But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57). The storm is over, the night has passed, From this trial you are free at last. Victory is yours and Triumphant Truth, Your Lord is Faithful and He saw you through. God alone determines the end. The battle is His, You are His to defend. For God has prepared a way and a plan. The test of your faith was to help you to stand. Our Warrior, King Jesus, He determines the plan. Our battles are His, who against you can stand? The entire battle, from start to end, was always in His hands. By His sovereign, mighty Arm, only His counsel stands. A trial will never last, not one day more, No man can alter what God has in store. The plans of God, never thwarted will they be, For no evil weapons formed will prosper against thee, When the enemy comes in roaring like a flood, The Lord raises up a standard by the power of His blood. Darkness can not stand in the power of God’s light. The Lord rises up and puts your enemies to flight. If God is for you, no one can be against, For the Lord, your Warrior, is your certain Defense. He rises up to defend you and scatters your foes, Their lies, plots, and plans He victoriously overthrows. All pits that have been dug for thee, Were formed only for your enemy. All lies and evil plans meant for thee, God sends back to their source, for He gets the glory! My God, He triumphs! Your enemies He overthrows! He has sent out His arrows and scattered your foes! God alone has the power! You were always in His hands, No evil plans against you will stand. Your enemies turn back when you cry out to God, this I know, Your God, He has vanquished them with His arrows. The Scriptures are your battle prayers as war is waged with the foe, God provides you the victory, like the battle of Jericho. Remember this victory, your banner raised! Give Almighty God the thanks and the highest praise. Never forget that God is the Warrior for you! Never forget how God saw you through! Victories are remembered for all eternity, The Cross of Christ has overthrown your enemy. © 2020 ANNETTE HAHNER What if I told you that you have NOTHING to worry about… NOTHING to fear…NOTHING to fret over? What if I told you that I will take all of your cares, concerns, deepest desires, and provide, ponder, prepare…for you? What if I told you that my plans for you can NEVER be thwarted and can NEVER fail? That my counsel for you will always stand…that there is hope for you beyond what you could ever imagine… That there are provisions for you from the storehouses of my Kingdom, beyond what your mind can conceive... What if I told you that I AM the God of the impossible and not just the possible? That what seems impossible for you is easy for me... That I AM able. That I AM the One who makes a way where you can see none, for I AM the door. What if I told you that you are the object of my deepest desire? That you are my delight and the apple of my eye... That my love for you knows no bounds and can not be quenched, not even by death... That your life is my symphony… What if I told you that you are accepted, forgiven, and rejoiced over? That you are so deeply loved and cherished beyond your wildest dreams and deepest desires… What if I told you that I think about you CONSTANTLY? That there is not a moment that I don’t notice you or care about you… That my thoughts of you are so innumerable, if you should attempt to count them, they would outnumber all of the grains of sand on the earth… That I never stop thinking about you… That I skillfully fashioned all of your days before there were none of them, even before the foundations of the earth were laid… What if I told you that I have EVERYTHING planned for you, prepared, and figured out? That I have a storehouse of provision for you that knows no limit in your lifetime here and in eternity... That what I have prepared for you here, is not even a fraction of what I have planned for you in eternity... What if I told you that you can walk in daily victory, daily light, and daily joy? That I use your brokenness; broken pieces and shattered dreams, mistakes, hardships and trials as my fabric for fashioning something beautiful in your heart and life... What if I told you that the storehouses of my Kingdom of wisdom, of joy, of understanding, of provision, know NO LIMIT? That you are royalty; crowned with my all…all of my love, affection, and devotion... That you are crowned with all of my faithfulness and provision… That you are my deepest desire, the object of my heart, life and love… What if I told you that all of my love and Kingdom can be yours? What if I told you that I AM faithful and true? That I AM the Ancient of Days, that I AM love... that I AM. That everything I say is TRUE... That I AM the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords… Would you dare to believe me? That it’s true and that you would embrace me and my LOVE for you... What if I told you that, yes, you can bear much fruit for me and my Kingdom? That you can love me, and everyone that I place in your life, with MY love… That you can obey and be made holy... That you are more than a conqueror… That there is NO condemnation… That you can BOLDLY come before my throne… That you can have FULLNESS of joy… What if I told you? You see, I have all ready told you in my Word, For I AM the WORD John 1:1 In the beginning was the WORD and the WORD was with God, and the WORD was God. John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. © 2019 ANNETTE HAHNER "This is church," I heard God say to me. It was in the middle of a ministry board meeting. It was a lovely fall day, so I decided to have our bi-monthly meeting outside on our family deck. It was interesting to hear those words, as I was not part of an organized church at that time. Later, when I pondered God's words, I noted that we were a small group of Believers who prayed, worshipped God in song and fellowshipped with one another. This was in addition to the business portion of the meeting, but even this was done unto the Lord. I heard those same 3 words once again while praying and worshipping God with a handful of people at our state house capital building. In these 2 circumstances, I was gathered with God-fearing, Holy Spirit-filled people and everything we did or said was unto Him. "This is church." I've heard pastors highlight to their congregations the need for people to "go to the house of the Lord," (Psalm 122:1), but those words were from the Old Testament. After Jesus ascended into heaven, He sent His Holy Spirit to fill our bodies, and so when a person is filled with or baptized by the power of the Holy Spirit, they become the temple of the Holy Spirit. Paul tells the church in Corinth, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?" (1 Corinthians 6:19). The truth is, "WE ARE THE CHURCH." WE (Believers or Christ-followers) make up the church. Paul stated to the believers in Ephesus, "So then you...are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets; Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone; in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit" (Ephesians 2:19-22). While attending one church, I was worshipping God and had a vision. I saw the church building from inside the walls, but the walls looked like a cardboard box. I watched the walls of the box collapse down and out. I then walked out of the "box" and into the street, where I saw a person whose hands were bound with handcuffs. I walked up to the person with a set of keys and unlocked the handcuffs. I spent a lot of my time in that church building. I spent hours there on Sunday mornings and then Sunday nights. I went there for the seasonal conferences, monthly women's breakfasts, weekly classes and all of the social gatherings such as the Christmas potluck. One day while in prayer, I heard God say to me, "Holly, I don't want you to camp out in the church building. I'm calling you to go outside the church building." I wept when I told my pastors what God had said to me because I loved them and was loyal to assisting them with the needs of their "church." I agree with Paul's words in the book of Hebrews, "Let’s consider how to encourage one another in love...not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another" (Hebrews 10:24-25). We need to fellowship with like-minded people where we encourage and exhort one another. King Solomon, known for his wisdom said, "For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up!...And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart" (Ecclesiastes 4:10, 12). Whether I am part of an organized church or not, I make it a point to connect on a regular basis with my Christian brothers and sisters (and spiritual mothers and fathers), whether it be through texting, emailing, conference calls or meeting in person. I enjoy doing this not only on Sunday or the Sabbath day, but on every day of the week. I enjoy praying, worshipping, serving, fellowshipping and learning more about God, every single day of the year. I've had church in places such as a strip club, a parking lot where homosexual men meet, Dunkin Donuts, a park where drug dealers work, and my local grocery store. When California's governor mandated that churches could not gather and worship God, worship leader Sean Feucht called "the church" to gather and worship on the Golden Gate Bridge. Hundreds of Christ-followers had church on a bridge! Sean wrote about it in a Facebook post and entitled it, "THE CHURCH HAS LEFT THE BUILDING." Sean continued to have church outdoors in cities across the nation in the following months and I was blessed to take part in the Boston, Connecticut and Washington, D.C. gatherings. I loved worshipping God freely under the open sky in the Boston Common; a park where non-church goers also gathered and so could hear the Gospel message and feel the tangible presence of God. I've asked myself, "If all believers in Christ hang out with each other in a church building, then how will unbelievers outside of the building hear about the love of Jesus and be saved?" Most believers spend all their time and energy tending to their families, going to work, and lastly, in the church building. It leaves little or no time to reach out to people who would never step foot in a church building. Many people have been wounded while attending the organized church or Christian-based school. Some were victims of abuse from pastors, priests, worship leaders, and teachers. These people are not likely to walk into a church building. So I ask myself, "How will they hear the Gospel message and be saved?" Many people look at themselves and feel that they will not be accepted if they were to walk into a church building because they do not look, talk or smell as good as those inside. Even if they were welcomed, they still may feel that they do not belong. "Who will go to share the love of Jesus with these ones?" Another question that I ask myself. Ok God. I hear you. "Here am I. Send me" (Isaiah 6:8). SANCTUARY Lord prepare me To be a sanctuary Pure and holy Tried and true With thanksgiving I'll be a living Sanctuary Oh for You *Song by Marantha Music **Sanctuary refers to a temple or church |
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