There is a lot of prophecy being spoken right now. What's correct and what's in error? First, we must know that prophecy and the office of the prophet is ordained by God.

1Th 5:20 says, "Despise not prophesyings."

And we read in Ephesians, "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:11-13)

Image by A. Debus from Pixabay

I have been thinking about parent's prayers for their children. This is an area where I've not been so eloquent. I realized the words of the prophet Joel, quoted by Peter say:

"And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy..." 

This makes an excellent prayer, "My daughter shall prophesy." 

But this morning, I woke up hearing other words from Peter.

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call."

“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” (Acts 10:38)

The church cries out for revival and the sweeping power of the Holy Spirit, to see lives changed and bodies healed as in the book of Acts, and this the promise of Jehovah. The church has been sent to GO and do GREATER WORKS than those told in the gospels.

What then keeps the church from an amazing demonstration of God’s presence?

In a study of the Scriptures, author, SUZANNE D. WILLIAMS, describes the church as God expects it to be – a loving, forgiving church, free of condemnation and criticisms, submissive to people, honoring government, and incredibly generous. A PASSIONATE CHURCH, on fire for the things of God and “willing and obedient” to God’s principles as demonstrated in the life, death, and Resurrection of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

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Excerpt, Chapter 3, "The Church of Acts":

The people listening to the ruckus on the day of Pentecost were full of wonder at the noise they heard, and I can understand why. Imagine you’ve come to observe Pentecost, or maybe you’re doing business in the city. You’ve done this many times before and never seen or heard such a racket.

“What’s goin’ on here? These people have been drinking,” the onlookers said. (Act 2:12-13)

This amuses me. I’ve watched a lot of reality crime shows over the years and have yet to see a drunk man or woman speak fluently in any language, much less a large group of them as described here in Acts.

But Peter. Oh, Peter. I love Peter. No one was more PASSIONATE for Christ. Peter set them straight.

“For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But THIS IS THAT which was spoken by the prophet Joel.” (Acts 2:15-16)

This is THAT. That POWER prophesied. That JESUS, who God raised from the dead. That FIRE of the Holy Ghost, spoken of by John. That AUTHORITY to GO into the world and make disciples.

This is that commission to be WITNESSES unto the far parts of the earth.

This is that, which HEALED and SAVED and set people FREE.

This is Him, who you crucified and considered dead and gone. This is that RESURRECTION, which rolled the stone away. This is He, who appeared to us many times after His death, who spoke life and truth and peace.

“Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man APPROVED OF GOD AMONG YOU BY MIRACLES AND WONDERS AND SIGNS, WHICH GOD DID BY HIM in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know … Whom God hath raised up, HAVING LOOSED the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it … THIS JESUS hath God raised up, whereof WE ALL ARE WITNESSES. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, HE HATH SHED FORTH THIS, WHICH YE NOW SEE AND HEAR.”  (Acts 2:22, 24, 32-33)

This is that. That God. That Spirit. That sacrifice. That victory.

“This is your freedom,” Peter said.

“Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and YE SHALL RECEIVE the gift of the Holy Ghost. FOR THE PROMISE IS UNTO YOU, AND TO YOUR CHILDREN, AND TO ALL THAT ARE AFAR OFF, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”  (Acts 2:38-39)

This is that change you’ve been looking for. That HEALING you’ve been seeking. That DELIVERANCE you’ve searched to find. This is GOD ACCOMPLISHED in men. This is CHRIST, the Messiah.

This is salvation from sins. This is the gift of the Holy Ghost. This is the church.

How we long to see Him work in power amongst us still. Who doesn’t seek the Lord when a loved one is gravely ill? Who fails to pray over a sick child? Who sees a grandmother pass away and doesn’t picture her in heaven? Even those without God do that. We, the church, should desire these signs and wonders even more. Greater, we are filled with the Spirit and, being filled, should WITNESS of His delivering power.

We cannot limit the goodness of God to the four gospels. We cannot terminate it in the book of Acts. The church should be where anyone can come to be made WHOLE. This was God’s will in Acts, and it is God’s will still. Though the pages of the Bible reach an ending, the truths in it do not.

We are called to “ACTS” LIKE HIM. We are to turn a hurting world, in every sense of the word, to a loving, forgiving, healing Jesus.

About 3,000 people were saved that day, after Peter’s preaching.

“And fear came upon every soul: and many WONDERS and SIGNS were done BY THE APOSTLES.” (Act 2:43) Because the Holy Spirit had come, and friend, at no time has He left or lifted His hands from the earth since then.

The only hindrance to the next miracle is within ourselves.

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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.feelgoodromance.com
www.suzannedwilliams.com 

Note: I have limited myself to posting once a month, but would like to share the thoughts the Holy Spirit lays on my heart more frequently. I post them on social media and feel they would benefit others by being in a more permanent location. Below is once such thought. If you enjoy these short quips, let me know with either a comment on the blog or by replying to the email in your inbox. God bless!



How much time do you spend reading your Bible?

Something a friend said sparked this question in me. I am an author, but I'd rather my readers spent MORE TIME in the Word of God than reading fiction. The Word of God will change you; fiction will not.

Count up your time for a few days. What gets most of your interest? 90% of what's on the internet can be (should be) ignored. 99% of what's on TV should be passed by. Most fiction isn't worth 5 cents.

What we read and hear is what is in us during a crisis, and what's in us is what will come out. Quoting your favorite romance novel or TV show will not encourage you in the midst of an storm. Or on a calm sunny day either.  

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. (Ps 19:14)

But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. (Mt 15:18)

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. (Lk 16:45)

“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19)

“Then God surveyed everything He had made, savoring its beauty and appreciating ITS GOODNESS.” (Genesis 1:31 VOICE)

“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching THE GOSPEL of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.”

“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about DOING GOOD, and HEALING all that were oppressed of the devil; FOR GOD WAS WITH HIM.” (Acts 10:38)

The words of a commercial caught my attention the other day, spoken from a multitude of voices. "In these uncertain times ..."

I sat up straight. Uncertain? Not for me. Not for every child of Almighty God.

The prophet Isaiah stated: "Therefore this is what the LORD God says: "Look! I am laying a foundation stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation." (Is 28:16 ISV)

A SURE FOUNDATION is one that is certain. It is established and dependable. (H3245)

We read this once more in 2 Timothy 2:19: "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure." 

The Greek word translated "sure" here means "stiff, solid, stable." Here again, we have something we can rely on. (G4731)



God is not random, never has been. He is specific and strategic. (Is 11:1-2 TPT) Every word He speaks goes forth to do as He's directed and it will prosper and succeed. (Is 55:11)

No circumstance, tragedy, or happening on this earth catches Him by surprise. We've read some of the Scriptures that way, as if He had to adjust what He was doing to make up for what He hadn't planned.

But hear, again, the Word of God.

"There is not one person who can hide their thoughts from God, for nothing that we do remains a secret, and nothing created is concealed, but everything is exposed and defenseless before his eyes, to whom we must render an account." (Heb 4:13 TPT)

God sees it all and knows it all already. There is great comfort in that. He has a plan for it, a way to work things out for our good. (Rm 8:28) We need only believe and have "patient endurance," which the Bible says will save our souls. (Lk 21:19 TPT) I know many days I need my soul to be rescued when emotions threaten to tear down my peace of mind.

We believe in a God who does not change. (Mal 3:6) He doesn't have mood swings that catch Him by surprise, but He is well able and willing to perform every word He has promised. (Rm 4:21)

His Word is:

Alive and full of power (Heb 4:12 AMPC; Lk 1:37)
Effectual (1Th 2:13 AMPC)
Accomplished (Jer 1:12 VOICE)
Prosperous (Is 55:11)
Fulfilled (Num 23:19 ISV; Lk 4:21)
Eternal (Is 40:8; 1Pe 1:23)
Everlasting (Jn 12:50)
Living (1Pe 1:23)
Faithful (Tit 1:9)
Secure (Ps 18:30 TPT)

We need not be uncertain and fearful about anything in front of us. Even the return of the Lord, though the day and hour are not revealed to us, our attitude about it already is.

"The day of the Lord will race onto the scene and surprise us like a thief in the night. ³ People will be going about their business chanting, “All is well! All is at peace!” and in the next moment, ruin and destruction will suddenly seize them as labor pains grip a woman about to give birth; for them there will be no escape. ⁴ My brothers and sisters, it will be different for you. You do not dwell in the darkness, so that day will not surprise you like a thief. ⁵ For you are all children of light. You are sons and daughters of the day. We are not created of night, nor are we owned by darkness ... but since we belong to the day, we should stay sober and in control, covered with a breastplate of faith and love and a helmet of the hope of salvation. ⁹ For God has not destined us, His chosen, to face His wrath but to be the heirs of salvation through our Lord Jesus the Anointed, the Liberating King, ¹⁰ who died for us." (1Th 5:2-5, 8-11 VOICE)

 What an amazing promise! We are children of the light, heirs of salvation, not surprised by the signs of the times at all. We have within us a recreated spirit, made new. This has given us ears to hear the Holy Spirit speak of the deep things of God. What sounds like foolishness to the world is wisdom and understanding to us. No more walking in the dark, stumbling over what we cannot see. (1Co 2:9-10, 12, 16)

Hear the Word of the Lord:  "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." (Jer 29:11)

An EXPECTED end. I love those words. The final result of my life, of your life, of the lives of God's children, is EXPECTED. It is planned out, sure and certain, full of hope and successful. (Jer 29:11 CEV)

"This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes." (Ps 118:23)

God makes no mistakes. He needs no do-overs. He is SURE. His counsels are FIXED and CERTAIN. Even better, He is willing and eager to do everything He's promised, and it will be "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." (Eph 3:20)

We can rely on that 100%.


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.feelgoodromance.com
www.suzannedwilliams.com 


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