Dear friend in Christ,
Shalom and Happy 2011!! I pray that you had a very merry and blessed Christmas and I’m believing with you for a prosperous, joyous and peaceful new year. Last year is over so be done with it, good or bad. The past has passed, and it’s a new year closer to our Lord’s return!
We’re living in an hour when the world, and the things IN the world are dark and there seems to be no peace. In fact, we are truly living in the final moments of what the Bible calls the Last Days. The people in the world, who are without Covenant with God, are earnestly and diligently seeking peace. They look for it everywhere; in relationships, in drinking, in drugs, in shopping and over-spending, all in an attempt to fill the void and bring them peace. Most people spend their entire lives working and striving to obtain the very best that this world has to offer. But no matter how much they have, they’re never satisfied and they continually want more or something better.
One of the greatest attacks by the enemy in the battles we face in our mind is in the area of worry. Both the real and the imagined worries attack our minds on a daily basis as the pressures and the stress of these end times press in on us from all sides in an attempt to discourage us and take our eyes off of the Word and the promises of God. And if you’re like most Christians today, you spend hour after hour and day after day worrying about your finances, and how you will pay your bills, how you will be able to make your house payment or your rent; how you will be able to buy food and clothing and the other necessities of life. But God wants you free and delivered from those worries and those cares. He wants you to walk in victory where there is absolutely no room for worry or doubt because you know that God will supernaturally provide for all your needs. In fact, in the Book of Matthew chapter 6, Jesus commands us to lay aside all worry. Matthew 6:31, “…..take no thought saying what shall I eat, or what shall I drink, or how will I be clothed?......Verse 33, “But seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” The Amplified Bible puts it this ways: “But seek, aim at and strive after first of all HIS Kingdom and His righteousness; His way of doing and being right, and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.” And that’s quite a promise!
Jesus told us in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, kill and to destroy, but I have come that they might have life and that they may have it more abundantly.” I believe that one way the enemy tries to steal our joy and our peace is by trying to get our minds off of Jesus and then onto the problems and the pressures in the world. Satan knows that if we keep our eyes on Jesus that we’ll realize that He has already defeated the enemy, so he continues to do everything he can to keep our eyes on the problems and the cares of our life, and not on the answer. I’m telling you today that no matter what you might be facing, if you’ll look to Jesus, HE IS the answer and HE IS your peace. The Hebrew word for peace is Shalom, which literally means: nothing missing and nothing broken. And that’s God’s desire for each one of us, that we have His peace in our lives. Do you remember the words of our Savior when He said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you, not as the world….let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)
“Arise shine, for thy light is come, and the Glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For behold, the DARKNESS shall cover the earth, and GROSS darkness the people, but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His Glory shall be seen upon thee.” (Isaiah 60:1-2)
When Jesus was born, the Father looked 33 years down the road at how Jesus would die and rise again to bring us freedom and salvation, so He said, “I’ll just declare peace on earth NOW! And when the shepherds were living out in the fields “keeping watch” over their flock of sheep, an angel of the Lord brought them the Good News and Tidings of GREAT JOY! Luke 2:14, “Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth, PEACE, goodwill toward man.” Peace from God to you and to me! If you have made Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior, His Glory should be seen on you because you are part of His Kingdom and no matter where we go in this world, we bring His Kingdom and the provisions of His Kingdom with us.
God has always planned for you and I to enjoy perfect peace, and He sent Jesus, Who is our peace! He didn’t just bring the message about peace. He is the Prince of peace, and He is the only real source of peace in our lives. When Satan entered the Garden of Eden he brought with him sin, sickness, death. poverty, hatred, rebellion, and fear. When Adam and Eve fell, Satan gained the power over mankind and we were separated from God and in dire need of a Savior. And Praise God, the Father sent Jesus into the earth. Our Savior HAS come! He was born to set us free. John 8:36, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” And then the scripture in 1 John 3:8, “…for this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”
Jesus Christ is our Savior! He has delivered you from anything the enemy tries to throw in your direction, and it does not matter how hard or how difficult things get in your own life, or what you might be faced with, if Jesus is your Savior, then He is a friend Who sticks closer than a brother. Jesus told us, “I will never leave you nor forsake you; I Am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” And He is the greatest example we have of a life that was dedicated to the work of the Kingdom of God.
As a soldier in God’s great end-time army, you absolutely must know that there are no victories without battles. The Word tells us, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers us out of all of them." You won’t sail through life without facing times of pressure, but we have a promise from God that He will never leave us in that condition. We are to look to Jesus Who is our example of someone who was dedicated to the work of the Kingdom, and I believe that we can’t even begin to comprehend the extent of Satan’s brutal attack on Him. Jesus was tempted at all points, even as we are, yet without sin because He was alert, consistent, obedient, even unto death, and disciplined! And the breakthroughs in our life come through the characteristics of Jesus Christ Himself working in our lives through dedication in prayer and in faithfulness to stand on His Word in faith, and then ACT on those promises.
The world’s system is crumbling under the deceptive control of demonic spirits. The very government of this world system is corrupt and is being led by a thief; Satan himself controls the kingdoms of the world. He is the prince of the power of the air, and he is the ruler over the evil powers and principalities of the darkness of the world. He rules over the world system, and he designed it to crumble. Now, he does rule over the world’s system, but he is NOT in control of the world because the world does not belong to him. God has not given him the power or the authority to exercise dominion over it.
As prince of this world, Satan does not have dominion or control over the believer! We have, in fact, been delivered out from under Satan’s power and dominion of darkness and we have been born again INTO the Kingdom of God. Before Jesus ascended into Heaven, He turned all of that authority and dominion in this earth over to us…. “All authority has been given unto Me….now YOU GO in My Name….”. We are part of God’s Kingdom, and that Kingdom is not of this world. The entire system on the earth has been established on a foundation that God did not build. Satan cannot create anything, and he cannot think of anything new, so he took God’s plan and he perverted it. He did this so he could manipulate people and cause them to have no relationship with the Father, or even have a revelation of His Kingdom. He works through people who are blinded from the Truth, and uses them to build his own kingdom. And as the prince of the air, Satan is behind a system that controls the economics and the finances of this world. He controls all of the man-made religions, and the political processes on the earth. But we have the Kingdom of God inside of us, and we are to rule over everything that Satan has established.
The Kingdom of God HAS come, and that Kingdom is inside of you. We are to bring the principles of God’s Kingdom to the world. If you don’t know the Lord as your personal Savior, or you would like to have a deeper relationship with the Father, you can send me a personal note, or you can email me at pastor@streamsoflifechurch.com, and I will personally write you back and pray with you.
Love,
Paula
P.S. I want to thank my Internet listening congregation located in the United States, France, Italy, Canada, China, Latvia, the Republic of Korea, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, Poland, and Romania, the United Kingdom, Africa, Australia, Kenya, Zambia, India, Uganda, and the Philippians. As you sow your financial seed this month, know that you are a part of reaching the Nations for Christ as partners with this ministry, and sow it from that place of victory as an overcomer and one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God and has taken care of all of your needs. We have over 511 connections in the United States; 396 are in TEXAS, and the remainder is in other Nations throughout the world.
Pass along our website to your friends and loved ones. We have a brand new feature that will be up and running, prayerfully, by the end of January…..a 24 hour a day Internet radio that will broadcast teachings and Christian music that are prevalent to the hour we live in; that will uplift and encourage you.
Join us live at www.streamsoflifechurch.com at 10:30 a.m. (CST) on Sunday mornings. Click on the “Listen Live Audio” button on our website. You can also contact us via our “blog” at www.streamsoflifechurch.blogspot.com.
• I would like to receive the complete series on “The Kingdom”for a love offering of $25.00.
• I would like to receive the singe CD on “How To Survive In Tough Times” for a love offering of $7.00.
If you can’t afford to make a love offering at this time, please contact our ministry. It’s important that we get the Word of God into your hands, and the Lord will provide for our needs according to His riches in glory! Please allow 15 business days for delivery.
News Flash! We’re moving to a new location at the La Quinta Inn & Suites in Allen, TX. The address is 1220 N. Central Expwy. We will still be able to stream the audio on Sunday mornings according to the management staff there. Praise the Lord! Tell someone to listen in or invite someone to join us for fellowship and service.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
November/December 2010 Newsletter
Dear friend in Christ,
I would like to begin this letter by thanking you for your prayers and for your kind notes this past month. Pastor Rick is recovering nicely and we are giving all of the praise and glory for his full restoration to our Heavenly Father.
It seems that the season of fall, which is truly one of my favorite times of year, came and went before I had the chance to really enjoy the beautiful landscape and the crisp frosty mornings. There were so many things that needed my attention in the ministry, and then my husband had emergency heart surgery just two weeks ago. Fall is the season of reflection and it’s a time to gain a new perspective and take the time to evaluate what we accomplished the past year, establish the goals that we want to reach, and remind ourselves of all the things that God has provided for us. Thanksgiving is a reminder that God has always been faithful. For me, this has always been a time of quiet reflection on the past and a time to focus on the solid and simple things of life that we take for granted. Like our health and the very fact that Jesus HAS redeemed us and delivered us from the entire curse; that “By His stripes we ARE healed”! It’s time for you and me to usher in the sincere spirit of gratitude and praise to our Heavenly Father and what He provided through the gift of His Son.
We’re doing a study of the Last Days events in our church, and one of the things that we have to understand is that we have been sent here from another government to do diplomatic business on behalf of our King. We are here to establish the Kingdom of God on the earth as Ambassadors for God.
In the Book of Matthew chapter 6 and verse 33, it says: “But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all HIS Kingdom and His righteousness, and His way of doing and being right, and THEN all these things taken together will be given to you besides.”(Amplified Bible) One of the strongest attacks of the enemy comes in the area of worry. Both real and imagined worries attack our minds daily as the pressures and stress of these end times press in from every side to try to discourage and defeat us. But Jesus commands us to put worry aside, and He encourages us that we SEE that our heavenly Father has faithfully provided for every need that we have. He assures us that the Father knows what we need even before we ask, so there’s no reason to be concerned. And He goes on to explain to us that there is a higher purpose in seeking those things that are above then just filling our own needs. It will release the blessings of God into our life, and bring us the answers that we need to every situation and problem we face. That’s God’s supernatural intervention on our behalf, and when we do it this way, then our needs will be His Righteousness, and that’s when all these things that you need in life shall be added unto you.”
The Kingdom of God is another reality. It is the very rule and reign of God; it is the government and the system of God, and Jesus told us to pray to the Father, “Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Jesus taught about the Kingdom of God throughout the gospels, and He told us that the Kingdom of God is within us. Luke 17:20-21, “And when He was demanded of the Pharisees, when the Kingdom of God should come, He answered them and said: “the Kingdom of God comes NOT with observation; neither shall they say, look here or look there, for behold, the Kingdom of God is within you.”
The Kingdom of God is not some distant place in heaven where we are going “someday”. Jesus said in Luke 10:8-9, “….whatever city you enter…heal the sick that are there and say unto them, “The Kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.” In other words, we are bringing the Kingdom with us. But, we’re not here to take sides; we are here to take over.
In the Book of Daniel chapter 2, we see where King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, and that dream really disturbed him. Now, he couldn’t remember his dream and he called for all of the magicians and soothsayers, the wizards, and so forth, to come in and tell him what his dream was, and what it meant. But they couldn’t do that…..Verse 12-13, “For this cause the King was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all of the wise men of Babylon……” In other words, it didn’t look good for the men of Babylon, including Daniel and his three friends. But Daniel approached the throne and said, “I can get the answer from God…for I know that My God knows what to do, and He knows the dream that the King had.” Well, Nebuchadnezzar gave Daniel some time to seek God, and the Lord revealed to Daniel in a night vision what the dream was and what it meant. In essence, there was a statue in his dream that had a head of gold, arms and chest of silver, the belly and thighs were brass, the legs were of iron, and the feet were part clay and part iron. It represented the different Kingdoms and the different ruler ships in the world. And in that same dream he saw a stone that was cut out without hands, and that stone came and destroyed the statue and broke it to pieces, which became like dust, or chaff in the wind. The stone became a great mountain that came up and filled the entire earth. And the interpretation of that dream is that those different kingdoms and ruler ships of the world become the Kingdom of God. And all of this was prophesized in the Book of Revelation and also in the Book of Isaiah…that God’s Kingdom shall spread throughout the earth. Jesus came to bring the government of God back into the earth to rule over everything. And Daniel’s prophetic vision makes it clear that the Kingdom of God has come to take over the Kingdoms of the world. As citizens of the Kingdom of God, we are to move forward IN Christ as the stone who increased into a mountain and covered the whole earth. As born again believers, we are ambassadors for God in the earth. We are the church, and the Kingdom of God is IN us. We are to go out into the world and bring the Kingdom of God to those in need of healing and deliverance and salvation. That’s our assignment, and that’s the reason we are to become separate from the world and walk holy before Him.
The gospel of the Kingdom is the gospel that unhooks you and separates you from the world’s system. I pray God's blessing upon your lives and all that you put your hands to. If you don’t know the Lord as your personal Savior, or you would like to have a deeper relationship with the Father, you can send me a personal note, or you can email me at pastor@streamsoflifechurch.com, and I will personally write you back and pray with you.
Love,
Paula
P.S. I want to thank my Internet listening congregation located in the United States, France, Italy, Canada, China, Latvia, the Republic of Korea, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, Poland, and Romania, the United Kingdom, Africa, Poland, and Australia, Kenya, Zambia, India, Uganda, and Canada.
As you sow your financial seed this month, know that you are a part of reaching the Nations for Christ as partners with this ministry, and sow it from that place of victory as an overcomer and one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God and has taken care of all of your needs. We have over 511 connections in the United States each week as we stream our services live, and 321 in Nations throughout the world.
Pass along our website to your friends and loved ones. The NEW website IS UP and RUNNING! Soon we will have Video streaming.
Join us live at http://www.streamsoflifechurch.com/ at 10:30 a.m. (CST) on Sunday mornings. Click on the “Listen Live Audio” button on our website. You can also contact us via our “blog” at www.streamsoflifechurch.blogspot.com.
• I would like to receive the complete series on “Knowing Your Covenant” for a love offering of $25.00.
• I would like to receive the singe CD on “How To Survive In Tough Times” for a love offering of $7.00.
If you can’t afford to make a love offering at this time, please contact our ministry. It’s important that we get the Word of God into your hands, and the Lord will provide for our needs according to His riches in glory! Please allow 15 business days for delivery.
I would like to begin this letter by thanking you for your prayers and for your kind notes this past month. Pastor Rick is recovering nicely and we are giving all of the praise and glory for his full restoration to our Heavenly Father.
It seems that the season of fall, which is truly one of my favorite times of year, came and went before I had the chance to really enjoy the beautiful landscape and the crisp frosty mornings. There were so many things that needed my attention in the ministry, and then my husband had emergency heart surgery just two weeks ago. Fall is the season of reflection and it’s a time to gain a new perspective and take the time to evaluate what we accomplished the past year, establish the goals that we want to reach, and remind ourselves of all the things that God has provided for us. Thanksgiving is a reminder that God has always been faithful. For me, this has always been a time of quiet reflection on the past and a time to focus on the solid and simple things of life that we take for granted. Like our health and the very fact that Jesus HAS redeemed us and delivered us from the entire curse; that “By His stripes we ARE healed”! It’s time for you and me to usher in the sincere spirit of gratitude and praise to our Heavenly Father and what He provided through the gift of His Son.
We’re doing a study of the Last Days events in our church, and one of the things that we have to understand is that we have been sent here from another government to do diplomatic business on behalf of our King. We are here to establish the Kingdom of God on the earth as Ambassadors for God.
In the Book of Matthew chapter 6 and verse 33, it says: “But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all HIS Kingdom and His righteousness, and His way of doing and being right, and THEN all these things taken together will be given to you besides.”(Amplified Bible) One of the strongest attacks of the enemy comes in the area of worry. Both real and imagined worries attack our minds daily as the pressures and stress of these end times press in from every side to try to discourage and defeat us. But Jesus commands us to put worry aside, and He encourages us that we SEE that our heavenly Father has faithfully provided for every need that we have. He assures us that the Father knows what we need even before we ask, so there’s no reason to be concerned. And He goes on to explain to us that there is a higher purpose in seeking those things that are above then just filling our own needs. It will release the blessings of God into our life, and bring us the answers that we need to every situation and problem we face. That’s God’s supernatural intervention on our behalf, and when we do it this way, then our needs will be His Righteousness, and that’s when all these things that you need in life shall be added unto you.”
The Kingdom of God is another reality. It is the very rule and reign of God; it is the government and the system of God, and Jesus told us to pray to the Father, “Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Jesus taught about the Kingdom of God throughout the gospels, and He told us that the Kingdom of God is within us. Luke 17:20-21, “And when He was demanded of the Pharisees, when the Kingdom of God should come, He answered them and said: “the Kingdom of God comes NOT with observation; neither shall they say, look here or look there, for behold, the Kingdom of God is within you.”
The Kingdom of God is not some distant place in heaven where we are going “someday”. Jesus said in Luke 10:8-9, “….whatever city you enter…heal the sick that are there and say unto them, “The Kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.” In other words, we are bringing the Kingdom with us. But, we’re not here to take sides; we are here to take over.
In the Book of Daniel chapter 2, we see where King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, and that dream really disturbed him. Now, he couldn’t remember his dream and he called for all of the magicians and soothsayers, the wizards, and so forth, to come in and tell him what his dream was, and what it meant. But they couldn’t do that…..Verse 12-13, “For this cause the King was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all of the wise men of Babylon……” In other words, it didn’t look good for the men of Babylon, including Daniel and his three friends. But Daniel approached the throne and said, “I can get the answer from God…for I know that My God knows what to do, and He knows the dream that the King had.” Well, Nebuchadnezzar gave Daniel some time to seek God, and the Lord revealed to Daniel in a night vision what the dream was and what it meant. In essence, there was a statue in his dream that had a head of gold, arms and chest of silver, the belly and thighs were brass, the legs were of iron, and the feet were part clay and part iron. It represented the different Kingdoms and the different ruler ships in the world. And in that same dream he saw a stone that was cut out without hands, and that stone came and destroyed the statue and broke it to pieces, which became like dust, or chaff in the wind. The stone became a great mountain that came up and filled the entire earth. And the interpretation of that dream is that those different kingdoms and ruler ships of the world become the Kingdom of God. And all of this was prophesized in the Book of Revelation and also in the Book of Isaiah…that God’s Kingdom shall spread throughout the earth. Jesus came to bring the government of God back into the earth to rule over everything. And Daniel’s prophetic vision makes it clear that the Kingdom of God has come to take over the Kingdoms of the world. As citizens of the Kingdom of God, we are to move forward IN Christ as the stone who increased into a mountain and covered the whole earth. As born again believers, we are ambassadors for God in the earth. We are the church, and the Kingdom of God is IN us. We are to go out into the world and bring the Kingdom of God to those in need of healing and deliverance and salvation. That’s our assignment, and that’s the reason we are to become separate from the world and walk holy before Him.
The gospel of the Kingdom is the gospel that unhooks you and separates you from the world’s system. I pray God's blessing upon your lives and all that you put your hands to. If you don’t know the Lord as your personal Savior, or you would like to have a deeper relationship with the Father, you can send me a personal note, or you can email me at pastor@streamsoflifechurch.com, and I will personally write you back and pray with you.
Love,
Paula
P.S. I want to thank my Internet listening congregation located in the United States, France, Italy, Canada, China, Latvia, the Republic of Korea, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, Poland, and Romania, the United Kingdom, Africa, Poland, and Australia, Kenya, Zambia, India, Uganda, and Canada.
As you sow your financial seed this month, know that you are a part of reaching the Nations for Christ as partners with this ministry, and sow it from that place of victory as an overcomer and one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God and has taken care of all of your needs. We have over 511 connections in the United States each week as we stream our services live, and 321 in Nations throughout the world.
Pass along our website to your friends and loved ones. The NEW website IS UP and RUNNING! Soon we will have Video streaming.
Join us live at http://www.streamsoflifechurch.com/ at 10:30 a.m. (CST) on Sunday mornings. Click on the “Listen Live Audio” button on our website. You can also contact us via our “blog” at www.streamsoflifechurch.blogspot.com.
• I would like to receive the complete series on “Knowing Your Covenant” for a love offering of $25.00.
• I would like to receive the singe CD on “How To Survive In Tough Times” for a love offering of $7.00.
If you can’t afford to make a love offering at this time, please contact our ministry. It’s important that we get the Word of God into your hands, and the Lord will provide for our needs according to His riches in glory! Please allow 15 business days for delivery.
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