IN THIS ISSUE:
Believers Receive The Blessings of God — R.S. “Bud” Miller
Share and Tell — Story of a Ukrainian Believer (The Man With The Cow)
Spiritual Warfare — Deception Attacks All
Exposing Satan’s Devices — The Spiritual Warfare Battle
End Times — The Beast’s Head Is Wounded
Book Review — Three Great Classics
Personal Word From the Millers — New Year Greeting
Purpose and Vision — Ministry Information
COVENANT: GOD’S GUARANTEE FOR VICTORIOUS LIVING
By R.S. “Bud” Miller
Believers Receive the Blessings Of God
“Many people believe in God, but not many people believe God.” –Anonymous
A number of times during the sojourn at Mount Sinai, as well as later in their trek across the wilderness, God reminded the Israelites of all He had done for them. However, each time they faced new problems, they seemed to immediately forget what He had done in the past.
That sounds just like us today, does it not? We want to know when and what God is going to do for us this time, and even doubt if He will do it, in spite of all the things He has done for us in the past.
God’s purpose for Abraham’s descendants was to establish a kingdom of priests who would take the knowledge of Himself to the other nations of the earth. He wanted them to remain priests in right standing with Him, to draw near in prayer, and offer sacrifices that would point to the better covenant to come.
The only requirement for them to be “the head and not the tail” was obedience. They were to be blessed, sanctified, and separated from the world among the nations (Deuteronomy 28:13).
Let’s see how the people received God’s commands. Moses, the “go-between” who is a type of Jesus, the eternal Mediator between God and man, went back to the people after talking with God on the mountain and relayed the commandments God had given him (Exodus 19:7-8).
When the people heard the commandments, they quickly answered and said, “All that the Lord has said, we will do.” They had great confidence in their own abilities to keep the commandments of God. They failed to see their utter helplessness and sinfulness. They did not see that their carnal natures made it impossible for them to keep the commandments. They thought they could easily walk in obedience and “save” themselves. They did not recognize that they were not obeying God as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did.
They were saying, “Yes, Lord, we’re going to keep all your commandments! There is not one of them that we are going to break! We can do that, because the blessings are going to be so good.”
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were also sinful men — just read their stories — but they believed God and obeyed everything He told them to do. The Bible says Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness (Genesis 15:6). Obedience would have been counted as righteousness for their descendants as well.
However, the majority of the Israelites did not obey God as their fathers, the patriarchs, had done. They did not truly believe Him, in spite of all they had seen Him do in Egypt and on the journey. They were given motivation to obey God (the blessings and cursings), but evidently they did not really believe that God would be true to His end of the covenant and His Word.
The Israelites were carnal and full of sin, and eventually, their disobedience was counted to them for unrighteousness, because generation after generation, they became covenant breakers. Finally, they were all exiled from the land of the covenant. (The last exile was in 70 A.D. and lasted almost 2,000 years.)
Before we begin to judge the children of Israel for their repeated failure to keep their end of the covenant, let us remember that all of these things were written down for our example, so we may learn from their mistakes. Why would God warn us, unless we were easily prone to do the exact same things?
One thing we must remember is that the Hebrew word for “belief” is intertwined with the meaning “to obey.” Today we isolate these words into two separate concepts, but as far as God is concerned, they mean the same thing. We think that if we merely believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that is enough to get us to Heaven. We think that a mental acknowledgement of the truth is enough to bring us the blessing of God. It takes more than just an agreement that God wants to bless us. It takes obedience to His Word to bring the blessings to pass. We can make the same mistake that the Israelites did, and in the process, lose the benefits of our reward if we only assent to God’s commands.
James, one of the pillars of the early church, combated the same issues that Moses did. He said in his epistle, “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that–and shudder” (James 2:18-19).
Throughout the history of His covenant people, God has been trying to link our actions up with our beliefs. The children of Israel thought that their mental belief in God was enough to save them, but because they had no corresponding actions to go with what they so confidently said that they believed, they were sent into exile. May the same not be said of us today!
The Israelites did not have these stories to look back on and learn from. They were learning as they went. Today, we not only have their stories, but a host of others as well, including the life story of Christ Himself. We have less excuse for ignorance than any preceding generation. Surely God, who has entrusted us with more, also expects more of us! Let us then be faithful to learn from the lives of those who have gone before us, and put into practice perhaps the greatest lesson we can learn on this earth–to prove our faith in God by our actions! This is true covenant.
(Continued next issue)
Note: This teaching is continued from last month’s Overcoming Life Digest. See Table of Contents for Archives.
(Excerpt from the book entitled: COVENANT God’s Guarantee for Victorious Living by R.S. “Bud” Miller)
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SHARE AND TELL
“O Give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.”
Psalm 105:1
Story of a Ukrainian Believer
Trusting The Mind Of Christ
The Man With The Cow
By Elaine Cook
A writing by Boris Sorokovsky, a Ukrainian believer, was sent to us recently. He told of how the Lord had mercy upon Russia. Though the revolution happened in 1917, there was comparative freedom until 1933. During those years, the Lord sent a man from New York and used him to spark a revival that swept throughout the land and many thousands were saved. They had no Bibles, but the Holy Spirit taught them. They built no churches because they had no time, and people were coming in such large numbers that they could never build enough for them. They gathered in homes every night; hours were spent in prayer.
In 1928, the Lord started to warn the people (as He did the Armenians) that great starvation and bloodshed were coming and that He wanted to deliver them and take them to another land. He said “Whoever will believe My voice and obey Me, I will lead them out.” Only a few hundred out of thousands believed this warning and were willing to leave behind their houses and lands. In 1931 they were told to leave, but because of the hardness of the way many turned back, leaving only forty families whom the Lord took safely to China. He established them upon good land there, in safety.
In 1933 the big crush came, and all property in Russia was confiscated and the food was taken from the farmers to force them into collective farms. Husbands were sent to Siberia and families starved. Six million Ukrainians died of artificial starvation. All happened as the Lord had warned.
But I want mainly to tell you of the man with the cow because it illustrates the wisdom of obeying the mind of Christ, rather than our carnal, reasoning mind. Ivan, a simple farmer, asked the Lord to protect his family from persecution, for rumors were flying everywhere in 1932. The Lord told him He would lead him to China (from the central Ukraine). The Lord set a certain night and told him what to do. The man was quite well-off with eight cows and two purebred horses, but the Lord told him, “Leave your house, your cattle, and horses behind. Take this cow (He gave her name) and harness her and put her in the horsecart to pull it. Take some millet and other food and leave at dusk.” He told him to take a side road out of the village.
Ivan was puzzled at these instructions, but he obeyed. Reason said, “My horses are good. Why should I not take a horse?” But faith prevailed and he obeyed and took the cow. The villagers thought they were a gypsy family because gypsies use a cow to pull their carts. There was tight control about moving in and out of the villages and the people were set to spy on each other–but no one bothered the gypsies! Do you see God’s wisdom?
At midnight that same night, the KGB came to take this brother to Siberia because he was supposedly a rich man. They found no trace of the man anywhere and in the morning they chased down a main road after him. Yet the Wisdom of God had sent him on a side road!
Ivan traveled to one village at a time. He could not read a map–there were none to be had anyway. He had no road signs. He had to totally depend on the Lord to take him from one village to another. They would pasture the cow at night and milk it every day so they had milk for their millet porridge. They couldn’t have milked a horse! God’s wisdom again!
By the end of the summer, they reached the border of China, only to find it was heavily guarded by Russian soldiers with fierce dogs. Ivan was so disappointed when he was taken prisoner and his cow and cart were taken from him. When he would cry unto the Lord, He would always reassure him that He would yet take him to China. In God’s wisdom, “…All things work together for good to them that love God.”
All the families were housed right by the border in tents. The prisoners were made to work cutting hay to feed the soldier’s horses. One day a big fire broke out on the Russian side of the border. The wind began to blow and the dry hay started burning. The fire began to move to the workers and the tents. The guards soon panicked and ran for their lives. Everyone else also began to run for their lives. Ivan grabbed his wife and children and they ran and ran for a long time until they fell down, exhausted. The man cried, “Lord, here’s my family running. We’re in a desperate situation. Why is this happening? Where am I?”
The Lord answered, “My son, this is China.” The Lord had deported him from prison to China by fire! They all praised the Lord and thanked Him and He led them to the four groups of Russian Christians whom He had also led to safety. They had fertile land and peace and never saw starvation, persecution, or their families taken away. They knew nothing of those things that had happened in their homeland, for they had obeyed the voice of the Lord in His Wisdom–His mind–which means to always do us good and not evil all the days of our lives.
This article was used with permission and taken from The Gospel of the Kingdom magazine. Elaine Cook and her husband, Bill, are seasoned ministers who share the kingdom message with the body of Christ. They can be contacted at: Bill and Elaine Cook, P.O. Box 371, Summerland, B.C. Canada VOH IZO
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SPIRITUAL WARFARE
By Betty Miller
Deception Attacks All
Over the years I’ve had to lay aside men’s doctrines for the truth of the Word. How many Christians have been taught that speaking in tongues is not of God, that it will only tear a church apart? We’ve had to search the Scriptures for the truth. If we had not searched the Word, we would have missed out on one of God’s wonderful blessings. One area that requires our searching the Word is end-time teachings. There’s such a variety of teachings on this topic that it might be wise to put it all on the shelf and say, “Lord, help me to receive only what is of You.” When I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, I was eager to know everything I could about the end times. So I gathered together a dozen books on the topic only to find the Holy Spirit restraining me from reading them. When I would try to read a book I’d either fall asleep or be interrupted by a visitor. Finally I asked the Lord about it and He told me most of the material was man-made tradition that He didn’t want me putting into my spirit. How are we going to know about end times? We’ll have to humbly ask God to show us the truth and be willing to lay aside any misinformation we already may have absorbed.
Ephesians 6:11 says, “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Our enemy is a wily foe, full of craft and cunning. At one time or another, we’ve all been deceived by his tricks. Revelation 12:9 says he “deceiveth the whole world.” Before our salvation, we were under deception, and we still have varying degrees of deception that we are not yet delivered from. Some are more delivered than others, depending upon how much of the Word has been personally applied. We’ve heard the saying, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” The devil has fooled me the first time around on some things, but not the second. After I had discovered I’d been tricked, I was determined not to fall twice for the same thing.
We’ve all been fooled by the enemy before and thereby lost some battles. But if we’ve made a mistake, let’s not get under condemnation. Ask God for forgiveness, get up and go on with Him. Keep pressing in and you will gain the victory. All the while, be watchful for the enemy’s tricks. Check everything out to be certain it’s the Lord speaking, and not the enemy. Some areas, of course, don’t need to be checked out. We don’t have to pray, “Lord, should I divorce my spouse.” The Word is clear about God’s hatred of divorce. We don’t have to pray about whether to lie, steal or cheat. Such things are obvious. But in the unsure areas, we need to seek the mind of the Lord. Should we move here? Take this step in our job or ministry? Marry this person? By letting God lead us, we can avoid mistakes that would bring unnecessary suffering.
Excerpt from the book Personal Spiritual Warfare;
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EXPOSING SATAN’S DEVICES
Betty Miller
THE SPIRITUAL WARFARE BATTLE
Two Spiritual Worlds
God has given us mighty weapons with which to fight the devil, and we need not be discouraged or fearful that we cannot overcome him. One of Satan’s main devices, however, is to keep people ignorant of him and his demons. We must understand the existence of a spiritual world. Actually this world is more real than the physical one, for the Bible declares the earth shall one day pass away; however, the spiritual world will last forever. In that world there are two kingdoms: the kingdom of light ruled by God and the kingdom of darkness ruled by Satan. Satan’s eventual destiny is to be chained and cast into the bottomless pit of hell. All those that choose his evil ways will also be chained with him. Those that choose Christ will partake in His righteous kingdom of heaven forever.
We Are In A War
Although at present Satan is ruling here on earth, he is no match for a child of God who knows his authority in Christ. However, these people are in the minority, as spiritual ignorance is rampant today. Due to this unawareness, it is easy for the devil to slander God and discourage man. Most people do not fully understand we are truly in a war. They pray earnestly for the Lord to answer their prayers, yet do not understand they must follow certain principles to receive their requests.
An example of this would be for a man with a financial need to come to the bank president pleading for monetary help. The man knows nothing about banking procedures, especially concerning the third party of depositors and directors. He sees his problem as strictly between himself and the bank official. “You’ve got the money and I need it; why not let me have it?” the man cries. The banker’s explanations and expressions of regret only add to the man’s discontent. In reference to prayer, if we are not aware of the spiritual laws in operation and spiritual wickedness in high places (principalities and powers), we too may blame God if we do not get an immediate answer to our prayers. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” (2 Corinthians 10:3-4).
Excerpt from the book Exposing Satan’s Devices
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END TIMES
MARK OF GOD OR MARK OF THE BEAST
Betty Miller
INTRODUCTION
Much has been said on this subject of the mark of the beast, but little said about the mark of God. Will there be a literal mark tattooed on people’s foreheads and/or their hands in these end times to make it possible to buy and sell in a one-world monetary system that is being set up by an antichrist?
We can certainly see the possibilities of this becoming a literal reality in our day with the technology of laser beam tattoos and our president speaking of a “new world order.” Even now, pets can be tracked by tiny computer chips about the size of a grain of rice which have an identification number programmed into it that can be injected under the skin with a hypodermic needle. A special scanner generates a radio signal that reads the number through the skin of the animal when it is found.
This book is not disputing the possibilities of a literal tattoo, but rather exposing the spiritual implications behind that plan of Satan. How will this come about? Will it be one of the above new technologies or something yet to come? We don’t believe men are going to be tattooed or branded with a literal set of three sixes on their foreheads or hands, any more than we believe the letters J-E-S-U-S will be on the foreheads of God’s servants as spoken of in Revelation 22: 3-4: “And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.”
How will the beast mark those who follow him, and what is the mark of God set upon those who follow Christ? Let us begin with the mark of the beast, then look at how we are to receive God’s mark which protects us from destruction in these end times.
Throughout the Scriptures, the word beast refers to a system, and not to a man. The beast is a system that rules the world; it’s an antichrist system. Daniel 7 speaks of beasts and identifies them as earthly kingdoms. So the beast in Revelation is a beastly system that’s ruling the world (it’s a dictator beast). This beast is not just one human being, rather it is a system that has infiltrated every area whether it be politics, medicine, art or science; the beastly system is everywhere. This system is typically overseen by a powerful government with those in power making decisions that perpetrate the worldly system throughout mankind. When Revelation 13:1 speaks of the beast rising up out of the sea, what is meant by the sea? The Scriptures speak of the sea as “masses of humanity.” This beastly system is rising up out of humanity, out of all the people on the earth. When John, the author of Revelation, stood upon the sand of the sea, he was standing upon that which could not be numbered, among all the people of the earth.
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The Beast’s Head Is Wounded
“And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” (Revelation 13:4).
One thing this verse speaks of is war. Jesus prophesied that before His return there would be wars and rumors of wars (Matthew 24: 6). Concerning the wounding of one of the beast’s heads, I believe that refers to an event that happened at Calvary. Some people try to fit all of Revelation into only the end times. But Revelation was not written just for us today; it was written for all of the church throughout history. Note how the wound came to this beast’s head. Revelation 13:14 says the beast “had the wound by a sword, and did live.” The dragon, which represents the devil, is part of the beast system. Who wounded the devil? Did not Jesus wound him with a crushing blow to the head? By His death on the cross, Jesus crushed Satan beneath his feet as was prophesied in Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
God’s promise to Eve was that from her seed would come the one that would crush the enemy who deceived her. When Jesus died on the cross, he stripped Satan of all power. Satan was given a deadly blow. However, from there the church didn’t take advantage of the truth that the enemy was stripped of his power. Because the church didn’t take her authority over the defeated foe and hasn’t throughout the centuries, the deadly wound was healed and the beast again raised his head.
The deadly wound came by a sword, which represents the Word of God (Ephesians 6: 17). God’s Word wounded Satan and those believers who have received the truth of Satan’s defeat have walked in victory. Throughout history, individuals who’ve recognized Satan’s defeat have been victorious Christians. But the corporate church body as a whole never received the revelation of Satan’s defeat. Therefore the beast’s wound was healed, and Satan yet rules this earth through his beastly system. People still look at the devil and think he’s going to continue ruling. But God is telling the church that we’re to rise up in Jesus’ name and take our authority over Satan. We’re to take back control over this earth for Jesus Christ. We’re to rise up and take authority over Satan in our personal lives, in our families, in our communities, in this whole world. The beast, Satan, should not be ruling anywhere; rather it’s Jesus that ought to be ruling all of this earth. (“The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein” – Psalm 24:1.)
In the next few years this revelation is going to go forth through the church and we who are in Jesus Christ are going to take authority over Satan so that he no longer will rule upon this earth. Jesus is coming again to take the rule unto Himself; He’s going to rule and reign in the millennium. Christ’s rule on the earth will not be completely accomplished until His return, but in the meantime we’re going to work toward that goal by using our authority over Satan. That’s what God has called the church to do.
“Who is able to make war with him?” (Revelation 13:4b). Throughout history this has been the defeated attitude of the church. Can we overcome the enemy? Yes, we can! We’ve been given the authority. We haven’t been using that authority, but there’s coming a change in the church as God is giving us revelation of who we are in Him or who He is in us. We are overcomers!
Excerpt taken from the book The Mark of God or The Mark of the Beast;
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PROPHETIC VOICE TO THE CHURCH
As some may not be familiar with prophecy in the church, we want to share this short explanation of Biblical prophecy before we share an actual prophecy from God.
First, what is godly prophecy? It can be summed up as words that are spoken on behalf of God. A prophet or prophetess is one who is a spokesman for God. It is a divine utterance that comes from the Holy Spirit. (Note: Just as there are prophetic words from God, there are also false prophecies that the Lord warned us about in the Bible. In Matthew 7:15-16 Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits….” We must prove the source of prophecy before accepting it as coming from the Lord).
God is raising up many prophetic voices in the earth today. His gifts of prophecy are basically of two types. One is the “simple gift of prophecy” which every believer can express under the unction or direction of the Holy Spirit after they have been filled with the Holy Ghost.
The other is the “office gift” of the spirit which is given to a prophet or prophetess who is called to the “five-fold” ministry office as outlined in 1 Corinthians 12:28 which says “And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.”
Ephesians 4:11-12: “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.”
The basic difference between these two types is, the simple gift of prophecy is given to all spirit filled believers as spoken of in 1 Corinthians 14:31, “For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.”
It is for the purpose of edification, exhortation and comfort as spoken of in 1 Corinthians 14:3, “But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.”
The “office gift” of a prophet or prophetess is given to speak to the body of Christ at large. The ministers who are called to the office of a prophet or prophetess will deliver messages which include edification, exhortation and comfort, but their messages can also be directive in nature and futuristic in content as well (Ephesians. 4:11-15).
Presently God is leading His people with prophetic preaching and teaching. A prophetic movement is taking place in the world.
Building for the Storms
Storms can be demonic, but they can also represent moves of the Holy Spirit. For example, the Lord answered Job out of a whirlwind (Job 38). Wind often represents the Holy Spirit, and rain sometimes represents teaching (see Deuteronomy 32:2). Hurricanes will uproot trees that do not have deep roots, and can destroy anything that is not well built. Revivals do this too.
When the Lord told us several years ago that He was about to move in Pensacola, He also said that there would be two hurricanes, and both would hit a navy base as a sign of where He was about to move. We wrongly assumed that this meant two different navy bases. Pensacola has a navy base and two hurricanes hit there that year. By the time this occurred, the revival at the Brownsville Assembly of God in Pensacola had already broken out.
Over 20 years ago, the Lord gave me a word that He was going to bless us from the mountains to the sea. We are now establishing a base of operations in the mountains where we have witnessed extraordinary manifestations of the Lord’s grace, provision and most of all, His presence. Last year He spoke to me that it was now time to establish a base at the sea. For the last few years, we have taken our staff to a little island on the North Carolina coast with which we have fallen in love.
We were on the island when Hurricane Fran approached it two years ago on a course that was bringing the hurricane directly toward us. The intercessors and many of the children marched around the island at night to pray for its protection from the storm. As the hurricane approached, it suddenly jogged to the east, just by-passing our island, and then it turned back to the west and went up the Cape Fear River. Hurricane force winds brushed our island, but we did not even lose power and there was little or no damage done to it. The beaches just north of us were devastated, as well as cities and towns all the way to Raleigh, well over a hundred miles inland.
Last year, we were directed to a cottage on our favorite beach that was for sale at an extraordinary value. We purchased it as a place at the ocean where our staff could go to seek the Lord. Then came Hurricane Bonnie. A huge and powerful storm, it was aimed right at our little island. We prayed for it to go around the island as Fran had done. The storm did turn, but only enough to make our little island “ground zero” for the hurricane to make land fall. Because the greatest damage from hurricanes comes from the sea wall they create, the worse nightmare is for them to come ashore during high tide. Hurricane Bonnie not only came ashore at high tide, but then nearly stopped so that it continued to pound the island with some of its strongest winds through a second high tide. The hurricane also dropped nearly twelve inches of rain.
We had a beach retreat scheduled for our staff to begin the Saturday after Bonnie came ashore on Wednesday. I did not think there would be much left on the whole island, but even if there was, I figured that it would take weeks to restore power, and probably months to repair the damage so that it could be used. Twice that morning the Lord told me to “watch My miracle.” I told my wife and others that this probably meant that we would get a good insurance settlement and be able to build a bigger, better place.
I prepared to cancel the beach retreat, but several people felt that we were to go anyway. I thought that they were out of their minds, but agreed not to cancel until I had a chance to fly down and check the damage, or we had heard from the real estate company. I was shocked when the realtor informed us that not only had the island survived, but that there really was not any damage and that they had not even lost power through the entire storm! Only shingles had been blown off some homes, along with some damage to window screens. This was a miracle of biblical proportions! All around us, millions of dollars worth of damage had been caused by this storm, and we should have gotten the worst of it. The authorities said that the storm surge went around both sides of our island, but did not touch it.
Summary
For days, the Lord has been speaking to many of our prophetic people about living in Goshen. Goshen is no longer a place; it is a state of abiding in the will of the Lord. The darkness that is coming will come upon the whole earth. The plague of darkness recorded in the book of Exodus even came upon Goshen, but the Israelites had lights in their dwellings (Exodus 10:21-23). In the parable found in Matthew, those who had built their houses on the rock of hearing and doing the word of God had the floods come against them too, but their dwellings stood.
Difficult times are coming upon the whole world. Most of the world has been in them for some time. However, we need not be fearful. As Isaiah 60:1-2 states, the darker it becomes, the greater the glory will be for those who abide in the Lord. We need not fear the storms if our houses are built on the Rock. If you have fear, do not complain about what is happening. Instead, repent for the way you have lived for yourself, and then choose to become a bondservant of the Master who is quite capable of taking care of His people.
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Editor’s Note: This prophetic word by Rick Joyner was taken from the MorningStar 1998 Prophetic Bulletin. Rick Joyner is an anointed teacher and prophet in the body of Christ at large. He is also founder of MorningStar Ministries located in Charlotte, North Carolina.
MorningStar Website: https://www.eaglestar.org/
Rick is also the author of the book The Harvest (among others) which details a vision that Rick had concerning the end times. A brief summary of this vision was first circulated in 1987. It quickly found its way into major periodicals and countless newsletters, reaching millions in just a little over a year. It has been called “a prophetic word for the nineties” by major Christian leaders. This book promotes a message of devotion to Christ and preparation for the coming harvest. The Harvest is available in our CHAPEL BOOKSTORE (Click here to order).
BOOK REVIEW
Classics of Old
Three writings that every Christian should read….
Man: The Dwelling Place of God, by A.W. Tozer
“Religious externals,” said A.W. Tozer, “may have a meaning for the God-inhabited soul; for any others they are not only useless but may actually become snares, deceiving them into a false and perilous sense of security.” A.W. Tozer was above all, a man passionate about experiencing the depths of God and knowing Him intimately. He grieved that so many Christians should be content with the superficial forms of religion, and miss out on the greatest purpose for their lives. Anita M. Bailey says of this writing: “The chapters in this book deal with many aspects of one subject: the relationship of God and man. They are above all practical and all who read them will profit.”
Hind’s Feet in High Places, by Hannah Hurnard
(Habakkuk 3:19 KJV) “The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.”
This classic book has inspired and comforted millions around the world. Written as an allegory from her own life experiences, Ms. Hurnard tells the story of young Much-Afraid, and her joyful and sometimes discouraging journey over mountains and valleys to reach the greatest heights and to know the person of True Love. This allegory mirrors much of the life that every Christian must face. It is for those who cannot be content with the fleeting treasures of this world, but yearn to overcome their fears and be transformed into the image of Jesus. This uplifting book should be read by every Christian.
My Utmost For His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
There is perhaps no other devotional as dearly loved and esteemed by the body of Christ than this one. Chaplain of the U.S. Senate, Richard C. Halverson, says of it: “No book except the Bible has influenced my walk with Christ at such deep and maturing levels.” These anointed readings are just as fresh and pertinent to the Christian life today as they were at the turn of this century when they were first written. They are divided into 365 one-page segments, so that one may read through the entire book in one year. Each page is packed with powerful observations and statements that expose personal spiritual hypocrisy, laziness, fear, and a host of other evils that keep us from giving our very utmost for His Highest.
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PERSONAL WORD FROM THE MILLERS
Dear Internet Friends:
In times like these, one cannot help but reflect back on the last thousand years (or at the very least the past year) and evaluate how far we’ve come and where we are going. We’ve been joking around here, saying that “I don’t know why, but I just feel something very big ahead for 1999!” (Bud says you don’t have to be much of a prophet or even a very profound thinker to feel something significant about living in the last year of the millennium!) All joking aside, however, 1999 has the potential (like any other year) to be a life-changing one. With the potential chaos of Y2K looming directly ahead, and the state of the world economically and politically, most Christians feel that we are indeed, living in the very end of the last days.
What will happen in 1999? Where will we be this time next year? The answer to that question is not nearly as important as where we are in Christ. Through Christ we can do anything; weather any storm, endure persecution, hardship or trial that comes our way. Like Paul, we can learn the secret of being content whether we are abased or abounding. The secret is simply this: to draw all our life, joy, comfort, security, and purpose from our Savior and none other…To count our lives as already lost for the sake of the cross…to live like those who are only passing through…and to fix our heart on the things that are eternal. Whether we see it happen with our own eyes or not, it is already written that “the world as we know it is rapidly passing away.” Why should our faith be shaken when the things of this world, (which are only shifting shadows) begin to crumble? Jesus Christ alone is our firm foundation, and the only Rock upon which any of us can be saved. And He has promised to never turn away any who come to Him with a sincere heart. Praise God!
We pray that in 1999 and beyond, we will see an increase of true revival breaking loose on the earth. We also pray that many who read this will be a part of that revival. Though we have not met you in person, we want you to know that we do pray for all who come to visit this website. May 1999 be the year in which many of us “get right with God” and leave behind everything that has prevented us from being fully committed to Him. When we are finally willing to lay down those things that keep us from Him, we will begin the most exciting journey of our lifetime. There is nothing that comes close to being a substitute for an intimate relationship with the Living God. No matter where we are in the Lord or what we’ve done (or failed to do), we can begin afresh with Him today. God’s mercies are new every morning!
We want to thank all who have written us over the past year, and shared bits of your life with us. You have enriched and blessed our 1998, and we pray that we also, were a blessing to you. We hope to continue hearing from you. God bless you!
May you have a blessed and prosperous New Year in Him!
Bud & Betty Miller
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PURPOSE & VISION
THE OVERCOMING LIFE DIGEST is published for the purpose of strengthening the Body of Christ by furnishing teaching literature and a prophetic voice to the church in these last days. CHRIST UNLIMITED is helping and working with all Bible-believing Christians regardless of their church or denominational affiliations in promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ. CHRIST UNLIMITED believes the hour is late and we must fulfill the great commission. We, as Christians, desire to cooperate with the Lord in breaking down denominational walls, for a united front line against the kingdom of darkness and setting up the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
CHRIST UNLIMITED MINISTRIES, INC. and CHRIST UNLIMITED PUBLISHING provide such tools through literature as to enable the saints of God to take the Kingdom and walk in the overcoming life as promised us in John 10:10 & Revelation 21:7.
PUBLISHER
CHRIST UNLIMITED PUBLISHING
President: R.S. “Bud” Miller
Editor: Betty Miller
Electronic Editor: William Mark Bristow
Printing and Design: Ironwood Lithographers, Tempe, AZ
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Scripture Quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.