“How To Get Vision For Life”
By Pastor Rickey Hunt
Many times I have people ask me how they can know the will of God for their lives. I tell them they must get alone and spend time in prayer. Psalms 46:10 tells us to be still and know that I am God… Jesus was our example. Although he was very busy ministering to the people, often he would leave the crowds and go up to the mountain alone to pray. It was during these times that Jesus learned how to hear from the Father God. We also have to draw away from the busyness of life to be able to hear from God. How does God speak? It is usually in that still small voice. In a very quite way. That is why we have to get alone and get still and listen. Prayer is not just giving God all of our petitions, but it is also us being quiet to hear what he might say to us.
Sometimes that still small voice is not heard, but we might begin to see what he is saying. With words we can paint a picture. If I describe the day as being a bright sun shiny day with the wind blowing through the leaves and the leaves are beginning to fall, you not only heard my words, but you began to see these things in your mind. Jesus is an artist painting pictures on the canvas of your heart with that still small voice. One day in 1984, when I was a new Christian, I was praying and I began to get on myself because I thought I had lost my focus and began to daydream. But, I noticed that this so called daydream was the same thoughts that had come to my mind for the last several days when I was praying. At that point I began to learn when God begins to speak to us while praying that it is often seen and not just heard. This is how we get vision for life. Even Jesus said in John 5:19 that he does what he seeth the Father do… It is through prayer that we begin to see and have vision for life.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Entering Into Our Promised Land
“Entering Into Our Promise Land”
By Pastor Rickey Hunt
When God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, he promised them that he would give them a land of their own. We refer today to that land as the nation of Israel. This was their promise land. Deuteronomy 11:31 reads “For ye shall pass over Jordan to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God giveth you, and ye shall possess it, and dwell therein.” This was the beginning of the journey to the promise land. This promise said that they would possess it and that they would dwell in it. With this promise they began their journey. What they didn’t know until later was that there were giants in the promise land. These giants were not only big in stature, but they also were intimidating by what they said. Remember what Goliath spoke to David. Goliath spoke words to David to intimidate him and to cause him to fear. It didn’t work with David. David didn’t listen to the giant, but he knew his God would bring him through to victory. On the other hand, 10 out of 12 spies that were sent to spy out the land were intimidated by these giants. We should all be on a journey to our promise land, but we need to be aware that we will encounter giants on the way to this promise land. These giants will also be big in stature and they will also speak words against us to try and put fear upon us. We have to be like David and not fear, but run to the battle and defeat these giants that stand in our way. We must stay focused on the promise and know that we shall possess it and dwell in that promise land.
By Pastor Rickey Hunt
When God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, he promised them that he would give them a land of their own. We refer today to that land as the nation of Israel. This was their promise land. Deuteronomy 11:31 reads “For ye shall pass over Jordan to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God giveth you, and ye shall possess it, and dwell therein.” This was the beginning of the journey to the promise land. This promise said that they would possess it and that they would dwell in it. With this promise they began their journey. What they didn’t know until later was that there were giants in the promise land. These giants were not only big in stature, but they also were intimidating by what they said. Remember what Goliath spoke to David. Goliath spoke words to David to intimidate him and to cause him to fear. It didn’t work with David. David didn’t listen to the giant, but he knew his God would bring him through to victory. On the other hand, 10 out of 12 spies that were sent to spy out the land were intimidated by these giants. We should all be on a journey to our promise land, but we need to be aware that we will encounter giants on the way to this promise land. These giants will also be big in stature and they will also speak words against us to try and put fear upon us. We have to be like David and not fear, but run to the battle and defeat these giants that stand in our way. We must stay focused on the promise and know that we shall possess it and dwell in that promise land.
Being Led By The Spirit Of God
Being Led By The Spirit Of God
By Pastor Rickey Hunt
Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
I remember as a new Christian praying one day, “Lord speak to me in a way that I can understand”. At that time I didn’t know how to hear God. I wanted to hear the Lord and be able to get his direction in my life. As I prayed that prayer that day I had faith that God had heard my prayer and was able to speak to me in a way that I could understand. There was one particular prayer request that I had. It was concerning a bible conference that I was invited to go to. Just a few days later I woke up in the middle of the night after I had a dream. In this dream I saw a cloud open up and I saw a man teaching the word of God. As I pondered on this dream, I didn’t know what it meant and soon went back to sleep. Well a few days later on Sunday morning my friend that had invited me to the conference handed me a brochure of the conference. As I opened the brochure I immediately saw the pictures of the speakers. In the line up of speakers I saw the man that I had seen in my dream. I already felt good about going to this conference, but I knew God was speaking to me in a way that I would understand. He answered my prayer. I went to this conference and was blessed. Probably the greatest blessing in this, was I knew God had spoken to me in a way that I could understand. From this point on I knew God could make his will known unto me no matter what. Does God speak to me in visions and dreams all the time? No, he does not. Most of the time I have that knowing in my spirit that this is the way that the Lord is leading. In Romans 8:16 it says that the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit. Many times we refer to this as having that know that we know that we know feeling in our spirit. Be confident as we pray and study God’s word that we can be led by the Spirit.
By Pastor Rickey Hunt
Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
I remember as a new Christian praying one day, “Lord speak to me in a way that I can understand”. At that time I didn’t know how to hear God. I wanted to hear the Lord and be able to get his direction in my life. As I prayed that prayer that day I had faith that God had heard my prayer and was able to speak to me in a way that I could understand. There was one particular prayer request that I had. It was concerning a bible conference that I was invited to go to. Just a few days later I woke up in the middle of the night after I had a dream. In this dream I saw a cloud open up and I saw a man teaching the word of God. As I pondered on this dream, I didn’t know what it meant and soon went back to sleep. Well a few days later on Sunday morning my friend that had invited me to the conference handed me a brochure of the conference. As I opened the brochure I immediately saw the pictures of the speakers. In the line up of speakers I saw the man that I had seen in my dream. I already felt good about going to this conference, but I knew God was speaking to me in a way that I would understand. He answered my prayer. I went to this conference and was blessed. Probably the greatest blessing in this, was I knew God had spoken to me in a way that I could understand. From this point on I knew God could make his will known unto me no matter what. Does God speak to me in visions and dreams all the time? No, he does not. Most of the time I have that knowing in my spirit that this is the way that the Lord is leading. In Romans 8:16 it says that the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit. Many times we refer to this as having that know that we know that we know feeling in our spirit. Be confident as we pray and study God’s word that we can be led by the Spirit.
Trusting God For Your Provisions
Trusting God For Your Provisions
Pastor Rickey Hunt
Matt.6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Man will fail you, financial institutions will fail you, jobs will fail you, but God never will fail you. In these shaky financial times of lack we need to learn to trust God for our provisions. We have to ask ourselves a question, where is our trust? Is it in God or in our money? A good way to test ourselves to see if our trust is in God or money, is to see if we have peace when we are lacking finances. If we are worrying about a lack of money, there lies our trust. We don’t realize it, but many times we have more faith in our money than we do in God. This is sometimes hard to swallow, but it is something we need to see.
In summary, Matt. 6:33 is saying, “Seek God first and all these things will be added to you”. What are “all these things”? When you go back to verse 27 to verse 32, you can see he is talking about not worrying about clothing, food, and drink. These scriptures deal with trusting God and not worrying about tomorrow’s provision. When we find ourselves worrying about finances, we haven’t really put it in the hands of God. We all have been guilty of this. We must continue to check ourselves where our trust lies, in money or God?
Pastor Rickey Hunt
Matt.6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Man will fail you, financial institutions will fail you, jobs will fail you, but God never will fail you. In these shaky financial times of lack we need to learn to trust God for our provisions. We have to ask ourselves a question, where is our trust? Is it in God or in our money? A good way to test ourselves to see if our trust is in God or money, is to see if we have peace when we are lacking finances. If we are worrying about a lack of money, there lies our trust. We don’t realize it, but many times we have more faith in our money than we do in God. This is sometimes hard to swallow, but it is something we need to see.
In summary, Matt. 6:33 is saying, “Seek God first and all these things will be added to you”. What are “all these things”? When you go back to verse 27 to verse 32, you can see he is talking about not worrying about clothing, food, and drink. These scriptures deal with trusting God and not worrying about tomorrow’s provision. When we find ourselves worrying about finances, we haven’t really put it in the hands of God. We all have been guilty of this. We must continue to check ourselves where our trust lies, in money or God?
Recognizing What God Wants To Use
Recognizing What God Wants To Use
By Pastor Rickey Hunt
It is my desire as you continue to read this book that your heart will be open to see a principle that absolutely could change your life forever. Proverbs 10:22 “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” Some would say that they don’t believe in prosperity, but their behavior tells another story. Their behavior I am talking about is that they are working hard to make money, so all of us to some degree believe in prosperity or we would not work so hard to get it. We often look in many directions trying to find wealth, but as Proverbs says it comes from the “Blessing of the Lord”. This same “Blessing” was upon Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. They were all very successful in every area of their life, but one thing that stands out about them was they were all wealthy. Why? It all goes back to the “Blessing of the Lord”! The “Blessing” started with Abraham, and then Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph inherited that same ’Blessing”. The good news is according to Galatians 3:29 we also inherited that same “Blessing” through the blood of Jesus. Yes, when we accepted Jesus as our savior we received this same “Blessing”. If it made Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph wealthy, so should it do the same for us. So, we need to understand if we are born again we are blessed. Yes, the “Blessing” is upon our lives. Once you know that, then your life can begin to change in a very positive way. There are certain principles in God’s word that will move you into position to receive of the “Blessing”. One of those principles is the law of “Recognizing What God Wants To Use”. I believe this principle is one of the most powerful key principles to be able to tap into this “Blessing” that rests upon us. As we learn this I believe we will begin to accumulate wealth in these last days and be able to finance the Gospel message to go around the World in a more excellent way.
Many Scriptures in the bible tells us that by being led by the Holy Spirit that this will help us to prosper. Psalms 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” What is being said, is that we shall not want for anything as long as the Lord is our shepherd. If we will seek him and his guidance we will find that we are not lacking for nothing. This includes a lot more than just financial prosperity, but it does include financial prosperity. We often have to be reminded that God’s word tells us that he has pleasure in the prosperity of His servants. Psalms 115:12 …he hath been mindful of us: he will bless us… In other words he is thinking about us, and thinking how he can bless us. Now that sounds just like a Father. As a Father I spend time thinking about how I would like to bless my two children. Our God is our Father and he does the same thing. He wants to bless us! Again it is needful to be sensitive to listen for his direction. If we will, we will find many times He will be leading us to prosperity.
The Gospels tells us a story of multiplying and increase. John 6:1-13 “After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed him , because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. And the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Phillip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto the disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.” By all means this was a tremendous miracle! There were 5000 men that were fed, but that is not counting women and children. It could have been 10 or 15 thousand with the men, women, and children combined. Wow! Jesus did this miracle of feeding these thousands of people with 5 loaves of bread and two small fish. This would have not been enough for the disciples let alone the multitude. How did this happen? Jesus recognized what God wanted to use. The five loaves and two small fish did not make sense. They seemed so insignificant with the monstrous need that was facing them. Thousands of hungry people looking to Jesus to meet their need. The thought of the loaves and fish didn’t make sense they seemed so insignificant. This is where we can’t always lean to our understanding. Many times what God wants to use is right under our nose. We think we don’t have anything, but we may have a skill, knowledge, gifting, hobby, or a forgotten product that God could use to bless us with. It may seem so insignificant, but so did the loaves and fish. No matter what it is when God puts his hand on it we will see increase. The only reason the loaves of bread and fish were multiplied was because Jesus recognized what God wanted to use. A great miracle of increase came because of it. If we will began to recognize what God wants to use we will also see great increase happen in our lives. Sometimes it just doesn’t make sense, so we don’t recognize what God is wanting to use. This is a principle that can cause a financial breakthrough! Many of you are tithing and giving offerings, believing for that breakthrough. You are doing the right thing, but are you waiting for someone to bring money to your door step, or waiting for money to fall out of the sky. No we can’t do that. We have to be realistic. We are going to have to work, but we can be assured that what we put our hands to will prosper according to Psalms 1:3. When you combine a good work ethic with recognizing what God wants to use, then the sky is the limit to what God can increase. Not only did Jesus feed the thousands, but there was bread and fish left over so much that they gathered 12 baskets full of fish and bread. We need to understand that when we recognize what God wants to use, not only can it bring a financial breakthrough, but it might also bring us into a new business that could last for a lifetime. Many years back I bought some Mouflon sheep. I got them more less as a hobby, but after I recognized that God wanted to use them to bless us with, I begin to look at them as a business venture. Now 15 years later we have sent our Mouflons all over the United States. We have written a book on raising Mouflons. We are looked at as the authority on Mouflon sheep. We have been interviewed by the Washington Post Newspaper and the Dallas Morning News and pictures of our sheep have been used world wide. Now if God can do that with Mouflon sheep he can use anything to bring increase into your life. The key is to Recognize What God Wants To Use!
Are there any other scriptures that show this powerful principle? I am glad you asked. Let’s look at one more scripture reference. 11 Kings 4:1-7 “Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? Tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not anything in the house, save a pot of oil. Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbors, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.” This lady was in a terrible situation. Financial debt was about to destroy her and her family. Some of you may be at that same place today. It looks like there is no way out, but there is good news. God can deliver you like he did this lady! Again a tremendous miracle of increase took place. Why, because Elisha recognized what God wanted to use. Notice when Elisha asked her what she had in her house, she said she had nothing save a pot of oil. That oil looked insignificant to the problem she had. How could that oil help her? So, she looked over it, but Elisha recognized what God wanted to use. She was so broke she didn’t have any vessels. She had to borrow all the vessels her sons could find. When it was recognized that God wanted to use the oil, they began to pour out the oil into the vessels. The oil continued to increase until all the vessels were full. She was able to pay her debt and had so much more left over that she and her sons was financially set for life. Now this is what can happen when you recognize what God wants to use. Increase always follows when you recognize what God wants to use. Our Mouflons did not set us up for the rest of our lives, but there is a income that comes from that every year. There has been other things that we recognized what God wanted to use. So, now we have several streams of cash flow coming into our lives from this very powerful principle. You may be asking this question, how can I recognize what God wants to use? It all comes back to being led by the Spirit. If you are going to consistently be led by the Holy Spirit you are going to have to spend time in prayer. If you spend time in His presence through prayer you will get where you can distinguish His voice from another’s voice. For example if I go into another room with several people and my two boys stay outside in the other room, when I would speak they would know my voice from the others even though they could not see me. Why?, Because they have spent many hours with me and they know my voice because of time spent with me. Same goes with us when we spend time in our Lord’s presence, we will know His voice. Some of you may think that this is going to take along time and countless hours every day in prayer to come to the place to be able to recognize God’s voice. No not necessarily! The main thing is to give our hearts and lives to God every day, and try to keep our mind stayed on him. Scripture talks about us praying without ceasing. That does not mean that we are praying 24 hours a day. It is talking about us praying through out the day as the Holy Spirit reminds us to. So don’t think your never going to be spiritual enough for this to work for you. We can all listen for the voice of our Lord and as we do we will begin to hear his direction. Take hold of this very powerful principle and begin to Recognize What God Wants To Use!
By Pastor Rickey Hunt
It is my desire as you continue to read this book that your heart will be open to see a principle that absolutely could change your life forever. Proverbs 10:22 “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” Some would say that they don’t believe in prosperity, but their behavior tells another story. Their behavior I am talking about is that they are working hard to make money, so all of us to some degree believe in prosperity or we would not work so hard to get it. We often look in many directions trying to find wealth, but as Proverbs says it comes from the “Blessing of the Lord”. This same “Blessing” was upon Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. They were all very successful in every area of their life, but one thing that stands out about them was they were all wealthy. Why? It all goes back to the “Blessing of the Lord”! The “Blessing” started with Abraham, and then Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph inherited that same ’Blessing”. The good news is according to Galatians 3:29 we also inherited that same “Blessing” through the blood of Jesus. Yes, when we accepted Jesus as our savior we received this same “Blessing”. If it made Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph wealthy, so should it do the same for us. So, we need to understand if we are born again we are blessed. Yes, the “Blessing” is upon our lives. Once you know that, then your life can begin to change in a very positive way. There are certain principles in God’s word that will move you into position to receive of the “Blessing”. One of those principles is the law of “Recognizing What God Wants To Use”. I believe this principle is one of the most powerful key principles to be able to tap into this “Blessing” that rests upon us. As we learn this I believe we will begin to accumulate wealth in these last days and be able to finance the Gospel message to go around the World in a more excellent way.
Many Scriptures in the bible tells us that by being led by the Holy Spirit that this will help us to prosper. Psalms 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” What is being said, is that we shall not want for anything as long as the Lord is our shepherd. If we will seek him and his guidance we will find that we are not lacking for nothing. This includes a lot more than just financial prosperity, but it does include financial prosperity. We often have to be reminded that God’s word tells us that he has pleasure in the prosperity of His servants. Psalms 115:12 …he hath been mindful of us: he will bless us… In other words he is thinking about us, and thinking how he can bless us. Now that sounds just like a Father. As a Father I spend time thinking about how I would like to bless my two children. Our God is our Father and he does the same thing. He wants to bless us! Again it is needful to be sensitive to listen for his direction. If we will, we will find many times He will be leading us to prosperity.
The Gospels tells us a story of multiplying and increase. John 6:1-13 “After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed him , because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. And the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Phillip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto the disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.” By all means this was a tremendous miracle! There were 5000 men that were fed, but that is not counting women and children. It could have been 10 or 15 thousand with the men, women, and children combined. Wow! Jesus did this miracle of feeding these thousands of people with 5 loaves of bread and two small fish. This would have not been enough for the disciples let alone the multitude. How did this happen? Jesus recognized what God wanted to use. The five loaves and two small fish did not make sense. They seemed so insignificant with the monstrous need that was facing them. Thousands of hungry people looking to Jesus to meet their need. The thought of the loaves and fish didn’t make sense they seemed so insignificant. This is where we can’t always lean to our understanding. Many times what God wants to use is right under our nose. We think we don’t have anything, but we may have a skill, knowledge, gifting, hobby, or a forgotten product that God could use to bless us with. It may seem so insignificant, but so did the loaves and fish. No matter what it is when God puts his hand on it we will see increase. The only reason the loaves of bread and fish were multiplied was because Jesus recognized what God wanted to use. A great miracle of increase came because of it. If we will began to recognize what God wants to use we will also see great increase happen in our lives. Sometimes it just doesn’t make sense, so we don’t recognize what God is wanting to use. This is a principle that can cause a financial breakthrough! Many of you are tithing and giving offerings, believing for that breakthrough. You are doing the right thing, but are you waiting for someone to bring money to your door step, or waiting for money to fall out of the sky. No we can’t do that. We have to be realistic. We are going to have to work, but we can be assured that what we put our hands to will prosper according to Psalms 1:3. When you combine a good work ethic with recognizing what God wants to use, then the sky is the limit to what God can increase. Not only did Jesus feed the thousands, but there was bread and fish left over so much that they gathered 12 baskets full of fish and bread. We need to understand that when we recognize what God wants to use, not only can it bring a financial breakthrough, but it might also bring us into a new business that could last for a lifetime. Many years back I bought some Mouflon sheep. I got them more less as a hobby, but after I recognized that God wanted to use them to bless us with, I begin to look at them as a business venture. Now 15 years later we have sent our Mouflons all over the United States. We have written a book on raising Mouflons. We are looked at as the authority on Mouflon sheep. We have been interviewed by the Washington Post Newspaper and the Dallas Morning News and pictures of our sheep have been used world wide. Now if God can do that with Mouflon sheep he can use anything to bring increase into your life. The key is to Recognize What God Wants To Use!
Are there any other scriptures that show this powerful principle? I am glad you asked. Let’s look at one more scripture reference. 11 Kings 4:1-7 “Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? Tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not anything in the house, save a pot of oil. Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbors, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.” This lady was in a terrible situation. Financial debt was about to destroy her and her family. Some of you may be at that same place today. It looks like there is no way out, but there is good news. God can deliver you like he did this lady! Again a tremendous miracle of increase took place. Why, because Elisha recognized what God wanted to use. Notice when Elisha asked her what she had in her house, she said she had nothing save a pot of oil. That oil looked insignificant to the problem she had. How could that oil help her? So, she looked over it, but Elisha recognized what God wanted to use. She was so broke she didn’t have any vessels. She had to borrow all the vessels her sons could find. When it was recognized that God wanted to use the oil, they began to pour out the oil into the vessels. The oil continued to increase until all the vessels were full. She was able to pay her debt and had so much more left over that she and her sons was financially set for life. Now this is what can happen when you recognize what God wants to use. Increase always follows when you recognize what God wants to use. Our Mouflons did not set us up for the rest of our lives, but there is a income that comes from that every year. There has been other things that we recognized what God wanted to use. So, now we have several streams of cash flow coming into our lives from this very powerful principle. You may be asking this question, how can I recognize what God wants to use? It all comes back to being led by the Spirit. If you are going to consistently be led by the Holy Spirit you are going to have to spend time in prayer. If you spend time in His presence through prayer you will get where you can distinguish His voice from another’s voice. For example if I go into another room with several people and my two boys stay outside in the other room, when I would speak they would know my voice from the others even though they could not see me. Why?, Because they have spent many hours with me and they know my voice because of time spent with me. Same goes with us when we spend time in our Lord’s presence, we will know His voice. Some of you may think that this is going to take along time and countless hours every day in prayer to come to the place to be able to recognize God’s voice. No not necessarily! The main thing is to give our hearts and lives to God every day, and try to keep our mind stayed on him. Scripture talks about us praying without ceasing. That does not mean that we are praying 24 hours a day. It is talking about us praying through out the day as the Holy Spirit reminds us to. So don’t think your never going to be spiritual enough for this to work for you. We can all listen for the voice of our Lord and as we do we will begin to hear his direction. Take hold of this very powerful principle and begin to Recognize What God Wants To Use!
Preparing For Revival
Preparing For Revival
By Pastor Rickey Hunt
Psalms 22:3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabits the praises of Israel.
Most Christians would agree that our country is in need of revival. To go a little further most churches are in need of revival. As Christians living in a very busy world it can be challenging to say the least, and again we may find ourselves of the need to be revived. What we need to realize is, that revival is not only for the sinner, but also for the saint. If we would be honest and real there are times that we don’t have much life or zeal for the things of God. When that’s the case, we need revival in our lives.
Whether it is our life or our church there are three steps we can take to prepare for revival. The first step we need to take is to prepare our hearts to praise the Lord before we go to church. Don’t wait until you get to church to praise him, but prepare yourself ahead of time. You will find that your experience at church will be much more meaningful if you do so. God inhabits the praises of his people. This simply means that he will come down and move amongst his people.
The second step we can take to prepare our hearts for revival is to come to church hungry. Matthew 5:6 says “that those that are thirsty and hungry shall be filled”. As we come to church hungering and thirsting for God he will show up and fill his church with his presence. When he shows up then we are changed.
The third step to take to prepare for revival is to come to church with a pure heart. It is anger, unforgiveness, bitterness, offense, and other sins that stops revival from coming to our churches and our lives. Repent means to turn from our sins. We need to confess to God our sins and to turn from them. According to Acts 3:19 we will experience a refreshing from the Lord when we do so. None of us are perfect, but if we will make a commitment to quickly repent of our sins we can have and maintain a pure heart toward God.
If we will prepare our hearts to praise him, to stay hungry, and to keep our hearts pure, we will have revival.
By Pastor Rickey Hunt
Psalms 22:3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabits the praises of Israel.
Most Christians would agree that our country is in need of revival. To go a little further most churches are in need of revival. As Christians living in a very busy world it can be challenging to say the least, and again we may find ourselves of the need to be revived. What we need to realize is, that revival is not only for the sinner, but also for the saint. If we would be honest and real there are times that we don’t have much life or zeal for the things of God. When that’s the case, we need revival in our lives.
Whether it is our life or our church there are three steps we can take to prepare for revival. The first step we need to take is to prepare our hearts to praise the Lord before we go to church. Don’t wait until you get to church to praise him, but prepare yourself ahead of time. You will find that your experience at church will be much more meaningful if you do so. God inhabits the praises of his people. This simply means that he will come down and move amongst his people.
The second step we can take to prepare our hearts for revival is to come to church hungry. Matthew 5:6 says “that those that are thirsty and hungry shall be filled”. As we come to church hungering and thirsting for God he will show up and fill his church with his presence. When he shows up then we are changed.
The third step to take to prepare for revival is to come to church with a pure heart. It is anger, unforgiveness, bitterness, offense, and other sins that stops revival from coming to our churches and our lives. Repent means to turn from our sins. We need to confess to God our sins and to turn from them. According to Acts 3:19 we will experience a refreshing from the Lord when we do so. None of us are perfect, but if we will make a commitment to quickly repent of our sins we can have and maintain a pure heart toward God.
If we will prepare our hearts to praise him, to stay hungry, and to keep our hearts pure, we will have revival.
No Pain No Gain
“No Pain No Gain”
By Pastor Rickey Hunt
We have all heard the saying “no pain no gain”, there is a lot of truth to that statement. When we make Jesus Lord of our lives, we will begin to experience some pain. Just because we got saved doesn’t mean that the rest of our lives will be like a bed of roses. No, not at all! If you are going to spiritually grow you will have some pain. John 15:2 reads, “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away, and every branch that beareth fruit , he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” If we are going to continue to bear fruit we must go through this purging process. Purging is not easy. It is that cutting away of fleshly desires, habits, sin, etc. It is painful, but it is needed. No pain no gain! When a person has an abscessed tooth, some times that tooth will have to be taken out. This tooth is the source of the pain that he or she is feeling. This is painful, but when the dentist pulls the tooth out it will then heal and the pain will go away. This removing or purging process is the most painful, but it is necessary for spiritual growth.
Purging is painful and sometimes we feel like we can’t handle any more. Sometimes we feel emotionally overwhelmed with this purging process, but God knows how much we can handle. God will not put more on us than what we can bear. This purging process will not last forever. It is only for a season. God will deal with us and will bring encouragement to us during these difficult times.
You may ask “how does God work this purging process within us?” Proverbs 16:6 reads “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged…” We must understand that God knows how painful this purging process is. God is not an angry judge waiting for us to mess up where he can bring judgment upon us. No! God comes with mercy, not anger. God is not like us in this manner. We have a tendency to be judgmental, lacking in patience, and no tolerance toward mistakes. No, God is very merciful, and full of compassion. It is during hard times like these that we begin to understand how good God really is.
By Pastor Rickey Hunt
We have all heard the saying “no pain no gain”, there is a lot of truth to that statement. When we make Jesus Lord of our lives, we will begin to experience some pain. Just because we got saved doesn’t mean that the rest of our lives will be like a bed of roses. No, not at all! If you are going to spiritually grow you will have some pain. John 15:2 reads, “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away, and every branch that beareth fruit , he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” If we are going to continue to bear fruit we must go through this purging process. Purging is not easy. It is that cutting away of fleshly desires, habits, sin, etc. It is painful, but it is needed. No pain no gain! When a person has an abscessed tooth, some times that tooth will have to be taken out. This tooth is the source of the pain that he or she is feeling. This is painful, but when the dentist pulls the tooth out it will then heal and the pain will go away. This removing or purging process is the most painful, but it is necessary for spiritual growth.
Purging is painful and sometimes we feel like we can’t handle any more. Sometimes we feel emotionally overwhelmed with this purging process, but God knows how much we can handle. God will not put more on us than what we can bear. This purging process will not last forever. It is only for a season. God will deal with us and will bring encouragement to us during these difficult times.
You may ask “how does God work this purging process within us?” Proverbs 16:6 reads “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged…” We must understand that God knows how painful this purging process is. God is not an angry judge waiting for us to mess up where he can bring judgment upon us. No! God comes with mercy, not anger. God is not like us in this manner. We have a tendency to be judgmental, lacking in patience, and no tolerance toward mistakes. No, God is very merciful, and full of compassion. It is during hard times like these that we begin to understand how good God really is.
My Secret To Success
My Secret To Success
Pastor Rickey Hunt
People that know my testimony of how God delivered me from drugs, drinking, and living a promiscuous lifestyle, often ask, what has been the “Secret to my Success”? I tell them it really is pretty simple. I learned from the beginning that I was not perfect and that I never would be. I learned that God was a forgiving God and that I could come to him and ask forgiveness and he would forgive me of my sins and mistakes in life. With that I had to learn to forgive myself also. When I got saved, God delivered me from drugs, alcohol, and a lot of other things; but, there were additional problems that took me a while to overcome. When I would give into sin I would feel terrible about it, but I had to learn to pick myself up and receive God’s forgiveness. Beating myself up about my mistakes was not going to help. That would only help the devil to keep me down. The scripture that has helped me for 25 years is found in Proverbs 24:16. It says, “for a just man falleth seven times , and riseth up again….” In the 25 years I have served the Lord, I have never gotten out of church. I don’t think I have ever missed 2 Sundays in a row, but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t fallen before. I have fallen many times. I have been bruised and broken, but I have learned to get back up and continue to serve the Lord. Is it easy? No!!! One important decision that helped me grow in my walk as a Christian was that I got into a good teaching church. Preaching means to proclaim, but teaching means to explain. As a kid it was never explained to me how to live a holy life. It was just preached that you had to live a holy life. That left me frustrated. That is why now that I teach the word more than I preach the word. I want people to know how to walk in a victorious lifestyle one choice at a time. This means choosing to keep getting back up no matter how many times you may fall.
Pastor Rickey Hunt
People that know my testimony of how God delivered me from drugs, drinking, and living a promiscuous lifestyle, often ask, what has been the “Secret to my Success”? I tell them it really is pretty simple. I learned from the beginning that I was not perfect and that I never would be. I learned that God was a forgiving God and that I could come to him and ask forgiveness and he would forgive me of my sins and mistakes in life. With that I had to learn to forgive myself also. When I got saved, God delivered me from drugs, alcohol, and a lot of other things; but, there were additional problems that took me a while to overcome. When I would give into sin I would feel terrible about it, but I had to learn to pick myself up and receive God’s forgiveness. Beating myself up about my mistakes was not going to help. That would only help the devil to keep me down. The scripture that has helped me for 25 years is found in Proverbs 24:16. It says, “for a just man falleth seven times , and riseth up again….” In the 25 years I have served the Lord, I have never gotten out of church. I don’t think I have ever missed 2 Sundays in a row, but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t fallen before. I have fallen many times. I have been bruised and broken, but I have learned to get back up and continue to serve the Lord. Is it easy? No!!! One important decision that helped me grow in my walk as a Christian was that I got into a good teaching church. Preaching means to proclaim, but teaching means to explain. As a kid it was never explained to me how to live a holy life. It was just preached that you had to live a holy life. That left me frustrated. That is why now that I teach the word more than I preach the word. I want people to know how to walk in a victorious lifestyle one choice at a time. This means choosing to keep getting back up no matter how many times you may fall.
Kingdom Living
Kingdom Living
By Pastor Rickey Hunt
What is “Kingdom Living”? I believe the best definition for “Kingdom Living” was defined by Jesus in Matt. 6:10, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Jesus was teaching his disciples how to pray. He said, “in this manner pray, thy kingdom come thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.” In this prayer it reveals God’s will for us while we are living our lives here on earth. He said, “thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven”. This is almost to big for our minds to receive, but we don’t believe with our minds. We believe with our hearts. His will is to live on this earth just like it is in heaven. In heaven there is no sickness or disease, no sin, no lack of any kind. So, “Kingdom Living” is experiencing heaven on earth. Does this mean that we will never get sick, or that we will not sin any more? No, because we are people and we are not perfect. It does mean that we can walk by faith and have better health, and we can receive his provisions for a better life.
Sometimes I don’t think we have set our goals high enough. There is a better way to live, and it is “Kingdom Living”. We should want to walk in health, provision, and free from a lifestyle of sin. This is his will for our lives. In III John verse 2 it says, “Beloved I wish above all things that thou may prosper and be in health , even as thy soul prospers.” Here this scripture reveals that God wishes above all things that we would have health and prosperity. If God wants this for our lives, don’t you think we should make this a goal for us to have? As we embrace this truth we will begin to experience more and more of this “Kingdom Living”.
By Pastor Rickey Hunt
What is “Kingdom Living”? I believe the best definition for “Kingdom Living” was defined by Jesus in Matt. 6:10, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Jesus was teaching his disciples how to pray. He said, “in this manner pray, thy kingdom come thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.” In this prayer it reveals God’s will for us while we are living our lives here on earth. He said, “thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven”. This is almost to big for our minds to receive, but we don’t believe with our minds. We believe with our hearts. His will is to live on this earth just like it is in heaven. In heaven there is no sickness or disease, no sin, no lack of any kind. So, “Kingdom Living” is experiencing heaven on earth. Does this mean that we will never get sick, or that we will not sin any more? No, because we are people and we are not perfect. It does mean that we can walk by faith and have better health, and we can receive his provisions for a better life.
Sometimes I don’t think we have set our goals high enough. There is a better way to live, and it is “Kingdom Living”. We should want to walk in health, provision, and free from a lifestyle of sin. This is his will for our lives. In III John verse 2 it says, “Beloved I wish above all things that thou may prosper and be in health , even as thy soul prospers.” Here this scripture reveals that God wishes above all things that we would have health and prosperity. If God wants this for our lives, don’t you think we should make this a goal for us to have? As we embrace this truth we will begin to experience more and more of this “Kingdom Living”.
Casting Out All Fear
Casting Out All Fear
By Rickey Hunt
Do we understand what fear is? Probably not, because many times we tolerate it and sometimes we are entertained by it. Thousands of people go every week to see horror movies that are fear based. Fear is not something that we can play with. We may have experienced some of the feelings that go with fear, but there is more to fear than what most people realize. The dictionary defines fear as: a strong feeling caused by the awareness or thought of a threat of danger, pain, or some sort of evil befalling you.
Now what does the bible say about fear? In I John 4:18 it tells us to cast out all fear because it has torment. When I was a kid my grandmother would tell us ghost stories. We liked hearing these stories. We thought it was fun and stimulating until it got dark and we had to go to bed. When the lights went out and we were alone those ghost stories were not fun any more, because fear would set in. What was fun at first became tormenting later. In II Timothy 1:7 the Apostle Paul tells Timothy that fear is a Spirit. This is why the Apostle John said to, “cast out” fear. Fear is not just a feeling, but it comes from the devil. We know we must resist the devil, so we need to also resist fear. What about worry? Worry is rooted in fear. Worry is defined as: to feel anxious or troubled about something, to fear what might happen. However fear might come, whether it is being scared of the dark or worrying about something, we must resist it and cast it out of our lives. Fear causes stress, anxiety, and torment which can lead to sickness and disease. God wants us to have peace and joy, but you can’t have fear and peace at the same time. They are opposites. Cast out those fears and receive God’s peace today!
By Rickey Hunt
Do we understand what fear is? Probably not, because many times we tolerate it and sometimes we are entertained by it. Thousands of people go every week to see horror movies that are fear based. Fear is not something that we can play with. We may have experienced some of the feelings that go with fear, but there is more to fear than what most people realize. The dictionary defines fear as: a strong feeling caused by the awareness or thought of a threat of danger, pain, or some sort of evil befalling you.
Now what does the bible say about fear? In I John 4:18 it tells us to cast out all fear because it has torment. When I was a kid my grandmother would tell us ghost stories. We liked hearing these stories. We thought it was fun and stimulating until it got dark and we had to go to bed. When the lights went out and we were alone those ghost stories were not fun any more, because fear would set in. What was fun at first became tormenting later. In II Timothy 1:7 the Apostle Paul tells Timothy that fear is a Spirit. This is why the Apostle John said to, “cast out” fear. Fear is not just a feeling, but it comes from the devil. We know we must resist the devil, so we need to also resist fear. What about worry? Worry is rooted in fear. Worry is defined as: to feel anxious or troubled about something, to fear what might happen. However fear might come, whether it is being scared of the dark or worrying about something, we must resist it and cast it out of our lives. Fear causes stress, anxiety, and torment which can lead to sickness and disease. God wants us to have peace and joy, but you can’t have fear and peace at the same time. They are opposites. Cast out those fears and receive God’s peace today!
In Search Of The Fountain Of Youth
In Search Of The Fountain Of Youth
By Pastor Rickey Hunt
People have been searching for the fabled myth of the “Fountain of Youth” for 100’s of years. It was told many different ways, but the two most popular ways were told, was if you took a drink or bathed in this water your youth would be restored.
Here in North America many of the early explorers that came here were not only searching for silver and gold, but many of them were searching for this “Fountain of Youth”. Ponce de Leon was one of those early explorers that came looking for that “Fountain of Youth”. In 1513 he came to what now is known as St. Augustine, Florida in search of this fabled myth. Just as Ponce de Leon searched for this fabled myth, people are still searching today. There are many anti aging studies going on today. Millions of dollars are spent every year on studies trying to find a miracle cure for aging. The military is spending its share also on this same subject. Darpa the Pentagon’s way out research arm has a giant array of programs, meant to make soldiers stronger, smarter, and more resilient.
Many places have facilities to bathe in that supposedly will help or cure your diseases. Most of these places are hot springs that flow with a lot of minerals in them. Hot Springs, Arkansas is well known for the springs, but not for the “Fountain of Youth” type miracles. Close to home we have Dalby Springs where people have drunk the mineral laden water for years hoping that it might help them in some way.
As Christians we don’t have to search very long, because that “Fountain of Youth” is within us. Romans 8:11 tells us that the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us and shall quicken our mortal bodies. That word quicken in the greek means to make alive. There is a quickening going on in our bodies that will restore our health if we will believe and receive God’s holy word. Moses was a great example of this quickening power that abides within us. Deuteronomy 34:7 says that Moses was 120 years old when he died, his eyes were not dim nor his natural force abated. In other words he was 120 years old with good eye sight and had a strong body. The search is over. Let’s believe His word!
By Pastor Rickey Hunt
People have been searching for the fabled myth of the “Fountain of Youth” for 100’s of years. It was told many different ways, but the two most popular ways were told, was if you took a drink or bathed in this water your youth would be restored.
Here in North America many of the early explorers that came here were not only searching for silver and gold, but many of them were searching for this “Fountain of Youth”. Ponce de Leon was one of those early explorers that came looking for that “Fountain of Youth”. In 1513 he came to what now is known as St. Augustine, Florida in search of this fabled myth. Just as Ponce de Leon searched for this fabled myth, people are still searching today. There are many anti aging studies going on today. Millions of dollars are spent every year on studies trying to find a miracle cure for aging. The military is spending its share also on this same subject. Darpa the Pentagon’s way out research arm has a giant array of programs, meant to make soldiers stronger, smarter, and more resilient.
Many places have facilities to bathe in that supposedly will help or cure your diseases. Most of these places are hot springs that flow with a lot of minerals in them. Hot Springs, Arkansas is well known for the springs, but not for the “Fountain of Youth” type miracles. Close to home we have Dalby Springs where people have drunk the mineral laden water for years hoping that it might help them in some way.
As Christians we don’t have to search very long, because that “Fountain of Youth” is within us. Romans 8:11 tells us that the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us and shall quicken our mortal bodies. That word quicken in the greek means to make alive. There is a quickening going on in our bodies that will restore our health if we will believe and receive God’s holy word. Moses was a great example of this quickening power that abides within us. Deuteronomy 34:7 says that Moses was 120 years old when he died, his eyes were not dim nor his natural force abated. In other words he was 120 years old with good eye sight and had a strong body. The search is over. Let’s believe His word!
Following Your Desires
Following Your Desires
By Pastor Rickey Hunt
Psalms 37:4 Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Many times people interpret this to say that God will give you all the desires that you have. When you study the Hebrew, you begin to see that it is saying that the desires that you have in your heart have been placed there by God when and only when you have been delighting yourself in God. If you are not delighting (praying and spending time in His word) yourself in God then you can’t trust that the desires that you have are from God. On the other hand when you are spending time every day in prayer and meditating God’s word then we can trust that the desires that we have are from God. We always have to judge those desires according to God’s word. If those desires do not line up with God’s word then we know to dismiss them, but when you are praying and the same desires continue to come up, then you can know that they are from God. According to Romans 12:1-2 we are transformed or changed by the renewing of our minds with the word of God. God’s word begins to change us and changes our desires to His desires. It goes ahead and says that through this process we are able to prove what is the will of God for our lives. I have learned over the years if I will follow those desires then the will of God will be done in my life.
In 1984 when I first came to the Lord, I would find myself thinking on and seeing myself preaching the word while I was praying. At first I thought I was daydreaming and I would get on myself for doing so while I praying. After days of doing the same thing every time I prayed I finally realized that God was speaking to me about the call of God on my life. Even though I didn’t think I could ever stand up before people and preach, I had a desire to do so. From then until now I have learned to follow my desires. Many, many times these desires would seem impossible, but as I continued to follow after these desires they would fall into place and God’s will would be fulfilled in my life.
By Pastor Rickey Hunt
Psalms 37:4 Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Many times people interpret this to say that God will give you all the desires that you have. When you study the Hebrew, you begin to see that it is saying that the desires that you have in your heart have been placed there by God when and only when you have been delighting yourself in God. If you are not delighting (praying and spending time in His word) yourself in God then you can’t trust that the desires that you have are from God. On the other hand when you are spending time every day in prayer and meditating God’s word then we can trust that the desires that we have are from God. We always have to judge those desires according to God’s word. If those desires do not line up with God’s word then we know to dismiss them, but when you are praying and the same desires continue to come up, then you can know that they are from God. According to Romans 12:1-2 we are transformed or changed by the renewing of our minds with the word of God. God’s word begins to change us and changes our desires to His desires. It goes ahead and says that through this process we are able to prove what is the will of God for our lives. I have learned over the years if I will follow those desires then the will of God will be done in my life.
In 1984 when I first came to the Lord, I would find myself thinking on and seeing myself preaching the word while I was praying. At first I thought I was daydreaming and I would get on myself for doing so while I praying. After days of doing the same thing every time I prayed I finally realized that God was speaking to me about the call of God on my life. Even though I didn’t think I could ever stand up before people and preach, I had a desire to do so. From then until now I have learned to follow my desires. Many, many times these desires would seem impossible, but as I continued to follow after these desires they would fall into place and God’s will would be fulfilled in my life.
Getting Out Of The Box To Reach Our Youth
Getting Out Of The Box To Reach Our Youth”
Sometimes we have to do things different to get things done right. We may even have to get out of our comfort zones to achieve the success that we may be seeking. Sometimes I think we have God all boxed in, thinking God can only move in these more conventional ways. I think we are going to have to think outside of the box if we are going to reach our youth of today.
Several years ago the Holy Spirit dealt with me about that I needed to pastor our youth. At the time our children’s ministry and our youth ministry were doing good, but I had to admit my focus was on the adults of our church. Malachi chapter 4 talks about a time when the heart of the fathers will be turned to the children and the heart of the children will be turned to the fathers. The Holy Spirit began to change my heart. My focus and vision began to include our youth in a greater way.
During this time I began to learn what it meant to get out of the box. The first thing I felt challenged to do was to get my associate to take my place and minister to the adults on Wednesday nights where I could spend more time with our youth. For a season I actually took over the youth ministry and ministered to them. This was needed because I was able to get the mind of Christ on some changes that were needed to take place with our youth ministry. If I hadn’t taken this step, I don’t think we could have gone to the next level of reaching our youth. One thing I learned from our youth is that they define love by our time spent with them and our willingness to spend our money on them. Actually, before we had done very little of either one.
My next challenge was to spend money to bring kids outside of the church into the church. I had to get out of the box for sure on this one, because this would break all traditional molds. We bought video games, foos ball tables, and a pool table. My thought was if we can get kids to come to church for the games, then we can share the love of Christ with them. It worked so well that we had to build another building for our youth. It worked because we got out of the box.
Changed By His Glory
“Changed By His Glory”
By Pastor Rickey Hunt
II Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the spirit of the Lord.
I remember the day that my life began to change just like it was yesterday, but in reality it was almost 25 years ago. It all began in early March of 1984. I was 23 years old and was living life in an extreme negative matter. I was selling drugs and carrying a 357 pistol for protection. My life was summed up in getting high and living a promiscuous life style. I was going nowhere.
Early one morning in March of 1984 the alarm clock went off and as I began to get up I noticed something was wrong. I was feeling like I had never felt before. I felt like I was going crazy. I kept hearing a loud sound blowing like a trumpet coming from the eastern sky. It was so real to me that I called my parents to see if they could hear this sound, but they could not. After several hours of hearing this sound and feeling this way, I prayed a simple prayer that God would send someone to me, and if he did, I would then begin to serve the Lord with my life. It was about a week later that I took a trip to Dallas to party. I went into a restaurant and was at the bar drinking when a lady sit down with me and began to talk to me about how Jesus had turned her life around. She actually had come to the restaurant to meet someone on a real-estate deal. They never showed up, but God did. That was the beginning of some glorious changes in my life. As I left Dallas that weekend to go home I tried getting high, but couldn’t. God had took the desire away from me and set me free. The next week I destroyed $20,000 worth of drugs that I had in my home, burnt my heavy metal music, got a hair cut, bought some new clothes for church, and bought a new truck where I could drive back and forth to church there in Dallas.
I encourage you to let that glory change you!
By Pastor Rickey Hunt
II Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the spirit of the Lord.
I remember the day that my life began to change just like it was yesterday, but in reality it was almost 25 years ago. It all began in early March of 1984. I was 23 years old and was living life in an extreme negative matter. I was selling drugs and carrying a 357 pistol for protection. My life was summed up in getting high and living a promiscuous life style. I was going nowhere.
Early one morning in March of 1984 the alarm clock went off and as I began to get up I noticed something was wrong. I was feeling like I had never felt before. I felt like I was going crazy. I kept hearing a loud sound blowing like a trumpet coming from the eastern sky. It was so real to me that I called my parents to see if they could hear this sound, but they could not. After several hours of hearing this sound and feeling this way, I prayed a simple prayer that God would send someone to me, and if he did, I would then begin to serve the Lord with my life. It was about a week later that I took a trip to Dallas to party. I went into a restaurant and was at the bar drinking when a lady sit down with me and began to talk to me about how Jesus had turned her life around. She actually had come to the restaurant to meet someone on a real-estate deal. They never showed up, but God did. That was the beginning of some glorious changes in my life. As I left Dallas that weekend to go home I tried getting high, but couldn’t. God had took the desire away from me and set me free. The next week I destroyed $20,000 worth of drugs that I had in my home, burnt my heavy metal music, got a hair cut, bought some new clothes for church, and bought a new truck where I could drive back and forth to church there in Dallas.
I encourage you to let that glory change you!
Honey From Heaven
“Honey From Heaven”
By Pastor Rickey Hunt
Psalms 119:103 reads “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
The scripture refers to the word of God as sweet, sweeter than honey. I often refer to the word of God as “ honey from heaven, revelations that are sweet to the soul.” We have to understand the word of God is something we consume, just like honey or any other food is consumed. No, we don’t tear the pages out of the bible and eat them, but we read them and take them into our heart. Jesus referred to himself and his word as the bread of life in John 6:35. He went on to say that you won’t hunger anymore after you receive him into your life. There is nothing more satisfying to us than God’s holy word. Jesus also told us in Matthew 4:4 that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” We can see that man has to consume more than just food and water to do well in this life. If you and I are really going to do well while we are on this earth, we are going to have to consume God’s word to really live and prosper in every area of our lives. So, our diet must consist of more than just food and water. It must have God’s word in it on a daily basis.
We all know if we don’t eat we will eventually starve to death, or if we don’t eat enough we will become sickly. The same takes place when we don’t take in God’s word on a daily basis. We are starving ourselves and we become spiritually weak. Hosea 4:6 and Isaiah 5:13 both say, “My people are destroyed and are gone into captivity because of a lack of knowledge.” When you lack God’s word in your life you will have problems in this life. As we continue to consume God’s word on a daily basis we will see that it is life sustaining. It is because of his word in our lives that we will enjoy victory on a consistent basis. This is when the word of God begins to be so very sweet to us, sweet as honey.
By Pastor Rickey Hunt
Psalms 119:103 reads “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
The scripture refers to the word of God as sweet, sweeter than honey. I often refer to the word of God as “ honey from heaven, revelations that are sweet to the soul.” We have to understand the word of God is something we consume, just like honey or any other food is consumed. No, we don’t tear the pages out of the bible and eat them, but we read them and take them into our heart. Jesus referred to himself and his word as the bread of life in John 6:35. He went on to say that you won’t hunger anymore after you receive him into your life. There is nothing more satisfying to us than God’s holy word. Jesus also told us in Matthew 4:4 that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” We can see that man has to consume more than just food and water to do well in this life. If you and I are really going to do well while we are on this earth, we are going to have to consume God’s word to really live and prosper in every area of our lives. So, our diet must consist of more than just food and water. It must have God’s word in it on a daily basis.
We all know if we don’t eat we will eventually starve to death, or if we don’t eat enough we will become sickly. The same takes place when we don’t take in God’s word on a daily basis. We are starving ourselves and we become spiritually weak. Hosea 4:6 and Isaiah 5:13 both say, “My people are destroyed and are gone into captivity because of a lack of knowledge.” When you lack God’s word in your life you will have problems in this life. As we continue to consume God’s word on a daily basis we will see that it is life sustaining. It is because of his word in our lives that we will enjoy victory on a consistent basis. This is when the word of God begins to be so very sweet to us, sweet as honey.
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