Jesus came so that he could fulfil the prophetic words as spoken about the great deliverer who would come. Having arrived as a 
vulnerable infant, Jesus grew up in turmoil and uncertainty so that one day he could die for the sin of humanity. At the time of Jesus’ birth the enemy was after him. Like Moses at his birth, an edict was sent out to destroy him, but he found refuge in Egypt and returned after a while to grow up as a tender plant in the arid land of Nazareth. His sole purpose was to fulfil this pronouncement: “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified (Isaiah 61:1-3).” Although the whole world has become blinded by commercialism, Jesus is still binding up broken hearts and setting captives free. So if you are feeling overwhelmed by all the hype and the festivities, remember that Jesus is still available to bring comfort, peace and joy to your heart. Read Isaiah 61 & Luke 4:18&19.
as we reflect on the real reason for the season!
Posted in The Prophetic | Tags: Anointing, destruction, Egypt, Enemy, Fulfilment, Prophecy, Time, Timelessness
as we look back to the future!
For over 800 years the people of God were waiting and hoping that their deliverer would come. During this elongated time many 
people came and pretended that they were the great deliverer who was promised. What is amazing that people really believed that their Messiah would come and fulfil all that was spoken about him. When the Magi’s arrived in Judea searching for the new born king, they knew something seismic had occurred and wanted to witness it. Eight hundred year before, Isaiah spoke about these events and described exactly what would take place. This is what he said: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14).” “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and for evermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this (Isaiah 9:2-7).
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:1-9). At different times he confirmed that this servant of the Lord would transform the whole earth. And because of what he did, the whole earth is aware of Jesus, although many still don’t know him!
Posted in The Prophetic | Tags: Anticipation, Belief, Faith, Fulfilment, Knowing the times, Messiah, Prophecy, Seasons
as we believe the word of the LORD spoken by his angel!
Luke the physician gives an interesting account of the birth of Jesus. In the run up to the announcement of the miraculous birth 
of Jesus the angel of the Lord appeared to Zachariah as he was offering up incense to the Lord in the holies of holies. His fellow believers were outside praying whilst he was also praying and making the offering. The angel of the Lord, Gabriel appeared to him and declared to him that what he was praying for would come to pass (Luke 1:8ff). That is, his wife would give birth to a child and that he was to be called John. This is a real lesson for us for as we shall see. Although Zachariah had been praying for years for a child to succeed him, he really did not believe that God would come through for him as he was now an old man. Nevertheless he remained faithful serving God in his capacity as a priest in the house of the Lord. When he heard the good news, he questioned the angel and explained to him all reasons why this could not happen. I am old and my wife is old. She had been barren for a long time. Not since the time of Sarah has anything like this happened. Well Zac, the God of Abraham is still the same God yesterday, today and tomorrow. And as he told Moses, he is the ‘I am’, not the ‘I was’ or the ‘I will be’. He is the’ I am’, the God of the now. As a sign for his unbelief Zachariah was struck dumb until the prophetic word was fulfilled and Elizabeth his wife had given birth to the baby boy, John.
On the contrary, when Mary was told by Gabriel that as a virgin she would have a baby boy, her response was, “OK Lord, be it unto me according to your word” and so it was (Luke 1:38). My encouragement to you is this, if God has given you a promise through his messenger, a man from God, believe him and do not circumvent it with the words of your mouth. For as the angel Gabriel said to Mary, it may seem impossible to you, but with God all things are possible (Luke 2:37 paraphrased). Read Luke 1:1-38.
Posted in The Spoken Word | Tags: Answers, Faith, Miracles, Prayer, Promises, Prophetic fulfilment, Signs, Wonders, Words
as we look on in awe at the greatness of the LORD!
Prophetic Word: Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call 
him Immanuel. He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. Fulfilment: This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). Today, God is with us and in all of us who choose to accept him as Lord and Saviour. Read Isaiah 7:14-16, Isaiah 9:6-7 & Matt 1:18-23.
Posted in The Prophetic | Tags: Miracles, Signs, The Messiah, Wonders
as we embrace the prophetic!
As we look forward to advent, that is the coming to our world of Jesus the God-man, we must be aware of a few things. Jesus 
coming to us was God’s idea and not ours. He came with a specific mandate and that was to save his people from their sins (Matt 1:21b), by binding up the broken hearted and releasing those held captive from the prison bars of Satan (Isa 61:1). The Old Testament is replete with prophecies about the coming Messiah and each of these prophetic utterances was fulfilled to the letter. There are over 300 OT prophecies fulfilled in the New Testament by Jesus of Nazareth and two eminent American scientists (Professors Peter W. Stoner & Robert C. Newman) have calculated the odds of fulfilling just eight of them as 1 in 1017 which is 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. When Jesus arrived on earth, it was not with the fanfare of trumpets, fireworks and royal pageantry, but in a disused shed surrounded by animals and smelly shepherds who were invited to attend by a host of angelic beings. The whole host of heaven had lined up to welcome the Messiah, with the brightest star pointing anyone who cared to take notice to the exact position of the new king of glory. Today, Christmas is just another festival when people give presents, others get drunk and still others use it as a time for spending what they do not have. For those who have seen the light, just as the wise men did, Jesus beckons you to come away from the hype and the hustle and bustle and seek him out. For all those who seek will find him and all those who are bound will be set free and then the real purpose for the season will become the reality in your life. Ream Matthew 2.
Posted in Restoration | Tags: Advent, gifts, Heavently Hosts, Hype, Prophecy, Reality, Stars
as we utter life from our mouths!
You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you, and light will shine on your ways. Job 22:28 ESV. Your ability to affect your future is evident for all to see, however many believers never attain what God wants for them because they circumvent it by the words that they declare. An example of this is telling yourself that you can’t do this or that and you have not tried. It is better to try and fail than never to try in the first place. As his friend said to Job, you shall declare a thing and it will come to pass! Today declare God’s word over yourself and your family and wait for it to come to pass! Read Psalm 119:11.
Posted in The Spoken Word | Tags: Circumvent, Declaration, Understanding
as we contemplate before we annunciate!
The words that emanates from our mouths have the ability to create and to destroy. Words lead to the faith which dictates what 
you believe and what you do. This is called praxis, which has the ability to cure or to kill. Several ancient writers tell us to be very careful regarding what comes out of our mouths, they knew what they were talking about, viz; “let the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in your sight O Lord my rock and my redeemer.” David, King of Israel. They also reminds us that “death and life are in the power of the tongue”, Solomon a King of Israel; and finally that “faith comes from hearing the word of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Apostle Paul a disciple of Jesus. Today weigh your words and live or speak without first assessing the situation and repent at leisure or die. Psalm 19:14; Proverbs 18:21 & Romans 10:17.
Posted in The Spoken Word | Tags: Faith, Hearing, Hearts, Meditation, Minds, Praxis, Silence, Words
as we learn that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth to the LORD.
The Psalmist tells us that one day with the Lord is like a thousand years so although it may seem that God is taking a long time to 
fulfil his promises we need to wait for him. He is a miracle working God and so we must wait for him. Remember this, He is never late! The waiting process can be daunting but invariably it is humbling. This is what the Lord said to the Israelites when they were about to access their prosperity promised to them. “Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the LORD promised on oath to your ancestors. Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.
He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you” (Deut. 8:1-5). The natural thing to do is to run ahead of God and do your own thing. It took the people of God forty years to get the system of Egypt out of them and to learn again to lean of the God of the universe. How long will it take us to accomplish this? Today trusting God is a learning process and part of this process is the discipline to trust God implicitly, no matter how things look. If he says it, he will do it. Read Deuteronomy 8.
Posted in Spiritual Development | Tags: discipline, Humility, Hunger, Manna, Prosperity, Training
as we get ready to live the dream, YES WE CAN!
“You see things; and you say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say, ‘Why not?’”, George Bernard Shaw, Irish literary Critic, Playwright and Essayist, 1856-1950. The ability to think outside the box gives that individual the edge in life. For 
our dreams to be realised we need to guard them and develop the ability to wait. The psalmist gives us many insights into the way to operate. “Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path because of mine enemies. Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” Psalm 27:11-14. Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Psa. 37:7. The ability to wait coupled with that to dream enables you to live in hope whilst having your feet firmly rooted to the ground. So when you dream, and you will, write it down, pin it on your fridge door and read it every day. David the writer of many of the psalms had visions of a great temple built to celebrate and host the presence of the Lord. He had a plan which was completed by his son and heir Solomon. Today as you dream, be aware that God is in the business of acceleration and he will turn your dream into reality before you have time to catch your breath. Read and meditate of Psalm 130
Posted in Spiritual Development | Tags: Acceleration, Dreams, Hope, Insight, Visions, Waiting
as we live the dream!
Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, “all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” Mark 9:23-4.
Fear causes us to jettison our dreams and compromise what God explicitly spoke to us in the first place. The major problem we 
face is who do we share our deepest secrets with and who do we entrust with our future? We often forget that we are more powerful than we realise and more resourceful than we first imagine. Consider Joseph son of Jacob. He had everything going for him. He was handsome, loved by his father and mother and belonged to a people who were beneficiaries of the blessing of the Lord God of the universe. However, by sharing his dreams at the wrong stage in his development, he was led down a path that was life threatening and fraught with many dangers, including being put in an unregulated Egyptian jail. I know that some will say that it was character forming going through all the struggles he experienced, but I am not convinced. I believe that a lot of his woes could have been avoided if like Mary (Luke 2:19), he pondered the things of God in his heart rather than blabbing off his mouth to his brothers. Sometimes we speak because we just want to be heard. At other times we speak because we lack self-control. And still at other times we speak because we get excited and cannot contain ourselves. When God speaks to you, and he will, be extremely careful who you share your encounter with and above all be very careful when you release it. As we enter review mode we should always be mindful that for God timing is everything. An ancient writer says this: ‘let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable to you O God, my rock and my redeemer.’ Let me not pre-release or leak what you have placed in my heart to do! And teach me to ponder more and speak less. Read Mark 23&24.
Posted in Spiritual Development | Tags: Belief, Dreams, Encounter, Faith, Fear, Mentorship, Possibilities
Pastor Bell's Words To Live By 