It is time for the Church to arise and shine! Jesus is coming back for a “Glorious Church” A that is without spot or wrinkle. This verse tells us that in the days just prior to the return of Jesus darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people, but it does not end with that negative thought, it goes on to say, “But the Lord shall arise upon thee.” In the times in which we are living we should be expecting the Lord rise upon us, you may be asking what do you mean by that? Well the first part of the verse answers that question, “Arise, shine, FOR THY LIGHT IS COME, AND THE GLORY OF THE LORD IS RISEN UPON THEE” The Glory of God is upon us today and we are walking in the light, therefore we should be expecting that Glory to produce miracles and healing and we be seeing the lost getting saved by the thousands.
Also notice that the Glory of God SHALL BE SEEN UPON US and that people will come to where the light is. The brightness of the Glory will cause people to come to us. They will seek us out because will have the Anointing of the Holy Spirit in our lives, the gifts of the Spirit will profusely abound in our services and also in our daily walk with Lord. Let me tell you right now, we will be healing sick on the streets, in the shopping mall, as well as in our Churches. Does that excite you? If not then get saved! You should be so excited that it causes you to pray more, study more and witness more. The Church is NOT a weak spent force; we are a mighty force for God in the earth today. I’m telling you demons ought to watch their step because the Church is stirring herself, we rising up to the fullness of our stature in Christ Jesus! We are a people who know who they are in Christ, we know our authority, and we understand faith and the importance of confessing the Word of God.

Dear one, Arise and shine today. Don’t put it off until tomorrow do it today. Purpose in your heart to be all that God made you to be and then walk out the reality of it.

As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations, before him (Gk Like unto Him) whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Rom 4:17

In 1983 while sitting in a Church in Manchester one Sunday evening, listening to some people giving testimonies, I say that people were giving testimonies, but in truth they were bragging on the devil, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart He said, “You must go and teach my people faith.” Since that time I have endeavoured to fulfil that commission from the Lord, over these many years I have conducted “More than Conquerors Faith Conventions” and taught faith wherever I go.

However the Holy Spirit has been speaking to me about re-visiting the Word of Faith or the faith message. There are some who have turned away because of persecution, or because they heard some things about us faith teachers that were not true. But I am in this for the long haul. Some have said that God has moved away from the message of Faith, but I always ask, where could God move to, seeing that it is He who demands that we have faith? No, faith is not a fad, it is not a wave, it is not a movement, but it is a way of life. The Word says on at least four occasions that the just shall live by faith. So what does it mean to live by faith?

Well one of the ways that we are to live by faith is to “Call those things which be not as though they were.” Faith always speaks the end result, if you need healing in your body then call yourself healed by the authority of God’s Word; 1 Peter 2:24 says, “By whose stripes you were healed.” Confess that you are healed because the Word says that you are, remember that Jesus took your infirmities and bore your sicknesses. Check out your life today and see if you are still standing in faith. If not, why not? God has no pleasure in those who draw back from the truth of His Word. The book of Hebrews tells us not to cast away or confidence (faith) which has great recompense of reward. Faith only sees the answer, speaks the answer and acts like it’s received the answer. Faith always speaks the end result, it never calls thing the way they are, but always call things that be not as though they were.

If you want to see results in your life then you must start agreeing with the Word of God, thinking the Word of God and speaking only the Word of God about your situation. Start to call things the way you want them to be instead of calling it the way it is.

The message of faith is the only message that can reach the lost and sick and truly give people a hope. Faith is what pleases God; faith is what causes God to go to work on your behalf. God responses to faith just like Satan response to fear. It is faith that moves God and not your emotions, neither is God moved by your need, now he is touched by them, but it is faith and faith alone that causes God to manifest His power to meet your need.

Hold fast to your confession of faith, and your faith will hold fast onto you. Keep calling things the way you want them to be and in the fullness of time, when faith has ran its course you will see things change into the way you want them to be.

Acts 3:19. Repent ye therefore, and be converted that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.

I remember once when my wife, daughter and I had just returned from a holiday in Derbyshire, I got to thinking, no matter how wonderful it was to be relax and be refreshed, there is nothing that can compare with the refreshing that comes from the presence of the Lord. I came back from my holiday refreshed, but I couldn’t wait to get back to my own fellowship and brothers and sisters in Christ and experience a real refreshing in the Holy Spirit. In our reading today you will notice that it says, “Refreshing” comes from the presence of the Lord; it is only in His presence that we can really be refreshed. When we are in God’s presence we should experience a refreshing in body, soul and spirit, in addition to this the Bible says that in God’s presence there is fullness of joy, and pleasures for evermore. (Ps 16:11)

Let me ask you a question. Do you come away from the presence of the Lord, refreshed? Do you experience the fullness of joy? Are you enjoying the pressures that the Lord gives? If not, why not? All of these things belong to you and if you spend time in the presence of God you should be experiencing them. Perhaps you need a reviving, maybe Church and prayer times have become mundane to you; perhaps you are not in a Church where the Holy Spirit is moving! Whatever the reason for not being refreshed you need to address it because God wants you refreshed all of the time. Next time you come into the presence of the Lord expect to be refreshed, confess that you will be by faith.

Enjoy God, enjoy His presence!

The Holy Spirit has been dealing with me over the last few weeks of getting back to where I once was and to do some of the things in ministry that I was doing twenty some odd years ago. In the letter that Jesus wrote to the Church at Ephesus in the book of Revelation after He had commended them for all the good that they were doing, and for standing against false doctrine and false Apostles  He said, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against you.” What was it that Jesus had against this Church?  They had left their first love!  Notice that they “Left” not lost their first love, you may go somewhere in your car today and leave it in the car park while you do some shopping, well you have not lost your car you have just “Left” it, this is what the Church at Ephesus had done they left the first love.  However Jesus told them how they could get their first love back, He told them to do three things, you will find this in Revelations 2:5. First He told them to “REMEMBER”, it is always good to remember the mercies of God, it is good to remember how you have been use of God in days gone by, it is also good to remember from where you have fallen. The second thing that Jesus told them to do was, “REPENT”. I know that this is not a popular word in the modern Church, nevertheless it is one of great importance! To repent means to have a change of mind, to change the direction in which you were going, when Jesus tells you to repent you know that this is serious business. Acts chapter three tells us that if we repent we will have days of refreshing and God will bring about the restoration of all things. The third thing that Jesus told them to do was “RETURN”  return to their first love and first works.

We who are in the ministry can get so busy working for the Lord that we forget to have fellowship with Him, and as a result we begin to move away from our God-given mandate and begin doing our own thing. we must return to doing what we have been called to do and then remain faithful to it. As I have said the Holy Spirit has been dealing with me about these things, and on Tuesday He spoke to me about “Returning to my first work” and to commence hold “More Than Conquerors” Faith Conventions once again. He said to me that He never told me to stop holding then in the first place and that for seventeen years I have been in disobedience, He laid it upon my heart to ask my good friend and fellow minister of the Gospel Rev.Dr. Steven Evans if I good use his Church in Winstanley, Wigan to hold my first “Come back” convention. Rev. Evans agreed and so I have set the date for October 28th – 30th 2010. It is of great importance that we follow the Lord with our whole heart and only what He has commissioned us to do.

Until the next blog, keep rejoicing

Dr. Stephen J. Hales