Michael A Da Costa

FAITH A KEY OF THE KINGDOM

(c) Michael A Da Costa Pastor Michael Da Costa is the senior pastor of the New Nation Destiny Centre, a vibrant and passionate church based in Dudley, West Midlands. Pastor Mike as he is fondly known pastors the church with his wife Marlene, they have three children, Timothy-jon, daughter Destiny and youngest son Joshua. Pastor Mike is graced with an Apostolic grace to build, equip, train and mentor in the kingdom of God. Carrying a strong prophetic grace and a desire to further the kingdom mandate in the church Pastor Mike is a sought after speaker and mentor. New Nation Destiny Centre, Holloway Hall, Court Passage, Dudley DY1 2DU www.nndc.org.uk

Dedication This book is dedicated to my wife Marlene, my bone of bone and flesh of my flesh, my destiny partner and the love of my life, without whom walking this walk would be a lonely one. To my precious children full of the spirit of God, who never cease to amaze me with their own insight to their God, my God , our God! Love you dearly.

PROLOGUE During the course of the last twenty years as a believer and a Pastor for over 13 years in service to the Lord Jesus Christ for many years, I have come to know that there are certain Keys of the Kingdom that God has made available for His church. Keys that assist and equip the believer to live and transact throughout the realm of Gods kingdom successfully. I have come to know that one of those keys of the kingdom is Faith. Take a walk with me through the word and some very personal experiences that have given me great confidence in the kingdom currency of faith. Let the word encourage you, challenge you and cause you to step out and step up in your personal faith in and towards the things of God.

(c)CopyrightFaith A Key of the kingdom/Version 1 edition1 Dec 2020/MDacosta

About the Author

Pastor Michael Da Costa is the senior pastor of the New Nation Destiny Centre , a vibrant and passionate kingdom church based in Dudley, West Midlands. Pastor Mike as he is fondly known amongst friends pastors the church with his wife Marlene, a prolific teacher and author in her own right, they have three children ,TimothyJon, daughter Destiny and youngest son Joshua. Pastor Mike is graced with an Apostolic grace to build, equip, train and mentor in the kingdom of God. Carrying a strong prophetic grace and a desire to further the kingdom mandate in the church Pastor Mike is an encourager, speaker and mentor to many.

Table of Contents Prologue

3

Chapter 1

6

A need for faith?

6

Chapter 2

11

Discovering faith

11

Chapter 3

19

faith moments

19

Chapter 4

26

The discomfort of faith

26

Chapter 5

34

faith that moves mountains

34

Chapter 6

39

faith for the kingdom

39

Chapter 7

50

Dominion faith

50

Chapter 8

55

Dominion faith 2

55

Chapter 9

66

faith for this!

66

Chapter 10

76

faith for the famine

76

Chapter 11

88

faith as a Shield

88

Chapter 12

97

Such great faith

97

CHAPTER 1

A NEED FOR FAITH? In the beginning God created the world and all therein and man was one with God, what happened?

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heard Dr Renny Mclean, a prominent Apostolic and prophetic teacher and Pastor make a statement many years ago, he said that ,”The book of Genesis is the book of God’s original intention” This statement stopped me immediately in my tracks. I had always known the book of Genesis as the book of beginnings and contained principles of first mention. God as Creator mentioned first in this book, His plan for man’s dominion on earth, first mentioned in Genesis, God’s divine plan for man in the institution of marriage and children, all first mentioned in this wonderful book. The first two chapters of this book are all the perfect plan and will of God prior to the fall of man. There really was no need for God’s creation to ever discover faith in what was built a perfect divine relationship between God and man. God’s original intention speaks of that which in this original book was laid out as keys and principles for man to operate in and by , it first mentions God gave man an

indication of his divine role upon the earth by what God began to allow man to do and live by. Genesis 1:26, Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so.”(Genesis 1:26) It was clear that God made man to operate and function just as He did, God said let man rule over the fish, the birds, the cattle and everything else.God blessed him, God determined they would be fruitful and multiply this means the replicate and reproduce everything that man had dominion over. Because of the perfect union between creator and His created Faith is something that was never required until after the fall. Why? Because man and God were one and whatever God said man did or

spoke and it too was created and came into existence. Hebrews 11 lets us into an indication about faith, it says, “Now faith is the  substance of things hoped for, the  evidence of things not seen.  For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the  worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” Hebrews 11:1-2 Why would you need faith in the beginning when you are one with God?, you see what God sees! hear what God says, then you can create like God, here in this environment for Faith. Hebrews 11 says Faith is a substance a firm foundation upon things you hope for, evidence of things we don’t see. In Genesis the first two chapters of the book of original intentions man was so intricately connected to the father that he saw and the father saw, hence no need for Faith.The father created and it was so thus no need for faith. “Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought  them  to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name.  The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.’ Genesis 2: 19-20 As the book of beginning’s(Genesis) moves into the third chapter we begin to see the effects of disobedience,

calamity, lies and justification of error, as sin crept in by the very devious serpent, that would cause the slippery slope of the detachment from God and His divine presence and realm, to what would eventually be a separation. That would lead to an eviction from the very environment man was created to live from. “Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’;             Cursed is the ground because of you;             In toil you will eat of it             All the days of your life.       “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you;             And you will eat the plants of the field;       By the sweat of your face             You will eat bread,             Till you return to the ground,             Because from it you were taken;             For you are dust,             And to dust you shall return.”       Now the man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all  the  living.  The LORD  God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.             Then the LORD  God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now,

he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—  therefore the LORD  God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken.  So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.” Genesis 3:17-24 The moment the separation and eviction from the garden occurred man’s ability to be divine and see as God’s sees was lost. Here in, is the introduction of man’s requirement to discover faith. Connect with a quality that would enable him to live, embrace and discover the dynamic attributes that could re connect man back to the realm of God. The time to discover Faith was now upon mankind.

CHAPTER 2

DISCOVERING FAITH Faith will always stand afar off until we discover it, embrace it, live it and become it.

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hy would, we need faith if we can see all that we need? This is a question I have often asked and always arrive at the same answer. Faith is a key of the kingdom and a core ingredient for every believer. But again let me pose the question for us to dig a little deeper, why would we need or require faith? If we are to be able to see all that we need? And why is faith such a key ingredient in our lives as believers! In Genesis chapters 1 and 2 something interesting is noted to the keen observer in scripture. There is no mention or reference to man even remotely requiring the desire for this quality substance called faith, faith that enables us to have a belief in something you long for! Why was this? The answer lays simply in the fact that in the book of Gods original intentions man was divinely connected through covenant to the source, to God and in this simple truth lived and abided from the place and position and relationship in God.

This truth enabled man to see from God , speak from God, Know from God and rule from God. Genesis 1 chapter 26 states; Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.”  Man being made at inception in the image and likeness of God, Image speaking of God replicating himself and likeness meaning Gods abilities and attributes enabled man to function as God on the earth in the beginning and this can be seen by God giving man the ability to have dominion over all things and act on earth how God acts from Heaven. Why would there be need for faith in that environment? God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”  Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;  and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life,  I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. (Genesis 1:28-31)

From God’s original plan there was very little room made for faith at inception because man and God were in unison and man’s ability to know God, see God, hear God were so very intertwined with man’s relationship with God in the beginning. God said have dominion and man had dominion over all the earth and all that was contained within it. God said to man name the animals that He had created and man stood and began to activate the mini creator in Him that was the character of his father. One by one he named all that he saw. Man in his origins ruled over every creature , every plant and field and animal as God had spoken, every God attribute man displayed in a way was undefiled by sin. An interesting fact as I conclude this introduction of this chapter, is that after God made man and gave him the authority to rule and have dominion God saw all that he had made and said behold it is very good. As chapter 3 of Genesis commences we see sin crouching at the door to destroy the divine union and relationship God has created with his creation. Sin began its destructive separation between man and God. Man found himself in the very unusual and unfamiliar place, that he had never experienced up to that point , where am I? What have I done? Why can I no longer see , hear and know God as I did previously? Man was thrust into a place that was not designed for him!   1Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the

woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” 2The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” 4The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5“For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. 7Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.            8They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD  God among the trees of the garden.  9Then the LORD  God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” 10He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”  11And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”  12The man said, “The woman whom You gave  to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.” 13Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Genesis 3 1-13)

In that moment when the relationship between God and His divine creation was separated man was thrust outside of Gods presence and he would require one of the keys of the kingdom that would enable him to recover man’s access back to the father was introduced, man had to discover faith. The discovery of Faith is the longing to find ourselves wrapped in the knowledge of God. Then from the outside we trust, believe, hold onto all that we know God to be from when we were inside with Him. God is Spirit and man and by the innate power of God man is spirit also, housed in the soul and wrapped in flesh. Therefore the spirit of man is connected to God but the soul is tarnished by sin and flesh unruly and in need of subjection to the spirit and here lends the first task of mankind to know or regknow God by Spirit, we must know that God is! Before we even try to attain knowledge that God is our provider, our healer and our protector we must have faith to believe that God IS! (Hebrews 11:6) And without faith it is impossible to please  Him,  for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Before we know the God of miracles, we must re know the I am that I am, we must know God as the creator, this is known by our spirit man not man’s soul nature. Man must reconnect to God by Spirit even though the

separation has occurred from the Garden. Man had to at that point know God again by Spirit even spirit memory of what it was like before the fall. Hidden inside man’s fractured mainframe is the original program of intimate relationship with God and faith is a key and a program that can restore back the original relationship with God. This faith is the intricate faith and the basis of all that is God for when God speaks he believes and does not question whether his words will make what he intends he knows His words and life carry the very essence of faith and this innate micro quality of Faith God has given to us, His beloved. Jesus reminds us: And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have faith in God.” (Mark 11:22) Adam following his exit from the garden was now thrust into a discovery in faith as he had now to navigate through this new life without access and the certainty in Gods presence of present and future as would have been custom to him previously. Now Adam was alone and had to find for himself his way back to God through faith as do all of us. Adam had now to live by the principles that the apostle Paul would summarise eloquently in the new testament writings one thousands of years later,  “for we walk by faith, not by sight—  we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthian 5:7)

Discovering faith is not the discovering of our inadequacies but merely the dependance that we must have with our God. In the book of Proverbs Solomon writes,

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart             And do not lean on your own understanding.       In all your ways acknowledge Him,             And He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) Tr u s t a n d u n d e rs t a n d i n g i n t e r t w i n e d fo r m a n interchangeable commodity called faith and this is the beginning of reconnecting our divine relationship with God. As we find ourselves continually in a place of desiring more greater intimate times and experiences in God, actively trusting and faithfully believing these qualities become intrinsic for us to experience God moments in life. In Hebrews 11:3 the writer says that “without faith it is impossible to please God” There will inevitably be moments when, like Adam, we may find ourselves outside of where we need to be! But somehow we know the only way to get back in or get there or crossover is to step out in faith. We must be like Peter in the midst of the storm who sees Jesus

The psalmist David writes in Psalm 119:30 ,   “I have chosen the faithful way;             I have placed Your ordinances before me.” When we follow the lives and characters of those in the following pages from Genesis, the book of beginnings, it is filled with the amazing accounts of lives unfolding a reliance, a dependancy and a discovery of God through faith moments. These faith moments reveal and educate the reader that the very same faith was used by some very normal characters, that did some very unusual and wonderful things is the same faith available to us today. At the heart of this was a reliance of faith in God in aspects that they could not yet see but believed possible, these were their own Faith Moments. Both you and I must have our own Faith Moments in order for our continuous connection to God but also and probably most important that we can continue to be a light in a dark world to others who see our faith moments as signposts to the divine nature of God.

CHAPTER 3

FAITH MOMENTS Faith is a step into adventure with God, He beckons and when we move the adventure begins.

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hroughout my life - and time in Christ there has been very many, of what I have begun to call Faith Moments that I have noticed are very linked to pivotal times of growth and maturity as a Christian. I can track significant periods of growth that we're linked to precise moments and acts of faith that pushed me to the next level. Strategic moments that were in my personal life, work and church where my faith had to be activated and no longer left dormant as a thing others do or what the elders in the church obtained a good report about that. My own faith had to be activated, engaged and exercised. I had to have my own Faith moments. This activation of faith in me created faith moments that I would never forget, moments that forge conviction harness hope and dispel every conceivable doubt. One such moment happened late one evening in the early years of my faith and within the first year and a half of our marriage. At that point we were attending and serving in a local church, we loved it loved the pastors and the members and as we would often say, church was

on fire week after week. However, something or should I say God through someone had interrupted the regular flow of church life around two years before. God had strategically interjected within our lives a Prophet of God, this prophet, a man named Dr Jonathon David, a pastor from Malaysia was referred to at that time in the early 2000’s a global Prophet. A pastor that we knew took a sabbatical a year or so before and went to a four week retreat training for pastors at the base of this pastor all the way in Malaysia. This Other pastor brought back a series of CD’s entitled “Technology for Breakthrough’. These were a powerful series of messages unlike I had ever heard, They carried a sound and a dimension in the Spirit that many attested to. My wife and I had heard that this pastor would be in the UK and we made an effort to attend to see and hear more of the sound in the Spirit that drew us deeper into a desire for more in God. Suffice to say over the next year or two whenever we heard this pastor was in the UK we would attend the meetings. We even attended meetings for pastors and leaders that we were not really entitled to but such was the desire and hunger to know more in God. Well, back to our own faith moment, as I mentioned we were settled in our church , having church, serving and experiencing the wonderful grace word and friendship but in us somehow seeds had been sown that allowed us to know, to sense that there was more , to know more , to experience more and this seed or seeds, from every-time

we attended one of Dr Jonathon David’s meetings, the seed deposit of the word, began to break up in the soil of our hearts and force its roots deeper into our Spirit, its purpose, to activate Faith, life and destiny. It was a Wednesday evening and we had just returned home from the regular bible study at our local church. We had a very good time as usual, the word was rich and fellowship wonderful. But this time was different, we didn’t talk much in the car, but I believe we were both silently speaking to God. These seeds in our hearts had now become trees in our souls that were demanding more water, more sustenance just like a natural tree pulling and demanding from all elements water, air and nutrients from the ground so was the seed of word that had been sown into our lives. We arrived outside our house, there was a silent pause before we both stepped outside of the car almost as if we both knew something unspoken was in the air, an unresolved conversation , an unspoken conversation that needed to be had. There was that awkwardness that couples sometimes have when not knowing who should start the conversation first. Looking back and reflecting on it now as I write these pages I cannot even tell you who spoke first but we arrived at the front door of our newly bought house and everything stopped. We had gotten by in our small apartment pretty fine and as a newly wed couple we throughly enjoyed the privacy of our small apartment in Hands worth, Birmingham. We both had good jobs and surplus income, as many couples do before children come along! A call from a

good friend who was in a really challenging situation had occurred and wanted to sell her house in Handsworth. We spoke privately and both decided we would help and buy the house. We actually didn’t need the house as there was only two of us and it was a three bedroom house but there was a need and we sensed it and launched out in faith to help our dear friend. Six to eight weeks later we were home owners of a large three bedroom house in a lovely cut de sac in Handsworth Wood. Oh we had such wonderful times of prayer in that house. So after two years at the house, good jobs, great circle of friends and a passionate on fire church we were standing outside the front door of his house , the number 28 seemed to glisten as it reflected the moonlight above us but we both could not move. We stood on the threshold of our house waiting to speak an unspoken conversation that would require every step and muster of faith we had every had! Faith moments are not prescriptive and calculated, they are not planned or scheduled but when they come they require our immediate attention. They cannot be deferred to a later date of pencilled in to be addressed at a point of our convenience. Faith moments require Faith Now! And our faith moment required our attention now! We could not move from the step and although what I am speaking about seemed to have occurred over hours it was more like minutes. The bible says two cannot walk together unless they are in agreement(Amos 3:3) and one thing my beautiful wife

and I have always been able to do is have agreement concerning the things of God. We have a strength that has come from unity in God and I can now see that that initial moment of Faith in action forged something in us both that has been intrinsic to our growth and maturity in God. I don’t know who spoke first, my wife or I, but all I do know was that there was agreement. The uncomfortableness of the silence in the car had exploded into a conversation that dripped excitement, challenge, adventure, apprehension but excitement again. “I would give up all of this to pursue more of God”, we both had a resounding agreement, We both stood on the threshold of our house a young newly wed couple making a decision about going deeper in God and sacrificing what others would be satisfied to settle in. Faith Moments are defining moments. They define who you are as a person they also re define your current life and its trajectory and that happened to us that Wednesday evening. The trajectory of our lives was altered for ever that evening. We walked over that threshold of number 28 Elmwood Gardens and everything changed forever. That night we saw the power of agreement. That night we saw divine intervention, that night we saw the first flower blossom from the seeds that were sown into our lives by Dr Jonathan David years before, seeds that had become roots that had sprung up to a small tree that now because all elements had colluded into a faith moment, blossomed its first faith flower.

There was such an excitement, I remember we were not concerned about the present or past, or house, jobs but the details of what we would do and how we would achieve what a few minutes before was an unspoken conversation. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. (Hebrews 11:1-2) In that moment of making an unspoken conversation, spoken, faith was activated by agreement and decisions were made that would shape our lives and personal walks with God more deeply than we would know. I recall vividly the frantic excited conversation about us selling our house , placing our household goods in storage, leaving our jobs and travelling to Malaysia to attend Dr Jonathon Davids Permanent School of Prophets, a school of which we would understand was of deep biblical revelatory truth and one that we still attend annually over twenty years later. Faith moments challenge those around you; and this was no exception. Our family thought we were crazy, our friends were worried what we were getting into and our work colleagues many of whom were not christians could not get their heads around it at all. I recall one of my work colleagues expressing his concern but with a young upbringing in the catholic church he resided to the acceptance of, “Oh your going away to learn how to be a

vicar”! This seemed to give him some sort of comfort that at least someone seemed to be doing something good in the world. There were many reactions and conversations that my wife and I had which are too many to mention here but enough to say your Faith moment will challenge those around you and you cannot be distracted by the varying views or opinions. This is one of the primary reasons that my wife is my best friend and destiny partner, we found agreement in God, for the things of God and this I have learnt over 19 years later are so very powerful and rare. “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” (Amos 3:3) Matthew 18:19 also says, "Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.” In that moment we both found agreement and God found agreement with us! Heaven had sanctioned a divine shift and we were about to be thrust into an adventure of faith that would take us across the other side of the world would open our eyes and our spirit to the vastness of God in and through the lives of so many people and produce divine faith moments and encounters.

CHAPTER 4

THE DISCOMFORT OF FAITH Faith will challenge you, it will provoke and poke at your complacency with life, it will drive an uncomfortable voice inside you to not stop at where you are in God, but to have that deep translucent relationship we so desire takes faith.

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here is one thing about faith that I believe every one who has experienced its raw and at times seemingly reckless attribute knows:that faith can be very uncomfortable! Faith is not meant to be sweet and calming and producing the stillness quality, that Peace beholds, for Peace given by the Prince of peace will calm every storm on the inside of us and bring us to a place of safety, reason and rest. Faith However, will manifest in the midst of the fiercest of storms in life. Faith is the ability, the courage, that gave Peter the confidence to walk on water in the midst of storm after seeing Jesus, Faith is the quality those

desperate friends had to lower there friend through the roof because the house was too packed to get him inside, faith is the moment Gideon had to rely on 300 men instead of 30,000. This unusual, bold tenacious attribute of faith is very uncomfortable, For moist faith filled person, because faith will challenge where we stand! Faith will expose what and who we really trust in and faith will also expose how much we know the God in whom we say we serve. Now you may think it harsh of me to make such comments but the reality is Faith is not concerned about how many years we have studied, what theological school of training we entered or what intellectual prowess we have, faith always requires action and action at times, when we least feel like given it. It is this uncomfortableness of Faith, the discomfort of faith that has drawn my attention for this chapter. A recent conversation with a dear friend on the subject of Change that brings Growth, took a turn when he said this statement, “but change often only comes after we have been made uncomfortable”. In that moment I had to wholly agree. Another lightbulb moment happened and I was able to track almost instantly that many acts of Faith that had occurred in my personal life had resulted in the Uncomfortableness of change in a situation. The famously quoted Luther verse from the bible that we all know but don’t really understand, “The Just shall Live by Faith” (Hab 2:4) did not come with a fine print disclaimer that to live by faith your ‘Justness” will be

deeply challenged and provoked by the very Faith you must live and walk by. Just or righteous as some translations describe it are deeply interlinked and intertwined with faith and faith is deeply linked to change. Thus in order for us to walk out our life in any way that depicts righteous living, Faith and change are closely following behind us. As human beings we like the certainty of life, the regularity of daily living, we are as it is often said creatures of habit and as such we move through life steadily and slowly preferring for our lives to be as peaceful as possible. We take minor risks in life and minor steps of faith that we deem as giant steps in our mankind but all done very often in the safety of our own regulated parameters. Well, Faith shatters all of that, Faith in God brings us to that difficult uncomfortableness as it did with Noah when God challenged him to Build an Ark ready for the worst storm hurricane and tsunami the world had ever seen and all without one drop or sign of rain. Noah had to believe and act by faith. Hebrews 11:7

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in godly fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

Genesis 6 13-17 “Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch. “This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. “You shall make a window for the ark, and finish it to a cubit from the top; and set the door of the ark in the side of it; you shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. “Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish. “But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. “And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. “Of the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. “As for you, take for yourself some of all food which is edible, and gather it to yourself; and it shall be for food for you and for them.” Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did” The obedience of Noah demonstrated the ability to risk all at adhering to the commandment of God , Noah never realising that this single act of faith would have his name recorded in the greatest hall of fame for

faith ever written, Hebrews chapter 11. Noah was challenged indeed and this act of faith certainly was uncomfortable for Noah and his family as they begun to follow the instruction of faith.

“Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  6The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.  7The LORD  said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.”  8But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.             9These are  the records of  the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.  10Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.       11Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence.  12God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. Can you imagine following an instruction of faith that will go against the current trend, lifestyle and pleasures of the day. To be bold and confident in the task of faith at hand. To be comfortable with the uncomfortableness that Faith required of you?

This was Noah, a just man the bible states that was willing to take that risk for faith one that walked with God. “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.” Genesis 6:9 Let us continue to challenge ourselves by digging a little deeper in this story and sense what was required of Noah to walk act and live by a faith that challenged the status quo of the day. The bible lets us understand that following Noah’s instruction by God to build the Ark when Noah was 500 years old (Gen 5:32) and allowing time for his three sons to grow, Shem, Ham and Japeth, all being of age then to take wives as the scripture indicates they had before entering into the Ark (Gen 7:6) at this stage Noah was now 600 years old. I have intentionally laboured to detail these facts as this provides us with a window where we can see faith in action and giving a conservative estimation that it took Noah roughly between 40 to 60 years to build the Ark. Thats a long time of working and walking by Faith.

That is a long time to walk in the uncomfortableness of people asking why are you building this? What rain? What flood ? There is no sign of a need for this? Can you imagine the criticism Noah would have received in his day yet even in the discomfort of

other people opinions, Noah still persisted onwards to a place called finish. The testimony of true faith, like prophecy is in the fruit of it! The manifestation that occurs following the faith and this gives great proof that Gods ability outweighs all logic and man’s human reasoning. Faith as Noah experienced forced him outside of his comfort zone to a place of high risk for man but no risk with God, for God words cannot return to him void but have to accomplish all for which it has been intended (Isaiah 55:11) and so Noah’s long walk of Faith and waiting produced a walking and a talking with God that demonstrated a ones - ness with God, that occurs when a person lets go of human rational and says ,Come on God lets go! Let's walk the walk of Faith. In the book of Hebrews Chapter 11 it notes, “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” (Hebrews 11:7) The uncomfortableness or discomfort of Faith in this instance for Noah caused him to become an heir of righteousness due to his actions. Faith as a key of the Kingdom of God provides us an inheritance in Gods Kingdom. Good deeds alone will not allow us to

access the fullness of Gods kingdom on earth but Faith will assist in unlocking righteousness which reveals a friendship with God rarely seen. When God can speak to a man or a woman face to face and give them instructions, intimate directions and guidance deep within that relationship and friendship is a trust and faith that will move mountains. However more is achievable when we can walk by faith not sight.

CHAPTER 5

FAITH THAT MOVES MOUNTAINS There are a few occasions in scripture where Jesus said , ‘your faith has made you whole,' this means that what we needed was already in those in whom he referred!

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nd I will give you the Keys of the Kingdom and whatever you bind on earth will be bound and whatever you loose in heaven will be loosed on earth, these were the clear and precise words that Jesus spoke too Peter in the account and intermediary review of the disciples walk with Jesus. The words from Matthew chapter 16 13 onward reveals so many aspects pertaining to Jesus and the saviour, messiah, son of God but it also revealed something about Peter and about Faith of which I would like to explore a little. The scene from Matthew 16 begins with Jesus asking them a question, a question which would contour

many a response. Responses like some say you are this person and others say you are that person or person like Elijah and John the Baptist returned but Jesus answered a further question, a question that would draw out of Peter a faith, a belief and a revelation of who Jesus is. Peter, the head strong one, some refer too him as the ill tempered one, the fiery one but in all accounts it was Peter who stood and said , “Though art the Christ, the Son of the living God”. In Peters confession and bold declaration above the many voices and view points about who people say that Jesus is, a faith filled Peter in that moment spoke with clarity and revealed a truth that his carnal mind would moments later forget. It was in this moment that Peter’s internal spirit man resonated with all that Jesus had ever to that point said and did and the bold confession that Peter made was a faith filled moment a mountain shifting moment. In this instant the mountains that stood against Peters revelation were the mountains of opinions, the mountains of ignorance and denial, the mountains of scepticism and amongst even the other disciples the mountains of disbelief. But in that moment Peter had faith the size of a mustered seed and Peter spoke and the mountain of ignorance was de robed and fell crashing to the ground, clarity was visible and Peter caught sight of the truth beyond the mountain of disbelief, and the truth was to Peter that Jesus was the Christ , the Messiah, the saviour of the world.

Peters faith needed belief and Peters belief needed faith and both joined as a beautiful witness truth and revelation was spoken. There are times in our lives when the general consensus is heading in a certain direction which are against our deepest inner convictions, where everyone is having an opinion on what is right and what is the popular thing to do or way to respond. Peters silence as they spoke was indicative of a Peter that thought deeply, considered meaningfully and drew out of the depths of his inner witness with God a truth that would be etched in eternity, “You are the Christ, this means the anointed one, the Messiah, the one that was prophesied from days of old. The son of God the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth, the last Adam the perfect model son after which all sons should be modelled, such was his life and a son of a Living, present and eternal God, Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omnipresent in all ways. Peters faith drew out of the natural an eternal principle in that there is always a deeper truth where God is revealed. Peters faith in that moment drew out a truth that we ponder to this day. Peter the Apostle stood on the steps of the doorway perhaps, the entrance to the upper room and boldly declared by faith the interpretation of the infilling of the Holy Ghost to all who once again mis interpreted what was going on. Again we see Peters faith rise he expediently to the surface and he made bold

tenacious declarations from the reference of the Prophet Joel. “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions”, (Joel 2:28) Peter’s belief and Faith once again nudged him to the forefront the crowd, a crowd of 120 who had also been filled with the Spirit, As Peter confidently spoke faith in God, through the Words of the precious Messiah He was confidently empowered with truth. There are two aspects to both of these accounts that I want to draw a brief account of. On both occasions what was witnessed was a release or recipient of confidence and boldness from the receiver of the Vision. Confidence is described in the dictionary as, “ The feeling or belief that one can have faith in or rely on someone or something.” Websters Dictionary. Boldness is also described as,” A willingness to take risks and act with innovation; confidence or courage.” In both accounts the sense and meaning deeper within lend to a deep belief, conviction in a thing out a person that causes to confidently act with courage and this is exactly what Faith caused Peter to do. As

Peter responded to Jesus question in Matthew 16 and the crowds questions in Acts chapter 1 Peter let loose his faith and a revelation was born. We should not dismiss this revelation because isn’t this what occurs when we act in faith we break limitations tear down strongholds and walls and move mountains by the seed of the word of faith latently hidden within us. Recently on a meeting with some dear friends recently one of them made a statement referring to the story of Joshua and the walls of Jericho, “Some walls won’t come down until those walls hear your voice”!They stated! What a powerful statement I said and absolutely correct. These walls , barriers, obstacles not only need to hear our voice but need to hear our faith voice a voice the with faith in God behind it and within it. Let your faith loose, let your voice speak with faith and cause a fresh revelation to be birthed within you. Just like Peter,. Jesus will say Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my father who is in heaven and your name shall be Peter, the rock and upon this revelation that you have gained by Faith Peter I will build my church and the gates of hell will never prevail against it. Wow! All because faith was allowed to speak. Let your faith speak today.

CHAPTER 6

FAITH FOR THE KINGDOM

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had become apparent to me that anything that was important to Jesus concerning His divine assignment upon the earth is highly necessary for us to park around it and take time to understand. This happened to me recently concerning the words that Jesus spoke, in particular, from the book of Luke at the inception of Jesus’ ministry. For there were words here that Jesus spoke that arrested me! t

As I read these words they seemed to echo over and over again in my Spirit. We cannot take lightly the words that the messiah , Emmanuel meaning God is with us! Spoke, for intertwined within it is the essence Furthermore reason for which Jesus was sent and layered deeper in that is a powerful truth about the revealing of the King, The Kingdom ,the Father and the assignment he was given.

And Jesus said, “I have many other town to go to to preach the Kingdom of God , for this purpose I have come “ Luke 4:43 Whenever we as the church consider the reason and purpose for why Jesus Christ was sent we often quote the words of the Apostle John from 1 John 3:8, “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested,  that He might destroy the works of the devil. Here the apostle John , the apostle often referred to as John the beloved, one of the closest disciples to Jesus, one of the three who were always kept close to Jesus when Jesus turned aside to pray and one who was given the awesome responsibility of being the author of the book of Revelation. John being a first hand witness of Jesus saw the physical demonstration of the acts of Jesus, the words spoken , the crowds impacted, the many healed at His hands , the numerous delivered from evil spirits and the demon possessed, thousands fed at the blessings of bread and fish and the ultimate redemption of mankind through the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Himself. John did not merely see these wonderful accounts but first hand encountered the glorified christ that spent time with the disciples after the resurrection.

In that one can safely say that the Apostle John had not just the experience to quote about Jesus but also the intimate knowledge and witness of the effects of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. This is where I will highlight the emphasis of John’s quote. However close and intimate the relationship to Jesus John saw the reason for Jesus coming from the position of the manifestation, the effects and the results and John clearly sees that , wow! This is the purpose the son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of sin and of the devil. And this is absolutely true and correct as one of the many first hand witnesses of the impact and effects of Jesus Christ life here on earth. But I would like to challenge us to go a little deeper, to dig deep into this truth in that there can never just be one reason or purpose that the Son of man has come and this is significantly and deliberately stated because there are multiple reasons, layered within the purpose for which Jesus came. For example Salvation, and redemption was a reason why Jesus came , to heal and deliver was another one of the reasons that Jesus came. If we look at the mandate scripture, as I call it, from Isaiah 61 a verse in which Jesus quoted himself as he stood up in the temple, Jesus quotes from the Prophet Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me

To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to [a]heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;   To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,   To [b]console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, (Isaiah 61) Here in Isaiah 61, Jesus quotes the scripture as he took the scroll in the temple and read aloud, after concluding his reading He sat down and said, “In your hearing this prophecy is fulfilled.” This was a bold declaration to all who were present in that these words of the eminent prophet Isaiah were the very mandate, reason and also purpose for which he was sent. What were some of the key points Jesus mentioned from this scripture: • To preach good tidings to the poor • To heal the broken hearted

• To proclaim liberty to the captives • To recover of sight to those who are blind • To open the prison to all who are bound

Therefore we can see that aside from the Apostle John’s statement in 1 John 3:18, there are in fact numerous and multiple reasons for why Jesus Christ was sent and came and as such it is imperative that we not only look at what the Prophets say about the Messiah’s coming or look at the words of the first hand accounts of the apostles and disciples and those who encountered the life and ministry of Jesus Christ but more importantly Pay attention to the words of the Messiah himself! To go even further we must also consider what the Father said about His only begotten son and in doing so we obtain a full perspective of the Purpose in which Jesus was sent. As we do this our maturity rises, our strength increases in the knowledge of just who it is that we serve as King of our lives and saviour of our souls, This Jesus, as the same Prophet Isaiah mentions in another verse in Isaiah chapter 9 mentions the following: For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder.

And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Here the eminent Prophet again gives insight to the nature, reason and purpose of the coming messiah. The government shall be upon His shoulder the authority bestowed by the Father to be able to do all that the Apostle John stated in 1st John 3:18 was also part of the reason in which Jesus came. We have looked at what the Prophet Isaiah said about Jesus, his purpose and reason but there are many more accounts of the Messiahs coming and what He will do, here are a few more to digest, Deuteronomy 18:15 "The LORD will raise up for you a prophet like me from among yourselves, from your own kinsmen. You are to pay attention to him ... 18I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kinsmen. I will

put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I order him." Ezekiel 37:24, 25-27 And David my servant [shall be] king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. — Ezekiel 37:24, KJV "They will live in the land I gave to Ya'akov my servant, where your ancestors lived; they will live there - they, their children, and their grandchildren, forever; and David my servant will be their leader forever.I will make a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting covenant. I will give to them, increase their numbers, and set my Sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.” Hosea 11:1 "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.” Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, the young woman shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel"

Isaiah 8:23-9:1 (9:1-2) "Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan… Isaiah 53:5 "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed." Jeremiah 31:15 17 "Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying," 18 "In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not." (KJV) Micah 5:2 (Micah 5:1 in Hebrew) "But thou, Beth-lehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from ancient days.” Psalm 2 1 "Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain? 2. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the

rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and his Anointed, saying, 3. 'Let us burst their bonds asunder, and cast their cords from us.' 4. He who sits in the heavens laughs; the LORD has them in derision. 5. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6. 'I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill." 7. I will tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to me, 'You are my son, today I have begotten you. 8. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. 9. You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel'" (Psalm 2: 1-9).Zechariah

Zechariah 9:9 "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

Conclusion

Jesus did not need faith for a kingdom that He was born into that was every part of the fabric of his divine DNA, he divine genetic code was intermingled with the kingdom of God, therefore how could he need a faith for it! But as we were adopted into it we have had to learn of its existence, realise its true

grace and potential and cultivate faith for the kingdom. The cultivating of our faith comes with a great responsibility. A responsibility to walk in and become manifestation as sons of the kingdom in order for others to find a way into it also. In the book of Romans chapter 8 , the apostle Paul writes that the art eagerly awaits the manifestation of the sons of God for only in the manifestation of the Sons of God can the authority of the Sons of God be wielded by these Sons of the Kingdom and the earth and its people have the light that rises in them and pushes back the darkness over the earth and the gross darkness in the people (Isaiah 60). I heard a prominent speaker say once , “the Son of God became the Son of Man so that the sons of men can become the sons of God. This is the access into the kingdom that Jesus spoke of , “ Unless we become like one of these children we cannot enter into the kingdom, Jesus wasn’t speaking about age but the youthful innocence and purity that children often display especially in acceptance of an instruction or direction from their parents. This purity of heart exercised by Faith is the faith we need for the kingdom. At the point of us understanding this truth we too then can lay hold of the truth that Jesus so boldly declared, I have to preach the kingdom of God

everywhere for this reason we have come , for this reason I have been born to do the will of my father in heaven. Find the truth , find your faith for the kingdom and boldly declare it!

CHAPTER 7

DOMINION FAITH We

have laid a foundation for the many wonderful reasons why Jesus came and we have by no means exhausted scriptural references for these let us turn our attention to the words that the Messiah spoke himself on this matter and cultivate dominion faith. And Jesus said, “I have many other towns to go to preach the Kingdom of God , for this purpose I have come “ Luke 4:43 The term kingdom refers to the domain and dominion of a King or Queen over a jurisdiction or geographical region and location. kingdom | ˈkɪŋdəm | 1 a country, state, or territory ruled by a king or queen: the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

• a realm associated with or regarded as being under the control of a particular person or thing: the kingdom of dreams. 2 the spiritual reign or authority of God. • the rule of God or Christ in a future age. • heaven as the abode of God and of the faithful after death. 3 each of the three traditional divisions (animal, vegetable, and mineral) in which natural objects have conventionally been classified.

As part of this simple work on Faith a key of the Kingdom, dominion faith is a very integral part of what was God s original intention and plans for mankind. Right from the inception of mans original plans on the earth domino was featured as an natural attribute that man would wield with purpose , clarity, conviction and humility. Dominion in the beginnings not an attribute hungered for or a greed that Adam had for power and rulership that he twisted for like many in todays society, Adam was given intrinsically within him in his genetic make up the ability to have dominion over all things. “ And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

So Adams original mandate and inbuilt protocol was dominion, rulership, the ability to lead, rule and govern over all that lived and moved upon the earth was given to Adam to have dominion over. Adam did not need faith for this dominion because he was born with it inside. He does not need faith for what he already says scripture states Adam knew it saw it and lived it . As we understand through the fall of Adam into sin that internal authority and dominion that Adam had was lost and the fall from grace, the separation most importantly from God saw the diminishing of a dominion that God has purposed would be second nature to mankind. Mankind through redemption and salvation in Jesus Christ has had to begin to re learn the internal authority of dominion and really have faith for it. We must have dominion faith. Dominion faith is not a new buzz word or more kingdom cliche’s but the return to the original intention of God that he set in us in the beginning. The apostle Paul wrote in Colossians, “Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth [which have only temporal value]” Col 3:2 Amplified bible The onus for us here is to habitually set, to form our minds and hearts and will on everything that is above , in Christ and that as its becomes set and

formed it becomes an eternal structural part of us that cannot be shaken or moved and faith and domino ion faith must become part of this. A faith that is built over time through understanding, wisdom and exercise becomes a faith that is a formidable faith, a faith that becomes immovable in the midst of adversity and injustice, persecution and peril, lack and want, this kind of formidable dominion faith is very much alive and has caught hold of a truth an original intention in that God built me this way and I make no apologies. Glory to God this kind of faith is not a crazy faith or absurdly out of this world faith as some may refer or label but it is a faith that has seen the unseen , known the unkind own, and gears the instructions of heaven through christ , Just believe! Dominion faith causes you to let Go and let God be God. It causes you to step into the reality of God where with God all things are possible ( …) Faith such as this should not be an exception to the rule but the rule of the majority. Domino faith should be the very fabric of every believers arsenal and heavenly weaponry. We have seen in many accounts through the life of Jesus that Jesus affirmed dominion faith. Do you recall the woman who touched Jesus after being ill for 12 years said woman your faith has made you whole, do you also recall the friends of the paralytic man who lowered him through the roof just so that their friend could be healed, they displayed domino faith and Jesus reply to the man was their faith has made you whole. All of these accounts and there

are ,many more demonstrated people that caught hold of a divine truth. Domain Faith is an original part of our internal framework and genetic code that we must discover. In the days we are living in we will have to walk by faith and not by sight we will have to walk in dominion faith to lay hold of the things that God has for his children. Lord help us walk by faith for without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6) But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him. The Holy Spirit is the best teacher we have at hand let us enquire of Him ask, seek and knock at the door of truth for the understanding to walk in Dominion Faith today. Let God be God and walk with you and through you in Dominion Faith.

CHAPTER 8

DOMINION FAITH 2

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atthew’s gospel is frequently referred to as the Gospel of the Kingdom due to the emphasis of this gospel’s proclamation of Jesus Christ as King and the demonstration of His Kingdom. And Jesus said, “I have many other towns to go to preach the Kingdom of God , for this purpose I have come “ Luke 4:43 In acts 1:3 Luke also writes about Jesus in the days of his revealing after the ascension:

1The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: 3To whom also he

shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: (Acts 1:3)

“From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matt 4:17 Even the apostle Paul followed his masters way by ensuring that he followed the pattern of before he finished his assignment he contain red teaching and preaching the things of the kingdom of God; And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him,  Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him. Acts 28:30-31 KJV In the Gospel of Matthew, the gospel of the Kingdom, Jesus further enhances his stamp and seal on his kingdom mandate. The whole book is a display of Kingdom demonstration on earth and if so, the church has missed a key part of the fabric that the body of Christ, today’s church should be walking in and demonstrating, The Gospel of the Kingdom . Let’s discover some of the many key focuses of the kingdom from this wonderful Gospel. The following

key points are by no means exhaustive. Make every effort to research and see by the Holy Spirits revealing that God may uncover more truth and insight for you also as you take time to personally study these areas. Remember, it is one thing a by stander a witness writing or interpreting what they think Jesus mean when he spoke or saying what Jesus was here for; or the revealing of a prophet or even the close proximity of a disciple, however, when Jesus himself reveals why He is here and the kingdom of heaven and God are made mentioned there becomes a deep insight to be had and all the opportunity to unveil a mystery of the kingdom Jesus was proclaiming. A few key notes around aspects of the Kingdom of Heaven and Kingdom of God from the Gospel of Matthew. These you can delve into in your own personal study: Thirty-one keys, Kingdom emphasis taken from the Gospel of Matthew: 1. Heritage of the Kingdom Matthew 1 - 1:12 2. Birth of the King of the Kingdom Matthew 2:10-12 3. The Proclamation of the King and His Kingdom - Matthew 3:16-17

4. The fight for the Kingdoms Matthew 4:8 5. The repentance for the Kingdom Matthew 4:17 6. The Proclamation of the Kingdom Matthew 4:23 7. The Nature of Kingdom citizens Matthew 5:3 8. Character Conduct within the Kingdom Matthew 5:6 9. The Father of the Kingdom Matthew 6:10 10.Prayers to access the Kingdom Matthew 6:10-14 11. Focus to exist in the Kingdom Matthew 6:25-33 12. The Voice activated Kingdom Matthew 7 -7-11, 13. The Foundation of the Kingdom Matthew 7:24-29 build our house on the rock 14. Kingdom Faith Matthew 8 17-17 they brought sick, 15. The authority of the Kingdom - Matthew 8 16-17/9 16. The Power of the Kingdom Matthew 9 - the power in forgiveness - forgiveness and forgiving is a key of the kingdom . This key unlocks our prayers or stops our prayers being answered

17. Enforcing the Kingdom of God Matthew 12 25-28, casting out demons 18. The Word of the Kingdom Matthew 13:1-23, v 36, v44,45,47 19. The Manifestation of the Kingdom Matthew 14, (14-21 Feed, 22- 34 Storm) 20.The Keys of the Kingdom Matthew 16:1-13, v 17 relationship, v 18 rename, v19 receive 21. The Vision of the kingdom Matthew 17 (1-9, v9*) 22.The Compassions of the Kingdom Matthew 18 v1-4, v14 no one will perish ,v22 Forgiveness 23.The Conducts of the Kingdom Matthew 19 (v 12,14,19,21,23,280 24.The working rules of the Kingdom Matthew 20 (v1-7,13-16,22,28) 25.The Character attributes of the kingdom Matthew 21 - house of prayer v12, v43 Fruits 26.The Protocols of the Kingdom Matthew 22 ,v1-14,11,14,21,37-40,37-39 27. The Wars of other Kingdoms Matthew 24 1-32,14* 28.Be Ready for the Kingdom Matthew 25 - 1-13, v 10*

29.The Communion of the Kingdom Matthew 26: 17-30 passover, communion and covenant 30.The Tarrying for the Kingdom Matthew 26: 36-67, 38-39* tarry, intercession , destiny, suffering, purpose 31. The suffering for the Kingdom - Matthew 27 24-27 Accusation, 27-31 Mocking ,32-44 Crucifixion , 45-55 Death ,57-66 Burial and tombing From amongst the wonderful list I would like to pull one particular emphasis from Matthew chapter 16. This emphasis of the kingdom faith is almost hidden amongst Jesus’ discussion with the disciples. In this brilliant display of Jesus’ ability to not only train his disciples but assess the progress of what they were learning, was the beauty of the conversation that unfolded. In Matthew 16 verse 13 onwards an interesting discussion begins with Jesus asking the disciples a question. The question that Jesus asks his disciples is a normal questions a mentor will ask a mentee after periods of training and development. Here Jesus arrives into the region of Caesarea Philippi, a roman led region at the South west base of Mount Hernom, here Jesus asks the disciples , ‘Who do men say that I am?”

Matthew 16:13-21 “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” 14So they said, “Some  say  John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah,  for flesh and blood has not revealed  this  to you, but  My Father who is in heaven.  18And I also say to you that  you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not  [g]prevail against it.  19And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth  [h]will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” In the first instance some of the disciples like eager mentees trying to demonstrate their knowledge with hands raised and excited faces said, some say your this or that, however these answers were not what Jesus was looking for . He had been with the disciples quite a while now and they had witnessed what many of us today would love to see in our life time, miracles signs, wonders and the display of

Gods eternal power on the earth. But their answer was wrong. Jesus replied but who do you say I am. He turned his attention to their repossess and not what others were saying. A good mentor will always bring it back to individual revelation and understanding and this is exactly what Jesus did. He wanted to know not what others misguided faith sees but he wanted to know what their faith saw! Jesus then asked them , But who do you say I am? In that moment one disciple drew the attention of the teacher, the mentor and Rabbi, It was Peter. Peter gave his answer with boldness, confidence, understanding and revelation as one who had taken all that he had seen Jesus say and do as a direct witness of who exactly Jesus was. The Son of the Kingdom. Peters answer was an answer of faith. Faith sees beyond what others say and do. Faith sees the deepest inner working of God yet to be revealed. Faith provides clarity to see what the emotions and mind yet fathom. It was Peter faith in his Jesus that gave him the boldness to speak as he declared, “You are the Christ, The Son of the Living God”. Peters faith saw Jesus as the long awaited Messiah foretold in the very same scrolls that would be read daily in the temples, of which Peter customarily would listen to. Peters Faith saw Jesus as the Messiah Prophet that had come to fulfil all law and prophetic declaration and finally Peters faith saw Jesus as the Son of the Living God, Emmanuel God with us, Peter

saw the Deliverer Gods only begotten of the father. IN that moment Peter saw by faith a faith that can see amidst the noise and opinion of others. Kingdom faith provides sight to see and ears to hear deep truth and insight that God want to reveal. A key to Peters ability to see lays in the proximity Peters faith had with Jesus. It is so vitally important for us too wall closely with the word in order that we can see as Peter saw with the eyes of Faith, not to be told but yet know . This is the Peter kind of faith that when the master asks we can boldly say thou are the Christ the Son of the living God. Jesus hearing and seeing Peters response quickly responds with acknowledgement and praises Peter with such a profound acknowledgement that God is looking to bestow access to people who walk by faith and not by sight, as Jesus says, “Blessed are you Simon bar Jonah for flesh and blood have not revealed this to you but My father who is in heaven” Jesus reveals that Peter the faith that you have to see and witness this is a faith not of this realm, this earthly flesh and blood has not affirmed this to you , this faith in which you see has had to be given you from my Father (God) who resides in Heaven , therefore Peter in order to see this by Faith and say this by faith for a moment you dwelt in the heavenly realm with the Father for this is the only way you

could have known this. What a profound moment that can be missed if we hurriedly move through scriptures. Jesus let us know a secret and powerful mystery about Faith, Faith provides access to the realm of the father a realm where the impossible is made possible. “For with God nothing shall be impossible” Luke 1:37

Faith in this context is being with God, “with” means to be close by, walk with, entwined with and enriched with, gleaning from all of the attributes of the thing or person that you are with, thereby indicating that when we walk by faith with God we begin to see how God sees, know what God knows and this can speak what God speaks Jesus says about the centurion (Matthew 8) who requested Jesus just say the word and he knew that his servant would be healed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!  ”  13Then Jesus said to the centurion,  “Go your way; and as you have believed,  so  let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour. The Gospel of Matthew is full and bursting with insight into the kingdom Faith and how to walk in it

and by it. Spend time and go through asking the Holy Spirit to open our mind and understanding and bring clarity to see the mysteries that are awaiting to be discovered by you and I so we too can walk with the Faith like Peter.

CHAPTER 9

FAITH FOR THIS! It takes a certain type of faith to know that you were born for this amidst all of the regalia, theological debates and standpoints , discussions and disagreements and many varying factions within the christian community to know you were born for this has to be resolute and fixed in the deepest parts of your soul, you have to know you were born for this and know it by faith. Luke chapter 4 is probably one of the most excited chapters to me in the whole bible because not only does Jesus first appear on the seen being led by the Holy Spirit , comes out pop the wilderness in the power of the Spirit but then continues to embrace the deep calling upon him and within him and simply just get on with it whatever any one thinks or sees. All he needed was His fathers affirmation and the indwelling presence and He was on his way changing the world. He did not wait for a flamboyant

entrance, he didn’t wait for the trumpets and fan fair he entered to the world in a simple barn and onto the stage of his world in a wilderness and that was enough for him to know he was born for this, this very moment and this very life. 1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,  2where for forty days he was tempted  a  by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 3The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’ b ” 5The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.  7If you worship me, it will all be yours.” 8Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’ c ” 9The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10For it is written:

“ ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 11they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ d ” 12Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ e ” 13When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. Jesus Rejected at Nazareth 14Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. 16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read,  17and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” f

20Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21He began by saying to them,  “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” NIV Luke 4: 1-21 Jesus had no issue dealing with the devil because He knew who he was and the devil had an inclination of who Jesus is as this is the only occurrence of the devil himself turning up to confront Jesus in person. Its a powerful thing when you know what you were born for! Its a liberating feeling knowing that right in the midst of a world crying crashing and self exploding in on itself you were born to make a difference, you were born for this and Jesus never made any apologies about it he just got on and did what he was called to do. He did what he was called to as do you and I. We must know he was called so that we could be called, he went so that we could go and He finished so that we would finish. Here are a few keys that can be found hidden within Luke chapter 4, insights if you were for those who know you are born for this! For if you get the revelation of who you are and what you were called to do and become you will stop making apologies for yourself and get on with become all that Jesus paid the price for.

Nicodemus, a pharisee and a ruler of the jews let slip that the Reuters of the Jews knew that Jesus was born for this life for the task ahead as he let slip a confession as he came to see Jesus at night, he said,”we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs unless God is with them”! (John 3:2). His confessions at night revealed that the rulers knew Jesus was different, he came on the scene and let all know I was born for this! In Luke 4 after Jesus emerged in the power of the Spirit he entered the synagogue and read from Isaiah 61, his life mandate, his assignment and made it loud a clear that in your hearing not is this fulfilled but you will see it fulfilled, why? Because he was born for this mandate. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then He closed the book, and gave  it  back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them,  “Today this Scripture is  fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4 18-21) ESV Here are some keys from this chapter to glean and understand deeply when you know you were born for this. These can be applied in many varying

aspects of life and your calling: When you are. Born for this; 1. You know how to receive an upgrade to move to the next level (v1- 13-14) 2. You don’t have to prove yourself to the enemy! (v3) 3. You are affirmed by the Father himself (mark 1:11) 4. You know your terrain and you know your domain(v5-8) Psalm 24 5. You don’t sell your birthright to anyone (v9) Gen 25:29-34 6. You understand strategies of warfare - (v9-11) 7. You know and maintain a teachable spirit and pour out of your well of revelation and understanding (v 15-16) 8. You walk live and move in line with the Prophetic word (v17-18) 9. You walk out the mandate of your assignment, the details, the passion the purpose everything that makes your very being tick (v19-21) Isaiah 61 10. You know how to handle rejection from anyone, scholars, theologians, atheist, others (v22-29) 11. You know how to tap into the supernatural presence of God - immediately he passed in the midst of them without being seen- mark of humility, didn’t stand and argue (v30) 12. You walk in the revelation of God (v30-31) Eph 3:1-7) 13. You walk in the authority of heaven on earth and have power of all things - cast out demons, etc (v33-36), Matthew 28:18-20

14. You look after those whom you are in covenant with - your life and its blessings expand to others (38-39)Carry the grace to serve 15. You carry the stature in the spirit to minister to those in need - the maturing of the man - the message - the. Ministry to the Masses (v40-41) Matt 9:37/ Lk 10:2 16. The fullness of the kingdom manifest in your calling because you know the purpose for which you came! 1. Defined purpose 2. Defined calling 3. Compelled to decree kingdom 4. Carry apostolic assignment to build 5. Focus on building people not things (v42-44) “But he said,  “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”  44And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea. In addition the following can also be mentioned as aspects that define or highlighted when one knows and has settled that they were born and called for this: A. Your life is an answer to and for many others! You are like the consolation of Israel Luke 2:25-30 B. Your life is a hope that anchors others in christ by faith (Hebrews 6:19) C. Your life is a sign post to freedom (Luke 24) D. Your becomes a life of testimonies a life of faith lived - Hebrews 11 E. Yo u r l i f e c o n n e c t s a n d r e c o n n e c t s generations in order that there is always a

remnant. Malachai 4:6 Isaiah 6:12/Ezra 9:2/Haggai 1:8/Isaiah 59:21 F. Your life is built to overcome and as an overcomer )Rev 2:3/12:11 overcame by blood of the lamb and word of testimonies G. Your life is a portal for open heavens - where you are heaven opens for manifestation A. For Gods presence B. For Gods attributes, healing deliverance etc C. Fo Gods direction D. For Gods resources M a r k : 1 : 1 1 / p s a l m 2 :7/ I s a i a h 4 2 : 1 / M a r k 3:17/12:18/17:5,Luke 3:22/ Mark 9:7 All of these points mentioned can be used as personal study and reflection of where we are in our walk with the Lord and if accurate adjusted can really make use life that impact our cities and regions for God in a positive way. Don’t be shy about admitting where we are in this and God gives abundant grace to change and become better. Ask yourselves some real valid questions about these topics, such as Do I know I have faith for this and if now why not? What areas of my walk reveal blockages that hinder me from embracing my faith? What scars are there in my past that have not fully healed yet to bring me to a secure place to exercise my faith? Do I see positive in my life?, if not why not?

Who defines me? And are those definitions positive and wholesome? Look at making your own study notes out of these challenge your self question and challenge what you know and then re write you! I end this with the Apostle Paul’s letter, his final comments to the church at Colosse, by way of encouragement to pursue earnestly all that God has laboured for them too have and become. Remember you were born for this! And do not let no anyone tell you or talk you out of what God has done for you! Jesus being accosted and questioned by Pilot made a bold statement that silenced Pilot, You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” (John 18:37)

Jesus knew who he was and that the very purpose he was born for he had to fulfil even if that meant undergoing harsh , cruel and evil treatment. Let us continue to walk worthy of the calling set before us, continuing in prayer and walking with wisdom to all whom we encounter.

Colossians 4 Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the  [a]mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains,  that I may make it manifest, as I ought to s p e a k . Wa l k i n w i s d o m t owa r d t h o s e  w h o are  outside, redeeming the time.  Let  your speech always  be  with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. Be encouraged.

CHAPTER 10

FAITH FOR THE FAMINE At the time of putting pen to paper or as it were, key pad to computer the country and world is in the midst of an era yet seen in our lifetime. Global pandemics, talks of recession and economical crashes, along with immensely high levels of unemployment not seen for years. The time as we understand it has shifted and in these uncertain times according to man we cannot be certain of anything, however, I choose to disagree the only thing that we can be certain of is God. God has shown too many times through scripture that he alone can be the only source of trust and guarantee, for He alone is God and when we as believers are dwelling in the midst of his presence

and in relationship with him we can be assured of one thing, that God will leads us through the valleys , over the mountains and to green pastures and still waters. God is a faithful God and especially to those whom he has covenant with. This is the topic of the next chapter how a might God an awesome God has the best interest for us in his heart and mind, in fact the bible states in Jeremiah 29:11 (Nkjv) “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the  Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Here the Lord implies the deepest concerns of his nature is to have a plan, a hope, and a peace for our lives and one that can be received by us. Our focus in this chapter is the life and time of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the father of Jacob lineage of the twelve tribes of Israel the very lineage that Jesus came from within. This is a moment when the region Isaac was in encountered a severe period of hardship and famine, loss and devastation not too dissimilar to the present state of our countries, regions and localities. Issac, son of promise finds himself in an awkward position as one who is fully aware of the divine heritage of his father Abram, later renamed by God himself to Abraham and the legacy that would be fulfilled through their line. Prophetic decelerations by God that give assurance of the blessings but do

not necessarily describe the how he will do it. This prophetic conundrum has baffled many who seek to know the will and calling of the Lord. God reveals in part and requires our trust and faith to walk with him to fully manifest every prophecy which God has released. 1There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar. 2Then the  Lord  appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you.  3Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.  4And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; 5because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” 6So Isaac dwelt in Gerar.  7And the men of the place asked about his wife. And he said, “She  is  my sister”; for he was afraid to say, “She is  my wife,”  because he thought,  “lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to behold.” 8Now it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked through a window, and saw, and there was Isaac, 175

showing endearment to Rebekah his wife.  9Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Quite obviously she is your wife; so how could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account of her.’ ” 10And Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might soon have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us.” 11So Abimelech charged all his people, saying, “He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.” 12Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. 13The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous;  14for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him.  15Now the Philistines had stopped up all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and they had filled them with earth. 16And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.”Genesis 26:1-16 NKJV

The famine There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar (Gen 26:1)

The famine that Isaac found himself in was similar and could be likened to the famine that was said to

have occurred in the times of his father Abraham. Famines that wipe out crops and agriculture, that deplete resources and cause dependancy to be upon whatever was stored up within the storehouses from previous flourishing harvest. In fact the key to being a great farmer is not just in the ability to sow the land and bring a harvest but also in the navigating through varying climates and seasons and knowing what is coming ahead in order to store sufficient supplies for harsh times that may occur. Whatever had occurred this famine was enough to cause Isaac a sin of a great promise to consider leaving the land to go to Egypt in search of provision. For a moment Isaac, son of Abraham the great patriarch of faith had forgotten his Jehovah Jireh, God whom is His Provider! Isaac himself had a deep personal relationship with this aspect of God for it is he who was to be sacrificed by his father on the mountain when God suddenly intervened and provided a ram in the thicket in place of the his own sacrifice. Then Abraham looked up and saw behind him a ram in a thicket, caught by its horns. So he went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. Gen 22:13

Isaac had first hand experience of Gods intervention into his situation but for some reason he was shaken by this famine and forgot the testimony of his household, a testimony that would have been recounted many times in their hearing over the years as a family. The bible lets us know that there was a

time when Abraham , Isaac and Jacob lived together under the same roof, in the same camp and as is customary would the Hebrew nation communal gatherings , worship, prayers and feast were common practice. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; (Hebrews 11:9)

Today a famine is a cruel, severe and terrible experience that amount to loss of millions of lives, devastation to lands, fields, communities and economies. The word famine means, being in a state of recession and deprivation, impacting and affecting everything and everyone in the region where the famine occurs. What was a basic essential like water, food and even clothing in the midst of a famine become luxury and require moderating to ensure items lasts as there is no knowledge in the midst of a famine where the next source of water and food is coming from! The beautiful aspect about the God we serve is that God honours his binding covenant in which he has made with mankind, a covenant his son invoked and brought into reality and life when he uttered the words , “It is finished” here enters the promise I will never leave you nor forsake you! Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

This old testament scripture was echoed by the Apostle Paul in Hebrew chapter 31:5 “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5)

But God was about to change everything by reminding Isaac of a few very important lessons. Lessons of faith. Lessons about life with God and although God may leave us for a while and we seemingly think or assume he is no longer there but the whisper of prayer and covenant move the sleeping giant to rise or to recognise the effectual servant prayer of the righteousness The faith and favour There will no doubt become circumstances that shake each of our faith levels and cause us to have a moment like Isaac where we forget the testimonies of God. Where we pause for a moment or even make decisions that could be detrimental to our future but as the apostle Peter says in 1 Peter 5:10: But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

All God had to do to trigger Isaac faith memory was to remind him of the promises that were given to his father Abraham and that he was internally part of the

realisation of that promise. The promises that God began to speak began to release a fresh hope a fresh life into the words and the situation and in the end the faith came alive . What were these promises that we need to be reminded about? God gave Isaac a few instruction before hand a reminder that everything that occurs is always on Gods ter. God initiated some clear instructions to Isaac enablers that would ensure everything would be complete in this transaction of faith. God told Isaac: The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt. Settle in the land where I tell you. Stay in this land as a foreigner, and I will be with you and bless you. For I will give all these lands to you and your offspring, and I will confirm the oath that I swore to your father Abraham.  I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed,  because Abraham listened to My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws. Gen 26:2-5 BSB

The very fact that Lord appeared unto Isaac should really be enough for any of us to pick ourselves up and get on with what God has said. God left Isaac with clear instruction that would ensure that what Isaac was about to do next would be a seed within an unchangeable Gods plan for redemption and deliverance and ultimately position Isaac to be a preservation for his region; God instructed in the midst of a famine, a recession of significant proportion to stay in this apparent barren land.

A. Do not go down to Egypt B. Settle in the Land where I tell you C. I will give you all these lands D. I will confirm these oaths (Covenant) I made with your father E. I will give them all these lands F. Your offspring will be a blessings to All nations G. All of what I am about to do was because of your father Abraham and his obedience to me To have faith in the midst of a famine is no easy thing and we have seen it was all Isaac’s doing God had intervened and aided to inspire the young patriarch to lay hold of what he was saying despite the external circumstances of the famine. Deprivation and lack were upon the region but God was about to do something amazing that required amazing faith that would release amazing grace. So Isaac settled in Gerar (Gen 26:6)

Isaac stepped into the supernatural of God , his obedience was the first thing that would loose Gods hands. Isaac obeyed and dwelt in the very land that had a famine. Isaac obedience was about to trigger God to move in a significant way. His faith was about to explode on the scene in a magnanimous way and show all around that the God of Abraham and Isaac

was very much in control of Isaacs destiny even in the midst of a land that was in a famine and in an economical recession. God wanted Isaac to trust him by using his faith to release fruitfulness. The fruitfulness Isaac’s faith released a fruitfulness that would confound everyone around him, he was about to do the impossible in a land that was in the midst of depletion and recession agriculture was gone crops ravished by harsh times and the land to most intense and purposes was barren but the God who owns every piece of land , every mountain, sky and sea cloud and rain was about to reverse the curse because one chose to walk by faith and not by sight . Isaac was about to confound his own mindset and belief in fact the doubt and lack of belief he had in the beginning was about to make a turn and bring him back to the mountain where he first met the God who would provide. Isaac was about to see God move as God instructed him to sow seeds in the very land that was apparently barren! What a thing to do? How? Why ? Where? But as the bible states with God nothing is impossible, in fact with God all things are possible! And this is what Isaac faith tapped into, He tapped into the Provider God the creator God who can make something out of nothing! Now Isaac sowed seed in the land, and that very year he reaped a hundredfold. And the LORD blessed him, and he became richer and richer, until he was exceedingly wealthy. He owned

so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. . Gen 26:12-

Isaac’s faith produced fruitfulness in the midst of a land that was in a famine.

• Persistence of faith is fruitfulness • Obedience of faith is fruitfulness • Sowing in the land by Faith brings fruitfulness When Isaac sowed according to Gods word he used a faith that would trigger Gods hand because God instructed him and sometimes that is all that God want from us to just obey and just listen and act and He God will do the rest. Let us take great lesson from this moment in Isaac’s life that we too could be like Isaac and forget the powerful. Moments that God has come through for us we too can have many doubts and need a prompt from God but let us act when God speaks so that we too can not only receive from the Lord but become positioned to be a distributer for Gods kingdom resources in that region. Just imagine like Isaac Gods blesses you in a time when there is a famine and he blesses you with food , resources water whatever it is that can be of benefit to others you too would become blessed and even more blessed in that climate . This is exactly what happened to Isaac as he sowed in the land the bible states that in the same year he was blessed until he became more blessed and

then even more blessed until the enemies of the people envied him because he was so blessed. I wonder if in the midst of this current climate that we have found ourselves in whether God is prompting you to come closer to him and hear what he requires you to do where you are to sow, what you are to do with your resources , remember don’t go down to Egypt a picture of what the world would do in such a climate , they would follow the crowd but God is saying follow me and I will make you , mould you, shape you and bless you so that you can be a blessing to many, many others. Cultivate the faith for the famine season.

CHAPTER 11

FAITH AS A SHIELD In walking through the life long experiences thus far

as a believer of the lord Jesus Christ, I have come to realise albeit and somewhat on a minute scale why the Apostle Paul would write the he was a prisoner of the lord in chains. It conjures an image to the mind of someone being shackled in irons to a prison or a slave to a master and the emphasis the Apostle Paul was illustrating was one of being bound completely and helplessly to the cause of Christ. Over time I am beginning to learn that truly nothing is really achieved in christ unless we have surrendered fully to the will and service of the one who has enlisted us. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5he b predestined us for adoption to sonship c through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9he d made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in

Christ, 10to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. 11In him we were also chosen, e having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1 :3-14 NIV

The apostle wrote in the book of Ephesians his letter to the believers at Ephesus that we were chosen in him before the foundation off the world, a truth that once re aliased upholds our walk on the revelation that if God chose us He knows what’s best and more importantly He knows how we should walk through each area and aspect of life. The apostle further alludes to the fact that because he chose us in himself he also has pre ordained things according to the plans of him who works everything according to the counsel of his own will (verse 11) further demonstration the way to walk in Gods will is to stay extremely close to the maker himself and this we do through prayer, through the word, reading and studying Gods word but also in living Gods word by faith. Here in is part of the key to unraveling the mystery of the divinity of God and his

superb creation, you and I walking intimately with the Lord in close relationship. It is in this same series of letters to the church at Ephesus that our focus for this penultimate chapter of this book, Faith a Key of the Kingdom takes its focus. As Paul moved though this letters to the church encouraging them on several key areas;

• • • • •

What is the hope of God's calling (Eph 1:18) What are the glorious riches of God's inheritance in the saints (Eph 1:18) What is God's great power toward those who believe (Eph 1:19) Remind Christians of their spiritual blessings in Christ (Eph 1:3) Exhort Christians to have a "walk worthy of the calling with which you were called" (Eph 4:1)

It is in Pauls reasoning and instructions to the churches at Ephesus, a place Paul frequented many times on missionary journeys at one point spending three years with them that The apostle Paul draws a conclusion in the final chapter by very descriptively stating the manner in which they should not just walk but how to walk. 10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.  11Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the  [b]wiles of the devil. 12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but

against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of  [c]the darkness of this age, against spiritual  hosts  of wickedness in the heavenly  places.  13Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,  15and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;  18praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—  19and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,  20for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. (Ephesians 6:10-20)NKJV

Paul concludes this final letter with some strong emphasis to the church on how to move forward in order to sustain their walk with Christ embrace the calling set before the and fully embrace all of the wonderful riches in Christ that the Lord has bestowed upon the church but in Pauls final exhortation he almost implies if you don’t do these final instructions you could possibly miss out on the abundance of what Christ has done for you. Pauls says things like , Be Strong, Put On the Armour, Stand therefore and having done all stand, Above all

things and praying always with prayer and supplication . All of which are quite directive in their intentions to the church. This is the aspect of a believers walk that requires constant reminding. We too often need reminding that we must be string in the lord and in the power of His might, we allow ourselves to be distracted and caught up in the things off the day! The latest bad news on media, the latest challenging situation a friend or loved one goes through the latest financial crash all of these things are justifiably a reason to be concerned but the emphasis here as in Mathew chapter 6, where it states which of you can add one cubit to your stature by worrying, so too Paul emphasises that we too must be focused and stand and be prepared and be covered and in a state of readiness in order to walk in the glorious riches of Christs inheritance. Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? (Matthew 6:27)

Pauls’s instructions were clear, I have told you all that you can be all that you have access to the wisdom knowledge that has been made available an now you must adorn yourselves with a mindset that will both protect and preserve your faith. Paul indicates that this faith walk is a fight and thus being said we must adorn ourselves with a spiritual armour that will enable us to stand against the attacks of any enemy of christ;

10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.  11Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the  [b]wiles of the devil.  (Eph 6:10)

That we adorning this precious armour of God can stand against every strategy, device and scheming plan of the enemy. The indication for us being by daily adorning of these pieces of armour, mindsets and preparations we can defat the plans and attacks that come against us. “above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one” ( Eph 6:16)

The eminent Apostle , one whose own history would ever be before him in his persecution of the jews, one who had a radical encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9) who had to be led by hand to a safe house due to blindness, wait for his own miraculous healing and then years of persecution and imprisonment states to the church at Ephesus, “Above All ‘ that I have just said listen to these words I am about to share with you for in obedience to it you can withstand the attacks of the enemy by your Shield of faith. Now Pauls description of Faith as a shield presupposes the believers both new about faith and also new descriptively what a shield was for Paul was not merely likening the quality of faith to a piece of

metal but more so the defensive and protective qualities that a shield can provide. “above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one” ( Eph 6:16)

Paul says above all, taking indicating that faith must be picked up, it must be laid hold of and exercised. Faith is no use as theory or as a subject we just talk about Bute literally experienced and put to use. Taken up our shield is a fundamental necessity for the believer in Christ, just as in that intense momentary affliction of the mind and heart in which Jesus was aggrieved to go through in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:44) His faith had to rise above momentary pain and discomfort and declare , “let not my will by thy will be done “ (Matthew 26:39) Faith must be taken up and used and in the using of our faith it becomes the experience and knowledge that under girds our walk as a christian. Apart from faith needing to be taken up faith also provides protection. Think about the nature of a shield designed specifically to provide the soldier with protection over vital parts of the body, head neck, torso and main organs. The shield spiritually does the same it protects us from the attacks to the essential areas of a believers walk with God. Attacks of the enemy come to kill steal and destroy and in areas that are key to a believers successful walk with

God, the head and mind attacking with doubt and fear, the heart attacking with hurt mistrust betrayal and unkindness and so on the shield in a natural sense provided the soldier with a personal line of defence. But there is another use of the shield that does occur and not so widely focused on and that is the aspect of team work, of unity amongst soldiers that their own shields provided their fellow soldiers with additional protection. In the same sense our personal shield of faith can also provide protection to those we are close to care about and press in for. Jesus said to the four friends who lowered their friend through the roof; When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” (Mark 4:5)

Jesus seeing their faith, their shields surrounding their paralysed friend was moved with compassion by their acts of faith and friendship, healed the man. Shields can provide divine protection when needed. Shields of faith can also be used to carry those weaker and sick until they regain strength got rise on their own. Faith as a shield enables us to quench, halt, defend ourselves against the arrows that are released from the enemy. Faith as a shield guards our heart for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. This is vital for us to comprehend in order that we know the weaponry or arsenal that god has placed in our hands for us to use.

Faith as shield is a huge part of the Gospel of Matthew , the Gospel of the Kingdom for without faith the bible says clearly it is impossible to please God. Pick up your cross today and follow him and also whilst at the above all take your shield of faith and know that God has given you such great faith.

CHAPTER 12

SUCH GREAT FAITH In writing this project I have been challenged in

more ways than can be imagined. My faith has had to be excruciatingly reviewed and looked upon like a chemist peering intricately through his microscope, searching for the minutest of particles. There have been many times when all I could say inside was ouch Lord! But through it all I do believe my faith has been even more sharpened and established in Christ. To be very frank faith can sometimes sound like a cliche word that we use within the walls of our churches, however the practicalities of our faith are far more deeper and must be lived. Our faith is not something we just say or to be able to quote a familiar passage of scripture but our faith must be lived day by day and circumstance by circumstance. Only when we live it out can the life within the faith we live be of any benefit to anyone else. When we look upon, the well and sometimes over emphasised Hebrews chapter 11, do we really take stock of what the writer to the Hebrew church is

actually conveying? Do we take time to contextualise that just before the writer delves deeply into the nature of the true church in Hebrews chapter 12, the church of Mount Zion , the city of the living God, the unutterable company of angels, to Jesus the mediator off a better covenant and the shaking that will occur until only that which cannot be shaken will remain, to them conclude in the final verse of Hebrews chapter 12 with “Our God is a consuming fire”, that the writer to the Hebrew church takes the time to elaborate, explain, convey and in brilliant detail summarise the hall of Faith in Hebrews chapter 11. The writer does this so well that it was their purposeful intention that we must be prepared for all that God desires to bestow upon His church and in order to access it all we needed to be reminded that we must live , walk and breathe by Faith! It struck me even more during the last nine months that Gods church was birthed through Faith at the cross, not because the Messiah required faith to fulfil his assignment but more so because the church age was being entrusted into mans recently redeemed fallen nature and man would require every ounce of faith to walk and believe that it all had been restored back to the father of which they were now empowered to walk it out. Martin Luther it is said during a course of lectures between 1513-1515 on the book of Psalms and the Apostle Paul’s writings to the church at Rome, that

he had an awe encompassing insight into the grace of God and the all sufficient merit of the finished work of Jesus Christ through the verse in Romans 1:17, For the gospel reveals the righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith.” Luther realised with deep profundity that what was being presented to the people regarding the gospel was incomplete without a deeper understanding of Grace through faith. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” Ephesians 2:8 NIV In the same manner the writer attributed for the letter to the Hebrews provides insurmountable instruction of the requirement that we must have by faith in order to step into the realm of Gods church. A church that is always on the brink of an existence between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of heaven on earth. Faith is the link between the two for the believer. Faith enables us to lay hold of the vast array of insight and trust that the bible contains. To be able to stand in awe of “ an innumerable company of angels’, of to behold the seraphim and cherubim that fly all day around the throne with six wings , two covering their face two covering their feet and two flying saying holy Holy, Holy is the lord God almighty,

who was and is and is to come, demands a faith that enables us to see. Or to have the faith the size of a mustered seed a faith in which Jesus was not quantifying but rather providing revelatory insight into the parallel that if you could ever quantify faith, if you had faith the size of the smallest seed look what could be achieved, for one seed of a mustered could re produce numerous trees after its own kind. Faith when activated and utilised begins to reproduce after its own kind, Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so.  The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good Genesis 1:11-12 Faith will always produce more faith and that is why the church must never fail to testify of the goodness of the lord in the land of the living for God inspires man to take steps, man takes them, faith is produced and faith then inspires more faith. I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord Psalm 27:13-14 We overcome by hearing the living testimonies of all that God has done and continues to do in our lives because there is something about faith that is contagious toward a loving God that we serve . When we hear of God’s goodness and faithfulness and we are inspired to fight on and put on our faith filled mantles to press forward with courage , confidence and conviction. They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Revelation 12:11 In the book of Romans, the apostle Paul continues in his exhortation to the church at Rome that,” faith comes by hearing the words of Christ” Romans 10:17 The apostle was illustrating that though many may not believe they must hear and how can they hear unless a preacher speaks and tells them the good news of the Gospel because faith truly does come by hearing but not just hearing anything but hearing the words of Christ.

How then can they call on the One in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can they preach unless they are sent?  As  it is written:  “How  beautiful are  the  feet  of those who  bring good news!”  But not all of them welcomed the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”… Romans 10:14-16

In the book of James the writer further advises the body of christ in this manner:  "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves." James 1:22 And this brings us to a main focus of this final chapter when Jesus encountered a gentile centurion who exhibited what Jesus called such great faith. “When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” Luke 7:9 What was it that caused Jesus to make such a deceleration about this man, for one he was not even a Jew, not born of a tribe of Israel, unknowledgeable in the scriptures how could such a one have the kind of faith that Jesus was looking for of this world? Was it that true faith is belief in Christ from whatever position you stand from, are born into or culturally

cultivated to? Was it that this centurion’s observation of the life and works of Jesus spoke so expressly to him personally that he was willing to release himself from his Roman traditions and beliefs and step into the pool of current revelation that was occurring before his eyes that this man Jesus was different from any he had seen? Could it be said that in doing this he stretched across the vast sea of religious differences and laid hold of a divine truth that this was the messiah, the saviour of the world and being a roman soldier trained and experienced in the art of warfare and the disciplined life of a Roman soldier it was evident to him that this man Jesus carried authority and Power. Whatever the timeframe that his personal truth arose this centurion knew like Nicodemus who visited Jesus at night, a ruler of the Jews, that they knew that no one could do what Jesus did unless he had been sent from God! The profundity of the moment sometimes goes unnoticed as we often hastily read through texts of scriptures seeking out large bold moments of the miraculous when right before our eyes a hidden truth is being revealed called Faith. Jesus in seeing and hearing this centurion’s reason for not wanting him to be bothered to come to his own house to heal his servant was a clear and outright display of what Jesus requires of us all. In Luke chapter 18:8 Jesus in a moment of exposition to his disciples and a persistent widow, another who

demonstrates a certain kind of faith exhales a deep desire and insight into what he seeks: “I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8 NIV The centurion stated the following words and when you read these words read them with the knowledge that this man was a complete stranger to the traditions and prophecies of the children of Israel about the messiah and what he would come to do; The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” Matthew 8:8-9 NKJV The centurion opening few words displayed a reverence that we as believers that have been saved for many years get all too familiar with , namely the lordship of our Saviour Jesus Christ. The centurion in his opening remarks acknowledged him as “Lord” in his now culture denoting a one in high supreme authority, a master and stems from the greek word “Kyrie” which its counterpart in Hebrew is the word “Adonay” a word which is used frequently in the old testament by the fathers of faith and patriarchs in

their acknowledgement of God. The centurion then follows this acknowledgement by deeming himself unworthy for this Lord and master to even enter into his own house, this also contain yes to establish the genuineness of the centurions heart. Just imagine if we took those two key principles from the centurions opening line alone and adopted them with belief how differently would our walk with God be?

• The centurion acknowledged the Lordship and supreme authority of Jesus Christ • The centurion confessed his unworthiness to be in • •

the presence of Jesus Christ - this was not a false sense of humility but an awareness of the divinity of Jesus The centurion expressed absolute belief in the words that Jesus spoke The centurion validated the supreme authority and power that Jesus words contained

This unusual encounter between Jesus Christ and the centurion serves as a great lesson for us all in that we can access so much more in our relationship with Jesus Christ if we were to just step out of our religious rhetoric and adorn ourselves with humility and belief in our divine and supreme saviour Lord Jesus Christ. If a centurion can look on from afar and witness then tap into the truth of who Jesus Christ is how much more we who are privileged to say he is

our personal saviour? Our redeemer of our lives and healer of our souls? What say we who have seen and witnessed time and time again the wonder working miraculous testimony of Christ working in the lives of our friends , family and saints of God. Is this a time to review our faith with and in Gods? Is this a time to search our hearts for disbelief? Are their wounds of past hurts that have not healed which cause us to second guess and question the supreme authority of God in our lives? Truly as I write these pages my own faith is under the microscope for I know that I am guilty of this familiarity at times. A familiarity that can dispel any possibility for the power of God and his kingdom to be manifest in our lives. God the father of all creation wants us all to have the beautiful opportunity of walking with and by Faith for he gave his son all authority in heaven and upon the earth ands he so dearly wants us to believe and know by faith so that this supreme authority can be demonstrated to a world that so desperately needs it. My closing remarks to this book are that we must challenge ourselves, allow the precious Holy Spirit to inspire our faith again. Let God in and let him have dominion over our life in order that he can shine through us in special ways through faith in Christ.

In areas where the Spirit reveals repentance is needed repent and change, turn and walk boldly towards a God that is full of opportunities, full of mercy to be gained in times of need and opportunities for us to exercise our faith. Let your faith be bold, let your faith be steadfast and let your faith speak I believe, for you will never know how many others you will inspire years from now as this simple centurion inspired Jesus to say; When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. (Matt 8:10 NIV) And Jesus ‘ conclusion to the matter will be; Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment. (Matt 8:13)

FAITH A KEY OF KINGDOM

THE

BY MICHAEL A DA COSTA

Other works available via PDF Turn Aside (book) Cultivate series (Pdf) Unshakable Kingdom (Pdf) To come.. The finishing work of the Holy Spirit Hearing the Voice of God The Secret Place - The Place of His Power The Counsel of God