Covenant Center Update - Coronavirus

Dear Covenant Center Family,

As we are facing unprecedented times in the world, we know God rides upon the storms and His word of health and life is true. However, after much prayer, we do sense a responsibility to respect our Covenant family and inform you of options pertaining to our gatherings. 

TCC has many digital venues available.  We are on Facebook at “The Covenant Center” and will continue with live streaming on Friday mornings for the FLOW worship and Sunday mornings for our celebration meeting. Meetings that are not live streamed, including Monday night Covenant Life Groups, Wednesday night prayer, Hearing God, and Youth Group, and Friday night HANA will also continue. All meetings are subject to change as we continue to align with our state and local government requests, so continue to check social media, emails, and the covenant center website for updates. 

CovenantU classes continue to be available online, and Richard and our office staff may be reached by phone (863-802-5171) or email (info@thecovenantcenter) during normal office hours. 

We continue to maintain daily and weekly cleaning of the building, including the sanitation of the children’s toys and equipment. However even with the excellent sanitation, the virus spreads by air as well as surface bringing to light the issue of personal space. We request if you or loved ones are feeling symptoms please consider staying home to self contain as medical specialists are recommending. For those that feel well and choose to attend, we request respecting other’s personal space regarding handshakes, hugs etc. to align with public health recommendations. 

If you choose to meet with us on Sunday by streaming, consider having your communion elements ready where we can take it “together” and also please consider your offerings or tithes to help sustain the building and expenses. You may give at the Covenant Center website or by mail at The Covenant Center, 26 Lake Wire, PO Box 524, Lakeland, Florida 33802-0524. 

Thank you for your continued support and trust. We continue in prayer for you and your family!  

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:1-2

The Beatitudes - A Road Map For Life - Becky Maisenbacher

I’ve recently been reflecting on the myriad of experiences and teachings through life, especially the spiritual moments that have deeply impacted me. Maybe it’s because next month I hit the big 70 in earth years and I’m feeling a bit nostalgic, but it seems a gift of age to be able to reflect and see His nature and character displayed throughout my life. My conversion at age 4, the call to missions at age 11, His miraculous protection in the head on car crash as I turned 26, and His continual grace and mercy through the joy as well as the sorrow of life. I personally am still a lover of Him and His names. As I’ve shared with you before, reflecting and speaking His names has brought me great comfort as well as strengthened me through many trials; choosing to focus on His character and nature. But the Beatitudes have been a pivotal marker, like referencing a road map to help me in life’s journey. I’ve shared before the guidance and wisdom contained in Jesus’ message, and I find myself here once again in 2020 reading and reflecting as well as documenting my “travels” as we enter this new year and decade. I know this post is long, but if there is one thing I would desire to leave with you, it would be this. Maybe you would like to take a “short” ride with me as we re-read the encouragement and guidance from Jesus, as He show us the way to surrender in His skillful work of transformation.

The Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-12, known as The Sermon on the Mount, are a road map that helps us to identify where we are in our journey of transformation. When we accept Jesus to live within us, we begin a covenant journey of God exchanging our nature for His nature. As we surrender to God, we enter a progressive process where He desires to take all of who we are and He gives us all of Him. I was astonished when I first comprehended the revelation of covenant with Jesus. He begins to exchange our character for His character; our nature and integrity for His nature and integrity. God’s goal is to make us look more like Him. This is a process often takes us by surprise, with twists and turns, shock and even pain. When the winds of adversity blow, the enemy is often the source of our challenges and trials; but in those hard places God gives us an opportunity to be changed and conformed to His image, to be blessed, enlarged and satisfied.

The life of Jesus is a prophetic image of the Beatitudes. He shared this poignant and sobering sermon and then He walked through every verse to show us the way to God’s kingdom. His message encourages us that we are blessed on “account of Him” (vs. 11). Blessed (makarioi) is to be characterized by the quality of God. In other words, when God dwells within us with His nature, we are able to experience His kingdom and so we are blessed. Blessed also means to be fully satisfied; not due to any reward or fulfillment we experience, but we are satisfied because Jesus lives within us. We learn to walk through adversity and trials basically satisfied because we know that Christ dwells within us.

As challenging trials and testing have occurred, it has been comforting for me to head to the Beatitudes, where I have become aware of the surgery Holy Spirit was performing on me in my exchange process. When we can see how God is working to bless us in our circumstances and mature us into His image, peace is restored. This process of covenant exchange is a divine work orchestrated by Holy Spirit.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,(Matt. 5:3):

One of the first stops we will encounter on our transforming journey is to recognize how spiritually helpless we are without God. When we understand that we are unable to make anything of ourselves, we then become blessed or fully satisfied. Jesus shared that he only did what he saw the Father doing. Jesus was saying “You are fully satisfied when you realize your spiritual helplessness, and that you can not make more out of yourself.” We gain new depth and revelation into Jesus as the captain of our salvation, as well as God’s amazing grace and mercy.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (vs. 4):

In Gethsemane, Jesus mourned, identifying with our hopelessness and our helplessness. He showed us how to surrender to God, when we recognize that we can’t make any more of ourselves. Mourn (hoi penthountes) is the sorrow we experience from our sin and the sins of others. We become faced with our own humanity. When we begin to see and mourn our hopelessness and the futility in trying to change ourselves, we then become blessed, and God comforts and encourages us. The kingdom becomes manifest, and we become satisfied. His great love and comfort becomes tangible to us. We begin to marvel at His extravagant and amazing love that turns our mourning into dancing.

Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth, (vs. 5):

As we experience situations where we are humbled or made meek, we learn to yield to God. Meekness can be defined as “accepting God’s dealings with us as ‘good,’ without disputing, contending or resisting.” Throughout scriptures Jesus experienced persecution, betrayal, rejection, abuse, slander and great humiliation. He became a living model of the character of meekness and humility that God desires to impart to us. Jesus continually surrendered himself to God’s will. When we learn to accept God’s dealings with us without anger or contentiousness, God is able to bless and enlarge us. He gives us strength as He releases His healing virtue to overcome pain in our soul and teaches us humility.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. (vs6):

When we hunger and thirst after God, we are famished and in need of constant refueling with the righteousness and essence of God. We choose to surrender to His laws and commands; we conform to His desires and will, and then He fills us and satisfies us. We become content, peaceful and filled. Jesus always revealed God’s righteousness. He became the image on earth of the nature and character of God.

Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. (vs. 7):

We will experience situations when we will be challenged to extend mercy. Mercy involves thought and action. God is the one who gives strength for grace as He requests that we extend mercy to avoid sin. Jesus exhibited active compassion when He saved the woman’s life by asking “Who has not sinned-throw the first stone.” He moved with compassion and healed many. He demonstrated for us how to pardon other’s by God’s grace. So when we find ourselves in a circumstance to choose revenge or to extend mercy; we become blessed when we choose mercy and obtain God’s mercy for ourselves. We learn the importance of forgiveness and how to love our enemies and to pray for those who have persecuted us. We begin to see God’s creation through His eyes and His love.

Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. (vs.8)

Becoming pure in heart is a process of purification or continual cleansing. This process by Holy Spirit frees us from negative things residing in our heart, our thoughts, emotions and paradigms. As we begin to surrender to His covenant exchange, we are blessed and are able to behold God with clearer vision. We are able to gaze upon His beauty with greater clarity. The blood of Christ becomes more real to us as He enlarges our understanding of His cleansing blood that purifies us. Our past, no longer defines us and we begin to see ourselves as His beloved. He takes our old heart; He purifies it (katharos) and cleanses it from the toxins of sin and guilt.

Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God. (vs. 9)

We do not become blessed simply by making peace between two parties. Peacemaker in this context is one who is able to make peace in others, because he has first received the peace of God in his own heart. So we are fully satisfied and blessed as we receive His love and covenant of peace. We begin to understand the Cross as we identify with the violence Christ suffered. We see clearly how His suffering canceled the enemy’s power forever. We begin to experience God’s peace and are then prepared to extend it to others.

Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (vs.10) Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. (vs.11); rejoice and be glad for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you (vs.12)

As we begin to walk in God’s righteousness or His revealed will; false accusations, rejection, reproach, defamation and taunting will occur. We begin to identify with Christ’s sufferings, the rejection, betrayal and false accusations He endured. God’s kingdom becomes more manifest in us as we begin to respond with His nature, extending love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness instead of our old nature of disappointment, bitterness, anger or revenge.

His kingdom emerges from within us and we become carriers of His love and presence. We begin to experience the life of His Spirit. We grow in His grace, wisdom, power and might. We see and hear more clearly into the heavenly realm, as we begin to experience our rewards (misthos) here on earth as well as those being established in heaven. The eyes of our understanding open to greater depth and revelation of His kingdom and life.

God’s covenant exchange is a life time process. We may walk through the Beatitudes cyclically as God deals with us. First, we are faced with a challenge we cannot change. We begin to understand we are unable to make anything out of ourselves. We then begin to mourn, because we see our sin and helplessness. We become humbled in our weakness and begin to hunger for His righteousness and revealed will, knowing He is the only one who can save us. We gain insight of His grace and begin to develop mercy that we choose to extend to others making us more Christ-like. Our heart becomes purified in this situation. We obtain His peace and are then able to share that peace with others. We learn to bless, forgive, encourage and love as we face persecution; and we receive more of the nature of God and His kingdom expands. New challenges present themselves and we begin the journey again.

As we live out our daily experiences, Holy Spirit is working to change us more into Christ’s likeness. When challenges try to overtake us, we can learn to rest in His love being assured that all is well. God has given us a road map to identify the points of our transformation process. And as we travel with Him on this amazing and progressive journey; He will continue to exchange His nature with us, establishing His kingdom and covenant.

In His love -

Think On These Things Part 4 - Richard Maisenbacher

PHILIPPIANS 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”

 Instead of focusing on the word think or dwell Paul taught the Hebraic idea of not just using your thought process, but to reckon (calculating or estimating) with your soul, which includes your mind, will, and emotions. Paul also shared regarding the emotional and volitional aspects into this word logizomai (dwell). The Western Greek culture stressed thinking, where the Eastern Hebraic process focused on not only thinking, but also the emotions and applying or doing what the Torah said. Paul is not just exhorting us to think better, he is telling us to convert proper thought and emotion into action.

So, let’s review the definitions of the words that Paul emphasized in Philippians 4:8, so we can pay greater attention to the attributes of God and how He expresses His nature through us.

 True – alethe means not concealed or hidden. Paul’s idea is emet (Heb) meaning a reality that is firm, stable and binding. It is confirmed by facts and is connected to observable reality. To be true is to be aligned with what God reveals (faith).

 Honorable – comes from kabed meaning to be heavy, weighty with respect, but not fear which makes it difficult to worship. It is essentially whatever delights God, brings Him glory, reverence for His name, and exhibits character in our actions.

 Right – dikaios – conforming customs, fulfilled obligations, legal norms and ethical virtues. The context helps us know which one Paul means and the Torah is God-breathed and is a living document but flexible enough to be applied to us. 

 Pure – hagnos – exciting reverence and to recover wonder, presence, and awe, including being washed on the outside and inside. It can include ritual and moral purity. For Paul it is whatever is necessary to enter into God’s presence (prayer etc.).

 Lovely – prosphiles – friendly towards, pleasing, and agreeable, not just beauty. It is anything that moves us toward friendship (phileo) with God. If I am on the wrong way I need to turn around because it is not good for my relationship.

 Good Repute – euphema – sounding well, good saying, things spoken in a kindly spirit, with good will to others… gracious. The opposite would be gossip that harms. If you can’t say something nice about someone, don’t say anything at all.

 Excellence – arête – a virtuous course of thought, feeling, and action including moral goodness. Be the best God has for you to be according to the gifts that He has given you within your potential, not necessarily what others think you should be.

 Worthy of Praise – epainos – this emphasizes God’s approval not recognition and acclaim from others. It is about feeling God’s validation even when the world disapproves.

I hope this summary helps you focus your attention on God’s covenant nature, character and attributes which He is imparting to you. Also a special thank you to Dr. Skip Moen for his research and teachings! (https://www.skipmoen.com)

In His Covenant Love,

"Harps Hanging On The Willow Tree" - Michael Kesinger

Michael Kesinger is a prolific prophetic artist. His paintings are revelatory and insightful, expressing the heart of the Father and Holy Spirit. Michael and his wife Nancy are ordained ministers and elders of The Covenant Center and it is a delight to introduce him to you. This painting and his interpretation is a call to examine ourselves, stir up the gifts within and step out.. Enjoy! Becky

Harps Hanging On The Willow Tree

Michael Kesinger

The painting represents two different dimensions (the natural and the spiritual), and is a “faith without works is dead” message.

Psalm 137  - “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept….  Because they were in captivity, sad and discouraged, they hung their harps upon the willows.   With that act, they also hung their voices on the trees.  Their national destiny was sleeping.” 

Many of us have hung up our pens, voices, paintbrushes, dancing shoes, etc. and our mandates. We have hung up the books, the songs, paintings and the dance - that the Holy Spirit has been nudging us to release. Others have hung up their encouraging words, counseling, intercession, helps and other good works. These are our gifts, callings, anointings and expressions. Our scrolls have become dormant. Our swords are sheathed. In decades past, the Ekklesia has hung up political protest, and seen other voices rise to lead our nation away from Biblical Truth. The Ekklesia has also taken its harps out of the other six mountains of influence. If you are not registered to vote or don’t vote, your harp is hanging on the tree.

It is like our words have fallen to the ground, and are ineffective. They have hung on the trees so long that they have rotted.  Hope deferred….    But there is hope in that the harps were hung on the trees, rather than destroyed… exile would not last forever.

Harps Hanging on the Willow Tree by Michael Kesinger

In 2nd Kings 6:16-17 - Elisha answered: “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”  And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.”  Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw.  And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 

In the 5th chapter of 2nd Samuel - “there was a sound in the top of the mulberry trees. “ David was instructed to listen for the sound.

Why do the Willows weep?  They are waiting for the sons and daughters of God to manifest.  Once the bowl is filled with the tears and prayers of the saints, the incense begins to rise to the throne room. 

We must take our gifts, callings, anointings, and inactivity off the trees that we hung them on.  We must reclaim our scrolls, and get back on the path of our destiny's. Unsheathe your swords.

Revival begins when we take our harps off the trees.  Reformation begins when we hear and come into agreement with the new sound.

Attune your sight and ears to the top of the trees where the host of heaven are gathering.  More are with us than against us.  Hear the sound from the shofar, and release the words that the Spirit is giving now.  It is the decade of the decree. 

The Hebrew year 5780 is the beginning of the decade of the 80’s.   The Hebrew letter PEY equals 80,  and represents the mouth.  It is a time to speak and decree.  Give words to your intercession. 

Michael Kesinger

Michael Kesinger has been creating prophetic art in Winter Haven/Lakeland Florida area for over 30 years.  Michael’s art has been shown at churches, conferences and outdoor venues.  Even with as little exposure as he has had up to this time, there are a number of pieces of his work hanging in homes and churches.  Not having been professionally trained in any technique or artistic bent, he is self-taught, and his artwork is prophetic – coming directly from the Lord’s heart and mind, to his.  Each piece of art has a prophetic interpretation - which Michael receives from the Lord – usually immediately, and sometimes in phases.  He mostly works with pen inks. If you'd like to order a print of one of his work view his online store: www.openheavenart.com.

Born in Sandusky, Ohio, Michael recently retired as Bureau Chief with the Florida Dept. of Agriculture.  He and his wife, Nancy love spending time with their two children, their spouses and grandchildren, and with other family.  They also enjoy going to the mountains and exploring new places.

Michael and Nancy function in the prophetic gifts with the leading of the Lord, and are available to minister by invitation. 

Website: www.openheavenart.com

Contact: info@thecovenantcenter.com

Upgrade Your Covenant Walk - Daniel Koerner

It is a pleasure to introduce Daniel Koerner to you. Daniel and his wife Julie are ordained ministers and elders. This is such a wonderful teaching and reminder as we enter this new decade, of our covenant relationship with God. Please enjoy Dan’s insightful adapted message of encouragement and hope released at The Covenant Center on 1/12/2020. Becky

Upgrade Your Covenant Walk

Dan and Julie Koerner

I was struck a few months ago by a statement made by Bill Johnson in one of his messages as posted on You Tube:  “Our assignment,” he said, “is to believe what God knows to be true.”  What was so special about that?

It was the covenantal, relational resonance of the statement!  It was not my job to muster up faith in a set of abstract truths or doctrines-- far from it! Rather, my assignment was to co-labor in truth with the Father, my covenant Friend and partner.

Who is this covenant partner in truth? Listen to how He presents Himself to Moses, when Moses asked Him to show His glory:  “Then the Lord passed by in front of him, and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in loving-kindness and truth’” (Exodus34:6). Of all of His characteristics, what He Himself says He is most full of, what He abounds in, is this covenantal pair: loving-kindness (chesed) and truth (‘emet).

The loving-kindness of God is His persistent, committed covenantal love; His truth is the excellent content of His love-- what the Psalmist calls “His benefits.” (Psalm 103:1-6. See also especially II Peter 1:3-4).

Part of God’s engagement with us comes in the form of personal discipleship. As David cries out in Psalms 25:4-5 “Make me know your ways, O Lord; Teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation.” How-ever, as much as we learn, the truth is always still rooted in God. It is no accident that John tells us when he is introducing Jesus to us: “…we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of full of grace and truth.” (1:14). Jesus also lines up verbally with this when He says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me,” (John 14:6). Thus, our covenantal loving-kindness and truth connection to the Father is sure, absolutely essential, and irreplaceable.

However, precisely because that connection is so fundamental, my sense is that we often forget the awesomeness of being in covenant with God. This is the Being who said to Moses, “You cannot see my face, for no man can see Me and live!” So, being in covenant with God is a reality that transcends normal human categories. It would be one thing to covenant with another human, as they did of old, and call upon God as the fearsome covenant Witness / Enforcer. It is totally another thing to exchange from the natural into the spirit realm through the covenantal process. We are harnessed up to the Lord of all!

We know that in covenantal practice, the stronger party in the covenant ended up dominating the terms of the covenant. The best covenants were those where the stronger party made gracious promises and declarations to the people coming into covenant. This flavor is echoed to us in His chesed statements to us, such as “I will never leave you or forsake you.” We love Him, because He first loved us. 

 It is right that we should comfort ourselves with these words and these realities.Yet there is an additional challenge to this. We are not only supposed to believe what God knows to be true, we must labor to enter into the truth that we are believing. This is the transformation process.  And we must not stop with letting Him change our minds internally. What God knows to be true will change what is manifesting as truth-- first on the inside of us, then in our Judea, then in our Samaria, then in the uttermost parts of our Earth. ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN, don’t you see. We must embrace the permanent, real and irreversible connection which has transformed the structure of the spirit realm as it relates to us: We have walked into relationship with the Father, and Holy Spirit has moved from Heaven to take up residence on the inside of us. We dwell together in covenant love. We are His beachhead in the recapture of His World! Once again in the spirit there is a cry going forth:  “Arise, O Lord, let Your enemies be scattered before You!”  And “Return, O Lord, to your rest among the thousands of Israel!”

 The covenant exchange wrought by the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord has resulted in newness of Life. The permanent reconnect in His blood has made the Kingdom of heaven to be “at hand”-- TANGIBLE.  We are able to access not only our faith, but Jesus said, ”Have the faith of God.” Not “Strive for bigger human faith,” but, “Borrow some from your friend God the Father.” Jesus said, “The words that I speak to you are Spirit.” He said,”You are clean by the Words I have spoken to you.”  “Your faith has made you whole!”

 You have access!  Explore your inheritance! Walk with the King, and watch the elemental principles of the natural world begin to bow to what the Lord is saying, seeing, hearing, touching and smelling as part of His covenantal walk with you. The truth He knows will dominate!

 The impact of this upgraded covenant walk in truth is that I do not labor to believe harder, but I labor to enter into Rest, the Rest that comes in knowing that my Father already knows and believes that what I am asking from Him is mine. I simply walk in faith down my timeline. until I enter the manifestation of God’s truth in my life. Daniel Koerner

Daniel M. Koerner is a prayer leader and prophetic counselor at The Covenant Center in Lakeland, Florida.  He is a carpenter by trade, but especially loves to build with spiritual substance.

Dan holds the M.Div. degree from Westminster Theological Seminary, and is ordained through The Covenant Center. He has taught at informal Bible schools in the U.S. and in Central America. He lives in Lakeland with Julia, his wife of 42 years. They have an Australian Cattle Dog, Everest. Victoria is their granddaughter; she visits often. He is the author of “The Edge of Heaven,” available in The Covenant Center bookstore: http://www.thecovenantcenter.com/store

For the visual illustration given with this teaching, please check out the service archive on the Covenant Center Facebook site.

Think On These Things Part 3 - Richard Maisenbacher

Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is lovely, whatever is good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worth of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. NASB

Maybe it is a little difficult for me to focus on the things that have a good repute. Especially when I live in a culture politically, nationally, and locally that tends to be very critical with high expectations of everyone and everything. Paul’s use of euphemos (Gk) or good repute means: sounding well, good saying, things spoken in a kindly spirit, with good will to others, of good report or gracious. The opposite is gossip that harms.

Wow, and Paul is challenging me to not only dwell on things that have a good report and are praiseworthy, but also integrate that type of communication in my life without getting pulled into any gossip. There’s a challenge!

My Mother said, “If you can’t say something nice about someone, don’t say anything at all.” That would encourage compliments or exhortation meant in a good way for people today. But “NO”, we have television sarcasm, insult books, and reality shows based on negative put down type humor, which by the way does very well financially!

My son, who is an elementary teacher, implements a great system to help deter the negativism in the classroom. If he hears a “put down” from a student toward another individual he requires three “put ups.” That sure slows down the insults. Who wants to give all those compliments or good reports to someone, right?

God knew that we would always have the accuser of the brethren whispering negative thoughts in our head as “put downs,” or criticism from so called friends. One of His counter attacks (put ups) is to have His saints prophesy edification, exhortation, and comfort that build up the body directly from Him through the believers.

I guess it is possible to communicate things that are praiseworthy and whatever is a good report, when the thoughts come straight from the Lord! Or here is a novel idea; how about being encouraging?

In His Covenant Love,

 Thanks to Dr. Skip Moen for his research, which is represented in the above message.

Time To Sparkle! - Becky Maisenbacher

Richard and I are so thankful for each of you. We continually thank God for you! You are remarkable and chosen people, filled with irrevocable gifts and callings. As we move into this new year, new decade and new era, we know even though the mixture of life will certainly appear and the world will continue to darken, our Father has a future for His people of light. "You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden," Matt. 5:14.

You radiate His light and release His light and life to all around you. He is transforming His people to shine brightly and glow with the beauty of precious stones. The polishing process of removing any residue may seem harsh at times, but when the soft buffing finalizes the last stage, you can begin to see a beautiful and radiant glow appear from these precious stones. I continue to hear the Spirit declare, "It's time to sparkle!" It is time for you to sparkle! Arise and shine! I was recently reminded of our trip to Israel and how majestically the towns and cities radiated such a brilliant glow as they were positioned upon various hills. Even the small towns shone brightly in the darkness in Israel. Each night was filled with the beauty of light across the land. You shine more brightly than you realize!

God knows who you are. He knows your name. He knows what you have walked through, or are walking through. He is with you in your joy and peace as well as in your pain and sorrow. We therefore sing and declare: "Shine Jesus, shine, fill the world with your Father's glory!" May each of you shine brighter than ever before this year, as you are strengthened daily by His love, His mercy and His grace; and may you and family experience a joyful and blessed New Year!

In His Love,

Think On These Things Part 2 - Richard Maisenbacher

Think on These Things Part 2

 In the previous blog we discussed Paul’s thoughts in the verse Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute; if there be any excellence, and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell (think) on these things,” (NASB).

 Instead of focusing on the word think or dwell Paul brought the Hebraic idea of not just using your thought process, but to reckon (calculating or estimating) with your soul, which includes your mind, will, and emotions. Paul was not just exhorting us to think better, but is telling us to convert proper thought and emotion into action.

 The word excellence in the Greek is arête, which can also mean virtue. Excellence in the Hebraic emphasizes utilizing God’s given gifts to the limit of your potential. For instance, a 7-foot basketball center will always be able to dunk a basketball on a 10-foot goal easier and better that me. I might have reached excellence for me by dunking an 8-foot goal. Each of us reached our potential. Not everyone is the eye or foot or hand. We all have God given potential for how He made us.

 If we do not appreciate our own gifts that are given from God, we begin to compete and compare ourselves with everyone else. This is a Western/Greek way of thinking. If there be any virtue or excellence God wants us to be the best that He has in mind for us, not what others think we should be. The Eastern/Hebraic way of thinking requires cooperation and collaboration rather than competing with each other’s gifts that God has given.

 If there be anything worthy of praise (epainos in the Greek) suggests that it connects to excellence and receiving lots of praise. However, it is not about seeking man’s approval but receiving praise or approval worthy from God. There are many things you may do that will make God happy, but the world will not applaud you. The opposite is also true. There will be things that the world will love to see you do, but God will obviously not approve. We only need His kingdom approval.

 To summarize I would encourage you to dwell and put into action your full-excellent- potential as you seek God’s approval and His “well done;” rather than striving for approval from others! Then you will rest in the latter part of Philippians 4:8 by your  action that aligns with His desire, resulting in contentedness at the same time!

 I would also like to thank and recognize Dr. Skip Moen for his research and teachings, which are represented in the above message.

 In His Covenant Love,

Grieving Our Disappointed Desires & Losses - Pat Stark

Pat Stark

When we begin to allow ourselves to experience life without wearing our rose colored glasses, we often come face to face with some disappointed hopes, desires, frustrations, sorrows, injustices, and a general reflection of the brokenness of the world we currently live in. Most of us have spent a lifetime trying to push away, control, or redesign that realty. Without warning we can and have all experienced things like the death of a loved one, the finality of an unwanted divorce, an unexpected illness, the pain of betrayal in a valued relationship, the sudden loss of a job, or simply an unfulfilled desire we have concerning our family or close friends — often even with God. Our simple desires, especially around the holidays, are often thwarted with so many feeling forgotten, rejected, abandoned, or depressed.

 Where is God in all this, especially when we are feeling so very alone, forsaken, and sometimes even forgotten by him and others? I see Jesus weeping because it was never meant to be this way: a “Man of Sorrows” who experienced that grief too. However, because of his own suffering, death and resurrection, he is now a Redeemer of things stolen, a Restorer of broken hearts so that we can now experience a “fellowship in our suffering” with him and he with us when we are willing to allow ourselves to enter our grief with him.

 This is not the Garden he originally created for us to enjoy. Many of us have spent far too much energy trying to recreate that Garden the way it was originally intended to be; and in that struggle, we often find ourselves angry, frustrated, depressed, and struggling to make life work according to our picture, and make it be fair. The reality is that this world isn't fair -- it wasn't fair for Jesus as they abused him and hung him on a cross even though he was the only perfect man who had ever lived! If it wasn’t fair for Jesus, you can bet it won't be fair or just for us at times. One day on the other side, yes, but not here.

 Then what do we do when our heart breaks over some loss or disappointment in our lives? What do we do with our fears of the insecurity of life and those things our hearts were created for, the things we had hoped for? What do we do with that slow ache that resides far down in the depths of our soul, the vague feelings of disillusionment that we have experienced over and over in relationships, jobs, church, ministry, even with God and ourselves if we can no longer bury them, or even hide those feelings under our survival system of choice? We can't just carry them so there must be a way to release them and find the peace that passes understanding and the joy of life even in their midst! Grief is part of life in a broken world. If we don’t release our sorrows and disappointments with mourning, we bury them internally and carry the emotions, often in our physical bodies as sickness, and miss the release and comfort God provides.

 Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted,” Matthew 5:4 NIV.

 Mourning our Grief

God's way of helping us to release a loss of any kind is through grieving. Too often we put grieving only in the category of death, but it is far bigger than that. Any loss, major or seemingly minor, when mourned, can be released.

 Grieving begins with acknowledging and facing that loss, not just in general, but as our pain-filled loss. It is listening to the voice of our own heart in that moment and allowing ourselves to feel emotions like anger, disappointment, sadness, depression, distraction, anxiety, and even fear, putting our own words to them.

 Because our emotions are the voice of our hearts, they are telling us what our hearts are feeling and when we refuse to acknowledge the feeling, we can stay stuck in that particular emotion for years even though we bury it and try to move on. But when we allow ourselves to “mourn” our loss, we will continue to move through the pain finally coming to a place of acceptance and peace.

 As we allow ourselves to mourn our losses, the eyes of our hearts become open to see the many gifts God is giving; some very small and others that are amazing, right in the midst of the losses of our lives that bring new adventure to each day. The more we allow ourselves to face our losses, we begin to see with new eyes of wonder that the difficult and sad are often mixed in with the beautiful and wonderful. In the same hour we can experience a wonderful "gift" through a moment of joy along with a major disappointed desire. How do we handle that mixture? By remembering we all desire to live "happily ever after" as the fairly tales have portrayed —and it would have been our experience had we remained in the Garden, but unfortunately the fall of man messed up that picture completely. So until we one day live on the other side of the “veil”, we will live here with mixture and we desperately need God to walk with us in the midst of both our sorrows and our joys.

 “...weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning,” Psalms 30:5 NIV.

 “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever,” Psalms 30:11-12 NIV.

Think On These Things - Richard Maisenbacher

Recently the Lord has had me do a little research on Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (KJV)

 I was particularly intrigued by the word “think” found toward the end of this verse. So I dug into some word studies and read several commentaries. I am also always thankful for Skip Moen’s studies, even though he now resides in Italy,( https://www.skipmoen.com). In the NAS the English word used for “think” is dwell, which still implies thinking. However, the Greek word that Paul used is logizomai, which means to reckon or to charge. The more general definition would be to deliberate or to conclude. Paul was a Hebrew, as well as a Greek scholar, so he tried to implement Hebraic thought as he translated the Old Testament into Greek.

 Instead of focusing on the word think or dwell Paul brought the Hebraic idea of not just using your thought process, but to reckon (calculating or estimating) with your soul, which includes your mind, will, and emotions. Paul also brought the emotional and volitional aspects into this word logizomai. The Western Greek culture stressed thinking, where the Hebraic focused on thinking, emotions and applying or doing what the Bible taught.

 Paul is not just exhorting us to think better, he is telling us to convert proper thought and emotion into action. It makes me want to do more research on the other words Paul encourages us to dwell on and apply to our lives: whatsoever things are honest, just, pure, lovely, good report, virtue, and praise. There is a big difference between thinking and putting those thoughts into action! Obviously this is an area I need to understand and implement more in my own life since the Lord seems to me highlighting this verse.

 More to come!

 In His Covenant Love,

Preparation For Your Destination - Becky Maisenbacher

During the recent Ten Days of Awe, it was a special time of reflection with the Lord. Matthew 26 was particularly highlighted to me as I read again about the woman with the alabaster box or vial. “Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it upon His head as He reclined at the table. But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, “Why this waste? For the perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.” Verse 10 particularly stood our to me and I slowly reread the words of Jesus: “But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me. For the poor you have with you always; but you do not always have Me. For when she poured this perfume upon My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial. Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done shall also be spoken of in memory of her.”

 Immediately, this woman appeared before me in a vision. It was time to research further to see what others had to say about her. Surprisingly what was written revealed some conflicting information. I found there were various commentaries that gave different insight regarding this woman and her life. Some believe she was Lazarus’ sister, others suggest Mary Magdalene or another unknown woman. Her ability to possess a translucent alabaster vial containing rare perfume suggests she may have been wealthy; while some believe this precious vial of perfume or ointment, which was about 300 denarii, amounted to a year’s labor which she may have saved up.

 There is also conjecture about whether she anointed Jesus’ head, just His feet or both. So references are given to Mark 14:3 and Luke 7:37 for further research. I personally wonder if Judas was one of the disciples who may have questioned her extravagance.  Since shortly after, he went to the chief priests and asked how much he could make turning Jesus over to them. Hidden motivations of the heart are usually exposed at some point through our behavior.

 As I meditated on these verses, more questions appeared. I wanted to know more about her and her life, and how she decided to give this costly ointment to Jesus. Did she impulsively grab the beautiful glass bottle one day, running breathlessly to where He was eating in an impulsive moment when she realized what Jesus meant to her and what He had done for her? Or were her actions well thought out and pre-meditated? If she was Lazarus’ sister, she would have been extremely grateful that He raised her brother from the dead. If it was Mary Magdalene she would have been overtaken with His kindness and gentleness as He acknowledged her, giving her a new identity as person that was loved by God.

 Of course we may never know the truth of her motivation. We don’t really know her process of preparation in her personal life that brought her to the moment to share her expensive product with Jesus. What we do remember and what is historically recorded are her actions. Her act of love and humility, gratitude and thankfulness as she approached Jesus and shared her precious ointment, giving all she was worth to Him is what we remember. And Jesus being honored by her endeavor declared in verse 13: “Wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done shall also be spoken of in memory of her.” We know little of her time of work and sacrifice to earn and purchase this rare vial of perfume, or how long she possessed it. However, her behavior and deed, as well as her love for Him lives on.

 To me, she has become a representation of the years of preparation that take place for those called of God; and you all are called! I’ve become more keenly aware of the hidden and sometimes arduous process of transformation in His kingdom. Often years of training, maturing, developing, gleaning wisdom and understanding are hidden - out of sight, where people only see the results or the sudden breakthrough. We often forget to consider the incubation period, or the required time and sacrifice; sometimes years of labor in preparing a person for His release.

 And like the disciples taunting her, today some still go through the same persecution practice: “What are you doing throwing your life away studying to become a pastor or missionary? What are you doing paying to go to Bible School and giving tithes when you don’t even own your home or go on vacation? What are doing when all your money could be given to the poor or needy? Why are you helping that person? Why did you give up your job for ministry when you have multiple degrees to live well in comfort, and you choose to serve others? How could you open your home to the poor and homeless? These questions caused me to pause and think again about the hidden motivations of the one asking them, just like some of the disciples. Why did they care how this woman chose to express her gratitude and affection? Why did they care where she spent her money or her time?

 Today as I reflect on our Covenant Center family as well as the family of God at large, no one really knows for sure what you have walked through or experienced to bring you to the place of devotion to Him. No one really knows the years of preparation and sacrifice in your journey before you reach your destination. You see there is always preparation for the destination. And everyone is in some stage of preparation for their destination. We usually just don’t realize it as we daily walk through the often mundane process of life in this world.

 In 15 years we moved 12 times before arriving here in Florida. In those uncertain and sometimes tumultuous years of searching to find “Who am I? Who is God?” life was filled with what seemed to be the mundane: job chasing, bill paying, children raising, house and laundry cleaning, meal preparation, finance budgeting and more. I now realize there was much growth, maturing and preparation that ultimately paved the way to where we are today. Wisdom and understanding often came through failure and loss. Please know that whatever you may be experiencing today; you are also being prepared for your destination!

 If you have given your heart to Jesus, you’ve experienced the first step. That moment when He came to you and said: “Would you love Me and be My disciple?” Later in life He comes to you again and says: “Will you visit the sick, feed the poor and widowed? Or maybe He asks: “Will you pick up trash and clean the toilets as you open your home for others to come. Will you sell your home and follow Me? Will you teach the 2 year olds? The 4 year olds? Will you sing and praise Me? Will you study and receive training? Will you pray? Will you give offerings and tithes? Will you love the unlovely? Will you forfeit your own comfort? Will you give yourself to Me?” Then one day He comes and asks if you want to climb even higher. “Will you give all that you are to Me so I may mold you into My image and desire for your destiny?” The gift of age will help you to one day look back and realize your life choices have all been preparation for your destination. You begin to realize in each of His requests you have reflected on your life, wrestled a bit with Him, examined your motivations; and finally made a choice.

 To me this is what the woman with the precious vial walked through. She fell so deeply in love with Jesus; the one who saved her and honored her. He taught her and showed her what love looked like. He forgave her, encouraged her and she knew she was changed with a new identity. She realized she was no longer the person of her past. She responded to the heavenly character and nature in Jesus and the love and acceptance she received. She was now free. Without hesitation she willingly gave all to Him.

 You are in your preparation for your destination. God will lovingly and continually check in on you and help you reflect on your motivations as you make choices that will propel you forward in His plan for your life. Each one of you will have multiple choices before your life is over to break your own alabaster vials, pouring yourself out to Him in gratefulness and thanksgiving.  Where are you in your journey? What is precious to you? What is He asking of you? Are you willing to break open your vial?

In His Love,

The Feasts Of The Lord Are Here - Richard Maisenbacher

We find described in Leviticus 23 God's feasts or His appointed times of celebration and consecration. The fall feast is a season when God wants His people to learn to rest in Him. The Feast of Passover teaches about God's peace; the Feast of Pentecost instructs us on God's power; and the Feast of Tabernacles gives understanding about God's rest.

Even though the days previous to the feast were a time of repentance and reflection, the Feast of Tabernacles celebrated the final ingathering of the harvest which God had blessed the people with for year. The fruit of the land had been reaped, so the people could rest from their harvesting labors. It was a time of great rejoicing! They would celebrate and thank God in advance for the next harvest.

The Feast of Tabernacles emphasized a rest with the Lord, however it did not necessarily mean to literally lay down and do nothing. Rest meant to continue to be intimate with Him, staying involved in the normal work of the Kingdom, while continuing with their occupation, family, study, prayer and ministry.

The dates for this Fall, 2019 are: 

Rosh Hashanna ( Feast of Trumpets) Beginning of the New Year - September 29 - 30
Days of Awe - Include the 10 days from Rosh Hashanna to Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) A day of fasting - October 8 - 9
Sukkot or Feast of Tabernacles/Booths - October 13 - 20

I believe God is doing many things behind the scenes during this time of restoration and reconciliation. I know during this Fall season God is going to move in a great way, affecting not only the seven mountains, but His people individually as well. I do not know how it will play out, but I know there is a correction coming to level out the playing field and to begin to restore what has been stolen from His people.

Let's celebrate His Fall Feasts and look forward to this New year!

In His Covenant Love,

He Watches Over You - Becky Maisenbacher

Recently we walked out our front door in the early morning to be met by this large beautiful feather lying directly in our path. Gazing at this beautiful pristine and well formed feather of black and white I stood amazed at God’s goodness and faithfulness to remind us He is near. Turning to Richard I declared what a precious gift that morning to remind us of His presence. I love how our Father uses His creation to speak to us, because He always desires to speak to His people through His word, His still small voice within (Holy Spirit), and nature - actually the entire universe. Scripture reminds us: The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands, Psalm 19:1b.

I knew this feather was representing His presence with us particularly that morning and I thanked Him for reminding me of His love and care. Having experienced the trauma of a high speed head on car crash years earlier, some residue still remains and God knows car travel is a always a step of faith for me. So this small expression of nature touched my heart as His peace enveloped me. Yes, you guessed it. Close to twenty minutes into our travels we were almost hit by a fast moving car. We were tossed about with adrenaline rushing through us, but by a near miss we were unharmed. In thankfulness we continued our errands, but my grateful heart began to ponder the works of His hands. How often He protects us without us knowing He is near. And even if we experience a challenge, His presence remains and He walks with us through the adversity. Feathers may represent protection; shield; comfort; covering; anointing; ability to fly. The black and white color: there are no gray areas with you; a straight shooter; very decisive; prophetic view point; you are either for or against, no middle line. ( A-Z Dream Symbology Dictionary-Dr. Barbie Breathitt).

Please know that He is always watching over you and walking with you each day! He is Immanual. He is with you! Matthew 1:23 declares: "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which translated means "God with us". (NAS)

“Father, increase our understanding with fresh eyes to see and ears to hear what you are speaking. Help us to gain insight regarding the world around us, as you give wisdom and understanding. Help us to know you are near.”

The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going, both now and forevermore.
Psalm 121:5-8 New International Version (NIV)

 In His Love -

August - Intimacy, Training and Activation - Richard Maisenbacher

This August we will focus on intimacy, continued training and higher levels of activation. John 17:3, ​“And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.” ​ At The Covenant Center during July we encouraged everyone to rest, pray, study God’s Word, and be with their families. I have heard some great testimonies on how the Lord has spoken to believers in either prayer or His Word. John 17:3 encourages us to know (yada) Him intimately and as a result we respond to His voice and His Words in the scriptures.

Sundays​ - ​In August we will go back to a little more of a consistent schedule. Sunday celebration meetings will continue with worship, a little 1 Corinthians 14:26 sharing, teaching, and ministry!

Mondays -​ David and Amy Rhinehart currently are training facilitators for the Covenant Life Groups. This is a ministry for people dealing with life’s struggles through Christ-centered support groups. The starting date of these groups will be September 9t​h​ on Mondays.

Tuesdays -​ ​Dan Koerner and Frank Salerno will continue to facilitate The Men’s Roundtable, the longest running TCC small group. Locations are announced.

Wednesdays - ​During the month of August and September Richard and Becky Maisenbacher will be facilitating the Hearing God class. They will be emphasizing hearing and healing through His gifts of the Spirit with practical teaching, discussion, and prophetic exercises.

Fridays - ​Transitioning from our Friday night school of the prophets we will have a variety of other events throughout the year. I anticipate some of our Friday nights will include TCC Worship, Arts Events, and prophetic meetings. For instance, on the September 20t​h​ weekend, Andrew Ehrenzeller will be having a worship night on Friday and Worship Training for leaders on Saturday. Other events may be scheduled on Fridays, including Sundays or weekend seminars. We so appreciate Don Franklin, Randi Lechner, and Glenn Miller for consistently imparting to our community for the last three years on Friday evenings. We also thank Barbie Breathitt and Cathy Lechner for also speaking and imparting into our community.

Covenant-U online - ​Now that Covenant-U is established, our School of Theology with an option of licensing and ordination will be offered ​online instead of Monday nights, (www.thecovenantcenter.com/covenant-u). This will provide a much more flexible schedule for those desiring to further their ministry education. The school has four main areas of study: Hebraic Thought, Spiritual Roots, Knowing God, and Spiritual Leadership. At this time we have an articulation agreement with ​Southeastern University​, thanks to Melissa Maisenbacher and Dr. Meghan Griffin, in which Covenant-U students may earn up to 16 credit hours toward an SEU degree program’s general electives if desired! A big thanks to Zach Maisenbacher for developing Covenant-U, Joel Harrison and John Franklin for getting the school online, and of course Debra Mathewson and Vanderly Arnold for helping to manage it!

It looks like a busy year of intimacy, training and activation to me! We appreciate all of you who have chosen to involve yourself relationally and give to the Center!

In His Covenant Love,

July - Increased Time With God And Family - Richard Maisenbacher

Except for our Sunday celebrations and a few home groups, July brings a “slow down” of activity at The Covenant Center. This month is a time for family and friends to gather, vacations and special destinations to explore and is simply a great time to labor into His rest. I think the reason God used the word “labor” in this phrase is because sometimes it takes some labor and planning to rest in intimacy with HIm.

John 17:3 says: “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” One of our most important goals is to know (yada - Hebrew) Him. What a great opportunity to change some of our busy daily habits by increasing our intimacy with Him in prayer, studying the Torah and practicing His presence. However, it does not mean we may not have to “labor” at getting rid of some of the distractions of life in order to accomplish this.

I suggest actually scheduling in some time with Him during the day and/or evening. It can be a time of prayer, including a journal or pad of paper to take notes. In addition to prayer, begin reading Genesis, Proverbs, Psalms, the Gospels, Romans, or any book that you enjoy. The most important part is to include and increase communication with the Lord during this study. It is amazing the revelation the Lord desires to impart with creative ideas to help solve many of life’s challenges.

I encourage you to use this month of July to labor into His rest by increasing your prayer and Torah study with Him, allowing these good habits to continue for the rest of the year. Enjoy this time of family, friends and especially Jesus!

In His Covenant Love,

I Am The Great Maestro - Becky Maisenbacher

While in prayer on Sunday Morning at The Covenant Center, May 26, 2019, I heard the Spirit of the Lord say:

I am the Great Maestro! I am the Great Maestro! I am the Conductor of the Universe and all things bow to My name. Do you think that I am caught by surprise by events and situations and even trials that you must walk through? Do you think that I am not aware when evil and darkness must come to My throne to ask permission to do anything in this world, in this universe? No! I am not surprised and yet I hear My children, My people often saying, “Why, why, why, why, God?”  as they also said many years before. I heard their cries with Noah, I heard their cries with Abraham, I heard their cries with Moses. Why?  But My plans are far  greater than your understanding can imagine. I am doing a great work in the earth. I’m doing a great work in the universe. Open your eyes, listen with your ears. Allow My Spirit to flow through you which will allow you to see the magnificence of My actions. Yes, there are people that are martyred in my name. Has it not been said so in Scripture? And yes, even today that we celebrate those who were martyred in the name of freedom, is that not what My Son stood for? Freedom! But the freedom that comes by My Spirit is much different than the world.

So I say to you My beloved, do not look at the world and do not weigh your importance or your actions by what the world says is important. Sit with Me, continue to run with Me, speak with Me, study with Me, walk with Me, and let Me continue to reveal My secrets and the keys to My Kingdom. For even though it looks dark around you, I am with you. Does it not say that I am with you always? I am with you and I am moving on your behalf. And I am bringing healing and life to you, and wholeness. So, shall it be in this world as it also is in My Kingdom! So, do not fret, do not worry, do not be disconcerted by events around you for you will see in the coming days and you will look back and go “Oh, oh, oh!  Oh Father, Oh my Lord, You had it all under control all the time.” So receive today, My love. Receive an indwelling. Allow Me to become a habitation within you where I will be with you always, and you will sense My manifest presence. I will bring you peace and life through whatever you walk through. Let Me guide you in your jobs. Let Me guide you in those that you meet - the divine appointments. Let Me guide you through your day.

So again I ask and remind you, know that I am with you. Know that I am the Conductor of the universe and I know where you are and I know who you are and I know you by name and I know the events that take place in your life. And you will see and you will sense My hand and My love wrapped around you, guiding you, guarding you, and encouraging you till the day you come home to see Me face to face.

I am the Conductor of the universe. I am the Great Maestro. Rejoice in Me that nothing is too great for Me and nothing has taken Me by surprise. 

We thank you Father that you know who we are and you know each one of us by name. We thank you that you are doing a great work in the earth and your desire is to prosper each one of your children, and have them be in health, even as our souls prosper. Thank You Lord! Thank You Lord!

In His Love,

Believe In Me - Becky Maisenbacher

While in prayer on Sunday Morning at The Covenant Center, May 19, 2019, I heard the Spirit of the Lord say:

Whose report do you believe? I ask you, Whose report do you believe? Do you believe Me? Do you believe My word? Do you know that, yes, sorrow comes but there is still joy in the morning? I’m setting you up, I’m setting you up for miracles in your life. I’m setting you up for promotion. Yes, the season has been hard. Training is hard, challenges are hard, gathering wisdom and understanding often comes through pain, but I am setting you up for promotion. Who do you think that that I am? I ask you beloved, who do you think that I am? Do you think that I have not created you before the world began? Do you think that I have not given you favor? Do you think that I am not the One who promotes you? Do you think I am not the One who prospers you? Do you think I am not the One who heals you? Do you think I am not the One who orders your steps? The darkness and the enemy would come to torment you. There are many that are being tormented in this day. I haven’t done it! You say “ I’ve missed it, He’s not with me anymore, why is He not speaking to me? I guess I’ve missed it. I guess He doesn’t love me. I guess it was never real. I guess He’s not real.”  But I say to you, I am real and I created you for My divine purpose, and it shall be so because what I start I finish. And I ask you today, who do you believe? What do you believe? And as I spoke to My disciples I said to them, Believe in Me. Trust Me, for I am with you always. Believe in Me and know that I am with you and I have good things planned for you and I plan to prosper you, I plan to give you favor. But know that some things take time because I am not throwing you together for you to lose or to fail. I am building you to be victorious.

So, even though at times it may seem like suffering, and even though at times it may seem I am quiet, know that I am with you always! I am with you always, And in time I will unfold the plan in your life and you will see Me prosper you because you believe in Me.and you are Mine. Do you sense the wind? The wind is blowing! The breath of My Spirit is blowing!  You’ve entered a new season. Feel the wind blowing upon you and your family. Feel the wind blowing upon the embers of the passion that has softened or died because of the hardships you’ve gone through. I’m blowing on those embers (blowing into the mic). Be revived! I’m sending My angelic host - be revived, be revived, be revived. Be revived with the vision I gave you. Be revived with the gifts that I’ve given you. Be revived with the hope that I’ve placed within you and imparted to you. Be revived in My love. For this is a new day!  I know, I know, you’ve heard new day, new day, new day. But it is a new day for you! Even though your schedule may not look like the schedule of others, I ask you, don’t compare! Don’t compare! This is not a competition. I’m dealing with you individually. I’m dealing with your life, I’m dealing with your family, I’m answering your prayers. Look to Me. Trust Me. Believe in Me. For I have not left you, and you will see things begin to spring forth and you will say, “Thank You, Lord, it is well with You.  It is well with my soul.” 

So rejoice and give Me praise because I am the God that is more than enough. I am the King of the Universe and you will see Me move on your behalf. 

Thank you Lord for your love and provision. That you guide us and walk with us. Thank you that you have plans not to harm us but to give us hope. Thank you that you walk with us and guide us even in uncharted waters and even in darkness. Lord, we believe and ask you to help us with any unbelief. We choose to trust you and place our hope in you. Help us to sense the wind of your Spirit and see with Spirit eyes your plans and purposes. Thank you that all provision comes from you - that you are our supply. Thank you Lord that you are always with us. We rejoice in your loving kindness and goodness. We thank You, Lord!

Be blessed in His love and grace!

Urgent Need For Benny Humphries-Deeper In Love Ministries Peru

There is no greater love than laying down one’s life for his brother. Benny Humphries is the quintessential picture of just that. Once an educator in Polk County Florida, with ministry training from Carpenter’s Home Church to Morningstar Ministries, he sensed twenty years ago the call of God to sell everything and go to the nations. He found himself in Peru where he met his beautiful wife Alexandria, a native of Peru. They not only started their family, but they birthed a spiritual family in Tarapoto, Peru, in the low jungle near the Amazon River.

Over the years Benny and his wife and family have developed a K-3 school, three congregations, outreach programs including food for the poor, and various conferences to train and equip Pastors. They have traveled the Amazon River taking their training and message to various Pastors and developing communities, also giving support and guidance. Benny also sits on several Boards lending support and counseling. He has written numerous books to help educate and train others. Benny and his family have truly lived by faith, being instructed to build a non-denominational community named Deeper In Love Ministries Peru. While other missionaries align with mainline groups often giving greater financial support, it has been God bringing provision for all He has requested of Benny. This apostolic ministry is touching the world and people of Peru in His name.

The Humphries have six children, five biological and one adopted, ranging from ages five to twenty-three. Their family has lived through three earthquakes, bringing damage to their home. However the recent earthquake in Peru at 8.0 hit hard, demolishing many homes around them and making their home now unlivable by Civil Defense Code. The home, over 60 years old, is made of compacted clay and the foundation has now shifted and is broken. They have patched up their home for a decade after each earthquake. The need for a secure home structure is urgent for the Humphries. The home must be rebuilt with concrete blocks to be livable and align with civil codes. For this reason we are trying to help raise the $80,000.00 needed to rebuild.

Deeper in Love MInistries Mission Statement is: To advance the Kingdom of God by completing the great commission including building schools, churches, writing relevant books and bringing people into the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

You can find up to date information and photos on their Facebook page: Deeper In Love Ministries Peru.

For donations please visit their GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/rebuild-home-for-missionaries-benny-amp-alexandra.

If you choose to send a check please make it out to “The Covenant Center” and mark it for “Benny.” Our address is: The Covenant Center, 26 Lake Wire, PO Box 524, Lakeland, Florida 33802-0524.

Thank you for your prayers as well as your support for this family and ministry and for your giving to this urgent need.

In His Covenant Love,

Seven Truths For A Strong Foundation - Pat Stark

Broken world living contains much mixture - the beautiful with the ugly, the easy with the difficult, the joys with the sorrows, the wonderful with the terrible, the thrilling and exciting with the mundane and downright boring. Walking with God through all of the above refines and purifies our demanding hearts; for in our humanity, we all desire the perfect, the fair, the just, the easy. One day on the other side, we will have it, but not here. Jesus in all his perfection suffered horrible injustice! And so will we (John 16:33).

Just like in the seasons of nature, a tree is battered in some moments and restored with the warmth of the sunshine in others; stretched to capacity as it is bent low in a violent windstorm, but restored to beauty in the gentle rains from above. Our lives are like that - the future unknown, the next moments uncertain, but God is our Rock, the only solid place under our feet when all else is quaking. We know that in our heads, but through our circumstances we are forced to learn that in our hearts. He is the only sure foundation for our time (Isaiah 33:6) - for the insecurities we live with that are lurking in the distance. HE is our only security. Surrendering our lives into his hands is the only way of peace, for He alone holds all things together when they seem to be falling apart all around us (Colossians 1:17 & Psalm 31:14-15 NIV).

In this my 80th year of life with over 50 plus years of walking with Jesus, I have come to some realities to stand firm upon as I have walked through the battering of this fallen world in my day to day circumstances.

1) Emotional healing from the past frees me to live from God’s grace and peace, instead of fear, anxiety and
the need to control.

2) I can’t do life on my own. I don’t even know what it is suppose to look like. My own “pictures of life” are skewed. I am weak, but He is strong in my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 and 13:4 NIV).

3) Life really is too big for me so I must be desperately, emotionally dependent upon God at all times or fear will take over.

4) Unless I become childlike, not childish, I can’t even see the Kingdom of God, no less live in it. (Children are weak and dependent, trusting on the one who is bigger than them).

5) I will grieve and mourn a lot because this broken world is not what I was created for and not the way I want it to be (Matthew 5:3,4 NIV).

6) Daily surrender and gratitude are absolutely necessary if I’m to live in peace and remain in peace in the midst of it all. (I must look daily with thankfulness for the gifts that come in the midst of the losses).

7) I get the privilege of co-laboring with God in my own uniqueness and for His own purposes, so my life takes on rich meaning even in the midst of the brokenness of daily living.

Sometimes He Asks You To Get In The Boat - Becky Maisenbacher

Jesus was with His disciples after a time of teaching, when He turns and says to them in Mark 4:35: “Hey guys, let’s get in the boat and cross to the other side.” Now one must assume Jesus knew that a storm was brewing, but he asked his friends to get in the boat with him anyway. Verse 37 states: Soon a violent windstorm came up, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was being swamped. But Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him and said, ‘Teacher, don’t You care that we are perishing?’ Then in verse 39 Jesus spoke to the storm and wind - “Silence! Be still! And the wind died down and it was perfectly calm.

Storms of life are never enjoyable. Here in Florida I watch the weather to actually try to avoid them, but eventually they do appear. The disciples were a good picture of what we emotionally deal with when a storm arises. They were fearful and the unknown was disconcerting, so Jesus spoke to their doubt, while exposing their thoughts and concerns. But there was more happening than they may have realized. What did they experience while in the storm? They experienced a miracle and God’s supernatural power they had never seen before, exclaiming: “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” They grew in wisdom and understanding and further witness of the Kingdom through their experience in the boat. We want to know God and understand His ways, but to experience Him, He may ask or invite you to get in the boat. The disciples were out of control, but Jesus was right there with them, watching over, guiding, revealing more of Himself to His followers. I’m sure the disciples grew in their faith and trust knowing Jesus was with them, keeping them safe. And the good news is He is still the same today for you and me! Maybe you are in the boat with a storm brewing, or are about to be invited into the boat. There is nothing more peaceful and soothing than gliding along the smooth glass like sea of Galilee on a beautiful day, but if a storm begins to erupt, look for Jesus. He is right there with you preparing to teach you who He is and how much He cares for you. He will comfort, protect, guide you and watch over you. Know that He rides upon your storm and when you agree with Him and look for what He is teaching or revealing, you will sail through and watch Him calm the waters as you grow in wisdom and understanding.

In 1993, Arthur Burt, a wise prophet, gave a word of encouragement to Richard and I. It took me some years to understand, because I had yet to encounter a really troubling storm. But this word, encouraged and comforted me as Jesus guided me into the boat over the years. Arthur said: “ Be in turmoil, battles that are peculiar to youth, but God is in the storm. He rides upon it (the storm). If He rides agree with Him and you will not sink. The storms of youth, I haven’t looked at you. The storms of youth, they leave their mark on life. But out of the storm blind unbelief is sure to error and scan His works in vain, God is His own interpreter and He will make it plain.”

Be encouraged and know that blind unbelief will certainly assist you in sinking, but trusting God and His faithfulness, knowing He rides on your life’s storms will bring peace and hope. You will not sink or fail as you trust Him, and He will bring understanding to you and make His plans clear.

In His love,