Elah Assembly

𝗜𝗚𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗘 - 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗧. 𝗦. 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲

𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘴 2:2-4
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 4 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴[𝘢] 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.

Pentecostal fire is our branding. God is refining the church for a divine season. There are many examples in Scripture that illustrate the power and purpose of fire.

𝗣𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲 - the Israelites were guided by the pillar of fire (Exodus 13:21)
𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗵 - Moses is out in the wilderness when he sees a bush on fire that doesn't burn up. (Exodus 3:2).

The fire of God which came down on the day of Pentecost opened the way for the Church. It helps us in 4 distinct ways:

• 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: it gives us access to those things that were once hidden and far from reach. We have access into the deeper things of God. We have access into His presence
• 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗲: it helps us to analyse our situation so that we are able to overcome those things that hold us back. We are destined for great things.
• 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲: when the fire of the Holy Spirit comes over our life we will articulate the word of God with power and authority.
• 𝗔𝗰𝘁: through the fire of the Holy Spirit, God will act on your behalf like He did in the book of Acts.

God is building a hedge of fire around you. God has placed a boundary life around your life. The enemy will not cross the boundary of fire that surrounds you.

Allow God to ignite His fire in your heart so that you will have a burning desire for more of Him.

Have a blessed week!

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗦𝗧 - Dr Rowanne Marie

𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘴 2:1-4 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦. 2 𝘚𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨. 3 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 4 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.

The word "𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭" means 50. Pentecost Sunday is observed 10 days after the Ascension and 50 days after the Passover. His Ascension made way for the descending of the Holy Spirit.

The book of Acts opens with the account of the Ascension and transitions in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as promised by Jesus. The followers of Jesus were instructed to 𝐖𝐀𝐈𝐓 in Jerusalem. There were about 120 in the Upper Room, who waited in obedience for the gift of the promise.

We live in a world of broken promises, but we have the assurance of the promise made by Jesus who is the Promise Keeper.
Pentecost comes with a promise:

1. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫:
Acts 1:8 reminds us that we will receive power when the Holy Spirit descends on us. The followers of Jesus were a company of 120, but when they were empowered by the Holy Spirit, 3000 were added to the early church.

2. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
John 14: 16 reminds us of Jesus's promise to the disciples, where He states: "𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳". People may abandon us, but the promise of Pentecost is that our advocate will be with us and protect forever.

3. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞:
In John 14:27 Jesus declares, "𝘗𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘐 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘐 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶". Jesus was preparing His disciples for a time when He will no longer be with them physically. He is the Prince of Peace. It is the same Jesus who slept peacefully in the midst of a raging storm.
When Jesus is in the boat, you can find peace, calm and courage in the midst of the turbulence of life.

The function of the Holy Spirit is to help us in 3 important ways:
1. Grow in faith
2. Live according to God's will
3. Bear witness to the world

One of the ways in which the Holy Spirit is evident in our lives is by the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐣𝐨𝐲, 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥.

We all have access to the Holy Spirit. Just follow the ABC principle:
𝐀 - Ask God for an infilling of the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:31)
𝐁 - Believe in Christ because the Holy Spirit is given to those who believe (Acts 2:28)
𝐂 - Cultivate a relationship with the Holy Spirit by a strong prayer life, Bible reading and constant fellowship.

May you have a fresh touch and an infilling of the Holy Spirit in the week ahead.

𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗝𝗘𝗦𝗨𝗦 𝗦𝗔𝗪 𝗛𝗜𝗠 - 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗧. 𝗦. 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲

𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯 5: 2-9

2 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘑𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘎𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘭, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘏𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘸, [𝘉𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘥𝘢, 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴. 3 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘥, 𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦, 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘻𝘦𝘥, 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳. 4 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳; 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵, 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥
5 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘢 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘺-𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴. 6 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮, “𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭?”
7 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘏𝘪𝘮, “𝘚𝘪𝘳, 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱; 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘦.”
8 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮, “𝘙𝘪𝘴𝘦, 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬.” 9 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘶𝘱 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘦𝘥.

This is a story about 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞 and 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐥𝐞.
The name of this pool was Bethesda, which means '𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐲'. It was a sheltered place where thousands of people gathered for their healing. They waited for the waters to be stirred so that they could receive a divine touch.
There is a shift, from faith to faith, from glory to glory.

Because no one was there to assist him, this man became invisible to the people around him. But 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐰 𝐡𝐢𝐦! He never gave up. He just remained there with patience for 38 years.
Amongst the crowd, Jesus sees you.
Don't give up on the brink of your miracle!

There are 3 important lessons we learn from this account:
1. God's appointed time will never fail.
2. Your miracle is independent of anybody - it is about God and you.
3. Don't give up - every trial is a test to your testimony.

Be assured that in the crowd, 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 and wants to meet you at the point of your need.

Have a blessed week.

Today we remember the glorious ascension of Jesus Christ — risen, victorious, and seated at the right hand of the Father. ✨

This significant day reminds us that Christ completed His earthly ministry, was exalted to the right hand of the Father, and continues to reign with authority and glory. His ascension is a promise of hope, the assurance of His presence, and the beginning of the mission He entrusted to His followers.

Ascension Day reminds us that Jesus reigns, intercedes for us, and prepares the way for the promise to come. May our hearts be lifted in faith, hope, and worship today.

𝗘𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗘: 𝗔 𝗠𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗢𝗙 𝗜𝗡𝗙𝗟𝗨𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘 - 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗧. 𝗦. 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲

2 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘺 1:5
𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘰𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘌𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘥, 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰.

Her name means joyous victory. She is the epitome of motherhood. Her name is Eunice.
She was the mother of Timothy who was mentored by Paul.
When Paul was preparing for his ex*****on, he was mentoring Timothy for the ministry.

Paul was confident that Timothy could take up the challenge of the ministry, because of the impact of his grandmother, Lois, and his mother, Eunice. During his upbringing, Eunice invested much into the life of young Timothy.
As a mother, she was able to withstand many experiences in her life. There are 3 important lessons that we learn from the life of Eunice:

𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 - Eunice faced her adversity and persevered in the faith. They were a family of faith. She was a devoted mother.
𝗔𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 - she had the ability to go beyond the limitations and challenges of life.
𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 - she was accountable in the faith.

Although she was only mentioned once in the Bible, Eunice the mother of Timothy, was a mother of great influence and impact.

We celebrate Mothers and we thank God for their impact on our lives.

Today we celebrate every mother and nurturing woman who reflects God’s love through kindness, strength, wisdom, and grace. Thank you for the prayers you pray, the care you give, and the lives you touch each day.

May the Lord richly bless you for the love you so selflessly pour into others. Wishing you a joyful and blessed Mother’s Day 💕

𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗨𝗣! - 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗧. 𝗦. 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲

𝘗𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘮 121: 1-2
𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴—
𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮?
2 𝘔𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥,
𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩.

In the past weeks, we were encouraged to 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗠, 𝗠𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗗, and we now focus on 𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗨𝗣.
The word look is used 155 times in the Bible. There are 3 levels:
Glance- this refers to a brief look
Gaze - this is an intense look
Glimpse - this refers to a fleeting view

We are called to have an intense look and to fix our gaze on Jesus.
We are living in times where there are all kinds of distractions to shift our focus from Jesus, but David inspires us to 𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗨𝗣!

David wrote Psalm 121 when he was seated at the throne as a King. He found solace, strength and courage when he looked unto the mountains."𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘶𝘱 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱". He is reflecting on the experiences that he had on the mountains. These were difficult and dangerous times, but David:
- kept his focus on the Lord
- locked in his destiny
- reflected on the past in order to move into the future.

Psalm 121 is a reminder that in difficult times, we need to look up.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face. And the things of the earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.

Have a blessed week and be encouraged to look up.

𝗠𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗗! - 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗧. 𝗦. 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲

𝘌𝘹𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘴 14:15-18
15 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴, “𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦? 𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘴𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯! 16 𝘙𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘧𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘴𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢 𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘳𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥. 17 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘨𝘺𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘰 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘗𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘰𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯. 18 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘨𝘺𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘗𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘰𝘩, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯.”

Last week, we looked at Exodus 14 and focused on the theme, Fear Not, Stand Firm!
Drawing from the same text, we are inspired to 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱!
God told Moses to tell the Israelites to move on and to keep moving forward. Unbelief sets in when we look back.

As long as Israel looked at the pillar of fire and the cloud, they walked by faith. As soon as they looked back, panic got hold of them. Crossing the red sea was a baptism for the Israelites. They were instructed not to look back but to move forward.

To go forward means that the present obstacles shall be removed. Life will always be filled with obstacles, but we need to keep moving forward. For the Israelites, their path was filled with obstacles but God said, move forward.

𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱
• There were geographic obstacles - the red sea, stood in the way of them
moving forward, but God miraculously opened the path for them.
• Human obstacles - Pharoah's army stood in way, but not for long because they
were defeated.
• The obstacle of fear - do not retreat because God is going to see you through.

- This is your season to move forward.
- It is your season of progress and advancement.
- The Exodus was God's intention.
- You are coming out of a season of being stagnant and stationary.
- In this journey God will give you grace as you follow through and not look back.

𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘴 3:14
14 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴.

Don't give up, keep moving forward!

Have a blessed week.

𝗙𝗘𝗔𝗥 𝗡𝗢𝗧, 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗠 - 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗧. 𝗦. 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲

𝘗𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘮 23. 4
𝘠𝘦𝘢, 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩, 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘯𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭: 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦; 𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘳𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘮𝘦.

𝘐𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘢𝘩 41.10
𝘚𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶; 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥. 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶; 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥.

𝘐𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘢𝘩 41.13
𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘋𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳; 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶.

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗩𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬 - 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗧. 𝗦. 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲

𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 19:6
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨: “𝘏𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘭𝘶𝘫𝘢𝘩! 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘈𝘭𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘴."

Sound is a fundamental medium for divine action, revelation and miracles.
It represents God's power, presence and pronouncement.

At the cross, Jesus gave a shout of Victory when He declared, 𝙄𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙!

May there be a shout of Victory in the week ahead as you listen out for the declarations of heaven over your life. Make positive announcements as we anticipate the sound of abundance. For our Lord God Almighty reigns!

Have a blessed week!