THE ARMOR OF GOD
Brianna Bartram shared a message of exhortation, focusing on the Armor of God is Ephesians chapter 6. She explained how early on in her walk with the Lord, she had gone through a period of time where the enemy had constantly plagued her with attack after attack. At that time in her walk, she did not know how to effectively stand against the wiles of the devil – however, God took her on a journey, teaching her through the Word of God how to stand firm in faith, pushing back against the enemy and how to fight. The greatest revelation of this that season of her life was wearing the Armor of God. Explaining the armor in spiritual warfare, she said, “Ephesians 6:10 (AMP) says that God’s precepts are like the splendid armor of a heavily armed soldier. It’s His precepts that is the armor we are putting on. How effectively you are wearing your armor is directly connected to how grounded you are in the Word of God.” “Are you immoveable in the Word? When you don’t have the Word in you, you will not be discerning in that moment of attack, in the day of danger!” Ephesians 6: 11 AMP [Put on the full armor of God [for His precepts are like the splendid armor of a heavily-armed soldier], so that you may be able to [successfully] stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and the deceits of the devil.] Brianna also shared what it might look like when we are not grounded in the Word in everyday scenarios.She said, “Maybe you came to fellowship at SNF, you get all filled up and encouraged. As you walk out you say to yourself, ‘Jesus love me – this I know. He will never leave me or forsake me. He will provide all my needs.’ You walk out edified and encouraged to conquer…and then the day of danger comes against your finances – a few days pass by and real life happens. Maybe you’ve been praying for 4,5, or 6 figures in the bank account, but you knew that there would at least be 3. Then you go to the bank and realize there’s only $75 tala to last you the entire week and you have commitments and mouths to feed. So what do you do?” “The thing that most people give up first is their tithe. They might say, ‘God I know what your Word says but tithing is HARD and I really need this money. The problem there is that tithing is spiritual warfare! In Malachi, it says that if you bring the entire tithe into the storehouse – God would open up a blessing that you could not contain. And that HE would rebuke the devourer. You wouldn’t even have to rebuke it – He would do it for you! You just had to stand immovable on the Word.” “And what happened? The day of danger came and even though you knew that God provides, you did not grab hold of that Promise. Your armor was not on so when that spirit of lack and poverty came around, your heart and mind fell victim and you lost sight of His assurance.” Ephesians 6: 13 AMP [Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious]. ] “Maybe you’re married, and the day of danger happens upon your marriage. Maybe your spouse said something you don’t like. Whether or not they meant it, it begins to play in your mind, and you start getting angry.” “You start getting offended, and the enemy has turned your husband’s words into a vehicle for a fiery dart. And because you were not prepared for the day of danger, you were not filled in with the Word, you fell for the enemy’s schemes. So instead of being that helpmeet and watchwoman on the walls of your marriage – you begin to say things that sound more like the accuser than a helpmeet.” “If the day of danger comes against your health, if you don’t know how to rise up and to take your sword and take your shield of faith and fight – you will make yourself a little sickbed and lay there and accept the attack from the enemy. It’s so important that we have the Word in us because it’s what gives us the foundation that makes us immovable in any storm.” Ephesians 6:14-17 – [ So stand firm and hold your ground, having tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart), and having strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news]. Above all, lift up the [protective] [d]shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.] Brianna also explained the necessity of each piece of armor and its importance in spiritual warfare. Helmet of Salvation – “It goes on the head; your head is the most important part of your body in the physical and spiritual. You could lose a leg, a kidney- you could lose a few different things, but if your head falls off, you are dead. The helmet of salvation is essential, and if you think about it, the mind is very important almost like the control center of the body, and I don’t think that it is a coincidence that the helmet of salvation covers your mind.” Breast Plate of Righteousness –“I believe that this is the next most important piece in terms of bodily function, just because in the physical – this is where your heart is and all your internal organs are. Righteousness is something that is impeded to us by faith. We don’t earn righteousness; we can never be righteous on our own. Scripture says that before we became a new creation in Christ, our righteousness is like filthy rags and Jeremiah said that the heart is deceitfully wicked, who can know it ?”When we walk with God, part of that is walking out our salvation with fear and trembling. Part of that involves us bringing our lives in alignment with God and being obedient to Him. You will have a problem if you continue to do things that you know that you are not supposed to be doing. The Bible says that God is not mocked, you will reap what you sow. If you continue to disobey, you will reap the consequences of your actions. “ Belt of Truth – “When I think about a belt I think about how it goes around your center and if you are the kind of person who tucks your shirt in, it holds that whole outfit together. Just like truth – it should be at the center of our walk with God. When the storm gets rough, you need to have an anchor, you need to have that plumbline that keeps you balanced through the shaking – just as Jesus is the Cornerstone and the center of our walk and faith in God.”“The world has many opinions, has many thoughts, many feelings, and we can be emotionally provoked to agree with those thoughts and feelings, but when you go back and read the Word, it realigns you with what the truth is.” Shoes of Peace – “I heard on someone speaking about the shoes of Peace – At that time, the Romans soldiers would wear their sandals in battle which would actually have spikes on the bottom. Those spikes would help them when they were walking over rough terrain to keep their feet steady and keep them from falling. In the same way for us, we need that in our lives. We need our feet to be steady as we go through rough terrain. And we get that from spending time with the Prince of Peace.” Shield of Faith – “Not only does it extinguish the fiery darts of the enemy, but when things of the Lord seem to not go according to the way it should – what happens?”“See if you have faith – you are not easily attacked because you stand according to the Word of God even when you see difficult things happening. Your mind will come back to the fact that you know that God is good all the time. You should have faith in Him to move on your behalf.”“Faith is the shield that will extinguish the fiery darts. The Lord has called us to reign and rule. And to have dominion –so when the enemy comes and is trying to challenge you for the things that God has already given you authority over – you hold up your shield of faith you push him back.” The Sword of the Spirit – the Word of God – “Have you ever seen how some people pray and immediately there are results, whereas other people pray and things are falling on dry ground and they’re not seeing a whole lot of results.?” “Well, there’s a reason for that and it’s because you need to have your own encounter with the Word. With Jesus. When the Apostle Paul went into cities when he went to cast out demons – all he needed to do was say it and the demons would be cast out. But when the Jewish Rabbis were trying to cast out demons and said, ‘Get out in the name of Jesus who Paul talks about – what happened? Those demons actually attacked those Jewish Rabbis, and they ran away naked.” “See Paul had his own encounter with God, so when he went into cities and when He prayed – and used the sword of the spirit – things happened.”Watch the complete message on the replay here: https://www.facebook.com/364077920465512/videos/3359422064148449
28/10/20
FRUITFULNESS
Peace Aiono shared a message on fruitfulness.Sharing on John 15:1-8, Peace explained, “God wants us to prosper. I understand that when we talk about prosperity, we automatically assume that prosperity is talking about tangible things such as cars, money, clothing, or possessions. God can bless you in that way, but there is another level of prosperity.” “From Genesis to revelation we see that God has a plan for us and HE favors us! In our connection to Him, He desires for us to have the very best that is available. This prosperity is not for us but in essence it is to glorify God. As we are prosperous in our walk, in our witness and in our life, all the glory is to go back to God. It is a life of fruitfulness!” John 15:1-8 -“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.] “We were created to worship Him, that includes worshiping Him through how we live our life. What do you do when you don’t see yourself as prosperous as you know God called you to be? Have you ever felt frustrated knowing and believing God for His Promises, but seeing that it’s not matching up in the physical?” Peace explained that in these seasons or moments in life, God is usually teaching us.She said, “Instead of walking in favor, at time we find ourselves operating in frustration. When that happens, we need to take an internal evaluation. Let’s be honest, there have been seasons where we have tried our best to work out our own plan, we’ve tried to do it our way – but I want to tell you that as amazing, talented and wonderful as you are, YOU will never be able to prosper by yourself.” “You may have good degrees and be making good money and run a business– but my sister and brother, you can not live the fruitful life in and of yourself. There is a big difference between being successful and being fruitful. Success is based on performance. Fruit is based on being close to Jesus. I have met a lot of people who are successful but miserable.” “God’s design is not just for you to be successful; His desire is for you to be fruitful. God wants us to bear fruit in our lives.” John 15:6-8 – [If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.] “What does it mean to be fruitful, or have a fruitful life? When was the last time that you looked at your life to bring glory to God? When is the last time that you worked to bring Glory to God?” “Your fruitfulness is not based on the condition you’re in, your fruitfulness is based on you staying close to Jesus. It’s not an easy thing trying to be fruitful, its more than just saying I want to bear fruit. Its making the choice the ‘Yes I really want to endure the process of fruitfulness’.” “It’s a journey and process, you’ve got to adhere yourself and surrender to the process of fruitfulness. To those who have ears let them hear. Your job is not your source. Your resources are not your source. Your bank account is not your source. You’ve only got one source, Jehovah Jireh- He is your source.” “Scripture says that Jesus is the vine, we are the branches, and the Father is the Vinedresser. That relationship is what produces fruits. As the Vinedresser, the Father will cut off any branch that does not bear fruit, and those that do – HE prunes so that they will bear even more fruit. We’ve got to understand that part of the process of fruitfulness is to be willing to submit to correction.” Peace explained that one thing which can affect our fruitfulness or the capacity of bearing fruit is the environment or who we surround ourselves with. Should we choose to surround ourselves with those who hinder us from fruit-bearing, we will find that we will not bear any fruit. 1 Corinthians 15:33 – [Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.] John 15:2 –[He cuts off EVERY BRANCH IN ME that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.] “I think it’s a consolation that even when you’re not producing fruits, you still belong to Him. Despite of all that you’ve been going through, even though you’ve had some dark dirty moments, aren’t you glad to receive the report to Him – wherever you are in your journey – you still belong to Him.” Watch this message on the replay here:https://www.facebook.com/364077920465512/videos/3403218503097259
21/10/21
FEAST OF TABERNACLES CELEBRATION
From the 5th to the 8th of October 2020, Supernatural Fellowship and the Samoan delegates for Israel – hosted a four-day celebration commemorating the biblical and historical Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot in Hebrew. The 7-day Feast ordained by the Lord to Moses in the Book of Leviticus is one of 7 Feasts of the Lord in the Jewish calendar and is also the only Feast where Gentiles were invited to participate. During our local Sukkot celebration, we erected a Sukkah (temporary dwelling or tent) which the Israelites were commanded to do so during Sukkot as a reminder of God’s mighty deliverance of the Israelites from the land of Egypt and how they had dwelled in temporary shelters or booths during this time in the wilderness. Leviticus 22:33-36 -Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 34 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the Lord. 35 On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. 36 For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. On the eighth day, you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it.42-43 -You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.’ ” Each October the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) hosts the Feast of Tabernacles celebrations in Jerusalem where pilgrims from around the world converge to celebrate before the Lord. For the past 3-consecutive years, the Samoan Delegates for Israel have traveled to the Holy Land to celebrate Sukkot, however, due to travel restrictions this year, the ICEJ hosted a Virtual Feast instead where over 7000 Christians from over 100 nations participated online, including Samoa. Apostle Cruise and Pastor Marissa Westerlund of Supernatural Fellowship are the Official National Directors for the ICEJ here in Samoa. During the local Sukkot at Lotopa, registrants were hosted for four evenings filled with anointed worship, communion, encouragement, fellowship, dances, and prophetic acts as well as participating and watching the ICEJ sermons and messages from some of the greatest international speakers- direct from Jerusalem. On the third night – there was also a special offering taken specifically for the nation of Israel and was sent as a blessing from the people of Samoa to the ICEJ on the ground in the Holy Land. Many people were touched by the Lord during this Sukkot and encountered Him for the first time in an intimate way. Many others felt the Lord breathing over their heart and speaking to them about His nation and people Israel, placing an earnest desire to one day make the trip to the Holy Land. On the last evening of the closing of our local Feast, a torrential downpour of rain was accompanied by numerous flashes of bright lighting above the Sukkah and roaring thunder that was quite uncommon to typical weather. Mama Otila Brown – one of the participants who were present said, “I’m in my 70’s now and in all my life I have never seen or experienced anything like that lighting and thunder.” The lightning and thunder brought to mind the scriptures -1 Samuel 12:18 – So Samuel called unto the LORD, and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel. Job 40:9 – “Have you an arm like God, And can you thunder with a voice like His?” Revelation 4:5 (a) – “From the throne came flashes of lightning and [rumbling] sounds and peals of thunder..” There was such a peace about the thunder and the lighting which occurred during our closing Feast as the registrants dined and fellowshipped with each other, with many sensing that it was confirmation and affirmation from the Lord. Glory to God! For more information about Sukkot or the ICEJ and their work in the Holy Land – check out their website – https://int.icej.org/
05-08/09/20
