Note: This is the second of a four-part series. For part one, click here.

The apostles Peter and Jude warned us that scoffers will come in the last days (2 Pet. 3:3, Jude 1:18), belittling our faith and belying the precious promises (2 Pet. 1:4) of our Lord’s Second Coming.

The first Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ was promised to patriarchs and predicted by prophets for many millennia. Likewise, followers of Jesus of Nazareth, the Jewish Messiah, have now waited for over 2,000 years for His Second Coming (Advent) and the completion of Father God’s plan of the ages.

Moses was the first to write of and predict the coming of the future Messiah in Genesis 3:15, where he related about God cursing the serpent in the Garden and declaring that a future male “offspring” of that first woman would bruise the serpent’s head while the serpent would merely bruise his heel. Other translations describe the action as “he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” This idea is developed elsewhere in the Old Testament, and Paul predicts the same when he taught the Romans that “the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Rom. 16:20a).

This Genesis 3:15 promise is known among theologians as the “proto-euangelion” or first good news or gospel message. While Jesus actually died at the crucifixion, He dealt a fatal blow to Satan at the resurrection. The entire scriptural narrative becomes the unfolding of this original gospel promise and deferred victory.

This promised descendent of the human race would be from Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3) and through the lineage of his son Judah (Gen. 49:10). He would be born in the “little town of Bethlehem” (Mic. 5:2) and later be a “great light” in the northern region of Galilee (Is. 9:2, Matt. 4:16). Jesus of Nazareth professed that He alone perfectly fulfilled these promises to the patriarchs and the prophets. “These are the very Scriptures that testify of me,” He said (John 5:39b, NIV).

Even as Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament Scriptures, He promised He will come again to receive us and be with Him in His Father’s heavenly home (John 14:1-3). Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of this passage says that there is “plenty of room for you” in Father God’s home, and our Lord has gone “to get a room ready for you.”

Before Jesus ascended to heaven, after His resurrection, He promised His disciples to send “another Helper” (the Holy Spirit) to be with them—and us—to empower his disciples to be His witnesses to the most remote part of the earth (Acts 1:8). Then, He ascended to heaven as “a cloud received Him from their sight” (Acts 1:9, MEV).

Two assumed angels assured the disciples that “This same Jesus, who was taken up from you to heaven, will come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Thus, we learn that Jesus will eventually come again, literally and physically, to fulfill all the predictive prophecies of the ages.

From the announcement of Christ’s first coming to the completion of His Second Coming, God’s chosen have learned to faithfully watch, eagerly wait and diligently work for that appointed time!

How We Are to Wait

The apostle Paul taught we are to wait with eager expectation.

— “Eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 1:7b, NKJV).

— “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20).

— “We also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance” (Rom. 8:23b-25).

— “And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thess. 1:10).

— “To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation” (Heb. 9:28).

Like a child waiting for Christmas, we must eagerly long for our Lord’s appearing at His Second Coming. The bright manifestation of our Lord at that glorious day (Titus 2:13-14) is to be our constant incentive for faithfulness (1 Tim. 6:14) and the ultimate modifier for all our thoughts, words and deeds (Rom. 14:12, 2 Cor. 5:10). It compels us to be “people he can be proud of, energetic in goodness” (Titus 2:14b, MSG).

“We’ll work, ’til Jesus comes; we’ll work, ’til Jesus comes./ We’ll work, ’til Jesus comes; And we’ll be gathered home!” (“We’ll Work Till Jesus Comes”).

Stay tuned for part three titled The Day the Sky Will Fall. {eoa}

Gary Curtis served in full-time ministry for 50 years, the last 27 years of which he was part of the pastoral staff of The Church on The Way, the Van Nuys’ California Foursquare church. Now retired, Gary continues to write a weekly blog at worshipontheway.wordpress.com and frequent articles for digital and print platforms.

In his stunning new bestseller The Harbinger II: The Return, Jonathan Cahn warns that America is right now facing the most critical time ever in its history, hanging in the balance between life and death.

This riveting sequel reveals that the ancient mystery of timing from the Scriptures—first laid out in his first book The Harbinger— marks 2020 as the year of shakings. It uncovers even more about the ancient secret that lies behind everything that’s happening today, from the coronavirus to famine, from the economic collapse to pestilence, from strife and division to the social unrest that’s happening in cities across the nation.

The Jubilee of Abortion

In a recent interview with Shannon Scholten, host of Voice of Truth television, Cahn revealed a shocking truth about the year of Jubilee and what it could mean to America.

“The Jubilee is usually a good thing,” said Cahn, “because it’s the year that everything that was stolen is returned to its original owner. But Jubilee for somebody who has taken someone else’s land is not a great thing because they lose it. Jubilee is not only restoration, but it’s also a year of restitution.

“The Jubilee comes every 50 years,” Cahn continued. “When you count back—when did abortion on demand begin in America? It began in the year 1970. So, we discover that the Jubilee year of abortion is the year 2020.”

Using Jeremiah 7:30-31, Cahn pointed out that murdering children was also a sin committed by ancient Israel, which led to the judgment of that nation. “The prophet Jeremiah stood over the Valley of Hinnom with a clay vessel in his hand and said to Israel, ‘You have murdered children—the blood of the children is here because of what you did, and the same death is going to come to you.’ And then he smashed the jar, a sign of coming destruction. The blood of the innocent is what invokes judgment in the Bible.”

While Israel killed thousands of children in those days, today millions of babies have been killed through abortion. “This generation that we’re in right now has turned away from God more dramatically than any generation in history,” Cahn said. “They have killed more babies than any other generation in history. It’s the greatest falling away we’ve ever had.

“Jeremiah said that the judgment which came upon Israel, from sacrificing children in the Potter’s Field in the Valley of Hinnom, was going to come back upon them. It’s linked together, because America has followed the template of Israel’s fall. The ancient sin is replaying on American soil. Exactly fifty years ago, the nation gave its blessing and sanction to the sacrificing of its most innocent by legalizing the killing of its unborn children, and then celebrating the act.”

Cahn pointed out another chilling fact that ties in. “The sin of abortion is the sin of the older against the younger. Notice this COVID-19 plague strikes the oldest and spares the youngest. This plague has pinpointed the old, because the killing of children is a sin of the old against the young.

“So according to the Jubilee,” he said, “we took lives, now life is taken from us. Life has been taken on the Jubilee of abortion.”

The Shedding of Blood Continues

Cahn said the effects of this Jubilee are far reaching. “Let me go further,” he said. “Abortion began in New York and spread to the rest of America. And most of the cases of COVID were in New York. So just as 50 years ago, New York spread abortion—now it spread this death, too.

“What was the actual day abortion was approved?” he continued. “It was actually two days in 1970. On April 9 the New York Senate approved it, and on April 10 the New York assembly approved it. Fifty years later, The New York Times published a chart of the seven-day average to find the peak of the plague in New York, and that they found they identified two days: April 9 and April 10. Exactly 50 years to the exact days in April.”

“There’s no way you can get around what this pandemic has done. This has never happened in the history of the world. We’ve never had a paralysis like this. We’re getting fist punched.”

What Can We Do?

There is a scripture that Cahn brings up in both Harbinger books as a beacon of hope in the midst of all the turmoil:

“If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chron. 7:14).

“What does this verse have to do with the time we are in right now?” Cahn asked. “It’s the answer. If we humble ourselves, pray and seek His face and turn from our evil ways, He will hear from heaven, forgive us and heal our land. He will!”

But Cahn also brought out a startling revelation from the verse before that—a verse that foreshadowed the shakings of today: “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people” (2 Chron. 7:13, NIV).

“That verse says, ‘if I shut up the heavens‘ —we’ve got famine today due to mega drought which is breaking the food supply chain all over the world. Then it says ‘if I send locusts on the land’—this year we’ve had the greatest plague of locusts in generations happening all over the world, in Africa, Asia and now Latin America. So, we’ve got the drought and famine, locusts and, of course, the plague—all three mentioned in Scripture. It’s all there.”

Cahn went on to point out a Scripture in Matthew 24:7 (NKJV): “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.” Cahn added, “If you look in the original text, it talks about nation against nation as being ‘race against race, ethnos against ethnos.’ And we see the race issue today. All these things are happening in the world right now.”

What does Cahn see as America’s only hope? “This is the moment,” he said. “The voice of God is calling as never before. He’s saying that it’s time to wake up. We need to understand where we are as a society and repent. We need the love of God to come in. Otherwise, it will be game over. Our only hope is to repent and return to God.” {eoa}

Find out more at theharbingerreturns.com.

Life is messy. It’s been messy for thousands of years.

In fact, the first Christmas was messy.

Let’s unwrap it.

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ happened this way: After His mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child by the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man and not willing to make her a public example, had in mind to divorce her privately. But while he thought on these things, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for He who is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins'” (Matt. 1:18-21).

This story has a mess written all over it. Girl meets boy. The girl is pregnant, but not by a boy. What? Impossible? Well, maybe not.

Joseph is confused. Who wouldn’t be? The struggle to believe that your fiancé is pregnant by the Holy Spirit is sketchy at best.

This was Joseph’s situation. Joseph did not believe Mary’s story, or he would never consider breaking off the engagement. Joseph is struggling with what God is doing. Have you ever struggled with God’s choices? Joseph is prepared to call off the engagement.

In the struggle, God sent an angel to give Joseph some insight and clarify God’s intention.

The pregnancy is definitely scandalous, but actually, it is a miracle in the making.

Most miracles show up in the middle of a mess.

God expects us to believe in Him without being able to believe in what He’s doing. The first step of faith may not be to believe in the coming miracle but in God, who sent it.

There are countless people in the Scripture who had to trust God more than understand Him.

Your assignment will require you to obey God even you don’t understand.

Joseph would not have chosen this path. Faith requires a willingness to choose something from God that we would not choose for ourselves.

But God’s will is paramount to fulfill His assignment. Have we surrendered our choice and embraced God’s plan? The willingness to live our lives outside of our own will and choose God’s will validates our faith in God.

The privilege of being the Father of Jesus was no easy task, but God chose Joseph to be the husband of Mary and to raise Jesus.

God will make a way when no way seems possible.

True biblical faith will challenge us to see with our spiritual eyes what we cannot see with our natural eyes.

In this Christmas season, are you tested beyond your ability?

Have you ever had to trust God when you could not believe in the circumstances?

That’s messy—so was the first Christmas.

This post first appeared here. {eoa}

Thomas McDaniels is a pastor/writer and the guy behind thomasmcdaniels.com. He has written for ChurchLeaders.com and currently is a contributing writer for Fox News. He is also the founder of LifeBridge.tv and the Longview Dream Center in Longview, Texas. Thomas can be found on social media, Instagram and Twitter.

I love capturing God’s supernatural power through people who yield to Him and live the supernatural life daily.

I recently had the honor of having a conversation with Rhoda Faye Diehl, who shared how she was born and raised in the church. But when she was 22 years old she was divorced and pregnant with her first child. She drifted away for a season from her Christian upbringing.

As she progressed further into darkness, she found herself divorced again at 25 years of age with a second child, on prescription medicine for anxiety and depression. She said, “Nothing would help. But the only one that helped me and rescued me was Jesus Christ.”

She’d had enough of her sinful life and was remembering everything she was taught in Christian church and school. She said, “Sometimes God has to break us in order to make us.”

Rhoda continued saying, “I began a whole new life with the Lord, who began to put me back together the right way.” She started growing in her relationship with Jesus and God started activating the spiritual gift of prophecy and healing through her life.

God gave Rhoda a supernatural revelation for her new book, The Jericho Fast. She said, “God wants us to go from glory to glory. And in order to take our relationship to the next level we need to intercede. We need to ask for more of God, more of the Lord and more of the Holy Spirit. We need to start asking and make that our petition to God. Asking for more.”

I asked Rhoda, “How and why did God lead you to have the seven day Jericho march be the basis of your book?” She responded saying, “The Lord took me to Jericho spiritually. I had a true encounter with the Lord.”

Heaven opened on the podcast as she said, “He took me there. I began to walk with Him, and He was showing me the ground and the bricks. He began to show me the bricks. As I was walking He said, ‘Daughter, people have forgotten about what I can do. They have forgotten about their Jericho. They have forgotten about the Jericho march, the Jericho march and the Jericho fast. This is going to be a relevant message for today. People need to hear this message today.”

Rhoda said, “We need to be reminded that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. And that the enemy is building walls around people. God started downloading all this spiritual information to write it in a book. The Lord took me back to that time and that place to walk around the grounds and observe what Joshua and the Israelites had to face.”

I want to encourage you to listen to this powerful podcast episode of Adventures in the Spirit with Jared Laskey available on Charisma, Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts and anywhere you listen to podcasts. {eoa}

Jared Laskey, M.Div., M.A. 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-course, Entry Level Prophecy. His testimony of how God supernaturally healed him of PTSD is in Joan Hunter’s new book, Miracles for Veterans.

I was in Tampa, Florida recently, preparing to minister for some great friends of mine. As I prayed about what I would talk about that weekend, I saw a huge, bricked dam in the spirit.

It appeared to be holding back an enormous amount of water. There was tremendous turbulence and force being exerted by the water on the dam. I heard thunder and saw waves accompanied by very ominous dark clouds. Unexpectedly, streams of water began to penetrate the bricks, causing portions of water to get through. The water swelled greatly in front of the dam, and suddenly broke through it.

Breakthrough Is Your Portion

After the breakthrough, there was a great calm—a peace, if you will. The water that burst through the dam was placid; an atmosphere of serenity invaded the valley in which the water, once behind a barrier, found itself. The pressure, upheaval and turmoil that existed before the breakthrough all but disappeared. The thing that held back the blessings (water), causing increasing compression (pressure), had been destroyed.

The Holdback Is Over

After seeing this, I received a revelation about 2021. 2020 has been a year of satanic pressure. The dam that I saw represented the building of demonic assignments, attacks and assaults used to hold back the blessings of the body of Christ. When the dam broke in the vision, it was as if the pressure on your current situation was just released. That which has been held back by the enemy is in the process of being released. I heard in my spirit: “The holdback is over!”

Holdback

— to hinder the progress or achievement of.

— to keep from advancing to the next stage, grade, or level.

— something that retains or restrains.

— a sum of money withheld under certain conditions.

The Dam Has Broken

What the enemy has been holding back from you this season has just been released in the spirit today. You’re just waiting on the manifestation of your breakthrough. Around this same time next year, it will happen for those who believe this word. The dam has broken, and overflow shall be your portion in this next season! The Lord is breaking the dam that held back your blessings with His hand, like a bursting forth of waters.

“So Israel came up to Baal-perazim, and David defeated the Philistines there. Then David said, ‘God has broken through my enemies by my hand, like the breakthrough of waters.’ Therefore they named that place Baal-perazim” (1 Chron. 14:11, AMP).

You Are Entering the Year of the Lord’s Release
What you’ve been waiting for is about to be released. Finances that’s have been held back from you will be released. Healing, peace, happiness, love, soundness and joy will be released.

“At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the Lord’s release” (Deut. 15:1-2, KJV).

The Lord’s release is a supernatural breakthrough that cannot be stopped by man.

It happens every seventh year. I believe that it will cause an acceleration of the promise He made you. The demonic dam has broken, and favor has begun to flow. Some are going to think it’s not fair, but they don’t understand—the favor upon your life has been held up for quite a while.

It didn’t happen overnight. You toiled, you suffered and you cried throughout 2020, as well as some of the years prior. You paid a price for the Lord’s release. Guess what? The seventh year starts now and moves into 2021.

This part of your pain is almost over. Remember, the biblical meaning of the number seven is completion. The seventh day is your day of rest. The seventh year is your season of release. Let go of that which has held you back. Why? Because He’s Lord of your release.

It’s Broken

The word “break” is a synonym for “release”. Remember, God is the breaker of the dam that held back your blessings. 2021 will still be a challenging year, but the shift has already begun. With the shift comes alleviation of the pressure you’ve been experiencing. The heaviness that you’ve felt this year is slowly subsiding. In fact, it’s breaking. I’m convinced that many of you who keep your hand in the hand of the master will experience great breakthroughs in the coming year. The Lord will lead you out.

Micah 2:13 says, “God will open the way for them and lead them out of exile. They will break out of the city gates and go free. Their king, the LORD himself, will lead them out” (Good News Translation).

The holdback of 2020 is over in your life.

2020 prepared you for the overflow to come. For some reading this, the Lord allowed the tribulation of 2020 to break them, so the He could rebuild them. As He rebuilt them through allowed adversity, it made them better—meet for the master’s use (a better husband, wife, son, daughter, father, mother, employee, leader, business owner and so on).

The people, places and things that were sent to you by the enemy to break you are breaking right now. Satan’s plots and plans are being exposed so that you can break them. I see the dam breaking and water (blessings) gushing in by 2021. By this time next year, watch what the Lord does for you and yours. I’m referring to those who believe, receive and decree that they are walking into the Lord’s release. Some might say, how? I say, because the holdback season of this part of your life is over. Increase and overflow are headed your way. {eoa}

Dr. John Veal is the senior pastor/prophet of Enduring Faith Christian Center and the CEO of John Veal Ministries Inc. He is passionate about pursuing God’s mandate to preach, teach, impart and activate people within the prophetic. John is a regular contributor to Charisma magazine, The Elijah List, IMAG, Spirit Fuel, Reformation Today and others. John has been featured on various media outlets, including appearances on Sid Roth’s It’s Supernatural, Something More and Elijah Streams. Dr. Veal is a highly sought-after conference speaker due to his uncanny prophetic accuracy, humor, candor and unconventional preaching style. He has traveled the nations, presenting a myriad of prophetic training and ministry. John currently resides in Chicago, Illinois, with his wife, Elisa, and their three children. For more about Dr. Veal, visit johnveal.org.

There is a tendency within human nature to crave the affirmation of other human beings. Some people’s need for affirmation is so great that it hinders their ability to discern God’s will from the will of man.

One of the many reasons this is alarming is that those who lead churches and Christian organizations are not exempt from this tendency. If you are a local church pastor or CEO of a ministry or business, you are called to lead, not entertain. Many leaders do not understand the difference.

If your primary goal is to make people happy, then you should become an entertainer, not a leader. Leaders should be on the cutting edge of God’s will. They should challenge people to leave their comfort zones, even though this often makes others upset. Leaders should also keep people accountable to standards of excellence.

This becomes especially difficult when a leader is close friends or family with those who are also under their spiritual authority. Many do not understand how to discern between business and friendship, which often causes a rift in the relationship.

The following are 10 contrasts between entertainers and leaders:

1. An entertainer’s primary goal is to make people happy. A leader’s goal is to empower people to achieve excellence. An entertainer’s primary focus in their ministry is to keep their people happy and satisfied. Sometimes folks are content because they are comfortable and feel secure, but their hearts are deceiving them. A true leader’s primary goals are to disturb the comfortable and provoke them to excellence. For example, if a coach never pushes his athletes to the point of pain in his training, the athletes will never excel. True leaders push their people to the perimeter of their potential in Christ.

2. Entertainers perform. Leaders lead. Pastors who are entertainers put all their effort into the public performance. This includes becoming a more polished speaker, having a cutting-edge worship team, employing the best visual effects and keeping an excellent public appearance. They fail to take a whole lot of time evaluating whether their followers are growing in Christ. A true leader should not only care about their public appearance but should also put more focused time toward bringing people into the promised land of their destiny.

3. Entertainers avoid disagreement at all costs. Leaders often provoke disagreement and discomfort. Since entertainers crave affirmation because of their lack of self-esteem, they will attempt to avoid strife and disagreement with their people. True leaders don’t care so much about conflict because their primary motivation is to move people from passivity to purpose.

4. Entertainers gauge their success based on numbers. Leaders base their success on obedience to their assignment. Pastors who are entertainers count nickels and noses. It is all about church attendance and offerings, and if both are high, they are happy. True biblical leaders gauge their success on remaining faithful to the call of God upon their life and organization. For example, Jeremiah is considered one of the greatest prophets of all time, yet he had only a few who believed him. He was not only rejected by his leaders and thrown into prison, but he also died in exile. When the prophet Isaiah received his mandate from God, God told him nobody would listen to him, and the cities would eventually become desolate (Isa. 6). John the Baptist had only a six-month ministry and died in prison. Yet, Jesus called him the greatest person ever born of a woman (Matt. 11:11). By today’s standards of success, Jeremiah, Isaiah and John the Baptist, to name a few, were very unsuccessful. Even Jesus had only 120 faithful followers after more than three years of ministry (Acts 1). The real gauge of success in the kingdom is obedience to our assignment, not numbers.

5. Entertainers are popular with the mainstream. Leaders are often disdained by the mainstream. Entertainers always put their hands in the air to sense where the wind is blowing, then they go in that direction. They are like politicians who crave the vote of the majority and do not care about the holy minority. They only preach what will receive the least resistance and always stand on the edges of compromise, so as not to offend. They will never say anything controversial when it comes to social and moral values. It is not just what they say but what they will not say that matters. Leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Winston Churchill spoke the truth even when it might have cost them their careers or lives. When true leaders lead, they are often on the prophetic edge of what God is saying and only have “innovators and early adaptors” as their followers. It is easy to go with the mainstream but difficult to swim upstream. Leaders swim upstream and are counter-cultural.

6. Entertainers make people feel good. Leaders transform people. Entertainers dream about the ways they can make people feel good about life or themselves. Leaders dream about how they can make disciples who will transform the world. Entertainers focus on attracting the crowds, but leaders, like Jesus, focus on the few that will eventually build a movement that will change the world.

7. Entertainers long for acceptance. Leaders provoke respect. Entertainers live to be loved, while leaders primarily desire influence and respect. For example, good parents are not always liked, but they are respected by their children even after correcting the children. Good parents have their children’s best long-term interests in mind. Likewise, leaders understand that maintaining respect is more important to release God’s purpose than garnering social acceptance and likeability. Jesus wasn’t always liked and understood, but His followers always respected Him (see John 6:60-71).

8. Entertainers are focused on the present. Leaders focus on the future. Entertainers are focused on making people feel happy in the moment. They base all their strategies around programs, hype and visceral experiences that lift the soul. Leaders want to lift the soul emotionally and want to transform the lifestyle of the soul toward a divine trajectory.

9. Entertainers focus on their public persona. Leaders focus on their interior life. Many entertainers spend hours in front of the mirror, practicing their public speaking and reviewing their body language and appearance. They focus primarily on their outward appearance to attract the most followers. In contrast, true leaders focus more on their interior life and give God space to transform their souls. They obey the words of Jesus, who said that one should first cleanse the inside of the cup, and then the outside will also be clean (Matt. 23:26).

10. Entertainers receive the accolades of men. Leaders receive their accolades from God. At the end of the day, entertainers may go down in history as popular with men, but what will the verdict be when they stand before God? In eternity it will be known that many loved the glory that comes from men more than the glory that comes from God (John 12:43). Leaders may not always be the most popular ones while they are alive, but they will be received into eternity with a rich reward and will eventually have the most influence on the earth with men. {eoa}

Dr. Joseph Mattera is an internationally known author, interpreter of culture and activist/theologian whose mission is to influence leaders who influence nations. He is renowned for addressing current events through the lens of Scripture by applying biblical truths and offering cogent defenses to today’s postmodern culture. He leads several organizations, including The United Coalition of Apostolic Leaders (uscal.us). He also has a blog on Charisma magazine called The Pulse.

Don’t you think it’s time to say goodbye to powerless Christianity? James Levesque does, and he challenges Christians to become a burning brand for God. James believes we’re on the brink of the next great Holy Spirit outpouring. His book, Fire, gives you 12 Biblical principles to walk in personal revival and help return the passion you felt at the beginning of your faith. If you have a desire for the supernatural power of God, you will learn how to ignite the fire inside you and see your life activated for signs, wonders and miracles. Encountering Jesus is an anointing that will change your life!

Is God too good to be true? No! We have a wonderful heavenly Father who loves us and cares about everything in our lives. God will come through for you if you say a divine “yes.” Is God telling you to do something? Does it seem impossible? Remember, you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. When we say yes to God, we get into the supernatural. But if we say no, we can miss out on the amazing supernatural realm.

Have you experienced a profound loss? Ray Leight’s book, Finding a New Normal: Permission to be Real in Your Grief, is a roadmap that teaches how to be real in your grief, step out of denial, be honest about your needs and be equipped to process the trauma of loss. Loss and grief are not what you hoped for; it’s not what you wanted—but it’s what you have. Learn how to be honest with yourself and with God, and allow yourself to begin the healing process because acceptance is necessary to return to freedom, peace and joy in your life.

Tune into these episodes and more of Today with Marilyn and Sarah on the Charisma Podcast Network. {eoa}

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

Spirit-filled author Carol McLeod has dealt with life’s storms. She’s battled infertility issues, depression and cancer, and she has come out on the other side praising God all the way.

Having been through all of that, McLeod certainly qualifies to teach others how to live a joyful and productive life in Christ. She’s written a book called Vibrant, and she shares these concepts on her podcast, Jolt of Joy.

She says being around vibrant people is indeed a pleasure, and that their joy can be contagious.

“I’ve written my own definition of the word ‘vibrant,’ and this is what I think it means,” McLeod told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network. “Yes, flourishing in every season of life, but how about this one—the ability to thrive in the most adverse conditions?

“Well, that’s me,” she said. “We cannot control our circumstances. We can’t control people. My goodness, we can’t even control the weather. But what we can control is our response. And we can respond in a fruitful, joyful, hopeful way, no matter what’s going on in Washington, D.C., in New York City or anywhere else on the planet … “

“I’ve traveled around the world talking about joy and the power of joy,” she said. “Sometimes I’ll have women say to me, ‘Carol, I don’t get it. I don’t understand what you’re talking about.’ This is what I say to them: ‘OK, if you don’t understand joy, then just be thankful, because gratitude and joy are not so very far apart. If you can change your perspective in life and be grateful for the things in your life that you have been given. Joy is a byproduct of gratitude.’

“One thing you can do, what I do, is to build some disciplines in your life,” McLeod said. “One of my disciplines is that every single night, I write down in my journal that’s beside my bed three things I’ve been grateful for that day. It turns my heart away from worry and pain and disappointment to a place of gratitude. I believe that gratitude moves the hand of God; I believe that when we look into heaven, we need to say, ‘God, I’m so grateful.'”

For more about how to life a vibrant life, listen to the rest of this podcast. And tune into Jolt of Joy on the Charisma Podcast Network.

Recent events have revealed a dark side to Netflix, a media company that has been accused of distributing highly questionable, if not immoral, content on its network. Netflix has received a great deal of criticism from the media and outcry from the public for its actions.

Weary of the negativity and the ungodly entertainment such companies have produced, Apostle James Alford, the founder and leader of Righteousness Ministries International in Marietta, Georgia, decided to form his own media company. The streaming platform, called Saltflix, provides believers with an alternative entertainment venue to view faith-based and edifying content. His plan has worked, as his films, TV and music content have made a huge impact, he says.

Alford also has his own podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network called Kingdom Authority With James Alford.

“Netflix found themselves in a lot of trouble because they’re putting content on their platform that was averse to the people of God, and they refused to take it down,” Alford told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network. “Saltflix is kind of an answer to that issue.

“We’re seeing a lot of streaming platforms where people, children, can go on and be able to watch films of faith—Christian-type content and even family-friendly-type content,” Alford said. “When you go there, you don’t have to worry about somebody saying something crazy, or you can just have peace and be able to watch it and be transformed by it.

“Over this next year and beyond, we want Saltflix to become that alternative for people who have a Netflix or Amazon already,” he said. “I want people to be able to turn to [our platform], for people to be able to go to find good quality Christian content. You don’t have so many Christian filmmakers, but they are awesome.

“So this is a place where you can go and see content that is actually going to agree with your faith,” Alford said. “My goal is just to touch people and let them see how God, through film, can transform people because the devil has had his way in media over the last several decades. He doesn’t need a physical church because he’s transformed the nation, the world, through the media. But we don’t need evil in our media.”

For more about the impact of Saltflix, listen to the rest of this podcast. And tune into Kingdom Authority With James Alford on the Charisma Podcast Network. {eoa}

As an entrepreneur and financial consultant to many executive leaders and corporations, Nathan Culver say God must always be in charge of his actions. If the Holy Spirit isn’t leading him every minute of every business day, then Culver knows there’s a chance he could lead people in the wrong direction.

That would not only be disastrous for him, but also for the people he’s advising. As an author and a podcaster, host of Mastery Talks with Dr. Nathan Culver, he must lean on God to show him the way to help empower other Christian professionals to be effective in their calling.

“There is always a challenge of character and a challenge of how well we represent God within the marketplace,” Culver told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network. “It’s about ambition and competition. In our business, I recognize that those were two hot buttons for me.

“And sometimes, our ambition can drive us, and we think it’s the Holy Spirit,” Culver said. “That’s why it’s so important to make sure that you are hearing from God in relation to any initiative or venture you start to go into. If not, ambition could be driving you, and your ambition will have to supply.

“But when Dad (God) is driving, He is obligated to supply and to grow, to help you grow and develop your business,” Culver said. “When you’re a person who’s multi-gifted and talented and has a number of abilities, opportunities will come in abundance. The question is not whether you have the opportunities, but what opportunity is God’s to handle. That can be a challenge to discern that. It’s not always in how much money you want to make, but is God providing that opportunity in which you can thrive? So you have to be mindful of ambition and competitiveness.”

For more about how you can thrive in mastering your money, listen to the rest of this podcast. And, tune into Mastery Talks with Nathan Culver on the Charisma Podcast Network. {eoa}