BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

Jesus is returning soon to catch us away, and before He comes, God is going to show Himself strong on earth through mighty displays of His power. He’s going to manifest His glory through the Church in miraculous ways. He’s going to pour out His Spirit on all flesh so that everyone on earth has the opportunity to know that Jesus is Lord. God is raising up a generation of believers in our day that, instead of being trodden underfoot by the world, will walk above it in supernatural power. Just as He lifted up the Israelites before their exodus so that they had the respect of the Egyptians, before we go in the Rapture, the Church will be respected, too. We may not be popular, but we’ll have people’s attention because we will be “a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing” (Ephesians 5:27). That’s God’s plan and, without any doubt, He will get it done. The only question is, how big a part of it will you and I choose to be? Personally, I want to be right in the middle of the action, don’t you? I don’t want to just stand on the sidelines watching God move, I want to be on the front lines allowing Him to move through me. I want to be one of the people God was talking about in Acts 2:18-19 when He said, “On my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: and I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath.” How can we, as believers, make sure we’re included in that group? Second Chronicles 16:9 gives us the answer. It says, “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.” In this day of spiritual outpouring, the believers God chooses as His front-line servants will be those who are wholly devoted to Him. He’s not going to go looking to manifest His mighty power through Christians with one foot in the Word and one foot in the world. He’s going to look for those whose hearts are perfect toward Him. The word perfect in this context means “consecrated, dedicated and loyal.” It doesn’t refer to never missing it or making a mistake. It’s talking about having a heart that is faithful. A good scriptural example of a person with a faithful heart is Moses. He didn’t always do everything perfectly. He made some major mistakes. But as Hebrews 3:2 says, “Moses was faithful in all [God’s] house.” That’s why God kept working with him. He had to have a faithful man at that point in history. He had to have someone through whom He could show Himself strong and perform supernatural signs and wonders. If you’ve read the story, you know that God didn’t just sovereignly reach out of heaven and reveal His power to the Egyptians. He worked through His servant. “He made known his ways unto Moses” (Psalm 103:7), and then Moses stretched out his hand and commanded God’s will to be done. God is still using the same program today. That’s why He’s spent years teaching us to attend to His Word and live our lives by faith. He wants us to know His ways so we can obey Him, follow the prompting of His Spirit, and command His will to be done on earth. He wants us to be prepared so we can be part of this great last-days outpouring of glory. He wants us to be people with faithful hearts! More Than Just a Formula “But Gloria,” someone might say, “the scripture about God looking for faithful hearts is in the Old Testament. Are you sure it applies to us as New Testament believers?” Absolutely. Jesus confirmed it. In Mark 8:34-35 He said, “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.” By telling us to take up our cross, Jesus wasn’t saying, as religious tradition sometimes teaches, that we should suffer without complaining under the thumb of the devil. He wasn’t saying we should passively put up with things like sickness and lack. He was calling us to be faithful. He was telling us to deny our flesh; to live not to please ourselves but to please Him. He was saying, as He did time and again throughout His ministry, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.… Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 6:33, 22:37, "New King James Version"). In other words, set your heart on Him, make Him your No. 1 priority, and then everything else will be added to you. The Apostle Paul said it this way in Colossians 3:1-2: “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” * * article continues on next page * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * As a believer, you’re called to be right in the middle of the action. Don’t stand on the sidelines watching God move, be on the front lines and allow Him to move through you! 1) God said in the last days He will work supernaturally through His born-again people. Acts 2:18-19 2) He is looking right now to show Himself strong through believers whose hearts are faithful to Him. 2 Chronicles 16:9 3) God proved through Moses that He can work wonders through someone, even if they make mistakes, as long as they have a faithful heart. Hebrews 3:2 4) Jesus said to follow Him by living to please Him instead of your flesh. Mark 8:34-35 5) It may seem like a sacrifice to put God first, but in the end it doesn’t cost to serve Him; it pays. Matthew 25:21 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BVOV : 29

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