Keep Your

        Joy in the

         Trouble!

     Jeanne Alcott

 

 

    We all know how it feels when trouble comes knocking on our door.  It can be just a daily hassle or a long-time issue or a problem that cropped up and surprised us.

    When trouble comes, it tries to take over our joy.  But we can refuse to allow it to do that and have joy and peace in the midst of it.  That will cause order and blessing to come to us and to the conditions.  That is so important!  Blessing and order can come to your conditions when you decide you’re going to maintain your joy in the midst of trouble.

    The famous minister, Dwight L. Moody once said, “Joy flows right on through trouble; joy flows on through the dark; joy flows in the night as well as in the day; joy flows all through persecution and opposition.  It is an unceasing fountain bubbling up in the heart; a secret spring the world can’t see and doesn’t know anything about.  The Lord gives His people perpetual joy when they walk in obedience to Him.”

    When you have joy, it will flow right on through trouble.  Peace will come and you’ll sense that secret spring bubbling up in your heart.  Others will be dismayed or in panic, but you will be at peace because you have joy.  The trouble will not be able to stop you from seeing done what God has for you.  When trouble comes knocking on your door, remember that you have joy in you.  As you remember that, it will cause peace to take over the trouble.

A woman who wouldn’t let go.

    This is what a woman did when trouble came into her family.   (Ref. II Kings 4.)  She had met the prophet Elisha; in fact he was the one who had given her a word that she would have a son when it appeared that she could not have a child.  Just as he said, within a year, she had a new son.

    But after he had grown, one day without warning, his head began to hurt and within hours he was dead.  He died in his mother’s arms.  What would she do?  Would she fall apart and exist the rest of her days in sadness and bitterness?  I’m sure sadness tried to take over her heart.  But here was a person who would not allow it.  Instead, she got up to go get Elisha.  Joy in what she believed God could do gave her the power and ability to get up and do something.  She believed He would raise up her son through Elisha.  So she began a journey.

    She told a servant to go with her, then she got on her donkey and took off.  When her husband saw her, he asked where she was going and she told him to see Elisha.  So he asked if everything was okay and her words were, “It will be all right.”  (Ref. II Kings 4:23.)

    She made the journey to the prophet and as she approached him he asked her, “Is it well with you and your husband and your son?”  She answered, “It is well.”  How can she do that!  Are you kidding?  It’s anything but well.  You see, she believed by faith that it WAS well.  Not by what she saw, but by what she knew in her heart God could do.

Go not by what you see, but by what you believe.

    When you see your circumstances, and there is trouble, you can believe it is well, not by what you see, but by what you believe.  That’s what sends peace into trouble.  So when this woman told the prophet her son had died and she needed him to come with her, he eventually agreed to do it.

    When he arrived at the house, he saw where the child was dead upon his bed.  So Elisha when in, shut the door, and prayed.  Then he embraced the child and as he did, life came back into him.  He sneezed seven times then opened his eyes.  He was well.  His mother was right.  It is well!  That’s because she stayed on her journey of joy.

    You see, if sadness had overwhelmed her and the trouble had robbed her of strength, she would never have been able to make the journey to Elisha.  She would have broken down in sadness and given up.  But she went after the answer with joy.  Oh really hear that for you.

Go after the answer with joy.

    That’s what can produce what you need.  Peace will overtake the trouble.  You will see the hand of God cause to come to pass those words, “It is well!”  You will have your answer.  Don’t allow sadness to creep in and take over so that you become weak and inept.  You won’t be able to get to the answer you desire.  The journey will be too much for you.  You cannot make a journey to your answer without joy.

    Colossians 1:11 says to endure and persevere with joy.  Now why would you have to have joy to endure and persevere?  Because you can’t keep going if you don’t have joy.  Trouble gets the upper hand and makes you weak.  You become broken down with sadness and you give up.  Stay on the journey of joy.  That’s when you can experience the answer God has for you.

Landfill property becomes prime real estate.

    There was a congregation of people who experienced trouble, but because they kept their joy, peace came into the midst of it.  And took over!  They saw the answer come.

    They were in South Dallas and the congregation had begun to grow.  So they needed to construct a bigger church building.  They began to search for a place and found an acre that was near downtown Dallas.  Good deal!  The pastor was so excited about it and presented it to the people for purchase.

    Even though the people did not have much funds, they dug deep for God’s work and gave, and then an association of churches pitched in to help.  This way they were able to obtain the property.  But just before they were to build the new church, as they were getting permits, the property was deemed as not suitable for building.  Nothing could be built on it because it was just a landfill.  They had made a mistake and bought property that was in the pastor’s own words “an acre of garbage.”

    He was very grieved over this, so he went to the congregation and asked them to pray for God to turn the property into something useful and give them a great miracle.  After a few months of prayer, a woman from the congregation felt it was time to check the property again.  So they had core samples taken and wouldn’t you know it, the researchers found soil.  It turned out to be a great piece of property and they are now on it with their new church building.  What seemed to be trouble—a worthless piece of property—was taken over by peace and the miracle came.

    God performed a miracle by changing that acre of garbage into an acre of prime property.  In fact, the same realtor who had sold it to the church came back and offered them three times the amount for what he had sold it.

    Something may seem as though it’s garbage right now, but know that God can turn it into prime property!  You do not have to live with trouble.  See it turned into a miracle.  The way you do that is to stay in joy.  Believe it is well in your spirit no matter what your eyes tell you.  God is not going to leave you out there with trouble surrounding you, but He will respond to your faith and send peace into the difficulty of the dilemma.  You can have peace when you feel you’re in the midst of the danger.

    My Friend, stay on your journey of joy, and if you’ve gotten off, get back on.  God will come to strengthen you.  That’s when you can see peace take over trouble.  You can experience the miracles and answers He has for you.
 

A PRAYER FOR YOU.

     Oh, Father, I pray that my friend will begin to sense the joy that You have put in their heart.  Trouble will have to go.  The problems and difficulties will not be able to take over, but they’re going to be taken over by peace.  That’s when miracles are going to happen!

     This is what we believe we will see right now.  Miracles flowing into their circumstances.  The trouble is pushed down and miracles come in.  They are not going to have problems but they’re going to have answers.  They’re not going to see difficulties, but they’re going to see goodness.  They will have advantages and opportunities coming.

      Oh yes, they are on the journey of joy and it’s producing peace.  I thank You for what they’re going to see unfold before them.

God is showing me the picture of His goodness starting to roll out almost as though you would see a red carpet roll out.  He is unfolding His goodness into your life so rejoice.  Get ready for the trouble to flee and what God has for you to be seen.  We believe You for this, Lord, in the name of Jesus.  Amen.

     I encourage you to see a picture of God’s goodness starting to roll out, almost as though you would see a red carpet roll out.  He is unfolding His goodness into your life, so rejoice.  Get ready for the trouble to flee and for what God has for you to be seen.
 

What can happen when we come into a prayer of agreement.

    Let’s have faith for that.  Share with us what trouble has tried to take over.  We believe as we come into a prayer of agreement and show God our faith together, the difficulty and problems will have to go and peace will rule and reign.  You can see God’s answers and blessings come.  So we can’t wait to hear from you.  And as soon as we do, after we pray, we will send you a note that will have a word from God’s Word in it for you.  Let us hear from you soon by clicking here.  Jeanne and John           

SPECIAL NOTE: God loves to give to you and bless you!

       You know one of the greatest ways to experience joy is to give to others.  That’s what happens when we give of our prayers and finances into God’s work.  He works through our gifts to transform circumstances for people as He sends His Word into their lives and does a great work.

       It’s a tremendous thing to watch God do His miracles as a result of our giving.  He says in His Word that He takes pleasure in you when you are a cheerful and joyous giver, when your heart is in your giving.   (Ref. II Corinthians 9:7.)

      So, as He senses that in your heart, then His heart opens to send joy into you.  He loves to give to you and bless you because you obey His Word.  We thank you for giving into His work through Alcott Ministries.  John and I join you with our personal giving also.  We’re expecting God to do wonderful things for you and through you as you give.

DONATE NOW.

All scriptures are taken from the Amplified Bible, Classic Edition unless otherwise indicated.

 

                                                                

 

 

 

        Are Things

           Going

        Too Fast?

     Jeanne Alcott

 

     Are things going too fast in your life?  Are events or problems coming at you with such rapid speed it doesn’t seem you can keep up with the need?  You can’t get a hold of what’s going on and get it under control.  That need is always before you.

    It can be a financial need or a material one.  It could be that you have to have more time or strength or patience.  Think of all the needs you’re facing right now as you’re reading this.  They are confronting you, and time is running out to see the need met.

    However, what God wants to show you is that He is faster than the need.  It can’t overwhelm you or disable you from being able to see it met.  You’re not going to be conquered by this, because as you go to God, He’s faster at helping you meet that need than it can overwhelm you.

    Hey, God is a need-meeter.  He knows how to fulfill them and sees when you have to have help in your life.  So when that problem or shortage is coming at you pretty fast, remember that God is faster.

    Not just that, but remember that He gives in abundance.  So He isn’t just going to meet the need in a small way.  He will do greater than what you can imagine, no matter what the need is.

    We get to see this happens to so many of our ministry Partners when they get their needs met.  It’s because they are connecting with the Word of God that we teach and coming into a prayer of agreement with us.  With that much faith going up to God, it activates His ability to fulfill what they’re lacking in all areas of their lives.

 

Not just enough, but leftovers.

    Just one example is when I heard from a woman who said she had a praise report because all her financial needs were being met.  And she said they were being met quote “over and above.  I always have lots left over.”

​​​​​​​     When the need comes, and it is more than we can handle, God is faster than that need.  He can meet it and more.  Think of that.  She said she has so much that it’s left over.  God can do more than what’s required.  So say to yourself, “God can meet it and more.”

​​​​​​​     He’s not the type of God who says, “I might can help you just a bit.  Maybe there’s one or two things I could do.”  He says, “I’ve got this taken care of.  There is no need greater than My ability to meet it.”  As we have faith in those words from Him, and in His power, then we can see them come to pass.

​​​​​​​     This very principle is what Jesus had to work hard at getting His disciples to comprehend.  He’s still working at it today with us, His disciples.  That’s because we have limits as people and so when we see a need in front of us, that’s where our brain focuses.  Our brain has a tendency to focus on what isn’t there.  But our believing focuses on what is there in the supernatural.  It sees it as met.  We see the need as met by God.

​​​​​​​     So when Jesus walked this earth, He worked at teaching His disciples this.  But there’s nothing such as a demonstration that can convince people.  So that’s what we’re going to take a look at right now.  In Matthew 14, we see the story of how Jesus gave a great demonstration on how He is faster than the need when it’s presented.

They need to come to Me.

​​​​​​​     This was the time when He had just come ashore on the Sea of Galilee.  The crowds of people had found out He would be there and so they showed up.  They came with those who were sick and in need.  So Jesus had compassion on them and began to heal them and take care of every need.

​​​​​​​     But then another kind of need came up.  They were in a remote area and evening was coming.  His disciples saw that the day was over and there was no way to feed thousands of people in such a remote area.  So they encouraged Jesus to send the people away in order for them to try to make it to the villages to get something to eat before nightfall.  They said the people needed to go someplace else to get their need met.

​​​​​​​     However, Jesus said, “They don’t need to go someplace else.  They need to come to Me.”  When people come to the Lord, He isn’t going to tell them they need to go someplace else to have their desire fulfilled.  It can happen right now, with Him, on the spot.  It didn’t matter that…
        the day was over,
        they were out of time,
        and there wasn’t any way they could get enough food to feed these people.
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​     Your day may seem to be over, but that will not stop God from meeting your need.

​​​​​​​     So when the disciples said they didn’t have supplies to meet the need of the hunger of the people, Jesus said, They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat.  (Ref. Matthew 14:16.)  So to prove the point there wasn’t enough, those twelve disciples showed Him what they had.  Five loaves of bread and two fish.  Not enough to do anything with.

​​​​​​​     That’s what we think sometimes.  I don’t have enough to meet my need; in fact I don’t have enough to do anything with it.  But God sees what we have and He knows it’s more than enough to meet the need WHEN He applies His supernatural power to it.  That’s how we need to think of our need being met.  Whatever we have, the small amount of health or money or effort or time or joy—when God’s supernatural power is applied to it, it multiplies.

​​​​​​​     Jesus showed us a picture of this when He took the bread and the fish and He ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.  They were to get organized so the disciples could serve them.  Now He’s telling these people to expect food coming, thousands of them, yet His disciples know all He has in His hands are just a few pieces of bread and fish.

Were the disciples freaking out?

​​​​​​​     You wonder if they were freaking out.  “Oh this is going to turn out bad.  Jesus is going to look bad to these people, because He’s giving them expectation they’re going to be fed and yet He doesn’t have the goods.”

​​​​​​​     Let me tell you, the Lord always has the goods to meet your need.  When He speaks to you about things that are not seen yet, He already knows what’s going to happen.  It’s your job to believe that.  Have faith in it.  This is what He was teaching His disciples.

​​​​​​​     So as the people sat down, Jesus gave thanks to God the Father and blessed the bread and broke it.  Then He handed the pieces to His disciples.  They in turn began to distribute them to the people.  And the scripture says the food was multiplied in front of their eyes.  (Ref. Matthew 14:20 TPT.)

 

What if you had been there?

​​​​​​​     Sometimes I wish I could’ve been there.

​​​​​​​     Sitting on that grass, surrounded by thousands of people, watching as Jesus raised the bread to heaven and blessed it and thanked God for it even though it wasn’t enough in the natural.  Then watching Him break it and hand it to His disciples.  As they come to me and it’s my turn to receive food, when they start to hand it to me, it multiplies before my eyes, and there’s more than enough as I take it from their hand and eat natural bread that was produced in a supernatural way.

​​​​​​​     Oh yes, the need was there, the end of the day was fast approaching, but God was faster.  He used His Son to meet the need and have some remaining.

​​​​​​​     Now here’s something else God did that puts a smile on your face.  We know all the people ate and were full and there was some left over.  But think about how MUCH there was remaining.  The Bible says there were twelve basketsful that were leftovers.  And how many disciples did Jesus have?  Twelve.

​​​​​​​     I think it’s so funny that He multiplied that food so there would be twelve baskets remaining.  One for each of the twelve disciples.  He was teaching them how to have faith in His ability and power.  Can you imagine the disciples getting into a group and putting their heads together as they start talking real fast to each other.

​​​​​​​     “I have a basket full of food and everyone’s been fed in my group.”  The next disciple says, “So do I.”  Another one says, “My basket is full and everyone had their need met in my group too.”  So all twelve of them can say the same thing.  Twelve disciples.  Twelve baskets of leftovers.  They each had evidence before them of the ability of God to meet the need fast enough.  And meet it more than enough.

​​​​​​​     Hey, believe you’re going to get your basket of leftovers.  You don’t have to worry about how fast the need is approaching.  At times it seems it can’t be met, it’s greater than the resources you have, and you think What’s going to happen!  I tell you what’s going to happen.  As you have faith, God will come in and it will be met and MORE.  More than you even require of Him to do.  That’s because He’s faster than what you need.

 

A PRAYER FOR YOU.

     Praise You, Lord, for what You’re speaking to my friend at this moment.  The need has seemed to be coming at them with so much speed.  In the natural they can’t see the resources to meet it.  Your Spirit is reminding them now that You’re faster  than the need.  They don’t have to worry about it.  It’s going to be met and over and above.

     They will see the multiplying power right before their eyes, just as those people did centuries ago when they saw food multiplied before their eyes.  You have not changed, therefore my friend will see the same miracle in front of them, but it will come to them in the area where they have need, in a different way.

      So we prepare our faith now to receive it.  We prepare our heart to believe it.  When our mind tells us the same thing as those disciples, that it just can’t happen, there aren’t enough resources and the day is ending fast, when our thoughts tell us that, we’ll respond with faith.  We say, “Our God is faster than this need.  He will take care of me.  He will answer by His power over and above what’s needed.”

      We expect that to come into their life now, and we praise You for what You’re doing.  In the name of Jesus.  Amen.

 

God can take care of you.

     God is a need-meeter.  It’s not His desire to have you in need.  He can take care of you.  So we believe the process is beginning.  That’s why we need to stand in faith for the multiplication to happen.

     He’s called us to stand in faith with you.  So were waiting here to hear from you.  That’s the only way we can pray for you in a personal way.  We have to know what your need is.  Then as soon as we receive that information from you, we’re going into prayer with you according to God’s Word.  Then we believe that need can be met over and above.  So we can’t wait to hear from you.  Just click here and it will come directly to us.  After we hear from you, then we will also write to you because we want to impart to you God’s Word from His Spirit for your life.  Jeanne and John Alcott

 

SPECIAL NOTE: After you give, expect to see God move quickly!

       Now I want to talk to you about something very serious happening in our society, because it involves the present and future of so many people.  We are in a time when God’s Word must be heard.  If it stops, then evil will reign and our Christian freedoms will be gone.

        So we as the Body of Christ have been called by Him to share His message, and not just the message of salvation but words that will disciple and grow people.  That’s why God has raised up this ministry, Alcott Ministries.

       Our vision is to show people how to walk in God’s ways and live in His power.  To do that we need you to be a part of it.  We have so many good givers, but we need more.  We need you!  If this ministry is going to continue giving these messages, praying for people, interceding, preparing and sending out materials of ministry, and being on radio and social media, and so many other things, we need those who are hearing this word to respond.  We believe more people will be helped and God will bless you for it.

       Remember, He promises to give into your life as you give to His work.  I can tell you that when John and I have faced a personal need, God was there faster than the problem.  It was because we had given to Him and expected Him to take care of us.  We encourage you to do the same now as John and I are and activate God’s Word in your behalf.

DONATE NOW.

All scriptures are taken from the Amplified Bible, Classic Edition unless otherwise indicated.

 

                                                                

 

 

 

           You're

        Everything

          to Him!

     Jeanne Alcott

 

 

     Recently I was facing a need, and during that time I did something that helped me make it through the day.  It was at a time when I wanted to be reassured that God was there for me.  I just needed something from Him to remind me that He was aware of me.  So I said to Him, “Lord, give me some kind of word or sign that reassures me You’re mindful of me.”  Then I waited all day to see what would happen.

     Later that day, I received an e-mail from a person who had no idea I had prayed that prayer.  But their e-mail contained words that made me to know God was very mindful of me and my need and was working to help me.  It ministered to me so much.

     That’s what God does to show that He’s mindful of you.  He ministers to you!  Somehow He reaches out to make Himself known in a personal way and sends comfort or strength or happiness.  Whatever you need at that moment, that’s what God provides.  He’s thinking about you and concentrating on your life and your needs and conditions.  Now think about that!  That’s amazing!  God Almighty is thinking about and concentrating on YOUR life.  Your needs, the conditions you face, those desires and dreams you have.

     So I encourage you that when you need to be reassured by God that He is there for you and is doing something in your behalf, say to Him, “Show me that You’re mindful of me today.”  Then be watching for what He will do to touch you in a personal way.  He knows your needs and He is there to help you.

 

Everyone needs ministry at times.

     This is what the Apostle Paul desired when he was having so many religious authorities come against him as he was preaching the gospel.  He wanted God to minister to him in some way.  It was a very difficult time for him, as you may be going through a difficult time now.  He was on trial by the Jews, and during the trial, their attorney had called him a perfect pest.  Isn’t that a terrible name?  A perfect pest.  He also called Paul an agitator, and a source of disturbance to all Jews.

     At the trial, people said that he caused division, when in fact that’s what they were doing.  (Ref. Acts 24:5.)  So Paul wanted some reassurance from the Lord.  That’s when God caused the Roman governor, Felix, to give the order to treat Paul as one who is free and not hinder his friends from coming to minister to his needs.  So Paul was able to have his friends and coworkers come to provide for him and fellowship with him.  God sent just the right people so the apostle would understand that He was mindful of him and was taking care of his needs in the difficult conditions he faced.

     Another time Paul wrote about was when he was traveling and preaching, God sent a man named Epaphroditus.  He called him his companion in working and a fellow soldier, as well as the one who ministered to his needs.  (Ref. Philippians 2:25.)

     This is also what God did for Jesus when He was on earth teaching the Word.  In the Book of Mark and the Book of Luke it talks about how Joanna and Susanna and many others ministered to and provided for Jesus out of their property and personal belongings.  (Ref. Luke 8:3.)  When He was in Galilee there was a group of women whom the Bible says ministered to Him to help Him with all His material needs.  (Ref. Mark 15:40, 41.)

     See, everyone needs ministry at times.  That’s what God sends so you know He’s mindful of you.  He’s there to minister to your needs in the difficult times or in the days that you’re confused or you need direction and guidance.  When you’re hurting or you’re apprehensive or fearful of something, God can minister to you.

 

Things will get better.

     He wants you to feel how much He is there for you and He is attentive to your life.  He regards you and sees what is happening.  In the midst of it all, He can give you peace and assistance.

     You know how it is when you have an obvious demonstration of God’s thoughts for you.  It gives you a feeling of warmth and goodness.  It helps stabilize your emotions.  Your hope is strengthened.  You can even put a smile on your face!  You go on because you know, “My God is mindful of me.”  So even in the hardest of times, you have assurance things will get better.  Life will become easier and you can see your heart’s desire come to pass.

     I heard how the Lord did this for a dear woman when she wanted Him to minister to her in a difficult time.  A minister said he had an impression from God’s Spirit that he should call this woman he knew.  He said it wasn’t just a suggestion from God but it was strong inside him that he must do this.

     So he went around with this feeling for a few days.  Then the day came when he knew it was now.  He was to pick up the phone and call her.  He didn’t know why or if there was a special purpose.  All he knew was he was to tell her that he had been thinking of her and praying for her.

     So when he got her on the phone, he began to express this to her.  That’s when this woman was quiet for moment and then she reminded him this was the anniversary of the death of her husband.  Right away, the minister knew that’s why God impressed him to call her.

     The Lord cared so much for this widow that He wanted to make her aware that He was mindful of her and the sadness she would be experiencing that day.  So He had this man call to show her she is in God’s thoughts and He’s there to comfort and minister to her every need.  Because of that, she received great joy and strength from God that day.

God sends ministering spirits to you.

     That’s how much God thinks about you and wants to minister to every part of your life.  The Bible even tells us that’s why He provided angels to intervene in our life.  They’re called ministering spirits—servants.  Hebrews chapter 1 says these angels are sent out in the service of God to assist those who are to inherit salvation.

     Now the word salvation here is the same one that is used in the book of Psalms.  It’s referring to being delivered from the oppression of enemies, and to demonstrate that God is sending His blessings into your life.

     You see, this scripture was written at a time when people were under pressure and persecution.  God was saying that He had provided angels to help them make it to the final victory and be able to stand strong in their faith.  In other words, angels do things of which we’re not aware that minister to us so we can have our final victory.  God never turns away from you and leaves you to yourself to face the challenges.  He’s provided everything you need so you can have hope and strength to enter into what He has for you.

     Just because we don’t always see the angels doesn’t mean they are not there.  We read about incidents when different people have encountered these ministering spirits. 


Angels overhead.

     There was a couple who told the amazing story of how they were walking in some woods one day on a vacation.  As they were walking along the side of the creek, they began to hear some voices behind them.  As they got near, the couple knew that whoever this was, they would soon catch up to them.  But then all of a sudden, instead of the voices sounding as if they were coming behind them, they were above them, so this man and woman raised their faces up to see how these voices could be coming from above.

     As they did, here’s how they described what they saw: six incredible creatures were overhead.  They were radiant with spiritual beauty and they had on flowing white garments and were talking to each other.  As they did, they floated past them above their heads, and then their voices faded into the distance.

     Right away this couple turned to each other just to make sure the other one had seen what they saw.  So they compared notes and each one had witnessed these angelic beings passing overhead.  What’s interesting is they admit that up to that point, they had been very skeptical about the Bible saying that angels appeared to people such as Mary and to the shepherds at the birth of Christ.  They thought maybe when it said angels, they were just symbols and not actually beings.  But they weren’t skeptical anymore!

     God had come to minister to them about how mindful He was of them.  They said that now they are filled with so much wonderful hope all the time.  They realize there’s a host of heaven about us who is there to serve our needs and help us. 


Filled with wonderful hope.

     That’s what God wants you to be filled with today.  Wonderful hope.  Realize that He has sent a host of heaven about you to serve you.  To minister to you.  They will make sure that you make it to your final victory and have comfort and strength during this time.  He sent them to minister to Mary when she was told the stunning news that she was going to give birth to the Son of God, He sent angels to Jesus when He was in the wilderness being tempted, and to Elijah when he was in a cave, fearful and filled with doubt.  We see angels at various times in God’s Word, and He wants you to know they are still active today for you.

     Remember that you have ministering spirits doing the bidding of your Father to take care of you.  That’s how mindful of you He is and that’s how much He wants to provide for your every need.  Remember that David asked God, “What are we that You are mindful of us?”  And God’s answer to you is, “You are everything to Me.  I think about you.  I regard your life.  I observe everything about you, and I want to minister to your every need.”

     So receive those words from Him and go about with an awareness that God is there to show you how active He is in your life.  He is attentive to everything about you.  So be filled with wonderful hope that you are on your way to final victory.

A PRAYER FROM YOU TO GOD.

Lord, thank You that You are so mindful of me.  I need You to minister to me at this time.  Show me that You see everything that’s happening, and You have sent the help I need to change conditions.  You’re increasing my hope and causing me to be filled with wonder at what You are doing in my behalf.  You surround me with the forces of Your angels.  They serve me and assist me.  So, there is nothing that will prevent me from entering into the final victory You have for me.  I praise You for what You’re doing now.  And I feel Your comfort and strength and love.  In the name of Jesus.  Amen.

We want to believe for God’s power to go into action for you.

We want to be in a faith agreement with you that you will enter into that final victory.  You can have the strength you need.  The love.  The comfort.  So as we put our faith together, we believe for this to come about.

That’s why it’s important for you to share with me right now how you need God to minister to you.  What kind of victory do you need in your life?  As soon as we hear from you, I will lay my hands on what you share and pray.  We believe we will see God’s power go into action for you.  Those angels will be all around you to do the bidding of the Father.

So John and I hope to hear from you soon and pray, then we want to send you some words that will come straight from God’s Spirit for your life.  Just click here now and it will come directly to us.  Jeanne and John Alcott
 

SPECIAL NOTE: Your giving causes powerful action!

       Now I encourage you to take some powerful action for your life today.  How?  By giving into God’s work.  He tells us in His Word that’s what causes action.  When your seed goes in the ground, it produces a harvest of people being helped in so many different ways.

       Because of your giving, this ministry is able to see the hand of God do miracles, save people, deliver them, and grow them into the mature people they want to be.  Oh, but there’s another harvest that He sends also.  When you give, He prepares a great harvest for YOUR life. The harvest of blessing and wholeness and accomplishment.  (Ref. Malachi 3.)

        As you give today, open up your spirit to receive what God has for you.  And John and I are right there with you giving into this work to see His miracles happen.

DONATE NOW.

All scriptures are taken from the Amplified Bible, Classic Edition unless otherwise indicated.

 

                                                                

 

 

 

     What It's Like

       To Really

     Know God!

    Jeanne Alcott

 

 

     Have you ever been to a farm or perhaps to a zoo and seen a peacock?  They are beautiful when their feathers are fanned out.  But if you happen to go to see them when the wind is blowing hard, they won’t display their feathers.  That’s because they know the damage that can be done if they do.  They may not have any feathers at all after the high winds get finished with them.

     There was a minister by the name of Prater that once said, “An impersonal knowledge of God is as the tail feathers of a peacock—highly ornamental, but not much use in a high wind.”

     You don’t want to have peacock feathers when the high winds of life come.  In other words, you don’t want to have just a casual knowledge of God because when those high winds come, the casual knowledge is not going to be much use to you.  That knowledge may appear to be a nice ornament to others, but it isn’t much help in trials.  If we don’t seek to know God more, then we will not have the knowledge of Him we need to stay strong and endure and overcome. 

     Knowing God is not just for the purpose of being able to say that we have prayed X amount of time or did a certain Bible study.  No, the purpose of knowing God is very practical.  After we seek His face and we go out into the world, we have that experience to take with us.  It gives us what we need to withstand the high winds.  Our knowledge of Him is not just ornamental as the tail feathers of a peacock.  But it’s powerful and strong and keeps us stable in the high winds of adversity or confusion or need.

     That’s why He beckons you to Him.  It’s for your own good, because He knows what’s going to happen if you don’t have time with Him and desire to dig into the details of who He is and what He can do.  It’s important to know GOD in detail.  Not just an overriding knowledge of Him.  That’s why the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians chapter 3 that his determined purpose was that he may know the Lord.

 

What does it mean to “know” Him?

     Is it just to know His name and who He is?  It’s much deeper than knowing who He is and thinking about Him every so often.  When we dig into the Greek of that word “know” it implies a personal relation between the knower and the known him in other words there’s intimate knowledge between the one who knows God and God.  It isn’t just knowledge between the two of you, but also must involve the influence of God upon you.  That’s what it means to know God.

     So Paul was saying, “I want to relate to God in a personal way and have Him influence everything about me.”  In verse 10 he wrote, For my determined purpose is that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly]. 

     That’s pretty strong!  I mean, how many of us can say that we have a determined purpose to know God.  That we want to progress in digging into the details about Him?  If we do, that will enable us to see the wonders of His person.  We can understand His words and His thoughts, feel His heartbeat for us.  That’s when we become strong.  We can weather what comes at us.  We’ve gone beyond an impersonal knowledge of God to a very personal one.  We understand the details of how He relates to us and what that means for our life.

     Now!  To do that, takes attention from us.  It takes caring enough to do it.  It becomes a priority.  As Paul said, it’s our purpose.  We’re determined about digging into the details of God and His character and actions and want to understand what’s important to Him.  It’s knowing those details of God that is going to fulfill us and satisfy our soul.  That’s what causes us to survive and be victorious.  We experience a greater sense of power because we know the One who IS power. 

Someone who is in tune with God.

     When you see a person who is in tune with God, you’re going to see a powerful person.  It radiates all over them.  They go through life not as a peacock that cannot withstand the winds but they soar on wings of eagles.  They can rise above the storm and conquer what comes against them because they have sought the face of God and understand what to do.  They are given strength and force that go beyond what they could have done without that knowledge.

     When I was making a study of this, I came across an article about the story of a baseball player who was very successful because of his attention to detail.  It shows what can happen if we do the same thing he did in a spiritual way.  If you follow baseball much then you may remember the name Ted Williams.  During his career, he became known as one of the best hitters the game has ever known.  He was the final baseball player to hit better than .400 in a season.  He was an amazing player and very successful.

     When you dig into the details of his abilities, you find out that’s why he was successful.  It was because he dug into the details.  He could hit a baseball well because he knew his bat well.  Williams studied every detail of each bat he used.  He would weigh a bat to make sure the humidity had not added an ounce to it.

     He could even pick up a group of bats and tell you which one was half an ounce heavier than the others without weighing them.  He knew if a handle was right on the bat or if it was off.  In other words, Ted Williams knew the details of his bats and it helped him to be successful.  Most of the time he didn’t strike out when he came up to bat.

     I wonder sometimes if that’s what we’re trying to do.  Come up to bat without knowing the details.  So we strike out.  We don’t have a deep enough knowledge of God so when the challenge is coming our way, we can’t hit it out of the ballpark.  If we come to know Him, we’re going to have the know-how we need to combat every conflict or challenge or need that comes our way.

     How can it be otherwise if we know the One who knows us better than anyone and can give us the  strength and ability to bat a thousand?  Don’t strike out!  Seek to know God more and become one of the best batters there are.

Enter into a very special space.

     You see, when you seek to know details about God, you’re entering into a very special space.  That means you’re coming into the holy of Holies and God is going to impart to you.  To impart means that He passes on to you.  And what is He passing on or imparting to you?  Everything He is.  Just think about being in the presence of God.  What are you going to absorb?  Power, love, insight, direction and guidance, health and healing, wholeness in your mind and emotions and throughout your entire being.  It isn’t that you are going to God to see what you can get.  You’re going to Him because of your desire and hunger to know Him more in detail.  But when you enter into His presence, you won’t walk away empty.  You walk away with an impartation.

     So how do you do that?  You just go sit down and say to Him, “I want to know You more.  I seek Your face.”  I’m serious.  It is that simple.

All He cares about is you.

     There isn’t any special scripture you have to know and you don’t have to have done everything perfect that day and deserve to be near to Him.  Seeking the face of God does not require that your life is perfect.  Or that you have the perfect setting or place.  All He cares about is you.  He wants to see that your heart is reaching out to know Him more.  So when you come to Him in a simple and honest way—just simple and honest—He responds in a mighty and beautiful way.  That’s  when your greater experience with Him can happen.  So, hear God say, “Seek My face.”  Then dig in.  Tell Him you want everything that He wants to impart to you, because you want to know Him more than anything in your life.

OUR PRAYER FOR YOU.

      Okay God, we’re ready to dig in.  We want to know You, really know You, in a deeper way.  So I ask now that You respond to the heart of my friend as they are approaching You and calling out to You.  They’re reaching out with their spirit to touch Your Spirit.  They’re not satisfied anymore with how much they know about You.  They want MORE!  To understand the wonders of Your person.  And to receive the impartation You have for them.

      So as You see the needs and challenges and desires in their life, we believe those are being covered by You now.  As they enter Your presence, You cover them and impart the strength and power and victory they need.  Oh yes, they will come out of the winds of this trial not as a peacock that has its feathers blown to pieces, but they soar as an eagle.  They soar up to You and experience the power of Your presence.  How we praise You for this.  In the name of Jesus.  Amen.

 

Seek God’s face in a deeper way.

You can enter a time when the yearning that’s been in your heart can be fulfilled.  You can have a greater knowledge and sense of God’s presence.  So I encourage you not to stop the journey.  Don’t stop seeking His face in a deeper way.

That’s why I want you to get in touch with us.  We want to feed you God.  That’s the best way I know how to put it.  We want to feed God to you—His anointing and presence.  Then we’ll pray for Him to impart into your life everything you need.

So get in touch with us right away.  Also, we will write to you and give you words from God’s Spirit to minister HIM to you.  So we can’t wait to hear from you.  Just click here now and it will come directly to us.  Jeanne Alcott

 

SPECIAL NOTE: You’re giving life to people!

       In Matthew 6 God tells you that He knows about every need you have.  But that isn’t what He wants you to seek.  Don’t seek the things you need but rather seek Him.  That scripture says, Seek…first of all His kingdom and His righteousness…then all these things [that you need] will be given you besides. (Ref. Matthew 6:33.)

     So we encourage you to seek His kingdom first by giving into God’s work today.  When you’re giving to Him, you’re showing that you trust Him for YOUR needs to be met.  As you cause His word of power to go out through this ministry, and so many people are transformed and helped and renewed and the knowledge of God permeates the airwaves, then God says because you have sought Him first, NOW everything you need will be given to you and even more than you need.

      So we’re excited to see His Word fulfilled as you and John and I give today.  Expect to see miracles that are amazing.

DONATE NOW.

All scriptures are taken from the Amplified Bible, Classic Edition unless otherwise indicated.

 

                                                                

 

 

 

     Hold Fast to

         Hope!

    Jeanne Alcott

 

 

 

     You know the saying, “They suffered a setback”?  We say it when we refer to someone who has had something bad happen to them.  They were working toward accomplishing something or trying to see a desire come to pass, but now they’re hindered.  An event has stopped the person from getting what they need.  That’s what it means to suffer a setback.

     But have you noticed how we say the word “suffer?”  I think that’s appropriate because a setback sure can cause suffering.  It can hurt us when something doesn’t happen; it goes wrong.  We’re in need or we’re humiliated or disappointed.  We can’t describe how it is.  Sometimes we can’t even think straight.  It’s hard to analyze our emotions.  We’re suffering!  The setback has been more than we feel we can handle.  So what can we do in those times?  What do we have to hold onto when we are losing what’s so important to us?

     God gives us the answer in His Word.  Hebrews 10:23: Let us hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we cherish and confess.  Why should we do that?  What’s the reason that we can hold onto hope?  Because the rest of that verse says, He Who promised is reliable and faithful to His word.  (Ref. Hebrews 10:23.)  So when we face a setback, know that it’s temporary.  That’s because God who has promised what you are to receive is reliable.  He’s faithful to fulfill His Word.

It's temporary.

     So the setback is TEMPORARY because God is coming in to fulfill His Word.  It won’t exist anymore, because what’s going to push it out of the way?  The promise of God.  The promise that God put in your heart will push that setback out of your way.  Remember it’s temporary!  It cannot continue to exist is what that means.  It cannot continue to exist because God comes in and moves it out of the way SO THAT what He promised you can happen.

     It doesn’t matter how dire the conditions appear.  Those conditions do not determine the limit of God.  Can you even imagine that?  That something on this earth could ever limit what God could do.  That it could put boundaries around Him and force Him not to move in your life?  No way.  Nothing is ever going to prevent God from moving the way He desires.  If you hold fast to hope!  You believe in what you have been promised, and that He will be faithful to fulfill it according to His Word.

From a handful of rice to great blessing.

     There’s a woman I’m going to tell you about who has done this in her life.  And when you hear her story, it really causes you to admire her.  She’s a person who had to believe her setback was temporary and hold fast to her hope.  Because she did, read what happened.  This woman is from Chicago.  One day a reporter was assigned to do a human-interest story on her.  It was Christmas time and his newspaper wanted to show the struggles of a family from inner-city Chicago.  But this reporter, who was an atheist, didn’t care about Christmas of course.  However, since his paper had made the assignment he had to go visit this woman.

     When he arrived at her house, here is a description of what he saw.  The woman was sixty years old at the time.  Her two granddaughters were living with her.  They had had a home in a tenement, but it burned down.  So the three of them were crowded in this tiny two-room apartment on the West side.  Not two-bedroom apartment, but two rooms total.

     As bad as that was, he then saw there was no furniture in the apartment.  It was empty.  No rugs.  No pictures.  Nothing except a small kitchen table.  On it was one handful of rice.  The two young girls were the ages of 11 and 13.  They each owned one dress and there was one thin grey sweater that they shared between the two of them.  They would trade it back and forth as they walked to school in the cold Chicago weather.  The woman had arthritis so she couldn’t work.  They were suffering a setback.

     But in everything he saw, the thing that got to this reporter the most was her attitude.  As he interviewed her, she didn’t have a sense of self-pity or blame the government.  Instead she was full of faith and dignity because she believed God would take care of them.  She was holding fast to hope.  So she told this reporter all about Jesus and her hope in Him.

     Well, the man finished the interview and turned it in to the paper.  But over the next few days he couldn’t get this family out of his mind.  So on Christmas Eve, he decided to make a visit again to their house.  This atheist was searching.  He couldn’t figure out how they could have so much faith and seem to have nothing in this world, yet he had everything and had no faith.

     So as the grandmother opened the door and invited him into the apartment, here’s the change that he noticed.  Now the apartment was filled with furniture, appliances, and rugs.  There was a nice Christmas tree.  Wrapped presents.  Bags of food, and winter garments.  They even had cash gifts given to them.  Where did this all come from?  Since the reporter’s article had been published, the people who read it had responded to the needs of the family.

Here’s what happened next.

     Now this sounds as if it’s a great ending to a wonderful story.  But if we see this as the ending, then we will miss the complete picture of how God works.  Because here’s what happened next.  This family, who had been in need and now had so much given to them, were not hoarding it and holding onto it as if these things were their hope.  No, they were continuing to hold fast to the hope they had in God and His faithfulness.  So instead of keeping everything for themselves, they were getting ready to walk out the door to give away many of the items.

     The reporter was shocked.  He asked the grandmother why they were doing this.  Her answer?  “Our neighbors are still in need.  We cannot have plenty while they have nothing.  This is what Jesus would want us to do.”  He was taken aback.  That rocked everything that he believed.  But then came the next big wonderful truth that changed him.  She said, “All this is wonderful; it’s a gift from God, but it’s not His greatest gift.  No, we celebrate that tomorrow at Christmas.  That is Jesus.”  That did it!  This atheist could no more hold fast to his belief that there was no God and there was no hope.  He now put his hope in Jesus and became a Christian.

When defeat is staring you in the face.

     Oh what God can do when we hold fast to our hope in Him.  That grandmother knew what she was experiencing was a temporary setback.  So she was able to hold fast to her hope.  She knew God would come through and help them.  Because she understood this principle, when she did receive His promise, she was able to share with others.

     You see, when we trust God, we won’t hold onto material things or relationships or position or money.  When we’re holding fast to Him, we have the faith to let those things go and use them as God desires.  It was her hope in Jesus that transformed her life and the life of an atheist.

     When defeat seems to be staring you in the face, hold fast to hope!  Somehow, God will change the setback and help you.  He is reliable and faithful to His Word.  Remember that scripture in Hebrews said to hold fast to the hope that you cherish and confess.  That’s what that grandmother was doing.  She cherished the Word of God and His promises to her.  She cherished the hope she had in Him.  Because of that she was confessing to that reporter what she believed God would do.

     It’s time for you to reach out to embrace and cherish the hope that God has for what you desire.  And don’t just cherish it, but confess it.  Confess the promises of God and what He will do for you.  Express those from a heart of faith and believe you will see a great spiritual move just as that family did and as the atheist did in his conversion.

     God can do great things for you and for your family and those around you who need Him.  So today hold fast to hope.  Cherish it.  Confess it.  Then you can experience it.

 

OUR PRAYER FOR YOU.

      Oh Lord, my dear friend has suffered a setback.  It feels as if the desire in their heart will never come to pass.  The devil has inserted his hand into the process and stopped what should have been theirs.

     But instead of losing our hope, we’re going to laugh.  Because even in the midst of suffering, we know the devil cannot prevail.  He’s tried to change the scene to one of no hope.  Ugly.  Not what they desire.  But that’s just temporary.  He can’t determine what You are about to do, because You see us at this moment and how we are holding fast to our hope. We cherish it.  We confess it.

     Now, I believe for my friend to experience it.  Experience everything You have designed for them to have.  So we praise You for what is to come.  It can be mighty and good and fulfill their dream.  We believe it.  In the name of Jesus.  Amen.

 

We want to help you enter into what God has for you!

     So together we must take hold of the hope of what God has for you.  It’s a united front against what the devil is doing.  That’s why it’s good for you to share with us the kind of setback you’ve experienced.  What are your needs?  What are your dreams?  We are both sent here to help you enter into what God has promised.

     But we must hear from you so I can then lay hands on what you share and intercede.  Also, it’s important for us to write to you.  That’s because God drops in our spirit words of encouragement and power for your life.  So we can’t wait to hear from you.  Just click here now and it will come directly to us.  Jeanne Alcott

 

SPECIAL NOTE: You’re giving life to people!

       Now, I encourage you to believe God’s Word about giving and receiving.  It’s right there.  In the Scriptures.

       God promises when you give into His work so that His Word can give life to people, that’s what you’ll receive in return.

       Life.
       Blessing.
       Provision.
       Favor and promotion.
       Well-being and wholeness.

       He’ll give so much to you that it will run over and you’ll be able to give to others.  (Ref. Luke 6:38.)  That’s His plan for your life.  Now, enter into it today as you give into Alcott Ministries.

      We have some wonderful people helping support the radio airtime and the materials that we produce and many things we’re doing for God.  But we need more people to be a part of this ministry.  So if you have been hearing the teachings and have been encouraged or helped in some way, be sure to respond to what God has done for you and give back to Him.  And John and I are doing the same thing today.  We’re giving of our finances to God.  So now expect miracles.

DONATE NOW.

All scriptures are taken from the Amplified Bible, Classic Edition unless otherwise indicated.