Rodney Howard Browne

I have still many things to say to you, but you are not able to bear them or to take them upon you or to grasp them now. 13 But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth). For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future]. 14 He will honor and glorify Me, because He will take of (receive, draw upon) what is Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you. 15 Everything that the Father has is Mine. That is what I meant when I said that He [the Spirit] will take the things that are Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you.  John 16:12-15 AMP

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth – He will always speak the Truth and lead you into the Truth. He does not bring you His own message or His own opinion. He will never speak anything contrary to the Word of God. Everything He says is of God and from God. He never speaks on His own authority – He only speaks on the authority that He has been given by Jesus and by the Father. He tells us whatever He hears the Father say – He gives the message that has been given to Him. He is the One Who announces and declares the things that are to come.

The Holy Spirit takes, receives, and draws upon that which belongs to Jesus and which comes from Him and He reveals it to us. Therefore and thereby, He honors and glorifies Jesus! He brings glory to Jesus, because He speaks only the words that come from Jesus. He brings glory to the Father, because He speaks only the words that come from the Father. Obviously, then if we or anybody else speaks words that do not come from the Father, Son or the Holy Spirit – words spoken on our own authority, by our own opinion, and coming from our own heart and mind - then they are not the truth and they will not bring glory to the Lord.

Anyone who rejects Me and persistently sets Me at naught, refusing to accept My teachings, has his judge [however]; for the [very] message that I have spoken will itself judge and convict him at the last day. 49 This is because I have never spoken on My own authority or of My own accord or as self-appointed, but the Father Who sent Me has Himself given Me orders [concerning] what to say and what to tell. 50 And I know that His commandment is (means) eternal life. So whatever I speak, I am saying [exactly] what My Father has told Me to say and in accordance with His instructions.  John 12:48-50 AMP

Jesus, Himself did not speak on His own authority or of His own accord – He only said what His Father told Him to say. Therefore, everyone who hears Him is accountable before God to receive it as the Truth and be saved or to reject it and be judged. If Jesus did not speak on His own authority and the Holy Spirit does not speak on His own authority, then we certainly have no right to say or preach anything that has not been given to us by the Father. We have no right to preach our opinions apart from the Word of God. We have an obligation to preach the Word as it is, with no changes, no compromise and no dilution.

And how from your childhood you have had a knowledge of and been acquainted with the sacred Writings, which are able to instruct you and give you the understanding for salvation which comes through faith in Christ Jesus [through the leaning of the entire human personality on God in Christ Jesus in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness]. 16 Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action), 17 So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.  2 Timothy 3:15-17 AMP

And we have the prophetic word [made] firmer still. You will do well to pay close attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dismal (squalid and dark) place, until the day breaks through [the gloom] and the Morning Star rises ( comes into being) in your hearts. 20[Yet] first [you must] understand this, that no prophecy of Scripture is [a matter] of any personal or private or special interpretation (loosening, solving). 21 For no prophecy ever originated because some man willed it [to do so--it never came by human impulse], but men spoke from God who were borne along (moved and impelled) by the Holy Spirit.  2 Peter 1:19-21 AMP

Whether you preach, pray or prophesy, let it be led, guided and guarded by the Holy Spirit. Bring glory to God as you speak only the words that He puts in your mouth.

He Who comes from above (heaven) is [far] above all [others]; he who comes from the earth belongs to the earth, and talks the language of earth [his words are from an earthly standpoint]. He Who comes from heaven is [far] above all others [far superior to all others in prominence and in excellence].

32 It is to what He has [actually] seen and heard that He bears testimony, and yet no one accepts His testimony [no one receives His evidence as true].

33 Whoever receives His testimony has set his seal of approval to this: God is true. [That man has definitely certified, acknowledged, declared once and for all, and is himself assured that it is divine truth that God cannot lie].

34 For since He Whom God has sent speaks the words of God [proclaims God's own message], God does not give Him His Spirit sparingly or by measure, but boundless is the gift God makes of His Spirit!

35 The Father loves the Son and has given (entrusted, committed) everything into His hand. 36 And he who believes in (has faith in, clings to, relies on) the Son has (now possesses) eternal life. But whoever disobeys (is unbelieving toward, refuses to trust in, disregards, is not subject to) the Son will never see (experience) life, but [instead] the wrath of God abides on him. [God's displeasure remains on him; His indignation hangs over him continually.]   John 3:31-36 AMP

Jesus Christ was God in the flesh. He was with the Father and the Holy Spirit when creation was created (John 1:3). He is one with the Father and equal with Him. And yet He humbled Himself to come down to earth in the body of a man, to endure what we endure and to pass the test, resist the temptations, take our place, to die and to rise again. He humbled Himself, submitting patiently to the verbal and physical abuse and pain that He endured on our behalf.

He humbled Himself to lay down His own will and desires to do and say ONLY what the Father instructed Him to do and say. Because He was so utterly and completely submitted and obedient to the Father, He was anointed with an unlimited supply of the Holy Spirit.

And the Lord said to me, They have well said all that they have spoken. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet (Prophet) from among their brethren like you, and will put My words in his mouth; and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19 And whoever will not hearken to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him. 20 But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die. 21 And if you say in your [minds and] hearts, How shall we know which words the Lord has not spoken? 22 When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or prove true, that is a word which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.   Deuteronomy 18:17-22 AMP

Because Jesus speaks the Words of God, you have an obligation to listen to Him and obey Him. You must obey Him for your own sake – for your own eternity and your own blessing. Every one who hears what Jesus says and obeys Him is blessed, but those who won’t listen or obey will suffer the consequences of disobedience. What you have to understand is that we all live in a world that is under the influence of the enemy. God knows what you need to do to walk free from the devil’s influence and control. If you want to walk in victory and peace, you must hear and obey Him.

Jesus died to save you from sin and deliver you from the curse of the law. He died and rose again to make us all children of God and to empower us all to do the same works that He did. If you want to be anointed with the power of the Holy Spirit, you must obey the Holy Spirit. You must speak what He tells you to speak and do what He tells you to do.

There are people who claim to speak for God and yet they speak their own opinions. This is not a small matter to the Lord - He holds us responsible for every word we speak on His behalf. Speaking on God’s behalf is a sacred trust and we should not treat it lightly. Under the Old Covenant, a prophet who spoke his own words and not God’s words, or who spoke in the name of other gods was sentenced to die! God tells us not to continue to listen to prophets whose words do not come to pass.

If you want God to use you, if you want Him to anoint you, you must press in to His presence, to hear His voice and you must do everything in your power to obey His voice. Then you will be blessed by Him and you will also be a blessing to others.

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God.

2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?

3 My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

4 These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng.

5 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.

6. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon–from Mount Mizar.

7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.

8 By day the LORD directs His love, at night His song is with me–a prayer to the God of my life.

9 I say to God my Rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?”

10 My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

11 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.  Psalms 42:1-11 NIV

King David was a man who was hungry and thirsty for God. He had a great reverence and respect for the presence of God. Even when he became a great king, he continued to humble himself before the Lord and give God all the glory and honor. He went through hard times just as all of us do, but he kept his heart right before the Lord. He made mistakes and wrong choices, he even committed murder in his quest to cover his sin of adultery, but he was quick to repent when God confronted him.

Through his lifetime, he endured a lot of persecution and hardship. Even though he was God’s anointed, he had to run for his life – first from Saul and then from his own son - and live in caves. There were many times when he felt miserable, abandoned and neglected. However, he maintained his relationship with the Lord by praising and worshipping Him and by rejoicing in His Word and His goodness. Because he continued to praise God in the good times and the bad – God protected him and delivered him – even though he was chased and threatened, his enemies never could get the victory over him. He knew Who his Rock was – he knew Who watched over him, protected him and provided for him on a daily basis.

For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.  1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 NIV

We need to encourage each other and ourselves in the Lord. We need to remind each other that, as we honor Him, God is on our side. We need to tell our soul – our mind, will and emotions – how they feel and not allow them to dictate how we feel. We need to control our feelings and not let them control us. Your feelings are inconsistent and unreliable - they change with the weather; they get offended; they don’t naturally display the fruit of the Spirit. Your Spirit needs to take control over your flesh and your feelings and tell them what to do and feel. Tell yourself to be joyful and cheerful. Tell yourself to rejoice. Begin to praise the Lord and your feelings will come into line.

Even if you feel bad, if you make your face smile, you will already feel better. Doctors say that smiling and laughing causes a chemical reaction in your body that makes you feel much better than you did before. But God already knew that a long time ago. He knows that as we praise Him and as we rejoice, we will begin to throw off our mourning clothes and put on robes of rejoicing.

As you praise your feelings feel better. You were created to praise God and that is why you feel so good when you do it. God inhabits the praises of His people. When you praise, He shows up and when He shows up, the devil departs in a hurry. He cannot hang around in the presence of God - he cannot function in an atmosphere of praise.

Why do you think that he tries so hard to prevent you from praising God?

He tries to convince you that you can’t do anything unless you “feel” like it. He tries to make you feel shy and embarrassed about praising God. But when you get a revelation of how much God loves you and that He is on your side – even when your circumstances are really, really bad – you can begin to praise Him and see His hand move on your behalf to change your situation. Don’t wait to feel good before you choose to praise God. Tell your feelings what they should feel, begin to praise God, and then see His mighty works in your life!

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?

2 You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.

3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?  

6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 

7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.

10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.  James 4:1-10

If you want God’s grace in your life, then you owe it to yourself to lay down your pride and humble yourself under the mighty hand of God. Pride prevents the blessings of God in your life, but humility welcomes and makes way for them.

Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?  James 4:11-12

When you slander or criticize your fellow Christians, you are setting yourself up as a judge. The problem is that there is only one Lawgiver and Judge. If you realized that when you judge another you are trying to take a place and a position that belongs only to the Lord, then you might be quicker to put a guard on your lips. This judgmental attitude—setting yourself up as better than another—stems from your pride. Your pride will always get you into trouble!

John 3:17 AMP says that, “God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.”  If Jesus does not even judge you, then you certainly have no right to judge each other. Remember—you might have a reason to judge others, but you still do not have a right.

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.  James 4:13-16

As many of you may already have found out, you cannot say, “I will do this” or “I won’t do that” to the Lord. Just when you make up your mind, He changes your direction. You must lay down the pride that causes you to try to do things on your own—trusting in your own judgment, intelligence and wisdom—and yield to His superior wisdom and understanding. When you humble yourself to daily receive direction and wisdom from the Lord, then you will prosper in everything that you do.

Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.  James 4:17

You are accountable for what you know. If you know what is the right thing to do—then do it. Otherwise it will be counted as a sin to you. Make sure that you are a doer of the Word and not merely a hearer. Humble your heart to receive both correction and direction from the Lord and He will prosper your way.

Dr. Rodney Howard Browne is leading a group through the Sea of Galilee and Holy Land this month. The Sea of Galilee lies on the ancient Via Maris. The Greeks, Hasmoneans, and Romans founded flourishing towns and settlements on the lake. The Flavius Josephus wrote, “One may call this place the ambition of Nature.” It is a thriving fishing industry at this time, with 230 boats regularly working in the lake.

Much of the ministry of Jesus occurred on the shores of Lake Galilee. The gospels of Mark (1:14-20), Matthew (4:18-22), and Luke (5:1-11) describe how Jesus recruited four of his apostles from the shores of Lake Galilee: the fishermen Simon and his brother Andrew and the brothers John and James. One of Jesus’ teaching, the Sermon on the Mount, was given on a hill overlooking the lake while many of his miracles were recorded.

When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son.

2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, show yourself a man,

3 and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go,

4 and that the LORD may keep his promise to me: `If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’  1 Kings 2:1-4 NIV

David was a great king because he was a humble man, righteous and upright. Because he honored God all the days of his life, God placed him on the throne and kept him on the throne, promising him that his descendants would always sit on the throne as long as they honored Him. God’s promise to David was so powerful that even though David’s descendants were disobedient and lost control of Israel, God still kept them on the throne of Judah.

David was a wise man because he was submitted God and to His commandments. He accepted the will of God for his life and even when he sinned, he bore the consequences of his sin humbly and did not try to justify himself or blame God in any way for his own mistakes. He tried to teach Solomon what to do to prosper and to remain on the throne as God had promised to David’s seed. David realized that access to the throne was a privilege and not a right.

At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”

6 Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.

7 “Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties.

8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number.

9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.

11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice,

12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.

13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for-both riches and honor-so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.

4 And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.”  1 Kings 3:5-14 NIV

In verse 9 in the Amplified Bible, it says that when God asked Solomon what He could give him, Solomon asked God for an understanding mind and a hearing heart that he might discern between good and bad in order to justly judge God’s people. He recognized that the people were God’s people and not his.

He also acknowledged that he needed God’s help. Because he did not ask for long life or for riches or for the lives of his enemies, but for understanding to recognize what is just and right, God gave him a wise and discerning heart, riches and honor and – as a condition: if he would walk in God’s ways keeping and obeying His statutes and commands as David his father did – God promised to lengthen his days as well.

My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, 2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.  Proverbs 3:1-2 NIV

If you want to live a long time and prosper then be wise - do not forget the word of God and make sure that you keep His commands in your heart.

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

The Amplified version says, “28 Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls.

30 For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good – not harsh, hard, sharp or pressing, but comfortable gracious and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne.”  

Jesus gives an invitation to everyone of us who are weary, fatigued, heavy-laden and overburdened - because we have been working hard, toiling, and laboring in our own strength - to come to Him. He offers help and a solution. He was not talking only to us about physical labor alone, but also about mental, emotional and spiritual labor.

There are some burdens that we were not designed to bear. We were not designed to bear the burden of sin and everything else that hell has to offer. We were designed, by the Father, to live in His presence and to draw our life from Him and to be sustained by Him, not to be lone rangers – struggling and limping along under the weight of our heavy burdens.

There is no help, no salvation, no relief from our burdens in anything that is in our wisdom, strength or ability – nothing we can do ourselves can come close to what the Father does for us if we will humble ourselves to receive from His hand all that He has already provided for us.

The term heavy-laden means to be loaded up like a pack animal, or in a figurative sense, to be overburdened with ceremony or spiritual anxiety. That is what religion does. It loads you up with burdens, and yet offers no solutions, no way out and no relief. No wonder religion makes some people miserable and grumpy and others just run away.

Unfortunately, they run away from God as well. The meaning of religion, in the dictionary, has to do with a belief in and a commitment to something or someone. It also means that a person is bound to the something or someone. Now commitment to God and being bound to Him is not a bad thing, but the problem is that most people are bound to a set of rules and regulations, most of which were instituted by man, not God!

God is not religious! Yes, you read it right! He hates religion with a passion. Jesus, Who speaks for the Father, tells us what He thought of religion and tradition.

In Matthew 15:1-9, the Pharisees asked Jesus why His disciples broke the tradition of the elders by not ceremonially washing their hands before they eat! But Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for breaking the command of God for the sake of their tradition and called them hypocrites because they honored God with their lips, but their hearts are far from Him. He told them that they worshipped God in vain because their teachings were nothing more than rules taught by men.

If we want the blessing of God on our lives, we must be bound by and to the commands of God, but not the traditions that are set in place by man. Your prayer should be, “Father, burn every bit of religion and tradition out of me. Let me be filled with love and devotion to You and to Your Word alone.” Those who do not practice what they preach and who put unfair religious burdens on others – burdens that they themselves are unwilling to bear - anger the Lord (Matthew 23:1-4).

We should not lay any burden on someone other that what God requires and what we ourselves are willing to do.

The yoke is a wooden frame or bar with loops or bows at either end, fitted around the necks of a pair of oxen, etc. for harnessing them together. It represents a coupling – something that binds, unites, or connects, such as the marriage relationship. People use the term “the yoke of matrimony.” Figuratively, it has to do with servitude - a law or an obligation.

We are yoked to the Lord, but it is neither a hard or unpleasant yoke. A burden is, literally, freight or, figuratively, a task or service. It should not be difficult for us to serve God – if we do it right! It should be a joy and a pleasure. If you are serving God and you are not having the time of your life, then you better check out what you are doing and believing, because according to Jesus, our yoke should be easy and our burden should be light! Cast your cares on Him today. Stop trying to work for your salvation and stop trying to please God in your own strength or ability. Stop! And receive His grace and His mercy, which will refresh your souls!

1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Thank you, Father, that you are the LORD, who heals me, you are my life-giver and you bring me health.  Exodus 15:26b

You will take sickness away from the midst of us. The number of our days you will fulfill.   Exodus 23:25-26

Father, I choose life that both my seed and I may live. You are my life, and the length of my days.  Deuteronomy 30:19-20

I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.  Psalms 42:11

Father, I will set my love upon You, therefore will You deliver me: You will set me on high, because I have known Your name. I shall call upon You, and You will answer me: You will be with me in trouble; You will deliver me, and honor me. With long life will You satisfy me, and show me Your salvation.  Psalms 91:14-16

I am planted in the house of the LORD. I shall flourish in the courts of my God. I shall still bring forth fruit in old age; I shall be fat and flourishing.  Psalms 92:13-14

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all my iniquities; who heals all my diseases; who redeems my life from destruction; who crowns me with loving kindness and tender mercies; who satisfies my mouth with good things; so that my youth is renewed like the eagle’s.  Psalms 103:2-5

I will cry unto You LORD in my trouble, and You will save me out of my distresses. You sent Your word, and healed me, and delivered me from my destructions.  Psalms 107:19-20

I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.  Psalms 118:17

Thank you Father that Your words are life unto me, and health to all my flesh.  Proverbs 4:22

As I wait upon the LORD I will renew my strength; I will mount up with wings as eagles; I will run, and not be weary; and I will walk, and not faint.  Isaiah 40:31

Surely You have borne my griefs, and carried my sorrows. You were wounded for my transgressions, You were bruised for my iniquities: the chastisement of my peace was upon You; and with Your stripes I am healed.  Isaiah 53:4-5

Father, Your word says that You will restore health unto me, and You will heal me of my wounds.  Jeremiah 30:17

Thank you Father that you will hasten my recovery and my cure.  Jeremiah 33:6

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.  Romans 8:2

If the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in me, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken my mortal body by His Spirit that dwells in me.  Romans 8:11

Christ has redeemed me from the curse of the law, being made a curse for me: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree.  Galatians 3:13

Jesus Himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes we are healed.  1 Peter 2:24

Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.  Genesis 2:15 NKJV

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.  Genesis 2:15 NIV

God expects us to work. He gives us talents and abilities and He requires that we work and use them. Work was not a curse of the fall. Even Adam worked in the Garden of Eden.  Adam had to tend and keep the Garden—to work it and take care of it. In the Garden, his work was fruitful and productive.

To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, `You must not eat of it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”  Genesis 3:17-19 NIV

After the fall, the curse was that his work would be fruitless and frustrated. It would require much hard effort and yield negative results—thorns and thistles.

The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.  Deuteronomy 28:12 NIV

Then the LORD your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The LORD will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your fathers, if you obey the LORD your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the LORD your

God with all your heart and with all your soul.  Deuteronomy 30:9-10 NIV

The blood of Jesus has redeemed us. If we will do things God’s way He will bless the work of our hands and make us exceedingly fruitful and prosperous. Whether we work in the ministry or in a secular occupation, providing for our families and supporting the ministry, God wants us to work and work wisely and well. Then He can bless us. If you do no work—God has nothing to bless! Some people think that being in the ministry and living by faith means sitting at home doing nothing. On the contrary, ministry is work and lots of it, but it sure is a joy and a blessing!

One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.  Proverbs 18:9 NIV

If you are a sloppy worker, you are about as much good as a vandal. If you do not do a good job—the best you can do—then you are cheating your boss, cheating your customers and cheating yourself. An unfaithful person cannot be relied upon. Your work should be excellent in quality and quantity. As the saying goes, “God will bless the work of your hands, but He cannot bless the seat of your pants!”

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.  Ecclesiastes 9:10 NIV

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.  Colossians 3:23-24 NIV

Whatever you do—do it to the best of your ability. God does not expect you to do what you cannot do, but He does expect you to do what you can do. Your very best might not be the same as someone else’s best, but that is all that God asks for—your very best. God won’t even be mad at you if you fail at something, as long as you are trying as hard as you can and really doing everything you can.

Even if your paycheck comes from man at the end of the month, you should work as if God is your boss. You should work as if your reward comes from God, not man, because ultimately it does.

Rodney Howard Browne will be at Skyway Church of the West Valley in Goodyear Arizona on Saturday October 11, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. through Monday October 13, 2008. Saints across America are invited to attend this 3 day event.

Join us for

20 days of Power Evangelism at 5 different locations across the city!

All classes will be conducted in English and Spanish

Skyway Church of the West Valley
14900 West Van Buren Street
Goodyear, AZ 85338
623-935-4858

Fountain of Life Christian Fellowship

6052 E Baseline Rd; Suite 137
Mesa, AZ 85206-4803 Phone: 480 219 9443

Church for The Nations

11640 N. 19th Ave.
Phoenix, Arizona 85260
602-861-0000

Community Church of Joy

21000 N. 75th Ave.
Glendale, AZ 85308
623-561-0500

Love International Ministries

5201 N. 27th Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85017
602-242-8644

HOTELS:

Best Western Phoenix Goodyear
55 North Litchfield Road
Goodyear, AZ 85338
(623) 932-3210
Distance from venue: 1.5 miles
Double Bed: $89

Hampton Inn & Suites Phoenix-Goodyear
2000 N. Litchfield Road
Goodyear, AZ 85338
(623) 536-1313
Distance from venue: 2.0 miles
Double Bed: $140

Holiday Inn
1188 North Dysart Road
Litchfield Park, AZ 85340
(623) 547-1313
Distance from venue: 2.7 miles
Double Bed: $140

Hilton Garden Inn
114600 W Hilton Way
Avondale, AZ 85323
(623) 882-3351
Distance from venue: 4.8 miles
Double Bed: $189

Courtyard-Phoenix W Avondale
1650 N 95th Lane
Phoenix, AZ 85037
(623) 271-7660
Distance from venue: 8.8 miles
Double Bed: $159

ATTENTION PASTORS!
JOIN US AT THE LOCATIONS BELOW
FOR SPECIAL PASTORS’ & LEADERS’ MEETINGS
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH @ 10 AM
Skyway Church of the West Valley
14900 West Van Buren Street
Goodyear, Arizona 85338
(623) 935-4858

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30TH @ 10 AM
Fountain of Life Christian Fellowship
6052 E Baseline Rd; Suite 137
Mesa, AZ 85206-4803
(480) 219-9443

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1ST @ 10 AM (Translation Available)
Love International Ministries
5201 N. 27th Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona 85017
(602) 242-8644

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2ND @ 10 AM
Church for The Nations
11640 N. 19th Ave.
Phoenix, Arizona 85029
(602) 861-0000

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2ND @ 10 AM
Community Church of Joy

21000 N. 75th Ave.
Glendale, Arizona 85308
(623) 561-0500

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11TH @ 1 PM
WITH DR. RODNEY HOWARD-BROWNE
Desert Rose Community Church
4445 W. Olive Ave.
Glendale, AZ 85302
(602) 993-5353