and would have, it just seemed overwhelming at the moment. The plan began to unfold even more as I cleared the mess. The Holy Spirit said, “Just as you have a plan in the middle of all of this chaos in your basement, I have a plan in the middle of all the election chaos.” The more I cleaned, the messier it seemed to get. I had to remove all the “junk” I didn’t need or it was broken and no longer worked. Things I really didn’t want to part with, or that I thought I needed. Some things I wanted to get rid of a long time ago. All to have a better worship and practice environment. I had to throw some of the clutter in the garbage. Some of the clutter stunk! I even had to throw away an old chair of my grandmothers as it was broken and worn down. I never used it. It just meant something to me because it was my grandmothers. As I moved things out, it exposed a lot of dirt. Dirt and dust I couldn’t see when all the clutter was there. I even found things I thought I lost. It took some time to clean and clear things all up but when it was done, I had so much more room and no clutter. I believe and declare this will be the same for Trump as they go to court and present their cases of voter fraud. It looks messy right now. It can look like they have won, but God has a plan! He knows the outcome! I just need to rest in Him and not in my flesh.

New Wine

This is one of those songs you sing knowing God’s refiners fire is coming to your heart. He has been speaking to me lately about needing my old wine skin to be soaked in Holy Spirit’s oil to be pliable for His new wine so I can be a vessel He can use in a new way. Let’s allow God to bring new wine out of us today!

Come, Holy Spirit

Laughter Is Good Medicine!

I’ve recorded this message on video if you would like to watch it HERE or by clicking onto the picture above.

I’m sure you have heard the saying: “Laughter is good medicine!?” Is it true? Where did that phrase come from?

This teaching video is designed to bring some laughter to your day and quite possibly a “skip in your step!”

Proverbs 17:22 KJV
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

Proverbs 17:22 The Passion Translation
A joyful, cheerful heart brings healing to both body and soul.
But the one whose heart is crushed
struggles with sickness and depression.

Proverbs 17:22 NLT
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.

Cheerfulness is shown by always being ready to greet others with a welcoming word, offering words of encouragement, being enthusiastic about the task at hand, or having a positive outlook on the future. Such people are as welcome to others as pain-relieving medicine.

I love it when I am with my sister or a good friend and we end up laughing over silly things. Leaving them and heading home I feel relaxed, refreshed, and at peace. It’s funny how that works but that is how we all are created. I use to be frustrated that my bad emotions would have a negative affect on my health. In the case of positive emotions, which I include being happy and laughing in this category, I am thankful that my emotions affect my health. It affects me mentally, emotionally, and even physically.

The average adult laughs 17 times a day while a child laughs 300 times a day. There is a reason why we have always heard that laughter is the best medicine. Both humor and laughter can be effective self-care tools to help us cope with stress, especially in the workplace. Finding humor and laughter in stressful situations can give us a sense of perspective on our problems. And it’s good for our health. (https://www.uspm.com/does-a-laugh-per-day-keep-the-doctor-away/)

Here are just a few health benefits related to laughing…
-Improves your mood – can lessen depression, anxiety and help you relax.
-Improves your immune system – positive thoughts from laughter release neuropeptides that help fight stress and potentially more-serious illnesses.
-Laughter boosts the number of antibody-producing cells, which leads to a stronger immune system.
-Activates multiple organs – stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles.

Laughing is much more than an emotional response to something funny, it also brings a physical response. Laughing exercises several muscles in the body, including your abdomen, back, shoulders, and facial muscles. Also, laughter is a great workout for your respiratory system! Much like physical activity, such as running, which increases the endorphins that are released by your brain, laughter has the same effect on your body.

-Laughter causes you to gulp in large portions of air, which brings oxygen to your blood.
-Laughter strengthens the immune system.
-When we laugh our bodies release hormones and chemicals that have positive effects on our system. One of these chemicals is endorphins, the feel-good hormone.
-One minute of laughing burns the same number of calories as 6 to 10 minutes on a treadmill.
-Laughing raises your mood; joyfulness through laughter is the fastest way to create a positive state of mind.
-Laughing is good for the heart and improves blood circulation.
-Laughter can reduce pain and aid the healing process.
-Laughter creates and strengthens human connections.
It feels good to laugh.

Ways to Laugh More

1. Set the Intent to Laugh More. Make a resolution, or set the intent, of laughing heartily as often as you can. Setting a goal to laugh more is as important as setting the goals to get more exercise, eat healthier, and drink more water.

Tell yourself: “I resolve to laugh more”.

2. Include Laughter in Your Morning Routine. Many of us have a routine that we follow every morning to help set us up to have a great day. How about adding laughter to your morning routine?

One way you can do this is by getting a year-in-a-box calendar that will give you a quick laugh when you glance at the joke for the day. Choose a year-in-a-box calendar that tickles your fancy and put it right next to your alarm clock.

Another idea is to get yourself a joke book and read one joke every morning.

3. Smile More. Yes, I know: smiling is not laughing. However, smiling also has a myriad of benefits. When you smile, happy changes begin to take place automatically, both internally and externally. In addition, you can think of smiling as a warm up for laughing.

One way to remember to smile more is to have smiling cues sprinkled throughout your day. There are a number of ways to do this, including getting yourself a coffee mug that makes you smile. That way, every time you get yourself a cup of coffee you’re reminded to smile.

Here are three more cues you can use to remember to smile:
-Smile as you step into the shower.
-Smile every time you’re about to enter your home.
-Smile every time you open the refrigerator.

4. Read the Funnies. If you’re one of those people who still reads the newspaper offline—like me—don’t skip the funnies. After reading about everything that’s going wrong in the world, a little levity will do you good.

5. Befriend a Funny Person. Some people are just naturally funny. They may have a way with words, or they may have a wacky way of looking at the world. These people are gems. If you find one, befriend them immediately.

6. Have a Favorite Comedian. There are lots of great comedians out there, but almost everyone knows of at least one comedian who really appeals to their own particular sense of humor. Choose your favorite comedian and look for some of their comedy routines on YouTube.

7. Follow a Funny Sitcom. Although I advocate watching less TV so that you have more time to read—or work on projects that are important to you—I’m not one of those people who argue that you shouldn’t watch any TV. Just make sure that you’re watching shows that you really enjoy.

8. Have More Fun on Date Night. Keep your relationship strong by laughing more with your partner. On date night, go to a comedy club. If you want to stay in, make some popcorn and watch a funny movie.

9. Read a Funny Book. I often recommend that you read the classics, but you should also read books just because they’re funny. A genuinely funny book is one of life’s greatest pleasures.

10. Find a Little Kid You Can Hang Out With. Little kids haven’t forgotten how to laugh yet. They’ll laugh at just about anything, and there are few things more infectious than a little kid’s laugh.

11. Get a Pet. More specifically, get a dog. Dogs make us laugh because. . . well, just look: (Insert video of funny dog here)

12. Play Fun Games With Friends. Playing competitive party-style games with a group of friends you enjoy hanging out with will have you laughing in no time.

13. Learn to Laugh at Yourself. Most of us take ourselves too seriously, which limits our ability to find the humor in difficult situations. In addition, it can make us uptight and overly sensitive to what other people may be thinking of us.

Learning to laugh at yourself takes some of the pressure off, and it will allow you to be more authentic and vulnerable (both of which are desirable character traits). Here are two ways learn how to laugh at yourself:

Give yourself permission to be silly. At the right moment, being silly is a plus.

Look for the funny side of things. When you’re upset over something, ask yourself: “How is this situation funny”? Humor is a great way to deal with adversity and can even turn a negative into a positive.

14. Take Up Something New. When you try something new–whether it’s to draw, perform a karate kick, or learn to roller blade— your initial attempts will likely be clumsy and even ridiculous. That is, funny.

And, since in the point above you learned how to laugh at yourself, taking up something new is very likely to result in lots of laughs.

15. Have a Favorite Comic Strip. My favorite carton strip of all time is Calvin & Hobbes. I have all of Bill Waterson’s Calvin & Hobbes books. When I need a pick-me up I grab the pile of books, sprawl out on my bed, and look through them.

16. Put Laughter Quotes Up On a Bulletin Board. Put up a bulletin board where you’ll be sure to see it often, and fill it with laughter quotes. Here are some to get you started:

“Against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand.” — Mark Twain
“The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.” – e. e. cummings
“If laughter cannot solve your problems, it will definitely dissolve your problems; so that you can think clearly what to do about them.” – Dr. Madan Kataria

17. Do More of What Makes You Laugh. When was the last time you had a really good laugh? What were you Doing? Do more of that.

18. Start a Joke Jar. Get your whole family to laugh more by starting a joke jar. Do the following:

Get a nice jar and some scraps of papers.
Find some funny jokes and write them down on the scraps of paper. Ask your family members to do the same.

Put the scraps of paper with the jokes written on them in the jar.
At dinner time have someone reach into the jar, take out a joke, and read it out loud.
Here are some family-friendly jokes to get you started (they’re Easter oriented since it’s almost Easter):

Q: What do you call a rabbit with fleas? A: Bugs Bunny!
Q: Why shouldn’t you tell an Easter egg a joke? A: It might crack up!
Q: What kind of book does a rabbit like at bedtime? A: One with a “hoppy” ending.

Haha

Thanks for stopping by!

Pastor Kris

How To Overcome Fear of the Coronavirus!

Fear, we all have to deal with it, sometimes everyday, in our life. Fear can paralyze us if we allow it too. Fear does serve a useful purpose in that it is a vital response to physical and emotional danger—if we didn’t feel it, we couldn’t protect ourselves from legitimate threats. But if we allow it to rule above our faith, and what God wants us to do for His Kingdom, the devil wins. Remember that the devil is full of fear.

I’ve heard the saying, “Fear is nothing more than faith in the devil.” Ouch! I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to ever have faith in the devil! We are serving the enemy when we fear and pull away when God wants us to push forward and persevere and expect a breakthrough.

It’s amazing what we lose in life by listening to fear instead of listening to God. Choose to listen and obey God’s voice and not your fears. You will gain so much and stay on the right path.

Everyone struggles with fear!

What fear can cause
Fear can cause us to reduce the size of God and elevate the size and opinion of man.
Fear can cause us to reduce the size of God and elevate the size of our problem.
Fear can cause us to lead people in the wrong direction.
Fear causes us to stay quiet when we should clearly speak up.
Fear causes us to be passive about an issue that The Lord has clearly brought to our attention.
Fear causes us to seek consensus rather than really seeking the voice of The Lord.
Fear causes us to not engage the broken, the hurting, the misfits and the neglected.
Fear causes us to refuse to embrace change. (Fear of the unknown)
Fear causes us to try and control things and take matters into our own hands rather than trusting The Lord and trusting others.
Fear causes us to conceal sin and shame in our lives when God’s Word is so clear that we should ask others for help.
Fear causes us to seek the easy decision, what’s comfortable rather than seeking the right one.
Fear makes us choose wrong choices.

So what do we do with our fear? I don’t know how you have dealt with fear in your past, but it is my heart to help you overcome any fear, and to realize God is bigger than anything that comes against you.

How to overcome fear

1. Overcome fear with faith.

Fear is the opposite of faith.

A.W. Tozer states:

Fear is of the flesh

and panic is of the Devil!

A.W. Tozer

It seems when we entertain thoughts of fear, and allow it to settle in our spirit, panic will set in. Many people have had panic attacks in their life all due to fear. Most of the time the fear is something we think will happen and not a factual outcome.

The Bible says, that Satan is like a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8). He roars that he might make us afraid. The roar of a lion can actually paralyze its prey causing it to be its easy target. If Satan can create fear in us, we become an easier prey for him to destroy.

God offers us faith as Romans 12:3 says, “For by the grace (unmerited favor of God) given to me I warn everyone among you not to estimate and think of himself more highly than he ought [not to have an exaggerated opinion of his own importance], but to rate his ability with sober judgment, each according to the degree of faith apportioned by God to him.”

Everyone is given the measure of faith as a born again Christian. You have faith, you don’t need to pray for it. I don’t need to pray for faith, I just need to use the faith that I have. The more I use the faith that I have, the stronger it will get. Faith can grow and the only way it grows is if you use it. Faith is a powerful force that resides on the inside of our spirit. When it is released tremendous things can happen.

We have to have faith to get up in the morning. We have to have faith to raise our children, or drive in traffic, or get married and stay married. So also we need faith to overcome our fears. Faith is a decision we make about where we are going to put our trust. Our trust has to be in God and His Word. He is for you and not against you. He has great plans for you. He brings opportunities for you to walk in and wants you to walk in them fearlessly.

We can release our faith in three different ways: by praying, by saying, and by doing. Stop saying how you feel or think and start saying what God says about your situation. Allow your faith to arise in times of being afraid. The shield of faith is your best weapon to overcome the lies and roars of the enemy.

Eph. 6:16

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

This includes a shield of faith — “thureos” in Greek — a shield large enough to provide full protection from attack, covering the believer from head-to-toe during hand-to-hand spiritual warfare. Ultimately, the Lord is described as our Shield (as aforementioned). No matter who rises up against us, He covers us.

2. Remind yourself Who is with you!

God is and has always been with you. Even though you can’t see Him, even though you can’t feel Him, He is with you!

Isaiah 41:10
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

And Scripture tells us to cast our care on Him!

Psalm 55:22
Cast your cares on the Lord
and he will sustain you;
he will never let
the righteous be shaken.

3. Set Your Mind On Things Above!

Phill. 4:6 – 7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

This is what the Lord showed me concerning the Coronavirus:

Coronavirus: Is an enemy we cannot see yet we place our fears deeply in it. The results or evidence of the virus is: sickness, quarantine, panic, anxiety, Stress, and Death!

Faith In God: A Superior being we cannot see yet we place our trust in Him and the results or evidence of God is: peace, love, healing, joy, happiness, and LIFE and so much more!

What we focus on and what we put our trust in will be our God. I don’t know about you but I would rather put my trust, faith, and focus on God and not give place for anxious thoughts, panic, stress, and ultimately death. God is bigger than this virus! God is bigger than our fears concerning the virus and concerning anything that scares us. Fear of the unknown is tremendous. But we overcome this fear simply by placing our trust in God and believing that He is always with us and we can continue to live full abundant lives in the midst of this storm we are all facing!

4. Be courageous.

Courage is not the absence of fear, but courage is actually forward motion in the presence of fear.

God wants us to be strong and courageous. He spoke this to Joshua many times before he crossed over the water to possess the promised land.

Joshua 1:6 – 7 Amplified Bible
“Be strong (confident) and of good courage, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only you be strong and very courageous, that you may do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you. Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.”

Joshua was just getting ready to face the giants in the land and to possess the promises God gave Moses forty years earlier. He needed courage to be encouraged to go even in the face of any fears he may have experienced.

Hebrews 13:6 Amplified Bible
“So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me?”

What can man do to me? Our flesh screams daily for being comfortable. Our spirit should be tenacious to overcome our flesh and to press forward with the new God has waiting for us.

The Webster dictionary speaks of being encouraged as: “to inspire with courage, spirit, or hope.” This is what we need to do for ourselves. We need to encourage ourself in the Lord. I have written on this in my article, “How To Encourage Yourself In The Lord.” It is the number one article on my Blog (krisbelfils.wordpress.com). Daily I have people reading that article and they found it by searching the internet on “How To Encourage Yourself.” Everyone of us need to be encouraged daily. If we lose our courage, we have lost the war.

Courageous is: possessing or characterized by courage; brave (dictionary.com).

We need to have brave hearts in this journey of life. Anyone can give up and retreat. It takes a courageous person to press on in the midst of fear or discouragement.

This is not a time to give up. It’s not a time to retreat and think all is lost. It is a time to be strong and courageous and get a glimpse of who God is in your life. He is Bigger than anything and everything you face!

I encourage you today to put your hope and trust in God and not in the Coronavirus. The Coronavirus only brings sickness, disease, anxiety, panic and death. God came to give us life and to have life more abundantly! We will get through this season. It is only a season! Life will go on after this season, and so will we!

Your Sister,

Pastor Kris Belfils

True Liberty! (Independence Day Message)

The Pledge of Allegiance:
“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

I love the Pledge Of Allegiance of the United States, especially the part where it states: “One Nation under God, indivisible, with LIBERTY and justice for all.” The United States was founded and is a nation created for religious freedom. Freedom to worship God the way we want to and freedom to live in liberty and justice for everyone.

No matter how many people fight religious freedom, it will be part of the United State’s foundation. If it were not for spiritual hungry people, the Pilgrims, wanting and longing to worship God freely, and in their own way, the United States would not be here. We all should be thankful for these Freedom Fighters! Dare I say: Revivalists?

Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence: Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness! It was originally written: Life, Liberty, and property, but Jefferson changed it. We have the right to pursue Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in the U.S.

The pursuit of happiness is defined as a fundamental right mentioned in the Declaration of Independence to freely pursue joy and live life in a way that makes you happy, as long as you don’t do anything illegal or violate the rights of others. This goes along with pursuing God and the things of God.

The United States was founded on Freedom and Liberty. It is a place to be free.

There is a deeper Freedom, a more powerful freedom for Christians that God wants us to experience. We have freedom in Christ. What does that mean?

Gal. 5:1 TPT
Let me be clear, the Anointed One has set us free—not partially, but completely and wonderfully free! We must always cherish this truth and stubbornly refuse to go back into the bondage of our past.

Jesus, the Anointed One, has taken our place as the ultimate sacrifice for all that we have done. He wanted us to have freedom from sin. Freedom from our past. To not be a slave to the wrong we have done. If you have turned to the Lord and He is your Savior, you are free indeed!

John 8:36 NIV
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

John 8:36 TPT
So if the Son sets you free from sin, then become a true son and be unquestionably free!

Jesus wanted us to walk in His freedom. If we don’t, we are saying Christ died in vain. But He didn’t die in vain. I want to really grab ahold of what it means to have liberty in Christ.

2 Cor. 3:16 – 18 NIV
But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Once the carnal veil of human reasoning and interpretation is removed, the believer begins to reflect the brightness of God’s glorious inward presence, ever changing more into His likeness and wonder.

“Now the Lord – Christ is that Spirit of the law whereof I speak, to which the letter was intended to lead. And where the Spirit of the Lord, Christ, is, there is liberty – Not the veil, the emblem of slavery. There is liberty from servile fear (having or showing an excessive willingness to serve or please others), liberty from the guilt and from the power of sin, liberty to behold with open face the glory of the Lord.” ~ John Wesley

Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. Whenever the Spirit of God is present there is LIBERTY!

We have freedom to be who we are in Christ.

2. We have freedom to pursue Him and find out more about Him.

3. We have freedom to walk in His righteousness and let go of our own.

4. We have freedom to walk guilt and debt free from our past.

And because of all of this…

5. We have freedom to experience all that God has for us.

Liberty

Liberty: In the Noah 1828 Dictionary:
1. Freedom from restraint, in a general sense, and applicable to the body, or to the will or mind.
2. Natural liberty consists in the power of acting as one thinks fit, without any restraint or control, except from the laws of nature. It is a state of exemption from the control of others, and from positive laws and the institutions of social life.
3. Civil liberty is the liberty of men in a state of society, or natural liberty so far only abridged and restrained, as is necessary and expedient for the safety and interest of the society, state or nation.
4. Political liberty is sometimes used as synonymous with civil liberty But it more properly designates the liberty of a nation, the freedom of a nation or state from all unjust abridgment of its rights and independence by another nation.
5. Religious liberty is the free right of adopting and enjoying opinions on religious subjects, and of worshiping the Supreme Being according to the dictates of conscience, without external control.
6. Leave; permission granted.
7. A space in which one is permitted to pass without restraint, and beyond which he may not lawfully pass;

Liberty is the very essence of the Gospel.

James 1:25 NKJV
But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

The primary motivation for legalism is guilt, but the motivation for the perfect law of liberty is love.

Liberty
Eword: The opposite of servitude or bondage, hence, applicable to captives or slaves set free from oppression. Morally, the power which enslaves is sin (Joh 8:34)…

John 8:34 NKJV
Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.”

…and liberty consists, not simply in external freedom, or in possession of choice, but in deliverance from: the darkening of the mind, sinful lusts and the enthrallment of the will, brought on by a morally corrupt state.

Leviticus 25:10 KJV
And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty (release NASB) throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.

This is the first time the word “liberty” is mentioned in the Bible. It is also the famous quote that is on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, PA… “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof…” Most citizens today assume that the famous bell got its name from the fact that it rang when America announced its liberty, but such is not the case. It is called the Liberty Bell because of the Biblical inscription.

Another scripture on liberty…

Isaiah 61:1 NKJV
“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;

There is deliverance to everyone who is captive in sin, sickness, and even death. This was Jesus’ mission on earth and it still is. We can be set free from all of this because of what He did on the cross for you and I. He took our place. We are free! We are healed! We don’t have to die and spend eternity in hell, but we get to live forever with Jesus some sweet day when we go home to be with the Lord.

In the New Testament:

Luke 4:18 KJV
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

To set at liberty them that are bruised… The bruised: the completely crushed and shattered in life, the oppressed and broken in body, mind, and spirit so that there is no aim even to live. Sickness, disease, weakness, failure, bondage to sin and evil habits that destroy the body, soul, and mind. Jesus came to “set at liberty” those who have experienced or are experiencing these things.

Liberty means so much more than setting someone free from bondage. It means to bring healing to those who have been crushed in their emotions, body, mind, and spirit.

God wants us to live in His liberty. This means we are living in wholeness and healing of our past: the things we have done and the things that have been done to us.

If you have been crushed and your life seems shattered, if you are oppressed and broken, God wants to heal you of all of that with His freeing power so you can live your life to the fullest! In His liberty!

Here in the United States we have a Liberty Bell and a Statue of Liberty in the U.S. We have “Liberty and justice for all” in our pledge. We have “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” in our Declaration of Independence. Liberty is so important for our nation and to each one of us as individuals.

2 Cor. 3:17 NASB
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

The Spirit of God is always the spirit of liberty; the spirit that is not of God is the spirit of bondage, the spirit of oppression and depression. The Spirit of God convicts vividly and intensely, but He is always the Spirit of liberty. God who made the birds never made birdcages; it is men who make birdcages, and after a while we become cramped and can do nothing but chirp and stand on one leg. When we get out into God’s great free life, we discover that that is the way God meant us to live “the glorious liberty of the children of God.” – Oswald Chamber

Liberty in Christ can never be taken away from us. We are free in Jesus because of what he paid for us. I want to be so free that I don’t even think about what I use to be, but to pursue all that God wants me to be. There is no bondage on us. No shackles. No chains. We are released to move and become all that we were created to be, all because of Jesus!

WE ARE FREE!
WE ARE FREE!
WE HAVE BEEN SET FREE!
WE HAVE FULL LIBERTY!

Independence Day means so much to me. I declare my independence from this world and pledge my dependance on God.

Pledge to my Savior:
I pledge allegiance to my Savior Who paid the price for my sins, and to His Father and Holy Spirit who lives inside of me, One Kingdom, One God, with unconditional love and acceptance for all.                                                                                         By Pastor Kris Belfils

Your Sister in Christ,

 

Pastor Kris Belfils
http://www.KrisBelfils.wordpress.com
http://www.KrisBelfils.com
http://www.HopeFellowshipSpokane.com

 

Heart On Fire – Revival Fire

My heart and prayer for all of my Christian life is that God would bring a revival fire to Spokane and the world and ignite and transform people! That they wouldn’t live less then what they were created to live. I have been on staff at various churches in Washington State and all of them my heart burned for God to move on the hearts of the people to awaken them and put a fire in their bellies. I have traveled to Africa, Panama, Germany, Finland, Holland, Sweden, Canada, England, Amsterdam (Netherlands), and all over the United States with this message. Why would I do that? Because God has so transformed me and my life I just have to tell others so they can experience His love, grace, and mercy for themselves. It is a life-changer!!! It is also the great commission to go into all the world and preach the gospel too all!

I remember receiving the baptism of the holy Spirit at an early age. That experience was life changing too. I was empowered with Holy Spirit’s power and anointing to see and move in God’s Spirit everywhere I went. It was like when I got saved I was given a spoon to dig up dirt. Then when I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit I was given a big shovel to dig up dirt. All of the sudden I was given insight and knowledge that I didn’t have before. I was given tools and powerful weapons against the enemy. I was infused with God’s power to fight off the enemy and to take the land for God’s Kingdom.

We all need to be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

John the Baptist stated that He baptized in water unto repentance but there was someone mightier then he was coming who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Matthew 3:11 – 12 NKJV
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Unquenchable fire!

Our God is a consuming fire. He hates sin and any residue of it left behind will pollute a godly harvest. During the seasons of harvest, when fruits of intimacy with God has been produced from the inner workings of revival, one aspect of God’s fiery expression is sent forth to purge the staff still left among the gathered threshed grain. This spiritual purging cleanses the ungodly residues that frequently cling to the grain harvest and could defile the value of the final product.

The work of the Holy Spirit in your lives is often compared to the numerous grain harvest described in the Bible. Revival awakens the heart to intimacy with God, which in turn produces fruit of many types. During the mid to latter stages of this awakening happening in a person, group, or thing, God begins to construct the threshing floor.

The laborers, who worked on these threshing floors, threshed the grain and generally used a six-pronged wooden fork-like shovel to scoop up the crushed grain and toss it to the evening winds, removing the outer translucent husks—this is one type of chaff. There are two types of chaff associated with grain harvests. The second type is the stalks, dried leftover roots and broken stubble, which are either fed to the livestock or, most frequently, burned. God requires those who have been revived to produce a pure harvest, one unspotted by the dead works of the flesh.

Imagine for a moment a forest full of beautiful trees that is suddenly devastated by a large wild fire. The statuesque trees are instantly transformed to mere piles of smoldering ash. You can no longer see any resemblance of a forest. All that remains is a desolate place covered in ash. Now this sounds terrible, but in the Spiritual this is an amazing thing.

The fire of revival is a consuming force. As the flames spread, fear, sin, lust, pride, rebellion, and many other bondages are destroyed. Where there was once a large stronghold, there now is freedom. You can no longer see any form of that bondage because it has been overtaken by God’s holy fire. His fire is transformative and full of delivering power. In a moment, the fire of God takes you from just hearing about a move of God into experiencing that move. This fire also releases a deep passion on the inside of your spirit man. As you are in the presence of revival fire, you are stirred in the deepest part of your being.

You cannot choose between the Spirit and the fire. They are inseparable, one and the same. There are not two baptisms, one “in the Spirit” and the other “in fire.” There is one baptism only in the Spirit and fire.

Acts 2:1 – 4 NKJV
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

When the Holy Spirt came on the Day of Pentecost, He arrived with tongues of fire. One hundred and twenty men and women were divinely empowered and supernaturally endued. Heaven’s power invaded the earth, and those one hundred and twenty then shook their whole world. Today, we have got plenty of fanfare, but very little fire; plenty of formulas, but very little flames. We are high on utterance, but low on unction. Where is the holy heat of His presence? What has happened to the “mighty baptism from on high?” How many have been immersed—soaked, saturated, dunked, and virtually drowned—in His enabling power and might? Where is the overwhelming flood tide of His waves in our nation today?

The promise of the Father as Jesus described it, arrived on Pentecost to waiting, seeking, and united souls. It was an outpouring of fire. God is a consuming fire. The result or fruits of this outpouring empowered the Church, unlocking immeasurable spiritual unction to preach, pray, prophesy, and minister.

In this case the fire fell. Revival is not about getting “fired up” as much as it is getting under the “fire fall.” In the natural, fire goes up. In the supernatural, fire comes down. Elijah called down fire from heaven on the sacrifice. Fire came down on Mt. Sinai. Fire came down on the day of Pentecost. Jesus told his disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father. As they waited, divided tongues as of fire sat on each of them. The fire fell in Jerusalem because that is where He told them to go. Fire falls where God tells you to go. Fire falls on what He tells you to do. Fire falls on obedience.

The fire of revival is the revelation of the Lord Himself. In revival moves, God comes down in the midst of the people in full manifestation. Strange and unusual manifestations take place and what was once difficult suddenly becomes easy in the presence of the Creator. The Lord is clothed in fire. It is impossible to enter into the manifest presence of God without experiencing the fire of God. The fire is in the Holy Place. Outer-court Christians (those who have been converted but live in the flesh) will not be able to experience the fullness of the fire of God. That fire burns in the Holy Place. It is revealed to those who have laid down their lives and moved beyond the flesh realm into the realm of the Spirit.

Romans 12:1-2
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Paul’s admonition to the church at Rome was to lay their very lives on the altar and become a living sacrifice. The altar is the place of fire and the place of death. There is a level of Christianity that much of the modern-day Church does not know. It is that place where you have surrendered your entire existence to God. As the believer approaches the fire of God, it means certain death to the life of the flesh but a deep release of the life of the Spirit.

Mark 8:34
And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Revival fire is calling the Church back to the altar, back to the place of holy living, and back to radical obedience.

Romans 8:13-14
For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

The Christian who is living their life surrendered to the fire and dying to the flesh is sensitive to the voice of the Spirit. When you have been purged in the fire you are quick to obey God.

Dream: I had a dream over 15 years ago. It was during a time in my life where God was burning out all the dross in me. In the dream, I walked into a big hall or conference room and there were many people attending. I walked up to the front of the room and began speaking out things that God was doing in people. With passion I would shout out “Someone has this in their life and God wants to heal you!” I would point to people and tell them what God was saying to them. From the back of the room a man stood up and said, “She’s been through the fire and that is why she can be used like this!!!” 🔥

I had been through the Holy Fire of God in my life and it was hot. I needed it desperately and I didn’t even know it. After the intense purifying that God took me through with changing the way I thought and acted and spoke, I was ready for God to mold and make me into what He wanted me to be. To this day I am forever changed by that time in my life. (You can read more about this in my book, “The Garbage Man Always Comes On Fridays.”)

What does Revival Fire do?

1. Fire illuminates

Fire illuminates, but no fire illuminates like “the baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire.” When one is baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire, truth that once was dark to them becomes instantly as bright as day; passages in the Bible that they could not understand before become as simple as ABC; and every page of God’s Holy Word glows with heavenly light. This kind of baptism will do more for taking the infidelity and skepticism and false doctrine out of a person than any university education.

2. Fire Makes Warm, It Makes Us Glow

You and I are cold—oh, how cold we are! And the Lord Jesus takes us and He plunges us into the fire of the Holy Spirit. We begin to grow warm, and soon we glow, glow with love for God, glow with love for Christ, glow with love for the truth, glow with love for those who are perishing. The greatest need of the day is men and women on fire.

3. Fire Impacts Energy

Science tells us that every form of energy can be transmuted into fire. When a baptism with fire comes, then comes power. That is what was manifested at Pentecost. The fire of God fell, and with the energy of that fire they went out from the Upper Room and three thousand people were converted.

4. Fire Spreads

Nothing spreads like fire. Once there is a heat source to cause ignition and a sufficient amount of fuel and oxygen present the fire will continue to burn. As the fire burns, large amounts of heat are produced. … This transfer of heat causes the fire to grow and to spread to other areas.

Our heat source is the Fire of God and God breathes on us we are ignited and burn for him. As we burn we produce large amounts of heat or passion. This causes the fire to grow and spread to others. People are affected by your passion and fire for God.

5. Fire Reveals

1 Corinthians 3:13
Each man’s work shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.

The time I prayed to God to baptize me in His Holy Spirit, the first thing that came to pass was that I had such a revelation of myself as I had never had before. A revelation of yourself as God sees you!

6. Fire Refines

Malachi 3:1 – 3 NKJV
“Behold, I send My messenger,
And he will prepare the way before Me.
And the Lord, whom you seek,
Will suddenly come to His temple,
Even the Messenger of the covenant,
In whom you delight.
Behold, He is coming,”
Says the Lord of hosts.

“But who can endure the day of His coming?
And who can stand when He appears?
For He is like a refiner’s fire
And like launderers’ soap.

He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver;
He will purify the sons of Levi,
And purge them as gold and silver,
That they may offer to the Lord
An offering in righteousness.

We have to be purified in God’s Holy Fire. This will make us righteous and be that pure offering to God.

These verses speaks of the purifying power of fire. Water will not cleanse as fire does. What we need is the fire of the Holy Spirit penetrating into the innermost depths of our being, burning, burning, burning, cleansing.

7. Fire Consumes

Ezekiel 24:11 – 13 illustrates the consuming power of fire, fire of judgment that will consume the filth of Jerusalem. And the baptism of fire consumes, in fact cleanses by consuming; it burns up all dross, all vanity, all self-righteousness, all personal ambition, all ungovernable temper.

Revival fire is calling the Church back to the altar, back to the place of holy living, and back to radical obedience.

Revival is beckoning. The flames are calling out to a generation to rise higher and go deeper. Revival is being sent to unlock hidden purpose and undying passion.

Acts 28:3
And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.

The fire of God draws out vipers! When God’s fire is turned up in a church, devils will be exposed. The Church must just remain in a spirit of prayer and not be moved by the enemy. Devils will try to attack you when you press into the fire. The purpose of the attack is to get you out of the fire of God. The devil is ruthless. He will use anybody including your family, friends, or fellow church members. This is why you must be prayed up every day and walking according to the marching orders that the Holy Spirit has given you. There is no time to be distracted, not even for a moment.

When you press into the fire of God, attacks and persecution will come but you must shake it off. God has supernaturally empowered you to rise up and win. That viper should have killed Paul but Paul was not a normal man. He was a child of God Almighty. He shook that devil off and moved on unharmed.

Ephesians 4:27
Neither give place to the devil.

We must close every door to the devil so we can keep going forth into the fire. God will quicken in our spirit those things or people we need to stay away from. Be quick to obey Him and don’t give the devil an inch.

The Early Church was on fire and they turned their world upside down. The Church in this hour is going to turn this world upside down with the power and fire of God. The army of the Lord is going to go forth and claim nations and generations for God.

This is an hour of radical revival fire. As your heart becomes consumed, you will step out in faith and refuse to be silent anymore. Those touched by the fire of God do not care what the world says! The world did not understand the ministry of Jesus. While many received Him, many others became violently offended by Him. The world mocked the outpouring of the Spirit in Acts chapter two. They could not understand the things of the Spirit because they were locked in a prison of the flesh. The world will not understand the revival fire that burns in the hearts of God’s people but we must be delivered from their opinions.

There are those who are broken, hurting, and living in darkness, waiting for a messenger burning with the fire of God to come. You are a part of the army that will go. The fire of revival ultimately prepares the believer to fulfill their assignment. Once you have passed through the fire of God, you are cleansed, filled with fresh passion, and ready to impact the world.

Revival spreads much like a natural fire. It is passed from person to person, church to church, and ministry to ministry. All it takes is a spark to ignite a raging revival inferno that will shake a city.

Revival shifts people into their assignments and destiny. When revival hits a church, that church receives instruction in the midst of fire to impact their city. Not only do instructions come in the midst of fire but also the power of God comes to carry out the instruction.

Fire sends you into the mission field. Souls are the prize of revival. God ignites the believers, calls them back to their first love, and then sends them into the lost and broken world with His holy fire.

Holy Fire
By Kris Belfils

Holy Fire ignite my spirit
Come and burn your love in me
Precious Savior, glorious Lord
Come and move your hand on me

I have been cold and wet far too long
I miss the time I spend with You
Guard my heart and keep me strong
Holy Fire, Precious Savior
Come and burn your love anew

 

You can listen to this song by Kris Belfils by clicking onto the title above or clicking on the picture below.

Seasons of Change by Kris Belfils

Song: Holy Fire

 

 

 

Some of the material in this article are taken from the following:

-The Revival Study Bible, Copyright 2010 by Armour Publishing Pte Ltd

-Fire of Revival: The Believers Guide to Personal Transformation and Global Revival, by Ryan Lestrange