by Scott Johnson

So many times, throughout history and pop culture, people have referred to money as “dough.” I find that very interesting, especially since God did it too!

In Romans, Paul wrote: “If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches”. (Romans 11:16 NIV)

It’s not a coincidence that dough is money and money is dough. It’s not a coincidence that God says, “…the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy....”

Our firstfruits are our tithe and offerings. It’s what we bring to God. We don’t give it to God, because the truth is, it’s already his...so we do bring it to him.

Malachi reminds us, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.” (Malachi 3:10) Notice he says, “...the whole tithe...,” not part of the tithe, not some of the tithe, but 100 percent of it. We are to bring the tithe into the storehouse so that there will be resource in His house—and then he promises something in return to us.

A Sure Blessing

God calls the firstfruits holy. So if part of the dough—your money—is offered as firstfruits—then it is holy, and what’s holy can’t be touched by the devil. What protection! What a comfort and blessing!

Jesus said, “The wicked one is coming and he has nothing in me.” (John 14:30)

The Amplified Bible says it this way: “I will not talk with you much more, for the prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me. [He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me.]”

Both of these versions are saying: There’s no way the devil can touch Jesus if there is nothing of the devil in Jesus—which there wasn’t. Therefore, when I bring my tithe—my dough—into the house of God...when I bring my offerings—my dough—to the house of God, then the 90 percent left after my tithe, and the remainder of my money after my offerings is holy—and the devil can’t touch it or me.

Praise God! That 90 percent and the rest after your offering are holy! It’s blessed beyond the natural expanse of those funds. God can do more with that in your life than he ever could the 100 percent—because now it’s holy.

Make Your Money Stretch

Dough is elastic...it’s stretches. You can take a lump of dough and stretch it out. Money does too when it’s holy. God can take your money and stretch it farther than you ever could with your limited, natural abilities and all-American, know-how.

Want to quit living paycheck to paycheck? Make sure you tithe and give offerings above your tithe, which is sowing seed. Make sure you are bringing him your firstfruits.

You will be able to do more with 90 percent than you ever thought possible with 100 percent because God is in it!

What is God saying to you about this? Contemplate it. Think about it. Let it run through the filter of your brain—yes, God wants your brain and mind too, not just your heart. He wants you to see this through his perspective, through his brain!

Meditate on what I’m teaching you and let Him renew your mind—retrain your brain—to think like He thinks...to believe like He believes...to have the faith of God to obey willingly and joyfully. He loves you and He wants to bless you. This is how He empowers you to let Him! It’s His economic system—and it works!

Thank you for your tithes to BelieversWay—if you attend one of our churches—and thank you for your offerings that you give above the tithe. I declare today, that “holy” is stamped on your dough! The wicked one cannot touch it!

Missy and I so appreciate your support of believersway.tv. Thank you for extending our reach into people’s lives every day. The letters we receive speak of such change occurring and understanding coming to so many. People truly are being helped and transformed by the words of truth. Your seed really is making a difference. Thank you for making truth a reality in so many lives. The power of possibility is something people really are experiencing!

If you’ve missed a show, tune in to www.believersway.tv. You can watch on demand 24/7 and see our latest teaching series as well.

When you tithe and sow offerings this coming Sunday, remember that your dough is blessed! It’s holy and the wicked one cannot touch you!

Experience the Power of Possibility!

Everyone wants a rich, full life! And the surest way to have it is to base every aspect of your life on God’s Word. But to do that, you have to understand God’s Word.

Too often, we miss out on God’s best because we have preconceived ideas—even good ones and ones we think are based on God’s Word—that hold us back or interfere with the great life God designed for us to live.

Even the Apostle Peter dealt with this. In Acts, Peter went on the roof to pray, and as he became hungry and wanted something to eat, he fell into a trance: “He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. Then a voice told him, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’”1

The significance of this is that Peter, a Jew, had been raised to never eat any of these animals. They were unclean to him. So he had a hard time with God telling him to “kill and eat.”

“Surely not, Lord!” He declared. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”

Peter’s mindset, though a good one, caused him to disobey God.

How many times has God told you to do something that was foreign to your thinking?

“We’ve never done that…
“That’s just not who I am…
“That’s not the way I learned…
“I just don’t feel the Spirit in that kind of a service…”

You say and believe you understand the Word of God. And yet, your thinking could be what is actually holding you back. The truth is, your mindset is your comfort zone, and when your comfort zone is disturbed, so are your personal securities.

God wants you out of your comfort zone!

It is just like God to tell us to do something that strikes at the core of our traditions and stale mindsets to release us into something new! Peter didn’t understand it was time for a new season.

“Not so Lord!”

He was horrified.

Even Jesus said many, many times, “You have heard it said…now I say to you.” Each time he said this, he was announcing, “Major change! Get yourselves ready. Open up your mind. Alter your perceptions and thinking so you can accomplish my will.”

Peter had one way of thinking—until God demanded a change of mindset.

It’s time for you to submit to a new mindset. It’s time to get involved in something new that God wants you to do. God doesn’t want you to build on the familiar. He wants you to move forward. The obstacle in front of you is small in comparison to the opportunity God wants to release. So step out.

God was willing to offend Peter’s mind—to show him a revelation that went against everything he’d ever been taught—and he’s willing to do the same to you.

Don’t let your mindset hinder your spirit from receiving.

What traditions do you have—like Peter did—that are bigger than God? That you’re putting first instead of what God is saying?

Go ahead and do what God has told you to do. Go ahead and give what God has told you to give. Go ahead and establish what God has told you to establish. Go ahead and start what God has told you to start. Do what God is saying, even if you don’t understand what it is or why He’s saying it. This is how you please God. This is how you really walk by faith.

To walk closely with God, you have to win the battle of the mind. True spiritual change begins with constant renewing of the mind: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable, and perfect will of God.”2

I’ve learned that in order to go deeper in my relationship with God, I must become the opposite of what my human tendencies would be. I have to become more vulnerable, transparent, insecure and uncertain. I have to continually step out in faith, trusting what God is telling me to do.

God messed with Peter’s mind—to get him to change and embrace His will. Learn the important lesson of faith that Peter did. Challenge yourself! Let go of the old—even if it was once right, fruitful and good—and embrace the new—the unknown, the uncomfortable, the seemingly wrong.

Missy and I love you and appreciate you. Thank you for supporting this ministry and our television outreach. Thank you for doing what God is challenging you to do!

Keep experiencing the Power of Possibility!

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1Acts 10:9-13
2Romans 12:2

God always sees more in you than you can see in yourself. That’s because He made you and knows what you are really made of! But, oftentimes, all you see is where you’ve come from, what you didn’t get to learn, or what opportunities you didn’t get to experience—which in your mind are all the reasons why you CAN’T do something.


All God sees is why you CAN! When God asks you to do something, He doesn’t look at your insecurities, weaknesses or vulnerabilities. He looks at your greatness. He looks at your DNA—which is His! He looks at all the potential He knows is inside you…and He speaks to you and directs your life accordingly.


That’s what He did with Gideon. In Judges 6, the Midianites had oppressed the Israelites for seven years. Gideon, an Israelite, is threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites who consistently take their food and livestock. God sends an angel to speak to Gideon to ask him to lead an army for God.


The first words out of the angel’s mouth are: “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”


“But, Sir,” Gideon replies, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened?” He was referring to all the oppression his people had endured for so many years.

God Will Be Faithful To You

We have all questioned the Lord this same way: “If you are with me Lord, why didn’t you answer my prayer? If you are with me Lord, why is everything falling apart around me right now?”


Gideon was afraid God wasn’t good enough. He was afraid God wasn’t faithful.


As the conversation continues, the angel tells Gideon to save his people, but out of his insecurity, Gideon questions his ability to accomplish such a daunting task.


We are all so much like Gideon: “I’m not talented. I don’t have muscles. I wasn’t born into wealth. I didn’t get to go to school.” Go ahead. Fill in the blank. What is your common excuse


When God calls us to do something, our answer should be, “Yes, Sir,” not “But, Sir.” Don’t let fear keep you from doing what God has called you to do. “God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.”1Go ahead with that business idea. Dive into that relationship. Step across that line. Go for it. Take that step of faith!


God’s strength through your weakness is enough.“My strength is made perfect in your weakness.”2God told Gideon to get on with it…in His strength. And God reminded Gideon Who was sending him. In other words, God equips those He calls: “I will be with you.”3

When God is with you, you have nothing to fear.
When God is with you, you can do anything!


So what happened to Gideon? He asked the Lord for a sign—three times! And God graciously gave him a sign each time. Sounds just like us. Gideon recruited 32,000 men to fight the 150,000 Midianites—and God said he recruited too many. God really wanted the people to know the victory over the Midianites would be because of His strength through them, not through their own human strength.


So, God instructs Gideon to tell the men that if they are afraid to go home—22,000 go back home. To God, Gideon still had too many. So he creates another way to send more home—have them go to the river and drink. Those that lap like a dog are sent home, leaving Gideon with an army of 300 men to defeat 150,000.


God says this number is perfect!

God’s Strength Is Made Perfect In Your Weakness

With God, the way forward is sometimes backward. Sometimes it feels like decrease, getting worse before it gets better, or actually stepping backward.


Why is that?


God’s strength is made perfect in weakness. Your marriage may grow worse before it gets better. Your wayward child may have to come to the end of him/herself before they turn.


Gideon and his 300 men grabbed torches, trumpets and clay pitchers. They went to the enemy’s camp and threw down the pitchers, lit the torches and blew the trumpets. Their actions of faith and obedience confused the enemy. The Midianites turned on each other in their confusion and destroyed one another. The survivors fled in fear.


Gideon and his men stood back and said,“Wow! Only God could do that!”(my translation).


People often think:I have to promote myself to greatness.No, you have to humble yourself to greatness. Or they think:I need “to have” a lot to be great.No, you “give” a lot to be great.


What is God asking you to do today? Tell Him, “Yes, Sir!” and step out in faith. Do not fling away your “fearless confidence, for it carries a great and glorious compensation of reward.”4


Sometimes the way forward is backward…but not for long. Just like a slingshot is first pulled back, when it moves forward, it soars! That’s what God has in store for you!


Stay in faith. Be bold. Stay courageous. Take that step. God’s strength through you will be enough! He is with you!


Missy and I love you and appreciate your boldness of faith in supporting us and the ministry of BelieversWay. Thank you for letting us come into your life each and every week through our television show, our campuses and believersway.tv.


Let us hear from you! Send back the enclosed reply sheet with your prayer requests and let us agree with you.


Experiencing the Power of Possibility!

by Scott Johnson

As Christians, our journey is all about becoming more like Christ—and our frustrations can either make that more of a reality, or drive us to satisfy our fleshy desires to vent and gripe.

It is a privilege to be frustrated! There is no realization of potential without frustration. It’s an opportunity to grow! It’s a test to determine faithfulness and attitude. But because we haven’t understood the purpose of frustration, we have vented.

Frustration Is Your Catalyst

God uses our frustrations to shape our lives. They can become the catalyst to breakthrough to promotion in our lives.

Galatians 5:22-25 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (NIV).

We keep in step with the Spirit by allowing the frustrations to produce fruit in us. The fruit of the Spirit develop in our character as we take the test of frustrations and we choose to walk in the Spirit, rather than vent.

The real battle that frustration reveals is the one on the inside of us to defeat our fleshly desires and choose to walk in the Spirit—to manifest the fruit.

What Is Your Frustration About?

Your frustration is tailor-made by God for your maturity needs: If it’s a sin issue, then he’s preparing you for purity. If it’s a faith issue, then he’s already planned out a walk of faith for you. If it’s a comfort zone issue, he’s already planned a stretching where only he can be your comfort.

So start overcoming! Let your relationships help you overcome. Let your friends and family remind you of your goals to grow when you’re tempted to vent.

Submit your agenda to God’s will. Stop blowing off steam and start blowing down barriers that keep you from success. Embrace the very pressures of life that can help you reach your fullest potential.

Missy and I have continued to walk this journey because we want to keep growing and maturing in Christ.

We love you and are grateful for your partnership. Because of you, we keep reaching out to others, spreading words of wisdom and encouragement just like this one.

In fact, we’ll be talking much more about this on BelieversWay With Scott and Missy in June. So watch for it!

Thank you for your generous support to keep reaching out through our campuses and through the outreach of believersway.tv. Together, we’re touching thousands of lives.

If you’ve missed a show, be sure to tune in on believersway.tv. We’re there, 24/7, for you!

Experiencing the Power of Possibility!

Have you ever experienced life when everything was falling into place perfectly…when everything was simple…going exactly the way you want it…the kids were getting along with one another…your marriage had a spark in it…nobody was sick…the job was going good…you actually liked your supervisor… the money was flowing in…you were putting money in the savings account and into your 401K…and you just couldn’t ask for anything better?

Then, suddenly, it felt like someone came along, reached for the faucet and turned it from a fast flow to a trickle, then down to drip, drip, drip until everything slowed to a stop?!

You were perplexed, totally confounded that this had happened to you!

Maybe you are there today!

Maybe you are in a strained relationship with your spouse or your child. It’s not that the relationship doesn’t exist—it’s you just know that it isn’t healthy.

Maybe you were laid off at work—so it looks like it will take months or years to ever get back to that place financially where you are making the same amount as you were back in the good old days.

Suddenly time changed! It’s as if time is standing still—stolen, robbed from you, lost forever!

But in Joel 2:25, God says, “So I will restore to you the years.” In other words, “I will restore to you the lost years. I will restore the years that you have lost because of these kinds of occurrences.”

If you’ve ever lost momentum—financially, relationally, spiritually, soulishly—you need to know God wants to restore those things back to you.

He goes on to say in verse 26, “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied.”

This tells me that in reality, in the previous season, you were in lack and you were dissatisfied. But when God restores the lost years…“You will praise the name of your Lord your God who has dealt with you wondrously; and My people shall never be put to shame.”

The truth is that it was the devil who stole time from you. He is the one who came to plunder your goods, to rob from you, to destroy, to bring shame and reproach, to burden you down, and to bring destruction on your life.

So God says to you today—in this season of mercy—“I’m going to restore to you the lost years! I’m going to redeem time! I’ll redeem your children, your prosperity, your finances, your job, even your peace of mind!”

Be aware of this promise today that God wants you to trust Him to restore all that’s been taken from you.

Recently, Missy heard a weatherman speaking about an area of our nation that was in a 50-year drought, but in a matter of just a few weeks, they got so much rain, it erased that 50-year drought! That is redeeming time! That is restoring 50 lost years! You see, there’s a sign in every season1. The sign in this season is that if God can erase a 50-year drought in just a few weeks, then He can certainly erase the negative momentum in your life and turn it into a positive momentum.

Look at other events that are happening in the nations for the signs of the season.

As we released the power of possibility in this revelation to our local campuses, we began receiving many emails, letters and testimonies of this happening in people’s lives. It was just more confirmation that God watches over His word to perform it2.

Join our “restoring the lost year community!” Watch believersway.tv beginning March 22, as we speak for two weeks on “Restoring the Lost Years” and join our “restoring the lost year community” at HYPERLINK "http://www.believersway.tv" www.believersway.tv.

Now experience the power of possibility!

1 Genesis 1:14
2 Jeremiah 1:12

            Imagine coming home from a business trip to find your house burned to the ground, your wife and kids missing, and a note nailed to a tree in your front yard that reads, “I’ve got your wife and kids. You’ll never see them again. Now, we’re even!”

            What kind of payback is this?! You have no real enemies—you’re known as everyone’s friend. You can’t imagine who would do this. You don’t know where to start. Suddenly, you’re overwhelmed with feelings of anger, hurt, panic and fear. The emotional pain is intense. You break down and cry—cry until you have no more tears. When the weeping stops, the craving to blame rises up strong in you. The unquenchable drive of human nature runs through your bones.

            While this seems like a surreal story in your life, it was a very real one in David’s life:

“Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded…and attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep…Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” (1 Samuel 30:1-6).

This is so like life! You’re advancing, your retirement account is increasing, your children are healthy and on the right track, your business is thriving, your marriage is harmonious…and then the devil attacks. A curve ball is thrown at you!

It happens to all of us—and it happened to David and his closest friends. So what do you do on the worst day of your life? You do what David did.

David strengthened himself in the Lord…and went to church…and inquired of the Lord what to do next. God told him to “pursue” (1 Samuel 30:7-8).

One word can change your life forever. One word can set the course for your success. In that word “pursue” was the assurance that David would have everything he needed to overtake the enemy and recover all!

I declare today to you, “Pursue!” And you’ll have everything you need to overtake your enemy and recover all.

When God gives you a word, when He gives you direction, and you follow through with it, He gives you assistance in the midst of it for your success.

            Your best revenge—when the devil steals from you—is success.

When David and his troops pursued, they went on a forced march. It required discipline—meaning you’ll also have to do something you might not have ever done before to recover all!

“And when he had brought him down, there they were, spread out over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all” (1 Samuel 30:16-18).

What I love about David and all he went through was this:

·        He didn’t blame God for the tragedy. He didn’t say, “God, I don’t know why you allowed this to happen to me. God, I just don’t understand.” That kind of talk is blaming God.

·        David even refused to blame those closest to him—which, for us, is the next best thing to blaming God.

·        David put the blame where the blame was due. He gave the devil all the credit! He blamed his real adversary.

When the devil wants you to remember your failure and keep you down, your best revenge is to be successful. So on your quest for success and recovery, remember these steps:

1.      You encourage yourself in the Lord—rather than waiting on someone else to come along and do it for you. David strengthened himself and went to church.

2.      Get direction—from God directly and from God through others. David inquired of the Lord.

3.      Pursue restoration. Overtake your enemies and recover all!

4.      Introduce new disciplines into your life. Discipline is doing things you don’t want to do when you don’t want to do them. Build daily disciplines into your life. Do what you don’t want to do to expand your intellect, health, education and spiritual growth. Create resistance in your life, like a weight lifter does, to build your mental and spiritual muscle!

5.      Be aware of additional assistance God sends to you in the form of others. God will give you people to help you on your journey. Receive from them. Submit to them.

There is GREATNESS stamped all over every day of 2010! There is success written on your days! So whatever you’re facing, stand in faith for this word and know it is the truth. It is the year for “twice as much as we need,” so stand on that in faith as well.

            As a nation, we are in transition—from where this nation used to be and to where we’re going. We’ve been through 13 recessions, including the one we’re in. It’s what we do with this recession that will make a difference for our future. We’re in the middle—in twilight—where it is no longer daytime, but it’s not quite nighttime.

            David was once there…and it’s where his assault began that led to his success.

Don’t wait for sunrise or sunset to start yours. Begin now! Begin today recovering all! God has prosperity, abundance, plenteousness, blessing, wholeness, completion and health written on your days for 2010. And if you can believe it, you can have it!

Releasing the power of possibility!

Unto us a child is born

Unto us a Son is given

He is Christ Jesus our Lord

(Isaiah 9:6)

Probably like so many other people, this time of year is my favorite. The holiday season starts with Thanksgiving, followed by Christmas, then topped off with New Year’s. If you ask me, this season is defined in one word “perfect”. 

A season is not one event—it’s a series of events—and God, who’s outside of time, determined this season from the beginning of time to put men in remembrance of Him.¹

The season starts with thankfulness. It reminds me of Psalm 100:4-5: Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Thankfulness is the way to start the final season of the year. And as the old gives way to the new, our thanksgiving is followed by the celebration of Christmas, where we rejoice in all the gifts we give and receive. As believers we know the greatest gift of all is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

This December 25^th, we will celebrate, as many generations have before us, the relationship with God and man!  How Jesus came to Earth to restore humanity’s friendship with heaven. 

“Joy to the world, the Lord has come.

Let Earth receive Her King”

(Luke 2:10-11)

The final stop in this season will be the introduction into a New Year— where we leave the old behind and enter into the new. 

Do you see it? Can you clearly envision the steps from one season into the next?

1)     Thanksgiving…

2)     Celebration…

3)     New Season…

This is God’s designed plan for all of our lives!! It’s heaven’s strategy, to keep us in a progressive movement, upward into Christ.

As you and your family worship together during this glorious season, Missy and I and the BelieversWay team will have you in our hearts, knowing that Jesus is the bond that holds all things together. 

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

1 Romans 1:20

Have you ever thought: I wonder why I do that? I wonder why I think that way? I hate that about myself. I wish I could change that.

Sure, we all have things we would like to change about ourselves—things that can be traced back to some root in our lives.

In Matthew 19, Jesus identified three root causes for what makes people like they are:

"Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it."1

Did you catch those three root causes? 1) some things we are born with; 2) some things other people make us; and 3) some things we choose to become for the sake of the kingdom.

Sadly, most people live inside the containment of how they were born. They live a life molded by other people’s expectations—inside the controls, fears and manipulations of the people in their world. Often this makes them a copy, even though God made them an original.

In other words:

1)    Some people are like they are because they were born that way…
2)    Others are the way they are because other people made them that way…(They define themselves by phrases such as, “That’s just the way we are,” or, “Our family has always done that,” or, “We’ve been that way as long as I can remember.”)
3)    But then there are those who choose to become for the sake of the kingdom…

Jesus said: “It’s the traditions of men that make the power of God of none effect.”2

It’s what we do habitually and routinely that are traditions. One day, the Holy Spirit said to me that God has traditions too, but it’s not God’s traditions that make God’s power ineffective and nonexistent in our lives. It is those repetitive routines that are not in keeping with God’s that produce an absence of God’s presence in our marriages and families.

Ask yourself this question: Do you have any traditions that you’ve inserted into your life where God’s traditions belong? Throughout the years in my life, there have been those traditions of sports, golf, even holidays and family that have squeezed out God’s traditions from its rightful priority and position. Therefore, I had to deal with them purposefully. The results were that I was freed in my soul and my relationship with God soared.

One of the problems of routines—something our souls love and enjoy because our souls love living on auto-pilot—is the power they possess.  Our routines have so much power in our lives—be it for good or bad—that   they can quiet the voice of our spiritual intuitiveness and discernment. So our routines need to be broken.

•    I’ve learned that God’s tradition of the Sabbath is to break the routine of the flow of the world on my life weekly.

•    The purpose of tithing is to break the routine of getting in order to release God’s power of giving.

•    God’s tradition of fasting is to break the routine of giving the flesh its way all the time and introduce the power of discipline.

These are just a few of God’s traditions/routines He’s given us that produce power in our lives.

Jesus said:

1)    Some people are like they are because they were born that way…
2)    Others are the way they are because other people made them that way…
3)    But then there are those who choose to become for the sake of the kingdom…

In the Bible, to be a eunuch meant you never had an opportunity or desire to be married, or despite having a desire or opportunity, you chose to give up the right because it was not compatible with your destiny. So they forfeited the attachment of marriage because it would have inhibited them from fulfilling their maximum potential in the kingdom.

Here Jesus is using this illustration to reveal the type of person we must all become. So the question is: Who are you willing to become for the sake of the kingdom of God? Not are you willing to stay like you are, just as you were born…which requires no effort!  Not are you willing to stay as others have made you. That’s too easy!

But what are you willing to become—even if it’s outside the mold of what the first two people groups have defined for your life? What are you willing to do? Who and what are you willing to become for the sake of the kingdom?

This month ask yourself these questions and commit to becoming an original instead of a copy. Commit to the life-shaping power of the kingdom!

Releasing the power of possibility!

by Scott Johnson

Recently, our campuses celebrated with Missy and me the tenth anniversary of BelieversWay Ministries. We rejoice in all that God has done in the past decade—more than 2,500 people have been saved, and hundreds have been filled with the spirit, healed, delivered, and placed on the path to greater wisdom!

Our experience continues to confirm the nature and character of God. One of His primary characteristics that I hold as most precious in my life today is consistency.

Consistency is whatever you do repeatedly. It’s that thing you do over and over and over again. Jesus was consistency itself: He is the same yesterday and today and forever.¹ He is “Mr. Consistent.”

Recently as I was reading Mark 4:28, “And the earth yields fruit of itself,” the Holy Spirit interrupted me and said it this way: “The earth yields fruit of itself and so do you.”

He said it again and added to it: “The earth yields fruit of itself and so do you…all by yourself, without anyone’s help.”

What was He saying to me? Whatever you’re consistent in is what you’re building into your future. We’ve discovered that with every circumstance we encounter—every problem—it’s the power of consistency that keeps us on track. We’ve learned that without consistency, we will never experience His power.

So the question that begs asking is:

What are we consistent at?

What are our most consistent, repetitive thoughts, behaviors, attitudes, choices, and activities?

Because whatever we’re consistent at today is what produces tomorrow’s results.

Missy and I have seen the power of consistency work in our lives throughout the past ten years. We’ve seen it produce all kinds of marvelous results. We’ve discovered there is a powerful momentum created through repetitiveness—being the same yesterday, today and forever!

Recently we taped our 250^th BelieversWay TV program. That requires consistency! As many of you know, the Lord spoke to us last year about going on television and releasing the power of possibility on our lives into the lives of others.

Here’s just one life-changing testimony we received from a man whose life was changed forever, or should I say, spared forever. His letter made it clear he was battling thoughts of suicide...until BelieversWay TV came into his life. He wrote of the show: “It came at a time most needed…I made it through the pain, and am still here to write this letter to you a few days later!”

In celebrating our tenth anniversary, and in keeping with the power of consistency, will you reach out and join us in expanding our TV outreach. Will you help us reach people like this man, and thousands of others who need to hear about the power of possibility, that there’s always hope, encouragement, and wisdom for the next season of life?

Will you join me?

September is the beginning of a new season.  Yes, I realize Labor Day marks the end of Summer and the beginning of Fall.  However, the Lord is speaking to us this month about entering a time He calls a season of “Going to the other side…”

God spoke through the prophet Hosea and said, “My people perish for a lack of knowledge….”¹ Many times God’s people lack knowledge in specific areas which causes them to experience failure in those areas of their lives.

So this is a defining moment for anyone, anywhere who will receive the wisdom in this letter…

In Mark 4, Jesus taught us the parable of the sower, after He taught us about getting on the other side of our problems, situations or circumstances.

On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”²

When you look at the reaction of the disciples, it is another example of what we so often see in them—a “give-up mentality.” They seemed to have the attitude of “quit”, instead of “let’s push through!”

And that’s what we see here. They had the audacity to imply to Jesus that they were going to perish—just another way of saying, “We’re going to fail.”

“Lord, apparently we care more than you do about whether we’re going to fail or not.”  Failure was on their mind because their eyes were on their circumstances.  Just because Jesus had, and has, a seemingly “I-don’t-care-attitude” about our situation…doesn’t mean He doesn’t love us or that He will let us fail! 

Jesus knew He had authority, and the truth is, He figured after three years of relationship with these men, some of Him would’ve rubbed off on them, so they also would’ve recognized they had His authority, too.

When Jesus was in the boat asleep, you can tell where His focus was—it was in peace, because you can’t give away what you don’t have. So when He finally does respond—and He’s never too late, He’s always on time—He calmed the situation with words that were filled with dominion.

Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”³

Yes, Jesus is unconcerned about our potential failure, because He won’t let us fail.  We also will find ourselves with a careless attitude when we put our focus on Him, instead of what’s happening around us.

I believe the heart of the issue was not Jesus’ apparent inactivity. The real dilemma was that the disciples forgot what Jesus said before He went to sleep: “Let us cross over to the other side…” (verse 35).

They forgot to put their faith in His promise. Many times we forget to put our faith in Jesus’ words. When the storm arose, the disciples allowed Jesus’ words to slip. What circumstance, situation or problem, what storm has risen in your life that has caused you to lose His promise of “Let us cross over to the other side…”⁴

At this time, keep your heart immersed in what God is saying about this season of your life. He said, “Let us cross over to the other side.…”⁵ Guess what? The next chapter (5) starts out, “…Then they came to the other side.”⁶ Jesus made good on the words He gave them, and He will do the same for you and me…

Releasing the power of possibility!

1 Hosea 4:6

2 Mark 4:35-38 NKJV

3 Mark 4:39-41 NKJV

4 Mark 4:35 NKJV

5 Mark 4:35 NKJV

6 Mark 5:1 NKJV

by Scott Johnson

…Your leaf shall not wither…¹

This is the promise God is putting you in remembrance of in this season.

Let me remind you because I know the voices of circumstance are speaking loudly!  But ha-ha, God says to His promised sons and daughters, “You’re like a tree whose leaf shall not wither, and since you’re planted in this House, you prosper, flourish, thrive, expand, grow luxuriantly, and you experience excess!” 

Remember, excess is too much life. You have “life leftovers,” meaning you have so much, you have life to give away to others.

God said in Jeremiah 17:8 that you would not even see when drought comes.  I believe this means that, yes, we may see the effects of famine and lack around us, in our economy, in our nation, but we will not see it in our businesses, lives and families.

Just a few days ago, I was sitting in a conference room with several businessmen who are partners of the BelieversWay community.  Out of my own mouth, I began to read the mail of one of these men.   God was so specific that it brought tears down this man’s face.  God did a deep work in the soul of that man that day, but that’s not all.  I went further into the spirit of prophecy.  The Lord declared immediate financial increase and wealth into his life.  In less than 12 hours, his phone—that had stopped ringing months ago—started ringing again…ringing in profits that  is!  He’s profiting today because he’s in this House!

Those that are planted in the House of God shall flourish…²

Again, your leaf shall not wither!  Failure is not an option!

¹ Psalm 1:3 NKJV

² Psalm 92:13 NKJV

Let me be even more specific—

-          All things are working for our good together…1

-          For some He’s turning your mess into a message…

-          For others, you’re going from a victim to victorious…

-          For all of us He’s reorganizing our circumstances, flipping them to our advantage…

-          There are those who are rising from the ashes of sickness, pain, and relational hostility with renewed vigor and vitality…

-     And those who have been shamed, God is giving you double honor...a double portion in your land...2

-     Still others who have been unaffected by circumstances, they too will rise even higher...

What we must do is be consistent with what we know to do in this season.  But what He’s doing is the unintended, unexplained and unexpected. So don’t try and calculate how God will do what only He can do. 

Be alert for the opportunities ahead and together we’ll experience the power of possibility!

Flip!

1 Romans 8:28

2 Isaiah 61:7

Dear Partner,

In the summer of 1998, Missy and I were at church when a woman stood up, went to my pastor, George Pearsons, and asked permission to prophesy. She called me out and said, “Thus saith the Lord, ‘I’m going to turn you inside out. I’m going to turn you upside down, and thrust you into your destiny’ (future).”

Do you know what? Over the next several years, He did just that. It was both scary and exciting. It was like “I flipped.” 

From that day, God started rearranging my inner world. He began changing my circumstances and situations. Everything—and I mean everything—flipped. 

“Flip” is our summer destination! 

You see, I believe God is flipping you out—He’s flipping your circumstances—and the summer of ’09 will be known for that. You’ll no longer be on bottom, but you’ll be the one who comes out on top. You’ll no longer be the tail, but the head.¹ 

He’s flipping the situations of all the partners of BelieversWay. He’s arranging them to benefit you. He daily loads us with benefits. Psalm 68:19 says, “Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation!”

These benefits take you…

…from losing to winning

…from coming in last to being first

…from decrease to abundance

So are you ready to flip out? 

It’s like the Book of Acts Church, where in one day, God flipped it. And everything that has happened to the church in the last 1900 years has fallen short of what God did in that church—in one day. Since then, each move of God has been followed one after another to restore what was stolen and lost.

We still haven’t arrived to that standard—the bar was set so high—but not even that church fulfilled God’s purpose for His people. That privilege has been reserved for us, for those who have been chosen to run the last leg of the race. It’s our future. Like our forefathers, who ran forward and never looked back, what we think of as a normal Christian experience does not hold a candle to what God is about to reveal. 

Flip… 

In the past decade, since God started flipping me, there is nothing that has remained the same—and the best is yet to come. Everything that we know about church life will be flipped, God will touch it within the next few years, and the church will look much differently than it does today!

Start looking for all the things at your local campus that will be flipped this summer. Start looking for ways your own life can be flipped. Look forward to that hot summer day, when you take your kids down to the local community pool—and instead of going for your usual dignified dive—the one everyone expects you to do—

Go ahead—

You can do it…

Do a flip! 

I dare you, and remember this is what God is doing in you! 

Flip ’09! 

¹ Deuteronomy 28:13

God is giving me “wells I didn’t dig, vineyards I did not plant, houses I did not build.”2

I guarantee you, if you will declare these things out loud, then you will feel faith racing through your being, coursing through your veins, as you become even more confident.

Jesus is the High Priest of your confession.3 And a strong spirit of faith is coming upon you today!

God has released this wind to bring us out of our present circumstances and situations. Now, set your sail–like James taught us–in the power of the tongue, and you will gain and gain and gain, and momentum will build, and you will move forward, and life will once again be a thrill!

            Raise your sail of hope.

            Raise your sail of faith and expectation.

            Release the anchor of regret, as you head in a new direction!

            The old port of lack, you’ve left behind.

            The new will come into focus, in time.

            So, look ahead and keep your sail set, for on the floor of life’s

            ocean, you’ve left your anchor of regret.

            No longer will you need, such a device.

            Because what you will do from here, you’ll do through Christ!

There are great days ahead for the partners of BelieversWay!

Scott Johnson

P.S.  Write me, email me…tell me what God is doing in you!

1 Philippians 4:13

2 Deuteronomy 6:10-11

3 Hebrews 4:14

Dear Partner,

As we completed our annual leadership meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, last October, the Lord emphasized to me, the significance of the new season we as a nation, even as a church, were approaching.

 Now that we’re in it (He wasn’t kidding).  Change has come quickly, daily!

 I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking about the “fear factor” that comes with change.  Even though it’s a very real force that we must all deal with individually, but through corporate faith and agreement—we will overcome.

 When there is potential for change, I often think of Moses, who during his first presidential term, led God’s people to the brink of change, only to be vetoed by the very powerful popularity poles of his day.

 I’ve often sat down, like Moses, to contemplate and deal with the emotions and real feelings, knowing God said; “Go over!” but people said; “Not yet!”  Like God’s people then, the benefits of the change ahead far out weigh the momentary pain of present change.

 Today, our nation’s economy has contracted quickly, but the Church’s culture has been hemorrhaging & contracting slowly for years.  The statistics are staggering…

 Missy and I recently sat with a young woman who told us how her church in another city was dying and how painful it was for her and her husband to see it happen—and know that there was nothing they could do.

 Like Moses, God has led the Church to the brink of change, but they turned back for 40 years, and now those years in the desert have caught up with them.

 In the months ahead, what will emerge nationally is a new era, equivalent to the early Industrial Age of our great nation, but will in fact be driven by a revolution in technologies, communications, and even new energies.  This is the beginning of new possibilities.

 At our annual leadership meeting, the Lord told me to look up the word “phoenix”.  It’s defined as “rising from the ashes with renewed strength”.  (This was months before the current crises.)

 I received this word for my own life and ministry.  I also receive it for our nation, and now the Church globally.  This nation will rise with greater influence than ever before, with renewed strength and global stature.  This will be the result of the changes that will take place.  “…The old will pass away and things will become new….”1 So do not fear, move boldly into change and you’ll discover the new!

 Yes, we’re in twilight (something Missy and I have been discussing on believersway.tv), but what emerges out of transition, will distinguish between the old and new, and the difference will be obvious to everyone, except those who are stuck in the old.

 The old is what doesn’t work anymore—it’s the new that works, that’s productive, that’s fruitful, and that brings increase.

 A common phrase I’ve heard during this time is: “our old business models don’t work anymore…what worked then, doesn’t work now.”  So we must change, and be forward thinkers as a nation and as a Church.

 At BelieversWay, we must continue going forward. We are at the dawn of a new day.  This is a defining moment, with new possibilities.

 In January 2009, at our “Three Thursdays” in Midland, the Lord spoke through me and said: “For it will no longer be said, God is over here at (Brownsville, Pensacola, etc.) or God is over there (Toronto, etc.), but God is everywhere!  It will never be said again: ‘God is only over here, God is only over there, but God is everywhere!’”

 This tells me something about God’s plan—it’s multifaceted certainly—but this also speaks to me of a technological move of God.  God is here (Amarillo), God is there (Midland, Vail), and God is everywhere!

 Partners, great days are ahead…

 We are moving quickly now into the bull’s eye of God’s call for BelieversWay.  And we’re excited for you, because of the magnitude of His goodness that will be required in each of us to fulfill it—like Moses with God’s people, we stand at the dawn of a new day, where all things are possible!

 God is accelerating time…and with this new, comes new thinking, new ideas, new power, new anointings, and new wine.  So don’t be paralyzed by fear. Be released into the new—be released into the power of possibility!                  

¹ 2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV

But one of Jesus disciples, Judas Iscariot—the same one who betrayed him later—objected: “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.”

Sounds pretty righteous and levelheaded, doesn’t it?

But it was selfish. While Judas pretended to care for the poor, at heart, he was a thief, and as keeper of the moneybag, he would help himself to what was in it. So, when Mary poured the perfume on Jesus’ feet, all Judas saw was money leaving his pocket. His outward façade of supposedly caring for others is the oldest cover-up in the book for selfishness.

You’ve heard Judases before:          

·        “How could anyone own such an expensive car?”

·        “She could have helped a lot of people with the money she spends on clothes!”

·        I sure could do a lot with the money that they spend on….”

But what did Jesus say?

“Leave her alone. It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

Selfishness will often be couched in false spirituality. Jesus saw through Judas and defended Mary’s actions. God wants us to have the best and He wants us to give our best.

Both Mary and Judas had their own relational approach to Jesus. Mary’s was extravagant and Judas’ was selfish. It’s interesting how two people, both in an up-close relationship with Jesus, could view Him so differently…and treat Him so differently.

Mary’s extravagant gift was worth a year’s wages. What generosity!

But is that how we evaluate what an extravagant gift is? What size gift would impress a God who owns everything?

The most extravagant gift you could ever give is yourself. All He wants is all you are and all you’ll ever be.

That’s really what Mary gave that day…and that’s what you gave Sunday, February 22, toward our television outreach. You gave of yourself to help reach the world with a message of hope and life.

Thank you, Partners for making a difference. Thank you for always giving so faithfully. Thank you for caring more about others and always being others-minded. Our focus is outward, searching for the lost and introducing them to our God of hope and love.

Experiencing the Power of Possibility!

Your partnership is making a difference—in your life and in the lives of all the people we touch each month...throughout our campus church services, youth services, children’s services, small group gatherings, the internet and television. Did you know that more than 1600 people have given their lives to God since 1999, through the ministry of BWC? Together, we’re making a difference in thousands of lives every week!

Thank you, partners! All of this abounds to your life! I believe for the path of partnership to bring increase into your life. It’s how God increases us—through connecting anointings, putting people together…through relationship with one another. God sees our partnership as a legal contract between you and Him, using the ministry He’s called you to—BelieversWay—as a point of contact. He wants to be in the middle of your life and business—and because you’ve gotten into the middle of what He’s doing in this earth…into the middle of the outreach of BelieversWay—He is!

I really want you to grasp the magnitude of what you are accomplishing for the kingdom of God. One woman called in for prayer who had been in an accident two years ago and was left paralyzed on one side. As Pastor Brady Hukins prayed with her, she stood up and began to praise the Lord and agree with what Pastor Brady was declaring—that she would be out of that wheelchair permanently in 2009.

Talk about great days ahead!

A young man from Philadelphia called saying he had never cared for Christian television until he saw our show. He said he plans to tape the program every day while at work so he can watch it in the evening.

A man from Oregon called and wanted to know if we had a BelieversWay church near him. The answer is “Not yet, but we will!”

A woman who began watching five months ago when her marriage fell apart has found the show to be a lifeline. Through the show she has learned to trust God and not give up on her marriage. She and her husband have turned to counseling, are allowing God to be a part of their everyday lives again, and are truly working on staying together.

We’re making a difference, partners! We’re building each generation to reach the next through the power of relationship. We’re reaching through the television screen into people’s hearts with the power of possibility. We’re telling them that there’s a better way, there’s hope, that their dreams really can come true.

And there’s so much more on the horizon…churches to plant, television markets to reach, people to touch, souls to be saved. We’ll accomplish it all, one opportunity at a time. This month, let’s focus on the television outreach. Sunday, February 22, we will receive a special offering just for television. I know you’ve been taught how to hear God, so pray and ask Him what you are to give. I know He’ll make it clear to you. We’ll receive your offering on February 22, and worship the Lord over our giving. God loves when we worship Him!

Thank you for sowing seed into the good ground of BelieversWay. Together, we can do all that God has called us to do. Together, we can reach every person God has called us to reach.

·        He won’t give me another chance.

·        I’ve been doing this for so long and nothing is working!

“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.”²

What’s Really Being Tested

Your answer will always come from walking in agreement with God just like His word reminds us, “How can two walk together less they be agreed.”³

God isn’t trying to stop you! “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing”.⁴

The truth is, YOU are not being tested! YOUR FAITH is being tested. Your faith in God and His word is being tested. And the enemy of your soul—Satan—is the one putting pressure on you to get you to back off, to grow weary, to quit…to stop.
So what does the devil know that we need to know?

“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone “.⁵

To overcome, to realize our dreams, we must live out what we believe. Our attitude must validate our faith in Him. Our words must be in agreement with His Word. Our responses to situations and challenges and pressures must affirm God and His Word. Our actions must confirm our trust!

Is your faith being tested today? Are you being tempted to stop—even before you really get started?

If so, you are being tested to determine whether you truly mean what you have declared to the Lord, because whenever you make a commitment—whenever you make a decision—it will be tested. You are being tested as to whether you meant it when you sowed that seed…when you determined to take advantage of that new opportunity.
But don’t quit! Don’t stop!

If you stumble, get up and start again, just as the prophet Micah said: “When I fall, I shall rise again”.⁶
When I fall, I WILL START AGAIN!

So what are you waiting for?

"Count it all joy when you are tested. Joy is a spiritual force. It’s your strength to get up and get going again. It’s your strength to sow even more seed. It’s your strength to work even harder at your dream. Just count it as joy!

The devil doesn’t know what to do with people who rejoice. He doesn’t know what to do with people who don’t quit. So make up your mind and heart that you won’t ever quit.

Declare this aloud:
“Nothing will stop me from starting!
Nothing will stop me from continuing!Nothing will stop me from my harvest!
I will get up and get going now!”

Missy and I love you and appreciate you. 2009 is a year of opportunity, so we believe for you to recognize those opportunities and to take advantage of this season. This is your year! The world’s economy may still be troubled, but for the believer, it’s the year to live in your dream. It’s the year to do what you were born to do. It’s the year to experience the power of possibility!
                                             

1Galatians 6:9
2James 1:12-13
3Amos 3:3
4James 1:2-4
5James 2:17
6Micah 2:8