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Everywhere we turn we see people looking and searching for a,  “Dawn of A New Hope.” Perhaps you look in the mirror and the reflection that you see is of someone looking for a, “Dawn of A New Hope.”

Esther 8:16 (AMP) speaks of a group of special people who remind us that we too can find this hope,

“The Jews had a light [a dawn of new hope] and gladness and joy and honor.”

Though the Jews mentioned in Esther 8:16 (AMP) lived nearly five hundred years before the birth of Jesus Christ, they remind us today of the Good News that we as modern day Christians have.  That Good News is that God sent His only Begotten Son to Planet Earth over two thousand years ago to pierce the darkness of death with the Blood of The Lamb. With Jesus Christ’s Blood now sprinkled on the mercy seat of our hearts, we too as Believers, Christ Followers now possess the promise of a, “Dawn of A New Hope.”  This Supernatural Hope is ours for the believing and the receiving!

As Born Again Believers, our lives should reflect a, “Dawn of A New Hope.”  When someone who is searching for a life worth living reads the epistle, “Dawn of A New Hope” inscribed upon the tablets of our heart, they too will be drawn to The King of Kings and The Lord of Lords!

There are many ways that Hope speaks through our lives and touches the hearts of the world around us.  Hope speaks through our speech, our actions and our attitudes.  When the God kind of Hope is operating in our lives, it will always produce what the rest of Esther 8:16 (AMP) says it will produce,

“Gladness and Joy and Honor.”

Whenever we come in contact with someone in this world, whether they are a Christ Follower or not, “Gladness, joy and honor,” should be the gifts that we deposit into their hearts and lives.

The next time that you look into the mirror, know that if you are a Born Again Believer in Jesus Christ, that you have personally been commissioned by Heaven to be an Ambassador and Dispenser of, “Gladness and Joy and Honor.”  These should be the gifts that we are actively on purpose, on a daily basis, depositing into the lives of our family first and then the world around us.

Matthew 5:16 (AMP) says it this way:

“Let your lights so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble and good deeds and recognize and honor and praise and Glorify your Father Who is in Heaven.”

This is The Father, The King of Kings and The Lord of Lords Who has Shined upon you and me with the Everlasting Promise of a, “Dawn of A New Hope!”  Let us now Glorify Him by Boldly spreading “That Hope” wherever we go!

 

                                                                    Hope Building Questions:

1.  Am I a good read?

2.  Do the pages of my life reflect, gladness and joy and honor?

3.  Have I received the Eternal Hope that comes through faith in Jesus Christ?

4.  If I have received that Eternal Hope, am I Boldly dispensing That Hope wherever I go?

5.  As a Born Again Believer in Jesus Christ, what can I do to activate, “That Hope” in my own life on a daily basis?

 

© 2018 Clare Matthews – Boldly For Him. “All Rights Reserved.”

He was an old man with a lot of years of hearing and obeying God under his belt, yet now he finds himself in one of the most difficult assignments of his life, one that would require all of the spiritual training and fortitude that he had.  As he gazed intently into the face of a guilty King and smelled the remnant of an unauthorized burnt sacrifice, Samuel quickly thought back to his childhood in the Temple.  With vivid clarity he remembers hearing the voice of God calling him, entrusting him to speak for Him.  It was such a hard word for a young boy to deliver, yet somehow he knew that he had to be obedient and say “Only what he heard The Lord God tell him to say.”  Ref. 1st Samuel 3:10-21 and John 12:49-50 (AMP).  Though Eli the Priest, was his mentor and caregiver, Samuel knew and understood that his love and allegiance to God was greater and he chose to be obedient.  To obey or not to obey?  That was Samuel’s test, he chose well, he chose obedience to God, thus was Samuel’s “Kingdom Heart” established.  He would eventually be promoted to the office of Chief Priest and Prophet over Israel.  An honor of no lightweight or distinction.

Now here he is staring into King Saul’s, guilt-stricken fearful face as a Holy Righteous anger burns within him and with the Authority of Heaven backing him up, he delivers a message from God that would forever terminate Saul’s rule over Israel as King and prepare the way for his successor to take his place…..one that God describes in 1st Samuel 13:14 (AMP) as, “A man after His own Heart.”

“But now your Kingdom shall not continue; the Lord has sought out [David] a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince and ruler over His people because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

Interestingly enough Samuel’s own rise to Faithful Priest and Prophet of The Most High God was foretold many years earlier by another man of God.  This un-named Prophet spoke a word of judgment to Eli the Priest on account of the sins of his two sons Hophni and Phinehas.  We read that prophecy in 1st Samuel 2:34-35 (AMP),

“And what befalls your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be a sign to you—-in one day they both shall die.”

“And I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest (Priest), who shall do according to what is in My heart and mind.  And I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before My anointed (Anointed) forever.”

God is telling us through these scriptures that a “Kingdom Heart” is established through obedience to do all that is, “In His heart and mind” for us to do.  Obedience knows no time, age, class or distinction, obedience only hears the Heart of The Father and says “YES” no matter the difficulty of situation or guarantee of personal favor or gain.  True obedience is an act of the heart.  A heart full of genuine love for God, His people and His Kingdom.  It is not an excuse filled answer, nor a shallow, insincere action meant to please for a returned favor or a perceived promotion.  As we read and study the life and ministry of Samuel, it is easy to see that his zeal for The Lord was birthed out of his love and obedience to The Lord.  Samuel proved to God through his obedience to Him that he could be trusted to carry out the plans and purposes of, “His heart and mind”.  Therefore Samuel was granted Kingdom Favor and Promotion and given access to the very counsels, plans and purposes of God Himself!

To obey or not to obey?  That is still a question that you and I have to answer on an ongoing basis in our everyday walk with The Lord.  Will we answer like Saul or Samuel? The choice is ours!  Let us choose “True Obedience” as Samuel did and live close to God, my Kingdom Friend!

2nd Chronicles 16:9 (a) (AMP), “For the Eyes of The Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in the behalf of those whose hearts are blameless toward Him”.

Key Questions For Developing a Kingdom Heart:

1. Have I done the last thing that The Lord has asked me to do?  If the answer is (no), why not?
2. What is the fruit of my obedience to The Lord?
3. Am I willing to obey God no matter the consequences?
4. Do I fear men more than I love God?
5. What adjustments do I need to make in order to be fully obedient to The Lord?

 

© 2018 Clare Matthews – Boldly For Him. “All Rights Reserved.”

Our perception regarding, who we are in The Kingdom of God is crucial to our success as a “Kingdom Walker.”  Last month The Lord started sharing with me His Heart regarding our,   “Footing” in His Kingdom, “The Kingdom of Heaven”.  He started showing me the importance of not only recognizing Who we are in Christ Jesus, But He also started emphasizing the vital need that He has for us as Born Again Believers of The Most High God, to, “speak the way He Speaks and to walk the way He Walks.”  His Desire for Intimacy with us is so strong that He went through great personal sacrifice in order for you and me to be brought back into fellowship with Him.  That sacrifice referred to as, “The Lamb of God” in The Bible has a name…..Jesus Christ, The Son of God and the Son of man!

The fellowship that we have with God did not and does not end at Calvary.  Once you and I say, “yes” to Jesus through the recognition and acceptance of Who Jesus Christ is and what Jesus Christ did for us at Calvary as our Lord and Savior, we are then Born into The Kingdom of Heaven!  We are now, “Kingdom Walker’s” because we are now, “Kingdom Carrier’s”!  We house The Kingdom of Heaven “within” through salvation.  In Luke 17:20-21 (AMP), we find Jesus explaining this truth to a group of Pharisees, though He had yet to go to Calvary;

“Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, He replied to them by saying, The Kingdom of God does not come with signs to be observed or with visible display,”
“Nor will people say, Look! Here [it is]! or, See, [it is] there! For behold, the Kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you].”

Even though Jesus Christ was standing right in front of them and sharing His Identity with them, the Pharisees failed to recognize, “Who” He really Was and Is. However in Matthew 16:13-17 (AMP) we get a very different response from one of His Disciples;

“Now when Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
“And they answered, Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
“He said to them, But who do you [yourselves] say that I am”?
“Simon Peter replied, You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
“Then Jesus answered him, Blessed (happy, and to be envied) are you, Simon Bar-Jonah. For flesh and blood [men] have not revealed this to you, but My Father Who is in Heaven.”
“And I tell you, you are Peter {Greek, Petros—a large piece of rock], and on this rock [Greek, petra—a huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the infernal region) shall not overpower it [or be strong to its detriment or hold out against it.]”

So I ask you friend, “Who do you say that the Son of the Living God Is”?

This is not a question to be simply answered.  You see, embodied within your answer is The Heaven Sent Revelation that brings Eternal Transformation!  Anything that becomes, Revelation to you has the power to Transform you from the inside out.  That is what happened to Peter who WAS Simon Bar-Jonah, his personal revelation from God that, “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God”, Transformed him from the inside out! Jesus then called him by his new name, his new identity, “Peter”, whose spoken out the revelation that Jesus is, “The Christ the Son of the Living God”, would become the “Rock” the foundational Revelation, which the Church would be built upon.

Wait!  There’s more!  Jesus then reveals to Peter in Matthew 16:19 (AMP) one of the most powerful Transformative Revelations and Responsibilities for The New Testament Believer;

“I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; and whatever you bind (declare to be improper and unlawful) on earth must be what is already bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose (declare lawfully) on earth must be what is already loosed in Heaven.”

Revelation, Transformation, Responsibility….

This is, Our Time Kingdom Walker!  Time to Boldly Walk the road less traveled and Rise Up in One United March for surely, “The Kingdom of God Is Within You”!

KEY QUESTIONS FOR KINGDOM WALKERS:

1. Who do I say that the Son of The Living God Is?
2. What Revelations have I allowed to transform my life? Do they line up with The Word of God, The Holy Bible?
3. What areas of my life is The Lord asking me to take personal responsibility in as a Kingdom Walker?

 

© 2018 Clare Matthews – Boldly For Him. “All Rights Reserved.”

The clock will strike midnight and we will enter a New Year, a New Season.  2017 will be, “last year” and 2018 will officially be the “New Year”.  As we journey from one year to another, from one season to another, God has “Safe Passage” in store for each and every one of our lives, through every season of our lives, even in difficult and potentially dangerous situations.

The definition of, “Safe Passage” from the Macmillan Dictionary is:

“Official protection for someone who is traveling through a dangerous area.”
“The practice or process of protecting.”

The Apostle Paul gives us a very detailed account of God providing “Safe Passage” for not only him but also for a whole crew of people with him. We read about it in Acts 27: 22-25 (AMP);

“But [even] now i beg you to be in good spirits and take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you but only of the ship.”
“For this [very] night there stood by my side an angel of God to Whom I belong and Whom I serve and worship.”
“And he said, Do not be frightened, Paul! It is necessary for you to stand before Caesar; and behold, God has given you all those who are sailing with you.”
“So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith (complete confidence) in God that it will be exactly as it was told me.”

Notice that it was Paul’s “complete confidence” in God’s word not in the angel that delivered the word, that strengthened him for the ocean drama ahead. In Acts 28:1 we read,

“After we were safe on the island, we knew and recognized that it was called Malta.”

What relief it must have been for Paul and the rest of the crew to know that they had safely made it dry land without any loss of life just as the Lord said it would be. The “Complete Confidence” that Paul had in God, was in His Word.  My husband Mark says it this way, “The Word of God is A Living-Being”!  I couldn’t agree with him more.  Paul’s intimacy with God grew out of his understanding of the Personhood of, “The Living Being of God’s Word”.  John 1:14 (AMP) beautifully describes His Personhood for us,

“And the Word (Christ) became flesh human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His Honor, HIs Majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth.”

Paul latched on to “The Living Being”, God’s direct Word for the dangerous situation that he found himself in, because of that unshakeable confidence in The Personhood of His Word, he and the whole crew received “Safe Passage” to the island of Malta which was the destination for the next leg of their journey.

Like the Apostle Paul, so many of us can look back over 2017 and clearly see where God has directed our steps and brought, “Safe Passage” as we have navigated through some difficult and even dangerous, situations.  Now here we are safely entering 2018, let us continue to put “Complete Confidence” in The Personhood of God’s Word and cultivate an intimacy with Him that will keep our hearts firmly established in the Word that He has for our lives individually and corporately.  Let us dear Saint continue to receive, “Safe Passage” throughout every season and every year of our lives.

“Be Strong and Live Free….Boldly For Him”!

Happy New Year!

 

© 2018 Clare Matthews – Boldly For Him. “All Rights Reserved.”

 

One of the Greatest aspects of Being Strong and Living Free, “Boldly For Him” is knowing “Who” we are in Christ Jesus and “Why” we are in Christ Jesus.  You see each and every one of us has been Hand made by God Himself and given the Breath of Life in order to fulfill, “The Everlasting Call” that has been placed within us before time began.  As I shared in my last “Boldly For Him” broadcast this past Sunday that gift and call are, “Irrevocable”.

Romans 11:29 (AMP) tell us “For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable”. [He never withdraws them when once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call.]”

This is one of the most important verses in the New Testament because it clearly shows us that God trusts his gifts and callings in human vessels that have the capability to say, “yes” or “no” to that Divine call.  However, God Himself will never change His mind about the gifts and callings that He has placed on an individuals life.  I truly believe with all of my heart and from experience in my own life that the enemy will use whatever means he can to get us to, “stall the call” of God on our lives.  One of the common “stalling cards” that the enemy uses is fear.  In (2nd Timothy 1:6-7 (AMP), the Apostle Paul has identified this stalling card at work in Timothy’s life and he directly hits the problem head-on with this encouragement and admonishment,

“That is why I would remind you to stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of God, [the inner fire] that is in you by means of the laying on of my hands [with those of the elders at your ordination].”

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of a calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.”

The Lord revealed to me through these scriptures that Paul rightly discerned that Timothy was being challenged with fear in the following areas of his life which were greatly affecting the call of God on his life:

Power = The Authority that God placed on Timothy’s call, and his confidence to wield that authority with courage, boldness, and accuracy.

Love = The Ability to see himself and others through the eyes of Grace and respond accordingly.

Calm and Well Balanced Mind = Being confident of his identity in Christ Jesus, so that he could lead through the “mind of Christ” and not by “the dictates of the flesh”.

Discipline and Self-Control = Staying focused on the teachings of his mentor Paul while not growing weary in the areas of prayer, fasting and those good works that exemplify his faith in action as directed by God’s Will for Timothy’s life and calling as a Pastor.

Like Timothy, we may all face the same challenges that he faced as we walk out the
call of God on our lives.  That is why it is so important for each and every one of us to recognize, address and uproot the spirit of fear that maybe, keeping us from answering, “The Everlasting Call”.

Mighty man, woman, and child of The Most High God, I want to encourage you with this Word from Jesus Christ to His Father as He Himself prepared to answer “The Everlasting Call” on His life….Calvary!

John 17:4 (AMP), “I have glorified You down here on the earth by completing the work that You gave Me to do.”

So let me ask you precious one, “What is keeping you from answering “The Everlasting Call?”  If you have answered “The Everlasting Call”, are you, “stalling in the calling?”

Like Paul coaching Timothy, I want to encourage you to uproot the spirit of fear that may be lurking in areas of your life that you may or may not be aware of. so that you can, “Be Strong and Live Free Through The Everlasting Call that God Has Placed Within You.”

                        Apply the following scripture as a declaration of your calling.

John 17:4 (AMP),  “I have glorified You down here on earth by completing the work that You gave me_______( insert your name) to do.”

 

© 2017 Clare Matthews – Boldly For Him. “All Rights Reserved.”

 

 

As I have been ministering on the book of Nehemiah, and on the subject of, “Authority” over the last two Sunday’s; there is a profound truth that The Holy Spirit is illuminating in my heart. This is how He has phrased it:

“Obedience is the language of Authority…
As you learn to Hear and not just speak in My Presence, you will develop an Intimacy with Me that I can trust to carry My Plans and My Purposes to The Nations, just like Nehemiah did”.

 

© 2017 Clare Matthews – Boldly For Him. “All Rights Reserved.”