“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

 

MY FAMILY

Foundation Scriptures: Ephesians 3:14-15

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.  Ephesians 3:14-15 KJV

1. For the Believer there are two kinds of family: the Natural family – the one you are born into in the flesh – and the Spiritual – the one you are born into in the Spirit.

• The Natural – with a father and a mother. We all had our beginning with the union of a male and a female, coming together in intimacy, producing life.
• This was – and still is – God’s plan.
• The Spiritual – the new birth. A sinner comes to Jesus, and by confession of his/her need of a Savior, he/she acknowledges the Cross, the Blood and his/her need for redemption. By the seed of the Word of God and intimacy with God, through the Holy Spirit, he/she is born again into the family of God! They are now sons and daughters of the Father.
• Christian life and family guidelines – Colossians 3:5-25

2. They say that blood is thicker than water – but natural families often have many problems.

• Families – joined by blood – are often divided. Many won’t even talk to each other and it may be for very petty reasons.
• Eg. Cain and Abel; Jacob and Esau
• People who pledged to commit – get divorced. They cannot or will not get along and so they claim incompatibility.
• This division spills over into other relationships outside of blood families – even into the family of God.

3. The number one reason for the breakdown of relationships is that people have no understanding of covenant.

• What does covenant mean?
• It is a commitment not based on feelings or circumstances, but on a conscious decision.
• This covenant springs out of the agape love of God.
• Covenant is this: while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us – that’s commitment!
• John 3:16-17 NKJV – For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

4. There are 5 kinds of love:

• Agape – self-sacrificial love
• Storge – affection
• Phileo – friendship
• Eros – romance; sexual intimacy
• Epithumia – desire; attraction; lust

5. A covenant based on anything other than agape – unselfish love – cannot stand

• Affections fail – friendships fail – romance fails – physical love fails – attraction fails
• The agape love of God never fails!

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. 4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.  1 Corinthians 13:1-8 NKJV

 

“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

Foundation Scriptures: 1 Samuel 30:6

David was greatly distressed, for the men spoke of stoning him because the souls of them all were bitterly grieved, each man for his sons and daughters. But David encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord his God.  1 Samuel 30:6 AMP

While Saul was still after David, David found an ally in Achish, king of Gath. Achish gave David the town of Ziklag. While David and his men were away fighting their battles, the Amalekites had made a raid on the Negeb and taken everything they owned and held dear, including all of their wives and children. They were left with nothing! David and his men were devastated. They all wept till they could weep no more, then some of them started blaming David and threatened his life. Not only did David suffer the same loss as his men, but now his own men wanted to turn on him! In the midst of his grieving and stress, David turned to the Lord and encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord. He began to remind himself of how good God is and how God is always on his side!

Once he had reminded himself of God’s faithfulness, David did not just get up and pursue the Amalekites – he sought God for what to do next. This was the strength of David. David did not lean on or rely on his own strength or ability. He looked to and trusted always in his God for direction and strength. The Lord told him to go up after them and that they would be successful in rescuing their families and possessions, which he did. David was successful because he always trusted firmly in God and His word. David chose to worship God in the middle of the worst circumstances, when all he could see was destruction and devastation. He did not worship only when everything was going his way. He did not allow life to beat him down and keep him down. He always looked to the Lord, picked himself up and won the battle.

You can win your battles too, but only if you worship the Lord and trust in Him and His word, and not your own strength and abilities, just like David did. Here are some scriptures you can meditate on and speak over your life as you encourage yourself in the Lord. You can cry out like David: “Out of my distress I called upon the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free and in a large place. 6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Psalms 118:5-6 AMP)

Then shall my enemies turn back in the day that I cry out; this I know, for God is for me. In God, Whose word I praise, in the Lord, Whose word I praise, In God have I put my trust and confident reliance; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?  Psalms 56:9-11 AMP

What then shall we say to [all] this? If God is for us, who [can be] against us? [Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?] Romans 8:31 AMP

The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. 3 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. Psalms 18:2-3 KJV

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalms 23:1 KJV

The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When the wicked came against me To eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell. 3 Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident. 4 One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple. 5 For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. 6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord. Psalms 27:1-6 NKJV

The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him. 8 The Lord is their strength, And He is the saving refuge of His anointed. Psalms 28:7-8 NKJV

But the Lord is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge. Psalms 94:22 KJV

The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation. 15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation Is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of the Lord does valiantly. 16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted; The right hand of the Lord does valiantly. 17 I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the Lord. Psalms 118:14-17 NKJV

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. 26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:24-26 NKJV

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  6 So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6 NKJV

You may have some scriptures that the Lord has given you to stand on. Continue to look to God and His promises and not your adverse circumstances and you will come through on the other side in victory!

“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.” Psalms 23:1-6 NKJV

David’s first calling was as a shepherd boy and he had first hand experience of what makes a good shepherd. David knew that he was fully responsible for his sheep. They were completely dependent on him. Without him they were helpless, vulnerable and exposed and he could not afford to let them down. David knew how committed he was to his sheep. He killed a lion and a bear for them! He had confidence in the Lord as his own Good Shepherd. He knew that everything he needed, God would provide. Jesus is our Good Shepherd (John 10:11). He is our Great Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20) and our Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4). We are completely dependent on Him for our guidance, provision and protection. We are not likened to sheep because we are fearful or unable to lead ourselves, but because we obediently follow Him.

Verse 1: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

• Psalms 34:9-10 NKJV, “Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.”
• Psalms 84:11 NKJV, “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.”

Verse 2: He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.

The only true peace and contentment comes from obediently following the Lord. If we rebel and disobey Him, we are just hurting ourselves and depriving
ourselves of our own blessings.

• John 4:14 NKJV, “But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
• John 7:37b-38 NKJV, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

Verse 3: He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

The Lord promises healing, restoration and peace to our souls. When we follow the Lord in righteousness and
holiness, we choose to walk a path of blessing. If we walk in His paths, we will avoid the pitfalls of life.

• 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 NKJV, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”
• 3 John 1:2 NKJV, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”
• Hebrews 12:14 NKJV, “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.”

Verse 4: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Only the Lord can deliver from death. When death threatens our life, He is there to escort us safely through to the other side, just like Daniel in the lion’s den and the three Hebrew boys in the fiery furnace. We need have no fear. The rod was for the sheep’s enemies and the staff was for the sheep’s protection.

Verse 5: You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.

Before ancient feasts in the Middle Eastern culture, it was customary to anoint heads with perfumed oil. Hosts were also expected to protect their guests at all costs. The Lord, like a good Host, offers His protection to us even when enemies surround us. Not only does He promise us food and drink, but He promises us plenty of it – cups overflowing!

• Psalms 104:15 NKJV, “And wine that makes glad the heart of man, Oil to make his face shine, and bread which strengthens man’s heart.”

Verse 6: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.

As God’s sheep and children, we can have confidence that God’s goodness and mercy will follow us to the end of our life and we can have faith that in the next life we will dwell in God’s house forever.

When you recognize the good shepherd, follow him!

“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

But you know all about me. You know what I teach and the way I live. You know my goal in life. You know my faith, my patience, and my love. You know that I never stop trying. 11 You know about my persecutions and my sufferings. You know all the things that happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra –the persecution I suffered in those places. But the Lord saved me from all of it. 12 Everyone who wants to live showing true devotion to God in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.  2 Timothy 3:10-12 ERV

Everyone who wants to live showing true devotion to God in Christ Jesus will be persecuted and go through hard times, but never forget that God is on your side! If you are a lukewarm, compromising Christian, the devil isn’t worried about you, but if you are a Book of Acts Christian – hot, on-fire, living a godly life, submitted to the Word and the Holy Spirit, a doer of the Word, preaching the Gospel, and obeying the Great Commission – then he will be very afraid of you. The devil will always come to try to hinder and to stop the doers of the Word – those who are obeying God – with persecution. You might as well make up your mind now to not get upset or discouraged when it happens. In fact, you should rejoice for it is a sign that you are doing the will of God!

Persecution and hardship is intended to limit your influence. Persecution can come in the form of verbal disapproval or attacks, physical attacks from people or circumstances, and/or spiritual resistance from devils and demons. The devil will try to get you to be discouraged and quit. If you are a touchy person and you take everything personally, then you won’t be able to endure to the end. Paul was just such a one who was bold for the Gospel’s sake and went through tremendous persecutions and hardships as he boldly preached and demonstrated the Word of God. Ungodly people stirred up strife against him; fellow Jews attacked him; other “Christians” questioned his integrity and lied about him; he was arrested and thrown in jail and eventually martyred for his faith – and yet he never gave up; he never quit. Persecution will never succeed if you will just never quit!

Remember Jesus Christ. He is from the family of David. After Jesus died, he was raised from death. This is the Good News that I tell people. 9 And because I tell that message, I am suffering. I am even bound with chains like someone who has really done wrong. But God’s message is not bound. 10 So I patiently accept all these troubles. I do this to help the people God has chosen so that they can have the salvation that is in Christ Jesus. With this salvation comes glory that never ends. 11 Here is a true statement: If we died with him, we will also live with him. 12 If we remain faithful even in suffering, we will also rule with him. If we refuse to say we know him, he will refuse to say he knows us. 13 If we are not faithful, he will still be faithful, because he cannot be false to himself.  2 Timothy 2:8-13 ERV

Paul was persecuted for the Gospel’s sake, not because he had done wrong. He was bound by chains, but God’s Word was not bound – he continued to preach, write letters full of God’s Word and minister to everyone he met and the Lord continued to use him. How did Paul endure all this suffering? What Jesus did for him – and all men – was so real to him; eternity was so real to him; the promise of God was so real to him; that he was willing rather to suffer anything than deny the Lord Jesus Christ!

He was standing on the promise of God that:

1.  If we be dead with Him, we shall live with Him.

– Romans 6:8 KJV – Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.

– 2 Corinthians 5:15 KJV – And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

2.  If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him.

– Romans 8:17-18 KJV – And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

3.  If we deny Him, He also will deny us.

– Mark 8:38 KJV – Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

4.   If we won’t believe, He remains faithful: He cannot deny Himself.

–  Jesus is faithful. He will still be with us even when we have endured so much that it seems we have no faith left to stand. We may even give up and be faithless at times, but Jesus is still faithful to His promise to be with us “to the very end of the world/age” (Matthew 28:20). If we deny the Lord or walk away and break fellowship with Him, still He will never turn His back on us, but be ready to receive us back, should we come to our senses and turn back to Him.

And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. 42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.  Acts 5:40-42 KJV

Persecution did not stop the Early Church from serving God and preaching the Gospel. They counted it an honor to receive persecution for His Name sake!

Learning to trust and rely on God completely, letting Him be the one who controls my life, letting Him be the one who steers my life and, this is what I have mostly learn during these five months of internship.

I’ve heard the message time and time again about Peter walking on the water with Jesus. When Peter focused on the Lord, he floated, but as soon as he took his eyes off of Him, he began to sink. God has been teaching me to keep my eyes fixed on Him in every situation.