Between His Passion and Pentecost

Acts 1 : 1 - 3, The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. NKJV

Have you ever wondered what happened in Jerusalem the week after Christ’s passion? Can you imagine being in Jerusalem on the day of His crucifixion and witnessing the death of Christ and later the next week running into Him alive? They all knew it was Him because He had the wounds to prove it. Here you are a Jew, having witnessed one of the most horrific acts of violence against a man who was guiltless, and you see Him alive! What kind of impact would that have on you? He didn’t return from heaven for just a cameo appearance. He remained with the apostles for forty days and performed many infallible proofs to those who would believe, so that their faith might be solidified.

If you read Matthew’s account of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, you will learn that after He arose, many who were asleep in their graves arose after Him. I haven’t heard that preached much in my circles concerning Jesus’ Resurrection. To put it frankly, Jesus’ resurrection wasn’t something that was done in the corner and out of sight. It turned that city upside down. How do you explain people coming back to life after being dead for no telling how long?

Remember, the Chief priests and the Pharisees went before Pilate and asked him to place guards at the tomb of Jesus. They didn’t want the disciples of Jesus to stage a breakout and claim that He had risen. I’m being a little facetious, but who’s going to believe these disciples? They, themselves, didn’t even believe Mary when she told them that Jesus had sent her to let them know He was alive. That wasn’t the point, here’s the point. Who’s going to believe the story of a resurrection, if there is no person with the name Jesus, having His wounds, who is alive? On the other hand, how do you dismiss a story of Jesus’ resurrection, when He is standing in front of you performing miracles once again?

They could have left the tomb wide open, but it would not have brought Jesus back to life. Jesus dispelled the lies of the chief priests, the Pharisees, Pilate, Herod and everyone else that had plotted against Him. Now you have even more evidence to prove your case as a believer. May these truths that the Lord has brought out today lift your faith, and may you become even bolder in your profession of faith and declare the goodness of your God. He wasn’t ashamed to call us His brothers and sisters, and we’re not ashamed to call Him our risen Lord.

Remember, for forty days Jesus walked on this earth with His disciples and at least one hundred and nine other people (120 in upper room). For the length of time that He was in the wilderness fasting and then being tempted by the Devil, the Father allowed Him to prove beyond any doubt to the Jews that He was the Christ. He was indeed the Lamb of God, who has taken away the sin of the world. Now, go tell someone about Jesus!

He is Risen,

Pastor Asa Dockery

It's all About the Truth

Matthew 11 : 16 - 19, "But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying: 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you, and you did not lament.' For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by her children." NKJV

I have discovered that some of the best teachings immerge from the hardest trials in life. Please take a moment to read chapter eleven so that you can get the full context of what Jesus was teaching and to whom He was directing His comments.

In the above scripture, Jesus is openly rebuking the cities that He had performed the majority of miracles in because the people refused to repent. Instead of repenting of their sins, the people who had witnessed and received miracles at the hands of Jesus turned on Him. When they should have been honoring Jesus as their Messiah, they tried to defame Him as a winebibber, a glutton, and a Friend of tax-collectors and sinners.

Jesus tells those who were present that day that John came to them neither eating nor drinking, and they accused him of being demon possessed. Jesus came eating and drinking, and they accused Him of many things as well. When I read these verses, the Holy Spirit spoke to me very clearly about the mindset or spirit that Jesus was confronting.

Even though the people had witnessed first-hand the mighty miracles of Jesus, they refused to submit to Him as their Savior and Lord. As a result of their rebellious ways, they tried to turn people against John and Jesus because they didn’t agree with the teachings of either of them.

As a pastor, I, too, have faced this type of persecution; people will try to kill your witness by attacking you on a “carnal level,” to create a diversion from the truths that are being taught. If you have experienced this type of persecution, then you know that it is futile to try and please someone who isn’t going to submit to the truth that you have spoken. It didn’t matter what John or Jesus did or didn’t do in their personal lives, they were never going to please those who had rejected the truth. Guess what? None of us will be able to please God and man. Therefore, at some point, we all have to make a conscious decision concerning whom we are going to please, God or man.

When the Holy Spirit revealed these truths that I’m sharing with you today, I better understood why Jesus began to rebuke the cities where He had performed His mighty works. He rebuked them because they had rejected the truth; and He let them know just how hard it would be for them on the Day of Judgment.

This shows us that God can heal anything but offense. The spirit of offense is very prevalent in the “church world” today. Offense isn’t a sickness or disease; it is a spiritual condition of the heart that must be brought before the Lord through repentance. Once a believer seeks forgiveness for becoming offended because of the truth, then they can be restored and reconciled with God through Christ.

We Can Only Serve One Master, 

Pastor Asa Dockery

Desiring More Of God’s Presence

Psalms 24 : 3 – 5, Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. NKJV

The purpose of today’s word is to call your attention to the privilege of having the presence of God in and on our lives. Paul tells us in Acts 17 that in Christ, we live, and move, and have our being. There are many great and wonderful blessings that God bestows upon us daily, which enable us to live and to prosper. Nevertheless, there is no greater blessing in our lives than being able to experience the very presence of God.

As I was thinking about the subject of God’s presence, a thought came to me in prayer. Which is worse, being born under the time of the law and not being allowed to enter into the holiest of Holies as a worshiper, or being born under the time of grace, where we have full access to God’s presence, but have no desire to enter? All believers have been granted a valuable treasure. We have the ability to come into the presence of God, who created us and has redeemed us from the curse of the law of sin and death.

Now that we see the favor and love of God… that He would grant us passage into His holy presence to commune with Him, what kind of life should we live? There’s one thing about entering into the presence of a holy and all-knowing God. If our conscience hasn’t been purged through the blood of Jesus, then guilt will manifest in the Lord’s presence. Therefore, we must choose to honor the gift of God’s presence in such a way that we conduct ourselves the same way in the world that we would while in the secret place of God.

The psalmist wrote that only those who have clean hands and a pure heart can ascend the holy hill of God, and then be able to stand in His holy presence. Through our faith in the work of Christ on the cross, we are made righteous in God’s sight. Because of our faith in Christ, God has granted us the grace to enter into the holiest of Holies (His presence). Although we are counted righteous in God’s sight through our faith in Christ, we must also choose to live righteously, so that we can have the boldness to approach God’s throne in prayer or worship.

The Lord is drawing His people back to Himself. What does that mean? He’s calling us (His children) back to living a life that is dedicated and consecrated to the principles of Christ. Consecration simply means that we are devoted to living for the sole purpose of pleasing God both in His holy place and in the world.

As we commit ourselves to living holy before the Lord, His presence will go with us into the world. Instead of ascending the holy hill of God, we will become carriers of God’s holy presence, just as Jesus did while He walked on earth. Jesus has commanded us to be salt and light to the world.

Even if you are currently living a devoted life to Christ, allow the Holy Spirit to use this message to challenge you to seek the Lord at a greater level in your pursuit of Christ. Remember, we are being changed from faith to faith, and from glory to glory. Just because we are passionate for Christ today doesn’t mean that God wants us to settle at that place, and grow stagnate. We must follow Him continually and passionately until we cross the finish line.

Seeking His Presence,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Got Hope?

Hebrews 11 : 1, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

How is your thought life? Are you hopeful or are you experiencing discouragement? It seems when things are going well, folks tend to be very hopeful about their future. Nevertheless, when life takes a turn for the worse, and you can’t see a way out of your dilemma, hope can be very hard to hold on to. Perhaps you have been in a tough place, and all hope seems to be lost. Before you give up on life or God, let me share some truths with you from God’s Word.

Proverbs 13 : 12 tells us, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes it is a tree of life.” It matters greatly where you and I place our hope. In what or whom are you placing your hope today? We must not place too much emphasis on hope and consequently, lose focus of our purpose for having faith in our hearts. As the scripture states concerning hope being deferred: it can make our hearts sick. If “heart sickness” is happening in your life today, it may produce all types of negative thoughts and emotions. This is why we’re instructed in Proverbs 4 : 23 “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”

The Word of God teaches us that when we are hit with hard situations and negative events that try to shape our perspective on life, we must guard our hearts from negativity. Solomon teaches us under the direction of the Holy Spirit that issues will spring from our hearts if we leave it unprotected. Therefore, keep your heart from becoming sick by utilizing the power of faith to support your hope.

Hope by itself has the power to sustain us. Even so, after a while, we can lose hope and be thrown into a downward spiral. What is the answer to this problem? It’s found in the scripture that I opened this column with today. Hope needs to be supported by a foundation (something greater than it), especially during trying times. There is such a thing as blind faith…where you know absolutely nothing about the outcome of a particular situation, but you continue to believe anyway. Then, there is biblical faith! This is faith that has been produced in your heart through prayer with your heavenly Father.

Take a few minutes and read all of Hebrews 11. You will see plenty of examples of ordinary people who, in prayer, received specific instructions from the Lord and then acted on their faith. This is true biblical faith at its best. Have you invested significant time in prayer about your current situation, or are you relying on hope alone? Allow me to give you an example of how biblical faith works, so that you’re not just hoping; you will have a sense of “knowing” what the outcome is going to be.

When God called Moses to lead His people out of the land of bondage (Egypt), the Lord told Moses about a land He was going to give to His people. God went on to tell Moses that this land of promise would flow with milk and honey. God also said the land would have houses they didn’t build, wells they didn’t dig, and vineyards they didn’t plant. However, since the Jews, nor Moses had ever been in the land of promise, they had to take God’s Word by faith.

One day, Moses sent spies into the Promised Land to see if it was as God had told them. When the spies returned, they brought back fruit from the land that confirmed what God had promised them. In other words, they had evidence (fruit) to confirm their faith and support their hope. It wasn’t blind faith. Once faith is released in your heart through prayer, it will fuel your hope. If you’re in a hard season, then seek the Lord until faith fills your heart. You will be able to move forward by God’s strength until the answer comes to pass in your life.

Hoping by faith,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Lord, Heal Our Land

Lord, Heal Our Land

2 Chronicles 7 : 14, If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

The key to revival and to the restoration of our country is found in today’s scripture. The Bible gives us many accounts of God’s people calling upon the Lord  when they were in affliction and distress. They interceded to God concerning the plight of His people, and God answered their pleas for help with great delivering power.

In Exodus 2, the children of Israel cried out because of the hardships the new king of Egypt forced on them. God heard their prayers and sent Moses to deliver them. In Exodus 17, the Israelites had to fight against Amalek and his people. While Joshua and his warriors fought against Amalek, Moses stood on the hill above the battle and lifted his arms toward God. As long as Moses held his hands up before the Lord, Joshua and the Israelites would prevail. Nevertheless, when Moses grew tired and his arms dropped, Amalek would prevail over the Israelites.

In Genesis 18, the Lord told Abraham that He was about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. However, after hearing God’s plans, Abraham began to pray to the Lord on behalf of the righteous people who might live in these cities. He asks the Lord if He will destroy the righteous with the wicked. To this question, God tells Abraham that He would stay His hand of judgment against these wicked and vile cities for the sake of only ten righteous souls. 

I’ve given you only three accounts of where someone interceded (prayed) to God, and God answered their prayers with deliverance in each situation. However, there are many more instances, in both the Old and New Testaments, where God heard and answered the prayers of His people and delivered them from evil and possible annihilation.

As children of God, we have been given the power to have our prayers heard by the Lord of all creation through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Jesus tells us in Matthew 18 that we have the power, through prayer, to affect change on the earth. We can pray for God’s will to be done and for Satan’s will to be stopped, and our prayers will change the outcome of situations. The key to answered prayer is believing. Jesus tells us in Mark 11:24, “Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”

As Christians, you and I have the privilege and the responsibility to go before the Lord in prayer whenever we see evil at work in our land. If we pray fervently and believe that God hears and answers our prayers, we will see God’s hand at work on our behalf.

For nine years, I have had the honor of being a part of Awake America prayer gatherings. The sole purpose of these prayer gatherings is to pray for revival in America. We also lift up our leaders on every level of government, as well as the presbytery (ministers) of the churches in America. There’s no doubt that we need God to move in America again and to bring a spiritual awakening to the church. America is also in need of a revival of true repentance.

Here’s the best part! You can be a part of this growing prayer movement in your town or city. Currently, we meet in the following counties: Towns, Union, Fannin, Gilmer, Hall, and Cherokee, N.C. It’s an honor to stand together in prayer with the elected and appointed leaders of our communities and call on the Lord in prayer on behalf of our great country.  For more information about Awake America in your area, contact Lydia Long, prayer coordinator at 706-374-6175 X – 302.

Prayer is the Key,
Pastor Asa Dockery

 

 

One Decision

2 Corinthians 6 : 2, For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. NKJV

I’m sure that you, like me, have had days that started out very demanding; you had to address one issue after another. Some matters are easy to deal with; however, there are also those that we tend to put off until the last minute because they’re so difficult for us to tackle.  

What is it that causes us to delay making certain important decisions? As a pastor, not only have I been guilty of procrastinating, but I have counseled many who have struggled with the stress of making a life-altering choice. If having to make a decision causes us to be anxious, uptight, and worried, then we need to remember what the Lord has promised in His Word. God promised us in Hebrews 13 : 5: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

When you realize this truth, and you decide to place your trust in the Lord’s faithfulness, He can empower you to face your fears of the unknown; and you can make the correct decision for your life.

However, out of all the decisions that you have made or will ever make during your lifetime, there is only “one decision” that determines your eternal destiny. The Word of God is very clear concerning this decision; we must all make it before we leave this earth. Further, if we should choose not to make this decision, then we have decided already.

I’m reminded of a passage in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” The Lord is patient with us, giving us time to repent of our sins and to turn our hearts and lives over to Him. We’re not promised tomorrow; that is why today is the acceptable day of salvation.

Far too many people believe they can wait until the very last minute of their lives to make this extremely important decision. Perhaps they believe that choosing to accept the gift of salvation will keep them from something pleasurable in this life. If you feel this way, let me share the words of Jesus. Matthew 16 : 26 says, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Perhaps no one has ever asked you about accepting Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord. If not, allow me to give you an opportunity to accept Him TODAY. Paul teaches us in Romans 10 : 9, “that if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.”

If you haven’t prayed to the Lord and asked Him to forgive your sins and fill your heart with the Holy Spirit, please invite Jesus into your heart today. It will be the greatest decision of your entire life. In addition, let a pastor, a family member, or a close friend know that you have made this decision to live for Christ. As you confess the Lord to others, you will become stronger in your new walk of faith. We would love to hear from you as well. You can contact me at prayer@whcnorth.org.

Living by Faith,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Keep the Dream in You Alive

Keep the Dream in You Alive

Genesis 37 : 23 - 24, So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him. Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it. NKJV

If you haven’t read the story of Joseph, I encourage you to do so. The Lord has given us great wisdom in it that will help anyone who has a dream, yet feels as if it will never come to pass.

The Lord showed me a truth by His Spirit that will greatly encourage “dreamers.” Dreamers are people that God has given an inner-knowing, plan, or vision about their destiny in Christ. When we have this unction or knowing from God, it gives us great expectancy and hope, even when it looks impossible in the natural.

Before I go on any further, let me ask you an important question. Do you feel like your life is on the wrong track and the situations you’re facing aren’t taking you toward your vision? Be very careful that you don’t allow these disruptions to discourage you from pursuing your dream. A pit was never mentioned in the dream God gave Joseph. Therefore, can you imagine how Joseph must have felt when he found himself being sold into slavery, and later, when he was thrown into prison? Life has a way of “throwing” a curve that we don’t expect; nevertheless, it is all a part of the vision.

No enemy and/or no situation can keep us from fulfilling our destiny in Christ, as long as we don’t give up along the way. We can’t see the big picture right now, and we don’t know how the things that we have experienced, or are experiencing can ever get us to our goal. Nevertheless, we must remember to keep our eyes on the Lord.

God used the adversity that the enemy brought against Joseph (because of the dreams) to build character and to develop his abilities to be a leader in hard times. Consequently, Joseph succeeded when he arrived at the destination. Joseph’s example teaches us that we have choices to make when adversity hits us. We can allow them to tear us down and see ourselves as victims of our circumstances, or we can choose to look to God for guidance and allow Him to build the characteristics that we need to sustain us when we arrive at our destination. How we choose to respond to adversity will greatly determine how long we will be in the process.

Paul teaches us in Philippians 1 that God is doing a work in us, and He won’t stop until that work is complete. We are in this world, and God is using it to develop some things in us that we need to fulfill our destiny in Christ. Let me leave you with a powerful truth: When we become a covenant friend with God, the world will hate us. However, if we keep our eyes on Jesus, He will cause our enemies to be used to assist us in completing the process and fulfilling our dream.

Here’s an example: Jesus told His disciples that He was going to Jerusalem, and that He would be tortured and crucified there. At that moment, Simon began to rebuke Him by saying that he would not allow those things to happen to Jesus. However, Jesus rebuked Simon; He said, “Get thee behind me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Later, while Jesus was in the garden praying, Judas leads Roman soldiers to Jesus and kisses him as a sign to them that Jesus was the One they were seeking. When Judas kissed Jesus, He called Judas, friend. Why would Jesus call Simon, Satan, and then call Judas, friend? It was because God was using Judas to fulfill His vision for Jesus, and Satan was exploiting Simon in order to get in Jesus’ way of fulfilling His destiny; it was all centered around Jesus’ suffering.

Satan doesn’t want you to suffer for Christ because you will learn how to obey God through suffering. Instead, Satan wants you to protect “self,” and then suffer the loss of your eternal reward...because of disobedience to your calling in Christ. So once again, we all have a choice to make; when life offers us adversity, what will we do? Remember, your adversity comes because of God’s dream. Allow God to fight for you; you be still and see God’s salvation on your behalf.

P.S. I want to thank all of you that have subscribed to Kingdom Moments. I felt that this devotion was perfect to end on. Keep dreaming and God bless you on your journey.

It’s All About the Lord,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Going Stealth

Matthew 16 : 13 - 15, When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"NKJV

There is a very good reason why Jesus commands us to keep His sayings. Our heavenly Father wants us to be protected from our adversary, the Devil. You may be thinking, “Doesn’t Psalm 91 teach us that God protects us from the enemy by keeping us under the shadow of His wings?” Yes, He does; however, if you read that psalm, you will learn that there are a few things you and I have to do in order to bring God’s protection on our lives.

The Lord wants us to follow His leading so that He can give us wisdom from above. When we speak according to God’s will, and then obey the instructions of the Holy Spirit, God empowers us with the ability to outsmart the enemy, who by-the-way is invisible to us. We are given several examples in the gospels of when either Satan or people tried to figure out who Jesus was... even though they knew He was the Son of Joseph and Mary. There was something very special about Jesus that caused His enemies much discomfort and curiosity.

There were also times that both Satan and men tried to “trip or tempt” Jesus. Nevertheless, He ALWAYS outwitted them. He never fell prey to their deceptive and manipulative lies. Whenever the scribes and Pharisees felt their power was threatened by the miracles and wisdom of Jesus, they would devise plots to destroy Him. However, He would mysteriously escape from their trappings. What made Jesus “stealth” or undetectable to the enemy?

In Luke 4, we see that Satan is tempting Jesus. Satan was trying to discover Jesus’ spiritual identity; he wanted to know if Jesus was the Son of God. However, because Jesus didn’t give into Satan’s seductive offers, the enemy left in defeat; he didn’t learn anything that gave away Jesus’ identity.

There are two points that you must take away from today’s word: Number 1, Satan and the enemies of Jesus didn’t know Jesus’ identity; and Number 2, they couldn’t form any weapon or trap that could stop or kill Jesus. (Until it was time for Jesus to die on the cross) Even then, they still didn’t know who Jesus was. Even so, why is this important to you as a believer in Christ? When you and I operate under the direction and authority of God’s Word, and His will, we are shielded from the weapons of Satan. Neither Satan nor the religious rulers could apprehend, prevent, or distract Jesus from doing God’s will. Because Jesus did only those things that pleased the Father, He couldn’t be detected on the enemy’s radar.

Likewise, when we only do those things which please the Father, we, too, become stealth. No weapon that is formed against us shall be able to prosper; and every tongue that rises up against us in judgment, we will condemn by our righteousness in Christ. Now let’s compare Jesus’ ability to overcome all that the adversary plotted against Him with what happened to Adam. Adam didn’t obey the commands of God; neither did he choose to obey God’s purpose for placing Adam in the garden. Consequently, it wasn’t hard for Satan to figure out a way to get to Adam. Through Adam’s disobedience to God’s commands, Satan was able to lock on (radar term) Adam in the natural. In other words, Satan knew what would work on Adam... what would cause him to sin.

We have a choice every single day of our lives. We can choose to obey the Lord and “fly undetected” by Satan’s radar, or we can choose to serve the lusts of our flesh and fall prey to Satan’s devises and his arsenal.

Our military in America uses stealth technology on some of their airplanes. These planes have flat surfaces and hard edges. They’re not designed with the same curvature as commercial airplanes because they serve a DIFFERENT purpose. When you accepted Christ, you were enlisted into the Lord’s service for a specific purpose. The contractors who build the stealth planes also coat the fighter planes with a material that absorbs radar signals. If the enemy’s radar doesn’t receive its signal back, they will believe that there is no aircraft near a specific area. This technology allows us to hit without being detected prematurely and therefore, escape before the opposition knows what has hit them. In this same way, God has clothed us with the righteousness of Christ; nevertheless, we must choose to walk in the ways of Christ in order to remain undetectable to our enemies in the spirit realm.

If we will choose to live and walk in the Spirit, Satan won’t be able to define us by our human identity; and he won’t be allowed to keep us from our destiny in Christ. It’s time to go stealth on the Devil!

Undetectable in Christ,
Pastor Asa Dockerywww.whcnorth.org 

The Power Of Agreement

Genesis 1 : 3 - 4, Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw the light that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. NKJV

If you’ve ever wondered why the Word says “good” after each time God made something, it’s because God saw on earth what He had declared in heaven. Whenever God saw something that He had spoken, He knew that there was agreement between heaven and earth.

We live in the natural world or realm because that is what God desired. However, God and Satan exist and operate within the realm of the spirit. Proverbs 18 : 21 teaches us that death and life are in the power of the tongue. Nevertheless, how can our invisible words generate the power that is necessary for death or life to operate in our lives? By the words that we choose to use, we are either speaking death or life over ourselves and our families. Jesus tells us in the gospels that we are either justified or condemned by our words.

Even though you and I live in a human body, we were created by God, who is Spirit. Therefore, we are a spirit; we possess a soul, but we live in a body. When we speak as a spirit being in an earthly body, we are empowering either the kingdom of God or the kingdom of darkness. Faith moves God, but doubt, fear, and unbelief move Satan. Let me give you a few examples to help you grasp this word today. Consequently, with new understanding, you can align your words to agree with God and combat Satan.

Jeremiah 1 : 11 - 12, Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Jeremiah, what do you see?" And I said, "I see a branch of an almond tree." Then the LORD said to me, "You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word." NKJV

Please notice that God gave Jeremiah a vision in the Spirit, and then God asked him what he saw. When Jeremiah spoke the words from his mouth, God heard what He had already purposed when He initially gave Jeremiah the vision of the almond branch. God had agreement with Jeremiah. Before God created man, God did everything from speaking to creating. However, when He created us (mankind), God turned the power over to us to speak what we want to happen in the natural realm. Once God had agreement with man on the earth (Jeremiah), He was released to empower Jeremiah’s prophecy and to bring it into existence in the natural realm.

Genesis 3 : 4 - 6, Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate... NKJV.

In this scripture, Satan is speaking (words) to Eve about his will and, at the same time, opposing God’s will. Once Satan convinced Eve that God’s Word wasn’t the truth, but his was, she acted on what Satan had promised her. Instead of Satan creating life, he used Eve and her agreement on earth to produce death in mankind. Even so, Satan couldn’t do anything in the natural realm without first getting agreement from man. Jeremiah spoke life, and Eve spoke death. One activated God, and the other activated or released Satan in the earthly realm.

Let me leave you with this final example from God’s Word:

Luke 4 : 3 - 4, And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'" NKJV

Jesus, who is the Word incarnate (made flesh like man) was approached by Satan just like Eve and was, likewise, tempted. Satan hoped to get Jesus’ agreement so that he could spoil God’s plan just as he did with the first Adam. Nevertheless, Jesus never agreed with Satan about anything. Jesus never opposed Satan with His own opinions; He chose to quote the Word of God in response to Satan’s offers. Instead of speaking or agreeing with Satan and producing death, Jesus spoke the Word of Life out His mouth. The result of Jesus’ decision to speak life empowered God in the earthly realm to bless mankind with eternal life through Christ.

Although you and I were born under the rule of sin, we don’t have to speak death. We can choose, as Jesus did, to speak the Word of Life over ourselves and our family. Are your mouth and life in agreement with God? If so, then you will have life and enjoy life. However, if your heart and mouth aren’t in agreement with God’s will or Word, you will speak death. If we want to live and prosper, then we must begin speaking life out our mouth and walking in agreement with God. Only Jesus has the Words of eternal life. Therefore, speak Jesus.

I Speak Life Over Your People, Lord,
Pastor Asa Dockerywww.whcnorth.org 

Reaching Out in Love

Revelation 3 : 14 - 21, "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, 'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' -- and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked - I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. NKJV

You’ve probably read and/or been taught by a minister about how the believers in Laodicea had become lukewarm in their love for Jesus. Today, the Lord has given me fresh insight into this scripture that we need to know, especially in America.

There is a mindset that exists within the body of Christ that has probably been there since the fall of man. Whenever someone doesn’t act responsibly, or they have sinned, there have always been folks who believe these wrong doers should be thrown out of the church. This mindset of cutting people off isn’t based on Paul’s teaching on correcting and restoring a fallen brother. Rather, it is one that prejudges a person as unredeemable.

When we read the passages from Revelation today, we can clearly see the heart of Jesus. Although the believers had allowed their hearts to grow cold toward their relationship with Christ, He took the time to reach out to the church in love. First, He told the church very specifically what their spiritual condition was. We must not try to discipline someone, unless we first let them know what exactly they have done. Jesus let the believers know that they had fallen away from their intimacy with the Lord.

Secondly, He let them know that they had deceived themselves into believing they were fine spiritually. James tells us that if we don’t obey the Word that we hear, we will become deceived. We must be more than just hearers of the Word; we must also be doers as well, if we desire to be blessed by the Lord.

Finally, we reach the point of today’s word. After Jesus rebuked the church at Laodicea, He then counseled them, so that they would know where they had erred from the faith. Afterward, He let them know that He rebukes and corrects those He loves. Isn’t that amazing? Jesus loved them, even though He was about to spew them out of His mouth; He loved them even though their love and worship for Him had grown cold, and He loved them enough to correct them for the error of their ways.

Jesus loved that church enough to “go to them” and reach out in love as only our Lord can do. He sought to restore them through love. He also told them that He was standing at the door and knocking, if anyone would hear His voice and let Him into their hearts, He would come in and dine with them. Wait a minute! Why does the Lord of the church have to knock on the door of the hearts of the people? He knocked because they had shut the Lord out; they had become so blinded by their love for earthly blessings that they had forgotten from Whom those blessings had come.

Jesus is knocking on the hearts of believers all across America and in various nations around the world. He wants us to allow Him to reenter our hearts and lives so that He can commune with us. Jesus wasn’t trying to cut this particular church off. He sought them out so that He might restore them into a right-relationship with Himself. Where is your love today? Is your heart consumed by the things of this world? If so, won’t you allow the Holy Spirit to redirect your desires back to the Lord so that you can be restored today?

It’s Time to Dine with the Master,
Pastor Asa Dockerywww.whcnorth.org 

Fellowship

1 John 1 : 5 - 7, This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. NKJV

In today’s scripture, John is teaching believers in Christ why we have fellowship with one another. Simply put, it is because we have believed and obeyed the truth. God’s Word brings us into fellowship with the Lord and with each other. As long as we walk in the truth, we are walking in the light and will have fellowship with other believers.

Paul teaches us in 2 Corinthians 6 : 14 that we are not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. He goes on to ask these questions: For what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? What communion does light have with darkness? Fellowship and communion have similar meanings- in that we aren’t to be partakers of unrighteousness and darkness. Therefore, as believers in Christ, we’re not to allow sinners to influence us, so that we begin to partake of their evil ways.

I’m writing this word today on fellowship under the leading of the Holy Spirit to shed some light on the subject of Christians crossing cultural barriers in order to share the gospel with the lost. Let me begin by addressing an issue that many Christians will face at one time or another in their faith walk. Have you had a friendship with someone who was a believer, nevertheless, they decided to go back into sin? Whenever you discovered their choice, how did it affect the dynamics of your friendship? More importantly, how did it affect your fellowship? Did you notice that their decision to sin brought a barrier into the relationship that didn’t exist previously? The barrier of sin should have caused you both to feel uncomfortable in each other’s company.

Sin kills fellowship! The book of Amos asks us the question, “If we don’t agree, how can we walk together?” Without agreement in a friendship about what truth is, how can a saint and a sinner agree and/or walk with each other in fellowship? It can’t happen unless the sinner repents or the believer compromises their convictions about the Word of God. However, having stated the obvious let me ask an important question. How can we, who walk in the light commune with sinners and reach out to them for Christ’s sake? Since we are of the Light (Jesus) and sinners are of the world, there can’t be true communion or fellowship.

Therefore, when we reach out to a lost person, we will sense a barrier. In the body of Christ, this barrier has prevented Christians from sharing the love of Christ with sinners, and this ought not be. It has also caused believers to “kill their witness” or “influence” with sinners because they have treated the lost with disrespect.

One day, Jesus went to the house of Matthew (Levi) who was known to be a tax collector for Rome. Matthew was a newly appointed disciple of Christ, who had invited Jesus to his house for dinner (communion) along with some of his friends, who also happened to be tax collectors and sinners. Nevertheless, when the scribes and Pharisees heard that Jesus was having fellowship with sinners, they accused Him of befriending them. Why? The scribes and Pharisees knew that “their law” didn’t allow them to eat (fellowship or partake) with sinners. Consequently, they accused Jesus of becoming a friend of sinners. What they didn’t know was this: Jesus wasn’t “trying to become like the sinner” at the dinner table; Rather, He was there to offer the “sick” hope and eternal life through evangelism.

When Jewish believers sat at a table with publicans and tax collectors, sharing the meal meant that they were entering fellowship or communion with darkness. However, although Jesus was eating with sinners, He wasn’t communing or partaking of their unrighteous ways. Instead, He was evangelizing them around a meal. In other words, Jesus broke down the wall that separates us from evangelizing sinners by showing us how to reach out to the lost without compromising our convictions.

In His day, Jesus was a “Friend of sinners.” He is still a friend to sinners; however, today, He chooses to operate through us as His ambassadors in the earth. Therefore, we must show the same love toward sinners that Jesus did that day when He sat to eat with them in Matthew’s house. There is much friction between the body of Christ and certain sects of society. Consequently, today’s teaching can empower the body of Christ to overcome the barriers and reach out to the lost in love without fear of compromise. Let’s love the sinner and hate the sin. Isn’t that the method that Jesus used when He saved you and me?

Now Let’s Eat,
Pastor Asa Dockery

If

John 15 : 10, If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. NKJV

How much do Christians love the Lord? According to Jesus’ teaching in the gospel of John, we will abide in His love IF we keep His commandments. However, if we don’t seriously keep His commands, we really don’t love the Lord. It all comes down to obedience doesn’t it? Jesus obeyed His Father’s commandments and, therefore, demonstrated His love for the Father.

How can we say that we love Jesus or the Father if we only obey the commands that we agree with in our hearts? Scriptures such as this one from John 15 have a way of getting down where we live, and they make us confront our own hearts. Anyone can say they love Jesus, but He is looking at our actions, not just the words we’ve spoken. James teaches us that faith is dead apart from obedient actions. The Apostle John instructs us in 1 John 3 : 18 - 19, My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. NKJV

When we say we love the Lord, but don’t keep His sayings, we won’t have confidence when we come before Him. Please hear what the Holy Spirit is revealing to His children. There is a direct connection between a Christian’s disobedience and our struggle with a lack of confidence when we come into God’s presence. If we aren’t bold in our hearts because we have kept His sayings, then we will feel “less than” whenever we have a need, and we enter into the Lord’s presence to petition for that requirement to be met.

Disobedience will adversely affect our faith because it is based in selfishness and not in love. Faith operates through love. Consequently, if we love God enough to keep His Word, then we will have the faith that is necessary to enter into His presence with boldness. We won’t be hesitant or apprehensive when bringing our prayer needs before the Lord. Many Christians struggle with guilt and condemnation simply because they choose not to obey the Word of God.

If this word has described you, then there is a simple solution. Just submit more of your heart to the Lord by obeying more of His Word every single day. Love puts the Word into action in our lives as believers. For example: God so loved the world that He gave His only- begotten Son. Love moved God into action. What do you suppose would have happened if God had only said He loved us, but He didn’t follow through with action? We would all die in our sins. It’s just as important that we obey as it was for God to act on His love for us. IF we obey, we will be blessed by our love for God. You can do this! It will make a huge difference in your faith walk and in your prayer life.

Obedience Is Better than Sacrifice,
Pastor Asa Dockery

The Tabernacle of God

Exodus 7 : 15 - 16, So go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes down to the river. Stand on the riverbank and meet him there. Be sure to take along the shepherd's staff that turned into a snake. Say to him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say, "Let my people go, so they can worship me in the wilderness." Until now, you have refused to listen to him. NLT

God repeatedly spoke through Moses to Pharaoh commanding him to let God’s people go into the wilderness so that they might worship Him. Eventually, Pharaoh seceded to God’s awesome power and sovereign will, and he allowed the children of Israel to go and worship their God. However, as slaves, the Jews had no way of knowing what was about to transpire in their lives once they crossed the Red Sea. All the Jews had known was the Egyptian culture. They were about to embark on a journey that would stretch them in every way imaginable.

Since Moses used the word “worship” as it pertained to God, and since Pharaoh understood what that statement meant, we can conclude that the Egyptians had some form of worship... as well as a place to worship their gods. Therefore, when the children of Israel were far away from the borders of Egypt and in the wilderness, they began to have a reality check about leaving their old surroundings.

The wilderness was nothing like they had been accustomed to or experienced. First of all, there was no “House of worship.” Where was the place they would go to worship and offer sacrifices unto their God? It was about to be revealed to Moses and the people at Mount Sinai.

Exodus 19 : 16 - 25, Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice. Then the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. And the LORD said to Moses, "Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to gaze at the LORD, and many of them perish. Also let the priests who come near the LORD consecrate themselves, lest the LORD break out against them." But Moses said to the LORD, "The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for You warned us, saying, 'Set bounds around the mountain and consecrate it.'" Then the LORD said to him, "Away! Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, lest He break out against them." NKJV

If we examine how God set up this event at Mount Sinai, we can begin to see the pattern or the concept for the building of the tabernacle. God instructed Moses on how to build a place where His people would be able to assemble and worship the Lord. The base of the Mount was where the priests and the people convened. The top of the Mount was where God met with Moses and Aaron, the High Priest. Moses set barriers between the people and God to prevent them from touching the holy mount of God, so they wouldn’t die.

If we study the tabernacle that Moses built according to God’s plans, we will see that there is an outer court or sanctuary where the priests prepare the sacrifice and serve the people. Within the outer court, there was an enclosed place (Temple) where the glory of God descended; this is called the Holiest of all (Hebrews 9). Only the High Priest was allowed to enter into the Holiest of all, once a year, to make atonement for the sins of the people. However, if the High Priest didn’t explicitly follow God’s instructions for sanctification before entering God’s holy presence, he would die.

Our God is so great! He used a mountain to illustrate to Moses how He wanted His tabernacle on earth constructed, so that He could commune with His people. The boundaries at the base of the Mount taught Moses, Aaron, and the people how to respect the awesomeness of God from a distance (or without) and not be destroyed by His power. Nevertheless, God allowed Moses and Aaron to enter into His presence on top of the Mount. By doing this, God showed a distinction between the High Priest and the priests who served the people. Since they had to climb to the top of the mountain, the people learned that God rests in a lofty or elevated place over them (Heaven). As a result of this particular encounter with God, God was able to reveal to Moses the plans for the first earthly Tabernacle for God’s glory to abide. In order to prove further what I have shared with you today as the truth, there is a verse in Exodus that confirms today’s teaching. Exodus 25 : 40, And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain. NKJV

Nevertheless, under the New Testament, we, who believe in Christ as our Savior are now the temple that God has chosen to dwell, in order that He might commune with us by the Holy Spirit. We are always to remember to respect and honor God’s temple so that no sin or any unclean thing will be allowed to defile His dwelling place in us.

Christ In You,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Is God Really In Control?

Exodus 19 : 24 - 25, Then the LORD said to him, "Away! Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, lest He break out against them." So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them. NKJV

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul teaches us a very enlightening principle that gives us understanding as to why God does what He does. Paul tells us that even though God is Spirit, the natural comes first and afterwards, the spiritual. Why would God set up His kingdom in this manner? We must remember that God created us with a natural body instead of creating us as a spirit-being without a body. God created us as a human, bound to the earthly realm so that we could choose with our own freewill whether or not we would serve Him. In other words, He created us so that we could make the choice.

Unfortunately, Adam made the wrong choice. Nevertheless, God made us as flesh first, so that He might be able to redeem carnal man from sin. After the natural order of things was set in motion by Adam, God sent Jesus to earth in the form of man to redeem us. As a result of His great love, we can now make the choice to become like Him through our faith.

Most of what is contained in the Old Testament was written with the understanding that God had a plan. His plan would begin in the natural realm, but would later be transformed into the spiritual in the New Testament. Jesus taught the Jews in His day by using a method called “parables.” These stories helped the Jews understand spiritual principles based on physical things that they could grasp. In much the same way, God designed the Old Testament to be based on the physical realm to represent or to reveal what He wanted to occur in the spiritual realm on earth.

When God uses natural “things” in the Old Testament to teach us spiritual principles or to reveal prophetic utterances that can be understood by humans, it is called “typology” or a foreshadow of things to come. Now let’s get to the purpose of today’s word for you.

In today’s scripture, we read that Moses was alone with God on Mount Sinai. Later, we see that God commanded Moses to leave His presence on the mountain and to come back up with Aaron. We know from scripture that Moses was the greatest prophet of the Old Testament. We also know that Aaron represented the order of the High Priest. We see Moses, the prophet, being sent down by the Lord from God’s holy hill only to return with Aaron. Once again, God is using symbolism to show us something prophetic that would be fulfilled in the New Testament. When Jesus came to earth to redeem fallen man from sin, He descended from God’s holy hill as God’s prophet to proclaim the “Good News” to the lost.

However, after Jesus completed the work of His Father on earth and reconciled man and God through His cross as High Priest, He ascended back to the Father in heaven. When Jesus returned to the Father, He wasn’t just the prophet; He was also the High Priest, who would pour out His blood upon the heavenly tabernacle for our atonement. It happened in the spirit just as God had planned it the day He sent Moses down to bring Aaron back up on the Mount. Moses and Aaron were a typology of Jesus.

If God is this meticulous, and He is able to plan situations that far in advance and they be fulfilled in perfection, then this tells us that He can take care of us when it seems like we’re at our wits’ end. God is in control, whether men want to admit it or not. We can help Him be in control of every area of our lives, if we will only submit ourselves to His will. Today, if you feel overwhelmed because your life is in turmoil, begin to cast all your care on Him and watch as He moves those mountains out of your way.

Give It To God,
Pastor Asa Dockery  

A Word In Season For You

Isaiah 40 : 28 - 31, Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. NKJV

Today’s devotion is about a prayer the Lord instructed me to pray for you. As I was seeking the Lord this morning, the Holy Spirit led me to pray for Christians who are weary from an ongoing war in their personal lives. Because of the intensity of the warfare, Christians have gotten weak and frayed by the attacks of Satan.

During the prayer time, I could sense that the Lord wanted His people to be refreshed by the wind of His Spirit. If this term seems strange to you, you can find it in Acts 2 when God released the power of the Holy Spirit upon the early church after Jesus’ ascension to heaven. The Holy Spirit filled all those who were praying in the upper room.

God wants to increase your strength and give you power for your weakened condition. Make no mistake about it, Satan and his demonic regime has worn down the saints of the Most High through spiritual warfare. Nevertheless, God is still on His throne, and He is fighting on your behalf.

Do you remember the story in 1 Kings 19 where the angel of the Lord instructed Elijah to eat a cake after becoming weary from his battle with the prophets of Baal and Jezebel? Elijah was exhausted, and depressed, and prayed to die. Even so, God instructed him to eat the cake and drink the water. Because Elijah obeyed God’s command, the strength he gained from eating that one cake lasted forty days.

These devotions go all over America and into many nations throughout the world. Over the past year, we have received hundreds of emails and messages from Christians who are weary and feel as if they’re going to faint, if God doesn’t show up in their situation. If you, too, are tired and in danger of giving up, then consider this your Word from the Lord. Begin to praise Him for both placing you on my heart to pray for and for hearing from the Lord on your behalf.

God wants to restore, refresh, and renew your tired soul. Therefore, I pray for you; may God lift you to a height in Him that is far above the storms of life, and may He give you an impartation of His strength and power so that you’re able to soar like an eagle. Receive God’s strength in your heart and soul today and be refreshed.

If this devotion has lifted your spirit and given you renewed hope, then I encourage to listen to a recent message the Lord gave me that will strengthen you even more. Click on link below and go to audio file entitled, “You Are Not Alone!” Click on “Download Video tab” to listen to the audio version. http://www.cross.tv/profile/187483?go=audio 

If God Be For Us,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Finding the Strength to Walk Away

John 8 : 3 - 6, Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" NKJV

On the surface, it seems like the scribes and Pharisees are carrying out the requirements of the Law to punish this woman, who was caught committing adultery. Nevertheless, John tells us that they sought to use this occasion to entrap Jesus in their scheme. It seems legit, if you’re not familiar with the Law of God; however, these accusers had forgotten to carry out the entire Law, which also included punishing the man.

John 8 : 7 - 11, So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." NKJV

It’s true that the Law condemned a person who was guilty of committing adultery to death by stoning. However, the point of this word today is about the confusion that surrounds grace. You will notice in this story that Jesus allows this guilty woman to “go free” without any repercussions for her sin. Why didn’t Jesus allow her to be stoned? John tells us in chapter one that the Law came through Moses, but truth and grace came with Jesus.

Does grace allow us to sin without any consequences, so that we’re able to continue in sin? Paul would say, “Certainly not!” Nevertheless, there are leaders in the church today who teach grace as a license to sin continually. Many believers somehow abuse grace to justify their sinful lifestyle or, at the least, their desire to sin, rather than obey the Lord. Therefore, why did Jesus defend this adulteress and allow her to “go free” without punishment? He was offering her a “better way” to overcome sin. This story is a perfect illustration of God’s grace and how He gives us time to overcome sin before judgment comes, instead of stoning us immediately as was done under the Law.

Under the Law, if you were caught in sin, you were taken immediately and punished. If the punishment was death, then you didn’t get a second chance to overcome sin. Grace gives us the “time” and the power to overcome sin, not to continue in our sin. Peter teaches us in his epistle that God is longsuffering toward us not willing that “any” should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Grace gives us the ability to “come to repentance.” Peter tells us that God is longsuffering, giving us time to turn away from our sin and to make Him Lord over our hearts, so that we can come to repentance.

If you read Jesus’ last statement to the woman in verse eleven, you will see that He commands her to go and sin no more! Does it sound to you like Jesus is giving this woman His permission to use His grace to continue in sin? Absolutely not! If you struggle with a particular sin in your life, and you’ve been born again by the Spirit of God, then this word is for you. Jesus doesn’t condemn you of your sin; however, He does give you grace (power) so that you can overcome the sin in your life through the Holy Spirit.

The key to learning how to utilize God’s grace to overcome sin is to understand how to submit to Jesus as Lord first. As you submit to God, He gives you the power to resist the Devil; and then, Satan must flee from you. No longer will the Devil be able to dominate your heart and life with sin because you have now made Jesus your Lord. Remember, Jesus tells us in Matthew 6 that we can’t serve two masters. Therefore, when we make a conscious decision to submit our hearts and our sin to Jesus as Lord, He empowers us to overcome the sin. In reality, grace is much harder because it requires us to “deal” with and to overcome sin, instead of making an animal pay for our sin. We can no longer blame anyone other than ourselves for the sin we commit. We must take personal responsibility as a child of the Most High God and die to the sin in our lives, through God’s grace.

It’s All Up to You,
Pastor Asa Dockery 

Confronting People With The Truth

Matthew 11 : 16 - 19, "But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying: 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you, and you did not lament.' For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by her children." NKJV

I have discovered that some of the best teachings immerge from the hardest trials in life. Please take a moment to read chapter eleven so that you can get the full context of what Jesus was teaching and to whom He was directing His comments.

In the above scripture, Jesus is openly rebuking the cities that He had performed the majority of miracles in because the people refused to repent. Instead of repenting of their sins, the people who had witnessed and received miracles at the hands of Jesus turned on Him. When they should have been honoring Jesus as their Messiah, they tried to defame Him as a winebibber, a glutton, and a Friend of tax-collectors and sinners.

Jesus tells those who were present that day that John came to them neither eating nor drinking, and they accused him of being demon possessed. Jesus came eating and drinking, and they accused Him of many things as well. When I read these verses, the Holy Spirit spoke to me very clearly about the mindset or spirit that Jesus was confronting.

Even though the people had witnessed first-hand the mighty miracles of Jesus, they refused to submit to Him as their Savior and Lord. As a result of their rebellious ways, they tried to turn people against John and Jesus because they didn’t agree with the teachings of either of them.

As a pastor, I, too, have faced this type of persecution; people will try to kill your witness by attacking you on a “carnal level,” to create a diversion from the truths that are being taught. If you have experienced this type of persecution, then you know that it is futile to try and please someone who isn’t going to submit to the truth that you have spoken. It didn’t matter what John or Jesus did or didn’t do in their personal lives, they were never going to please those who had rejected the truth. Guess what? None of us will be able to please God and man. Therefore, at some point, we all have to make a conscious decision concerning whom we are going to please, God or man.

When the Holy Spirit revealed these truths that I’m sharing with you today, I better understood why Jesus began to rebuke the cities where He had performed His mighty works. He rebuked them because they had rejected the truth; and He let them know just how hard it would be for them on the Day of Judgment.

This shows us that God can heal anything but offense. The spirit of offense is very prevalent in the “church world” today. Offense isn’t a sickness or disease; it is a spiritual condition of the heart that must be brought before the Lord through repentance. Once a believer seeks forgiveness for becoming offended because of the truth, then they can be restored and reconciled with God through Christ.

We Can Only Serve One Master,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Be A World Changer!

Hebrews 11 : 30 - 40, By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace. And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented -- of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us. NKJV

If you’re a follower of Christ, then God has placed a divine calling on your life. Even so, as we seek to know and to fulfill the plan of God for our lives, we begin to undergo a transformation. The passages that I used today are representative of the transformation that God wants to demonstrate in us and through our obedience to His calling.

When we read about the heroic actions of the great men and women who have gone before us and how God used their simplistic faith to impact their world, we can begin to see what can transpire when God moves on ordinary people to do extraordinary acts in His name. God uses humans, along with our weaknesses, our shortcomings, and our frailties; then, He mixes them with our faith to show the world His greatness.

If we will allow God to use our vessel, He can challenge and uproot corruption and injustice in our society, so that others will be able to lead a more peaceable life. Can you imagine what this world would be like if there were no Christians? I can’t begin to imagine how corrupt and evil the earth would be without obedient believers. The story of Noah’s day in Genesis 6 gives us a glimpse of what it would be like if there were only a few righteous souls on the earth today.  

The world and the satanic forces that you face daily, and which war against your stand of faith, can cause you to view yourself as insignificant and unimportant. Nevertheless, you must reject the opinions and accusations of the world, lest you give into the pressure and allow others to squelch your faith and your impact on the world.

God has you on this earth for a divine purpose. It is your responsibility to God to see that you fulfill that purpose with all that is within you. God still performs the extraordinary through ordinary believers. Remember, you can do ALL things through Christ because He will give you the strength.

Now Go Change the World,
Pastor Asa Dockery

New Again

2 Corinthians 4 : 16, Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. NKJV

Take a look around you. Everything you see is aging; and considering the alternative, it is good that we are getting older as well. I enjoy watching someone’s reaction when God blesses them with a new car or house. They are so excited and want to spend as much time as possible with their brand-new treasure. We, humans, certainly enjoy new things in life, but it doesn’t take long for the new to begin to fade.

We’re told many times in the Word of God that the things of this world are quickly fading away. When our possessions get some age on them, it’s easy to grow tired of them and lose interest. I bring up this point to illustrate how life can also have a way of losing its zest and its enjoyment. When a person loses their passion for life because nothing new or exciting is happening to them, they have a tendency to forget just how blessed they are. You may think, “Given the recent turn of events in my life, I certainly don’t feel blessed.” Well, hold on and allow me to share the Word that the Holy Spirit revealed to me for you today.

As I stated previously, everything in this world is growing older by the second. Even so, there is great news for the believer in Christ; our spirit man is being renewed daily. However, if that isn’t enough to encourage you, take a moment to remember when you used to be lost in your sins and had no hope; God forgave you, placed His Spirit into your spirit, and gave you a brand-new life that is eternal. Nevertheless, if that still isn’t sufficient, Paul teaches us in 2 Corinthians 5 that if we be in Christ, then old things have passed away (because our old man was crucified with Christ) and behold all things become new in Him.

Are you getting a hold of what the Holy Spirit is telling you today? Let go of the dead things from your past, and open your heart to God so that He can give you a glorious future. Yes, it can be done through Christ because God has promised us in Jeremiah 29 : 11 that He would give us a hope and a future. All things can become new today. How many times did God do a “new thing” in the Bible? How many times did God allow men and women, whom He had called, to get a brand-new start in life “after” they had failed Him? You, too, can choose today as being the “new beginning” or genesis in your life. If this a “right now” word for you, then faith will explode in your spirit, so that you can receive the manifestation in your life. Now start praising the Lord for a new day, a new beginning, and a renewed spirit that will never age or die. I’m getting happy just writing this to you. Somebody shout to the Lord!

Feeling Happy about Your New Beginning,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Don’t Be Stopped by Contentious People

Matthew 12 : 22 - 28, Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?" Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons." But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. NKJV

If you were to be able to go back to the days when Jesus walked the earth and ask the scribes and Pharisees who they represented, they would tell you that they were servants of God. We know that Jesus was both God’s servant and His voice to the Jews. However, in this passage today we see contention between Jesus and the religious rulers of the synagogues.

The leaders of Judaism accused Jesus of casting out demons through the power of Beelzebub, the ruler of demons. Instead of acknowledging the authority that rested on Jesus as being from God, the Pharisees lied against Him. Why was there contention between Jesus and the Pharisees, if they all represented God’s will in the earth? The Pharisees weren’t submitted to God’s will; they only did what pleased them. They continually did things in order to get the attention and accolades of man, but Jesus sought to please the Father. Consequently, there was always contention between them.

Whenever a church leader or believer becomes offended at God because He hasn’t allowed them to do what they want to do, the enemy will use such an occasion to tempt them. I call this form of temptation a “spirit of distraction.” It leads “good,” well-meaning people astray in their hearts and away from God’s will, so that they become consumed with fulfilling their own will or agenda.

You can see in today’s passage that the Pharisees opposed Jesus, even though His heart was set to please only the Father. Whenever people get distracted by their own agenda, they can become enemies of the cause of Christ. (I will give you a scripture to confirm in a moment) We see the contention and the hostility that the Pharisees, the scribes, and the elders of Israel had against Jesus when He sought to please God. As you step out to know and to fulfill God’s will for your life, you, too, must guard your heart from “going after” your own desire or agenda. The quickest and easiest way to fall prey to the spirit of distraction and contention is through offense.

James teaches us how to overcome the accusations and temptations of Satan. First, we are to submit to God, and then we can resist Satan. As long as we remain submitted in our hearts to God with a clear conscience, we won’t fall prey to demonic attacks. I want to leave you today with a verse that confirms the principle that I’ve shared with you.

John 16 : 1 - 3, "These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. NKJV

Notice that there is a difference between pleasing God, as Jesus did, and offering God service, as the Pharisees did. Jesus always did those things that pleased His heavenly Father. The Pharisees only did what pleased themselves in the name of God. If we are truly serving God in the way that is pleasing to Him, then the Holy Spirit will bear witness with our conscience that it is of God. Paul used this confirmation many times in his teachings.

Finally, Jesus tells us that we, too, will have to face the same hostility from religious spirits who seek to persecute us and even put us to death because they believe in their hearts that they are doing God’s service. Anyone who lives and speaks the truth of Christ is going to be confronted by those who seek their own agenda and philosophies. All we have to be concerned about is being submitted to God, like Jesus was while He ministered. God will take care of our adversaries. Now, go out there and turn your part of the world upside-down for Christ.

Be Instant in Season and Out,
Pastor Asa Dockery