Montgomery Ministries

Dear Partners & Friends :

 

“ I SOUGHT FOR A MAN..”

 

God’s deepest desire has always been to fellowship with His children. To show Himself strong and mighty in our lives, to be a very present help in times of trouble. Since the beginning of time, God has looked for a man that would honor Him as God Almighty, walk with Him, listen to His voice and obey Him, and allow God’s supernatural wisdom and power to flow through him.

 

It is astounding what God can perform in the lives of people that choose to walk in obedience to His Word. The scriptures are full of examples of people from Genesis to Revelation who made the decision to obey what God told them to do, even when what God required them to do made no “ common sense ” to their minds.

 

THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM

 

Heb.11: 8 (NLT) , “ It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going ”.

 

God asked Abraham to leave his home , members of his family, everything that was comfortable and familiar to him, and go to a place where God said, “ I will show you ”. Abraham had no idea where he was going, and God purposely withheld the destination from him. Why would the Lord do that ?

 

Because the Lord expects us to trust Him completely in every part of our lives. When you walk by faith , you don’t need to know all the details, you don’t have to understand how it’s all going to work out, and you don’t need to know how God is going to do what only He can do. Faith only needs to know one thing : has God spoken ? If He has, then all we need do is act boldly on what He said, knowing that He is absolutely trustworthy, and reliable and faithful to perform His Word in our lives. If He said it, He will do it ; if He spoke it, He will bring it to pass.

 

THE BLESSING OF ABRAHAM

 

Abraham’s decision to obey God’s Word opened a floodgate of blessing and increase into his life.

 

He became the father of many nations, including the nation of Israel.

He became very rich in cattle, in silver and in gold ( Gen.13: 2 ).

He was the first human being to enter into a blood covenant with God.

He and his wife, Sarah, experienced the supernatural birth of son Isaac.

He became the “ father of our faith” to believers all over the world.

 

 

Date Issued: Summer, 2007

But none of these things would have ever happened if Abraham had not chosen to believe God enough to step out in faith and act on what He said to him. Think about this - God had all these blessings planned and accomplished before Abraham ever said, “yes, Lord”. I know this is a fact , because Genesis 17:5 says, “ Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I ( already )made thee”.

 

The Lord did not say, “ I’m going to make you a father of many nations someday…” As far as God was concerned , it was a done deal. All that was needed to implement the things He wanted to bring to pass in Abraham’s life was total and unqualified obedience.

 

 

OBEDIENCE AND FAITH ARE INSEPARABLE

 

Do you realize the wonderful things people have missed out on because when God dealt with them , they chose not to obey Him ? You see, that’s the terrible thing about disobedience -  you’ll never know what could have been yours. Obedience to the Word of God opens the door to the supernatural, sometimes miraculous intervention of God into your life. The rewards of obedience are beyond anything we could ever imagine.

 

Sometimes it’s the seemingly small , insignificant things God asks to do , that will result in His pathway for our life opening up to us. The Lord has a glorious plan and purpose for everyone. There is not one single life that is insignificant to Him. If you are reading this, you need to know that you have a worth and a value that is greater than you could ever imagine.

 

You were not designed by God to live a mediocre, sub-standard , average life. You were created to live a great life. A victorious, overcoming, supernatural life. A life of faith where every step you take , every decision you make , is done in total reliance upon God’s Word.  Trusting God every single day. That’s what faith is - putting God’s Word first place and making it the final authority in our lives.

 

LIVING THE GOOD LIFE

 

Before we were ever born , God knew us , loved us , chose us and had a good life planned for us.

 

Ephesians 2:10 , “ For we are God’s own handiwork( His workmanship ) , recreated in Christ Jesus, ( born anew ) that we may do those good works which God predestined ( planned beforehand ) for us, ( taking paths which He prepared ahead of time ) , that we should walk in them ( living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live ) ”.

 

What is the “ good life ” ? The good life is the life God,  “  prearranged and made ready for us to live ”. It is you and I living above the curse that is in the earth. Living according to God’s higher ways and higher thoughts. Walking in the dominion and authority that Jesus conferred upon the Church that He purchased with His own blood. The good life is living in obedience to God’s Word and reaping the rewards of that obedience.

 

 

THE REWARDS OF OBEDIENCE

 

What are the rewards of obedience ? If you will take the time to read Deut. 4:31-40 , and many other such scriptures, you’ll discover that God went out of His way to prove to the world that He alone is the true and living God and there is no other. He demonstrated His mighty power and displayed His glory to such an extent that the children of Israel were without excuse as to His goodness and His desire for them to be His chosen people.

 

He took a nation for Himself  out of another nation ( Egypt ) , out of bondage , out of the world, and brought them to a place of abundance in Canaan. His desire was that they have plenty , that they dwell in a good land , and that it would be well with them.

 

After God made all of this possible for His people, what did He ask them to do ?

Verse 40, “ Thou shalt keep therefore His statutes ( laws, regulations ) , and His commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee forever ”.

 

Why is obedience emphasized in the Bible ? Because God wants it to be well with you. He wants your life to be a well life. A well life is one that is blessed. 

 

“ THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU ALL YOUR DAYS ”

 

A well life is one that is not cut short before your time. Not just receiving divine healing when you need it, but living in divine health. A well life is you prospering and being in health, even as your soul prospers ( III John:2 ). A mind that is at peace, a strong, sound mind. A well life is you and your family experiencing “ days of heaven upon the earth ” ( Deut. 11 ). Living on the earth like we were already in heaven. Knowing that whatever we do and wherever we go, the kingdom of heaven is being manifested in our lives.

 

A well life is you walking so close with God that every resource that was available to Jesus is available to you as a believer. Living an abundant life, life to the full, ‘till it overflows. Living the life you were created to live !

 

God has always desired a people that would choose to walk with Him and obey Him. A people that He could elevate to such a place that the nations of the world would know that these are the people that God has blessed. In Exodus 19: 3-6, God said if they would obey His voice , they would be His “ peculiar treasure ”. A nation set apart from all others, set on high above all the earth.

 

Set apart that He could come into their midst and dwell among them. Whenever Israel served Him with their whole heart, He was there with His whole heart , defending them, protecting them , providing for them and showing Himself strong on their behalf.

 

 

GOD’S SPECIAL TREASURE

 

 

God’s “ special treasure ” is not gold, silver , precious stones or money. God’s special treasure is an obedient people. People that are quick to respond, quick to obey. People that are living in a world filled with the curse, but living above the curse. When rain is falling, everything around you gets wet. But if you carry one of those large golf umbrellas out into the rain, the rain is still coming down, but you remain dry and safe underneath the protection of the umbrella.

 

There is an umbrella of God’s covenant promises available to us. His promises are conditional. That means that if we satisfy the conditions, we receive the benefit of the promise. Again, God said if we would obey His voice and keep His covenant we would be His special treasure “ above all people ”.

 

We, as believers do not have to have the world’s sickness and disease , we don’t have to have the world’s divorce rates , adultery , failure , or lack. Let’s be honest about it – if believers are failing , if churches are failing , there’s a reason for it. Disobedience in some form is involved . There are way too many scriptures linking obedience and blessing for this not to be the case.

 

WILLING AND OBEDIENT

 

The Church is the Body of Christ on the earth. Jesus is the greatest example of obedience to God in all the Word of God. It was written of Him in the Psalms, “ I delight to do thy will , O my God : yea, thy law is within my heart ” . This should be the heart cry of every believer. We are God’s special treasure. A people that delight to do God’s will.

 

The laws of the Spirit apply to every aspect of our life. And in whatever area we refuse to comply with those spiritual laws that were designed by God for our good, we shut the door to God’s blessings in that area. The Lord asks us to trust Him enough to obey Him for two reasons – He’s either trying to bless us or protect us.

 

Isaiah 1:19-20, “ If you be willing and obedient , you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel , you shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it ”.

 

God doesn’t just ask for our obedience, He’s looking for willing hearts. Hearts that will trust Him and comply with His will even when what He’s asking us to do doesn’t make “ common sense ”. God doesn’t use common sense , He uses uncommon sense. He’s the God who dwells in eternity – He knows the end from the beginning. And He knows the great blessing He has in store for you if you’ll only obey His Word.

 

OBEYING THE PROMPTINGS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

 

If you’re a Christian, and you’re not obeying either the written Word of God, or the spoken Word of God by the Holy Spirit, you have a real problem: you have strong flesh and a weak spirit. You’re still being ruled by the old nature of the flesh, the carnal nature. Your feelings, your emotions and the lust of your flesh are still the strongest voices in your life.

 

But Romans 7:6 teaches us that we’re to “ serve in obedience to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in newness of life ”. The new birth now gives us the opportunity to renew our minds to the Word of God. To think in a brand new way. To live a higher life. Now we have the opportunity of walking in newness of life, and following the urges or promptings of the Holy Spirit in our spirits.

 

Freedom happens when you follow your spirit instead of being dominated by your flesh. Everything the Holy Spirit tells you to do will work for your good.

It will always be to your advantage. On the other hand , if you refuse and rebel, it will cost you. 

 

CHOOSE LIFE

 

Deut. 30:19-20 , “ I call heaven and earth to record this day against you , that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life , that both thou and thy seed may live:

 

That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey His voice…””

 

You are the one who chooses life or death, blessing or cursing. You are the one who decides which one you’ll have. And you are choosing one or the other every single day. You and I just don’t know enough to walk after our own natural, earthly thinking. That’s why God gave us His Holy Spirit – to teach us to think like He thinks, to reveal His Word to us , and make His life fully available to us.

 

I encourage you today to get into the Bible, let God’s Word abide in you richly, obey His Word and choose life !

 

 

BIG NEWS !!

 

Very soon , in just a couple weeks , the Montgomery Ministries web-site will have undergone a complete face-lift. We are currently revamping our internet site , and it will be great !

 

You’ll see a whole new look, exciting graphics, video , new pages , including a testimony page, product page , and a live podcast that will enable those of you with high-speed internet to listen to our messages.

 

There will also be a stewardship/giving page that will enable you to sow seed into some very exciting areas of ministry. There will be at least four distinct areas of giving that you can choose. This stewardship/giving page will be called “ REAPING THE HARVEST ”.  There will be opportunities to sow into prison bibles for inmates with a call of God on their lives, and giving into an orphanage in Israel. You will also be able to sow into the Messianic congregations that Stephanie and I are associated with and their work in preaching Jesus to fellow Jews. Finally you can help Stephanie and I continue to take the Gospel to Israel and to the nations.

 

Take the time to check out our new and improved website. There’s something here for everyone, and it will be updated on a regular basis. We designed it with you in mind !

 

Please let us hear from you. If you have any prayer requests, testimonies or suggestions, we’d love to hear from you. We love you and appreciate you !

 

 

In The Service Of The King,

 

Jim & Stephanie Montgomery