Swine Flu

Here is an email I just received from Pastor Bojan Jancic, City Light Church, New York.

In yesterday's service I ministered on the integrity of the Word of God and the ability of God's Word to shield you, protect you, work for you, and prosper you. The Word of God is God Himself, and when you speak it, the Holy Spirit moves over that Word to bring it to pass in your life. "Then said the Lord to me, You have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over My word to perform it." Jeremiah 1:12 (Amplified Bible)

Today, we are hearing outbreaks of the deadly swine flu, which has more cases of it in New York than any other state. When SARS broke out in Asia back in 2003, many people panicked as the threat of this pandemic took many lives. However, there are several churches in Southeast Asia, some with memberships of over 17,000 people that DID NOT SEE ONE CASE of SARS break out in their church. Why?

Because they believed and confessed God's promises of protection found in His Word. David called God's Word "my shield and my buckler." I am writing you today to encourage you to fear not. I believe that not one person who believes God's promises will experience the swine flu. You can rest easy knowing that you are tucked away in the secret place of the most high, and no evil thing will come near you (Psalms 91).

I am including several scriptures on God's protection for you to memorize, meditate on, and speak over your life. Remember, the Word of God will literally WORK on your behalf, if you believe it and speak it. I am also including a prayer manual I compiled many years ago that is filled with various scriptures on many topics. It will be a great aid to you as you seek to put His Word first place in your life.
Be blessed and enjoy living in DIVINE HEALTH!

P.S. A great passage to commit to memory is Psalm 91. History tells of many believers citing this passage as the one that shielded them from the bubonic plague that devastated medieval Europe.
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See City Light Church’s web site at
http://www.citylightnyc.com/
Bojan is a great preacher – There is some excellent preaching to download on the site. He is a captivating presenter of God’s Word with a great sense of humour.
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Is Pastor Bojan Overstating God’s Protection?
Not if you read God’s Word.
Read Psalm 91 and ask God what His will for you is.
Bob Lipsys, Australia


Psalm 91 (The Message)
You who sit down in the High God's presence,
spend the night in Shaddai's shadow,
Say this: "God, you're my refuge.
I trust in you and I'm safe!"
That's right—he rescues you from hidden traps,
shields you from deadly hazards.
His huge outstretched arms protect you—
under them you're perfectly safe;
his arms fend off all harm.
Fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night,
not flying arrows in the day,
Not disease that prowls through the darkness,
not disaster that erupts at high noon.
Even though others succumb all around,
drop like flies right and left,
no harm will even graze you.
You'll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance,
watch the wicked turn into corpses.
Yes, because God's your refuge,
the High God your very own home,
Evil can't get close to you,
harm can't get through the door.
He ordered his angels
to guard you wherever you go.
If you stumble, they'll catch you;
their job is to keep you from falling.
You'll walk unharmed among lions and snakes,
and kick young lions and serpents from the path.

"If you'll hold on to me for dear life," says God,
"I'll get you out of any trouble.
I'll give you the best of care
if you'll only get to know and trust me.
Call me and I'll answer, be at your side in bad times;
I'll rescue you, then throw you a party.
I'll give you a long life,
give you a long drink of salvation!"

Being Normal

"I have come to see that the normal Christian life means miracles, spiritual intervention and revelation. It means peace, joy, love, a sense of well-being and purpose - all these traits that ellude so many Christians. Written into the spiritual DNA of every believer is an appetite for the impossible that cannot be ignored or wished away. The Holy Spirit, the very Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us, making it impossible for us to be content with what we can only see, hear, touch, taste and smell. Our hearts know there is much more to life than what we perceive with our senses; we are spiritually agitated by the lack of connection with the realm of the supernatural".

Bill Johnson - "The Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind" - Destiny Image, Shippensburg (2005) - (p31).
See http://www.ibethel.org

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The statement “He / She lived a normal Christian Life” now has a much deeper meaning. Seek God so that this is how people will remember you.
Be Blessed in Jesus
Bob Lipsys

Paralysed by failure

Failures for the believer are always temporary.
God loves you and me so much that he will
allow almost any failure if the end result
is that we become more like Jesus.
Forsake your wimp factor,
take a step and be proactive.
by George Verwer – Operation Mobilisation
http://www.georgeverwer.com

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Failure paralyses. Feelings of unworthiness stifle our faith. Guilt breaks our will. Satan uses failure to degrade, put down, accuse and undermine.

Peter failed Jesus in the worst way. He denied knowing Jesus when Jesus was suffering. Failure paralysed him. He gave up his ministry and returned to his occupation as a fisherman. Totally defeated Peter had given up.

Jesus met Peter where he was at. Jesus had not rejected him. He prompted Peter to return. It began with a miracle. Then Breakfast-a meal with Jesus. And finally restoration. Here is the story:

John 21:3-17 Simon Peter announced, "I'm going fishing." The rest of them replied, "We're going with you." They went out and got in the boat. They caught nothing that night. When the sun came up, Jesus was standing on the beach, but they didn't recognize him. Jesus spoke to them: "Good morning! Did you catch anything for breakfast?" They answered, "No." He said, "Throw the net off the right side of the boat and see what happens." They did what he said. All of a sudden there were so many fish in it, they weren't strong enough to pull it in. Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, "It's the Master!" When Simon Peter realized that it was the Master, he threw on some clothes, for he was stripped for work, and dove into the sea. The other disciples came in by boat for they weren't far from land, a hundred yards or so, pulling along the net full of fish. When they got out of the boat, they saw a fire laid, with fish and bread cooking on it. Jesus said, "Bring some of the fish you've just caught." Simon Peter joined them and pulled the net to shore—153 big fish! And even with all those fish, the net didn't rip. Jesus said, "Breakfast is ready." Not one of the disciples dared ask, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Master. Jesus then took the bread and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus had shown himself alive to the disciples since being raised from the dead.After breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" "Yes, Master, you know I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." He then asked a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" "Yes, Master, you know I love you." Jesus said, "Shepherd my sheep." Then he said it a third time: "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was upset that he asked for the third time, "Do you love me?" so he answered, "Master, you know everything there is to know. You've got to know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.

Have you failed?
It is time to get together with Jesus.
Bob Lipsys

And they were all healed

"How many people came to Jesus for healing and left sick? None. How many came to Him for deliverance and left His Presence still under torment? None. How many life-threatening storms did Jesus bless? None. How many times did Jesus withhold a miracle because the person came to Him had too little faith? Never. He often addressed their small faith or unbelief but He always left them with a miracle as a way to greater faith. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, perfectly illustrated the will of God the Father. To think otherwise is to put the Father and the Son at odds".
Bill Johnson - "Face to Face with God - The Ultimate Quest to Experience His Presence" - Charisma House Publishing (2007) - (pp184-185).

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If we live according to the principles of the Reformation; Christ alone. Faith alone. Scripture alone; then Bill Johnson’s words ring true. Jesus desires to heal all. Too often we have based our beliefs about healing on our experience rather then on the Word of God. Our experience is: Very few people we pray for are completely healed.
Two false conclusions are drawn based on experience:
a) God does not heal all. (or some believe “at all today”)
b) The person we are praying for does not have enough faith, or has unforgiveness or sin in their life etc and that this prevents healing.

Rather then align our “Theology” with our experience, we need to realign our experience with God’s Word. If people are not being healed, it is we, the pray-ers that need to change. Jesus healed all who came to Him whether they had faith or not, or sin in their life or not.

Mark 16:17-18 (New International Version)
And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."

James 5:13-15 (New Living Translation)
Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.

According to God’s Word healing is a sign that follows believers in Jesus.

Acts 28:7-9 (New International Version)
There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and for three days entertained us hospitably. His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured.

Acts 5:14-16 (New Living Translation)
Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord—crowds of both men and women. As a result of the apostles’ work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter’s shadow might fall across some of them as he went by. Crowds came from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil spirits, and they were all healed.

And they were all healed…. That is God’s will for the sick.
Bob Lipsys

When your dreams die…….

We don't want you in the dark, friends, about how hard it was when all this came down on us in Asia province. It was so bad we didn't think we were going to make it. We felt like we'd been sent to death row, that it was all over for us. As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally—not a bad idea since he's the God who raises the dead! And he did it, rescued us from certain doom. And he'll do it again, rescuing us as many times as we need rescuing.
2 Corinthians 8-10 (The Message)

Paul, just like you and me, saw his God inspired dreams die. Sent by God into Asia to bring the Good News of Jesus to the people, he probably expected welcoming doors to open. However he and his team experienced the opposite. Closed doors of steel lay before them at every turn. Pain, rejection, punishment, and failure. Paul writes that they thought they were going to die. Things were that tough.

When his dreams lay broken before him, when all seemed lost, the Holy Spirit reminded him that God is the God who raises the dead. Right in the middle of his crushed dreams, he turned to God. He turned in faith to “trust God totally.” And his dream rose from the ashes.

That dream God gave you. That impossible dream He placed on your heart. That dream that was crushed and ripped from you. That dream that died….. Good News….God raises the dead….He raised Jesus…. Put your faith in Him.
Bob Lipsys

Ordinary Extraordinary

I think that someday when we get to Heaven, we’re going to be amazed at how many things in this life were actually activities of great spiritual worth, but we thought they were just everyday, human things that God didn’t really care about.
Jim Driscoll http://www.stirthewater.com

One of the most significant words God has spoken into my life was: “Take your girls for a walk.” Nothing super-Spiritual about that. However during that walk with my wife and 2 very young daughters, God spoke into our lives. The end result was that we left all that was secure in our lives (A career I loved, financial security, our positions in the local community, good house, friends, Church and ministry, and our dreams) to follow God’s call into the ‘unknown’. We ended up 850km away, totally reliant on God, His provision and His security.

Over 7 years we lived where our income did not meet our expenses. Yet we lived these years without debt. In our everyday lives we experienced God’s presence, His faithfulness and His provision. We always had enough for our needs plus enough to give. By the end of the 7 years we had four children who all had experienced God providing for their needs. We now have four children with deep faith.

Faith is grown in everyday experience, as we interact with God. According to the Bible, that is the sort of faith that pleases God. Hebrews 11:6 “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Want to experience God? Then begin in your everyday life. Ask yourself the question: “What do you want me to do next Lord?” And keep asking it and obeying Him.

Bob Lipsys

Need healing? Then Easter is good news for you.

I'm willing to help you, I'm willing to heal
I've borne all your sufferings, I know how you feel
Your pain can be ended, my power is real
I'm willing to help you, I'm willing to heal
©Don Francisco “Willing to Heal” from the “He’s alive” album

When Jesus died on the cross He died in my place and in your place. He suffered for our sin, so that we could be put right with God. On the cross Jesus took our sin. When we put our faith in Him, we receive His righteousness as our own. It is certain.

Just as certain is that Jesus died for our sickness, our brokenness and our diseases. His suffering and death also brings healing to us.

Consider these Bible Passages:
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:24
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Jesus is willing to forgive you, reconcile you with God the Father, and heal you.
That is what Easter is all about.
Bob Lipsys, Australia

You’re not talented enough, gifted enough, smart enough.......

“You’re not talented enough, gifted enough, smart enough, educated enough, equipped enough, good looking or beautiful enough to carry out God’s cause or purpose for your life!” ….However,.. “God is not looking at your ability” but at your heart
Paul Kafentzis http://www.finishingstrong.co.za/

Too often I’ve shrunk back from God’s call on my life because I’ve looked at my natural gifting. I know that I just have not got what it takes to do what God is calling me to do. His “vision” is beyond my abilities.

Paul Kafentzis however got the point across to me in the great quote above. He is right. In our natural selves, we just don’t have what it takes. But, serving God is not about having the abilities or “the look.” It is all about having a heart that is firmly set on God. That is why we are told to “Fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.” We can’t fulfil our vision in our strength and abilities.

God’s vision for our lives is a God sized vision. We need to work closely with Him to fulfil it. Soak up the Bible reading below, then check out Paul Kafentzis’ site.

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (NIV)
Bob Lipsys

Doing the stuff part 2 - Healing

Last night at the "Sure Foundations" course at Church
Pastor Kevin spoke about "Laying on Hands" for healing,
impartation of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the
Holy Spirit. Linked to all this was prophetic words,
the guidance of the Holy Spirit and living right with a
repentant, forgiven, and cleansed by Jesus, spirit.

Pastor Kevin encouraged us to be involved in Laying on
hands and healing others. He said that there should be
a lot more healing taking place in the Church and outside,
for it is God's desire to heal. We need to trust God and His
Word and pray for others. We need to ask God for the words to
pray in each situation and see Jesus save and heal.

Anyway, we had barely got 10 steps out the room when we
came across a Church member with a "shoulder problem".
Within seconds three of us had laid our hands on the
shoulder and were praying for healing. We were not even
in the car-park yet.

We need to act on what we have learned from God. Be bold.
Go and do what God says. He says that believers in Jesus
"will lay hands on the sick and they will get well." Mark 16:18
Making the sick well is God's job. Our task as believers
is to believe God will heal and lay our hands on them in
response to God's Word.

The simple trust in a Good loving God and His Word is enough.
But if we do not act on it people will simply not be healed.

Bob Lipsys, Australia