There’s Healing in

the Name of Jesus!

by Jeanne Alcott

       It’s important to ask ourselves as believers, Am I living in everything the Name of Jesus does for me?  God has given us the Name of Jesus to use to experience His power and authority.  But are we truly living in that power?  Do we recognize everything Jesus did and what His Name means to us now? 

       He has provided salvation, blessings, privileges, and healing in His Name.  Jesus, your Redeemer and Healer, has provided wholeness and well-being for every part of you—your body, mind, and emotions, and your spirit.  Your entire being can experience peace and wholeness because of the Name of Jesus.

       He became our avenue to healing by what He suffered and overcame on the cross and resurrection.  Isaiah 53:5 says, With the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole.  Those were real stripes that Roman soldiers lashed upon Him without mercy.  Pilate had ordered that Jesus be whipped to appease those who were accusing Him.  The Roman governor thought that would be the end of it:  He would have Jesus whipped and scourged and then present Him to the Jews who would be satisfied with the punishment meted.

       That was the plan. But, instead, Jesus went the distance to endure death by crucifixion.  And by those stripes, you and I are healed and made whole.

       Think about all the Savior suffered.  He was beaten, lashed, and blasphemed by the religious leaders and the Roman soldiers.  Nails were driven into His feet and hands.  Later, after He had breathed His last breath on that cross, a sword was thrust into His side.

       Jesus was so savagely beaten and bruised that no part of His skin remained normal.  He was wounded so badly that Isaiah 52:14 says He was disfigured and marred in His appearance more than any man.

       From the crown of His head to the soles of His feet, Jesus suffered so that you could be healed from the crown of your head to the soles of your feet!  That’s why He endured all that humiliation and suffering—for your complete wholeness and well-being in spirit, soul, and body.

       Jesus did all that so He could become one with you and give you His Name.  Now He wants that Name to mean something to you.  He wants it to represent in your life the One who suffered and died for your salvation and healing.  So how can you dare not use that great Name?  How can you allow it to remain dormant and not active in your life?

       I encourage you to allow God to renew within you a greater sense of the power, authority, privilege, and position that comes with using that Name.  Because of His great sacrifice, you can have victory.

The Sixth Man—‘Wounded for Me’

       There was a certain man who came to fully grasp what it meant to have another person wounded for him—wounded for him, in his place.  Although his story can’t compare to what Jesus did for us, it illustrates the awesome, undeserved measure of what we have received as a result of Christ’s sacrifice.

       The man was the Prince of Wales.  During World War I, he decided to visit thirty-six of the men who had been brought to a nearby hospital due to their wounds.  The prince entered the main ward, where he shook hands with many of the men.  But afterward, he noticed that he had just seen thirty soldiers, not thirty-six.  So he asked where the others were.  Administrators informed him that the other six were severe cases in a different section of the hospital. 

       The prince insisted that he see them, so they took him to the second ward, where he saw five of those six men who had been severely maimed.  After he spoke with them and honored them, he asked why only five men were present—where was the sixth man?  They responded that the prince would not want to see the sixth man, and they attempted to describe the soldier’s unbearable appearance due to his severe injuries.

       Although this soldier was marred, almost beyond recognition, the prince insisted on seeing him.  When he and his escorts entered the room, he stood motionless for a brief moment.  Then he walked over to the patient, stooped down low, and kissed him on his cheek.  The prince was moved to tears and could only whisper, “Wounded for me.”

       As you envision Jesus today and all that He endured for you, can you see yourself looking upon Him and saying, “Wounded for me”?  Because of His stripes, you are healed and made whole.  Then because Jesus did not stay on that cross—but He defeated the enemy and was resurrected—you now have His Name.  By the power of that Name, you can be healed.  You can receive the healing that was obtained as Jesus was “wounded for you.”

       Just imagine the Lord standing before you, urging you to take the Name, and all that it represents, to receive wholeness and total well-being.  There’s power in that Name!  It is greater than anything that can afflict you or those you care about—in body, mind, or emotions.  It’s powerful because of what Jesus went through and overcame.  And now that Name is yours.

       One of our Partners testified that he has seen this powerful truth working for him.  He had been going through a time of sorrow and grief because his wife passed away.  But he had also been allowing Jesus to carry his sorrow and grief because he understood the power of what Jesus did for him. 

       He wrote in his note, “Since my wife made a permanent transfer to Heaven, I have found God to be very faithful.  And the word you said that Jesus was sent to heal the brokenhearted is absolutely true!  Through this journey, the Lord Jesus Christ has been with me.  Your ministry has been a part—a word in due season, right time, right place.  I have made a declaration: ‘Lord, I thank You for the joy that will manifest this year.  Every loss will be swallowed up by this joy. The joy of You, Lord, is my strength!’” 

       This man had been meditating on and saying the right things so he could receive the healing in his heart and emotions that Jesus provided for Him in His Name.  And I am happy to report that he is doing just that.  Our Partner has been able to experience some of the wonderful plans and blessings God has for him.  His loss is being swallowed up by joy!

       God has every kind of healing for you that you need.  He wants your entire being to be well and whole.  That’s why He gave you the Name of Jesus—so you can experience what God has provided because of what Christ did. 

       We must understand what we have.  We need to say to ourselves, I have the Name of Jesus.  In fact, stop and say those words right now:  “I have the Name of Jesus.”  That Name belongs to you, and you have the right as a believer to administer the healing power that comes through that Name.

       Oh, the power of that Name!  The power is ever-present. Are you using it to receive the healing you need?  That’s what God is urging you to do.  Jesus was wounded so your wounds could be healed.  Remember, He suffered from the crown of His head to the soles of His feet so you could be healed from the crown of your head to the soles of your feet! 

       What kind of wounds do you have—are they in your body?  Are they problems you’re enduring in your family or work?  Have you been wounded in your emotions?  Are you hurting in your finances or overcome by the burdens and heaviness of life?  Is something trying to hurt you in some other way? 

       You have the Name and the power behind it to see everything change.  So use Jesus’ Name today and experience the healing God has for you. There’s power in that Name!

We Want To Believe With You and Pray for You!

      Let’s do as God says in His Word and come into a prayer of agreement for your needs, then believe what the Lord said.  Whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven (Matt. 18:19).

      There is so much power available to you as we do this.  So let us pray with you by sharing your requests for God.  Click here now and we will receive them as soon as you send them.  After we pray, we’ll send you a letter filled with words from God’s Spirit for your life. 

SPECIAL NOTE:

        When you give into Alcott Ministries through your prayers and finances, you're enabling us to send out Word of Power teachings and see hope come to thousands of people.

        So, we pray that you will consider this ministry good ground in which to plant your seeds.  We see God give tremendous harvests to those who sow their seed here.  We believe the same for you as you obey God and hold the Word of Life out to others.
                                                                           

DONATE NOW.

Look and Feel Better This Spring!

by Jeanne Alcott

       We all know that after a long, cold winter, we look forward to getting out more often.  We want to experience sunshine and fresh air!  That’s also when many households undergo what’s called spring-cleaning. 

       We put away the heavy blankets and air out the house.  We dust from top to bottom and maybe even do a few projects, such as repainting a room or thoroughly cleaning the garage.  Everything is thoroughly inspected and gone over from the windows to the furniture. 

       I once read that a possible origin of spring-cleaning can be traced to an ancient Jewish practice.  It was done in anticipation of their springtime holiday of Passover.  As you probably know, this holiday is celebrated in remembrance of the Jews’ flight from Egypt after they had been held captive there for more than 400 years.

       On a much different level, that’s similar to how we can feel during the winter—as if we’ve been held captive for years!  We want to break out of that old season and do some new things.  We were less active during those cold months, but now we’re ready for some activity.  We may have even let some wrong habits develop, and we need to get up and get going from the “captivity” of winter. 

       Simply put, in the spring, we want to look and feel better!

Is It Time for a Spiritual Spring-Cleaning?

       That’s also what we have to do spiritually every once in a while.  We have to do a spiritual spring-cleaning so we can look and feel better.  Perhaps that will entail clearing out some unwanted mindsets that have been allowed to creep in and develop in our thoughts, emotions, and attitudes.  We’ll also need to change certain behaviors.  That means we’ll have to take a look at places where dust may have accumulated in our lives—even places where, in the past, we desired to follow the Lord with everything within us, but something changed somewhere along the way and we became cold. 

       Performing spiritual spring-cleaning in our lives means we’ll need to sweep out some things that we’ve allowed “inside” and didn’t even realize we’d done it.  Those things, like cobwebs, became annoying and unattractive parts of our personalities and lives.

       We’re inspecting our lives and doing a thorough work “top to bottom.”  For example, have we allowed something in our hearts or minds that is affecting our outlook, values, and motives?  Has something pure about our lives become impure?  Just as junk can accumulate in our home, it’s amazing what can accumulate in our spiritual “house” if we’re not being mindful and doing regular upkeep.

       Think about what it’s like when you clean out your garage or the closets in your house.  At some point, you usually say, “Where did all this stuff come from?”

       The same can be true spiritually. You might ask:

·       “Where did this bitter feeling come from?”

·       “How did I let anger build up in me like that?”

·       “When did discouragement creep in and get such a hold on me?”

       It’s interesting how wrong attitudes and outlooks can accumulate in our lives so subtly that we don’t notice them right away.  On the other hand, just as we can accumulate certain items or possessions, we can also lose them.  We wonder where certain things about our spiritual lives have gone.

·       Where is my desire to seek God?

·       Why don’t I have energy and drive anymore?

·       Where is my motivation to serve others instead of just living for myself?

       We need the Holy Spirit’s help as we perform “spring-cleaning” on the inside of our lives so that we look and feel better inside and outside too!

How To Get Started

       If we want to do spiritual spring-cleaning in our lives, we’ll need the Holy Spirit’s help. But where do we start?  Psalm 139:23-24 should be our prayer:

Search me thoroughly, O God, and know my heart!  Try me and know my thoughts!  And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 

       “Search me thoroughly.”  In other words, we’re saying, “Lord, take inventory of me.  Look at my heart and my motives.  Analyze my thoughts.  Do this, Lord, so I can know if there’s any wrong or hurtful way in me.  If there is, please lead me out of that so I can look and feel better as Your child.” 

       We shouldn’t wince at the idea of undergoing a cleansing like that—because that kind of “spring-cleaning” is the only way we’re going to see better days!  Without spring-cleaning, the wrong ways that have developed and accumulated in us over time will be hurtful not only to ourselves, but also to others and to the work of God. 

       It’s just a smart thing to submit to having our spiritual houses searched and swept and cleansed!

Take Inventory, Clean, and Repair

       As we take inventory of our lives, we begin noticing attitudes and behaviors that aren’t really “us.”  We’re taking a close look and observing how we’ve been thinking and feeling, and we realize we’ve begun to allow ourselves to act in ways we don’t desire to see exemplified.  It’s then that we must make the decision to “clean” our spiritual houses of those behaviors and whatever thoughts might be causing them.

       After inventory and cleaning, the last step of this spiritual spring-cleaning is repairing any damage that has been done physically or emotionally so that restoration can come. 

       Thank God that we have been given the Holy Spirit who will give us the discerning ability to see these things for what they really are.  And as painful as it can be when we see them, He gives us the strength to rid ourselves of those unwanted, accumulated things that can seem hard to let go of. 

       Our tendency is to want to cling to our belongings!  Sometimes we do it because those things are sentimental to us and we’re used to having them around.  Or maybe those things bring us some measure of comfort.  So at times we don’t want to undergo the pain of change and of clearing them from our lives.

       But when those things are cleaned out, we can see the better us that’s in there!  Our lives will be improved, and the real us that God wants to be revealed will not be hidden and obscured amidst all the “stuff” of our lives that we allowed to accumulate. 

       This truth reminds me of the artist Michelangelo’s painting of the Sistine Chapel many centuries ago.  Michelangelo spent five painstaking years lying on his back painting the ceiling frescoes depicting the fall of mankind.  After all that time, his work was finally completed, but the scenes had already begun to fade!  Within 100 years, the images were indiscernible.

       One painter described Michelangelo’s masterpiece as “colors through a smoked glass.” And that’s true of our lives when we allow “dust” to perpetually settle over us without doing regular spiritual housecleaning. 

God’s Masterpiece Revealed in You!

       It’s sad that we can accumulate so many hang-ups, habits, and brokenness that the “original” God made us to be can’t be seen!  We need to undergo cleaning so His masterpiece in us can be observed.

       Fortunately, that's what happened to the Sistine Chapel.  In 1989, after years of artists’ working carefully to clean all the frescoes on the ceiling, the originals could be seen once again.  And the result was breathtaking!  For the first time in nearly 500 years, people could see Michelangelo’s masterpiece the way it was intended.  Beautiful colors that had been buried for centuries once again shined through. 

       God wants others to see in you the breathtaking beauty that He has placed within you.  You may not feel that way right now, but if you will allow His Spirit to do some cleaning and uncovering, He will unveil the good things within you.  And He’ll do away with the things that are hurtful.

       Second Timothy 2:21 says, So whoever cleanses himself [from what is ignoble and unclean, who separates himself from contact with contaminating and corrupting influences] will then himself be a vessel set apart and useful for honorable and noble purposes, consecrated and profitable to the Master, fit and ready for any good work. 

       If we want to be usable by God, we’re going to have to allow Him to clean or remove from our “house” what is detrimental to us.  It may be painful as we dig and do the deep work of spiritual spring-cleaning.  But the results will be greater beauty, greater usefulness, and greater satisfaction.

       That’s what God wants for you!  He wants you to be content with who you are and how you think and act.  He wants you to look and feel better!  He wants you to be fit, prepared, and ready to do His will for your life so you can experience His best blessings.  All the work of inventory, cleaning, and repair will be worth it as it reveals God’s masterpiece in you!

We Want To Believe With You and Pray for You!

      Let’s do as God says in His Word and come into a prayer of agreement for your needs, then believe what the Lord said.  Whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven (Matt. 18:19).

      There is so much power available to you as we do this.  So let us pray with you by sharing your requests for God.  Click here now and we will receive them as soon as you send them.  After we pray, we’ll send you a letter filled with words from God’s Spirit for your life. 

SPECIAL NOTE:

        When you give into Alcott Ministries through your prayers and finances, you're enabling us to send out Word of Power teachings and see hope come to thousands of people.

        So, we pray that you will consider this ministry good ground in which to plant your seeds.  We see God give tremendous harvests to those who sow their seed here.  We believe the same for you as you obey God and hold the Word of Life out to others.
                                                                           

DONATE NOW.

The Motivating Force of Love!

by Jeanne Alcott

       Did you realize that as a believer, you have such a powerful force within you—and that strong force is love?

       Naturally speaking, love is not usually seen as something powerful.  For example, when we think of our need to conquer, defeat, or overcome some kind of weakness or adversity, our minds don’t usually go toward “love” as a power word.  But love is exactly the power force within us that wins over all and never fails.

       God’s love within us as believers is a strong force.  It’s the aspect of His nature that strengthens us, motivates us, and affects our behavior.  How we act—the fruit of our lives—comes from one place, and that is the love of God within us that’s active and working. 

       The words you say and the kind of character that’s produced in you stem from the love you have.  In other words, they stem from the love that’s active and working in you.  So if you’re treating others the way God desires—producing character that’s honorable and marked by integrity—you are being motivated by a strong force of love. 
 

We regularly need to ask ourselves:

• - What is motivating me to do the things I do?  Why do I do them?
• - When I spoke to that certain person, where did those words come from?  What motivated my response?
• - If I’m succeeding at something in my life, what’s causing that? 

       If the answer to those questions is love, we’re on the right road. It’s a road that will lead us where God wants us to go so we can fulfill His will, live the good life He has planned for us, and help others do the same.

       I read something a truck driver said to describe how the love of Christ can control our behavior if we’ll just use the force of love within us.  This truck driver showed how God’s love had changed him when he said, “When I find somebody tailgating my truck today, I no longer drive on the shoulder of the road to kick up cinders on his vehicle.”

       How simple is that!  But that’s how the force of love works within us.  It shows us simple and pure ways to behave in order to demonstrate what we’re really made of.  And it motivates us to act on them!

       God wants us to live happier and healthier lives because we’ve learned to let love be the motivating force of our behavior.  If we’re unhappy about something, or things are not going well for us in some area, it’s good to see if we’re following the rules of love right down to our everyday actions and words. 

       We love in big ways and in small ways.  Love motivates us to do a certain thing or act a certain way when we would like to do something else.  Our flesh nature may want to rise up and say or do something that goes against those rules of love—to do something that’s unkind and wrong.  But love is a strong motivating source to redirect us to act in a way that pleases God.

Is Love Dominant or Dormant?

       Galatians 5:22 tells us that the fruit of the Holy Spirit in us—meaning what His Spirit produces through us—is love.  That’s what we’re made of!  But we have to put it into action and let it motivate our lives.

       When someone who is serving you does something wrong, does love speak to resolve it?  When you’re driving and want to get somewhere fast, is love at the wheel of your automobile?  When someone wrongs you in some way, even intentionally, does love respond?  Is love dominant or dormant in those moments?

• - Suppose you’re under pressure because of all your responsibilities, but someone ask for your help.  How does your level of love respond?
• - What if someone slips in and takes the parking space you’ve been patiently waiting for?  How do you respond?
• - What about a person who says something about you that’s unfair?  Does the level of your love retaliate or respond with mercy and grace?
• - What if your friend or family member is doing something you don’t like?  Where is the love of God inside you then!

       These are practical situations, but allowing the strong force of love to motivate our actions is something we must do daily in the big and small circumstances of our lives.

Love Motivates Us and Enables
Us To ‘See’ Others

       First Timothy 4:12 tells us to be an example (pattern) for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.

        This can be hard to do when we’re trying so hard to keep our own life going.  It can become easy to get centered on ourselves.  But the love of God in us causes us to look beyond just ourselves.  What it boils down to is that we trust the Lord so much with what we’ve committed to Him that we don’t have to be concerned about what’s going to happen to us.

       When people are worried about whether they’re giving to receive the help they need, the provision they prayed for, the restored relationship they’re seeking, the issue in their body that needs to be resolved, etc., they can become “blinded.” 

       Their mind and emotions can become so immersed in themselves that the fruit of love can be squelched.  They no longer see others the way God sees them, and they lose their motivation to give place to His love in their heart to help others.

Love in Three Directions

       When we are really trusting God—that’s when we can allow love to come to the forefront and become the motivating factor of our behavior.  As someone once said, “Love that reaches up is adoration.  Love that reaches across is affection.  And love that reaches down is grace.”  It’s love in three directions.

       So when we’re reaching up, we’re adoring God and worshiping Him.  When we reach across, we’re showing His affection to others.  And when we reach down to lift up those who need help, that’s grace.  We have to remember that our love does not stop with our worshiping God.  We translate that time with God into reaching out with affection to others.

       First John 4:20 plainly says that if someone says he loves God, but detests another believer, he doesn’t love God.  Actually, that verse says that person is a liar!

       Friend, God is as interested in how we show love to others as He is in our love toward Him.  That’s a pretty strong statement, but that’s what He clearly communicates to us in His Word. 

       First Corinthians 13:5 tells us that when we’re allowing love to be a powerful force through us, we will not act unbecomingly.  We won’t insist on our own rights or want our own way.  We won’t be self-seeking, thinking only of ourselves.  We won’t be touchy, fretful, or resentful. 

       Another scripture, First Thessalonians 4:12, tells us that through love we are honorable and command the respect of the outside world, being dependent on nobody [self-supporting] and having need of nothing.

       That describes a happier and healthier life that comes as a result of operating in love!  Not only do we respect others, but we receive respect because of what we allow to shine and show through us.  We’re not dependent, and our needs are taken care of, when our actions and words are motivated by affection and caring.

Rules of Love on a Stagecoach!

       Let me tell you a humorous, but very practical demonstration of this.  It will take us back many years to a time when people traveled by stagecoach before the days of railroad transportation.  In those days, people would crowd into stagecoaches to travel where they needed to go. 

       But like anything else, when the public is involved, there had to be rules, or people would inevitably offend one another.  So Wells Fargo posted rules inside each coach, telling passengers how they were expected to behave. 

       For instance, one rule stated that one must not snore loudly while sleeping!   Another said, in effect, “Don’t use your fellow passenger’s shoulder for a pillow—he or she may not understand and friction may result!”

       Then another rule stated that smoking was not allowed, only chewing tobacco; however, a chewing-tobacco user must spit with the wind, not against it.

        Those rules sound comical, and we might laugh, but thank the Lord for rules!

A Word to the Wise

       Looking at society today, we understand that there are rules that should affect our behavior for the good of everyone.  And if each person operated in love as he or she should, there would be much less friction in life.  People wouldn’t be offending and hurting each other so much. 

       Another Wells Fargo rule stated that gents guilty of unchivalrous behavior toward lady passengers would be put off the stagecoach.  Then it added this warning: “It’s a long walk back.  A word to the wise is sufficient.”

        A word to the wise is sufficient!  When we’re not walking in love, we may find ourselves on a long walk back to where we need to be.  If we don’t go God’s way, it’s much more painful and takes longer to get where we desire to be. 

       So let’s permit love to be a strong, motivating force in us.  Giving place to that love is powerful and helpful.  It makes our lives and the lives of those around us better.  Most of all, we please God when we allow love to determine our behavior.  And THAT is our biggest desire and accomplishment of all—pleasing Him.

We Want To Believe With You and Pray for You!

      Let’s do as God says in His Word and come into a prayer of agreement for your needs, then believe what the Lord said.  Whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven (Matt. 18:19).

      There is so much power available to you as we do this.  So let us pray with you by sharing your requests for God.  Click here now and we will receive them as soon as you send them.  After we pray, we’ll send you a letter filled with words from God’s Spirit for your life. 

SPECIAL NOTE:

        When you give into Alcott Ministries through your prayers and finances, you're enabling us to send out Word of Power teachings and see hope come to thousands of people.

        So, we pray that you will consider this ministry good ground in which to plant your seeds.  We see God give tremendous harvests to those who sow their seed here.  We believe the same for you as you obey God and hold the Word of Life out to others.
                                                                           

DONATE NOW.

See the Vision—Fulfill the Dream!

Jeanne Alcott

       One of the greatest keys to receiving answers in life is having vision.  Without having a vision, or dream, of what we desire to see in our lives, we will not likely ever see it come to pass.  We have to have a picture in our mind and spirit of what we want to see happen as a part of God’s will and plan for us. 

       This “vision” can't be just an occasional daydream or the thought, It would be great if that happened.  Vision is something much stronger than that.  Vision is an image we have inside us that helps push us toward seeing that image forged into reality. 

       Without such a vision, I don't believe I would have been healed from the severe pain I once suffered.  Without an image formed in me about our ministry, it would not have come into being. 

       That is true for every facet of our lives.  Without vision in my heart and mind from God, I wouldn't have married the right person, gone to college, or worked my way up in an organization.  I had to have a vision formed inside me of God’s will for my life, and then see it as being fulfilled so I could work toward it and walk it out.  

The ‘Work’ of Having and Maintaining Vision
 

       Throughout life, we never stop having vision.  We envision what we want to see accomplished in our lives, whether big or small.  For example, without a vision for a balanced household budget in our personal finances, we wouldn’t have one!  We “see” or envision it first, and then we work and pray to see it come to pass.

       I can honestly say that at one point in our marriage, John and I didn’t have a vision for a budget in our personal finances, and we had to have God’s help to get out of debt.  But before we experienced the reality of that financial freedom, we had to set our hearts and minds that it would be so.  That’s when we became free of debt.

       Everything we desire in life requires some work in our mind and spirit—not just work on the outside or in the arena of what we can do.  We have to work on vision first before we can see what we desire become a reality.

       When we let go of that responsibility to cultivate vision within, we will stop seeing the answers we need.  Then instead of actively determining our lives, we become mere receivers.  We sit and receive whatever comes our way and then try to deal with it.  We decide only to handle what presents itself—instead of working from a vision of what we really want. 

       It takes effort to keep the image of our finished goals before us.

God Is Calling You To Succeed 

       The Lord is telling you that you are called to take an active part in your own future.  You should be unwilling to sit by the wayside and just “let come what may.”  No, God has called you to be a person of vision.

        I encourage you to cultivate inside you a picture for every single thing you want to see happen.  It starts with a Christian vision, which is to worship and obey God and win people for Christ as you live in God’s promises.  Then your Christian vision should drive your personal vision.  God has a unique and specific plan for your life.  It’s your personal vision, and fulfilling it is the way you can best serve Him and bless humanity. 

       God wants to see you healthy and whole.  So get a vision for that!  Get an image on the inside of physical and emotional health, wholeness, and soundness.  God also wants you to be amply provided for—abundantly supplied.  Capture that vision for your life!

       And just look at how the Lord is working to help you grow in Him and have excellent relationships, a great family life, and a successful business or job.

       Perhaps you’re going through a growing process right now.  Ask God for a vision of what He’s doing in you.  Get a copy in your brain of the picture He wants to plant deeply within of the good things He wants you to experience and do.  He wants you to see how you can influence and guide your children and those you lead.  The Lord sees how you can affect those around you in your city, state, nation—and, ultimately, the world. 

       We need to have a vision for every area of our lives!

Resist the Wrong Image!

       Don’t accept the picture that the devil would try to paint in your heart and have you swallow.  Don’t take the bait on that hopeless, sad image!   He will whisper things in your ears, such as:  Things won’t change; you’ll never achieve this goal; you’ll just have to live this way; you will always be disappointed by life; it’s too good to be true; it wasn’t meant to be.

       Don't bite down on those lies and ingest them into your heart and mind.  Instead, reject them and ask God to give you truth and a higher perspective!  That’s what He has for you—a perspective that is bigger and better than what you’ve ever dreamed. 

       That’s one of the first things you’ll need to settle if you want success in life—you need a good image, or vision, and a higher perspective!  So let God advance you from where you are in your mind so you can get a better image of what He has planned for you.  Don’t settle for a small, hopeless, limited view.

Take a Step Back From the Circumstances
and Grasp the Big Picture 

       A scholar and teacher by the name of William Macneile Dixon once described this type of view using an analogy.  He used the example of a fly crawling across a masterpiece painting in the Vatican that was created by the artist Raphael.

       Think about how much that fly could possibly know about that whole painting as it crawled along.  It could perhaps tell that some colors were brighter than others.  It could feel that some places were rougher than others due to the stroke of the painter’s brush.  But regardless of what small thing that insect could detect about that massive painting as it crawled along, it could not have a “big-picture” perspective.  Its vision was limited.

       Friend, what God has for you is a masterpiece.  That’s the plan He has for your life.  And He has designed that for you in every area.   But if your vision is limited, you’ll never be able to see it.  You won’t be able to find and fulfill it.  You’ll be like that fly crawling over a vast masterpiece.  Sure, you might experience little bits and pieces of His design for you—and perhaps get a glimpse of bigger parts of it here and there. 

       But wouldn’t it be great to be able to see and experience all that God has for you?   In order to do that, you’re going to need higher perspective and increased vision!   You’re going to have to back far enough away from situations, circumstances, and the smaller parts of your life so you can see the big perspective of what is available to you.  Just as that fly, you’re going to have to rise above the “painting” to see it in its fullness.

Climb Up Higher

       How large is your vision?   Do you have a mental picture of yourself just trying to get by—or do you see yourself totally conquering what’s bothering you and standing in your way?  Is your perspective large enough to think of having finances to send your kids to school, to give into God’s work, or to move to a better place to live?  What ideas do you have floating around in you that are shaping your career or causing you to be used in some helpful way?  Do you see yourself maintaining a good weight and enjoying good health free of pain?  Let God give you a good vision of what He has for you.  Climb up higher in your thinking so that you can have a better view.

       That’s just what a man in the Bible named Zacchaeus did. One day, Jesus was passing through this man’s town.  Zacchaeus really wanted to see Jesus, having heard about the miracles He performed.  But the crowd was large that day, and Zacchaeus was short in stature and couldn’t see Jesus clearly.  So what did he do?   He climbed a sycamore tree to broaden his view.

       The Bible says, When Jesus reached the place, He looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.  So he [Zacchaeus] hurried and came down, and he received and welcomed Him joyfully (Luke 19:5-6).

       It’s important to understand that at the time, Zacchaeus was not an honest person.  In fact, he was considered a sinner.  So the people couldn't understand why the Lord was doing this.  But Jesus was showing Zacchaeus a higher perspective for his life—how Zacchaeus’ life could be!  And because He reached out to this man, the Word says, Zacchaeus stood up and solemnly declared to the Lord, See, Lord, the half of my goods I [now] give [by way of restoration] to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone out of anything, I [now] restore four times as much.  And Jesus said to him, Today is salvation come to [all the members of] this household, since Zacchaeus too is a [real spiritual] son of Abraham; For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost (vv. 8-10).

       That all happened because a man changed his perspective.  And when he did—when he climbed up higher—he was able to see the Lord and his life was changed. 

       When we have a higher perspective in our thoughts and desires, we’re going to be able to see the Lord too!  We will be able to have a vision of what He has for us, and it will change everything!  We will be able to experience greater things in our own lives and do greater things with our lives for God.

       Don't become so involved in the small things of life that your vision becomes limited or dimmed.  Instead, see the bigger picture—the vision or image of the masterpiece God has painted just for you.

       Let the Lord help you see better in the midst of what you are perhaps facing right now.   Let Him raise your perspective so that you can truly see Him working in your circumstances, and you can visualize your dreams and desires being fulfilled.

We Want To Believe With You and Pray for You!

      Let’s do as God says in His Word and come into a prayer of agreement for your needs, then believe what the Lord said.  Whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven (Matt. 18:19).

      There is so much power available to you as we do this.  So let us pray with you by sharing your requests for God.  Click here now and we will receive them as soon as you send them.  After we pray, we’ll send you a letter filled with words from God’s Spirit for your life.  

SPECIAL NOTE:

        When you give into Alcott Ministries through your prayers and finances, you're enabling us to send out Word of Power teachings and see hope come to thousands of people.

        So, we pray that you will consider this ministry good ground in which to plant your seeds.  We see God give tremendous harvests to those who sow their seed here.  We believe the same for you as you obey God and hold the Word of Life out to others.
                                                                           

DONATE NOW.

Immanuel: God With You!

Jeanne Alcott

Behold, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel—which, when translated, means, God with us.—Matthew 1:23 

       God called His Son Immanuel for a reason.  He wanted you to know that He is with you.  You are not alone.  Jesus Christ brings all that God is into your life.

       Chuck Colson, the founder of Prison Fellowship, tells a story about Immanuel.  It was Christmastime, and he was bringing presents to the children of prison inmates.  This was a part of a program he began so those children could receive gifts they would not otherwise be able to receive because one or both parents were incarcerated.  He and his wife went to one house where they met a small boy who told them his name was Immanuel.  So Colson opened his Bible to Matthew 1:23 and showed the boy what his name meant—God with us.  The young boy jumped up in his excitement and kept saying to his mother, “Mommy, God is with us!  God is with us!”

       Can you imagine how much it meant to that family to know that God truly was with them?  I tell you, when life has dealt us a blow, when we are in serious need, we feel confused, or circumstances seem complex and we’re not seeing the answers we need—we need to remember Christ, our Immanuel!

       God is with you because you’ve accepted His Son.  All that comes with Him enters inside you.  So you can walk in real confidence.  You have great potential in what you can do and receive and become through Christ Jesus.

       When Christ comes to live in you in the New Birth, all that God is also becomes resident within.  You can lift up your head and walk like someone who knows what they’re doing!  In spite of circumstances in your body or emotions—or what’s happening in your relationships or finances or work—you are confident because the Lord is with you.  You have Immanuel on the inside.  You’re going to come through victoriously.

Be Confident in ‘Christ in You’

       Confidence is important to you because it’s a key to our being able to see God’s will accomplished in our circumstances.  We can have all kinds of wonderful things from Christ residing on the inside of us, but those wonderful things mean nothing to our life if we don't have the assurance to use them.  That’s why confidence comes with the whole package of “Christ in us.” 

       God is confident, and He wants you to be confident too.  When you feel down or unsure about how events are going to turn out, just remember, with Christ comes confidence.  You have Him in you; therefore, you can walk with composure and decisiveness.  Your faith is strong to help you stand.

        I think of the tremendous letter I recently received from a dear woman that shows the confidence we can have because Immanuel is with us.  She wrote that her son was born by emergency C-section due to a low heart rate.  Then it was discovered that he had complications breathing, so they were going to have to transfer him to a major children's hospital.  That meant the parents would not be able to hold him or feed or be with him for quite some time. 

       But prayer had gone out for this baby even before he was born.  We had been in a faith agreement, believing for God’s hand to be upon him.  But at the outset, when you hear words like this from doctors, you can be tempted to think your prayers didn’t work. 

       We all come to times such as that in our life.  The answer doesn’t come like we think it should, so our confidence is low or even shot.  We can think, What happened?  Where did things go wrong?  I prayed and believed—why didn't this happen the way it was supposed to?  These types of questions will try to invade our heart.  That’s why it’s important that we take time to be with the Lord.  He’s the only One who can renew our confidence so we can turn those questions around and be positive and resolute to see our answer come.

       Just as that couple was told their baby wasn’t breathing properly, we can see things in our life at times that are not “breathing” or functioning the way they should.  Things are not going the way we desire.  It’s only with the Lord that we’re going to be able to have what it takes to stand and endure so we see the answer we need.

       That woman and her husband were assured the Lord was taking care of their son.  Finally, just before they were about to take the baby to the other hospital, they decided to try giving him a certain treatment—which caused him to begin breathing correctly!  This mother said her son smiled at them while he was in the hospital and since then, he has hit many milestones before the usual predicted time. 

       In her letter, she wrote: “You helped in intervening through prayer for my husband and me and our unborn son, and we thank you for serving the Lord willingly and not begrudgingly with wholehearted commitment.  As you sought God on our behalf, I believe you helped to save our son’s life [when he was born] so he wouldn’t die, but would thrive!  Now he can be in church, serving the Lord and being a blessing.  He is a ‘crawling, soon-to-be walking’ testimony!  God bless you and John, and may your days continue to be a testimony as well to ‘how great is our God’!”

       Praise God!  He is with us.  That means He is with you.  I am thinking of what you might need today.  It may seem as though your situation is “barely breathing.”  You’re trying to give oxygen to the circumstances, but they’re just not coming along. 

       With the confidence of Christ, we believe the power of God transforms things—that the ending to your story changes.  It becomes a successful one in which God’s will is accomplished for you, and your situation turns into a big blessing.  It’s a “crawling, soon-to-be-walking” testimony! 

       Simply believe you will see God’s hand move to change your circumstances!

Favored With Blessing
 

       In Genesis 26:24, the Lord says, Fear not, for I am with you and will favor you with blessings and multiply your descendants.  There are those words again:  “I am with you.”  Where the Lord is, we can be favored with blessing, power, peace, and all that we need.  That’s why He wants us to be in Him and to believe that He is in us and will be Immanuel in our life—God who is with us!

       It’s like the concept of air.  Air is in us and yet we are also in the air.  So, too, is Christ in us, and we are in Him.  But with air, if we don’t breathe it, it doesn’t matter that it’s all around us, because it won’t get in us.  Our life will be over.  We have to take air in to benefit from it.

       Similarly, the Lord can be in you and all around you—with you.  But if you’re not “breathing Him in,” you’re not receiving all that He means to you or intends for you.  But when you are with Him in prayer or just thinking about Him as you’re sitting quietly—or even walking down a hallway or driving your car—your spirit is breathing in the very presence of the Lord.  It’s not just a matter of making sure you have fifteen minutes of devotions every day.  It’s cultivating the practice of making Him dominant in your heart continually. That’s what strengthens you and gives your spirit assurance, confidence, and firm stability.  It makes you effective, able, and strong. 

       Oh, when we see something is not going the way it should, we need that kind of confidence to pull us through.  And that only comes from being with the Lord—from getting in His presence.  As we practice living in His Presence, things happen!

       I’m thinking of a game some people have played, in which they fill up their car tank with fuel and then simply drive until they’re on “E,” or empty, again.  Unfortunately, if we play that same kind of game with our spiritual tank, when we hit the big empty signal, that’s exactly what we will be:  empty of confidence and empty of strength.  Our mental and emotional ability to successfully deal with our situation will be low. 

       Have you ever allowed yourself to become empty like that?  If so, you know how you become frustrated, irritable, or depressed—or all three.  Without the Lord, we can’t go anywhere in life that really matters.  But as we practice being with Him—breathing in that air of confidence—that’s when a testimony can come out of our circumstances. 

       Know that Immanuel is calling to you today and reaching out His hand to bring you into a deeper awareness of Him.  He truly is with you!

       That’s what He wants you to sense—that He is deep into your life and cares about you.  He wants you to experience not only His presence, but also changes in your circumstances and your desires to be realized.  Let Him show you the great wonders He wants to do for you and through you because He is in you and with you!

We Want To Believe With You and Pray for You!

      Let’s do as God says in His Word and come into a prayer of agreement for your needs, then believe what the Lord said.  Whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven (Matt. 18:19).

      There is so much power available to you as we do this.  So let us pray with you by sharing your requests for God.  Click here now and we will receive them as soon as you send them.  After we pray, we’ll send you a letter filled with words from God’s Spirit for your life. 

                                                              Jeanne and John Alcott

SPECIAL NOTE:

        When you give into Alcott Ministries through your prayers and finances, you're enabling us to send out Word of Power teachings and see hope come to thousands of people.

        So, we pray that you will consider this ministry good ground in which to plant your seeds.  We see God give tremendous harvests to those who sow their seed here.  We believe the same for you as you obey God and hold the Word of Life out to others.
                                                                           

DONATE NOW.

 Thankful for What?

Jeanne Alcott

       Of all the things for which we can be thankful, one of the greatest is to be thankful for God’s faithfulness.  Without His faithfulness, there would be nothing for which we could be thankful.

       Just think what the world would be like without the faithfulness of God—if it was shut off from to us.  There would be no morning after night; no harvest after planting; no recovery from problems and disasters; no gravity or lift; and no order—just utter chaos.

        Without God’s faithfulness, we would be cut off from His love, joy, peace, and power.  We would be hopeless, with nothing to comfort or sustain us.

        When we look at it that way, we can see how God’s faithfulness is critical to our survival, deliverance, and blessing.  That’s why giving thanks for His faithfulness must be a part of our everyday existence. 

        What does “thanksgiving” actually mean?  In the Greek language, it means to have grateful acknowledgment of God’s faithfulness to us!  That’s the kind of voice we should have: grateful acknowledgment of how the Lord is faithful.  If we have the wrong kind of voice and we’re continually speaking out of our emotional hurt or pain, we’re not going to see the power that thankfulness can produce in our lives. 

        That’s because thanksgiving expresses our faith in God.

God Hears the Sound of Faith!

       Thanksgiving is the voice of faith that directs the faithfulness of God toward your life and circumstances.  Colossians 2:7 says, Have the roots [of your being] firmly and deeply planted [in Him, fixed and founded in Him], being continually built up in Him, becoming increasingly more confirmed and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and abounding and overflowing in it with thanksgiving. 

       How do we abound and overflow in faith?  With thanksgiving!  Our voice of thanks and gratitude shows God that we truly believe in His faithfulness to us.  If we are continually complaining about what He hasn’t done yet and how bad things appear, that certainly doesn’t look as though we have confidence that He will do something—or that He will do it soon enough.

        God wants to see our faith first!  That’s why when He hears words expressing how thankful we are for His faithfulness, His ears are open to our prayers.  His ears are listening when we are grateful as we petition Him for the help we need.

Isn’t that exactly what Philippians 4:6 says?

Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. 

How do we tell God what we need Him to do for us?  How do we come to Him in our mind and emotions and heart?  With thanksgiving.  We push aside all the anxiety that tries to grab hold of us like a big ugly hand that wants to get a grip on us to cause us to fear.  As we come before the Lord with our requests, that grip is broken.  God hears us giving Him thanks for His faithfulness—not complaining that He’s not coming fast enough or that things are not going to work out.  We come with declarations of what God has done and will do according to His Word. 

A Thankful Heart Is an Established Heart.

       Being thankful is the key to keeping our faith established and strong.  When we’re overflowing with thanksgiving, we are trusting Him and believing that He will be there for us—in the right timing and in the right way.  We’re thankful that He is reliable and loyal to us.  He is trustworthy to fulfill His promises because of His great faithfulness.

       When I was looking at a seemingly hopeless situation in my own life, I realized that my answer boiled down to if I would really believe God was going to come through for me.  Would I trust Him that He would be there for me?  I had talked about all the things that weren’t happening.  But then I needed to remember and recite that He is a faithful God—that He had been faithful to me in the past and that He would be faithful to me now.

       Friend, God is not going to fail you!  I like how He describes Himself in Isaiah 49:15: Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?  Yes, they may forget, yet I will not forget you. 

       As strong as the relationship is between a woman and her child, there is still one relationship that is greater.  God is saying, “I will never forget you.  I will always be there for you and will be faithful to you.  I will never leave you or forsake you. Cast aside fear and be filled with hope and assurance that I am working on your situation to bring about good results.” 

       Oh, how thankful I am for God’s faithfulness!

       In times of desperation, we must not forget to be thankful that we serve the kind of God we serve.  It can be easy to overlook this act of worship and faith because problems and frustrations have a way of vying for our attention and trying to steal our peace.

       That’s the whole purpose of problems and trials—to remove our attention from God so that they can dampen our faith, disturb our peace, and rob us of our assurance of Him.  And along with that, those problems can sap us of our strength of faith that causes mountains to move.  In our weakened state, we lose our perspective of God’s faithfulness.

       We need to contend for our faith in God’s faithfulness by speaking words of thanksgiving—getting those words out into the atmosphere around us.  Those words of thanksgiving create the kind of force that will bring about the goodness and power of God in our lives.

       The voice of thankfulness pulls God’s answers right out of Him and into our life!  Thanksgiving is a powerful force! 

Destructive and Constructive Attitudes—

Choose Wisely.

       So much scientific research has proven that thankfulness is a great combatant and reliever of stress.

       One researcher, Hans Seyle, explained that there are two attitudes that influence the quality of our life more than any others: revenge and gratitude.  He went on to say that on these two emotions “depend our peace of mind, our feelings of security or insecurity, of fulfillment or frustration...[and] the extent to which we can make a success of life.”

       Of course, we know that revenge is a destructive emotion.  But in contrast, “among all the emotions, there is one which, more than any other, accounts for the absence or presence of stress in human relations: that is the feeling of gratitude.”   In other words, the presence of gratitude results in the absence of stress. And it’s also true that the absence of gratitude results in the presence of stress!

       When we’re thankful, we can get rid of stress in our lives.  And we know that the reason is, when we’re thankful to God, we’re in faith concerning His faithfulness.  We’re not complaining, and we’re not fearing or fretting.  Our thankfulness expresses our belief and trust in the faithfulness of God.  And assurance of God’s faithfulness knocks worry and tension right out of the ballpark!

       I encourage you to open your mouth and declare all that God is and does for His people.  Proclaim His faithfulness!  The following verses from Psalms will help you get started:

I will give to the Lord the thanks due to His rightness and justice, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.  (Psalm 7:17)

That I may make the voice of thanksgiving heard and may tell of all Your wondrous works.  (Psalm 26:7)

Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!  (Psalm 106:1)

I will confess, praise, and give thanks to You, for You have heard and answered me; and You have become my Salvation and Deliverer.  (Psalm 118:21)

       Faith has a voice, and it’s the voice of thanksgiving!  So determine that you’re going to have that kind of voice.  Whatever situation is confronting you right now, declare in the face of it that your God is faithful and that He will bring you through.  Give thanks to Him that He makes things right and brings justice.  Then watch His power bring about what He has spoken to your heart.

We Want To Believe With You and Pray for You!

      Let’s do as God says in His Word and come into a prayer of agreement for your needs, then believe what the Lord said.  Whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven (Matt. 18:19).

      There is so much power available to you as we do this.  So let us pray with you by sharing your requests for God.  Click here now and we will receive them as soon as you send them.  After we pray, we’ll send you a letter filled with words from God’s Spirit for your life. 

                                                                Jeanne and John Alcott

SPECIAL NOTE:

        When you give into Alcott Ministries through your prayers and finances, you're enabling us to send out Word of Power teachings and see hope come to thousands of people.

        So, we pray that you will consider this ministry good ground in which to plant your seeds.  We see God give tremendous harvests to those who sow their seed here.  We believe the same for you as you obey God and hold the Word of Life out to others.

                                                                                 

DONATE NOW.

 Experience the

 Unexplainable!

Jeanne Alcott

       There is a spiritual world that is all around you.  It’s a realm that goes beyond what your senses normally perceive.  Yet it’s just as real as anything you can see, hear, taste, touch, or smell.  In fact, it existed before our world existed. 

       Long before the earth and the universe were formed, the spiritual world simply “was.”  There has never been a time when it did not exist.  God the Creator of the heavens and Earth always has been and always will be.  Although we don’t understand everything about that other world, we should not shun it or ignore it.  On the contrary, it’s by seeking to have a greater awareness of God’s spiritual realm that we can experience insight and power beyond what we can experience in our own humanness.

       We’ve all heard stories of people who have had near-death experiences or encounters with angels.  But for the purpose of this teaching, I’m talking about how you as a believer can have an awareness of the spiritual realm every day.  Driving down the street, walking into your house, being at your job—wherever you are at any given time—it’s important to have this awareness, because in the realm of the spirit is where all activity happens first. 

       In other words, everything starts in the spiritual world before you ever see the manifestation or appearance of something in this earth, including in your personal life!  It’s not “way out” or unusual in the spiritual sense.  It’s just that when we try to grasp that realm with our human mind, we can become confused or fearful. 

       But we as believers have the ability to discern spiritual activity, and we have power in the spiritual realm because we have the Holy Spirit within us.  He is, after all, the Holy SPIRIT.  Therefore, He is from that spiritual realm. 

       The more you allow the Holy Spirit to reveal things to you that are happening in the spiritual realm, the more amazing things will begin to happen in your life here in this natural, physical realm where you live.  Miracles and answers, as well as influence and power should be affecting everything about your life here. 

       Your day-to-day activities and the bigger experiences that affect you can be touched by the realm of the Spirit where God Himself lives.  That’s because, by your faith in Him, you’re dealing in the realm of the spirit where supernatural activity originates.  Therefore, as you walk by faith and not by sight, you will witness the unexplainable! 

       We should not be afraid or intimidated to pray about things that are supernatural.  Those things are thoroughly grounded in Scripture.  I have done that almost my entire life.  I was raised to understand that by God’s power—through the Holy Spirit within us—we can see great things happen that go beyond our ability to explain them. 

       I’m not the only one.  There are many Christians who have seen this happen.  Right now, I’m thinking of a woman I read about who witnessed the unexplainable in a situation in which she was involved.  She was part of a group of ministers who were hosting a special speaker for a crusade at a football stadium in South Carolina. 

       Thousands of people had come to the event, but the problem was, the weatherperson had forecasted that a serious thunderstorm was on the way.  It was supposed to hit right at the time the meeting was going to start.  As these people were filing into the stadium, the sky was growing darker and darker.

Address the Storm!

       That group of ministers decided to get together and pray concerning the meeting and the weather.  As they did, most of the prayers that were being prayed were just what you might call “nice” ones.  They weren’t prayers of faith and power that actually make an impact.  But this one woman knew how to address the spiritual realm. 

       So when she began to pray, she reminded God that they had thousands in attendance who had come to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  She pleaded her case that these unbelievers should not have to go away without hearing it—because God could control the weather!  So she said, “Lord, in the Name of Jesus Christ, address this storm!” 

       She knew this storm was a spiritual attack against the event to keep people from being helped, and unbelievers would not come to salvation.  Therefore, she had to address it on a spiritual level in order to get victory over it. 

       That’s what you have to do too!  Address your problem on a spiritual level so you can get victory in that situation.  Address the storm.  Recognize the spiritual activity arrayed against you—then know and acknowledge that God can do something about it.  He can do the unexplainable!

       That’s what this woman expected to see.  Even though the sky became ominously dark and the storm continued to threaten, they went on with the meeting.  People began to get out their umbrellas, expecting the rain to come down hard at any minute.  The man sitting next to this woman opened his umbrella and offered to share it with her, but she refused it.  She knew something was happening in the spiritual world in response to her prayer, and it was going to make an impact on their world at any moment! 

       Friend, that’s faith.  You must have faith that even though you don’t see what’s happening in the spiritual realm, you know your faith and prayers are going to make an impact in your situation. 

       As the group of ministers were sitting on the platform facing the people, they could see the weather behind the crowd in that open stadium.  They watched as the storm came right up to the edge of the stadium, and just before it would have passed over, drenching everyone in that arena, that storm split and traveled on both sides of the stadium around the people!  Then it came back together after it passed them!  Absolutely NO RAIN came into that meeting.  Everyone stayed dry!

       No one could explain that storm passing over the stadium like that.  In our human vernacular, we would say, “That’s weird.”  But no, that’s supernatural. 

       That is just one example of unexplainable events that happen in the spiritual realm, then we see them manifest in front of our eyes.  It’s when we’re willing to reach out with our faith and believe God will do something that we will see it! 

       We should be seeing the supernatural every day.  And I’m not just talking about seeing weather patterns changed.  I’m also talking about manifestations of supernatural provision and turnarounds in every area.  Conditions and circumstances taking a turn that we can’t explain.  We can also see sickness leave, health restored, and deliverance occur that didn’t seem possible!

       That’s what Peter experienced when he was in put into prison for preaching the Gospel.  Acts chapter 12 tells that Herod had put Peter in the depths of a prison because Peter was using the name of Jesus.  This apostle had been making an impact in the natural realm by using that great name.  Satan was trying to do away with Peter so he could silence him.

       To make sure Peter did not escape, Herod assigned sixteen soldiers to guard the man of God!  Two were actually chained to him, and Peter himself was fastened with two chains.  The other guards were stationed as sentries at the door.  But no matter what barriers Satan puts up, and no matter how strong his plan seems to be, he cannot stop the supernatural workings of God. 

       In response to the faith of Peter’s partners in prayer, God sent an angel into that prison!  It was nighttime, so Peter was not awake when the angel appeared and stood beside him.  The angel actually had to strike Peter on the side to wake him up!  He said, “Get up!”  And the chains fell off.  Then the angel told him to get his sandals on and follow him. 

       Peter still did not understand that all this was really happening.  He thought it was a vision or that he was dreaming.  But as soon as the angel took him past the guards, and the iron gates “opened of their own accord,” then he understood that he had just witnessed the unexplainable.  (Ref. Acts 12:1-11.) 

       Something had happened in the spiritual world and manifested on Peter’s behalf.  He had been supernaturally delivered.  Once he comprehended this, he headed to the house where fellow believers were still praying for him!  From there, Peter went on to continue preaching the Gospel.

Satan Has a Plan To Harm You—But God
Always Has a Better Plan!

       Those people who had been praying saw the supernatural workings of God on Peter’s behalf.  And I want to encourage you that in whatever way the devil has tried to stop you from receiving what God has for you, you can believe something supernatural can happen for you that will open doors for you.  Just as sure as those prison doors swung open for Peter, the doors to the answers you need can swing open supernaturally. 

       God can change the plans of the enemy!  Listen, the entire time Satan was making plans in the spiritual realm to stop or hurt you, God had already devised His own plan to stop what the enemy would do! 

       But it’s up to you to believe and pray that God will intervene—that He will do the unexplainable.  It doesn’t matter whether you can understand it or figure out how it can happen.  Just believe that it will happen for you!

       That’s what John and I did when we were facing such oppressive debt early in our marriage.  We had loans on both our cars and credit-card debt.  We were continually trying to get out of the hole, living from paycheck to paycheck.  That is not the way God intends for His people to live! 

       So we decided to surrender it all to Him and follow His path to have the kind of financial well-being that He intends.  We got together in our living room and were led by the Holy Spirit to pray that God would send lump sums of money from unexpected sources.  We committed to put the money toward paying off debt, after our living expenses were taken care of. 

       But we had to commit that the extra money would go toward debt.  So we prayed before the Lord.  We cried and prayed and surrendered it all to Him.  It wasn’t too long afterward that extra money began to come in—from unexplained sources, just as we’d prayed. 

       It was supernatural and unexplainable.  But because we believed that it could and would happen, by faith we saw it all transpire.  We witnessed the unexplainable.  It was supernatural intervention.  And that’s what God wants to do in your life.

       When you see your problem, don’t see it just from a physical point of view.  See it from a spiritual point of view as well.  Know that for every kind of activity you see going on in front of you, there’s much more activity going on in the spiritual realm.  There’s a whole lot happening there!  And as you pray and have faith, God can override the plans the devil is making. 

       So believe for God’s work to be done in your life and experience the unexplainable!

We Want To Believe With You and Pray for You!

      Let’s do as God says in His Word and come into a prayer of agreement for your needs, then believe what the Lord said.  Whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven (Matt. 18:19).

      There is so much power available to you as we do this.  So let us pray with you by sharing your requests for God.  Click here now and we will receive them as soon as you send them.  After we pray, we’ll send you a letter filled with words from God’s Spirit for your life. 

                                                                               Jeanne and John Alcott

SPECIAL NOTE:

        When you give into Alcott Ministries through your prayers and finances, you're enabling us to send out Word of Power teachings and see hope come to thousands of people.

        So, we pray that you will consider this ministry good ground in which to plant your seeds.  We see God give tremendous harvests to those who sow their seed here.  We believe the same for you as you obey God and hold the Word of Life out to others.

                                                        Jeanne and John Alcott

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