Dear Friends,            

I pray this letter finds you in good health and increasing in all you do. That we continue to increase in seeing those around us and believing God for the provision and ability to help others.            

 I am so grateful for all that the Lord has provided for us. Not only this, but He has given us an avenue to access all of these things He has provided, including His power. The power of heaven is available for all that we need in life. As much as we look for things to add to our life, there are things that need to be changed in our life as well. One of the areas we need the power of God for is our past. Although we cannot change the things that have happened in our past, we can be free from the effects of them and free from repeating them again.           

If we do not defeat the effects of our past in our lives, then we are destined to repeat the past, bringing it again into our present to determine our future. We must develop in a new level of thoughts, take on new hopes, and put a good confession of the Word of God in our mouth.            

In Exodus 17:1-3 we find the children of Israel, who had been delivered from Egypt by the mighty hand of God, murmuring about their needs not being met. (They were out of Egypt, but Egypt was not out of them). They were facing a problem and forgot about the God of their deliverance, and the first thing they did, was lean to their past. They wanted to run back to where God had delivered them out of. In verses 4-6 we see the Lord giving direction.

“So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “What shall I do to this people? A little more and they will stone me.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile and go. “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel”             

When Moses obeyed, the power of God went into operation to provide the need of water. In the presence of a problem is the power of God to provide. The power of God is available to defeat problems. Had the children of Israel leaned to Egypt, their past, and turned to go there, the power of God, which was present with them, could not have moved on their behalf. They never would have accessed it. The children of Israel could not change their past, but if they kept thinking according to the past, they would have returned there, living in the same conditions they were always crying out to be delivered from.                                                                                 

In 1 Corinthians 10:1-4, we are told the rock was Christ. As Moses was to smite the rock for provision, so Christ was smitten for us that our provisions be released. We don’t have to lean to the past. Jesus is present with us, and all provisions have been released for us. In the presence of problems, we do not have to push the panic button. We do not have to despise problems or despair in them. The anointing of God, the power of God, is readily available in the midst of all of the problems we ever face. 

 In Numbers 13 Moses sent spies into the promised land to spy it out. They came back with a report of the goodness of the land, but also of the giants in the land. Ten of the spies convinced the people that they could never defeat the inhabitants of the land and that they would all die, along with their families. So, in chapter 14, verses 1-4, we see the children of Israel wanting to return to their past, looking for answers. 

“Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! “Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” So they said to one another, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.”

There were no answers waiting for them in Egypt. Only more problems. And they would have been worse than ever. The answer was the power of God in their midst to perform what He had said, “I am giving you this land.” That could have never happened in their past. It could never happen by leaning to their past. It was only the anointing of God, His power, that could have performed it in the present.             

In the book of Joshua chapter 5, the next generation of the children have again come to the edge of the promised land. According to the leading of the Lord, they again cut covenant with God. They circumcised themselves again and considered themselves to be separate from the world and separated to the purposes of God. After doing this God moved on their behalf.            

Joshua 5:8-9 “Now when they had finished circumcising all the nation, they remained in their places in the camp until they were healed. Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day.”

After they entered again into covenant with God, the reproach of the past was removed. No longer a slave of the past. No longer being held captive by past experiences. No longer looking to the past for their answers.             

Now it is time to move forward with the Lord into the land of promise. It is time to start taking hold of all the provisions of the promised land that we live in. Do we need to renew our covenant again with God? Do we need to purposely separate ourselves to the purposes of God? If so, then go ahead and pray to the Lord right now.             

“Lord, forgive me for not putting you first place in my life. I know you are my redeemer and Savior. I give myself to You today, separate myself to You and for You. Holy Spirit, help me, strengthen me in my inner man. Lord, I will take hold of Your Word in order to come to a new level of thinking, taking on Your thoughts. I thank You Lord that You are all I need. You are my provision. You are all I need to change. You are all I need to increase. Thank You Lord, that You are my freedom from the past, and the roadway to the future.”            

Today is the day of decision to go on and increase in the Kingdom, knowledge, authority, and blessings of the Lord.     

                                                                                          
Pastor Bob