Last night I watched and heard a friend of mine from Tanzania give the word of God. George, has been staying with me for a little more than a week. He has come to the USA for 6 months to put in place the equipment and the finances he needs to open a youth church. He has been a blessing to us and I ask that you might remember him in your prayers as he begins the last leg of his journey before returning to Africa.

A lot of cool things have been happening around Vermont and I hear wonderful testimonies about healings and salvations and God just loving on His children. Saturday in the midst of a snow storm, some of us got together and praised the Lord from 8:30 until 5 or 6 that evening. God is answering prayer and bringing unity. Churches drove over 2 hours to participate with us.

What was your weekend like, and perhaps it is better that we look at it as a weekstart. Did you come out of service ready to take on the world? Are you stronger today than yesterday? I hope so. We are to be strengthened, having heard the Word, praising God...but it doesn't end there. That is the church's responsibility to you. Today. The day after, your work begins. Have you put on the armour of God, made application of the blood of Jesus? Are you firm in the Word? Has God given you your marching instructions? (Did you ask???)

Over the last week I experienced a revelation of one of the things that was pulling me down and I want to share it. Did you ever drink poison? Probably not in the physical sense, but may I be bold enough to suggest you have drank it spiritually. I am not talking about the lies of the enemy so much as the place where someone tells us something about another and we do not move against it. Let me give you a scripture...

Pr 26:17 He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.

I used to just turn someone back to the party that had "injured" them. And then with my dad becoming sick, I guess I became more "compassionate" in my pain. And as I met with people, I would hear them describe a "offense" brought against them. And some of these involved friends, so I just took them in a little at a time. Not many, perhaps 5 in a month. It nearly sunk my battleship!!! The scripture above says do not be involved! Turn that person back to the "offending party"!!! It is not wisdom and it is not compassion to drink the poison of bitterness, anger, wrath or gossip. The oppressor may not even know and the oppressed needs to go to them. If you look at the scriptures below...

Matthew 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whoever shall kill, shall be in danger of the judgment:

22 But I say to you, That whoever is angry with his brother without a cause, shall be in danger of the judgment: and whoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell-fire.

23 Therefore if thou shalt bring thy gift to the altar, and there remember that thy brother hath aught against thee;

24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

25 Agree with thy adversary quickly, while thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

26 Verily, I say to thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

God is serious about loving confrontation (Underscore loving) lest a little leaven the whole loaf.

My desire is that you would grow, iron sharpening iron. There is no sharpening without "conflict". A knife does not come in contact with a file without losing some "unnecessary" pieces, and yet the result is sharpness, cutting ability. Do you know that a dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp one? The body of Christ has many "dull knives" afraid of conflict and the results. If we approach a "potential" situation, biblically, with love in our hearts, there will be a resulting sharpness. Without love...destruction, and more work.

May God bless you this day