Breakthrough Fasting & Prayer

January 21, 2009 (Day Eighteen)

Psalm 118:24 is you verse for today, “This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” At this point in your Breakthrough Fasting & Prayer you should lift up your head and rejoice before your God. You have accomplished so much with you sacrifice and your commitment to prayer. It is time to Praise the Lord! There are seven Hebrew words used throughout the Bible in relation to offering God your praise. Here is quick overview of the seven ways you can attract God’s presence to you now:

1. halal (haw-lal'); to shine; hence, to make a show, to boast; and thus to be (clamorously) foolish; to rave; causatively, to celebrate; also to stultify: 1 Chronicles 23:5 four thousand were gatekeepers, and four thousand praised the LORD with musical instruments, “which I made,” said David, “for giving praise (HALAL).”

2. yadah (yaw-daw'); literally, to use (i.e. hold out) the hand; physically, to throw (a stone, an arrow) at or away; especially to revere or worship (with extended hands); intensively, to bemoan (by wringing the hands): Genesis 29:35 And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now I will praise (YADAH) the LORD.” Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing.

3. barak (baw-rak'); a primitive root; to kneel; by implication to bless God (as an act of adoration), and (vice-versa) man (as a benefit); also (by euphemism) to curse (God or the king, as treason): Psalm 95:6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel (BARAK) before the LORD our Maker.

4. tehillah (teh-hil-law'); laudation; specifically (concretely) a hymn: KJV-- praise. Psalm 22:3 But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises (TEHILLAH) of Israel.

5. zamar (zaw-mar'); to touch the strings or parts of a musical instrument, i.e. play upon it; to make music, accompanied by the voice; hence to celebrate in song and music: KJV-- give praise, sing forth praises, psalms. Psalm 21:13 "Be Thou exalted O Lord, in Thine own strength, so will we sing and praise (ZAMAR) Thy power."

6. towdah (to-daw'); properly, an extension of the hand, i.e. (by implication) avowal, or (usually) adoration; specifically, a choir of worshippers: KJV-- confession, (sacrifice of) praise, thanks (-giving, offering). Psalm 50:14 "Offer unto God praise (TOWDAH) and pay thy vows unto the Most High"

7. shabach (shaw-bakh'); a primitive root; properly, to address in a loud tone, i.e. (specifically) loud; figuratively, to pacify (as if by words): KJV-- commend, glory, keep in, praise, still, triumph. Psalm 145:4 One generation shall praise (SHABACH) Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts.

Send me your testimony of deliverance and breakthrough. Email it to me at pastorgreg@clfn.org. I can’t wait to hear what God has done for you. I am standing with you in faith today for every breakthrough you desire in God!

Numbers 6:24-26 “The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”

Blessings & Peace,

PG

Connect, Commit, and Continue! Connect to the divine flow of impartation found in the storehouse of Community Life Fellowship. Commit to loyalty in Christian service through the ministry of Community Life Fellowship. Continue in the quest for Bible-based foundations of Kingdom Purpose and personal evangelism that are the fundamental works of Community Life Fellowship.

All scriptural references unless noted otherwise are from the New King James Version of the Bible.

Breakthrough Fasting & Prayer

January 20, 2009 (Day Seventeen)

Dr. Bill Bright said, “Fasting is the most powerful spiritual discipline of all the Christian disciplines. Through fasting and prayer, the Holy Spirit can transform your life.” There are also tremendous physical benefits. Ron Lagerquist wrote this enlightening paragraph, “During fasting, toxins are loosened and cleansed from the body, cell by cell, even within deep tissue. The process hurts as by-products enter into the blood. Feelings of weakness, even discouragement, accompany a fasting dip. It is during this time people often give up the fast, dispirited. In the same way, old emotions, memories and hurts are stirred. Why this happens is a mystery. It could be a combination of radical change in lifestyle, slowdown, mental clarity, and the working of the Holy Spirit. Connections are made between a harmful past experience and present encumbrances. They are powerful moments of awakening, and the strengthened fingers of the will are able to skillfully undo the knots that bind, finding new freedom. We discover new strength, convincing a tired hope that one is never too old for remarkable change.” Fasting has both spiritual and physical benefits that are powerful. Add prayer to that mix and you have a life explosion of purpose and power.

It is vital that you engage in prayer during your fasting. As your flesh weakens, that process becomes a gateway for the Holy Spirit to actually lead your prayers in accordance with God’s will. Romans 8:26-28 reveals this to us, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know for what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our heart knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.” The depth to which you are willing to go in prayer is the gauge that signals your detachment from earthly ties. As those earthly ties are cut away, prayer brings the clarity of revelation. Everything we need can be accessed through prayer. We have no greater need than that of God’s healing and forgiveness. In 2 Chronicles 7:14, God promises us, “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 heal their land.”

On this seventeenth day of Breakthrough Fasting & Prayer lift your voice and cry out to God for every area of your life. Your fasting has exposed your greatest prayer needs. We need direction for our live from God. We need direction for our children. We need direction regarding our possessions. We are fasting and praying as they did in Ezra 8:21, “I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions.

Send me your testimony of deliverance and breakthrough. Email it to me at pastorgreg@clfn.org. I can’t wait to hear what God has done for you. I am standing with you in faith today for every breakthrough you desire in God!

Numbers 6:24-26 “The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”

Blessings & Peace,

PG

Connect, Commit, and Continue! Connect to the divine flow of impartation found in the storehouse of Community Life Fellowship. Commit to loyalty in Christian service through the ministry of Community Life Fellowship. Continue in the quest for Bible-based foundations of Kingdom Purpose and personal evangelism that are the fundamental works of Community Life Fellowship.

All scriptural references unless noted otherwise are from the New King James Version of the Bible.

Breakthrough Fasting & Prayer

January 19, 2009 (Day Sixteen)

Are you feeling lighter today? I am not just talking about the physical pounds that we have lost. More importantly, are you carrying less baggage in your spirit as a result of the past sixteen days you have spent in Breakthrough Fasting & Prayer? Fasting is a scalpel you place in the hand of the Great Physician. Fasting is your consent to have God perform the necessary surgery that identifies the areas of fleshly domination, and cut away those “growths” that drain our spirituality. Fasting reveals just how sick we are. Jesus said in Luke 5:31, “They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.” Personally, I am sick of the routines of mediocre Christianity that permeate my everyday life. Fasting enables me to trust God. Trust Him to cut away the desires of my flesh, and their overpowering effect. It is not until you make up your mind to fast, and actually begin, that you can tangibly measure the strongholds of your flesh.

Fasting reveals who you are really working for; what you are really building up; your flesh or your spirit. The works of the flesh are discussed in Galatians 5:19-21. Here are those scriptures from The Message translation, “It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom.” Ouch! This fast has helped me see just how much power I give to my flesh!

As my flesh strengthens through its uninhibited works, my spirit weakens. When my spirit weakens to the place of losing control to my flesh, my entire relationship with God becomes an internal conflict that forces me to masquerade my fleshly domination by exhibiting religious behavior. When this happens, I change the location of my spiritual battle assignment to my flesh. Ephesians 6:12 gives us the precise location of our battlefield, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” We are fighting in the spirit realm. The best way to strengthen your spirit at times is to strip the power of your flesh by fasting. Stay the course, we are almost there.

Send me your testimony of deliverance and breakthrough. Email it to me at pastorgreg@clfn.org. I can’t wait to hear what God has done for you. I am standing with you in faith today for every breakthrough you desire in God!

Numbers 6:24-26 “The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”

Blessings & Peace,

PG

Connect, Commit, and Continue! Connect to the divine flow of impartation found in the storehouse of Community Life Fellowship. Commit to loyalty in Christian service through the ministry of Community Life Fellowship. Continue in the quest for Bible-based foundations of Kingdom Purpose and personal evangelism that are the fundamental works of Community Life Fellowship.

All scriptural references unless noted otherwise are from the New King James Version of the Bible.

Breakthrough Fasting & Prayer

January 16, 2009 (Day Thirteen)

Today you are more than half way to your destination of twenty-one days of Breakthrough Fasting & Prayer. Personally, today is the first day I have become weary with this progression. Then I realized this is a normal feeling. Fasting is a process of death. Dying first to our physical will that so easily dominates our daily routines so we can uncover what our spiritual desires really are. There can be no equality when it comes to a proposed coexistence of our flesh and our spirit. One side is always dominate. Romans 8:5 defines the two choices this way, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.”

This particular season of fasting has caused me to revisit the obvious. You and I are going to experience death. I have spent so much of my time concerned with my fleshly existence. It took these past thirteen days of fasting to bring me face to face with the truth of Romans 8:6, “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” When my flesh is willfully diminished through fasting, my spirit can govern my life under the spiritual laws of God. Romans 8:7, verifies this for us, “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.” Romans 8:8, reminds me of the reason I chose to fast, “So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

Your spirit will grow rapidly when the dominate nature of the flesh is placed in a secondary position. Romans 8:9-10 is your promise today, “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” We are fasting to break through the barriers of our flesh. We are fasting to receive the blessings inherent in a spirit-led life. Romans 8:11 proposes that blessing to us in this manner, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

Send me your testimony of deliverance and breakthrough. Email it to me at pastor@clfn.org. I can’t wait to hear what God has done for you. I am standing with you in faith today for every breakthrough you desire in God!

Numbers 6:24-26 “The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”

Blessings & Peace,

PG

Connect, Commit, and Continue! Connect to the divine flow of impartation found in the storehouse of Community Life Fellowship. Commit to loyalty in Christian service through the ministry of Community Life Fellowship. Continue in the quest for Bible-based foundations of Kingdom Purpose and personal evangelism that are the fundamental works of Community Life Fellowship.

All scriptural references unless noted otherwise are from the New King James version of the Bible.

Breakthrough Fasting & Prayer

January 15, 2009 (Day Twelve)

Discovery is the process by which we seek to understand the intricate details of a course of action. What are you discovering about yourself on this Breakthrough Fasting & Prayer journey? What do you see when you look at yourself in the eyes of God? Do you have a right or wrong vision of who you are? Let me introduce you to B. P. Burkland, and discover what happened when he saw himself.

B. P. contracted polio when he was a young boy. His parents placed his crippled and deformed body in a box so they could pull him from room to room. One day they left him in front of a mirror and he saw himself. Not the deformed body, or the box, or the limitations. He saw himself running! What he did next is what you must do to break free of the limitations that are barriers to your God life!

HE BEGAN TO ROCK THE BOX UNTIL HE TURNED IT OVER! HE REFUSED THE BARRIERS!

God has given you the ability to see yourself beyond your barriers. You must refuse the “box” and see His vision of your destiny! Job 26:12 said this about God, “He stirs up the sea with His power, and by His understanding He breaks up the storm.” When you understand what God has already given you nothing can stand in the path of your victory and breakthrough!

Psalm 98:4 commands us to, “Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.” It is time for you to break forth! Whatever has boxed you in can’t hold you any longer. John 8:36 is your key, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” Rock the box today and never again allow yourself to be bound by the limitation that others put on you.

B.P. Burkland became a very wealthy business man in Seattle, Washington. The Space Needle that indentifies the Seattle skyline was built on land he owned! See yourself through God’s Word and you will breakthrough every barrier in your life today!

Send me your testimony of deliverance and breakthrough. Email it to me at pastor@clfn.org. I can’t wait to hear what God has done for you. I am standing with you in faith today for every breakthrough you desire in God!

Numbers 6:24-26 “The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”

Blessings & Peace,

PG

Connect, Commit, and Continue! Connect to the divine flow of impartation found in the storehouse of Community Life Fellowship. Commit to loyalty in Christian service through the ministry of Community Life Fellowship. Continue in the quest for Bible-based foundations of Kingdom Purpose and personal evangelism that are the fundamental works of Community Life Fellowship.

All scriptural references unless noted otherwise are from the New King James version of the Bible.

Breakthrough Fasting & Prayer

January 14, 2009 (Day Eleven)

Today is the day that you have overcome! Overcome is defined as: to get the better of in a struggle or conflict. 1 John 5:5 defines it this way, “Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God…” You are now more than midway through our Breakthrough Fasting & Prayer commitment. You are prevailing in the battle for your mind, body, and spirit! Lift up your head, you are an overcomer!

When Moses sent the twelve spies to see if they could prevail in the promised land, Numbers 13:30 gives this report, “Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” When everyone else saw themselves as grasshoppers, Joshua and Caleb said, “We are well able to overcome it.” You are well able to overcome the barriers that are present in your life. Breakthrough starts with a decision to focus on God’s promise instead of the seemingly insurmountable odds of logic. Logic will lie to you when confronted with the supernatural.

Everything that Satan throws at you is an accusation of the untrue. What he tells you is always a lie. John 8:44 makes it as plan as possible, “(The Devil) …does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” Don’t believe Satan’s lies, you are more than a conqueror through Christ!

Revelation 12:11 gives us a three part formula for defeating Satan, “ And they overcame him by (1) the blood of the Lamb and by (2) the word of their testimony, and they (3) did not love their lives to the death. Jesus gave His life’s blood to create an overcoming breakthrough to the barrier of Satan’s deception. God also gave you a voice to raise and declare your breakthrough by faith. And, you just can’t defeat a person who has nothing to lose and everything to gain!

Ephesians 2:4-7 is your testimony today, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus…”

Send me your testimony of deliverance and breakthrough. Email it to me at pastor@clfn.org. I can’t wait to hear what God has done for you. I am standing with you in faith today for every breakthrough you desire in God!

Numbers 6:24-26 “The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”

Blessings & Peace,

PG

Connect, Commit, and Continue! Connect to the divine flow of impartation found in the storehouse of Community Life Fellowship. Commit to loyalty in Christian service through the ministry of Community Life Fellowship. Continue in the quest for Bible-based foundations of Kingdom Purpose and personal evangelism that are the fundamental works of Community Life Fellowship.

All scriptural references unless noted otherwise are from the New King James version of the Bible.

Breakthrough Fasting & Prayer

January 13, 2009 (Day Ten)

Are you tired of waiting on the breakthrough you need from God today? Does it seem like it’s taking too long for the barriers to come down? Genesis, the first book of the Bible, gives us the story of Noah in chapters 6-9. Measure the injustice of your delay against his mission.

At six hundred years old Noah found grace in the eyes of God. He was instructed to build something he had never heard of (a boat) to save himself and his family from something he had never seen (rain). All he had to do was work on the project for one hundred and twenty years in an environment so wicked, that God had already decided to destroy every living thing on the earth because of it! When it was complete (Noah was now 720 years old) he took his family inside with the animals and sat seven days while nothing happened. Then it started raining for forty days and nights. To top it all off he got to stay in the boat, with the animals for another one hundred and fifty days just floating around. (The Ark had no rudder for directional movement)

The twenty-one day Breakthrough Fasting & Prayer is designed to help you put the things of your life into perspective. Romans 8:25 encourages us, “But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.” Your breakthrough is coming. Wait for it with hope and eagerness.

Think about this today, if you fall in love with the process of faith then you can enjoy the journey without being angry for the path it takes. 1 Corinthians 13:7 reminds us that love, “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” You have that love in your heart by the grace and mercy of God. Let it flow out of you today with laser focus. John 6:27 helps us bring that focus into perspective, “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life…”

You will be tempted to give up. Don’t give in. James 1:12 offer us this blessing, “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”

Send me your testimony of deliverance and breakthrough. Email it to me at pastor@clfn.org. I can’t wait to hear what God has done for you. I am standing with you in faith today for every breakthrough you desire in God!

Numbers 6:24-26 “The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”

Blessings & Peace,

PG

Connect, Commit, and Continue! Connect to the divine flow of impartation found in the storehouse of Community Life Fellowship. Commit to loyalty in Christian service through the ministry of Community Life Fellowship. Continue in the quest for Bible-based foundations of Kingdom Purpose and personal evangelism that are the fundamental works of Community Life Fellowship.

All scriptural references unless noted otherwise are from the New King James version of the Bible.

Breakthrough Fasting & Prayer

January 12, 2009 (Day Nine)

In 1971 I was nine years old. Richard Nixon was President of the United States. We heard that a new stock market called the Nasdaq opened up. The Harlem Globetrotter’s winning streak of 2,495 games ended to the New Jersey Reds. The Colts beat the Cowboys in the Superbowl, and The Carpenters released a song titled, “Rainy Days & Mondays.” If you missed those times you missed the world at half-speed.

In the song, “Rainy Days & Mondays,” there is a verse that states, “What I've got they used to call the blues; Nothin' is really wrong; Feelin' like I don't belong. Walkin' around; Some kind of lonely clown; Rainy days and Mondays always get me down.” Today you may be feeling the same sentiments on this second Monday of Breakthrough Fasting & Prayer. I want to encourage you to break the barrier of disconnection by embracing the call of the Spirit in your life.

Your invitation is found in Psalm 42:7, “Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; all Your waves and billows have gone over me.” God is beckoning you today to be drawn into His heart. You have reached a rhythm in your fasting by now that is releasing a supernatural pull on your heart. Answer the call by connecting to the divine flow of God’s wisdom and fellowship offered to you through His Word and prayer.

You are an invited guest into the deepest part of God according to Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Today your need is to break the barrier of a hurried lifestyle and breakthrough into a deeper intimacy with God than you have ever known. Stop right now and breath in the Holy Spirit.

Genesis 2:7 gives us the original formula for your life’s substance, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” Everything you are becoming in God in found in His breath through you! Acts 17:28 makes this perfectly clear, “for in Him we live and move and have our being…”

Send me your testimony of deliverance and breakthrough. Email it to me at pastor@clfn.org. I can’t wait to hear what God has done for you. I am standing with you in faith today for every breakthrough you desire in God!

Numbers 6:24-26 “The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”

Blessings & Peace,

PG

Connect, Commit, and Continue! Connect to the divine flow of impartation found in the storehouse of Community Life Fellowship. Commit to loyalty in Christian service through the ministry of Community Life Fellowship. Continue in the quest for Bible-based foundations of Kingdom Purpose and personal evangelism that are the fundamental works of Community Life Fellowship.

All scriptural references unless noted otherwise are from the New King James version of the Bible.

Breakthrough Fasting & Prayer

January 11, 2009 (Day Eight)

There are some places you just don’t go at night! I grew up in East Texas, not far from where the fabled Saratoga Light can be seen in Hardin County. Everybody wanted to take the trip to see the light which was reportedly the lantern of a headless railroad worker who has lost his head in a railroad accident. The problem with the idea of making the trip was that you had to go at night!

Don’t take me wrong. I am not afraid of the night. I just can’t see what’s in the night because it’s dark. I mean, c’mon, even the Bible says, “men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19) I worked for a Pastor years ago whose goal in life was to put me out of his truck at night, in the middle of nowhere, and instruct me to, “follow that tree line until you come to a deer stand.” I still have an unsettled feeling as I write about it now! As a hunter, I found the afternoon suited me better because of the excessive sunlight that was available. Oh, did I tell you I am not that fond of the dark?

One place you have no business being at night is the cemetery! But, that is exactly where we find Mary Magdalene in John 20:1, “Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.”

THERE ARE TIMES WHEN YOUR HEART WILL NOT LET YOU WAIT ON THE DAY!

There are times when you must have an answer! This Breakthrough Fasting & Prayer is positioning you to release your grip on the natural to find a supernatural revelation that breaks the barriers of your fear. Psalm 139:12 promises you this about God, “Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.” Light or dark; night or day; shine or shadows; God is the same! Let go of the status quo that has placed the barriers of fear around you. Breakthrough and be free!

Send me your testimony of deliverance and breakthrough. Email it to me at pastor@clfn.org. I can’t wait to hear what God has done for you. I am standing with you in faith today for every breakthrough you desire in God!

Numbers 6:24-26 “The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”

Blessings & Peace,

PG

Connect, Commit, and Continue! Connect to the divine flow of impartation found in the storehouse of Community Life Fellowship. Commit to loyalty in Christian service through the ministry of Community Life Fellowship. Continue in the quest for Bible-based foundations of Kingdom Purpose and personal evangelism that are the fundamental works of Community Life Fellowship.

All scriptural references unless noted otherwise are from the New King James version of the Bible.

Breakthrough Fasting & Prayer

January 10, 2009 (Day Seven)

This is the first Jubilee of our 2009 Breakthrough Fasting & Prayer. The seventh day was the Sabbath in biblical reference. A Day of rest, just as God rested from His creative labor in Genesis. This is the first day of rest in our Breakthrough Fasting & Prayer commitment of twenty-one days. Take a deep breath, rest in His love for you.

While you are resting I want you to know that something is resting in you. Proverbs 14:33 declares, “Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding…” You have the deposit of God’s wisdom within you. It is your greatest supernatural resource. Proverbs 16:16 displays this clearly, “How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.” You can breakthrough the barrier of poverty today by ending your search for money. If you embrace wisdom, finance will follow it into your life!

Proverbs 4:7 affirms this to you, “Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.” The barrier to finance is held in place by fear. The fear of loss is a debilitating tool the enemy of your soul uses to immobilize you. “What if I lose my house?” “What if I lose my car?” “What if…” you fill in the blank! Break that barrier today by walking in what is resting within you-the wisdom of God!

You have now completed one-third of this breakthrough journey! Stay the course! Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that, “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Your diligence will bring you the breakthrough you prayed for!

Send me your testimony of deliverance and breakthrough. Email it to me at pastor@clfn.org. I can’t wait to hear what God has done for you. I am standing with you in faith today for every breakthrough you desire in God!

Numbers 6:24-26 “The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”

Blessings & Peace,

PG

Connect, Commit, and Continue! Connect to the divine flow of impartation found in the storehouse of Community Life Fellowship. Commit to loyalty in Christian service through the ministry of Community Life Fellowship. Continue in the quest for Bible-based foundations of Kingdom Purpose and personal evangelism that are the fundamental works of Community Life Fellowship.

All scriptural references unless noted otherwise are from the New King James version of the Bible.

Breakthrough Fasting & Prayer

January 9, 2009 (Day Six)

The sixth day of creation was one of the most interesting days of creative display in all of Genesis. Genesis 1:31 sums up the sixth day like this, “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” The word “good” is used six times prior to this verse to describe God’s creative work. But the sixth day brings the seventh “good” with a “very” attached to it! That attachment is a powerful clue as to the importance of the sixth day.

Is it so easy when you are in the midst of a creative miracle to miss some of the intricate details that take place as it happens. On this sixth day of our Breakthrough Fasting & Prayer you cannot miss the elaborate work of the Holy Spirit in your life! Let me explain what I am sensing in the my spirit today.

Everything was in place in the earth except purpose. Why was it here? What was its purpose? Watch God as He calls out of the earth every living creature. Beast of the field; birds of the air; creeping animals; herbs to yield seed; trees to yield seed; and then the grand finale. Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

Everything is in place now! It looks complete. Except God has not revealed His purpose yet! Look closely at , Genesis 1:28 "Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” A divine exchange took place that exposes the Earth’s purpose. God gives Adam and Eve the blessing of His authority and complete dominion over the Earth and everything related to it. In exchange, Adam and Eve commit to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it!

God has placed you on this planet to grow exponentially. You were not only born on this earth with the innate potential for growth, you were commanded to engage in it! 3 John 1:2 shows the character of your design, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” You have to make a conscience decision to stop the divine nature of the spiritual genomes that God has created you with. Multiplication is as much a part of your make up as the ability to breath!

Psalm 139:14 declares that you are, “…fearfully and wonderfully made…” Rise up and take the rightful place of your created purpose in this Earth. This is your sixth day! It is a very good day for you. Fill the Earth! I love the word “subdue” in the passage of Genesis 1:28. It means to shout it out loud!

Today you must stand up out of the uniformity of our culture and shout out who you are! Your breakthrough today is in the revelation of your position. Psalm 8:5 displays your crown, “For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.” You are God’s choice to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it!

I tear down the barriers of doubt and inferiority that have been built around you! Come on Holy Spirit, crash through the barricades of guilt and condemnation and set God’s people free now! In Jesus Name I speak release over your life right now! Rise up in freedom! Breakthrough!

Send me your testimony of deliverance. Email it to me at pastor@clfn.org. I can’t wait to hear what God has done for you. I am standing with you in faith today for every breakthrough you desire in God!

Numbers 6:24-26 “The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”

Blessings & Peace,

PG

Connect, Commit, and Continue! Connect to the divine flow of impartation found in the storehouse of Community Life Fellowship. Commit to loyalty in Christian service through the ministry of Community Life Fellowship. Continue in the quest for Bible-based foundations of Kingdom Purpose and personal evangelism that are the fundamental works of Community Life Fellowship.

All scriptural references unless noted otherwise are from the New King James version of the Bible.

Breakthrough Fasting & Prayer

January 8, 2009 (Day Five)

On this fifth day of fasting the word in my spirit is CONTINUE! This is the time for you to stay steadfast in what you have started with God. You have connected! You have committed! Now you must continue. This is your day to ask God for wisdom. Wisdom is the correct application of knowledge. Today you will be established with a new faith found in the wisdom of God. The wisdom of God is yours for the asking! James 1:5-6 (NKJ), “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.”

Continue! Galatians 6:9 (NKJ) is your promise today, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” The layers of this life’s care are being peeled off of your spirit so you can get down to the business of continuing! There is a blessing for those who continue!

Genesis 26:1-17, relates the story of Isaac’s blessing when he continued in what God had commanded him to do. Four important components were involved in Isaac’s hundredfold harvest. First the entire land was in famine. Second, God told him not to leave. Third, Isaac was told that if he stayed in the land it would become his and he would greatly multiply. Fourth, he sowed in that land of famine.

Let’s look at those four components again as they relate to us today. First, the condition of your environment has no bearing on the supernatural law of God’s provision. Second, if you will obey god’s directive to you it will turn an unproductive location or event into a fertile place of supernatural increase. Third, when God promises blessing, what you do next will determine your life for years to come. And fourth, Isaac empowered his faith through obedience and sowed without being commanded.

It doesn’t matter what the economic atmosphere is. This is where God has told you to remain. Continuing in obedience will fertilize your famine into harvest.

The result of Isaac’s continuing is revealed in Genesis 26:12 (NKJ), “Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him.” The secret to Isaac’s blessing is found in Genesis 26:13, “The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous;”

Let me build your faith to continue with these bible references:

1. Boaz chose Ruth to be his wife because of a special quality he discovered in her. That quality is seen in Ruth 2:7 (NKJ), “And she said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.’ So she came and has continued from morning until now, though she rested a little in the house.” Ruth wouldn’t stop. She continued! Her persistence places her in the lineage of Jesus Christ even though she was not a Jew!
2. Hannah had the shame and ridicule of her barrenness removed because she continued! Look at her perseverance in 1 Samuel 1:12(NKJ), “And it happened, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli watched her mouth.” God gave her Samuel because she continued!
3. The ravaged walls of Jerusalem were restored by Nehemiah out of his refusal to quit! He states it with his own words in Nehemiah 5:16 (NKJ), “Indeed, I also continued the work on this wall, and we did not buy any land. All my servants were gathered there for the work.” The dogged determination and laser focus of a single purpose forced him to continue!
4. The great outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was the result of people who simply continued! Acts 1:14 (NKJ) declares this key element, “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.” You cannot receive an outpouring from God without continuing in what He commanded you to do!
5. The new church born at Pentecost exploded in number and strength because they would not stop doing what Jesus had commanded. Acts 2:42 (NKJ) displays their tenacity, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” There is blessing of personal growth when you continue!

Stay the course! What you are receiving is worth the sacrifice. You can complete this journey. I believe in you! Blessing is waiting for you. Continue!

Numbers 6:24-26 (NKJ) “The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”

Blessings & Peace,

PG

Connect, Commit, and Continue! Connect to the divine flow of impartation found in the storehouse of Community Life Fellowship. Commit to loyalty in Christian service through the ministry of Community Life Fellowship. Continue in the quest for Bible-based foundations of Kingdom Purpose and personal evangelism that are the fundamental works of Community Life Fellowship.

Psalm 8

Consideration is a universal language that can be understood by anyone, anywhere! All human beings fight for consideration. The battle to be considered ranges from a playground skirmish at preschool, to the modern marvels of strategic warfare guided by technology beyond belief. In a marriage, control is instituted to relinquish consideration. Between siblings, territories are declared in hopes of supporting consideration. Every human being alive wants to be considered.

Psalm 8:1-9, is a fresh breath of perspective for all of us in our daily struggles for consideration, “O LORD, our LORD, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants You have ordained praise because of Your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that You care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of Your hands; You put everything under his feet; all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. O LORD, our LORD, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!”

I love making these words personal, “O LORD, our LORD, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants You have ordained praise because of Your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When Greg Manuel considers Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is Greg Manuel that You are mindful of him, the son of man that You care for him? You made Greg Manuel a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made Greg Manuel ruler over the works of Your hands; You put everything under Greg Manuel’s feet; all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. O LORD, our LORD, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!”

Blessings and peace be upon you!

Psalm 7

When you are accused of anything there is an immediate mechanism that kicks into place as a shield around you. Accusation brings the involuntary activation of justification. None of the logical parameters of fact are considered initially when personal accusations are unleashed. Justification demands an equal audience to the accusation.

The dictionary defines justifications as: a reason, fact, circumstance, or explanation that justifies or defends. In this life there can be only one place of justification for the Believer. If we are not justified by God, through faith, we are without hope. Reading Psalms has made this more clear to me than ever before.

Listen to David’s cry for God to be his judge in Psalm 7:1-7, “O LORD my God, I take refuge in You; save and deliver me from all who pursue me, or they will tear me like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me. O LORD my God, if I have done this and there is guilt on my hands-if I have done evil to him who is at peace with me or without cause have robbed my foe- them let my enemies pursue and overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust. Selah. Arise, O LORD, in Your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice. Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High. O righteous God, who searches minds and hearts, bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure. My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart. God is a righteous judge, a God who expresses His wrath every day. If He does not relent, He will sharpen His sword; He will bend and string His bow. He has prepared His deadly weapons; He makes ready His flaming arrows. He who is pregnant with evil and conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment. He who digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit He has made. The trouble he causes recoils on himself; his violence comes down and on his own head. I will give thanks to the LORD because of His great righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.”

Make this personal with me. Insert your name where I am praying mine: “O LORD my God, Greg Manuel take refuge in You; save and deliver Greg Manuel from all who pursue me, or they will tear me like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue Greg Manuel. O LORD my God, if I have done this and there is guilt on my hands-if I have done evil to him who is at peace with me or without cause have robbed my foe- them let Greg Manuel’s enemies pursue and overtake him; let him trample Greg Manuel’s life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust. Selah. Arise, O LORD, in Your anger; rise up against the rage of Greg Manuel’s enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice. Judge Greg Manuel, O LORD, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High. O righteous God, who searches minds and hearts, bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure. Greg Manuel’s shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart. God is a righteous judge, a God who expresses His wrath every day. If He does not relent, He will sharpen His sword; He will bend and string His bow. He has prepared His deadly weapons; He makes ready His flaming arrows. He who is pregnant with evil and conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment. He who digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit He has made. The trouble he causes recoils on himself; his violence comes down and on his own head. I will give thanks to the LORD because of His great righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.”

Blessings and peace be upon you today.

Psalm 6

There are times when as a parent you know your child should be corrected or disciplined. But you also recognize that there are times when there has been so much correction that the child’s tolerance to understand it has reached a threshold that deems the discipline ineffective. Sometimes a hug or a kiss, or a random activity of interaction, will better serve to reinforce the authority and responsibility we have as parents. This is true at times even when disobedience is monumental.

You and I have been there with God ourselves. We knew we could have handled situations differently. We have the knowledge of a particular outcome, and the luxury of hindsight to provide our own canopies of shame. This is the mood I sense in Psalm 6:1-10.

See if you identify with these words: “O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me in Your wrath. Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am faint; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in anguish. How long, O LORD, how long? Turn, O LORD, and deliver me; save me because of Your unfailing love. No one remembers You when he is dead. Who praises You from the grave? I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes. Away from me, all you who do evil, for the LORD has heard my weeping. The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer. All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed; they will turn back in sudden disgrace.”

By now you know the drill. Make it personal: “O LORD, do not rebuke Greg Manuel in Your anger or discipline Greg Manuel in Your wrath. Be merciful to Greg Manuel, LORD, for Greg Manuel is faint; O LORD, heal Greg Manuel, for my bones are in agony. Greg Manuel’s soul is in anguish. How long, O LORD, how long? Turn, O LORD, and deliver Greg Manuel; save Greg Manuel because of Your unfailing love. No one remembers You when he is dead. Who praises You from the grave? Greg Manuel is worn out from groaning; all night long Greg Manuel floods his bed with weeping and drenches his couch with tears. Greg Manuel’s eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes. Away from Greg Manuel, all you who do evil, for the LORD has heard my weeping. The LORD has heard Greg Manuel’s cry for mercy; the LORD accepts Greg Manuel’s prayer. All Greg Manuel’s enemies will be ashamed and dismayed; they will turn back in sudden disgrace.”

Blessings and peace be upon you today!

Psalm 5

There are times when loudness will not convey your heart. Shouting is most often associated with aggression. I believe there are times when our worship must be aggressive. Situations of desperation or declaration demand at times the forceful, assertive, even insistent involvement of our physical being to engage worship at a level that is purposed to our moment. But sometimes, to reach the hidden chambers of our guarded issues, we need to speak softly to the place of our greatest confidence.

Psalm 5:1-12, is a worship selection that David wrought exclusively for flutes. The music of flutes is by nature soft and soothing. This Psalm was meant to be sung in the quiet voice of an intimate friend speaking softly to his most trusted source of strength.

Read these words from Psalm 5, with that in mind: “Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to You I pray. In the morning, O LORD, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation. You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with You the wicked cannot dwell. The arrogant cannot stand in Your presence; You hate all who do wrong. You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the LORD abhors. But I, by Your great mercy, will come into Your house; in reverence will I bow down toward Your holy temple. Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies—make straight Your way before me. Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with destruction. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongue they speak deceit. Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against You. But let all who take refuge in You be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them that those who love Your name may rejoice in You. For surely, O LORD, You bless the righteous; You surround them with Your favor as with a shield.

Now say them softly in the most personal manner by inserting your name: “Give ear to Greg Manuel’s words, O LORD, consider Greg Manuel’s sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to You Greg Manuel prays. In the morning, O LORD, You hear my voice; in the morning Greg Manuel lays my requests before You and wait in expectation. You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with You the wicked cannot dwell. The arrogant cannot stand in Your presence; You hate all who do wrong. You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the LORD abhors. But Greg Manuel, by Your great mercy, will come into Your house; in reverence will Greg Manuel bow down toward Your holy temple. Lead Greg Manuel, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies—make straight Your way before Greg Manuel. Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with destruction. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongue they speak deceit. Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against You. But let Greg Manuel who takes refuge in You be glad; let Greg Manuel ever sing for joy. Spread Your protection over Greg Manuel that those who love Your name may rejoice in You. For surely, O LORD, You bless the righteous; You surround them with Your favor as with a shield.

Blessings & peace be upon you today!

Psalm 3

I want you to look at the third Psalm today with me and find strength for the times of your life when those close to you betray you. False accusations, lies, and hurtful actions by strangers bear a safety zone of distance that becomes an insulator from the pain. But the malicious measures of people who have shared the intimacies of your heart inflict a poison that debilitates your emotions in a unique brand of paralysis.

In Psalm 3:1-8, David’s pouring out of his heart when those close to him, his own family members, are trying to destroy him. Listen to his words: “O LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, God will not deliver him." Selah. But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from His holy hill. Selah. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me. I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side. Arise, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. From the LORD comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.”

Something that helps me so much is when I make the Psalms personal to me. Insert your own name as I have done and pray this aloud: “O LORD, how many are Greg Manuel’s foes! How many rise up against Greg Manuel! Many are saying of Greg Manuel, God will not deliver him." Selah. But you are a shield around Greg Manuel, O LORD; you bestow glory on Greg Manuel and lift up my head. To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers Greg Manuel from His holy hill. Selah. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains Greg Manuel. I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against Greg Manuel on every side. Arise, O LORD! Deliver Greg Manuel, O my God! Strike all Greg Manuel’s enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. From the LORD comes deliverance for Greg Manuel. May your blessing be on your people.”

Blessings and peace be upon you today!