Legacy Empowerment Session
The spread of the coronavirus has caused a level of fear and anxiety in many people. We know that God is in control and that He has not given us the spirit of fear. Yet, we do not take this situation lightly and understand the importance of operating with wisdom. We are closely monitoring the news of the coronavirus and paying attention to guidance published by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
While there have only been a handful of presumptively confirmed cases in Nevada, we are taking precautionary measures to ensure a safe place to gather and worship at MFM. Until the virus is contained, MFM will implement the additional safety measures while our weekly services continue.
ILLNESS:
If you are ill, please enjoy the service online. This will ensure that you recover more quickly and do not pass on an illness to others. You can go to mfmnv.org for information on streaming.
COMMON AREAS:
Doors and surfaces in common areas and the bathrooms will be wiped down more frequently. Additionally, more hand sanitizer dispensers will be installed in the common areas.
GREETINGS & PRAYER:
To minimize contact with other congregants, MFM volunteers will replace the customary handshake or hug, with a friendly verbal greeting.
During greeting time in services, you should greet one another with smiles and waves instead of handshakes.
During prayer, we will not link hands but may, instead, place our hands on each other’s shoulders or elbows.
OFFERING:
We recommend that you give online at mfmnv.org or by using MFM’s mobile app or text-to-give to reduce the potential spread of viruses through handling money; however, we are still accepting checks and cash.
KIDS & YOUTH AREAS:
We will wipe down all surfaces and toys with an appropriate disinfectant more frequently.
As always, we ask that you do not bring your children to services or Kingdom Kids if they are sick.
PREVENTION:
We strongly encourage you to become educated on the coronavirus by visiting the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) website or the Southern Nevada Health District’s website. (A notice from the CDC is attached for your convenience.)
Here are some basic preventative measures:
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue away and immediately wash your hands.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
Let’s pray for those negatively affected by the virus and work together to prevent its spread.
Sincerely,
Pastor Clinton House
Understanding Triggers, Gates and Doors
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We are entering into a new season, and I believe that we are all on the cusp of something life-changing! God is not “going” to do it; it has already been done, and it is heading toward us with full force. Every person has gates to their spirit, soul, and body. The Word tells us that when we received Jesus, we became sealed with the Holy Spirit. The gates to our spirit closed when our spirit becomes a new creation.
A stronghold is a fortified dwelling encamping around our belief system. Our distorted thinking patterns and faulty core beliefs are the strongholds that hinder our agreement with God’s Word. Identifying and tearing down our strongholds is essential to walking in the fullness of God’s victory and power. Satan’s kingdom mirrors everything in God’s kingdom, producing a counterfeit. Therefore, if there is a gate to blessings, there is most assuredly a gate to familiar spirits of influence.
Examples of stronghold thought patterns are fear, doubt, negativity, expectations, rejection, betrayal, performance-based mentality, victim thinking, and so many more. These strongholds formed through our life experiences are contrary to the Truth of God’s Word. They alter how we perceive God, His character, promises, who we are in Him, and the authority that we have through Christ Jesus. We must shut our open gates against the enemy. Our strongholds reveal to us what gates we have open. If even one gate is open and unprotected, we fall prey to our enemies who seek to oppress us and gain a foothold. God warns us not to give the devil place. Gates of pride, rebellion, false beliefs, or wrong motives allow Satan to erect a fortress giving the enemy a place to establish his camp. We must keep watch over our gates; this means searching ourselves through the Holy Spirit and guarding the gates and doors to our soul and body. We must actively choose to identify and tear down mental strongholds and not allow the enemy to access us through our gates. Our perception of our life situations, the patterns, and beliefs that we operate in, and how we feed either our flesh or our spirit man are all of great importance. This is not only to tear down strongholds but to guard the doors and gates that allow deception to enter and turn us in the wrong direction. We want to have the mind of Christ, so guard your doors and gates and tear-down strongholds that are contrary to the Word of God. Let God be your stronghold.
Guarding our doors and gates are extremely important. How we take in information and process it is how things enter through the doors and gates of our soul. Our five senses are the doors and gates that allow information to enter. It is important to feed the spirit, not the flesh, so we are to guard our borders. The Bible shows us clearly in the Old Testament that the vulnerability and strength of a fortress or stronghold always rest in its gates. This principle is the same in the spiritual and revealed to us in the natural.
There are important facts that were known in Bible times to conquer a fortified city. So these principles apply to us tearing down our strongholds.
There are important facts that were known in Bible times to conquer a fortified city.
These principles apply to us, tearing down our strongholds.
The Old Testament provides us with an image of a stronghold surrounded by thick walls, a draw bridge, and fortified gates. The gates of the ancient cities are not as we imagine today’s gates, but massive gates made of stone, iron, brass, or wood frequently sheeted with metal. They were tall and wide. “The Beautiful Gate” of Herod’s temple (Acts 3:2) was made of brass and required twenty men to close it. These gates were opened during the day to allow the citizens to come and go but were generally closed and barred at night as a safety measure to keep out enemy attacks. Whoever controlled the gates of the stronghold ruled the city.
The gates of a city were very significant. The gates were shut at nightfall (Joshua 2:5) because they were the chief point from which the enemy attacked (Judges 5:8). Idolatrous acts were performed at the gates (Acts 14:13). Battering rams were set against the gates (Ezekiel 21:22), and the gates were broken down and burned with fire (Nehemiah 1:3).
The gates were seats of authority (Ruth 4:11). At the gates, wisdom was uttered (Proverbs 1:21). Judges and officers served at the gates administering justice (Deuteronomy 16:18), and the councils of state were held at the gates (2 Chronicles 18:9). The Word was read (Nehemiah 8:2-3), and the prophets proclaimed God’s message (Jeremiah 17:19-20) from the gates. The people also had to enter through the gates to worship the Lord.
I pray that every gate of distraction be overturned and dismantled and closed. Enter into your NEW SEASON without interruptions, pay close attention to what the enemy uses to trigger your gates. I am praying for you and excited about your Future.
Pastor House
“The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalm 18:2
My only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me. Acts 20:24
In 2018, endurance athlete Colin O’Brady took a walk that had never been taken before. Pulling a supply sled behind him, O’Brady trekked across Antarctica entirely alone—a total of 932 miles in 54 days. It was a momentous journey of dedication and courage.
Commenting on his time alone with the ice, the cold, and the daunting distance, O’Brady said, “I was locked in a deep flow state [fully immersed in the endeavor] the entire time, equally focused on the end goal, while allowing my mind to recount the profound lessons of this journey.”
For those of us who have put our faith in Jesus, that statement might strike a familiar chord. It sounds a lot like our calling as believers: focused on the goal of walking through life in a way that glorifies (honors) God and reveals Him to others. In Acts 20:24, Paul, no stranger to dangerous journeys, said, “I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”
As we walk on in our relationship with Jesus, may we recognize what we know about the purpose for our journey and press on to the day we’ll see our Savior face to face.
Reflect & Pray
How does your relationship with Jesus affect your walk in life? What can you do today to reveal to others your love for Him?
Dear heavenly Father, as we walk through life, help us to honor You in all we do. And may we encourage others to journey with You.
resource: Our Daily Bread www.odb.org
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