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Shalom, everyone. I think I may have started something like this a year or so ago, but I still feel that it is important to explore and correct, if possible. Down through the last 2,000 years or so, we have made some MAJOR changes to terminology that I believe we as a people once knew and now have changed the meanings of those words into something that is now totally foreign to the first century meanings. Among these words that are so foreign to their original meanings are the following: I believe that we should work toward a paradigm shift back to the original meanings of these words. There are others, of course, that could have been listed, as well, but these are the fundamental ones. And, I believe they are fundamental because to some they are especially "holy words" that "one should not touch" as far as trying to correct their meanings. The major six are the ones in the circle: salvation, gospel, kingdom, Christ, church, and heaven. I started with angel and heaven, but one could start anywhere, because it is truly a "state function." That is, it doesn't matter how you get from point A to point B; it will take you the same amount of time and effort to make the journey. Let me start with a few basics: Will = want. When one asks, "What is God's will for my life?" he or she is actually asking the same thing as "What does God want for my life?" This may break down into more particular questions, like: "What does God want me to do for a living?" "What job does God want me to have?" "Who does God want me to marry?" "Where does God want me to live?" Faith = trust. "To have faith in God," one must learn "to trust God." Connected to this is the adjective and adverb forms of the words: "To be faithful" = "to be trustworthy." When we say, "God is faithful," we are saying that "God is trustworthy!" that is, "He is worthy of our trust!" A "faithful" spouse is a spouse we can trust to be consistently devoted to us. A faithful person or a trusty person is one we can count upon. Faithfulness = trustworthiness. There are certain words that are used in church or in synagogue on Sunday or Shabbat that have SYNONYMOUS COUNTERPARTS in life during the weekdays in other scenarios and workplaces. Let's start with some fun. What are some other words that you use in church that have a different word you've noticed using in secular areas of your life? Let's see how many we can come up with.

I try Not to get too distracted by news and current affairs too much, but the recent death of Queen Elizabeth II who was supposedly a Christian caught my attention. ( Supposedly she did seek Christian counsel from Billy Graham during her lifetime). This might be a bit of a stretch but I would like to sort of put forth the following analogy: Queen Elizabeth II ---sort of roughly equivalent to----Bible Old Testament's King David Prince Charles (now King Charles III) ----( sort of roughly equivalent to)------Prince Amnon ( one of King David's son who was initially the heir to the throne prior to being killed ) Princess Diana ---( sort of roughly equivalent to 2 Bible characters )----Bible Old Testament's Prince Absalom ( one of King David's sons who revolted against him ) and Princess Tamar ( one of King David's daughters who was raped by her half-brother Amnon ) Prince Philip, Princess Ann, Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth Queen Mother ---( sort of roughly equivalent to ) --- Joab ( Commander of David's army) King David was Certainly Not a perfect person, but I do want to point out some of the many honorable aspects about King David's life: 1)-Bible Scripture emphasizes clearly that David is man after God's own Heard as evidenced by the following 2 bible verses: a) (Acts 13:22) After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My [a]will.’ b) (1 Samuel 13:14) But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” 2) When King Saul became an enemy of David, and started to hunt for David, the response from King David was broadly compassionate & gracious. a) For example, in 1 Samuel 24:10-22, David responded to King Saul's attempts to hunt David by restraining himself by Not responding violently when he had a chance to kill King Saul in a cave, but instead spoke to King Saul by claiming that he did Not want to harm King Saul: (1 Samuel 24:10)Behold, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord had given you today into my hand in the cave, and some said to kill you, but my eye had pity on you; and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.’".....................more scripture..........................more scripture............................................. (1 Samuel 24:13) As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness’; but my hand shall not be against you. b) Another example, in (1 Samuel 25:33-34) David listens to Godly wisdom provided by Abigail which Stopped him from taking revenge: ( 1 Samuel 25:33-34 ) 33 and blessed be your discernment, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from [a]bloodshed and from avenging myself by my own hand. 34 Nevertheless, as the Lord God of Israel lives, who has restrained me from harming you, unless you had come quickly to meet me, surely there would not have been left to Nabal until the morning light as much as one male.” I'm Not saying Queen Elizabeth II was a perfect person( just like King David was Not a perfect person), but I do want to point out some honorable aspects about her life ( just like King David was honorable ): -At a very young age of 25 years old, she responsibly and dutifully took the throne when her father suddenly unexpectedly died. -For the most part, she kept a neutral role in politics but would always diligently give her best advice in private to UK Prime Minister on major issues --------Queen Elizabeth II wanted sanctions against South African apartheid but the UK Prime Minister at the time, Margaret Thatcher, did Not want to enforce sanctions against South Africa ( https://www.biography.com/news/queen-elizabeth-ii-margaret-thatcher-relationship ) -Queen Elizabeth II remained loyal to her husband, Prince Philip, in their marriage even though her husband was a womanizer and adulterer when they were young married couple. Let's start off by looking at the similarities between King David to Queen Elizabeth II. Other than David's illicit affair with Bathsheba, and his responsibility for the murder of her husband, Uriah, let's also try to analyze another sinful act by David that involved his inability to bring justice after hearing about Amon raping his half-sister Tamar. **It's very important and interesting to note that David merely had a galling silent angry reaction when it came to hearing about Amnon raping his half-sister Tamar, and David did Not enforce any sort of justice as a response: (2 Samuel 13:21 ) Now when King David heard of all these matters, he was very angry.** Queen Elizabeth II also was guilty of quasi-inaction because she, for the most part, ignored Princess Diana's complaints about her husband, Prince Charles, in regards to her adulterous love affair with Camilla Parker Bowles: ( Credited Reference: https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/11/06/princess-diana-queen-elizabeth-relationship/ ) (Quote)"Tensions emerged between Diana and the royal family, including the queen, when their marriage hit romantic and then tabloid troubles. The relationship worsened as Diana suffered from bulimia. Diana told biographer Andrew Morton that during one conversation with the queen, “she indicated to me that the reason why our marriage had gone downhill was because Prince Charles was having such a difficult time with my bulimia.” “She hung her coat on the hook, so to speak,” Diana continued, according to Morton. “And it made me realize that they all saw that as the cause of the marriage problems and not one of the symptoms.” Diana kept trying to confide in her mother-in-law. The queen, now 95, grew weary of it all. One afternoon, Diana stopped by to visit the queen and was made to wait. “The princess,” a palace footman told the queen, according to Seward, “cried three times in half-an-hour while she was waiting to see you.” The queen’s reply: “I had her for an hour — and she cried nonstop.” In public, even as rumors of the prince’s affairs swirled, Diana was still saying the right things — that the prince supported her, that he was a good father and husband. “That was not what she was telling the queen in their private meetings,” Seward wrote. “Charles, Diana kept saying, was letting down the monarchy.” The queen couldn’t deal with her daughter-in-law anymore. “Faced with a situation that was slipping out of her control,” Seward wrote, “the queen retreated from the problem and started seeing less of Diana.” ( Credited Reference: https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/11/06/princess-diana-queen-elizabeth-relationship/ ) Let's now see the similarities between the bible characters named Princess Tamar and Prince Absalom, and Princess Diana of modern day's UK's monarchy. Princess Tamar and Prince Absalom were really physically attractive just like Princess Diana was attractive: (2 Samuel 13:1 ) Now it was after this that Absalom the son of David had a beautiful sister whose name was Tamar, and Amnon the son of David loved her. (2 Samuel 14:25-27 ) Now in all Israel was no one as handsome as Absalom, so highly praised; from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no defect in him. 26 When he cut the hair of his head (and it was at the end of every year that he cut it, for it was heavy on him so he cut it), he weighed the hair of his head at 200 shekels by the king’s weight. 27 To Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar; she was a woman of beautiful appearance. Forgive me, however, it's also important to note that 2 Samuel 16:20-22 recounts Prince Absalom's promiscuous lifestyle when had sex with his father's concubines( who during King David's reign were responsible for the upkeep of the Royal palaces, etc. ) which was somewhat similar Princess Diana's promiscuous lifestyle: (2 Samuel 16:20-22) 20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your advice. What shall we do?” 21 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father’s concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself odious to your father. The hands of all who are with you will also be strengthened.” 22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel. Not to sound vulgar, here is a listing of Princess Diana's numerous extra-marital affairs: ----------------------(Credit Reference: https://www.tatler.com/gallery/princess-diana-boyfriends-lovers )------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Barry Albert Mannakee – 1985 Mannakee worked as a police officer with the Royal Protection Squad before being assigned to Princess Diana as a bodyguard in 1985. Palace rumours circulated of an affair between the two of them that ultimately led to his dismissal from the role a year later. In 1987 he was killed in a motorcycle accident that led to conspiracy theories that his death had been planned. These were fuelled by Diana in a video later obtained by NBC, where she confessed, ‘I was only happy when he was around,’ and she described his death as, ‘the biggest blow of my life’. She also said: ‘I think he was bumped off, but there we are.’ He was never mentioned by name in the secret tapes – when she spoke of a man she was in love with – but it was assumed she was referring to him. In the tapes she said she was ‘deeply in love’ with the unidentified security guard and was ‘quite happy to give all this up and to just go off and live with him’. The death of Mannakee was reinvestigated during the inquiry into the death of Diana, as part of Operation Paget, overseen by Sir John Stevens. James Hewitt – 1986-1992 The dashing former Household Cavalry officer and tank commander began his five-year affair with Diana in 1986 after they met at a cocktail party, with Diana later confessing to the romance in the 1995 BBC Panorama interview – much contested this past year, 25 years on. The affair happened at the same time that Prince Charles was widely reported to have been cheating on Diana with his ex-girlfriend, Camilla Parker Bowles. The metaphorical rug was pulled from under the relationship when Hewitt was deployed to serve in the Gulf War, before splitting permanently, when their affair was exposed. Diana’s former protection officer and confidante, Ken Wharfe, wrote about the affair in his book Diana: Closely Guarded Secret with the cooperation of Hewitt – which was said to leave the Princess heartbroken. The Princess later revealed: ‘I was in love with him. But I was very let down’. Oliver Hoare – 1992 to 1994 Diana embarked on an affair with old Etonian art dealer Oliver Hoare, who was 16 years her senior, in the early nineties. Hoare, 46 at the time, was actually a friend of Diana’s husband, Prince Charles, and he and his wife, Diane de Waldner de Freundstein (from a wealthy French oil family) had stayed at Windsor on multiple occasions. In Diana’s former bodyguard’s book Diana: Closely Guarded Secret, Ken Wharfe wrote: ‘The Princess was instantly attracted to him. Diana later confessed to me that she had felt a little shy when, at Windsor, she shook his hand for the first time, and had blushed as she flirted with him. That conversation ended abruptly when Charles and the Queen Mother joined them.’ One night, Hoare was found by a policeman hiding behind a potted tree smoking a cigar after the fire alarm sounded at Kensington Palace where Diana had her apartment. On another occasion, he was said to have been seen entering Kensington Palace via the boot of Diana's car. The affair came to an end owing to Hoare’s refusal to leave his wife and Diana is thought to have become a little over infatuated when she rang his Chelsea home 300 times in one night. Hoare died of cancer on 23 August 2018. ----------------------(Credit Reference: https://www.tatler.com/gallery/princess-diana-boyfriends-lovers )------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Bible character named Prince Amnon is somewhat similar to Prince Charles. Both are the heir apparent to their thrones. Here is the bible passage that mentions Prince Amnon's raping his half-sister, Tamar, and then subsequently intensely hating her: (2 Samuel 13:11-22 ) When she brought them to him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.” 12 But she answered him, “No, my brother, do not violate me, for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this disgraceful thing! 13 As for me, where could I [a]get rid of my reproach? And as for you, you will be like one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.” 14 However, he would not listen to [c]her; since he was stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her. 15 Then Amnon hated her with a very great hatred; for the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Get up, go away!” 16 But she said to him, “No, because this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you have done to me!” Yet he would not listen to her. 17 Then he called his young man who attended him and said, “Now throw this woman out of my presence, and lock the door behind her.” 18 Now she had on a [d]long-sleeved garment; for in this manner the virgin daughters of the king dressed themselves in robes. Then his attendant took her out and locked the door behind her. 19 Tamar put [e]ashes on her head and tore her [f]long-sleeved garment which was on her; and she put her hand on her head and went away, crying aloud as she went. 20 Then Absalom her brother said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? But now keep silent, my sister, he is your brother; do not take this matter to heart.” So Tamar remained and was desolate in her brother Absalom’s house. 21 Now when King David heard of all these matters, he was very angry. 22 But Absalom did not speak to Amnon either good or bad; for Absalom hated Amnon because he had violated his sister Tamar. Now, Prince Charles's troubled marriage to Princess Diana is certainly Not tantamount to Prince Amnon raping Princess Tamar. However, Prince Charles and Princess Diana's marriage did End painfully: (credited reference: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/charles-and-diana-divorce ) "Before long, however, the fairy tale couple grew apart, an experience that was particularly painful under the ubiquitous eyes of the world’s tabloid media. Diana and Charles announced a separation in 1992, though they continued to carry out their royal duties. In August 1996, two months after Queen Elizabeth II urged the couple to divorce, the prince and princess reached a final agreement. In exchange for a generous settlement, and the right to retain her apartments at Kensington Palace and her title of “Princess of Wales,” Diana agreed to relinquish the title of “Her Royal Highness” and any future claims to the British throne. In the year following the divorce, the popular princess seemed well on her way to achieving her dream of becoming “a queen in people’s hearts,” but on August 31, 1997, she was killed with her companion Dodi Fayed in a car accident in Paris." (credited reference: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/charles-and-diana-divorce ) We, as bible readers, can probably infer/deduce that David's silence, and lack of enforcing justice as King of Israel in response to Amon raping Tamar is what led to Absalom's violent & vicious response. Princess Diana's response to how Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family for the most part ignored her complaints about Prince Charles's illicit affair with Camilla Parker Bowles might Not have been as violent and vicious as Absalom which involved killing his brother Amnon out of revenge, and then leading a violent coup but it still was damaging to Queen Elizabeth II's monarchy. Princess Diana publicly battled against Queen Elizabeth II and her royal family by using the media and press. To elaborate, she was secretly involved in Indirectly encouraging the writing of a tell-all book: ( Credited Reference: https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/30/world/now-it-can-be-told-1992-tell-all-book-s-source-was-diana.html ) (Quote) "The principal source disclosing details of the Princess of Wales's unhappy marriage to Prince Charles and her troubled relations with the royal family for the 1992 book ''Diana, Her True Story,'' was Diana herself, the author, Andrew Morton, said today." ( Credited Reference: https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/30/world/now-it-can-be-told-1992-tell-all-book-s-source-was-diana.html ) Furthermore, Princess Diana also went to give a public TV interview about the troubles behind her marriage: https://youtu.be/8lflg5m7cbY?t=36 Also, more specifically, Search the internet for Princess Diana's 20 November 1995 BBC Interview where she stated “I’d like to be a queen of people’s hearts” ( Side Note: Understand the similarity with Absalom's rising popularity among the Israelites by grandstanding which is recounted in the ( 2 Samuel 15:1-6 ) bible passage. ) (2 Samuel 15:1-6) 15 Now it came about after this that Absalom provided for himself a chariot and horses and fifty men as runners before him. 2 Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way to the gate; and when any man had a suit to come to the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, “From what city are you?” And he would say, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.” 3 Then Absalom would say to him, “See, your [a]claims are good and right, but no man listens to you on the part of the king.” 4 Moreover, Absalom would say, “Oh that one would appoint me judge in the land, then every man who has any suit or cause could come to me and I would give him justice.” 5 And when a man came near to prostrate himself before him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him. 6 In this manner Absalom dealt with all Israel who came to the king for judgment; so Absalom stole away the hearts of the men of Israel. ( -------------------------------------------------- Credit Reference: https://www.vox.com/culture/21593569/princess-diana-explainer-crown-netflix-marilyn-monroe-britney-spears-innocence ) When pop culture’s princesses are virgins, the press treats their sexuality as unthreatening. They are hot, but not in a scary way; they don’t know what they’re doing; they are safe to want. But if they begin to wield their sexuality knowingly, everything changes. And their relationship with the public changes, too. The big question with Diana, the question on the cover of The Diana Chronicles: How much of it did she do on purpose? “Was she ‘the people’s princess,’ who electrified the world with her beauty and humanitarian missions?” asks Brown. “Or was she a manipulative, media-savvy neurotic who nearly brought down the monarchy?” Any honest reckoning of Diana would have to say the answer to that question is both. She was beautiful; she did have a remarkable gift for connecting with disenfranchised people doing humanitarian work — and she also spent much of her time as Princess of Wales in the grips of bulimia and suicidal ideation, using her skill with the press as her most potent weapon against the Windsors. **Throughout Diana’s marriage to Charles, she consistently outshined and outworked him. At public gatherings and charity events, she was able to genuinely connect with the crowds in a way Charles couldn’t. She would crouch down on her knees to talk to the kids. She would shake hands with an AIDS patient. Such moments established both her reputation as the “people’s princess” — the saint in the killer designer suit who could love her subjects more than anyone else could, who could transcend the monarchy — and her reputation as a schemer who was upstaging the monarchy on purpose, out of selfishness and greed. And after Diana’s divorce from Charles in 1996, as she partied her way across multiple continents and began campaigning against land mines, those two ideas became ever stronger.** But Brown frames her question in a way that suggests these two opposing images of Diana are mutually exclusive. The idea that Diana might have been intentionally using the press, that she might have desired to be as famous and beloved as she was and that she might have intentionally wielded her beauty and charisma to get there, seems to somehow negate the idea of saintly Diana, the people’s princess. And if Diana courted the press, if she used them in the same way they used her — well, how does that square with the way she died? How can we say that Diana was using the press that drove her off the road and to her death? ( -------------------------------------------------- Credit Reference: https://www.vox.com/culture/21593569/princess-diana-explainer-crown-netflix-marilyn-monroe-britney-spears-innocence ) All of Princess Diana's aforementioned public responses really did hurt the public image of Queen Elizabeth II, and her royal family. Finally, Just like Absalom's violent death, Princess Diana also died violently To me, it was really interesting how Bible stories sometimes are repeated in today's world. (Major Side Conclusion: A Highly relevant bible verse associated with Princess Diana's story is (Ecclesiastes 9:11) "I again saw under the sun that the race is Not to the swift and the battle is Not to the warriors, and Neither is bread to the wise Nor wealth to the discerning Nor favor to men of ability; for time and chance overtake them all." The reason being is that Princess Diana was very physically attractive and had an aristocratic background but was Not loved by her royal princely husband, and was merely used by other men in her life for short-term flings. Therefore, even though you might expect her to have a happy family life by being in a royal marriage with wonderful children, her life was a tragedy. )

And why did he drink the sour wine vinegar before his death on the cross? This part of the gospels has been confusing me lately and I have been struggling to understand what he meant Matthew 26:29- 29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. Mark 14:25- 25 Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. Luke 22:18- 18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.

Shalom, everyone. Well, Marilyn's had her say. It's time to reveal the REAL reason for the parables of Matthew 13. I had posted earlier this portion: These are parables about the KINGDOM. Since the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven (the two terms are synonymous), then we must look to see what that Kingdom is, first. The Kingdom is NOT a "heavenly kingdom," not even in ONE "aspect!" The term "Kingdom of heaven" means a "kingdom that comes from the sky!" It's because the "KING HIMSELF comes from the sky" when He returns, and the Kingdom is intimately connected to the King! His offer of the Kingdom to Israel during His first advent was a LEGITIMATE OFFER! And, when He left this earth, He took the offer with Him! The offer was temporarily rescinded until a future time. When He returns, He will bring the Kingdom with Him! Luke 19:11-15 11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. 12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. 13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. 14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. 15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. KJV The key to the parables of Matthew 13 is in the ELEMENTS that are defined and the ACTIONS that the parable performs with those elements. Here are some of the parables' elements and actions: I. THE SOWER (verses 3-9, 18-23) Matthew 13:3 3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; KJV I.A. Elements of the parable I.A.1. Seed = the word of the kingdom I.A.2. Birds = the wicked one I.A.3. Stony places = starts off good but is easily turned off I.A.4. Thorns = hears the word but is easily distracted by everyday events I.A.5. Good soil = hears, profits by it, and is profitable I.B. Action of the parable I.B.1. Seed is sown = the word of the kingdom is broadcast I.B.2. Ground receives seed = message is heard I.B.3. Seed sprouts and grows = message is applied This first parable is the ONLY one of the seven that people recognize to be about this current time period, but again, this is a parable about the KINGDOM that is yet to come! It's not about the Kingdom being in this time period at all! When a person hears the message about the Kingdom, He has one of four ways to deal with that message: 1. He can say, "That's nice," and quickly forget what he heard; the message never has a chance even to take root! 2. OR, he can recognize the importance of the message right away, but not know what to do with that message. Thus, when opposition arises, he just as quickly turns away from the message. The message about the coming Kingdom takes root and grows quickly, but it just as quickly dies away. 3. The third way one can react to the message is to start out correctly, allowing the message to take root deeply and have its rightful place in a person's life. However, that person has other thoughts that compete with the message about the Kingdom, and those other thoughts eventually take precedence and overpower the message about the Kingdom. 4. The fourth way one can react to the message about the Kingdom is to allow it to deeply take root in a person's life and let its importance dictate the direction of that person's life, all other thoughts being subject to that message about the Kingdom. It's important to note that this message is NOT about "salvation," or rather, justification by God. It's about the arrival of the King and His Kingdom! II. THE MAN WHO SOWED GOOD WHEAT (verses 24-30, 37-43) Matthew 13:24 24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: KJV II.A. Elements of the parable II.A.1. Sower = Son of man II.A.2. Field = the world II.A.3. Good seed = children of the kingdom II.A.4. Tares = children of the wicked one II.A.5. Enemy = the devil II.A.6. Harvest = the end of the world II.A.7. Reapers = the angels II.A.8. Barn = the kingdom of their Father II.B. Action of the parable II.B.1. Sower sows good seed in his field = The Son of man sows the children of the kingdom in the world II.B.2. Enemy sows tares among the wheat = The devil sows children of the wicked one among the children of the kingdom II.B.3. The reapers notice the tares among the wheat = The angels notice the children of the wicked one among the children of the kingdom II.B.4. The reapers ask the sower if they want them to pull up the tares = The angels ask the Son of man if He wants them to pull up the children of the wicked one II.B.5. The sower replied to the reapers, “No or you may pull up the wheat with the tares; let both grow together until the harvest, and in the harvest I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather together the tares and tie them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” = The Son of man replied to the angels, “No or you may pull up the children of the kingdom with the children of the wicked one; let both grow together until the end of the world, and in the end of the world I will say to the angels, ‘First gather together the children of the wicked one and tie them in bundles to burn them, but gather the children of the kingdom into my barn (a place of safety and preservation).’” They shall throw them in a furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and grating of teeth, but then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Thus, this parable is about the FUTURE KINGDOM! He's saying that His Kingdom shall be infiltrated with people who know how to talk the talk, but are merely "look-alikes." During the Millennium, there will be some within the Messiah's Kingdom who will try to sabotage the efforts of the King. However, they will be so well entrenched that to root them out of His Kingdom would damage some of those who are TRUE but weak and immature children who have befriended these spies. Therefore, He will simply keep an eye on them and keep them in line, allowing them to flourish with His own children, until the Kingdom has run its course in the world. When His own children have matured so that they won't be greatly affected by the fate of these spies and saboteurs, He will reveal their true nature and root them out of His Kingdom first. THEN, He will be free to transfer the true children of His Kingdom to that of His Father. III. THE KERNEL OF MUSTARD SEED (verses 31-32) Matthew 13:31 31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: KJV III.A. Elements of the parable III.A.1. A grain (kernel) of mustard seed = The kingdom of heaven III.A.2. Other herbs = unknown; irrelevant III.A.3. Birds of the air = unknown; irrelevant III.B. Action of the parable III.B.1. The kernel starts out small and insignificant = The kingdom of heaven starts out small and insignificant III.B.2. The kernel becomes the largest of herbs and becomes a tree = The kingdom of heaven becomes the largest and most significant of governments III.B.3. So much so that it provides nesting spots among its branches for the birds of the air = The kingdom of heaven provides safe dwelling places among its branches Notice that the single kernel of mustard seed is likened to the Kingdom from the sky. This parable is talking about the GROWTH of His Kingdom! It will start out very small as kingdoms go. Just a small kingdom in the Land of Israel. However, it will GROW until it grows so large and significant as to be influential among the other kingdoms of the earth. I believe this parable is talking about the actual, physical size of His Kingdom, as He acquires more and more kings and their realms under the banner of His own. He will literally be a "King of kings," each king will still be the possessor of his own realm, but all these kings subjugated to the Melekh of Israel will answer to Him! And, the Messiah Yeshua` shall be the head of ALL the realms under Him! This parable is reminiscent of Daniel's account of the rock that is cut out of a mountain and grows into a mountain that fills the earth. IV. THE LEAVEN (verse 33) Matthew 13:33 33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. KJV IV.A. Elements of the parable IV.A.1. The leaven (yeast; baking powder; substance to encourage bread to rise) = The kingdom of heaven [NOTE: The leaven is NOT sin!] IV.A.2. Woman = unknown; irrelevant IV.A.3. Three measures of meal (flour) = unknown; irrelevant IV.B. Action of the parable IV.B.1. Leaven is hidden in three measures of meal (flour) = The kingdom of heaven starts out hidden, insignificant, and in low concentration IV.B.2. Leaven soon permeates the whole amount of flour = The kingdom of heaven ends up obvious, very significant, and in high concentration This parable is primarily about the INFLUENCE of the Kingdom during the Millennium. It's like that old E. F. Hutton commercial: "When E.F. Hutton talks, people listen." God's Messiah will be such a wise King that His Kingdom is constantly thriving no matter what happens in the economy of the world. So, wise leaders and businessmen will listen to and hang upon the words of the Messiah. It would only be wise and prudent to do so. If one wanted to survive and prosper economically, he will pay attention to what the Messiah - the Melekh of Israel - chooses to do. One should note here that the purpose for the three measures (Greek: sata tria) of flour is to use a common measurement (in the Greek world) that adds up to an ephah of flour. "Sata" is the plural of "saton": NT:4568 saton (sat'-on); of Hebrew origin [OT:5429]; a certain measure for things dry: KJV - measure. OT:5429 ce'ah (seh-aw'); from an unused root meaning to define; a seah, or certain measure (as determinative) for grain: KJV - measure. (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.) Nave's Topical Bible, according to Biblehub, says "Measure: An Ephah, Equal to Three Seah, and in Liquid, to a Bath, Containing About a Bushel and a Half." Therefore, the only purpose for this "three measures" is to convert from the Greek measure to the Hebrew measure of an Ephah. The bottom line is that this was a LARGE amount of flour (1.5 bushels)! Just a little leavening agent, like yeast, will eventually permeate the entire quantity of dough, even if it was a bushel and a half of dough! V. THE BURIED TREASURE (verse 44) Matthew 13:44 44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. KJV V.A. Elements of the parable V.A.1. The buried treasure = The kingdom of heaven V.A.2. The man = unknown; irrelevant; possibly anyone V.A.3. The field = unknown; irrelevant V.B. Action of the parable V.B.1. Treasure is found = The kingdom of heaven is discovered V.B.2. Treasure is re-hidden = The kingdom of heaven is re-hidden from others V.B.3. Field is bought (with all of its natural resources and contents) = That which contains the kingdom of heaven is purchased V.B.4. Treasure is claimed = The kingdom of heaven is claimed This parable is talking about the discovery that people during the Millennium will make when they take a close look at the relatively quiet Kingdom of Israel under the Messiah Yeshua`. When they discover the Kingdom's VALUE, they will do whatever it takes to become a member of that Kingdom! Many will even treat it as a secret discovery that they will want to keep secret until they can procure the Kingdom for themselves! VI. THE MERCHANT MAN (verses 45-46) Matthew 13:45 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: KJV VI.A. Elements of the parable VI.A.1. The merchant man looking for valuable pearls = The kingdom of heaven [NOTE: The pearl of great price is NOT The kingdom of heaven] VI.A.2. Pearls (even the pearl of great price) = unknown; irrelevant VI.A.3. All that the merchant has = unknown; irrelevant VI.B. Action of the parable VI.B.1. Merchant searches for valuable pearls = The kingdom of heaven searches for valuables VI.B.2. Merchant finds a high-quality, very valuable pearl = The kingdom of heaven finds a high-quality valuable VI.B.3. Merchant sells all that he has = The kingdom of heaven sells all that it has VI.B.4. Merchant buys the pearl = The kingdom of heaven buys the high-quality valuable (makes wise investments and turns a profit) This parable is about the wisdom of haMelekh Israel, the King of Israel. One should carefully note that it is not the PEARL that is likened to the Kingdom but the MERCHANT who is likened to the Kingdom! The prowess of the wise King of Israel will be so great that He can essentially liquidate all of His assets to purchase a treasure, like this very valuable pearl, and purchase the treasure, always coming out "in the black" in every transaction! VII. THE SEINING NET (verses 47-50) Matthew 13:47 47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: KJV VII.A. Elements of the parable VII.A.1. The seining net = The kingdom of heaven VII.A.2. The good fish (good to eat) = The just (justified) VII.A.3. The bad fish (not good to eat) = The wicked VII.A.4. The fishermen = The angels VII.B. Action of the parable VII.B.1. Net was thrown into the sea around all the fish = The kingdom of heaven was thrown around all peoples within the kingdom’s time period VII.B.2. When the net was full, the fishermen pulled it in = At the end of the world, the angels will gather all people in the kingdom for judgment VII.B.3. The fishermen sat down and gathered the good fish into buckets to keep, but threw the bad fish away = The angels will come and separate the wicked from the just and shall throw the wicked into the furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and grating of teeth This parable is talking about the all-encompassing Kingdom at the end of the Millennium - the end of the Age - when the Great White Throne Judgment occurs. When every one of His enemies are subdued and subjugated to His Kingship, THEN the Messiah Himself shall be seated upon the Great White Throne and pass judgment upon the world. One should remember the words of the Messiah: John 5:22-23 22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: 23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. KJV VIII. THE HEAD OF THE FAMILY (verse 52) Matthew 13:52 52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old. KJV VIII.A. Elements of the parable VIII.A.1. The man who is the head of a family = The scribe who is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven VIII.A.2. The treasure = unknown; irrelevant VIII.A.3. Things new = unknown; irrelevant VIII.A.4. Things old = unknown; irrelevant VIII.B. Action of the parable VIII.B.1. Investigating the treasure of the household = Investigating the “treasure” of the kingdom of heaven VIII.B.2. Discovers things new in the treasure = Discovers things new in the “treasure” of the kingdom of heaven VIII.B.3. Discovers things old in the treasure = Discovers things old in the “treasure” of the kingdom of heaven This, too, is a parable that is often forgotten within these parables of Matthew 13, I think because people like to limit the number of. The man who is the householder is taking inventory of the things within the house, possibly for the inheritance of the members of the family. Some new valuables will be present, like a recent acquisition; other priceless heirlooms will be considered valuable because of their sentimental value as well as their worth. The scribe, a transcriber of the Tanakh (the OT), will discover valuable insights as he studies and copies the Scriptures, particularly those Scriptures that are prophetic, having to do with ADONAI and with His Messiah. He will discover things that are new, like the recent acquisitions of the Messiah, and things that are old, like the ancient prophetic portions of Isaiah or Zechariah or even David's Psalms, for instance, seeing their fulfillment in the Messiah's actions!

Recently I have went through and still is going through emotional stress and anxiety problems. I feel like I am just too focused on my problems. So I read Matthew 6:24-33 and a verse caught my eye. It was verse 33 "but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added on to you". After reading this verse I wondered, am I seeking the kingdom of God first? Then why am I experiencing these anxietys! So now I don't know wether to focus on solving my anxietys or seek first the kingdom of God or both? Any advice?

Shalom, everyone. Let's discuss the naure of what Yeshua` was trying to do during His "earthly ministry," that is, during His offer of the Kingdom to Israel. That statement both telegraphs what I'm wanting to talk about and leads the arguments I plan to propose. It is, indeed, a "leading statement." Some suggest that His primary mission was the Cross and His Sacrificial Death (and Resurrection), but that is NOT the "gospel" that He was talking about during His time of teaching. First, let's look at the word translated as "preaching": Sometimes, the word is translated from the verb form of the word translated "gospel," which means "good news": (I'm going to use Strong's definitions simply because they are a source of which many people are aware. It's not the sole source of my information, and Strong's makes mistakes from time to time, but it is still a short, straight-to-the-point source of information.) Let's start with Matthew 6:23-25: Matthew 6:23-25 (KJV) 23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. 24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. 25 And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan. 2784 keerussoo (kay-roos'-so). Of uncertain affinity; to herald (as a public crier), especially divine truth (the gospel) -- preach(-er), proclaim, publish. So, the word translated as "preaching" means "heralding" as a town crier would do. In movies about the 1600s and 1700s, one sees town criers or heralds as pages that bring out a scroll of paper, unfurl the scroll vertically, and begin by saying, "Hear ye, hear ye!" They WERE indeed announcers, but they also had a mission: They were generally spokesmen for the king, declaring the king's decisions that were essentially to be treated as law! John the Baptist (Yochannan the Immerser) also had a mission: He was to be the herald for the coming King! Matthew tells us, Matthew 3:1-3 (KJV) 1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching (heralding) in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias (pronounced "eh-sah'-ee-ahs"), saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Which is a quotation from Isaiah (pronounced "yay-shaw'-yah") 40:1-5: Isaiah 40:1-5 (KJV) 1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. 2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins. 3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. Later, Isaiah or Yeesha`yahuw (or Yeesha`yah) said, Isaiah 52:1-10 (KJV) 1 Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. 2 Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion. 3 For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed (bought back) without money. 4 For thus saith the Lord GOD, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. 5 Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed. 6 Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I. 7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings ("gospel"), that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings ("gospel") of good, that publisheth salvation (deliverance; rescue); that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! 8 Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion. 9 Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed (bought back) Jerusalem. 10 The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation (deliverance; rescue) of our God. Can you see it? This is not talking about "the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ" at all! That is NOT the "gospel" (that people think they know today) AT ALL! Here's what Strong's says about "gospel": 2098 euaggelion (yoo-ang-ghel'-ee-on). From the same as euaggelizoo; a good message, i.e. The gospel -- gospel. 2097 euaggelizoo (yoo-ang-ghel'-id-zo). From eu and aggelos; to announce good news ("evangelize") especially the gospel -- declare, bring (declare, show) glad (good) tidings, preach (the gospel). 2095 eu (yoo). Neuter of a primary eus (good); (adverbially) well -- good, well (done). 32 aggelos (ang'-ghel-os). From aggelloo (probably derived from agoo; compare agele) (to bring tidings); a messenger; especially an "angel"; by implication, a pastor -- angel, messenger. 71 agoo (ag'-o). A primary verb; properly, to lead; by implication, to bring, drive, (reflexively) go, (specially) pass (time), or (figuratively) induce -- be, bring (forth), carry, (let) go, keep, lead away, be open. 34 agelee (ag-el'-ay). From agoo (compare aggelos); a drove -- herd. (And, one should know that defining a word with the SAME WORD in its definition is circular reasoning. It's not helpful and does NOTHING to better the understanding of the word.) So, what do we get out of all this? We get that "euaggelion" is a "good message" and "euaggelizoo," from which we get our word "evangelize," means "to announce that good message (or good news)," "eu" meaning "good" and "aggelion" meaning a "message" (delivered by an "aggelos" meaning a "messenger"). Thus, a "euaggelos," from which we get our word "evangelist," means a "messenger who delivers good news." Furthermore, "angel" is a transliterated word coming from "aggelos," and STRICTLY means "a messenger," but MAY refer to one of God's special messengers that are supernatural. There's MUCH more to discuss, but that's a start. Now, why is this necessary to discuss? Well, people quote many Scriptures from the "Gospels," thinking they mean such-and-such when they don't have ANYTHING to do with such-and-such! People - well-meaning Christians - need to know what they're talking about.

How many times do we try to reach through to Him – we pray, we fast, we read His Word, we worship? The enemy tries to block you, but how easy it is to come into His presence when you declare He is Lord; because he must bow down. "For greater is He that is within you, than he that is in the world." What you need right now, whether it be your children, your spouse, your finances, your health, lift it up to Him right now, for He can make all things whole. Like the woman with the issue of blood, she pressed through, and He made her whole. The man who had the legion of demons – he was insane -- he cried out with what little bit he could and He made Him whole. The man who couldn't walk, even his parents were afraid. But He goes beyond circumstances and establishes wholeness, for He is the God of wholeness – the Alpha, the Omega. Allow Him to come in and take down any wall, any kind of hindrance, whether it be a large wall that you've been hitting your head against for years, or whether it be a teeny, tiny, picket fence – anything that would block His presence, from just devouring you, to where you could be swallowed up in the goodness of God. To where fear could not find a landing place, but faith would be the landing place. Faith conquers all fear. Don't make Him small. Understand, the King of the universe came to serve, to set free, to save and to heal, and to bring the good news that the Kingdom of God is not only around you, but is within you. Let His Kingdom come forth. Continue to pray His Kingdom come. Continue to pray His will be done. For, yes, He brought His Kingdom to earth – for you are of another Kingdom, as well as you are of another Spirit. Let His Spirit lift you up, from glory to glory – then you can look down and come to understand who you were called to be. For He is looking for a hungry people, a trustworthy people, overseers in His Kingdom, overseers in His vineyard – whether they have pain or whether they have strength; whether they have fame, or whether they be hidden; it makes no difference. He looks at the hearts of His own. "That He would grant you grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man....that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God." - Ephesians 3:16,19 ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY http://afministry.ning.com

Matthew 16:19 - "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." WHEN WE DO NOT LIVE IN OUR POSITION OF AUTHORITY, IT IS BECAUSE WE DO NOT RECOGNIZE OR ACCEPT OUR CALLING IN CHRIST, BECAUSE WE DO NOT KNOW OUR COVENANT RIGHTS. MAN'S REDEMPTION ALLOWS HIM TO HAVE DOMINION. AFFIRMATIONS AND DECLARATIONS: I perform a prophetic act and decree that every door (that impedes my CALLING in Christ) that is locked is now unlocked and open! I decree that my words from God are yes and amen. Today, I am encouraging myself in the Lord. What He has spoken will come to pass. I decree that I have a courageous heart like David and that as he did, I completely surrender my life to My God. I praise my God in all that He does. "But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: Let all the angels of God worship Him. Of the angels He says: 'He makes His angels spirits, and His servants a flame of fire.'" - Hebrews 1:6-7 There will be a growing consciousness of the angelic activity in our midst, especially as we activate them in through our worship. The angels are activated and energized by our surrendered pursuit of God. We know the angels rejoice when someone comes to the Lord and that they are here to help us advance His Kingdom. When Heaven is manifested on the earth, it stirs and shifts things in the invisible realm where God's angels are activated. As we continue to engage with God – manifesting His Kingdom in such a way that the light of His presence changes atmospheres – His heavenly hosts will bring their assistance to us. Song of Solomon 2:3 - "As an apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under the shadow of him whom I desired, and his fruit was sweet to my taste." THE BELOVED (JESUS) IS THE MOST PLEASING SIGHT IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH. HIS BRIDE SITS UNDER THE SHADOW OF HIS PROTECTION. HIS FRUIT, EVEN THE FRUIT OF THE CROSS, IS SWEET TO TASTE. THIS FRUIT IS NOT SWEET TO THE FLESH, BUT TO THE SPIRIT. ONCE TASTED, IT IS MORE DESIRABLE THAN ANYTHING ELSE. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRYhttp://afministry.ning.com

John 3:3 - Jesus answered and said unto him, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." What does it mean to "see" the kingdom of God? Jesus urged us to do an about-face in our approach to reality because His Kingdom is at hand. He brought His world with Him, and it's within our reach. He wants us to see reality from God's perspective, to learn to live "from" His world "towards" the visible world. But we have to change the way we think if we want to apprehend the Kingdom power that is available. Jesus was saying that when our minds are renewed, we will see the Kingdom displayed and proven as He did in His earthly ministry. The idea of Kingdom power and spiritual conflict unsettles some people, but without power, the gospel is not good news. Jesus never made the gospel simply a doctrinal exercise. His reality - is to raise up a delegated group of people who work with Him to destroy the works of the devil, who demonstrate and prove the will of God here on earth as it is in heaven. Affirmations: I HAVE AN UNRELENTING HUNGER TO WATCH THE KINGDOM BREAK INTO THIS REALM. I BECOME A CONNECTING POINT AND GATEWAY FOR GOD'S POWER. I AM A C0-LABORER WITH JESUS IN THE GREAT COMMISSION. "Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." - Philippians 3:21 The body being filled with the Spirit we are so hungry, so thirsty, that nothing will satisfy us so operated by the Spirit in the process of changing until we are like unto Him.but seeing Jesus. Getting more thirsty every day, more dry every day, until the floods come, and the Master passes by, ministering unto us and through us, and through us the same life, the same inspiration, that as He is, so are we in this world. Matthew 12:37 - "For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." Affirmation: I LET MY WORDS CREATE THE CURRENT THAT SWEEPS ME INTO THE HEART OF GOD. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

John 15:7 - "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you." TO ABIDE IN HIM IS TO LIVE IN CEASELESS FUSION WITH HIS PASSIONS. IT IS HIS LIFE, HIS VIRTUE, HIS WISDOM AND HIS SPIRIT WHICH SUSTAIN US. WE BECOME PERFECTLY WEAK, UNABLE TO RESIST HIM. LIKE THE SON'S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FATHER, SO WE DO NOTHING FROM OUR OWN INITIATIVE UNLESS IT IS SOMETHING WE SEE HIM DO. Affirmations: I AM CONSTRAINED AND GUIDED BY HIS VOICE. I AM SURRENDERED AND IMPRISONED IN HIS LOVE. HIS PRESENCE IS NOT MERELY MY REFUGE, IT IS A PERMANENT ADDRESS. Song of Solomon 2:14 - "O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret place of the steep pathway, let me see your form, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your form is lovely." Colossians 3:15 - "And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from the Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts to which as members of Christs one body you were also called to live. And be thankful, giving praise to God always." IF WE ARE IRRITATED AND UPSET ABOUT THINGS IN OUR LIFE IT IS VERY HARD TO RECEIVE QUIET GUIDANCE FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT. SOMETIMES A CERTAIN ACTION IS IN QUESTION; SO WE LET THE PEACE OF CHRIST BE OUR GUIDE. THROUGH THE SUBTLE INWARD WITNESS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT HE GUIDES US TO THE ACTION WE NEED TO TAKE. Affirmations: SINCE I MAINTAIN A THANKFUL, GRATEFUL HEART, I FIND IT EASIER TO HEAR THE "UMPIRE OF PEACE" WHEN HE MAKES A CALL. I DON'T STAY BUSY WITH THE THINGS OF THE WORLD ALL THE TIME - I GIVE TIME AND ATTENTION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT. I AM THANKFUL AND GIVE PRAISE TO GOD ALWAYS. "After many days, the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth. So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria." - 1 Kings 18:1-2 In 1 Kings Chapter 18 Elijah knew in his spirit that something was on the horizon. He sent his servant six times to the sea, but he saw nothing. Although on the seventh time he saw a small cloud on the horizon (see verses 41-44). This cloud is coming our way! It's the new Reign from Heaven to fill us with faith, courage, and whatever we need. Whatever you are facing or dealing with, and no matter how hard the situation may be, God has sent the Fire of the Holy Spirit. He equips you to do the work needed. God had hidden many prophets in caves, but TODAY what God is looking for are the aggressive spiritual warriors carrying the Christ truth that cannot be stopped! Everywhere we go we will overcome injustice with His sword of the Holy Spirit (the Word of God). The cloud is on the horizon, and REIGN is on the way to devour and quench darkness. We will see the greatest advancement of God's Kingdom the world has ever seen. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

Luke 2:44,45 - "But supposing Him to be in the company they went a day's journey, and they sought Him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances; and when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him." Likewise, many of us have become so consumed with our battles that we fail to notice Jesus is not with us on our journey. Jesus' parents returned to where they had last seen Him; so also must we. To renew us, God is bringing us back to our most recent encounter with the living Christ. To reach our place of breakthrough, God is bringing us back to the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For My Prayerful Consideration: IS NOT INTIMACY WITH GOD THE VERY THING I HAVE NEGLECTED? AS I SIMPLY AND TRUTHFULLY EVALUATE, WITHOUT RATIONALIZATION, MY HEART'S CONDITION I AM DRAWN INTO THE PRESENCE OF GOD. WHAT SEEMS TO ME LIKE A TIME OF DESOLATION IS MORE TRULY A TIME OF PREPARATION. GOD HAS PREPARED FOR ME A NEW BEGINNING. 2 Corinthians 11:3 - "But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ." Matthew 16:25 - "For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose Following Him always leads to the cross. His triumph was the cross, and it is ours too. If we are in Christ we are to be dead to this world. It is impossible to offend a dead person. It is impossible for a dead person to feel rejected or abused. If this is true we can respond to any situation with God's love.it; but whoever loses his life for my sake shall find it." Luke 16:16 - "The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it." This realm of God’s Spirit does not come without “pressing” – without contending. The first thing about pressing is seeking. Pressing into it means there is a passionate pursuit of God in prayer. The word “to seek” means to diligently look for and search out earnestly until the object of the search is located. It is as crying out and hungering for the presence of God. AFFIRMATIONS: I press into and lay hold of the kingdom of heaven in an aggressive way. I have a burning heart of fiery witness and passion when it comes to exhorting others in their walk with God. I repent from trying to do God's will without abiding in His presence. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

I am shocked at people denying Christ's work as King: On another thread, I posted at length on a thread attempting to prove that Christ is currently King over his Kingdom, this Kingdom rule is spiritual, for since his ascension into heaven, Christ has been ruling as King over his deceased saints (in heaven), this is not some geographic reign based upon this earth, but a spiritual reign which will last until his second coming. Robert Redmond in his "New Systematic Theology of the Christian faith" on page 990, footnote 18 confirms this interpretation, that the "Kingdom of Heaven / Kingdom of God," both terms being fully interchangeable: "refers primarily to the reign, dominion or rule of God, and only secondarily to the realm over which his reign is exercised." It has therefore shocked me that I have been personally and repeatedly attacked, as both a (non-Christian) deist, as well as somebody who has been "seduced by the enemy" (meaning Satan), for advocating orthodox Christian theology, which would be accepted world-world in any number of non-American Fundamentalist Christian Churches for two thousand years. I am not some heretic for advocating orthodoxy, American evangelicals might regard their own particular brand of Fundamentalism as "the only Christian truth," but the reality is that other Christians regard theology differently, and as I have discovered, the ungraciousness, and the deliberate misrepresentations of their opponents position discredits their own testimony. Possibly the only way to discuss this online, is in a one on one moderated debate, as it seems that tempers quickly rise, but most annoying of all, it seems that no attempt whatsoever is made to even listen to the other side, by some, who delight in then dictating to the other side a series of deliberate "straw man" misrepresentations which are simply designed discredit me and my statements. When this happens no discussion is even possible, as one side is simply refusing to be fair. May I therefore throw open the offer of a one on one debate. I will outline below a few corrections of the most obvious errors which people have accused me of promoting, I may not respond to posts here in this thread, for the simple reason that I expect to be ignored and constantly misrepresented, however, a one on one debate does interest me. · Am I a Preterist? No I am not, I reject this claim that all prophecy was fulfilled in AD 70, as far as I am concerned, much of the Book of Revelation has still to be fulfilled, such as the appearance of beast, false prophet and mark 666 of chapter 13. · Am I a deist? No, I am not. God is not some wound up clock, moved by nature. God is Triune, an eternal omnipotent being who possesses self-will and sovereignty. In the 1980s I was briefly a Oneness Pentecostal, so the Trinity is now vital to me. · Being a Post-Millennialist don't I believe that things will get better and better? No I do not expect an ever improving world. I have pointed out repeatedly that not all Pre-Millennialists or Post-Millennialists believe and teach exactly the very same thing, the great 19th century Baptist Preacher C.H. Spurgeon was a Pre-Millennialist, yet his type of Pre-Millennialism rejected both the rapture, and the sharp dividing up the Jews from the Church, which almost all American Pre-Millennialists, who are dispensationalist futurists believe and teach. So likewise, my own Post-Millennialism sees the Kingdom (since the ascension and until the second coming), as a spiritual Kingdom which is currently situated in heaven, and I would not regard it as a geographic physical Kingdom upon this earth, which is created by things getting better and better as the Millennial Reign, as most Post-Millennialists will claim. · Do I believe in the rapture? That depends on how you define the rapture? For some people in this forum, whom I note are both American and Fundamentalist, the rapture is defined as "thinking exactly as I do," so by that definition I must reject the rapture. However, if by the rapture you mean that on the last day and at the last hour, the people of God are caught up to meet the Lord Jesus in the air, then I would say that I would certainly agree with that particular definition of the rapture. · Do I regard the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven as two different Kingdoms? No, God only has one people (Galatians 3:28), and one Kingdom, Robert Redmond in his "New Systematic Theology of the Christian faith" on page 538, points out that the terms "Kingdom of God" and "Kingdom of Heaven" are interchangeable (contrast Matthew 13:11 with Mark 4:11 and Luke 8:10); so "both terms refer to the sovereign rule of God." Remember that Redmond, on page 990, footnote 18 points our that the terms "the Kingdom;" "refers primarily to the reign, dominion or rule of God, and only secondarily to the realm over which his reign is exercised." So when I talk about the Kingdom, I am referring to something which I'd regard as currently spiritual, whilst almost all Post-Millennialists and (American) Pre-Millennialists, when they refer to the Kingdom, they do so not in the primarily sense as the spiritual rule of God, but referring to some geographic location. So we are at cross purposes, in that our definitions of the word "Kingdom" are not the same. · Do I reject the Millennium? No, the words "a thousand years" are used six times in Revelation 20, I would regard four of these as referring from Adam to Christ, and two occurrences, which mention of the reign of Christ (Revelation 20:4 and 6), as referring to Christ's present rule in heaven (a spiritual rule over his deceased saints). So unless I am mistaken, I'd regard the Millennial reign of Christ as spiritual, in heaven, and for two periods of "a thousand years" which makes a Millennial reign of Christ a period of two thousand years from his ascension until his second coming. · Do I reject the idea that Christ will reign upon the earth? No, Revelation 5:10 states of God's saints that: "we shall reign on the earth," so I would expect Christ our King to be here to, whether that is permanently or not I choose not to speculate. However, this reign of Christ on the earth, will be after the Millennial (Spiritual) reign of Christ (in heaven) has finished, at his second coming he returns to this world and only then, in the eternal state, will Christ then establish his physical and geographic (eternal) rule upon this earth from the city of Jerusalem. · Aren't the Jews on the earth and the Church in heaven eternally? No, that's taught in the Schofield Reference Bible notes, but not in the Bible itself. If you look on YouTube for the sermon: "Dispensationalism" by Stuart Olyott, in it he explains rather well the error of dividing up the people one God into two different groups with two different hopes. It's all based upon the faulty hermeneutic of using the Old Testament to interpret the New Testament, rather than the other way a round. · Aren't we arguing over semantics? Well I am not the one insulting others, and condemning people as satanic! As for dispensational theology, so beloved by American Fundamentalists, it has been undergoing a series of radical changes since the publication of the Revised Schofield Reference Bible in 1967. For American Fundamentalists in these forums to ignore challenges coming from their own scholars such as many from Dallas Theological Seminary, is to put your head in the sand! Classical Dispensationalism, as found is your typical Southern Baptist and Pentecostal church at pew level, is seriously being challenged by many of your top and most renouned dispensational scholars, who have developed more moderate forms of dispensational theology.

Hebrews 4:12,13 - "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." JESUS SAID IN MATTHEW 16:19, "I WILL GIVE UNTO THEE THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN." THEN INLUKE 11:52 HE REBUKED LAWYERS FOR TAKING AWAY THE KEY OF KNOWLEDGE. IN THAT VERSE HE WAS REFERRING TO THE WRITTEN WORD OF GOD. THE WRITTEN WORD OF THE LIVING GOD IS THE KEY TO ALL THINGS BECAUSE ALL THE KEY ISSUES TO EVERY SITUATION ARE COVERED IN ITS PAGES. EVERY PROBLEM SITUATION HAS A KEY ISSUE. SATAN TRIES TO HIDE THOSE KEYS IN ORDER TO KEEP HIS WORK IN PLACE. THAT'S THE REASON HIS DOINGS ARE CALLED WORKS OF DARKNESS. AND AS LONG AS PEOPLE TRY TO SOLVE PROBLEMS BY FIGURING THEM OUT IN THE NATURAL OR CARNAL REALM, THEY ARE STUMBLING AROUND IN DARKNESS. FOLLOWING THIS PROCESS WILL BRING DISASTER. NOT ONLY DOES THE LIGHT OF THE WORD REVEAL THE REAL PROBLEMS, BUT IT ALSO HAS WITH ITSELF THE POWER TO CHANGE EVERYTHING. Affirmations: ONE WORD FROM GOD CAN CHANGE MY LIFE FOREVER! I WALK IN THE WORD BECAUSE WALKING IN THE WORD IS THE MASTER KEY TO SUCCESSFUL LIVING. Psalm 119:130 - "The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple." "The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds has come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land." - Song of Solomon 2:12 The "voice of the turtle dove" is a prophetic voice that speaks God's heart cry into the empty, dead places on the earth. God is raising up the voice of the turtle dove in His Church, using the voices of those who have become mature, deeply humble and meek after their time in the wilderness with Him. This "singing of the birds", also known as (sincere) harmonious prophetic worship, is the key that opens the very windows of Heaven so that fresh revelation comes forth. This will happen wherever the Holy Spirit is welcomed. A new realm of spiritual understanding and experience is available to anyone who will say, "Yes, Lord. Give me ears to hear. Give me a hearing heart." "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna..." -Revelation 2:17 2 Corinthians 4:17 says, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." When we are fighting principalities, powers, and ungodly, wicked spirits in this world we can protect our vision by keeping a heart sensitive to God throughPRAYER, FASTING, AND THE MEDITATION ON HIS WORD that applies to your situation or problem. God's Word must be our balance and our love for God and people must be our motive for reaching souls. We must protect our vision. We must not grow weary in well doing. Breaking through into the spirit realm at first may seem very difficult, very tough. The struggle of one day of fasting pales in comparison to the benefits that we receive in destroying the works of the flesh and submitting ourselves to the law and direction of the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it." ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

“42And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:42, KJV). The repentant thief asks Jesus to remember him when he came into his kingdom, please notice that this noun is a singular. To which Jesus replies that today (that very day), the thief would accompany Christ in his kingdom, which he called "paradise" implying that at that very time God’s kingdom was then a present event, Christ ruling over both the faithful dead saints, as well as his faithful servants then living upon the earth. So notice that the thief assumes, and Christ's reply accepts, that there is only one single Kingdom, over which the thief hopes, and Christ then confirms that he will then become a part of this single Kingdom. Christ didn't tell the thief that there are actually two different kingdoms, as in some more extreme dispensational theology; firstly the Kingdom of God and secondly the Kingdom of Heaven, and that Christ will place him into one of these two (plural) kingdoms. There is only one Kingdom! My theology is on the whole mostly covenant theology (reformed). I mean no disrespect to the dispensationalists, but can those of the more extreme flavour prove their claim to multiple Kingdoms?

Ephesians 1:5 - "Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will." CHRISTIANS ARE THE TRUE ROYALTY ON THE EARTH AND ARE HONORED BY THE HEAVENLY HOST FAR ABOVE ANY EARTHLY KINGS OR PRESIDENTS. THIS IS THE GOOD PLEASURE OF HIS WILL. NOTHING WILL EVER BE STRONG ENOUGH TO THWART HIS WILL, AND THEREFORE OUR INHERITANCE IN HIM IS MORE SECURE THAN ANY EARTHLY POSITION EVER COULD BE. EVEN WHEN WE WERE YET SINNERS, HE BOUGHT US FOR A PRICE - THE MOST VALUABLE COMMODITY IN THE UNIVERSE - THE BLOOD OF THE SON OF GOD. SINCE WE VALUE A THING BY WHAT SOMEONE IS WILLING TO PAY FOR IT, GOD HIMSELF SET A VALUE ON YOU THAT IS MORE PRECIOUS THAN ANYTHING ELSE IN CREATION - HIS OWN SON. IF THIS IS THE VALUE THAT GOD PLACED ON US, HOW MUCH MORE SHOULD WE TREASURE OUR OWN LIVES, AND THE LIVES OF ONE ANOTHER, AS THE INFINITE TREASURES THAT THEY ARE, AND NOT WASTE A SINGLE DAY FRIVOLOUSLY? Matthew 5:8 - "Blessed (happy, enviably fortunate, and spiritually prosperous - possessing the happiness produced by the experience of god's favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His grace, regardless of their outward conditions) are the pure in heart, for they shall see God!" When we see ourselves for whom we truly are meant to be in God, we can begin to call others out of their limited ways into seeing the limitless reality that is available to them in Christ. Ephesians 1:3 - "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." 1Peter 2:5 - "Come and, like living stones, be yourselves built into a spiritual house, for a holy, dedicated, consecrated priesthood, to offer up those spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable and pleasing to God through Jesus Christ." Since we are "Kingdomized" we get up each day excited for what the Lord has for us that day. We begin to walk and flow in His "now" presence all day long. We begin to hear what the Father hears. We begin to see what the Father sees, regardless of what we hear and see in the natural. When we go into a meeting, we expect His presence to break down walls while bringing divine insight. When we walk into a potential business deal, we expect divine favor. When we encounter hostility, we realize that this person is hurting and needs a healing word spoken--but mostly needs love. When we drive through neighborhoods we pray for the residents and ask the Lord for His desire and love to reach them. God begins to touch them and open up opportunities divine relationship.for Colossians 1:27 - "To whom God was pleased to make known how great for the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Affirmations: I EXPECT REVELATION, EXPECT IMPARTATION, AND EXPECT MIRACLES WHENEVER I SHOW UP. WHAT A GLORIOUS KINGDOM, WHAT A GLORIOUS GOD! ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

Matthew 24:12 - "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold." Satan wants you to become the temperature of the culture that surrounds you, a believer bound by a stone cold heart. By exposure to hardness and darkness in the times that we live in, our love and passion will begin to cool by degrees. When you see churches and individuals who do not have the energy to reach out, it's an indication that their love has grown cold. In Numbers 16:37, the Lord told Moses to "scatter the burning coals abroad." This is precisely what the great commission is all about -- spreading the Word with a fiery heart. AFFIRMATIONS: I refuse to stay in a normal mode; I'm not going to let the world's cultural wisdom squeeze me into its mold. The world's politically correct agenda can't dictate to me anymore. Luke 2:11 - "For there is born to you this day.....a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS THE PROPHETS SPOKE OF THE MESSIAH'S COMING. THEY GAVE OVER 300 SPECIFIC DETAILS DESCRIBING HIM, JESUS FULFILLED THEM ALL! YET WITH THE ONE STATEMENT, "UNLESS I DO THE WORKS OF THE FATHER, DO NOT BELIEVE ME," (JOHN 10:37) JESUS PUTS THE CREDIBILITY OF ALL THESE MESSENGERS ON THE LINE. THEIR MINISTRIES WOULD HAVE BEEN IN VAIN WITHOUT ONE MORE INGREDIENT TO CONFIRM WHO HE REALLY WAS. THAT INGREDIENT WAS MIRACLES. JESUS GAVE PEOPLE THE RIGHT TO DISBELIEVE IT ALL IF THERE WAS NO DEMONSTRATION OF POWER UPON HIS MINISTRY. IT HAS NOW BECOME OUR JOB, BY MEANS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, TO DISCOVER AND DISPLAY THE FATHER'S HEART: GIVING LIFE AND DESTROYING THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL. "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness...for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:10 Outwardly when we are persecuted or suffer abuse - inwardly we experience "heaven" as God deals mightily with our soul, breaking its addiction to man's approval and liberating us to truly live for Christ. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

Many people are discouraged because they feel like their prayers are not being answered; they feel like God has forsaken them! God wants you to understand today that you didn't pray wrong and He's not refusing you! It's not your prayer that's being blocked, it's your answers! Look at what Daniel 10:12-13 says: "Then he continued, 'Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia'" - (Daniel 10:12-13) The minute you started praying, God heard you! He had already answered, but your answer has been delayed because of the princes of resistance that are assigned to stop the manifestation of what God spoke! Because of the weight of what was about to be revealed, the enemy sent a prince to resist the answer God released! God is about to bring you out of the lion's den, out of the darkness of your calamity, and He's going to bring forth His PEACE in your trouble Speak the blessing of the Lord upon your life and declare that supernatural help has come! DECLARE THE FOLLOWING: • I declare that the Prince of Peace, the Lord who made Heaven and Earth, is invading my situation and brings me perfect peace! • I declare that the power of God is being released in my life to make my enemies be at peace with me! • I declare that voice of the Lord is being released into my life to speak peace to every storm that is raging against me! • I declare that Jesus Christ is my peace! I declare every form of separation and division formed between me and my promise is being destroyed by the peace of God that surpasses all understanding! • I declare that the God of peace will crush the enemy under my feet, and that I will walk into the grace of God that will release me into a new season, in Jesus' name! "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." - Hebrews 11:6 Matthew 6:10 - "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." WHEN WE PRAY FOR HIS KINGDOM TO COME, WE ARE ASKING HIM TO SUPERIMPOSE THE RULES, ORDER, AND BENEFITS OF HIS WORLD OVER THIS ONE UNTIL THIS ONE LOOKS LIKE HIS.....GOD'S WORLD COLLIDES WITH THE WORLD OF DARKNESS, AND HIS WORLD ALWAYS WINS. OUR BATTLE IS ALWAYS A BATTLE FOR DOMINION - A CONFLICT OF KINGDOMS. GOD HAS CHOSEN TO WORK THROUGH US. WE ARE HIS DELEGATED AUTHORITY ON PLANET EARTH, AND PRAYER IS THE VEHICLE THAT GIVES OCCASION FOR HIS INVASION. THOSE WHO DON'T PRAY ALLOW DARKNESS TO CONTINUE RULING. THE ENEMY'S GREATEST EFFORTS AT DECEIVING THE CHURCH ARE CENTERED ON DILUTING THE PURPOSE AND EFFECT OF PRAYER. Philippians 3:20 - "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." Paul spoke not about going to heaven someday, but about living as citizens of heaven today......specifically "from" heaven toward earth. We have the privilege of representing heaven "in this world" so that we might bring a manifestation of heaven "to this world." ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

Exodus 16:4 - "Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law or no." GOD TOOK A LITTLE, INSIGNIFICANT MATTER, THE FOOD THEY ATE--AND USED IT TO SEE IF THEY WOULD LISTEN TO HIM OR NOT. HE TOLD THEM HOW MUCH OF IT TO GATHER, WHEN TO GATHER AND WHEN NOT TO, AND WHAT TO DO WITH IT AFTER THEY BROUGHT IT IN. AND THE ISRAELITES WENT RIGHT OUT AND VIOLATED THOSE INSTRUCTIONS. THEY SHOWED GOD BY THEIR ACTIONS THAT HIS VOICE WAS NOT IMPORTANT TO THEM. THEY WERE NOT WILLING TO OBEY EVEN HIS SIMPLEST COMMANDS. GOD WORKS THE SAME WAY WITH US TODAY. BEFORE HE SENDS US ON A MAJOR MISSION, HE GIVES US THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVE WE CAN BE TRUSTED WITH SMALL INSTRUCTIONS. Luke 16:10 - "He who is faithful in a very little (thing), is faithful also in much." Ephesians 1:3 - "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." Heaven is the realm into which we are called to The earthly minded will constantly try to restrain those who are seekers of God with such statements as,"don't become so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good," which is precisely the opposite of true wisdom. Christ Jesus, and the only truly effective ministry we will ever have on this earth is originated from that position. The church that becomes too earthly minded is not doing the earth any good. We are called to be a bridge between heaven and earth, and to represent the reality of all we have been given in Christ Jesus in the heavenly places. Christians should be so saturated with heaven that it is more real to them than anything in the natural realm. Ephesians 2:4-6 - "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus."abide with "Then he said, 'Take the arrows,' and the king took them. Elisha told him, 'Strike the ground.' He struck it three times and stopped. The man of God was angry with him and said, 'You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.'" - 2 Kings 13:18-19 Breakthrough IS Coming: Keep Striking the Ground! Do not be discouraged if at first you don't see your victory manifest. Breakthrough will first happen in the spiritual, then in the natural. Just because you can't see it in the physical does not mean it isn't happening in the spiritual. Keep on striking the ground! What has been barren and withered for so long will begin to revive and flourish. And the good news is? All that you need forbreakthrough has already been given to you; it's already there! The Lord has deposited that miracle within you and it will bear fruit as long as we walk in accordance with the principles of the Kingdom. Affirmation: I AM WILLING TO HUMBLE MYSELF, LAY DOWN MY OWN AGENDAS/AMBITIONS, AND WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GOD -- KEEPING MY EYES FIXED ON JESUS. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

Luke 8:14 - "The seed among the thorns represents those who listen and believe God's words but whose faith afterward is choked out by worry and riches and the responsibilities and pleasures of life. And so they are never able to help anyone else to believe the Good News." Your enemy wants to subdue your awareness and release a slumbering spirit. In this state he can sell you on giving in to a comfortable life thereby causing a corpse-like complacency. You will always avoid the challenges of "breaking out of the box" into the maximum life that Jesus died to get you into. The phrase "out of the box" means that someone or something has broken out from its barriers. It also means that someone has outgrown their history and has gone beyond their limitations. Luke 2:48,49 - "Behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them. 'How is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?'" THE PHARISEES HAD NO UNDERSTANDING OF THE FATHER'S HEART. MUCH OF CHRISTIAN ACTIVITY EXISTS THAT HAS NO RELATIONSHIP TO THAT SUPREME VALUE. THE GOSPEL IS THE STORY OF THE FATHER WOOING THE HEARTS OF MANKIND THROUGH HIS LOVE. WE CAN TRAVEL THE GLOBE AND PREACH THE GOSPEL, BUT WITHOUT A PERSONAL REVELATION OF THE FATHER'S HEART WE'RE CARRYING AROUND SECONDHAND NEWS - A STORY WITHOUT A RELATIONSHIP. THE FATHERS BUSINESS FLOWS FROM HIS HEART. THE CHURCH IS TO BE A MANIFESTATION OF THE FATHER'S HEART TO THE WORLD. WE ARE TO BE CARRIERS OF HIS PRESENCE - DOERS OF HIS WILL. GIVING WHAT WE HAVE RECEIVED RELEASES HIM INTO SITUATIONS PREVIOUSLY HELD IN THE GRIP OF DARKNESS. Galatians 6:7,8 - "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." Observation: He has revealed the endless crop of boredom I will harvest when I base my life on pleasure-seeking instead of sowing acts of goodness and love for a harvest of eternal life. Luke 21:31 - "But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you." Affirmations: I ASK THE LORD TO PROPEL ME INTO THE NEXT LEVEL OF MY GROWTH AND DESTINY. I AM DETERMINED THAT I WILL COOPERATE WITH HIM. Matthew 5:6 - "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

2 Corinthians 5:21 - "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." John 17:23 - "I in them and you in me, so that they may be completely one, in order that the world may know that you sent me and that you love them as you love me." Jesus went to the cross to give us what he already possessed. He rose again so we could be re-created in His image. We are the victory of almighty God! We are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus. We are everything to the Father that Jesus is. AFFIRMATIONS: I was born again -- I wasn't half re-born. I wasn't made half-righteous or a quarter-righteous -- I was made the righteousness of God in Christ! I am a joint Heir with Him. I step up to the position of authority that Jesus has given me, to take my rightful place beside Him and learn to operate the way He does. Proverbs 25:2 - "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter." OBSERVATION: In reality the Bible is a closed book. Anything I can get from the Word without God will not change my life. It is closed to ensure that I remain dependent on the Holy Spirit. When I treat the Bible as a road map I live as though I can find my way through my own understanding of His book. Under grace I don't get a road map....I get a tour guide -- the Holy Spirit. He directs, reveals, and empowers me to be and do what the Word says. 2 Corinthians 5:14 says, "Christ's love compels us! We are convinced that One died for all, therefore all have died." Healing doesn't compel us, crusades don't compel us, and offerings don't compel us. In the Kingdom, it's Christ's love that compels us! Why? Because His love causes us to realize that everybody has received an invitation into this hidden world, this redeemed world. This realm is liberation from sin, liberation from demonic bondage, liberation from religious bondage—and it begins to spark something in people and awaken them to a fullness in Christ that they never knew! Romans 8:19 says, "That the whole world is waiting..." for what? For you to manifest Christ so that Christ can be made manifest in them. Their spirit is longing for Christ, the hope of glory—whether they know it or not! In Matthew 10:7 it says, "And proclaim as you go, saying, 'The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.'" We need to be INTENTIONAL about releasing the Kingdom in the overflow of our union with Jesus through His Blood! If God is pleased to give us everything, how can we not heal the sick, cast out demons and raise the dead?! As a Kingdom Dweller, it's inevitable. Let His Kingdom come! It is finished. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

Isaiah 35:8,10 - "And an highway will be there, a roadway, and it will be called, the Highway of Holiness. And the ransomed of the Lord will return, And will come with joyful shouting to Zion, With everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away." WHAT ATTITUDE FILLS THE HEARTS OF THOSE WHO WALK TOWARD HOLINESS? .....JOYFUL SHOUTING....EVERLASTING JOY UPON THEIR HEADS.....AND GLADNESS AND JOY. THE IMPRISONED, IMPOVERISHED STATE OF THIS WORLD HAS DECEIVED US INTO THINKING THAT A LIFE WITH GOD IS ONLY A LIFE OF PAIN. JESUS COMPARED HIS MINISTRY TO ONE WHO "PLAYED THE FLUTE" (MATTHEW 11:17). HE SAID HIS MESSAGE OF GRACE AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD, WHEN IT WAS PROPERLY HEARD, SHOULD CAUSE MEN TO "DANCE" IN CELEBRATION! THE SCRIPTURES TELL US THAT JESUS "REJOICED GREATLY IN THE HOLY SPIRIT" WHEN HIS DISCIPLES RETURNED FROM A POWERFUL TIME OF EVANGELISM (LUKE 10:21). THE WORD REJOICE THAT IS USED HERE MEANT "TO LEAP MUCH FOR JOY." JESUS, THE KING, WAS LEAPING FOR JOY! Matthew 13:3 - "And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, 'Behold, a sower went forth to sow.'" As the Lord explained in the parable of the sower, words are also seeds. Seeds grow up to become plants that bear fruit. What is growing from our words? What will the FRUIT of our words be like? If we speak out bitterness, we are planting bitter fruit in the earth. If our words are filled with faith, hope, or love, we are planting trees that will one day bear the fruit of faith, hope, and love in the earth. AFFIRMATIONS: I realize that like seeds, words are very likely to multiply. I consider each day that my words will bear fruit. I determine that I will only sow that which brings forth the fruit of the Spirit. Proverbs 18:21 - "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit." "For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ" - 1 Corinthians 2:16 This is a cross–reference from Isaiah 40:13 which says: "Who can fathom the Spirit of the LORD, or instruct the LORD as his counselor?". What Paul was trying to say is that along with the domain of the King comes the reality of our mind being merged with His! Under the law, no one could understand the mind of the Lord, but under grace, we have been given His very mind. This is the reality of a Kingdom Dweller. Our mind is no longer a battleground for the enemy, but a concourse for the Holy Ghost. According to 1 Corinthians 4:1, we are stewards of His mysteries! A steward literally means a governor. A kingdom must be in place for us to govern—and that Kingdom is His, and you are a governor of His mysteries on the earth! That being said, we no longer press in for more of what we don't have but learn all of WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST and OUR RIGHT STANDING WITH GOD which we have been granted through Christ Jesus' Blood! ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

Genesis 28:12 - "And he had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; andbehold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it." The word translated "angel" in the text is the Hebrew word "Mal'ak" (mal-awk'), which means to despatch as a deputy; a messenger; specifically, of God, ie. an angel (also a prophet, priest or teacher). The point is the messengers that are to ascend and descend upon this ladder are not just angelic beings, but God's messengers, which WE ARE CALLED TO BE. 2 Timothy 3:5 - "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." ANY REVELATION FROM TODAY'S WORD THAT DOES NOT LEAD US TO AN ENCOUNTER WITH GOD ONLY SERVES TO MAKE US MORE RELIGIOUS. THE CHURCH CANNOT AFFORD "FORM WITHOUT POWER" FOR IT CREATES CHRISTIANS WITHOUT PURPOSE. THOSE WHO RESTRICT THEMSELVES TO MERE WORDS LIMIT THEIR GIFT, AND MAY UNINTENTIONALLY LEAD BELIEVERS TO PRIDE BY INCREASING KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT INCREASED AWARENESS OF GOD'S PRESENCE AND POWER. MOVING IN THE IMPOSSIBLE THROUGH RELYING ON GOD SHORT-CIRCUITS THE DEVELOPMENT OF PRIDE. Matthew 10:7,8 - "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." PRAYING FOR YOUR CHILDREN: 1. That they will know Christ as Savior early in life. Psalm 63:1, Timothy 3:15 2. That they will have a hatred for sin. Psalm 97:10 3. That they will be caught when guilty. Psalm 119:71 4. That they will be protected from the evil one in each area of their lives: spiritual, emotional, physical. John 17:15 5. That they will have a responsible attitude in all their interpersonal relationships. Daniel 6:3 6. That they will respect those in authority over them. Romans 13:1 7. That they will desire the right kind of friends and be protected from the wrong friends. Proverbs 1:10-11 8. That they will be kept from the wrong mate and saved for the right one. 2 Corinthians 6:14-17 9. That they, as well as those they marry, will be kept pure until marriage. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 10. That they will learn to totally submit to God and actively resist Satan in all circumstances. James 4:7 11. That they will be single-hearted, willing to be sold out to Jesus Christ. Romans 12:1-2 12. That they will be hedged in so that they cannot find their way to wrong people or wrong places and that the wrong people cannot find their way to them. Hosea 2:6 QUESTIONS TO ASK MYSELF: What am I willing to do to affect the spiritual destiny of my children? Am I willing to pray the above verses over my children every day? ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

Matthew 12:28 - "If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you." The unseen world has influence over the visible. The Kingdom is here and now. We must acknowledge that it's in the invisible realm. The enemy's attempt to anchor my affections to the things that are visible is easily resisted when our heart is aware of the presence of the kingdom of God. Just as Jesus worked only through the Spirit of God, we need to do likewise as His agents. Psalms 103:19 - "The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all." Philippians 3:12 - "But I keep going on, trying to grasp that purpose for which Christ Jesus grasped me." Affirmations: I DO NOT WANT TO JUST GIVE MENTAL ASSENT TO CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE. I WANT TO SEE, HAVE CONTACT WITH AND LIVE IN THE EXPERIENCED REALITY OF CHRIST'S ACTUAL PRESENCE. I WANT TO PRESS INTO GOD TO LAY HOLD OF THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH CHRIST JESUS HAS SAVED ME AND WANTS ME TO BE. Psalm 63:1 - "O God, You are my God, earnestly will I seek You: my inner self thirsts for You, my flesh longs and is faint for You, in a dry and weary land where no water is." "You should teach people who you can trust the things you and many other have heard me say. Then they will be able to teach others." - 2 Timothy 2:2 The true success of our ministry to others will be by how it brought forth the formation of Christ within the person God has given us to DISCIPLE. Church members need to be encouraged to "think bigger." They need to see themselves as ministers to their fellow-man. The Christian life is more than just commitment to Christ; it includes a commitment to other Christians. We need to rise up and release worship, intercession, and a song to the Lord to usher in an awakening to those floundering who need to be DISCIPLED (by us) into a higher truth. "You should teach people who you can trust the things you and many other have heard me say. Then they will be able to teach others." - 2 Timothy 2:2 ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

Matthew 6:9,10 - "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven". THE LORD'S MODEL PRAYER PROVIDES THE CLEAREST INSTRUCTION ON HOW WE BRING THE REALITY OF HIS WORLD INTO THIS ONE. BIBLICAL PRAYER IS ALWAYS ACCOMPANIED BY RADICAL OBEDIENCE WHICH ALWAYS RELEASES THE NATURE OF HEAVEN INTO OUR IMPAIRED CIRCUMSTANCES. JESUS' MODEL PRAYER REVEALS THE ONLY TWO REAL PRIORITIES OF PRAYER; (1) INTIMACY WITH GOD THAT IS EXPRESSED IN WORSHIP - HOLY IS YOUR NAME. (2) BRINGING HIS KINGDOM TO EARTH, ESTABLISHING HIS DOMINION OVER THE NEEDS OF MANKIND. Affirmations: AS A DISCIPLE OF JESUS I AM BOTH A CITIZEN AND AMBASSADOR OF ANOTHER WORLD. THIS WORLD IS MY ASSIGNMENT, BUT NOT MY HOME. MY PURPOSE IS ETERNAL. HAVING AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE CHANGES THE WAY I DAILY INTERACT WITH OTHERS AND MY MUNDANE CHORES. THE RESOURCES I NEED TO COMPLETE MY ASSIGNMENT ARE BOUNDLESS - THE ONLY RESTRICTIONS ARE BETWEEN MY EARS. John 15:7 - "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." FELLOWSHIPPING WITH JESUS IS HOW YOU GET TO KNOW HIM PERSONALLY. AND THE BEST WAY TO FELLOWSHIP WITH JESUS IS WITH HIS WORD. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO ABIDE IN JESUS WITHOUT THE WORD AND IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO ABIDE IN THE WORD WITHOUT JESUS, BECAUSE JESUS AND THE WORD ARE SYNONYMOUS. Observation: KINGDOM DYNAMICS BEGIN TO FLOW THROUGH YOUR BEING, AND YOU KNOW WITHOUT A DOUBT THAT WHAT YOU ARE MAKING DEMANDS ON MUST OBEY YOU. YOU ARE NOT TALKING OUT OF YOUR OWN STRENGTH OR CONFIDENCE ANY LONGER. YOU HAVE THE ANOINTING OF GOD'S WORD. YOUR CIRCUMSTANCE DOESN'T HEAR YOU TALKING ANYMORE; IT HEARS JESUS TALKING. "Then He said to His 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.'" - Matthew 9:37,38 "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." - Jeremiah 20:9b As the Word becomes like a burning fire in our hearts and bones, our focus is on the harvest, and it won't be denied us because we have freely received the Word and freely given the powerful Word of the Lord. With the workings of the Word in us, we become slayers of any giants that stand in the way of the harvest. Even if there's a wall, we leap right over it, slaying the giants to bring forth the victory. The Word and power of the Lord flow through us to release us into the plans and purposes of the Lord, thereby advancing our calling in Christ, according to the constant and ever-increasing flow of His power and ability. PRAYER: Lord, thank You for the harvest! As your Word empowers me for the harvest, precious Lord, let this time be one of increase for harvest glory -- harvest for Your glory, precious Lord. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

Luke 13:20,21 - "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened." Much like light that exposes, or salt that preserves, leaven influences its surroundings in a subtle but overpowering way. So it is with the infiltrating power of the Kingdom of God. Without a revelation of what God intends to do with His church, we cannot move in overcoming faith. When the main goal of our faith is to keep us safe from the devil, our faith becomes inferior to what God expects. Jesus had in mind more for us than survival. We are destined to overcome. Every conversion plunders hell. Every miracle destroys the works of the devil. Every God encounter is an "invasion of the almighty" into our desperate condition. This is our joy. Revelation 12:11 - "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." Matthew 6:33 -- "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." SOME REMINDERS OF THE FATHER'S KINGDOM: 1. Kingdom is within: "The Kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the Kingdom of God is within (or among) you." Luke 17:20-21 2. Kingdom approached through understanding: "When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, He said to him "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." - Mark 12:34 3. Kingdom accepted like a child: "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." - Mark 10:15 4. Kingdom entered through spiritual rebirth: "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit." - John 3:5 5. Kingdom entered through doing the will of God: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only those who do the will of My Father who is in Heaven." -Matthew 7:21 6. Kingdom that will be inherited by the righteous: "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the Kingdom of God?" 1 Corinthians 6:9 Psalm 31:19 says, "How great is the goodness You have stored up for those who fear You. You lavish it on those who come to You for protection, blessing them before the watching world." The Hebrew word for "great" is "rab", meaning abundant, large, of major importance, chief, weighty, noble, princely. And that is the basis, measure, and magnitude of God's goodness that He wants to lavish on us. The goodness of God is not something that God does; it is who He is! It is His nature to be the good to His children! He is incapable of sabotaging His nature! All we need is to choose to BELIEVE His goodness, DECLARE it, MEDITATE on it, SPEAK it over our lives and circumstances, RECEIVE it by faith, and watch what the Lord will do on our behalf! The Lord will bless you before a watching world! People are going to witness the power, provision, and blessings of God over your life! AFFIRMATIONS: I am confident that I see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! The Lord has stored up goodness for me and He's ready to lavish it over my life! The Lord will bless me and enlarge my territory. His hand and favor are becoming so evident in my life! ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY