Hebrews 13:4 (AMP) Let marriage be held in honor (esteemed worthy, precious, of great price, and especially dear) in all things. And thus let the marriage bed be undefiled (kept undishonored); for God will judge and punish the unchaste [all guilty of sexual vice] and adulterous. Proverbs 5:15-23(NIV) Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well. Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers. May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer– may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love. Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another man’s wife? For a man’s ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths. The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast. He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly.

Proverbs 6:23-35(NKJ) For the commandment is a lamp, and the law a light; reproofs of instruction are the way of life, To keep you from the evil woman, from the flattering tongue of a seductress. Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, nor let her allure you with her eyelids. For by means of a harlot a man is reduced to a crust of bread; and an adulteress will prey upon his precious life. Can a man take fire to his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be seared? So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; whoever touches her shall not be innocent. People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving. Yet when he is found, he must restore sevenfold; he may have to give up all the substance of his house. Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding; he who does so destroys his own soul. Wounds and dishonor he will get, and his reproach will not be wiped away. For jealousy is a husband’s fury; therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. He will accept no recompense, nor will he be appeased though you give many gifts. Proverbs 7:4-27(NKJ) Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call understanding your nearest kin, That they may keep you from the immoral woman, from the seductress who flatters with her words. For at the window of my house I looked through my lattice, And saw among the simple, I perceived among the youths, a young man devoid of understanding, Passing along the street near her corner; and he took the path to her house. In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night. And there a woman met him, with the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart. She was loud and rebellious, her feet would not stay at home. At times she was outside, at times in the open square, Lurking at every corner. So she caught him and kissed him; with an impudent face she said to him: “I have peace offerings with me; today I have paid my vows. So I came out to meet you, diligently to seek your face, and I have found you. I have spread my bed with tapestry, Colored coverings of Egyptian linen. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love until morning; let us delight ourselves with love. For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey; He has taken a bag of money with him, and will come home on the appointed day.” With her enticing speech she caused him to yield, with her flattering lips she seduced him. Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks, Till an arrow struck his liver. As a bird hastens to the snare, he did not know it would cost his life. Now therefore, listen to me, my children; pay attention to the words of my mouth: Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, do not stray into her paths; For she has cast down many wounded, and all who were slain by her were strong men. Her house is the way to hell, descending to the chambers of death. Rodney Howard Browne teaches us that the marriage union is precious in the sight of God. He created Eve and gave her to Adam in a marriage union. Some people act like all relationships between men and women are evil, but marriage is ordained and sanctioned by God. You dishonor yourself when you dishonor your marriage vows or when you have physical relationships with one or more people who are not your spouse. Rodney Howard Browne shows us that God gives us these parameters for the welfare and safety of our children and ourselves. If people would trust God and obey Him, we would not have the destruction in people’s lives that we see in the world today. God knows best. Whether you are married or single – keep yourself for your spouse and for them alone.

Foundation Scripture:
Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”

Rodney Howard Browne teaches us that according to the Bible, we only live once and only die once. Life after death is a reality. Heaven and hell are very real. These are the two places that people go to when they breathe out their last breath. They’ll either go to one or the other. There’s no other place they will go —and that is a fact. Heaven is a real place. Rodney Howard Browne teaches that it’s not what you make it. It’s not your dream —it’s not your fantasy. Heaven was never in the mind of man, but Heaven has always been in the heart of God. Hell is a real place.

Rodney Howard Browne also teaches that it’s not what you make it. Hell was never in the mind of man. Hell was created, not for man, but for the devil and his angels. You are an eternal being. Rodney Howard Browne teaches that you and I are living in eternity, right now. Whatever we do in this life will carry over into the next. We’ve only got one life to live and we’ve only got one chance to live it right and to make the right decisions. Whatever we do now is going to count for eternity. The Bible tells us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. In other words, this is not a game!

There’s no chance after you die to get your life right. Many people play around with the things of God. They play around with their salvation ,saying, “Oh, it will be fine. One day I can get it right. Even when I die, God will have mercy on me.” That’s a lie from the pit of hell. I want you to know that God gives every man, this side of the grave, the opportunity to make the decisions and to make the choices on which way he’s going to go and which way he’s going to turn. These are the eternal facts: You have one opportunity and it’s in this life, this side of the grave.

If you die without Jesus Christ, you are lost for all eternity without any chance of redemption. You cannot come back and do it again—”OOPS, I made a mistake.” No reincarnation (coming back to live your life over a second time as another being -animal or human). No purgatory (the “half-way house” where you pay penance for deeds done while you were on the earth, and then at a certain time, God will feel sorry for you and get you out of purgatory and take you on to your reward). No annihilation (the belief that God will just wipe out every trace or memory of you). No ultimate reconciliation (meaning that after a million or a hundred billion years, God suddenly decides that He loves everybody and He even goes and forgives the devil). Do you know that there are people who believe these things?

Rodney Howard Browne teaches that hell was not made for man, but for the devil and his angels. Man must go there because sin cannot stand in the presence of God. Man must go there because, in a fallen state, man hates God. Men hate God without the slightest reason for doing so. God loves man without the slightest reason either. There’s every reason why men should love God, and not hate Him. They hate Him without a cause. There’s every reason why God should hate man and not love him. Yet, He loves you so much that “He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:1

Make the decision today that you will follow Jesus all the way. Recognize the price that He paid for you at Calvary two thousand years ago -your sins are forgiven. He died that you might live -He rose from the dead for you. All you have to do is to believe that His blood was shed for you and that He died and rose again. Receive His mercy and trust in Him.

Psalms 23:1-6

1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

 

Psalm 23
Verse 4 – Even though we walk under the threat of death and destruction, if we do not fear, God’s presence will be with us to protect and preserve us. Winston Churchill made a true statement, when he said, “We have nothing to fear, but fear itself!” it does not matter what threat of disaster comes your way, it cannot actually touch you, as long as you realize that God is on your side and He walks with you to comfort and encourage you.

 

Only if you take your eyes off Jesus and His Word and allow the devil and the circumstances to intimidate you, will you fail or fall. As long as you keep your eyes on Jesus and His Word and you continue to trust in Him, you will make it through and you will come out in victory on the other side. Your victory is not dependent on the severity of the attack, but on the strength of your trust in God.

 

Matthew 14:26-32
26And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 27But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. 28And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 29And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. 31And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? 32And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

 

Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on the water. This is a major miracle, defying all the natural laws of physics, even on a totally calm day. Peter, however, took his eyes off Jesus and looked at his surroundings, his circumstances, the wind and the waves, and he began to sink. He did not sink because he was on water – he sank because he considered the circumstances above Jesus’ word, “Come”. It does not matter what you are going through, your faith in God’s Word makes water solid ground under your feet. The good news is that Peter walked back to the boat, on the water, with Jesus. You must deal with your fear if you want to make it through.

 

Psalm 23
Verse 5 – It does not matter what terrible circumstances you have to live through, or what the enemy is trying to do to you, God promised to prepare a table before you – to meet all your needs. Not only that, He anoints your head with oil. The word ‘anoint’ has to do with ‘fatness’ and ‘fullness’ – in other words –abundance. God also promises not only to fill your cup, but cause it to overflow! Even though you might face a strong enemy and a mighty battle, if you will trust God, He can bless you exceeding abundantly above all you can ask or think. Great victories come from great battles – as long as you do not lose heart or faint!

 

2 Timothy 1:7
7For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Foundation Scripture: Proverbs 10:4-5 NIV)

4Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. 5He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.

 

The Bible has abundant counsel on how we should conduct our lives and affairs, in a way that is pleasing to God and that brings blessing to our lives. We are God’s children – He desires that we should be blessed and He gives us instruction, through His word, on how we can be blessed. We will never be blessed if we are lazy, slothful and sloppy. In anything and everything we put our hand to, we should do the best we can and we should keep on doing it. We should not do half-a-job, but we should be diligent to a proper job from beginning to end and we should always endeavor to finish what we begin.

 

Proverbs 6:6-11 NIV)
6Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! 7It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, 8yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. 9How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest–11and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.

It is not difficult to be poor – all you have to do is – nothing!

 

Proverbs 12:24 NIV)
24Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor.

When you are lazy, you will never have control over your own life, and when you do labor it will be for someone else. You will build their wealth with your “slave-labor” – instead of building your own wealth by your diligence. The diligent man will always end up the boss over the not-so-diligent man.

 

Proverbs 12:11 (NIV)

11He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment.

 

Proverbs 28:19 (NIV)

19He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.

 

The blessing of diligent, hard work is abundant provision, but when we try to find some other solution, without working (a get-rich-quick scheme), we will invariably end up poverty-stricken, because we have bad judgement. Some people think that having faith in God to provide, means that they sit back on their laurels and do absolutely nothing, but that is a fantasy and they lack judgement. God blesses hands that work. Some people think that being in full-time ministry means that they can sit back and do nothing, but they are mistaken. When you work for God, you should make a greater effort to be faithful and to do an excellent job.

 

Proverbs 14:23 (NIV)
23All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

It is good to have big dreams and plans, but if all you do is talk about them and you never get up and work to make it happen, then you will ever see them come to pass.

 

Proverbs 19:15 NIV)
15Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless man goes hungry.

If you are lazy, you will starve.

 

Proverbs 20:4 (NIV)
4A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.

There is a time and a season to work and to do what you need to do. Be careful to not allow opportunities to pass you by. There is a time to work hard and there is a time to reap the reward of your labor. Usually, the ‘work’ part comes before the ‘enjoying the reward’ part!

 

Proverbs 14:4 (NIV)
4Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest.

 

If you did not have the ox, you would not have the stall to clean, but you could have the ox, a messy stall to clean, and an abundant harvest. It takes work and commitment to bring the blessing in your life, but it is worth the effort to have the good result.

Foundation Scriptures Isaiah chapter 7 verse 14 Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: Behold, the young woman who is unmarried and a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (God with us ). Luke chapter 7 verses 10 & 11 And when the messengers who had been sent returned to the house, they found the bond servant who had been ill quite well again Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and His disciples and a great throng acpanied Him.

1 John chapter 3 verse 8 But he who commits sin (who practices evildoing) is of the devil (takes his character from the evil one), for the devil has sinned (violated the divine law) from the beginning. The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil (has done). It is a historical fact that Jesus was born. What scholars dispute is whether He was all God or all man or part God and part man. We know, from the Bible, that He was God manifest in the flesh. He is completely God and completely man.

Think about this: His birth, life, death and resurrection have affected the earth like none other before or since. This year is 1996 A.D. – Anno Domini – He was the Word made flesh and dwelt among us. He affected the timetable of a whole planet – this is not something you can deny or ignore. Isaiah chapter 9 verse 6 For unto us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father (of Eternity), Prince of Peace. His name shall be called “Wonderful” because He is so wonderful. There is none like Him in all the earth. Our Lord Jesus Christ is so wonderful in His saving, healing and delivering power. Wonderful in His miraculous virgin birth, wonderful in His sinless life, wonderful in His miracle ministry of signs and wonders. Wonderful in His conquest of sin, sickness and satan at Calvary. Wonderful in His supernatural resurrection from the dead.Wonderful in His present day ministry interceding for us at the Father’s right hand in Heaven. Wonderful in His power to cleanse and forgive every sin. Wonderful in His ability to set every captive free. Wonderful in His grace that heals the broken hearted and breaks every bondage. He is wonderful because His love reaches out to touch and transform all who will come to Him and call upon His name.

Acts chapter 4 verse 2 But many of those who heard the message believer (adhered to and trusted in and relied on Jesus as the Christ). And their number grew and came to about 5,000. This Christmas, reflect again on the goodness of God and the fact that Jesus really is the reason for the season! As Christians, we have something to shout about and celebrate, because Jesus lives and in Him we live and move and have our being. Rejoice, child of God, for unto us a son is born, a Savior who is Christ the Lord!

I laid hands on the sick today and a person recovered! Here’s the story: I was at the beauty salon getting my hair done. And I thought to myself, ‘Am I going to do anything good for God, today?’ Just then, there came this strange noise from the back room like someone was getting violently ill. After about 10 minutes or so, this lady came walking out and you could tell she was having a very hard time and she was wiping her face under her eyes. By this time I had been sitting under the hair dryer with highlights so, when I was done, I just walked up to her and quietly asked if she wanted me to pray for her. Of course she wanted me to. So I laid hands on her and commanded the nausea and every sickness and disease to leave her body in the name of Jesus. She was very grateful and said she believes strongly. So I had my hair rinsed out and, while I was waiting with treatment in my hair, she came over to me all smiling and everything and felt like dancing! It was a far cry from what she had felt like just minutes earlier. I told her that Jesus heals, Praise God! Julie S.

HONG KONG CRUSADE – 1996

In 1996, Dr Rodney Howard-Browne and a team from Tampa, flew to Hong Kong to hold a week of revival meetings. It was reported to be largest Christian gathering in the history of Hong Kong.

From 4,000 to 5,000 people gathered each night, and 1,000 to 3,000 for the morning and afternoon meetings, hungry and desperate for the touch of God. It was quite spectacular to watch these precious Chinese people get born again and filled with the Holy Ghost.

This short video clip that captures the essence of the meetings. You can see the earnestness of the people as they submit themselves to the power of the Holy Ghost.       CLICK HERE TO VIEW

I prayed with a swim team in the pool at lake Brantley High School. They all asked Jesus in their hearts. I also prayed with 63 people at the bus station. God is so wonderful! Brett Y.

Testimony:
A Lady with family was so hungry and desperate to receive Christ. I knocked on her door; she was very receptive, ripe and ready. The ones that said the prayer to receive Christ seemed to want others to do it as well and I had a word for the lady. It was my first time out of the 4 walls of the church and 50 got saved. Linda B.

Did you know God tells us in the Bible (Hebrews 11:6) that it is impossible to please Him without faith? Yes, faith is superimportant. Anyone who comes to God must believe that He is alive and is a rewarder of those who diligently – steadily, earnestly and energetically – seek Him.

Especially in these days when the price of gasoline is climbing and tornadoes blow up out of nowhere seemingly, it is still possible to believe God for each and every one of our daily needs.The key is to keep our eyes on Jesus Who is the Author and Finisher of our faith.