STEPS TO RECEIVING YOUR DOUBLE PORTION - God promises that if you bring your offerings and obey what He’s told you to do, He will pour out seven specific Covenant Promises in your life: An angel of God will be assigned to protect you and lead you to your miracles. An angel of God will be assigned to protect you and lead you to your miracles. God will be an enemy to your enemies. The Lord will prosper you. God will take sickness away from you. You will not die before your appointed time. Increase and an inheritance will be yours. What the enemy has stolen will be returned to you.As wonderful as these blessings are, God amazingly offers us seven additional “Double Portion” blessings when we observe the Feast of Tabernacles… The Bible says God has instituted “Appointed Times” when He wants to bless His people in extraordinary ways. These seasons of supernatural blessing and provision remind us that there are two different economies in which we can choose to live. The world’s economic system says work hard, be smart, and you’ll be rewarded. It’s all up to you. In contrast, God’s economic system is based on the law of Seedtime and Harvest. He says He will take care of you if you’re obedient to His commandments and faithful in your tithes and offerings. While the world says hold on to what you have, God says, “Give, and it will be given to you.” And while the world says hoarding our wealth brings prosperity, God says withholding what you have will lead to poverty.

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Steps to Receiving Your Double Portion

God promises that if you bring your offerings and obey what He’s told you to do, He will pour out seven specific Covenant Promises in your life: An angel of God will be assigned to protect you and lead you to your miracles. An angel of God will be assigned to protect you and lead you to your miracles. God will be an enemy to your enemies. The Lord will prosper you. God will take sickness away from you. You will not die before your appointed time. Increase and an inheritance will be yours. What the enemy has stolen will be returned to you.As wonderful as these blessings are, God amazingly offers us seven additional “Double Portion” blessings when we observe the Feast of Tabernacles…

by David Cerullo

 

This month Inspiration Ministries is celebrating an amazing milestone.

Twenty-five years ago, we said yes to God’s calling and took a step of faith to launch what has grown into a worldwide Soul-winning ministry that is now touching lives in more than 155 nations.

What a testimony to God’s faithfulness when we take steps of faith and obedience.

During the past 25 years, He has transformed this ministry into a multifaceted international media and crusade outreach known as Inspiration Ministries.

In addition to being the twenty-fifth anniversary of this ministry, there’s an even MORE important reason why this month is a special season on God’s calendar — a season when supernatural Harvests are available for all those who will trust and obey the Lord.

The Bible says God has instituted “Appointed Times” when He wants to bless His people in extraordinary ways.

These seasons of supernatural blessing and provision remind us that there are two different economies in which we can choose to live.

The world’s economic system says work hard, be smart, and you’ll be rewarded. It’s all up to you.

In contrast, God’s economic system is based on the law of Seedtime and Harvest.

He says He will take care of you if you’re obedient to His commandments and faithful in your tithes and offerings.

While the world says hold on to what you have, God says, “Give, and it will be given to you” (Luke 6:38).

And while the world says hoarding our wealth brings prosperity, God says withholding what you have will lead to poverty (Proverbs 11:24-25).

Every promise in the Word of God has a condition attached to it.

The Lord tells us in Malachi 3:10, “Prove Me.” He says, “If you’ll do ‘this,’ I’ll do ‘that.’”

Though our salvation has NOTHING to do with any actions on our part other than believing and receiving His free gift of eternal life, the blessings we receive from God have EVERYTHING to do with our obedience… fulfilling His conditions.

The Lord’s amazing love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness are 100% unconditional, but His blessings are just the opposite: They are 100% conditional.

Special Days on God’s Calendar

One of the Lord’s Appointed Times is the Feast of Tabernacles, commemorating His care and protection of His people when they journeyed from Egypt to the Promised Land.

During the Feast of Tabernacles, we’re reminded each year…

There is shelter, protection, and provision in the tabernacle of God’s presence!

Along with the Feasts of Passover and Pentecost, the Feast of Tabernacles is one of three Appointed Times when God said He would meet with His people and bless them in extraordinary ways.

God clearly instructed His children that these are to be perpetual feasts, for all generations (Leviticus 23:40-41).

Yes, there is a BLESSING in store for you when you commemorate the perpetual feasts, celebrations, and Holy Convocations (“rehearsals”) God designated as His Appointed Times.

God promises in Exodus 23 and Leviticus 23 that if you bring your offerings and obey what He’s told you to do, He will pour out seven specific Covenant Promises in your life:

An angel of God will be assigned to protect you and lead you to your miracles.

1.    An angel of God will be assigned to protect you and lead you to your miracles.

2.    God will be an enemy to your enemies.

3.    The Lord will prosper you.

4.    God will take sickness away from you.

5.    You will not die before your appointed time.

6.    Increase and an inheritance will be yours.

7.    What the enemy has stolen will be returned to you.

As wonderful as these blessings are, God amazingly offers us seven additional “Double Portion” blessings when we observe the Feast of Tabernacles…

A Double Portion of Blessings

Joel 2 has many parallels to the “Days of Awe” leading up to the Day of Atonement and Feast of Tabernacles.

Just prior to the Day of Atonement and Feast of Tabernacles, the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) sounded an alarm and called people to sober soul-searching.

In the same way, Joel 2 begins with a call to repentance, fasting, and holiness: “Blow a trumpet in Zion” (verse 1)…

“Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly, gather the people, sanctify the congregation” (verses 15-16).

This passage goes on to list seven special “Double Portion” blessings the Lord wants to provide for His people during the Feast of Tabernacles:

1. A double portion.

“He will cause the rain to come down for you—the former rain, AND the latter rain in the first month” (verse 23).

Although the periods of the former and latter rains were usually separated by many months, God wants to give you a double blessing during the Feast of Tabernacles so you can receive both of these outpourings of provision “in the first month.” 

This double portion was of great practical necessity to the Israelites, because the Harvest blessings of the Feast of Tabernacles season had to last them a longer period than the interval between Passover and Pentecost (just 50 days) or between Pentecost and Tabernacles (about four months).

2. Financial prosperity.

“The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil” (verse 24).

3. Restoration.

“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten” (verse 25).

4. Special miracles.

“You shall…praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you” ( verse 26)…“and I will show wonders” (verse 30).

5. God’s presence and favor.

“You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel…My people shall never be put to shame” (verse 27).

6. Blessings for your sons and daughters.

“Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy…your young men shall see visions” (verse 28).

7. Deliverance from harm or oppression.

“Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered” (verse 32).

Honoring God’s Appointed Times

In order to unlock the “Double Portion” of blessings God has for you, it’s crucial that you fulfill His conditions.

Deuteronomy 16:16 says, “None shall appear before the Lord empty-handed.”

At these special times each year, the Israelites were to present their sacrifices and offerings to the Lord from the Seeds they had Sown and the Harvest He had given them.

Do you want to Reap God’s BEST?

Do you want to see Him move in your life as never before?

Then begin now to prepare your heart and your special Feast of Tabernacles “Double Portion” offering to the Lord.

I’m convinced that if you need a miracle breakthrough in your body… your relationship with the Lord… your marriage… your children… your emotions… or your finances…

This is your opportunity to obey God and receive His DOUBLE PORTION blessings!

I am standing with you, believing God to give you amazing breakthroughs during this very special season on His calendar.

God bless you!

David Cerullo is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Inspiration Ministries, located in Indian Land, South Carolina ­– a ministry dedicated to impacting people for Christ worldwide through media. The son of international evangelist Morris Cerullo, David took a less traditional approach to ministry, graduating from Oral Roberts University with a degree in business administration and management. He has authored over 20 books, and operates a global media ministry that powerfully impacts the world for Christ. More from David on Inspiration.org.

https://inspiration.org/david-cerullo/strengthen-your-walk/steps-to-receiving-your-double-portion/

WHEN YOU’RE WAITING IN THE WILDERNESS - When we’re in a wilderness season, it’s easy to lose sight of God’s protection, provision, and preparation - we might even wonder, How can I trust God’s goodness when I’m in this desolate place? But remember Jesus! He went through the ultimate wilderness — the desolation and humiliation of dying under the curse of God - if that is the measure of God’s love and commitment to us, we can trust him in our own wilderness seasons. In the space of one chapter, Elijah singlehandedly purifies the nation of idolatry, sparks a grassroots revival among God’s people, and brings the three-and-a-half year drought to an end. Not a bad day! But we often forget Elijah’s ministry didn’t begin that day. Before he could summon fire from heaven at Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18, he had to pass through a painful season out in the wilderness in 1 Kings 17. Wilderness seasons are brutal. But God is powerfully at work in the 1 Kings 17 seasons of our lives. The only question is, do we have eyes to see it? All Alone. In 1 Kings 17:1-6, God sends Elijah to the wilderness to be fed by the ravens. The Lord is sending a drought over the land — an act of judgment on the idolatry Ahab and his Phoenician wife, Jezebel, have introduced to the nation. God gives Elijah power over the rain clouds, but then sends him east of the Jordan to the wilderness where he must drink from a brook.

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When You’re Waiting in the Wilderness

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When we’re in a wilderness season, it’s easy to lose sight of God’s protection, provision, and preparation - we might even wonder, How can I trust God’s goodness when I’m in this desolate place? But remember Jesus! He went through the ultimate wilderness — the desolation and humiliation of dying under the curse of God - if that is the measure of God’s love and commitment to us, we can trust him in our own wilderness seasons

GAVIN ORTLUND

If you had to pick one story in the Bible as a model of “ministry success,” which would you choose?

Personally, I can’t think of anything more dynamic than Elijah’s victory over the false prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18.

In the space of one chapter, the prophet singlehandedly purifies the nation of idolatry, sparks a grassroots revival among God’s people, and brings the three-and-a-half year drought to an end.

Not a bad day!

But we often forget Elijah’s ministry didn’t begin that day.

Before he could summon fire from heaven at Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18, he had to pass through a painful season out in the wilderness in 1 Kings 17. 

In most of our ministries, as in Elijah’s, there will be no 1 Kings 18 power without 1 Kings 17 preparation.

Of course, it’d be nice if ministry meant 1 Kings 18 fire-from-heaven power from start to finish!

But most of our ministries can likely relate better to the metaphors of 1 Kings 17: hanging on until the ravens come again, trusting the jug and jar won’t run out tomorrow, scraping by until the drought finally ends, wondering why God hasn’t removed corrupt Ahab, and, all the while, waiting, waiting, waiting.

Wilderness seasons are brutal.

But God is powerfully at work in the 1 Kings 17 seasons of our lives. The only question is, do we have eyes to see it?

All Alone

In 1 Kings 17:1-6, God sends Elijah to the wilderness to be fed by the ravens.

The Lord is sending a drought over the land — an act of judgment on the idolatry Ahab and his Phoenician wife, Jezebel, have introduced to the nation (1 Kings. 16:30-33).

God gives Elijah power over the rain clouds, but then sends him east of the Jordan to the wilderness where he must drink from a brook.

Imagine how humbling this move would have been!

From the heights of “it won’t rain except by my word” (verse 1) to the depths of “go hide yourself in the wilderness and drink from a brook” (verses 2-5).

One who has power over the highest clouds in the sky has to stoop down to a brook when he’s thirsty.

The most powerful man in the nation lives in total obscurity and almost barbaric conditions.

But as the months dragged on, I bet even worse was the season’s crushing loneliness. “It’s not good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18) — yet Elijah’s all alone, day after day, month after month.

I picture him out there, sitting on a rock or hiding in a cave.

He has no idea what’s happening in the outside world (no newspaper delivery at the Cherith brook, I’m guessing).

He must’ve felt forgotten, insignificant, like life had passed him by.

It must’ve been like moving to rural Wyoming when you’re a city person, or posting the biggest news of your life on Facebook and not getting a single “like.”

Beyond the humiliation and loneliness, though, this season must have also been deadeningly boring. Elijah — the mighty, thundering prophet, unafraid to challenge kings and nations — has nothing to do but wait.

He can’t even work for his food!

Further, he’s geographically confined, since he has to stay near the brook.

So, Elijah faces the scorching sun, day after day.

He memorizes what the surrounding trees and sand look like as the months slowly drag on.

He eats the same food (bread and meat), meal after meal after raven-brought meal.

No one to talk to, nothing to do, and nowhere to go.

By the end of this ordeal I picture him looking a bit like Tom Hanks on the island in Cast Away — bleached hair, bushy beard, cracked skin, and a wild look in his eyes.

And then, one day, the brook dries up and God sends Elijah elsewhere.

But there’s no book contract and conference-speaking circuit after the wilderness.

God moves him into another season of waiting and hiding as he lives with the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings. 17:7-24).

His ministry is limited to two people, some of the least esteemed in that culture — a Gentile widow and her son.

And even then, Elijah isn’t allowed to stockpile resources.

In fact, the widow has only a handful of flour and a tiny jar of oil.

Elijah must live by continual faith that the jug and the jar won’t run out.

Protecting, Providing, Preparing

The hope that sustains us in wilderness seasons reminds us that God is there, doing some of his most powerful work.

He’s at work in Elijah’s life in 1 Kings 17 in at least three ways: protection, provision, and preparation.

God was protecting Elijah since Ahab had dispatched spies to kill him (1 Kgs. 18:10); seclusion in the wilderness, then, was the only way he could be safe during this drought.

God was providing for Elijah through the ravens, then through the continual supply of flour and oil at the widow’s house.

The ravens came daily, and the jug and jar never ran out.

It may have been monotonous, but it was also a miracle. It may have felt like dying, but it wasn’t death. God sustained him.

And perhaps most of all, God was preparing him.

Where did Elijah get the faith and courage he needed to stand against all the false prophets of Baal in chapter 18?

Those years waiting on God, experiencing his faithful care amid difficulty, must have solidified Elijah’s faith and resolve like a diamond.

When we’re in a wilderness season, it’s easy to lose sight of God’s protection, provision, and preparation.

We might even wonder, How can I trust God’s goodness when I’m in this desolate place? 

But remember Jesus! He went through the ultimate wilderness — the desolation and humiliation of dying under the curse of God.

If that is the measure of God’s love and commitment to us, we can trust him in our own wilderness seasons.

God-Centered Ministry Perspective

This chapter, 1 Kings 17, prods us toward God-centeredness in our evaluation as well as our execution of ministry — in both our perspective and also our performance.

It reminds us “ministry success” is ultimately defined as faithfulness to God’s calling, whether the calling involves harnessing 1 Kings 18 power or doggedly hanging on until 1 Kings 17 ends.

To be sure, we want our lives to be maximally fruitful for kingdom work.

We feel urgently that “the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few” (Matthew 9:37).

But God knows better than we do.

What if Elijah had concluded that waiting for the ravens wasn’t bearing enough fruit, and walked away from God’s call?

He’d likely have never survived to see Mount Carmel.

Faithfully executing God’s calling in modest ministry contexts isn’t selling out.

If God’s calling has led you there, then the wilderness is the surest route to real kingdom work.

It may feel random, but each moment is God’s design.

It may seem like the end of your story, but it’s really the only way the story goes forward.

It may taste like death, but it’s actually the path of life.

If God has called you into a wilderness season, don’t give up.

In that dry, choking place, in that season of barely hanging on, remember God is watching over you.

Look for ravens.

Trust the jug and the jar won’t run out.

And know he’s using this difficult season to prepare for you things ahead — things sometimes far greater than you could ever achieve without the pain you’re now walking through.

Gavin Ortlund (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is a husband, father, pastor, and writer. He serves as senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Ojai in Ojai, California. Gavin blogs regularly at Soliloquium. He is the author of Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals: Why We Need Our Past to Have a Future (Crossway, 2019) and Finding the Right Hills to Die on: The Case for Theological Triage (Crossway/TGC, 2020). You can follow him on Twitter.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/when-youre-waiting-in-the-wilderness/

LET'S BE THANKFUL FOR ANGELS - That new face you greet next Sunday could be one of the cherubim or seraphim . . . one of Michael's colleagues or one of Gabriel's teammates. Angels look and sound like one of us, but they are not human. They exist as supernatural creatures in and about heaven, and they are frequently dispatched to earth in human form to bring encouragement, assistance, and protection. If you have ever encountered the sudden appearance and/or departure of an angel after receiving one's help, you are never the same. Often they leave telltale signs that they are not of this earth. God's special messengers, dispatched from His heaven, are often invisible but never impotent. Have you counted your blessings lately? Express your gratitude for each. Don't forget to give thanks for your health, your eyesight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. We dare not forget the Bible and those who teach it, music and those who sing it and play it, worship with others of the faith, and a few moments of leisure during each week that enable us to release our anxieties and gain fresh perspective. There is one more blessing that can easily be overlooked — one you may not have considered. I feel especially grateful for those unseen guardians who work overtime, who actually never slumber or sleep. That's right; I'm talking about the angels, God's special messengers. What a busy year they have had!

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Let's Be Thankful for Angels

That new face you greet next Sunday could be one of the cherubim or seraphim . . . one of Michael's colleagues or one of Gabriel's teammates. 

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Angels look and sound like one of us, but they are not human. They exist as supernatural creatures in and about heaven, and they are frequently dispatched to earth in human form to bring encouragement, assistance, and protection.

If you have ever encountered the sudden appearance and/or departure of an angel after receiving one's help, you are never the same. Often they leave telltale signs that they are not of this earth. God's special messengers, dispatched from His heaven, are often invisible but never impotent.

by Pastor Chuck Swindoll

 

My favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, is upon us.

As I've said for years, it's Thanksgiving, not Thankskeeping.

So, let's go there. Now is the best time of year to give thanks . . . to count our blessings.

Have you counted your blessings lately? If not, allow me to prime the pump.

Start with broad categories, such as family members, close friends, and fellow Christians who help take the sting out of life.

Tell the Lord how thankful you are for each person, naming them one by one.

Next, think of significant places you often find yourself: home, church, school, car, service stations, stores, restaurants, fitness center . . . you complete the list.

Express your gratitude for each.

Don't forget to give thanks for your health, your eyesight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. How easy it is to take these sensory gifts for granted.

Of course, there's clothing to keep you warm, sufficient food to nourish your body, a job that pays the bills, good books that stimulate your mind, laughter and tears, many comforts undeserved, dreams that keep you going, and memories that bring delight.

We dare not forget the Bible and those who teach it, music and those who sing it and play it, worship with others of the faith, and a few moments of leisure during each week that enable us to release our anxieties and gain fresh perspective.

There is one more blessing that can easily be overlooked — one you may not have considered.

I feel especially grateful for those unseen guardians who work overtime, who actually never slumber or sleep. That's right; I'm talking about the angels, God's special messengers.

What a busy year they have had!

Think of all the accidents they have prevented, all the little kids they have protected, all the enemy assaults they have shielded us against.

Motorcycle riders keep a host of angels on their toes!

So do bungee jumpers, sky divers, stunt people, window washers, single-engine pilots, fast drivers, and rock climbers.

Preachers are probably in there somewhere as well.

Scripture speaks very clearly of angels.

As the thirteenth chapter of Hebrews opens, we encounter a series of commands, among them: "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it" (Hebrews 13:2).

If we took that verse seriously, we could revolutionize a church's friendliness.

Think of it this way: that new face you greet next Sunday could be one of the cherubim or seraphim . . . one of Michael's colleagues or one of Gabriel's teammates.

Angels look and sound like one of us, but they are not human. They exist as supernatural creatures in and about heaven, and they are frequently dispatched to earth in human form to bring encouragement, assistance, and protection.

If you have ever encountered the sudden appearance and/or departure of an angel after receiving one's help, you are never the same.

Often they leave telltale signs that they are not of this earth. That always puts a chill down my back.

Many years ago some of our church's high school kids and their leader went on a mountain-climbing excursion.

What began as a fun trip and relaxing time together led to a frightening experience.

Up at that elevation the temperature can drop rapidly, covering everything in a blanket of snow and ice in no time . . . and that's exactly what happened.

The ranges of white peaks and slopes became beautiful scenes to behold.

While taking in the breathtaking sights, the leader realized he had lost the trail.

The heavy snowfall had completely covered the path, and he didn't have a clue where they were or how they could get back to the main camp.

His fears weren't helped by the realization that sundown was not that far away, and they were not equipped to spend the night on the craggy, windswept slopes where the temperature would soon drop into the teens.

The boys in the group became aware of their plight, which only intensified the leader's worries. In situations like that out in the wilderness, prayer flows freely.

A dependence on God to rescue is not merely a convenient option; it's a foundational survival technique. As with men in foxholes, you rarely find atheists among lost mountain climbers.

While trudging through the snow, entertaining thoughts just this side of panic, they suddenly heard someone on the slopes above them yell down: "Hey — the trail is up here!"

They glanced up and to their relief they saw another climber far in the distance. He urged them to climb up to where he was if they wanted to get back on the trail.

They realized if they had continued in the direction they were going, they would have become hopelessly lost.

Without hesitation, they made their way up to the large boulder where the stranger was sitting.

The climb was exhausting, but their relief in finding someone who knew the way gave them an adrenaline rush.

Finally, they arrived . . . but to their surprise, the one who had yelled at them was nowhere to be found.

Furthermore, there were no traces left in the snow that anyone had been sitting on the boulder, nor were there footprints nearby.

The trail, however, stretched out before them and led them to safety.

The boys not only learned a valuable lesson about the wilderness but also confirmed their belief in encountering "angels without knowing it."

Think of several occasions in your own life over this year when you had what you would consider "a close call."

Or, how about one of your kids or friends—can you remember a time or two that, in some incredible manner, they were shielded from harm or delivered from danger?

God's special messengers, dispatched from His heaven, are often invisible but never impotent. As the psalmist wrote:

“He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone.” -  (Psalm 91:11–12)

And then, writing of an individual who loves the Lord, he added:

"Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high. . . . I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him." (Psalm 91:14–15)

A fascinating topic of conversation around your Thanksgiving table would be stories of how and when some surprising deliverance, some heaven-sent rescue mission, occurred.

It is amazing how many of us have stories to tell but seldom take time to do so.

This holiday season, take time. As we eat our meals and offer our thanks for God's blessings, let's add one more category to our list.

Let's be thankful for angels. Doing so will strengthen our faith . . . and we could all benefit from a boost in that area, couldn't we?

Pastor Chuck Swindoll has devoted his life to the accurate, practical teaching and application of God’s Word. Since 1998, he has served as the senior pastor-teacher of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, but Chuck’s listening audience extends beyond a local church body. As a leading program in Christian broadcasting since 1979, Insight for Living airs around the world. Chuck’s leadership as president and now chancellor of Dallas Theological Seminary has helped prepare and equip a new generation for ministry.

https://insight.org/resources/article-library/individual/let's-be-thankful-for-angels

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I Hear Angels

Marty Nystrom

CLICK HERE . . . to view complete playlist . . . 

https://puricarechronicles.blogspot.com/2017/12/i-hear-angels-i-hear-angels-singing.html

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