A capable, intelligent, and virtuous woman — who is he who can find her? She is far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls. Proverbs 31:10 AMP

There is a special woman that is a blessing to her husband, her children and others – capable, intelligent, and virtuous. Virtuous means morally excellent; upright. The Greek word for virtuous means: probably a force, whether of men, means or other resources; an army; wealth; virtue; valor; strength. The man is blessed who finds his virtuous woman. She is his most valuable asset.

A virtuous woman is a godly woman, with godly character

He who finds a [true] wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. Proverbs 18:22 AMP

House and riches are the inheritance from fathers, but a wise, understanding, and prudent wife is from the Lord. Proverbs 19:14 AMP

Men, if you want to find and marry a virtuous woman, then you need to acknowledge that you need help from the Lord. Be a man of character yourself, pray and obey. Respect God’s word and follow the Holy Spirit.

A virtuous woman is trustworthy, faithful, content, and not covetous

The heart of her husband trusts in her confidently and relies on and believes in her securely, so that he has no lack of [honest] gain or need of [dishonest] spoil. 12 She comforts, encourages, and does him only good as long as there is life within her. Proverbs 31:11-12 AMP

A virtuous woman is a conscientious worker and leader – in her home and in her business

She seeks out wool and flax and works with willing hands [to develop it]. 14 She is like the merchant ships loaded with foodstuffs; she brings her household’s food from a far [country]. 15 She rises while it is yet night and gets [spiritual] food for her household and assigns her maids their tasks. 16 She considers a [new] field before she buys or accepts it [expanding prudently and not courting neglect of her present duties by assuming other duties]; with her savings [of time and strength] she plants fruitful vines in her vineyard.

Proverbs 31:13-16 AMP

A virtuous woman looks to the Lord for her strength and comfort

She girds herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] and makes her arms strong and firm. 18 She tastes and sees that her gain from work [with and for God] is good; her lamp goes not out, but it burns on continually through the night [of trouble, privation, or sorrow, warning away fear, doubt, and distrust].

Proverbs 31:17-18 AMP

A virtuous woman provides well for her family and also for the poor and needy

She lays her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. 20 She opens her hand to the poor, yes, she reaches out her filled hands to the needy [whether in body, mind, or spirit]. Proverbs 31:19-20 AMP

A virtuous woman appreciates quality and walks in her covenant blessings

She fears not the snow for her family, for all her household are doubly clothed in scarlet. 22 She makes for herself coverlets, cushions, and rugs of tapestry. Her clothing is of linen, pure and fine, and of purple [such as that of which the clothing of the priests and the hallowed cloths of the temple were made]. Proverbs 31:21-22 AMP

A virtuous woman is a great asset to her husband behind the scenes and in public

Her husband is known in the [city’s] gates, when he sits among the elders of the land. Proverbs 31:23 AMP

A virtuous and worthy wife [earnest and strong in character] is a crowning joy to her husband, but she who makes him ashamed is as rottenness in his bones. Proverbs 12:4 AMP

A virtuous woman has good taste and common sense

She makes fine linen garments and leads others to buy them; she delivers to the merchants girdles [or sashes that free one up for service].

Proverbs 31:24 AMP

A virtuous woman is humble, yet confident in her God

Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure; she rejoices over the future [the latter day or time to come, knowing that she and her family are in readiness for it]! Proverbs 31:25 AMP

A virtuous woman loves God’s word and governs her life according to it

She opens her mouth in skillful and godly Wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness [giving counsel and instruction]. Proverbs 31:26 AMP

A virtuous woman minds her own business and responsibilities

She looks well to how things go in her household, and the bread of idleness (gossip, discontent, and self-pity) she will not eat. Proverbs 31:27 AMP

A virtuous woman is loved and treasured by her family

Her children rise up and call her blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied); and her husband boasts of and praises her, [saying], 29 Many daughters have done virtuously, nobly, and well [with the strength of character that is steadfast in goodness], but you excel them all.

Proverbs 31:28-29 AMP

A virtuous woman has true beauty – beauty of character

Charm and grace are deceptive, and beauty is vain [because it is not lasting], but a woman who reverently and worshipfully fears the Lord, she shall be praised! Proverbs 31:30 AMP

A virtuous woman will receive her harvest and reward for her life of love, giving, and service

Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates [of the city]! Proverbs 31:31 AMP

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

Foundation Scripture: Proverbs 16:1-3  (AMP)

1The plans of the mind and orderly thinking belong to man, but from the Lord comes the [wise] answer of the tongue. 2All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirits (the thoughts and intents of the heart). 3Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.

Proverbs 16:9  (AMP)
9A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure.

We make plans for our lives and our future, and indeed we should, for we must have goals to aim for and a direction in which to go – if we are wise. We know that if we aim for nothing, we are sure to hit it, so we make our plans, but for all our planning we do not know enough to make perfect decisions every time. We need the wisdom that only God gives.

We make plans – they may be wonderful, well organized, detailed, plans – but without God’s wisdom, there is no guarantee of success. Another, often overlooked aspect of planning is motivation – the attitude of our heart. The attitude of your heart might not seem to be an important issue to you, but it is important to God and crucial to the success of your plans. We think that we are right – everyone thinks that they are right – but only God can be the judge of the motivation of our heart.

So many people want to have God’s forgiveness for their sins, so that they can have peace of mind and a ticket to heaven, but they do not see God’s Word as a standard to live by or the wisdom they need to make their plans succeed. We have our plans, but God has His plans for us, too. We make plans and then ask God to bless them, but if we would ask God for His plans for us – we will find out that they are already blessed.

We should commit and roll all of our plans onto the Lord. In other words, we should run every decision by Him before we begin to act on our plans. With God involved in our plans, we are sure of success. We may not know the future, but we know who holds the future and we hold His hand as He leads us and makes our steps sure. Sure – means that we will not stumble or go in the wrong direction.

Psalms 37:23-31  (NIV)
23If the LORD delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm; 24though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand. 25I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. 26They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed. 27Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. 28For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off; 29the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever. 30The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just. 31The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip.

When God is welcomed and allowed to be a part of your planning process and the carrying out process, you will find that your way is a lot smoother and more prosperous than before. Angels will go before you to make a way for you. You will have favor wherever you go. How can you fail when God is on your side?

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

Foundation Scripture:
Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”

According to the Bible, we only live once and only die once. Life after death is a reality. Heaven and hell are very real. These are the two places that people go to when they breathe out their last breath. They’ll either go to one or the other. There’s no other place they will go —and that is a fact.

Heaven is a real place. It’s not what you make it. It’s not your dream —it’s not your fantasy. Heaven was never in the mind of man, but Heaven has always been in the heart of God.

Hell is a real place. It’s not what you make it. Hell was never in the mind of man. Hell was created, not for man, but for the devil and his angels.

You are an eternal being. You and I are living in eternity, right now. Whatever we do in this life will carry over into the next. We’ve only got one life to live and we’ve only got one chance to live it right and to make the right decisions. Whatever we do now is going to count for eternity. The Bible tells us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. In other words, this is not a game!

There’s no chance after you die to get your life right. Many people play around with the things of God. They play around with their salvation ,saying, “Oh, it will be fine. One day I can get it right. Even when I die, God will have mercy on me.” That’s a lie from the pit of hell. I want you to know that God gives every man, this side of the grave, the opportunity to make the decisions and to make the choices on which way he’s going to go and which way he’s going to turn.

These are the eternal facts: You have one opportunity and it’s in this life, this side of the grave. If you die without Jesus Christ, you are lost for all eternity without any chance of redemption. You cannot come back and do it again—”OOPS, I made a mistake.” No reincarnation (coming back to live your life over a second time as another being -animal or human). No purgatory (the “half-way house” where you pay penance for deeds done while you were on the earth, and then at a certain time, God will feel sorry for you and get you out of purgatory and take you on to your reward). No annihilation (the belief that God will just wipe out every trace or memory of you). No ultimate reconciliation (meaning that after a million or a hundred billion years, God suddenly decides that He loves everybody and He even goes and forgives the devil). Do you know that there are people who believe these things?

Hell was not made for man, but for the devil and his angels. Man must go there because sin cannot stand in the presence of God. Man must go there because, in a fallen state, man hates God. Men hate God without the slightest reason for doing so. God loves man without the slightest reason either. There’s every reason why men should love God, and not hate Him. They hate Him without a cause. There’s every reason why God should hate man and not love him. Yet, He loves you so much that “He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  John 3:16

Make the decision today that you will follow Jesus all the way. Recognize the price that He paid for you at Calvary two thousand years ago -your sins are forgiven. He died that you might live -He rose from the dead for you. All you have to do is to believe that His blood was shed for you and that He died and rose again.  Receive His mercy and trust in Him.

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

Hebrews 11:6  (NKJ)

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Matthew 7:7-11  (NKJ)

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. “Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?     “Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

Earthly parents take good care of their children. They give good gifts to their children. The law of the land punishes parents who are cruel to their children. If we, as earthly, imperfect parents, would not dream of causing harm and distress to our children, then why do we even imagine that God would want to harm us in any way? We discipline and correct our own children, but we do not injure or kill them. God is so much more perfect than we are – what would He accomplish by hurting us? God chastises and corrects us by His word and His Spirit not by sickness, injury or poverty.

People choose to blame God for misfortune, sickness and disease in their lives because they don’t want to take the responsibility for their own sin. It is a pride thing – they put all the responsibility on God so that they can play the martyr. They would rather bear the “punishment” than repent for their sin and disobedience. We need to face up to our own responsibility, humble our hearts and receive God’s forgiveness. The same pride that stops you from repenting will stop you from humbling your heart to receive God’s forgiveness. God wants our obedience not our sacrifice.

Proverbs 21:2-3 (NIV)

All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart. To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

You can be stubborn and rebellious and God will leave you to do your own thing until you end up in the pigpen. The moment you come home to Him in repentance, He will forgive you. The fact is that your own children are safe while they remain in your home, but if they venture out to live on the streets and in the alleyways they become a prime target for injury or death. You can only protect them if they stay in your house! If you want to experience life and blessing, you must stay in God’s “house”. If you remain in God’s house then the devil has no access to us, but if you wander into the “streets” and the devil’s turf, then you will be a target for the devil.

John 10:10  (NKJ)

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Jesus is the good shepherd sent to love and save us. The devil is the thief who comes to try to kill us, steal from us and destroy us. As a thief he may try to break into your house with sickness and calamity, but you can remind him that he is there illegally and you can throw him out!

John 14:9-10  (NKJ)

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.

Jesus spoke and acted according to what He saw and heard from the Father. He was not acting alone. As He went about doing good and destroying the works of the devil, He acted on direct authority given to Him by the Father (Acts 10:38). Sickness and sin are from the devil and God and the devil are not pals! They are not working together to destroy us. The devil is in the destruction business, but God is in the construction business! The Father desires to bless us and He will bless us if we will obey and serve Him.

Psalm 30:4-5  (NIV)

Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

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

This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth. To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.

Titus 1:13-16 NKJ

According to the word of God, the attitude of our heart determines how we perceive everything around us. We can look for the good or we can look for the bad in people and situations. We can look for the best or we can look for the worst. 1 Corinthians 13:7 says that love is “ever ready to believe the best of every person.” God believes the best of us. Even though He sees right into our heart, He still gives us the benefit of the doubt. When He speaks to us, He speaks to our future and when He speaks over us, He speaks life. He always sees what good thing that He can make of us. Of course we must be yielded to Him and not doing our own thing and going our own way. We need to give others the same benefit of the doubt and believe the best of them as much as possible.

There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.   Luke 23:32

Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? “And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Luke 23:39-43 NKJ

One criminal admitted his guilt and acknowledged the innocence of Jesus, crucified not for His own sin, but for ours. The other criminal, defiant toward God and man even as he faced death, mocked Jesus. The two completely different ways that the two men saw Jesus were colored by the attitude of their own hearts. One, with a soft heart, saw his Savior, but the other, with a hard heart, saw just a man hanging next to him. In Titus it says that to the pure all things are pure. When you have a pure heart you look for and see the good in things and people. You believe that even if people make mistakes, that they mean well.  When your heart is evil, you think that everything you see is evil, too. You believe that people’s motives are as evil as your own.

This will be the third time I am coming to you. “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.”  2 Corinthians 13:1 NKJ

Having a pure heart has everything to do with the way we perceive the word of God. A pure heart is an honest heart. If we have a pure heart we will receive the word and believe it exactly as it is. We will not twist it, pervert it, or ignore what we don’t like. We will not make it say what we want it to say. We will believe it in its entirety and not base what we believe on selected scriptures taken out of context.

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.  Hebrews 10:22 NKJ

The Word of God must be honored in our lives. We must not try to change it to suit ourselves, but we must change to conform to it. The word is pure water that washes us clean and makes us pure again. Adam and Eve were originally pure and innocent, but sin corrupted them and their seed. Jesus restored to us the purity that they once had. It does not matter what you have been exposed to and how hard and corrupt you became. When you are born again, you are changed. The word of God and the Holy Spirit will begin to wash and change you and restore the purity and innocence you never thought that you would see again. The world says that once you lose your innocence, it is gone forever. But by the supernatural, transforming power of the Spirit of God and the blood of Jesus, our innocence can be restored and we can be like God – having a pure heart and looking for the good in every situation and in every person!

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

Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man

whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”  Romans 4:4-8 NIV

The gift of salvation, of righteousness and of forgiveness from sin is priceless. We cannot pay for it. If we owned the whole world, we would not have enough money to buy one drop of Jesus’ blood. That is why the Lord had to offer this awesome gift to us totally free. The only price we pay is to yield ourselves to Him. Isaiah 55:1 (Amplified) says that it is takes self-surrender to accept the blessing of priceless spiritual wine and milk!

Those who are washed in the blood of Jesus, whose transgressions are forgiven, and whose sins are covered are blessed, blessed, blessed! Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him. What a joy to be forgiven! Even though we have sinned – even sinned deliberately – we can still be forgiven and washed clean as if we had never sinned.

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Galatians 5:13-14 NIV

Just because your salvation was free, does not mean that it was cheap. It is not a gift that we should misuse. Freedom is something to be valued and enjoyed. Don’t use your freedom as an excuse for sin. Just because you have experienced freedom from religion and bondage and just because your conscience is clean now and forgiveness is just a prayer away – that does not mean that you are free to indulge your flesh.

Some people think that in order to be “not religious” you should indulge your fleshly desires. Of course they all think that they are “in control” and they can “handle” it. But every person who is in bondage to their flesh now, started out originally, thinking that they were in control! The problem is that you are usually firmly in bondage long you even realize you are. Being carnal and yielding to carnality may be the opposite of being religious, but it is not spiritual by any means and neither will it benefit you in any way whatsoever.

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

Romans 12:3 NIV

The key to protecting your heart from sin is humility. Don’t think that you are impervious to temptation. Don’t trust yourself near temptation. Don’t place yourself in a position where you can possibly be tempted.

Abstain from all appearance of evil.  1 Thessalonians 5:22 KJV

Don’t participate in any thing that even looks like sin. If you are not going to be religious – then be spiritual – fall in love with Jesus again.

See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.  Hebrews 3:12-13 NIV

Sin is deceitful and it will harden your heart. When we sin, we have the option to turn toward God and confess our sin and ask God for forgiveness. However, if we begin to enjoy our sin or if we are prideful and defensive about our sin then we will make excuses for ourselves. We will find fault with God, the preacher, and everybody else. We will blame others for our problems. When your heart is hard you are in big trouble. You become completely insensitive to the Holy Spirit and that is a sad place for a Christian to be.

Protect your heart from sin and you will protect it from becoming hardened toward God. Stay on fire for God and allow the Holy Spirit to burn out any bad attitude before it can come between you and your Lord and Savior.

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

It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord: I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago–whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows–such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man–whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows–how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Of such a one I will boast; yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities. For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me.

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities,

that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:1-10 NKJV

God’s grace is sufficient to meet and match any situation we face. Paul was not sick or diseased and his eyes were perfectly healthy, but he faced tremendous hardships and persecutions as he sought to obey God and answer the call of God that was on his life. Paul had several encounters with the Spirit of God after his first dramatic encounter with the living God on the road to Damascus. Before his conversion, he was greatly used by the devil to destroy God’s people, even though he sincerely thought that he was a crusader for God and the law. After his conversion, he was zealous for Jesus and became a big problem for the devil.

The Greek word aggelos is translated angel or messenger. This is a being, not an object like a sickness. Satan sent a messenger, a demon, to harass Paul. This demon tried to stop Paul, to hinder and harass him and even tried to kill him. The demon stirred people up to persecute Paul and to try to kill him. They even left him for dead at least once. Paul tells us what he went through in 2 Corinthians 11.

Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. Are they ministers of Christ?–I speak as a fool–I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness–besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation? If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity.  2 Corinthians 11:22-30 NKJV

When God calls us, He anoints us, and He also graces us to deal with whatever we will face as we seek to obey Him. God does not call us because of us, but in spite of us. We can do our best when we yield to Him, and rely on Him, and allow Him to work through us. When we feel weak or inadequate, we rely on and trust in Him and His strength makes up the difference. Actually, we are in our place of greatest strength when we are weak in ourselves and we rely more on Him and lean harder on Him. You are in a good place when you need God’s grace and when you are dependent on God’s grace. His grace is sufficient for you!

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

“But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, 9 I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, `You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. 10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 11 “All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. 12 Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. 13 For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. 14 Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself will help you,” declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. 15 “See, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff. 16 You will winnow them, the wind will pick them up,

and a gale will blow them away. But you will rejoice in the LORD and glory in the Holy One of Israel.  Isaiah 41:8-16 NIV

This passage shows the nature of our Heavenly Father – so loving and kind and patient – as he deals with His people – stubborn and rebellious as they are!

But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. Because He made a covenant with Abraham and promised to bless his descendants, God continued to watch over them and be kind to them – even though they severely tried His patience.

I said, `You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.  So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. One of the awesome things about God is that He is so slow to anger and so swift to forgive and to restore. When we repent, turn around and commit to Him, He forgives us completely as if it never happened and He treats us as if we are His family. Under the Old Covenant, the best position that God’s people had with the Father was that of a servant. It was an honor for God to call you His servant. Under the New Covenant, we are not only servants, but we are sons and daughters of God and we enjoy all the rights and privileges of our position.

When we return to Him in humility and repentance, He reminds us that He has not rejected us. In reality, when we feel that God is far from us, it is usually we who have already rejected Him. The good news is that if He does not reject us, then that means that He must have already accepted us! If we want to see God’s promise of help and strength manifested in our lives, then we must deal with fear and reject it from our hearts, from our thoughts and from our mouths. If we believe and receive God’s promise that He will be with us, strengthen us, help us and uphold us, then that is exactly what we will experience. God makes it available – we tap into it when we refuse to be dismayed or fearful. Instead we choose to trust in Him and to believe in Him.

All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. When you are on God’s side then He is on your side. It is completely useless for your enemies to try to take you out. By attacking you, they sow the seeds of their own destruction. They will come to attack you, but they are the ones who will be taken out. When you place your trust in the Lord, He will contend with your enemies on your behalf. When God is finished with them, you will look for them, but you will not find them.

For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself will help you,” declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. “See, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff. You will winnow them, the wind will pick them up, and a gale will blow them away. But you will rejoice in the LORD and glory in the Holy One of Israel.Even though we may feel unworthy of God’s love, He loves us anyway. Because He loves us, He anoints us with power to do what we could not do. He gives us a reason to rejoice in the Lord and glory in the Holy One of Israel!

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

A Prophetic Song by Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne

Faith counts it done without any proof in the natural
Faith counts it done, thus saith the Lord
Faith counts it done without any proof in the natural
Faith counts it done according to His Word

This is the place of the commanded blessing
This is the place that He wants me to be
He said, “Command, command ye the harvest”
This is the day of Jubilee

You are not here, you’re not here by accident
You are here by His divine plan
This is the hour that your victory is upon you
This is the hour to possess the land

He’s wrapping you in His presence
He’s wrapping you up in that which is divine
The coat of many colors the master is giving you
He’s put on a banquet and said, “Come and dine”

I love His presence, I love the anointing of my Father
I love to sing and bask in Him all day
I love to go sit by the fast flowing river
He is my Lord and I love Him today

Faith counts it done when I don’t feel it
Faith counts it done when everything doesn’t go my way
Faith counts it done no matter what the circumstances
Faith counts it done because that is His way

It is a realm, a realm of no striving
It’s a realm of His rest and what a rest it is

Come on dear brother, come on dear sister
Come and sit at the table that’s been set for you
If you don’t sit down then you will be missing
All that He’s promised that He said He would do

God’s got good things, good things He wants to give us
God’s got good things, good things He wants to give you
He is so good, so good that He does what He’s promised
O, taste and see that He is so good

Brighter and brighter shall be their portion
The righteous man shall flourish in the courts of our God
Blessed coming in and blessed going out
This is not man-made, but this is His Word

I am in the place of the commanded blessing
I am in the place, thus saith the Lord
The ravens are coming; they’re bringing provision
The ravens are coming, thus saith the Lord

He said, “Go stir up the church of America”
He said, “Stir them up for a revival that will come”
He said, “There was going to be another great awakening”
He said it according to His Word

I see whole towns and cities to be shaken
I see whole states, whole regions by His Word
I see America shaken by revival
This is not my idea, but it comes from the Lord

God’s not finished with America
America is an instrument in His hand

I know what He told me, I know what is coming
I know what’s coming, it’s coming this way
It’s a mighty storm of hurricane proportion
It’s a mighty storm of the glory of the Lord

There is nothing that the devil can do, that he can do to stop it
There is nothing that he can do to stand in its way
The wind of the Spirit is presently blowing
But it’s gonna blow more and more each and every day

There is no time, no time in the spirit
There is no distance that takes time for Him to cross
Everything is instant, it’s now in the spirit
That’s the way that God is, so get on board

O, I hear heavenly music
O, I hear the sound coming from His throne
I am being lifted up, being lifted up in His glory
I am rejoicing because I’m one of His own

You’re too good to me, Jesus
You are too good, you bless me, bless me, bless me some more
My cup is running over, I’m drinking out of the saucer
You bless me, sweet Jesus, and you bless me some more

I want every one of my friends to get in on this blessing
Because God does not have favorites, but He is moved by our faith
I want every one of my friends to get in on this blessing
The table’s not just for me but for you as well

I declare it and your ear has to hear it
When your ear hears it then it arises great faith
When great faith arises you act on the promise
I must declare it, the Word of the Lord