What Are YOU Looking At?

Luke 1:46-47 “And Mary said, My soul does magnify the Lord. And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior”

This scripture from Luke reveals something huge when it comes to experiencing an abundant life and a prosperous soul. When Mary said “My soul does magnify the Lord”, that was a choice. Whatever you allow your soul to magnify on the inside will determine what happens on the outside. That’s powerful. So, what are you LOOKING at?

The word “magnify” means to enlarge or make bigger. How can we make the Lord bigger? Actually, we can’t. God is who He is regardless of how we believe or think. But as far as our perception goes, we can make the Lord bigger. When we operate in faith, we can increase the power and ability of God in our minds. Our minds are similar to binoculars or a magnifying glass. Whatever we focus our attention on becomes bigger in our minds. Whatever we fail to focus our attention on becomes smaller in our minds. The problem with most people is that although we know some truths of God’s Word, we don’t spend enough time meditating on them but, instead, become preoccupied with the affairs of this life (Mark 4:19). They become bigger to us than God and therefore limit what we can believe God for. We need to learn to magnify God in our souls, and minimize all the things of this world. One more time, what are you LOOKING at?

A Groan Will Reach the Throne

Exodus 2:23-24 “Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage, so God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham Isaac and Jacob “

Ever watch a professional tennis match? Did you notice that almost every time each player hits the ball, they let out a huge groan? I played tennis for many years and don’t remember such a thing. I often wonder if this is a big distraction for the players or the audience.

Now that you have that word picture, it says in Exodus 2 that after hundreds of years of slavery in Egypt, all the children of Israel could do was groan. There was nothing left in them to compose any prayers. But “God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham Isaac and Jacob“. I want you to know that you don’t have to come up with impressive declarations of faith or do anything fancy for God to hear you. Even a “groan” will reach the throne. Whatever you might be going through, know that a simple groan will reach the heart of your Father in Heaven. If a simple groan from the children of Israel could activate the covenant of God made to their forefathers, how much more would your cry accomplish as a child of God?

Don't Let Fear Shut You Up

John 20:19-20 “Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst and said, peace be with you. When He said this, He showed them His hands and His side, and His disciples were glad.”

Why were the doors shut? “For fear of the Jews”. Knowing this, Jesus first words as He stood in the midst of them was “peace be with you”. Jesus is saying the same thing to you today. Don’t let fear shut you up. Don’t hide behind closed doors in fear or hide behind a closed mouth in fear. Open your mouth and say, “Peace is with me!”

The Hebrew word for peace is shalom meaning wholeness and completeness. In John 20:19-20, Jesus spoke shalom and then He showed His nail pierced hands and a His side. These were the receipts of His payment for your guaranteed peace. When fear comes, the enemy can gain a lot of ground if you will just keep your mouth shut. Don’t let that happen, speak out God’s promises in faith. Don’t let the spirit of fear shut you up. Declare over every negative situation in your life today, “It is well”. Remember Jesus’ nail pierced hands and His side and do like the disciples did, BE GLAD! Open the door of your mouth today and rejoice and shout “Peace, peace, Jesus is with me!”

What? What? What?

Mathew 6:31 “So do not worry, saying, ‘WHAT shall we eat?’ or ‘WHAT shall we drink?’ or ‘WHAT shall we wear?’”

In Mathew 6:31, Jesus shares a tremendous principle in what to do with anxious thoughts and worry. Simply put, He said not to let those thoughts out of your mouth! He said, “take no thought, SAYING”. Negative thoughts are going to come, but don’t give them life with your words. That’s powerful.

You might be thinking, “WHAT am I going to do with this child!”, “WHAT if I lose my job?”, “WHAT is this lump on my neck?” Those thoughts might be filling your mind with worry, but don’t let them out of your mouth. Take no thought, saying. Use your words to speak what God’s Word says about those situations. “My children are taught of the Lord, and great is their peace” (Isaiah 54:13). “God is able to make all grace about toward me, having all sufficiency in all things” (2 Cor. 9:8). “By His stripes, I was healed” (1 Peter 2:24). So, the next time you find yourself thinking “What? What? What?”, STOP! Then start saying the “Word, Word, Word”!!

Move On or Move Forward by Natalie Fortunato

"Let's just move on". Sure, that's an option. But how about if we "move forward" instead? To move on, we put the old aside and go on to something new. But to move forward, we choose to take what we learned from the old and make the new even better. What can we take from 2020 to make 2021 our best year yet? What amazing things happened in the midst of turmoil?

Jesus said in John 10:10 "the thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they might have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance". I love this verse because it doesn't ignore that bad things do happen, but it also shows that those bad things don't come from God. On the contrary, Jesus came that we might have and enjoy life. We get to choose how we will respond to the bad things that come our way...move on or move forward.

At the South Jersey Dream Center, our mission is to help people take steps forward, to change their status quo, and fulfill their God given purpose. For many people in poverty, they've heard all their life that "this is it for you, this is all there is". That's simply not true. When people discover their value and how much they are loved unconditionally by their Heavenly Father, something good happens on the inside. And when good things happen on the inside, good things eventually start to happen on the outside. They begin to move forward into a life they've only "dreamed" of.

In 2020, we received and distributed over 175,000 pounds of resources to thousands of local families. But we don't want to just "move on" from here, we want to move forward...literally! We've outgrown our donated space (again), and hope to move into a facility of our own this year. Let's move forward together!

Streams of Revenue

Proverbs 28:20 “A faithful man will abound with blessings”

While at a meeting with Andrew Wommack Ministries this past week, a prophetic word was given by ARMI Director, Pastor Greg Mohr, saying that “God is releasing streams of revenue in 2021”. He shared with us Proverbs 28:20, “a faithful man shall abound with blessings”.

In geography terms, a stream may have more than one source and when two or more streams come together it’s called a confluence. In biblical terms, God is our Source, and He uses various streams of revenue to carry funds to us to fulfill His purpose in our lives. Here’s an important key: God won’t release funds into an unfaithful man’s hands. If you’ve not been faithful with the assignment God has given you, make a decision today to get things in order and move forward with His plan. If you have been faithful with the assignment God has given you, get ready for “streams” of revenue to converge together into one huge “river” of financial increase to fund all that God has called you to do.

Clark Kent to Superman

1 Corinthians 12:9 “to another faith by the same Spirit”

I remember as a young boy watching the TV show Superman every week, it was one of my favorites. I loved when he would go into a phone booth as Clark Kent and come out as Superman. As Clark Kent, he was a reporter for the Daily Planet newspaper. But as Superman he could “scale buildings with a single bound and he was faster than a speeding bullet”. He became totally transformed.

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul is describing the different gifts given by the Holy Spirit. In verse 9, he mentions the supernatural “gift of faith”, which is different from “the measure of faith” that’s given to every born again child of God (Romans 12:3). The “gift of faith” is the faith that transforms “Clark Kent into Superman”. Greg Mohr describes this faith in his book Living in the Supernatural as “the gift of power that totally anchors the soul to God in overwhelming confidence to operate in or receive gifts of healing or working of miracles in a specific moment. All doubt, all self-consciousness, and fear instantly leave and miracle power flows through you or flows to you. But after the miracle takes place something happens; Superman turns back into Clark Kent and now you live by the faith that is in your spirit”. It would be awesome to live by the gift of faith (as Superman) all the time, but operating in the gift of faith is as the Spirit wills, as with all the gifts of the Spirit. So, when the gift of faith is not in operation in our lives, we live by simple faith (as Clark Kent). What is simple faith? Mountain moving, water walking, raising the dead, and boat sinking harvest faith! Pretty amazing.

MY Peace

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you, let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”

The world tries to sell you peace in various forms. It tells you that you can get peace by having soft music playing gently in the background as you turn down the lights and allow calming scents of lavender to waft over you. It tells you that you can get peace when your body is in the right posture and you practice breathing in the right way. The world tells you that you can get peace when you are tucked away in a mountain resort, far from civilization. I have nothing at all against all that. But the truth is, it’s all external, temporary peace, it doesn’t last. As you well know, external circumstances and surroundings easily and constantly change.

In John 14:27 Jesus is getting ready to go to a cruel, torturous cross and He says, “When I die, I’m leaving you something. I’m bequeathing to you something so priceless, so valuable, so amazing…My peace”. Then He tells you that the world can’t give you this peace. I love this, He says, “MY peace I’m giving to you”. I want you to be encouraged today by remembering that whatever you’re going through, you have His peace already on the inside of you. The world can be in turmoil, but not you, because you have something the world doesn’t have…HIS peace. Now, release this peace over every situation of your life today.

A Blessed House

2 Samuel 6:11 “And the Ark of the Lord continued in the house of Obededom the Gittite three months, and the Lord blessed Obededom and all his household”

David took the Ark and put it in Obededom’s house for three months. In the Old Testament, the Ark carried the presence of God, and wherever it was it brought victory, prosperity, health and good things. Obededom’s house was a blessed house, because of the Ark of the Lord. That’s awesome.

In verse 12 it goes on to say, “And it was told king David, saying, The Lord hath blessed the house of Obededom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom into the city of David with gladness”. Think about that, how would you like everything that you were involved in to be supernaturally blessed? Of course you would.

In the New Testament, it’s God’s presence within you that brings total blessing for you and your whole household. The name Obededom is made up of two words, obed and edom. Put together they mean worshipper-server. Wow, what a nugget. Be a God-worshipper and a God-server, and He promises that everything in your household will flourish, grow and be blessed.

Stay in Your Lane!

2 Corinthians 10:13 “We however will not boast beyond measure but within the limits of the sphere which God has called us“

Did you know that the first state to implement “rumble strips” was New Jersey? Yep, on the Garden State Parkway in 1952. A rumble strip is applied along the side or center of a highway to warn drivers of danger when they drift from their lane. When the wheels cross over the rumble strip it causes a vibration and “rumbling” sound throughout the vehicle. If the rumble strips could talk, they would say, “Stay in your lane!” Today, I am your “spiritual rumble strip”, crying out to you, “Stay in your lane!”

In 2 Corinthians 10:13, Paul was encouraging believers to know their assignment. What heaven has mandated you for, heaven has anointed you for. You are wired and anointed for a specific purpose. The Greek the word for sphere is the word metron, which means a portion or measure, a boundary that should not be crossed. You need to know your assignment and draw on the anointing of God to fulfill your assignment. You don’t have time to waste veering off course into meaningless endeavors that God has not called you to do. Stay in your lane! Keep your eyes on the road ahead of you! Finish your course in 2021!

This is My "Leap" Year

Luke 1:44 “For, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy”

Do you know why we add an extra day, February 29, to our calendars every four years and call it Leap Year? These extra days – called leap days – help synchronize our human-created calendars with Earth's orbit around the sun and the actual passing of the seasons. Interesting. But I have a whole new take on leap year for you…

On the first day of my student orientation at Charis Bible College in Woodland Park, Colorado several years ago, one of the speakers said something that I will never forget. They said the purpose of Charis was to help you find the purpose and calling of “what makes your baby leap”. Meaning, there are certain people and certain callings that make your spirit “leap” on the inside when you encounter them. Just like in Luke 1:44 when the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leapt for joy when it heard Mary’s voice. That’s awesome.

On December 21, 2020, God spoke to me that there would be environments, or certain relationships, new opportunities, new connections, and new locations, that when you walk into them “your baby will leap for joy” on the inside. I’m not talking about goosebumps or an emotional rush, this is speaking of inside your spirit. The same experience will happen when people connect with you, something on the inside of their spirit will “leap for joy” at this Holy Ghost encounter. Are you ready? Are you “expecting” divine connections arranged by God to bless you and those around you and to further His Gospel? If you are, declare this with me, “This is my “leap” year!

You're Next

Psalm 50:10 “For every beast of the field is mine and the cattle on a thousand hills”.

Have you ever been “next in line” at the grocery store? Sure you have. Do you stand there wondering, “how much longer until my turn?” You may be asking the same thing about some of your unanswered prayers. When you hear of someone whose debts have just been miraculously paid in full, or an average student who just scored straight A’s, or a once childless couple who is now expecting their miracle child, you may wonder when it will be your turn.

Well, I want you to know that there’s no shortage in God’s economy. Being in His line for blessing is worth the wait. As you wait, remember that God doesn’t have to bless someone at your expense, nor does He bless you at someone else’s expense. So, the next time someone gets blessed ahead of you, tell yourself “I won’t get jealous, I’m next“. Our God has resources and contacts that are reserved just for you. There’s never a shortage in heaven and you’re next in line. He owns it all!

A Shadow of Good Things to Come

Hebrews 10:1 “For the law having a shadow of good things to come...”

When you see a shadow of something, you can guarantee that the object is close by or visible. Did you know that God concealed “shadows” throughout the Old Testament law pointing to Jesus sacrifice on the cross? The law was only a shadow of the good things to come, it was not the real thing. Would a shadow of a hamburger satisfy you? No, it’s only a shadow.

The real has come and His name is Jesus. Hallelujah, we are no longer under the law, we are under grace (Romans 6:14). The good things that He brings are long life, peace, health, joy, rest, contentment, security, protection and so much more. We don’t need to earn or deserve them. They are ours right now because of the cross of Christ. We have been redeemed from the curse of the law, Jesus being made a curse for us (Galatians 3:13). The law was only a shadow of the good things to come. In 2021, God wants you to expect and enjoy the good things in the good life He provided through His Son Jesus (John 10:10).

Open Up Your Christmas Presence

Luke 2:11 “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord”

As a kid, I still remember the excitement of Christmas morning in our home and the anticipation of going downstairs and seeing the stacks of presents. Each one of us five kids had our own stack. We were so blessed and fortunate as children to have such fond memories of Christmas. But as fun as it was to dive into my presents (and I mean REALLY fun), I realize today that there is no presents without HIS presence.

In Luke 2:11, it says “For unto you” a Savior us born, which is Christ the Lord. He is a gift to YOU. As a born-again believer, He is ever present and living in your heart. Life doesn’t get any better than that! In His presence we have fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). Like Joseph in Genesis 39:2, because He is with us, we are successful and prosperous. Not because of what we have but because of Who we have. Jesus, our Savior saved us from sin, sickness, poverty, and a Christless eternity. All of this for YOU. As you open up your Christmas presents today, open up His Christmas “presence” too and enjoy! Merry Christmas!

Pay it Forward

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life”

Earlier this month, one customer at a Dairy Queen Drive-Thru in Minnesota sparked a community to be the gift that keeps on giving! “Every once in a while”, said Dairy Queen general manager Tina Jensen, “we will have a customer who will offer to foot the bill of the customer behind them”. When this happens the Dairy Queen employee will ask the customer who received the free items if they’d like to “pay it forward” by taking care of the bill of the person behind them. Ms. Jensen said that this will usually continue for about 15 or 20 cars. But on Thursday, December 3rd something happened that was extraordinary, it lasted for two straight days, uninterrupted!

That’s what happened when God gave us His only begotten Son. It was the gift that keeps on giving. Early believers shared their faith with others, and they shared their faith with others, and two thousand years later, believers continue to share their faith with others. It’s the gift that has never stopped paying it forward! If you’ve received the gift of everlasting life and Jesus as your Savior, it’s because someone shared their faith with you. Now it’s your turn to share it with someone else, again and again. Pay it forward!

Can't Clean a Fish Before You Catch 'Em!

John 8:10-11 “When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

I’m not much of a fisherman but one thing I DO know, you can’t clean a fish before you catch it. Impossible. Yet some Christians have this mindset toward non-Christians. Foolishly, they try to “clean” the fish before the catch ‘em. They wonder, “Why are they acting the way they are?”, “I can’t believe they just did that!”, “When are they going to change?”, and so on. Sinners act like sinners, they have a sin nature. Until they are saved and empowered by the Holy Spirit to overcome sin, they will…sin. A lot. Just like many of us used to before we got saved.

When a person receives Jesus as their Lord and Savior, they receive the gift of “no condemnation” as in John 8:10-11. The result is, they will “go and sin no more”. Sin will no longer have dominion over them when they know the love of Christ and the power of His forgiveness (Romans 6:14). So, when you get around your unsaved friends and relatives and total strangers this holiday season, remember that until they are saved and receive their new, born again nature, they will…sin. Pray that they will accept Jesus and receive the wonderful gift of “no condemnation”. STOP trying to “clean” them up before you catch ‘em!

Grace That Laid the Golden Egg

Deuteronomy 8:18 "Remember the Lord your God, for it is He that gives you the power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers as it is this day"

One of Aesop's Fables, called The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg, is about a man and his wife who owned a very special goose. Every day the goose would lay a golden egg, which made the couple very rich. "Just think", said the man's wife, "If we could have all the golden eggs that are inside the goose, we could be richer much faster". "You're right", said her husband, "We wouldn't have to wait for the goose to lay her egg every day". So the couple killed the goose and cut her open, only to find that she was just like every other goose. There were no golden eggs inside, and now they had no goose and no more golden eggs.

In Deuteronomy 8:18, the Word of God speaks about where your wealth comes from. Let's use this fable to better understand this scripture. Please pay close attention. In this scripture, what would represent the golden egg? Money, wealth, riches? No. The golden egg is God's favor and the power to get wealth.

Who would be the goose? Who would be the one producing the golden eggs? You, with all your hard work, talents, and good business sense? Those are all important, but no, it's not you. It's the blessing of God on your life, and your covenant with Him.

It's God's super on your natural that makes you supernatural regarding your finances. It's the blessing of God that causes things to happen financially that can't be explained or seem impossible. It's the blessing of God that gives you insight and wisdom beyond your ability and expertise. It's the blessing of God that positions you for breakthrough and promotion. It's the blessing of God that causes "whatever you put your hand to" to prosper. Do you see it? He's "the grace that laid the golden egg!"

Say Goodbye to Guilt

Gal 4:17 (The Message Bible) "Those heretical teachers go to great lengths to flatter you, but their motives are rotten. They want to shut you out of the free world of God's grace so that you will always depend on them for approval and direction, making themselves important."

The biggest curse in the body of Christ today is the enormous amount of guilt, condemnation, shame, and fear. These destructive behaviors are totally disarming and paralyzing the people of God. Sadly, statistics have shown that Pentecostals, Charismatic's and full gospel people suffer with guilt and guilt related disorders more than any other religious group in the world.

The dictionary defines guilt as, the feeling of responsibility or remorse for some offense, or crime, whether real or imagined. The reason why is we get hooked on what I call a toxic mixture of old testament law and new testament grace. Once you mix the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life, it will poison every area of your Christian life.

For the majority of believers in the church today, guilt is their drug of choice. For many, if they don't feel guilty, they wonder how they will be motivated to serve God! Some actually think guilt is a Christian emotion. IT"S NOT! Paul calls this mixture "another gospel". Any time a person tries to earn the love, acceptance, forgiveness and favor of God, it is going to result in guilt, condemnation, shame and fear. God's unmerited favor is the answer that will deliver God's people from this addiction. God loves, accepts, and forgives every one of us unconditionally. It's time to kick the habit!

Great Expectations, Great Results

Acts 5:15 “They brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them...and they were healed every one”

Have you ever been caught up in an overwhelming atmosphere of expectation in the Lord’s goodness and manifested promises? So much so, that you would do something totally “out-of-the-box”, totally unusual, that you would even surprise yourself, because you had such an assurance in God’s Word and faithfulness.

That’s exactly what happened in Acts 5 after the resurrection of Jesus, when miracles began to break out in the early church. Nothing was impossible, nothing seemed too hard for the Lord. People began to bring sick people into the streets and lay them on couches and beds. They were so sure that a miracle of healing would take place, they said to themselves, “if only we could get our loved ones in Peter’s shadow as he passes by, we know they will be healed”! That’s awesome. What faith. As a result, in verse 16 it says that every single person who got in that shadow was healed. Today God wants you to live with that kind of expectation in His Word. So much so, that you would do something unusual, out-of-the-box, and totally away from the status quo to receive your miracle. Great expectation in the Word brings great results.

Don't Look!

Romans 4:19 “And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, neither the deadness of Sarah’s womb”

I want to encourage you today to be like Abraham, who was convinced God was able to do what He had promised. Even though Abraham was advanced in years, he believed God’s promise that He would make him a “father of many nations”. He didn’t consider his own body now dead. When someone says to you, “Hey, don’t look!” or “What we are about to show you could be very graphic“, it’s not easy NOT to look. But that’s exactly what Abraham did, he refused to focus on the natural reasons he couldn’t physically conceive a child. This is a huge key to receiving supernatural manifestations of God’s promises. He didn’t focus on the deadness of his own body, he focused on God’s promise. There it is! Don’t consider the symptoms in your body or the bad report of the doctor. Instead, fix your eyes on Jesus and consider only what God’s Word says. Then add your YES and AMEN.