OBEDIENCE IN CHRIST

Our faith is a gift from God, as is His grace. When we draw on our faith to give us strength to obey God at times when His will and ours cross, we will find ourselves plunged deep into the supernatural power and blessings of God. Oh what a magnificant journey! Our needs, our hurts, our wants do not cause God to act in our lives. He has already acted through the perfect and fin

ished work of Christ's life, death, burial, resurrection, and enthronement. It is finished...now we just use our faith to obey and cooperate with God, and obtain those things already provided by His grace! He has already provided all things pertaining to life and godliness...forgiveness, healing, eternal life, deliverance, power, and prosperity to further His kingdom and establish His covenant in the earth...believe it, receive it, speak it, live it, shout it from the roof tops....victory is ours...Hallelujah!
~ Blessings, Will Brocker

"The man that believes will obey; failure to obey is convincing proof that there is no true faith present. To attempt the impossible God must give faith or there will be none, and He gives faith to the obedient heart only." ~ A. W. Tozer

[The natural life] knows that if the spiritual life gets hold of it, all its self-centeredness and self-will are going to be killed and it is ready to fight tooth and nail to avoid that. ~
(Clive Staples) C. S. Lewis

I know the power obedience has of making things easy which seem impossible. ~ Teresa of Avila

(Jesus said) "Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.” ~ John 14:21

Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them." ~ John 14:23 NLT

"When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love." ~ John 15:10 NLT

"And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments." ~ 1 John 2:3

"Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome." ~ 1 John 5:3

"Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning." ~ 2 John 1:6

"I suspect you would never intend this, but this is what happens. When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace. Meanwhile we expectantly wait for a satisfying relationship with the Spirit. For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love." ~ Galatians 5:4-6 MSG

THE HEART OF THE MATTER (for the grieving)

Remember God loves you. He does not bring sickness, nor does He kill children. Religion, many times, has missed the mark regarding God's true nature. We live in a fallen world that is temporarily under the rule of a fallen angel and those with him. We as Christians are in a war while we are here on earth, battling the invisible forces of evil in the heavenly realms. The weapons of our warfare are opposite of what the world teaches. We love, bless, pray, and trust in an awesome God who has made a way for us back to him by sacrificing His own Son in our place.

 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."  2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Purpose -  to find peace and perspective in the midst of painful and sometimes confusing times.

My calling and my heart for God's people is to help them come out of religious traditions & into real relationship with an awesome Lord who loves them - no better way to get perspective than to hear God's own words regarding death, life, hope, suffering, faith,and peace. Here is a tapestry of scripture, in common language, that I feel captures the essence of God's heart, truth, plans and provision regarding these things. 

Some of Jesus' words from the night of His betrayal:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am ~ John 14:1-3

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27 NKJV

"Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am...!" John 17:24

Paul's Words:

"Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ......... No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow -- not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below -- indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord" Romans 8:35 - 39

"No eye has seen no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him." 1 Corinthians 2:9b

"And God will raise us from the dead by his power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead." 1 Corinthians 6:14

"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort." 2 Corinthians 1:3

"For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands" 2 Corinthians 5:1

"For we will put on heavenly bodies, we will not be spirits without bodies." 2 Corinthians 5:3

"We would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord" 2 Corinthians 5:8b

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6 - 7

Here is what the Word of Says Regarding Believers Who Have Died:

and now 

 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death,so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words. ~ 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Peter's Conclusion to the sufferings of the living:

"So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold -- though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world." 1 Peter 1:6 - 7

"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." Hebrews 11:1

And Finally:

 When we are suffering,

During the worst days following a death, (if we allow Him) God surrounds us with others who have gone through what we are going through. We should take full advantage of this, as our Christian brothers and sisters are compelled in their hearts and conscience to be of comfort to those who are suffering, just as they have found comfort in their past experiences through God's word, and the compassion of His other children toward them.

So here is my charge to you, in the name of the Lord:

today - honor your loved one by acknowledging his passing, or better said, his home going. Then celebrate his life, and don't call him dead, because he surely is not. Tell fun stories, eat his favorite foods, find comfort in each other and in God's promises...then, at the end of the day, when it gets quiet and you sense the Lord's presence...take time to make a commitment to the Lord, and to your loved one to meet them in heaven. And you can have confidence that the Lord, who is faithful, willing, and able to make this happen, will stand good on His promises, if you will humble yourself, acknowledge your need for a savior, and put your trust in Him and His finished work on the cross on your behalf.

God Bless you...in Jesus' name.

Thanks & Be Blessed, 

Will Brocker281-216-8960
Grace & Truth Ministries
http://www.facebook.com/GraceTruthMinistries

http://intorelationship.com

A Prayer of Trust

Father thank you for this day. I have been sitting before you. I have been building myself up in my most holy faith. You have been speaking to me through your Word and strengthening the faith you have given me. I get so excited in your presence that it is hard for me to be still and quiet. Why are you so mindful of me my Lord? How can you love me so much? Yet, you assure me that you do and it gives me strength. I am so excited to see your supernatural intervention in my life again today. Thank you for showing me that you are the blessing, yes you and not the things you have made. Oh I love you Lord, because I am convinced of your love for me, and the hope I have of eternal life with you overwhelms me. Today Lord protect me from the enemy of my soul. Help me not to allow him access into my life by the things I do, or say, or set before me. Thank you for the angels that you have assigned to watch over me. I trust you Lord.

Grace By Number

I am so thankful that God speaks to all of His children. He speaks to me sometimes through numbers. What I mean is He uses numbers to convey His meaning, or even to encourage, or direct me. A great blessing He has given me in the way of numbers is a revelation of the number five.  Every number in the bible has a meaning, significance, and great importance. Nothing is in God's word by mistake. He is a God of order and no human being, or super-computer can hold a candle to His brilliance. The number "five" stands for "grace"; that by which we are saved through faith. Here is a brief explanation of the grace of five.

In the beginning was God, and God is a triune being...Father (God), Son (Jesus/God), and Holy Ghost (or Holy Spirit/God). So, in the beginning was our triune God...1, 2, 3 of them, completely individual, yet completely one. He/They- is/are- awesome! So while one stands for unity, two stands for division or simply implies that there is another. Then three is the basis of the two coming together, and again forming the unified "one" out of two. Three is divine perfection, and the three (the Holy Spirit) is third because He joins the two together to make them one again, thus joining the parts, as a part, and becoming a part of the one. Sometimes, when teaching this, I've drawn the Godhead as a triangle with the numbers 1, 2, 3 at the points. However, it would be more accurate (as if words or drawings could ever do the Lord any justice) to simply draw a circle, symbolizing the never ending oneness of our God.

Next we see something truly amazing. They (God) created. Yes in God's revelation/revealing of himself to man (the Bible), He begins by creating ("in the beginning God created" Genesis 1), thus adding everything created as His means of revealing Himself to created beings. Amazing, huh? He, who is unseen, or spiritual, revealed himself to us (natural, carnal, created beings which are created by Him) through things which can be seen, His creation. Thus adding one to the three, making four - the number of creation.

"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they [men] are without excuse" Romans 1:20     

                  

 The number four always speaks of creation. But we know that corruption entered into creation through pride, or sin. There was nothing we could do to redeem ourselves. So God sent His son, Jesus Christ, as our kinsman redeemer to reconcile us back to him. Redeeming us from vanity - having been subjected to it through the corruption that entered into the world.

This redemption has come, not as a reward for anything we could ever have done to deserve it, but by a redeemer. Jesus Christ is that redeemer, messiah, anointed one through who grace and truth have come. He loved us even in our weak and helpless state, while we were yet sinners. So we give this redemption, this amazing grace, the number five.

Here are a few of the definitions given for grace by the Free Online Dictionary:
grace  n.

a. A disposition to be generous or helpful; goodwill.

b. Mercy; clemency.

5. A favor rendered by one who need not do so; indulgence.

a. Divine love and protection bestowed freely on people.

b. The state of being protected or sanctified by the favor of God.

c. An excellence or power granted by God.

I simply say it is the unearned, unmerited, and undeserved blessing and favor of God.

Every time something in scripture is connected to the five, there will be a reference, or a type, of a model of God's grace. Here are a few examples.

-Father, Son, Spirit, Creation, Redemption = 5 great mysteries

-God added the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the h(hey) the symbol for the #5 to the names of Abram and Sarai, making them Abraham and Sarah when they were called to walk before God in a special way. It was then that God revealed Himself for the first time By El Shaddai, the "all bountiful one", able to provide all their needs, solely for his own purposes and not because it was deserved.

-The fifth book of the Bible, Deuteronomy, points to the grace of God. He makes sure to let us know that it is not as a result of our (the people's) goodness that He chose us and blesses us, but for His own name's sake...For Jesus.

-The life of Benjamin, who is a representative (type) of you, and me (the church), is marked by grace. The first time Joseph (a type of Jesus) saw him, he said "God be gracious to you, my son." Gen 43:29. Later when all the brothers ate with Joseph~ Benjamin's serving was five times as much as the others. Then again later, Benjamin was given five changes of clothes. God makes no mistake in His word. These indications of five/grace in the life of Benjamin are a message to you and me.

- When David slew Goliath he chose five smooth stones, and took him down with one.

- When Jesus was approached by His Goliath (Satan) in the wilderness, He also had five smooth stones; Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. But He only used one, the fifth one, the book of Deuteronomy in every response to the Devil. Satan was easily defeated.

-The Children of Israel made five main offerings, all pointing to the one offering made by Jesus.

-Jesus took five loaves and fed five-thousand

-The fifth Psalm tells us how God surrounds us with His favor (grace) as a shield.

-The fifth book of the New Testament, Acts, tells of the amazing Acts of the Apostles who had recently scattered and even denied the Lord when trouble came. But now, under the influence of God's amazing grace and the power of the Holy Spirit they turn the world upside down.

I hope you will begin to research the fives of the Bible. You will be amazed that when you find a connection to the number five there will somehow always be a link to God's grace. I pray that it strengthens your faith as you see more and more that no human being could have linked so many references to this beautiful gift of God. Our Bible is truly God's love letter to His children.

I am especially thankful that God marked this disciples life with so many fives; born on the fifth day, of the fifth month, of the sixty-fifth year, the youngest of five children. I think He knew it would take that many for me to actually believe He could actually forgive, and love someone like me. But He did, and He does. Now I am His! That should give everyone hope.

"For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." John 1:17

Godly Motives Are Birthed By The Good News

Our motives are more important to God than our actions/deeds.

"For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”~1 Samuel 16:7

We can take an inventory of motives that compel us to do things. If we are honest, many are derived of the things that we want. We may want to be famous, known, or accepted by men. We may crave power, money, sex, or just attention. Instead of trying to earn man's approval some do things to try and earn God's approval by their own goodness, holiness, deeds, self-effort...works. Still others are driven by bitterness, hatred, unforgiveness, or revenge. All of these are ungodly motives; in other words they are carnal, or of the flesh.

{def. Carnal -1."pertaining to or characterized by the flesh or the body, its passions and appetites; sensual: carnal pleasures.2.not spiritual; merely human; temporal; worldly: a man of secular, rather carnal, leanings.} 

"For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace" Romans 8:6.

And while men rate these things in different ways, some being worse than others, and actually some being accepted and even expected in the society we live in and around the world... God sees them all as sin, and they all link back to the Garden of Eden. That's right, nothing new, they all fall into three categories; lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. It is the same stuff that caused Adam & Eve to fall, nothing new under the sun.

Want to know something else? All people know they are sinners. I know it is true because the Holy Spirit told Paul to write it down in the book of Romans. I will agree that some have not admitted it yet, maybe even to themselves, but their conscience tells them that there is a God and that they are not Him (read the first two chapters of the book of Romans). You don't have to tell people they are sinners, as a matter of fact, most of them will readily admit it, albeit this is usually where the sin of comparison comes in. They start trying to justify themselves by comparing themselves to other people who they deem to be worse sinners than themselves. God doesn’t see it that way.

“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” James 2:10

"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23. 

The point I want to make is that the knowledge of the fact that they are sinners does not surprise anyone. And condemning them and giving them a list of regulations, dos and don't s and putting them on a path to God that is shaped from the arrogance of men and is performance based, will not help them anymore than it did for the 1500 yrs. the Old Covenant of the Law was in effect.

What people need is the Gospel of Jesus Christ; the Good News. Actually, if you had a literal translation it would say the "almost too good to be true news", “great news”, the “you are not going to believe this but its true news”. People are not fixed by being told how broken they are. Sure in some cases, when people are in extreme pride & arrogance, the law can be useful to beat them with, as a club, until they admit what they really already know. But then, what they desperately need is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

"For I am not ashamed of the Gospel (good news) of Christ, for it is God’s power working unto salvation [for deliverance from eternal death] to everyone who believes with a personal trust and a confident surrender and firm reliance. Romans 1:16 amplified 

They need to know that there is a savior that loves them, that died for them, and that lives today and is waiting with open arms to receive them into the family of God. He is the one who will free them from this bondage to the sin that destroys lives. He is the only one who can change their selfish motives into selfless ones. Like Jesus' own motive, theirs can be one of love. Instead of doing things to try and earn God's approval, they can come to a place where their good deeds are done as a loving response to the good He has done on their behalf, and not as a means to earn it or deserve it.

THE CURE FOR WHAT ILLS YOU

These are portions of a letter I sent to a loved one who had been given a couple of bad reports from the Doctor. I am inclined to share it with everyone. It is the truth we know and rely upon that sets us free. Be blessed.
 ------------------------------------------------
Here is a little bit of wisdom for you from the Word of God. He wants you healed, and He provided that healing for you 2000 years ago on the cross. So the healing has already been provided by grace, what you need now is faith to receive it. The Bible says:

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6.

The good news is the faith He is looking for is not something you have to conjure up, it is a gift from God.

“…as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Romans 12:3

 So you don't need more faith, you need less unbelief. People make the gospel too hard. It is really simple:

The world is fallen and so is everybody in it that doesn't know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. It's not a matter of being good or bad, everyone born since Adam has been born into sin. It's in the seed we inherited. Jesus came down in the form of a man, born of a woman so he could be like us and legally be our kinsman redeemer. But he was not born of Adam's seed; He is the Son of God. He lived a sinless life, took our place on the cross bearing our sins, rejection, illnesses, disease, poverty, and much more. He laid down his life, was buried, and on the third day was resurrected from the dead and lives today where he sits at the right hand of the Father in Heaven as our High Priest forever, making intercession for us. Now by simply believing on Him and asking Him to be Lord of our life, God imputes His righteousness unto us. Even the faith required to do this is a free gift from Him. See how much He loves you. He requires all the glory, so He does all the work. That way it excludes boasting on our part. No one is ever going to get to heaven and say it was by their own doing.

So now I want you to consider a few things.

1. Is Jesus the Lord of your life? If not, nothing else matters. No one gets to the Father without going through Him. So if He isn't... stop and ask Him to be right now... if you really want Him.

2. The Word, or the Bible, is real and it's alive. It is important to ask God to give you revelation of this fact in a way you can understand. The Bible is the way God chose to reveal Himself to His children, and we use it to renew our minds to think and love like Him. Without letting the Bible, quickened by the Holy Spirit, be our guide for life, we can never mature as Christians.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

“He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” Psalm 107:20

3. This is a big one, but the most liberating yet. Fear is not of God. If you have been fearful, don’t let this condemn you. Whenever the word corrects you, see it as an opportunity to get in agreement with God and slam the door on the devil.

"For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7

Try reading the Gospel of John, Chapter 15, and receive the Peace that Jesus gives as a gift. Just believe... like a little child.

The fear of man can stop physical healings from occurring in your body. Look at the blind man in Mark Ch.10. He cried out, "Jesus, Thou son of David, have mercy on me." The crowd around him told him to hold his peace (Mark 10:48), but he refused to fear the opposition of men around him and he received his miracle.

Don't let fear, or the opposition of man, stop you from receiving from God today. Come into His presence. Reach out toward Jesus. Ask Him to dispel every ounce of fear within you. Begin to thank Him for paying the price, making you an over-comer, and interceding for you before the Father. Jesus is alive. He longs for an intimate personal relationship with you.

4. He has a steady supply of grace (unmerited, unearned favor and blessing) for every area and need of your life; spiritual and natural. The grace of God has appeared to all men, but not all are saved, healed, prosperous, etc. Why? It is because we are saved by grace through faith. Grace is everything he has provided for us through Jesus. In Christ we have been given all things pertaining to life and godliness. So if this is true, and it is, then it is up to us to reach out by faith and acquire those things which have been provided by grace. 

 We do not live by sight, but by faith. He is the Alpha and Omega, which means He has the first and last word in everything concerning us. If a doctor report says you have an illness or disease, they are merely reporting what they can see with their natural eye, according to the training they have been given. We are thankful for them and many times they tell us the name of what to pray for.  Everything that has a name has to bow to the name of Jesus...everything. So if it is cancer, it must flee when commanded in the name of Jesus. If it is addiction, it also must go. Yes, kidney stones and heart disease as well. Do not go by your feelings or what you see. Just start saying what the word says about you, proclaiming the promises of God over your life and wait for the manifestation of your freedom to appear. Don't worry about being a man or woman of strong faith in an instant. The bible says "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God", so get into the Word.

5. Our words are powerful. God formed the heavens and the earth by speaking words, and He formed us in His image. Don't sabotage your life by your words. Speak life into every situation in agreement with the word of God. Choose faith and life, over fear and death.

Here are a few scriptures for you to meditate on for now. Say them out loud and personalize them with your name or the names of others, even under your breath is fine. Just give Jesus a chance, and see what happens. If it seems awkward, that's just the enemy trying to keep you from the Lord. He is faithful to try and do that, but he has no power over you...just resist him and he will flee from you.

 The bible says that the gospel is foolishness to them that are perishing. Don't be moved by unbelief. Trust God... If you seek Him with your whole heart, you will find Him.

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"Jesus was made in the likeness of men" Phil 2:7
"He took our infirmities, and bore our sickness" Matthew 8:18
"and with his stripes we are healed" Isaiah 53:5

Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits…
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases. Psalm 103:2-3

"I will restore you to health and heal your wounds", declares the Lord....Jeremiah 30:17

"I know the plans I have for you, " declares the Lord,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

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Life Is Precious

Precious Friends,

I just came from the funeral of a friend, Officer Kevin Will (HPD) 37. He used to come to the church, and I remember how I thought it was crazy when he decided to leave the banking industry, take a cut in pay, and be a Houston Police Officer a couple yrs. ago. I believed he would be a good preacher, though I never had the opportunity to tell him. During his training his parents, especially his dad, would come to my house a couple times a week. His Dad never stopped talking about Kevin, they are best friends. From the time I met Kevin, and his brother Todd, the Lord put a burden on me to pray for them. I remember joking with Kevin about getting him and his brother both to church on the same day, and how I always asked about them and would tell Donna, their Mother, that God had a plan for them. I just came from the funeral, and I don't think Kevin made a bad choice anymore. Our Lord Jesus Christ was honored by Kevin's life, and today I watched as through the story of his life and faith, Kevin indeed preached the message of the gospel... posthumously, to thousands. He served God, by serving His people. He loved people, and made them laugh. And as his mother said, "He Finished Strong". Please pray for Kevin's family. His wife is gonna have a Kevin Will, Jr. pretty soon.

Life is precious, and short. Love God. Love People. Tell everyone about Jesus.