Author: HoW Team

Blessed be the Lord my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle—

Psalms 144:1

Chapter after chapter in the Old Testament we read about how the Israelites had to fight a number of battles, sometimes against nations much larger and with greater military might than Israel had. Yet in spite of the odds stacked against them, Israel prevailed most of the time.

In the New Testament, the battles continued, but those documented were more of the warfare going on in the spiritual realm with the Bible teaching us about fighting, wrestling with the unseen, contending, prevailing and overcoming. All these speak to various forms of battle that we have to engage in through our journey of life.

It can be overwhelming to look at all one has to contend with if we focus on our strength alone. But God never leaves us without superior battle strategies to work with. This series we are exploring a few of the strategies made available to believers so we can come out as victors at all times. Click HERE to download the series.

Dealing with Life’s Distractions

“But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”” Luke 10:40-42 NKJV

Jesus and Martha had an interesting interaction when He visited her home. Martha was understandably putting things in place for the visitors so everyone – including Jesus – would be comfortable; while her sister Mary seemed to be doing nothing, just seated at the feet of Jesus listening to everything He had to say.

If the guests were to score Martha and Mary, Martha would probably be rated higher because of her level of activity and service, yet Jesus called Martha distracted. Martha didn’t do anything wrong by working to ensure everything went well for the visitors, but there was a critical point where she missed the real purpose and focus of the meeting which was what Jesus had to share.

The word used for distraction means, “to be over-occupied, too busy, about a thing”. There are many times we go through life distracted – over-occupied with life and its myriad of issues. And in the midst of the distraction we miss out on important cues the Holy Spirit is giving us concerning our lives and things around us.

This series we’re looking at 6 keys for living a focused and purposeful life so we don’t end up full of activities without tangible results to show for it. We pray that the series will help us re-direct our attention so we put our focus on what really matters. Click here to download the study.

“while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” II Corinthians 4:18

“for through him (Christ) God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.” Colossians 1:16 NLT

The Bible tells us clearly there are two realms: seen and unseen. The seen is temporary, the unseen eternal. This unseen realm contains thrones, kingdoms, and so much more, all of which have a direct impact on the things we can see. Therefore, since the seen is subject to the unseen, we must make it our priority to understand how to have influence in the spiritual realm if we want to make any lasting impact.

This series we are looking at spiritual influence from the perspective of developing the capacity to create realities in the spiritual realm and translate these realities to the physical. Our prayer is that God will give us revelation and the grace to become people of influence, not just in time but also in eternity. Click here to download the study.

‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…’ Hosea 4:6

‘Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”’ John 8:31-32

One of the things the enemy fights the most is revelation, because he knows that revelation is what separates and differentiates men. The level of our revelation determines the level at which we function. The enemy knows that anything that brings illumination strengthens us and weakens his hold over us, which is why he discourages us from spending time in the word of God. God’s word is truth and it’s the truth in His word that sets us free from whatever form of bondage we or those around us may be encountering.

This series we are looking at 5 important truths we need to know so we can understand just how powerful a believer really is. Our prayer is that as we go through this series, the Holy Spirit will bring revelation, illumination and strength to our inner man so we can function with the full authority available to us. Click here to download the series.

‘And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:’ Matthew 5:1-2

‘One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, and he began to teach them.’ Matthew 5:1-2

Matthew 5 contains a portion of what is generally called The Sermon on the Mount, with verses three to twelve specifically described as “the beatitudes”. Beatitude simply means the blessedness and in these verses Jesus lists various criteria for those who He defined as being blessed. Interestingly this teaching was not to the crowd, but to His disciples – those already on a journey of getting close to Him. And as we also want to be disciples of Jesus then it will help us to partake of this mentorship session so we can see what it looks like to be blessed from His perspective – which oftentimes is quite different from what we may expect.

May the Holy Spirit give us understanding and grace as we go through this series. Click here to download the study.

‘He has lifted up a horn for His people [giving them strength, prosperity, dignity, and preeminence], Praise for all His godly ones; For the people of Israel, a people near to Him. Praise the Lord ! (Hallelujah!)’ Psalms 148:14

‘For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He puts down one, and exalts another.’ Psalms 75:6-7

We know God lifts men and there are several illustrations in the Bible to this effect, and sometimes the outcome may be spectacular. However, many times the outcome we see is a consequence of the processes He employed to get to that outcome. This means it will help us to gain some insight into How God lifts men so we can identify when He is in operation and cooperate with Him.

This series as we look at different ways God lifts people we pray the Holy Spirit will give us wisdom and understanding so we can live in the fullness Jesus paid for. Click Here to download the series.

Access as defined by the dictionary is the means or opportunity to approach or enter a place. This means that the implication of not having access to a desired location is that we will not be able to avail ourselves of all that location offers, even if we can see it and have a legal right to whatever the place offers.

A location can be entered through several means, some of which include doors, gates and keys which all give us a level of access, but in different ways. For instance, a person may have the key to a building, but if the gate to that building is bolted shut, that person still will not be able to gain access to the building.

As we go through the Bible we see several references to ways in which we can gain access to desired places. This series we are looking at the tools of access, understanding how they function and how we can use them so we can have the full experience of all God has for us. May the Holy Spirit grant us wisdom and understanding of the tools He has made available to us. Click here to download the study.

‘“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord . “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.’ Isaiah 55:8-9

When we love someone, one of the things we try and understand is their likes and dislikes: what does it take to bring joy to that person and what puts the person off. As we find these things out, we then put in effort to do them, because genuinely want to be part of their lives and want to have a good relationship with them. Interestingly when it comes to God, we tend to think of Him in terns of what we would like and how we function. However, he has made it very clear that His ways are very different from our ways.

If God’s ways are different, then the question we would ask ourselves is: what does it take to please God? Otherwise, we run the risk of offending Him, and not even knowing that’s what we are doing, or spending a lot of energy on things that He doesn’t count as important. The good thing is as we spend time in His word, we receive clarity on the answer to this and so much more. This series, we are digging into the Word of God to understand what it takes to delight God and we pray the Holy Spirit will grant us clarity as we embark on this journey. Click Here to download the study.

“If only I knew where to find God, I would go to his court. I would lay out my case and present my arguments. Then I would listen to his reply and understand what he says to me.” Job 23:3-5 NLT

God is a God of truth, justice and righteousness and one of the ways believers access His justice system is in the courtroom of heaven through the avenues of prayer and His word. The same way lawyers need to understand how to function in the legal system of their jurisdiction is the same way believers need to understand how to function in heaven’s courtroom.

As believers we play the role of a lawyer in presenting matters to God. However, many times what we present to God is a slew of complaints rather than a well laid out case before the Judge of all. To present successfully, lawyers must understand among other things who the main parties in a case are and their rights, the precedents and obligations of court and how to get victory over the plaintiff/accuser.

This series we’re looking at the system of heaven’s courtroom and how to navigate it successfully. We pray the Holy Spirit will use this series to open our eyes to the power and efficacy of prayer and God’s word in gaining victory in life. Click here to download the series.

‘To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven:’ Ecclesiastes 3:1

God deals with us in seasons, and He has allocated seasons to the various assignments we will have throughout our life’s journey. Different seasons open us up to new levels in various areas of our lives, with one season feeding into another. This means that when a new season comes up, it automatically means an old season is about to end.

There are four critical things we need to note about new seasons. One is that God doesn’t follow a January to December calendar, so we need to be spiritually sensitive to when a new season is about to start. Two is that the enemy always knows when we should be stepping into a new season even if we don’t, and he will use that knowledge to hinder us if we don’t discern him at work. Three is that every new season has specific requirements for us to successfully complete it and transit to a new season. Four is that God makes specific enablement available to us to maximize the season, but we must identify this enablement in order to take full advantage and complete the season successfully.

This series we are looking at the how to start a new season, partnering with the Holy Spirit in the place of prayer. Our prayer is that as we engage with this series, the Holy Spirit will open our eyes to the seasons of our life and guide us along the best pathway. Click Here to download the study.