Jane Hamon is a powerful prophetic voice to the nations. Before COVID, she traveled 20 days each month. But once the pandemic was declared in the United States, travel halted. Despite this, her ministry accelerated.

She told me that the Lord led her and her husband, Tom, to lead their church, Vision Church at Christian International in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, in communion every night on Facebook during the pandemic.

It was during the “lockdown” that Jane had deeper revelation about how believers can receive their breakthroughs. In 2019, the Lord told her that He was going to take the church out of survival and into revival. Jane said, “I think the Lord was speaking into the times we are living in right now. I believe that God has set us up for what will be the greatest global revival on the earth.”

Jane mentioned, “I had a vision in the beginning of 2020 where Jesus walked up to me, and I was standing shoulder to shoulder with believers from around the world. And Jesus walked up to me and handed me a white stone. I knew it represented the white stone of the overcomer in Revelation 2:17 … That is a stone of favor and of the overcomer. The Lord was letting us know that we were about to go through some things, face some huge challenges. But the Lord was showing that we will overcome those challenges because He has overcome the world.”

Bringing a word of hope and encouragement to the nations, she has heard the Lord say, “I am up to something.” She continued, saying, “We are going to have to trust Him and lock our eyes on Him.”

As we emerge from the previous season, Jane says you can receive your breakthrough by:

1. Knowing our identity as the ekklesia. Jesus used this word which is translated as “church.” But it’s not just about a gathering of people. It’s a military term from the times Jesus lived in, meaning “called-out ones.” It also implies people are sent as ambassadors to rule and reign. Knowing our identity as the ekklesia, Jane says, “We are to superimpose heaven on the face of the earth.”

2. Decreeing your breakthrough. Job 22:28a says, “You will also declare a matter, and it will be established unto you.” This shows that, as a Christian, you are to write a decree and speak it out over your circumstances. As kings and priests unto God, seated in Christ in heavenly places, you are to take what God is decreeing and speak that out.
3. Knowing that God is the God of Breakthrough. Micah 2:13a (KJV) says, “The breaker is come up before them.” Breaker means, “breaking out, breaking off.” It means that you can break out of any and all limitations like David did when he went up against Goliath. When David stood face to face with Goliath, David decreed and declared prophetically what he was going to do. And the Spirit of God broke out on that situation, and David slayed Goliath.

Jane said, “When you decree, you are turning your ear to hear the King’s voice, and then decreeing what He is speaking into the earth with a voice of authority and the voice of the ekklesia to begin to see things shift and change.”

I invite you to listen to this powerful conversation with Jane Hamon and join with us on Adventures in the Spirit with Jared Laskey as we decree your breakthrough on Apple, Spotify, Google, Charisma Podcast Network, YouTube and anywhere you listen to podcasts. {eoa}

Jared Laskey, ., M.A. in Christian ministry, is the founder of Fireborn Ministries and host of the Adventures in the Spirit podcast. He lives to see Jesus awaken this generation to the power of the Holy Spirit. Jared loves teaching people how to hear God. He has recently published the Spirit-Empowered Journal, available on Amazon, and e-courses Entry Level Prophecy, The Last Days, The Baptism with the Holy Spirit and more on . His testimony of how God supernaturally healed him of PTSD is in Joan Hunter’s book, Miracles for Veterans.

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Note: For the first part of this article, click here.

Proverbs tells us that “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov. 18:21a). Our words have creative power: power to bless and power to curse. Shame attached itself to Jabez by the very meaning of his name and how it was spoken over him.

Merriam-Webster‘s defines shame as “a feeling of guilt, regret, or sadness that you have because you know you have done something wrong; ability to feel guilt, regret, or embarrassment; dishonor or disgrace.”

Much of the shame people experience is due to spiritual root issues. In some cases, a person may not have done anything wrong but feels shame as a result of being unwanted or rejected in some manner. Love honors others; it doesn’t shame them.

“Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honor” (1 Cor. 13:5a, TPT).

Shame was attached to Jabez’s name and identity. When a person comes into the world in these circumstances, it is a lot to overcome. Perhaps you can identify with Jabez. Maybe you were not wanted, born into difficult circumstances or despise your family name. Remember the words of the psalmist: You are known, desired and loved by God:

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you” (Ps. 139:13-18, NIV).

Jabez lacked positive affirmation from his parents, and the cry of his heart was to be loved and affirmed. You see, what Jabez really wanted was to hear something like, “I love you, and I am proud of you; you’re going to do just great in life!”

God answered his prayer, but more importantly than receiving land and wealth, Jabez received the affirmation he craved.

We live with people all around us who feel abandoned, rejected and orphaned. The cry of Jabez, the cry of humanity, is to receive affirmation, blessing and favor.

Such emphasis was put on success and prosperity in the Jewish society in which Jabez lived, it may appear that he was being materialistic. But in essence he wanted God’s hand of affirmation, recognition and honor. He wanted to move from shame to honor.

My experience in working with youth is that the primary longing of their heart is to know they have value, their life matters and they can make a difference. Especially those who have come from disadvantaged situations.

His Need for Acceptance Led Him to the Father

And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Then Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, ‘Oh, that You would indeed bless me and enlarge my territory, that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that it may not bring me hardship!’ So God granted what he asked” (1 Chron. 4:10, MEV).

Notice his prayer as He called on the God of Israel? He was a devout, prayerful man. He was a man who sought and walked with God.

Some Jewish scholars believe Jabez was a doctor in the law, with a school of scribes around him, and connection between his name, Jabez, and the city so named (1 Chron. 2:55). It is believed that Jabez left many disciples after him.

Jabez became someone. He did not allow his past or shame-based identity define him.

“Oh, that You would indeed bless me and enlarge my territory” (1 Chron. 4:10b).

What is territory? In Hebrew, this was no ordinary request. Rather, this expression means, “Bless me with overwhelming blessing.” Bless me with uncommon blessing, God. When you move from shame to honor, you are confident in asking God for more so others can be blessed.

Solomon asked for wisdom, and God commends him for not asking for wealth and grants him wisdom. Yet Jabez asks for material blessing, and God grants it. Why? God sees the heart and motivation. Jabez, in asking for more acreage and more territory, was asking for a greater share in the covenant so that others could be blessed.

God wants His people to walk in His blessing, in His fullness. God invites you and me to dream with Him and to believe for more kingdom territory, so others would be freed from their pain and God glorified.

The psalmist prays, “God be merciful to us and bless us … That your way may be known on earth” (Ps. 67:1-2b, NKJV). Heaven’s desire is for Jesus to be made known. This happens when God’s people have a correct identity and are free from shame. They then are confident to be His ambassadors and witnesses on the earth.

Once born again, the Holy Spirit begins to renew our minds to establish our correct godly identity. True godly identity and beliefs, based on God’s Word, break the cycle of negative expectations and empower you and I to live confidently in God.

For example, God, in His goodness, wants you and me blessed and prosperous. “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers” (3 John 2).

“Prosper” means to have a prosperous journey, or to succeed in business affairs. It means to have the hand of God resting on us, not merely money or popularity, but God’s permission to do well and be blessed—not given to greed, but humble and obedient to God.

If I do not believe God wants me blessed, I inhibit the power of His blessing through Christ and my sonship to receive his favor. It does not end here; others will not receive of the blessing I can release to them.

“Your hand might be with me” (1 Chron. 4:10b, MEV): What does the hand of God represent?

In the Old Testament culture and literature, the hand represented power, strength, control or skill. Throughout the Bible, God’s power and intervention are represented by the “hand of the Lord.”

We see a pattern in Scripture: Those whom God blesses and uses with the greatest impact are those who live in submission to His authority and seek only His glory. We are to stay humble and submitted to God.

“Keep me from evil, that it may not bring me hardship” (1 Chron. 4:10c). Jabez was essentially asking God, “Protect the blessing you bring me, and free me from the shame and anguish in my life that I may not live up to this. God, break the cycle of pain and shame in my life, so I and others will not be affected!”

From Shame to Honor

“Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers” (1 Chron. 4:9a).

The definition of “honorable”: weighty, represented by character, but also position and wealth. We could say that Jabez was a man of weight. Reputation is of importance in these usages of the Hebrew term.

Keep in mind these words were written, not during his lifetime, but after it had ended. Whatever the sorrowful circumstances surrounding the beginning of his life, he ended his days with more honor, greater status and influence than all his brothers.

Jabez was a great man; though his life began in pain, it ended in honor. Proverbs 15:33 (ISV) states that “humility precedes honor.”

Jabez moved from shame to honor, and God desires the same for each of us!

Jesus gives a secret to joy and overcoming your past—seek to lose your life in service to others. “Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it” (Luke 17:33, NIV).

Christian, Jesus has given you a new name, a new family lineage and a new identity.

To break the cycle of rejection and shame, you must renew your mind to the truth of how God sees you (Rom. 12:2). In Christ, you are made new, and God sees you as one who is a diffuser of His love and grace, not of pain. Expect grace to flow—not pain through your life.

Final Thoughts

Jesus became our curse and took our shame on the cross, so we could share His name and have a new identity. Let us declare shame to cease and honor to be restored.

Father, I present my life to You and give You permission, Holy Spirit, to renew my mind. I renounce ungodly beliefs of shame, rejection and abandonment contrary to what Your Word says about me and my new identity.

I choose to believe the truth that Jesus endured the shame, so I could be free of it. I forgive others and myself for holding onto shame and grief.

I believe the truth that You love me, accept me, have honored me and want to bless me. Let my life glorify Your name and be a blessing to others. Enlarge my territory, my influence, so others could know you and be free!

“Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne” (Heb. 12:2, NLT).

“Instead of your shame, you shall have double honor” (Isa. 61:7a).

Bob Sawvelle is the founding and senior leader of Passion Church in Tucson, Arizona. Passion Church is a vibrant, kingdom-minded church in the heart of Tucson that values God’s love and presence. He is a doctor of ministry, doctoral mentor for the Randy Clark Scholars cohort at United Theological Seminary, an adjunct professor teaching master’s-level classes in evangelism, discipleship and church planting with the Global Awakening Theological Seminary and an online course facilitator for Global Awakening’s Christian Healing Certification Program and Christian Prophetic Certification Program.

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After having been up all night, writing about His Second Coming as described in Matthew 24, I awoke recently after a terrifying dream of great tribulation.

As a Bible translator in this dream, I had received a wonderful award in the form of a certificate for translating a Bible. This Bible had not yet been published. I had the only copy in my possession, and I was safeguarding it by placing it in a safe place in my mother’s house.

I was traveling with my certificate in my possession, and I was stopped by “authorities,” something that seems uncomfortably strange to say in a country that has always been free. I was questioned about this certificate pertaining to a Bible translation and found that I was not authorized to engage in Bible translation work because it had not been approved by them.

The authorities wanted to confiscate this new Bible translation to destroy it and demanded that I tell them where it was. I refused to tell them, and I managed to escape and fled for my life. I knew that my life was in danger, as was this new Bible, unapproved by the state.

They knew where my mother’s house was, but I managed to get there first to save the new Bible. Though I knew they could not easily find it, I was sure that they eventually would if I did not take it and continue running.

I stormed the house, looking for it. My mother was not home. She was in a safe place elsewhere. I found the Bible and put it inside my coat just as they entered the house. I fled the house through a back way as fast as I could, running for my life. Authorities were close behind, chasing me as fast as they could.

I reached a building where other believers, adults and children, were hiding, fearing for their lives. I joined them and showed them all a way to safety as the authorities were fast approaching. I urged the believers to quickly follow and assisted them down to a second level in the building through a door to safety.

As I helped the last one through the door, the authorities found me. I nervously pulled out my keys to find the right key to lock the door after I, too, entered. I narrowly escaped. I could hear them trying to get through the door.

We ran as fast as we could and came to another door that we entered—and which I also locked behind me. When we came out of the building through another exit, we had crossed a border within our own country and entered a free zone.

The sun was shining; I was under the open air, not running any more. The other believers had made their way elsewhere. A few of the authorities were present but were now outside the jurisdiction that they had taken over in our country.

I saw them entering a car to leave, having failed to capture me and the Bible in their communist zone in America.

Sometimes dreams are comprised of symbolism, parables and literalism, while all the elements lead to a literal truth. My mother, the Rev. Verna Linzey, has passed away in the flesh, but she is alive in a safe place with God.

Whether or not I eventually lead believing adults and children to safety, other believers of all ages may find themselves fleeing persecution in a communist America. While this exact scenario of locking doors behind me might not occur, our nation is becoming a communist nation, and all Americans are slowly losing their freedoms, while some are fighting through legislative efforts and the judicial system on our behalf.

“Therefore, you also must be ready, for in an hour when you least expect, the Son of Man is coming” (Matt. 24:44). {eoa}

James F. Linzey studied church growth under C. Pete Wagner and signs and wonders under John Wimber at Fuller Theological Seminary, ministered under John on the Anaheim Vineyard’s Large Ministry Team and is the chief editor of the Modern English Version Bible.

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This Sunday marks the biggest day of the year for Christians—Easter. However, Rabbi Curt Landry says believers would reap tremendous kingdom benefits for celebrating Passover—which began last Saturday and ends on April 4—also known as Resurrection Sunday.

By observing Passover this week, Landry says Christians can come to partake in God’s four cups—sanctification, the plague offering, redemption and praise.

“There are four cups in Passover, and I want to talk to you about patterns because patterns are what brings you peace,” Landry told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network. “The first cup is sanctification, and that means that you’re being separated from the cause and effect of your sin. That was the cup Jesus was drinking when He said, ‘drink this cup in remembrance of me.’ … All of these patterns are really interesting to build peace and trust in the hope and love in people’s lives.

“If you look, you have four Gospels, and in the four Gospels, it’s the same pattern you see,” Landry says. “The four prominent sacrifices of the Old Testament are emphasized. In Matthew. You have the death of Christ, which figures as a trespass offering. That’s the sanctification. In Mark, you have the sin offering, which the wages of sin are death. That’s the plagues. In Luke, there is the peace offering, when you have redemption. Your sins are paid for, and that’s your peace. And then in John, there’s a burnt offering. And anytime you live a lifestyle where you’re reproducing God’s habits on earth, you’re going to be closer to having God’s heaven on earth. …

“If you go to Psalm 23, it says, ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want,'” Landry adds. “But it also comes down to the end after you go through the valley of the shadow of death. It says the Lord will prepare a table for us in the midst of our enemies. That table is Passover.

“In Exodus 23, verse 20, it says this is a covenant promise for putting your feet under the table,” he says. “It gives you a promise of divine protection. In verse 22, there is positioning and alignment that provides you protection from your enemies. In verse 24, commissioning and divine authority are released. In Exodus 23 through 25, there is supernatural health and kingdom prosperity. In verse 26, there is convent protection for multiplication and longevity of life. In Exodus 23:7, there is a godly release of fear and respect from your enemies. And in verse 28, there are nine blessings. The Lord will drive out your enemies.”

For more of Curt Landry’s teaching on Passover, please listen to this entire episode of Greenelines. {eoa}

One of my favorite memories of living in Jerusalem was how the city would completely shut down on Shabbat (Hebrew for Sabbath).

Friday was always a hectic day as many people were off work, shopping and running last-minute errands. But by mid-afternoon, everyone had to be on their way home because busses would soon stop running and shops would be closed.

At sundown on Friday, the siren would echo throughout the city, letting everyone know that Sabbath had begun. The roads were empty, and the city, usually bustling with noise, grew quiet—the only sounds came from families gathering for dinner. All was still peaceful and quiet throughout the day on Saturday when it was fun to walk down the middle of the eerily empty streets.

In the Mosaic covenant, God required the ancient Israelites to observe Sabbath, a sign of their relationship with Him. Sabbath could be likened to a wedding ring—it was to remind the people of their covenant with God, and it also marked them and set them apart from all the other people.

Just as God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh, so He wants His people to do the same. He even required the land to rest every seven years. Some rabbis have suggested the world itself will exist for 6,000 years and then rest for 1,000 years (which could be what Christians call the Millennium).

God also told the children of Israel to observe certain feasts, which He called “My feasts.” All of history can be said to be summed up in these feasts: Passover is from creation up until Jesus’ death as our Passover Lamb; Pentecost is from the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts until Jesus’ return; and Tabernacles is the coming kingdom of God.

To better understand the Sabbath and the Feasts of the Lord, join me this week on the Out of Zion podcast on The God of Celebration and Rest. Walk Thru the Bible with me each week by downloading our Bible reading plan, and get started reading right away! Invite your friends and family to join us! I can’t wait to Walk Thru the Bible with you! {eoa}

Dr. Susan Michael is USA Director of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem and host of the Out of Zion podcast.

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The sounds from Judah going first in our recent Celebration Service were a wake up to prepare for war. We must allow the roar of the Lion of the tribe of Judah to rise up within us. The voice of the Lord is setting our course, and these prophetic words from yesterday will help us gird up for this Passover week:

In the Midst of Troubling Waters, You Will Rise

The Lord says, “Many waters are being troubled. In the midst of the troubling waters, I have a people who will learn how to stand. In the midst of the troubling waters, I have a people who will learn to walk through the waves. In the midst of the troubling waters, I have a people who will begin to rise and not sink. Many troubling waters are around you, but in the midst of it, you will be one who surfs to a new shore.

Keep Your Eyes on the Field Ahead

“Some of you are grabbing hold of the plow, but you’re looking back. When you put your hand to the plow, keep your eyes focused on the field ahead. Many new fields are forming, and if you keep looking back at the field you were in, then you will never see the harvest of the field ahead. I am calling My people to grab hold and move forward into their new field.

“Do not keep looking back at that field that once produced, but jump into the field that is ahead and watch this field be cultivated. Many of you have fear that you will not have the strength to plow that new field. The fear is making you confused over how I can infuse you. Let go of the fear of the new! In that new field you will find the treasures that you’re looking for.”

Dig Deeper and Taste the New Flavor

“‘Comfortable’ is the enemy to the strength that you need … so be careful! I am producing new strength as you expand into the future. I am digging deep in you because you have no idea of the field I’ve been working on in you. And yet, you are limiting Me with your vision. You are limiting Me with your ideas. You are limiting Me based upon your own knowledge. I’m digging deep because you’re going to dig deeper.

“Many think My presence is sweet and angelic, but My presence can blast through mountains. My presence can uncover minefields. This is the day of knowing My presence, so your gift that you are nurturing can explode into what I intend it to be.

“Many of you have chosen to like vanilla, and many of you have chosen to love chocolate. But I am sending a fire to melt them together, and then I’m adding My own flavors in which you know not. I am a creative God, filled with flavor and creativity. Your choice will be to taste and see the new taste that I am producing.

New Terrain and Lost Sheep

“I am sending you into some rough territory and rough terrain, for I have lost sheep that I am hunting. You’ve grown comfortable in trying to harness and shepherd the boundaries that I have, but I am hunting for lost sheep. So, develop a new cry within you, because you have no idea of the wolves that are on the path. The cry that I put in you will disperse the wolves that have surrounded those that I am intending to bring in. Get ready! You are headed into new terrain!”

Through the Wine Press

“Some of you are being pressed greatly, but don’t get weary in the pressing. Stop along your pressing journey and taste the wine that’s being pressed out of you. You have no idea of the sweetness that’s coming out of you. Honey will eventually come out of you. Stop along the journey and taste and see that I am good. I want you to press through until I expand you into a place you’ve never been before.

Pull Off Your Chains

“My people always hear My voice, and they are always in alignment with Me. But the enemy whispers in your ear and tells you to pick up your old chains and wear them like jewelry. You walk in My authority! Walk with Me now and pull off those chains. I will put them in the fire, and they’ll never be picked up again.”

Be Watchful These Next Days

“Be watchful these next 10 days because I am coming to wobble your ox cart. When I wobble it, are you going to try to touch it with familiarity to upright something that I am pouring out? These next 10 days, I will shake your ox cart. I will shake it, and I will shake it again. Then when you come into a realization that your order is not going into the fullness of the order that I have in store for you, pull aside and let Me reveal to you the new order. When I reveal the new order to you in your spirit and you rise up outside of your might, it will usher in My presence, not only in your life but in your neighborhood, church and office.

“When I usher in the new order and judgment rises up for many who would not let go of their order, let them stand in the judgment of barrenness. But you go on in with Me because I am calling the city to rejoice. When I call the new order, the city will rejoice in a way that it has not rejoiced in the last two years. Watch the next 10 days; watch the next 90 days, and then you will see a breaking that your heart has truly longed for.

“This week, I’m going to take you by eminent domain. Because I live within you, you will take your sphere of influence by eminent domain. Greater am I in you than you are in you. Therefore, I am calling you to yield yourself this week. Yield yourself and take all that I point out in front of you.” (Prophetic words spoken by Chuck D. Pierce, LeAnn Squier, Mark Waldrep, Keith Pierce, Suzanne Harrington.)

Overcoming Obstacles Like David, Son of Judah!

This is such a key week to cross over and move into our future! However, if we don’t understand timing, we won’t war in the right way for our promises. Judah was a tribe that was known for praise, as well as going first. However, as Robert Heidler shared yesterday on the life of David (a kingly descendant of Judah), this tribe also learned to war. David achieved his destiny not because he won a single battle, but because he overcame again and again and again. God formed purpose for each of us.

Be sure to watch the entire replay (from Sunday) and declare that you are choosing to overcome obstacles and pursue your prophetic destiny! {eoa}

Charles D. “Chuck” Pierce serves as president of Global Spheres Inc. in Corinth, Texas. This is an apostolic, prophetic ministry that is being used to gather and mobilize the worshipping Triumphant Reserve throughout the world. Chuck also serves as president of Glory of Zion International Ministries, a ministry that aligns Jew and Gentile. He is known for his accurate prophetic gifting which helps direct nations, cities, churches and individuals in understanding the times and seasons in which we live. Chuck and his wife, Pam, have six children and seven grandchildren. He has authored over 20 books, including The Passover Prophecies: How God Is Realigning Hearts and Nations in Crisis and bestsellers Interpreting the Times, Redeeming the Time, and Time to Defeat the Devil. He’s also co-written: Protecting Your Home from Spiritual Darkness, The Apostolic Church Arising and Releasing the Prophetic Destiny of a Nation.

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One of the most significant questions many people ask pertains to finding God’s will. For many people, discovering God’s will for their lives seems both mysterious and extremely complex.

But it need not be. For some, God’s will may appear to be easily found. Yet it is human nature to make things more difficult than they can be, like “straining at gnats” while others easily “swallow camels” as referenced in Matthew 23:24.

Therefore, I would like to summarize the process of finding God’s will in one statement to show you how simple it can be, and then break it down into several components so that you can take one step at a time.

Simply put, finding God’s will is found in this one command: “Delight yourself in the Lord” (Ps. 37:4a). Delighting in the Lord is the key to finding God’s will for our lives.

In other words, delighting in the Lord is to take joy in the things of the Lord. God’s question is, “Are we obedient to His command?” Therefore, we need to understand what it means to take joy in the things of the Lord. So, let’s break it down. Taking joy in the things of the Lord can be summed up in these seven steps, which encompass much of life’s activities:

1. Be joyful in reading Scripture. Moses told Israel: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God. The Lord is one! And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deut. 6:4-9).

2. Be joyful in prayer. The apostle Paul told Timothy: “Therefore, I exhort first of all that you make supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings for everyone, for kings and for all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty” (1 Tim. 2:1-2).

Let’s examine these four types of communications with God:

— Type 1: Supplications. Supplication is a form of prayer in which people sincerely ask God to provide for themselves or for others.

— Type 2: Prayers. Prayer is two-way communication with God. Not only can one speak to God directly, but one must also be silent before Him, and also be attentive to the spiritual realm throughout life when at any moment God may speak to a person.

— Type 3: Intercessions. Intercessory prayer is speaking to God on behalf of someone else. The apostle Paul told Timothy that intercession should be made for everyone.

— Type 4: Thanksgivings. The apostle Paul told the Thessalonians: “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thess. 5:16-18).

3. Be joyful in godly relationships. The apostle Paul warned the Corinthian church about ungodly relationships. He said: “Escape from sexual immorality. Every sin that a man commits is outside the body. But he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body” (1 Cor. 6:18).
4. Be joyful spending time with believers. The writer of Hebrews said: “Let us not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but let us exhort one another, especially as you see the Day approaching” (Heb. 10:25).
5. Be joyful in sacrificing for others. The apostle Paul told the Ephesian elders: “In all things I have shown you how, working like this, you must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive'” (Acts 20:35).
6. Be joyful in God’s provision. God told Israel: “It will be, if you will diligently obey My commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the Lord your God, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will give you the rain of your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil. I will provide grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be full” (Deut. 11:13-15).
7. Be joyful in honoring your parents. The apostle Paul told the Ephesian church: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother,’ which is the first commandment with a promise, so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth” (Eph. 6:1-3).

When you rejoice in all the things of God, He will give you “The desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:4b). The reason this principle is the key to finding God’s will is because God does not place desires in our hearts that are contrary to His will.

When we take joy in all the things of God, we can trust the desires in our hearts. We can trust that God placed them there as our roadmap to meaning and fulfillment in life, and know that we are meant to pursue these desires with all our hearts. The pursuit of the desires of an obedient heart will lead us on paths that cause us to be salt of the earth and lights of Christ to the people only we can reach.

The desires of our hearts will lead us to move by faith to fulfill His purposes for our lives. This is equivalent to God’s “calling” on our lives. The calling is within our hearts. We discover that calling as we consistently take joy in all the things of God. {eoa}

James F. Linzey studied church growth under C. Pete Wagner and signs and wonders under John Wimber at Fuller Theological Seminary, ministered under John Wimber on the Anaheim Vineyard’s large ministry team and is the chief editor of the Modern English Version Bible. He served as a military chaplain for 24 years.

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As Passover nears, those of us who celebrate the biblical Holy Days will be spending the next few days cleaning our homes from top to bottom and thoroughly searching every cupboard, cabinet, closet, couch and corner in order to make sure that there is no yeast to be found anywhere in our houses.

At my home, this preparation began weeks ago as we began to purchase less bread and other products that contain yeast. This search for yeast will end just before Passover begins when I, as the oldest man in my home, will take time to search my home. At the end of the search, I will sweep a small amount of crumbs left by my wife into a napkin, which I will symbolically burn while saying a prayer asking G-D to search our hearts and know our intent was to remove every remnant of yeast from our home and to forgive us if we missed something that was hidden from us during our search.

The Bible tells us that yeast is a symbol of sin. Yeast is not sin itself, but a symbol of sin. We know yeast isn’t sin itself because on Shavuot (Pentecost), which is the next biblical feast on the calendar after Passover, Israel was commanded to wave two loaves of leavened bread as a part of the celebration.

“Until the morrow after the seventh Shabbat you are to count fifty days, and then present a new grain offering to Adonai. 17 You are to bring out of your houses two loaves of bread for a wave offering, made of two tenths of an ephah of fine flour. They are to be baked with yeast as first fruits to Adonai” (Lev. 23:16, TLV).

So, if yeast isn’t sin, why were the Israelites commanded to get rid of all of the yeast and eat only matzah (unleavened bread) during feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread?

Yeast is a living organism that causes a change within grains, which causes them to rise or puff up. It only takes a small amount of it to impact a large amount of bread.

“A little hametz [yeast] works its way through the whole batch of dough!” (Gal. 5:9).

Before you could buy yeast in little packages, you would save “starter” from previous loaves, which you would add to your new bread. Because this yeast goes bad after some time, in order to have good bread, you have to get rid of the old yeast and start with new yeast, so you can have good fresh bread.

“Your boasting is no good. Don’t you know that a little hametz leavens the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old hametz, so you may be a new batch, just as you are unleavened—for Messiah, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the feast not with old hametz, the hametz of malice and wickedness, but with unleavened bread—the matzah of sincerity and truth” (1 Cor. 5: 6-8).

When Israel’s family first went into Egypt, they were good yeast, which, through Joseph, brought change to Egypt and saved the entire known world. But, after 400 years in Egypt, Israel’s yeast became old. Instead of affecting Egypt, Egypt had affected Israel. They went from leading in Egypt to slavery in Egypt.

So, before Israel left Egypt, G-D provided a symbolic reminder to them. He told them that they had let their yeast go bad. “Get rid of all your yeast and spend seven days eating bread with no yeast.”

When we read the words “seven days” it should immediately remind us of the creation. We should understand that just as Israel started over with new yeast after their redemption from Egypt, G-D symbolically renewed the nation Israel’s spiritual yeast so that they would once again influence the nations that they interacted with instead of those nations influencing Israel.

So, every year we are reminded that we must remove our old yeast completely. As we eat matzah for seven days, we are reminded to not only search our homes for yeast, but also search our hearts for any yeast that has become tainted or influenced by the world.

This year, as we prepare to celebrate Passover, please join me in allowing the Spirit of G-D to shine brightly into every corner of our hearts so that we can find even the tiniest bits of yeast, remembering that it only takes a little yeast to leaven the whole lump. Look for hidden bitterness, anger, envy, greed, lust and so forth.

This year, let’s all make extra effort to search out any ungodly fears that we have allowed to enter in and remain to cause our yeast (our ability to influence the world) to become weakened and sour. Fear will cause us to become slaves to this world and makes us ineffective as messengers of the Good News.

Remember, our message to the world today is the same message Moses was given: Let my people go! But, in order to speak with faith, boldness and authority, we must renew the strength of our yeast. {eoa}

Eric Tokajer is the author of Overcoming Fearlessness, What If Everything You Were Taught About the Ten Commandments Was Wrong?, With Me in Paradise, Transient Singularity, OY! How Did I Get Here?: Thirty-One Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before Entering Ministry, #ManWisdom: With Eric Tokajer, Jesus Is to Christianity as Pasta Is to Italians and Galatians in Context.

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If there’s one thing I’ve learned on this lifelong journey of weight gain and weight loss, it is that I cannot lose weight for someone else. We cannot lose weight for our husbands; it has to be for us. We have to want it for ourselves.

So if not weight loss, what does it take to stay married?

He Got It Wrong

Recently I listened to a sermon by a pastor from Malden, Missouri, who essentially said if husbands stray, it’s because their wives have gained weight—or in his exact words, “have let themselves go.”

His premise was that men are visual, and they want to desire their wives. But they cannot desire their wives, he says, if they aren’t slim and trim like our former first lady. He even put a picture of her on the screen during his sermon. I was livid, and it took me a while to come down off my soapbox.

Friends, he just got it all wrong in so many ways that it’s difficult to talk about it in one article or podcast episode.

Can’t Lose Weight for Others

When I weighed 430 pounds, I used to think if I lost weight my husband would love me more. The problem really wasn’t that he was nagging me to lose weight.

It was that I felt so bad about myself that I was sure he didn’t want me—or one day wouldn’t want me. I also thought I wasn’t a good wife because I was so overweight. The bottom line is this: I was miserable and unhappy with myself.

This made me feel unfixable and unworthy to even try to change. I went on lots of diets, but without learning how to change my emotional mindset about myself, I was never able to go on any lifestyle change plan.

Even with all my negative thoughts, and even though I loved my husband, every time I tried to lose weight for him, I failed. When it was for him, if he didn’t applaud my weight loss, I would quit and throw in the towel.

Motivation for Weight Loss

The only motivation for weight loss that worked for me was when I began to want it for myself. When I began to care enough about myself to want to become healthy in every area—spiritually, emotionally, mentally and even physically—change began to happen.

One of my big motivations was to be around for my children and husband, to be in their lives. It wasn’t because they were telling me I had to. I would have rebelled against that. It was also so I could fulfill that seemingly elusive destiny God had in store for me. At the time I didn’t know what it was, but I did know that I couldn’t do anything unhealthy. I constantly felt like my brain was foggy and muddled. I was tired, sluggish, without energy or motivation. These became my reasons why—my motivation.

With firm desire, I lost 250 pounds and have kept it off since 2013.

We all need to know our why if we are embarking on any kind of journey for change. We also have to own our need to allow God to transform us, and then we must surrender to what He tells us to do—no one else.

What Is Important to A Man?

When my husband and I were chatting about the sermon in question, I asked what he thought was important to men. He said while men are visual, more than that, they have a deep desire for valor.

Although the dictionary defines valor as “strength of mind or spirit that enables a person to encounter danger with firmness,” to my husband, valor is mainly keeping his promises, protecting his family and being the one who provides.

Related to the sermon in question, he pointed out that for a man, valor means staying with his wife no matter what either goes through. He has done this well with me. It is the reason I dedicated my first book to “my husband, who has loved me through thick and thin, more of the former than the latter.”

Commitment in Marriage

Commitment is evidenced in a marriage when your spouse will stay with you and care about you no matter what you weigh or what you are struggling with. We’ve undoubtedly had our ups and downs, but we have learned how to harmonize with each other, which is a definition of submission that has worked well for us for almost 44 years.

By the way, the pastor that preached the dreadful sermon has been put on leave by his denomination and is in professional counseling. The denomination also renounced his views as not of that denomination.

Apparently, this isn’t the first time he has shared these views publicly.

The only verse, the pastor mentioned was Proverbs 31:30. But he interpreted it to mean women should look good but also be godly. Actually, I’m pretty sure it still means exactly what it says. “Charm can be misleading, and beauty is vain and so quickly fades but this virtuous woman lives in the wonder, awe, and fear of the Lord. She will be praised throughout eternity” (Prov. 30:31, TPT). {eoa}

Teresa Shields Parker is the author of six books and two study guides, including her No. 1 bestseller, Sweet Grace: How I Lost 250 Pounds. Her sixth book, Sweet Surrender: Breaking Strongholds, is live on Amazon. She blogs at . She is also a Christian weight loss coach (check out her coaching group at Overcomers Academy) and speaker. Don’t miss her podcast, Sweet Grace for Your Journey, available on CPN.

This article originally appeared on .

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Clearly, we’re in a new era. Some months ago, the Holy Spirit started showing me something about this new era—the age of miracles.

As times and seasons prophets, we need to be accurate in the spirit with regard to chronos and kairos times. An age is a period in history. That period is usually marked by a notable factor, such as the age of dinosaurs or the atomic age.

An age of miracles, then, would look something like the days when Moses was showing Pharaoh many wonders, or when Elijah and Elisha walked the earth or the apostles moving in the Spirit in book of Acts.

We’re not in the midst of it yet, but we’re entering into it. We’ve been authorized to walk in signs, wonders and miracles, and some are. But the Holy Spirit is inviting the hungry to walk through a new era door into ageless, timeless miracles. Wonder-working power is readily available now, but many will have to break through their risk threshold to walk in it.

The Miracles of Moses

As viruses and plagues increase in the earth, we’ll see Moses-like miracles manifest through the hand of deliverance prophets with a heart to set the captives free. In this age of miracles, Moses worked healing, stemmed the tide of judgment, performed signs and more.

Perhaps Moses’s most notable miracle was the parting of the Red Sea. The Israelites were fleeing from the rule of a Pharaoh but found the Red Sea in front of them and the Egyptian army behind them. They had nowhere to go when the Lord told Moses to stretch out his rod. The faithless Israelites were ready to die, but Moses encouraged them to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. God told Moses:

“And as for you, lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it; then the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. As for Me, surely, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, so that they shall follow them, and I will be honored through Pharaoh, through all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I am honored through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen” (Ex. 14:16-18).

It was just as the Lord said. Moses continually worked miracles to provide for the Israelites—manna, quail and water from a rock—as they walked in the wilderness. God is going to raise up Moses-like miracle workers to deliver people from the evil of the age and into the promises of God. The result will be a free people who are prepared to contend for the will of God for their lives.

Click here to read the rest of this article. {eoa}

Jennifer LeClaire is an internationally recognized author, apostolic-prophetic voice to her generation, and conference speaker. She carries a reforming voice that inspires and challenges believers to pursue intimacy with God, cultivate their spiritual gifts and walk in the fullness of what God has called them to do. Jennifer is contending for awakening in the nations through intercession and spiritual warfare, strong apostolic preaching and practical prophetic teaching that equips the saints for the work of the ministry. The former editor of Charisma magazine, she is senior leader of Awakening House of Prayer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, founder of the Ignite Network and founder of the Awakening Prayer Hubs prayer movement.

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