The "Esther Call"

 

”For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”“ Esther 4:14 NKJV 

 Most of us have read the book of Esther in the Bible. This message is for all of us, not just the ladies. I read this passage on Saturday and it came to me that we are all called for such a time as this.  

When Esther was called to fulfill her purpose, the Jews were being heavily oppressed by the wicked man Haman. He was out to destroy God’s people and he was setting his plan in motion. It sounds a lot like what is happening in Israel today.  

Ever since the beginning of time, there has been a battle waged against the souls of men and women who love and seek after God. Israel faced one battle after another, and they still do to this very day.  

As we all pray for the peace of Israel, we must remember that they are not the only ones who see attack. Christians today all over the world are experiencing spiritual warfare like we may never have seen in our history. 

What’s the Esther call then for today’s men and women of God? When we read the account of Esther being set up to be the queen, she was being placed in a position that would bring her before the only one who could make a decision that would change the destiny for the Israelites.  

The verse we read today says that the timing of her calling was exactly positioned so that she would be the one who could change the course of history for all her people. She would be used to expose the evil plans of the enemy, and his plan of destruction would be foiled. 

 It’s wonderful to know that no matter what the devil tries to set up against us that if our God is for us, who can be against us!  

The Bible tells us that God planned the exact timing of our birth and where we would live. He gave each of us a call to be His witnesses all over the world. This means wherever He placed each person, we are to go out to win the souls of people all around us. We must stand in the gap through prayer! 🙏🏻 

Listen, today there still remains a real devil seeking to destroy God’s people. You and I have a calling like Esther to go to battle for the people. It’s our job to get in the fight and pray! It’s our job to push back the powers of darkness and usher in the glorious gospel light. 

If we don’t step up and take our stand and bring our requests before God for the deliverance of the people, we will not grasp the meaning for which we were born. 

Friend, no matter where you and I live, the time is now to expose the evil works of satanic plans and let God know that we aren’t going to accept the devils evil schemes. 

On Saturday it seems like all hell was breaking loose against me, trying to bring up the same old tactics satan’s army has been doing for years now. Even though there was a great deal of pressure and distraction, I pressed through and the Lord blessed our day in many ways.  

It isn’t easy, but it’s a battle we must fight. We must stand in prayer before the King of kings. We must bring our petition for help before Him. Let Him know that we mean business and we are not going to stop until whatever enemy we are dealing with is completely defeated!  

In our services today at the church meetings, both messages resonated so much with what God had already laid on my heart. The first is a message to not give up. Like the injured runner who finished the race in spite of his injury with the help of his loving Father, I was tearfully reminded that you and I can finish our course too with the help of our Abba Father in heaven.  

The second message was about engaging in the fight. Esther got engaged in the fight. The injured runner got engaged in the fight. Now, you and I are called to take up our armor, and use the weapons God has given us to engage in and become victorious over whatever giants may be coming against us and our families.  

There are seasons of peace in our lives, but so many times, we are called to fight the good fight of faith against an evil enemy so we can enter into that season of rest and peace.  

The Bible was full of battles and God gave the victory to those who sought Him for the battle plan. Seek the Lord and ask Him to show you what your battle plan is and begin to take up your armor and become the champion you were created to be!  

Our God is for us! He is faithful and will never leave or forsake us! Be that Esther! Be that David! Be the one who gets the victory and stops what the devil is trying to do in your life and that of your family! In Jesus mighty Name! 

The Dove - Rest in Me as I Rest on You

 

Here's a subject that is quite foreign to the human heart for most people. It's about resting. I have talked about this before. Today I am sharing what the Lord has been showing me all week. Whether you have been a Christian a long time, or just a short while, there is a struggle in our flesh to receive the rest that Holy Spirit provides us on a daily basis. This doesn't mean that we lay around all the time and do nothing. Indeed, we must daily be about our Father's business. What it does mean is that we need to slow down in our hearts. We need to receive the blessings from the Lord every day when we spend time with Him. Remember, in order to have something to give to others, we must first be good receivers. Many of us are always wanting to help others and give, give, give. But when it comes to receiving, most of us have a hard time. But how can we give what we don't have. If we don't take the time to read God's Word each day and pray, and let the Lord heal and comfort what's bothering us, then we cannot truly give to others from an abundance of what we ourselves have received. I have walked with Jesus on a more surrendered basis since 2005, yet every day seems to be a new day of surrender, a new day of "rest." We need constant reassurance from Him, including His love and comfort. He must be more than enough for us. This means more than people, places, things, activities, everything. We must to fill up in His presence and then we can go forward in our day to be a blessing to others. Doing this will also take the focus off of ourselves and the concerns we are facing in our lives. We all have stuff that's concerning us and much to pray about. That's where it all begins. Knowing that we are not perfect, may we have a heart that longs for Jesus and His comfort and guidance. He is our Lord and He will supply our every need as we daily surrender to Him. He is so faithful to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Today when we went out to lunch after church, the young lady who was serving us seemed a bit heavy laden. We asked her if she would like to have one of our tracts. At first she said she knows Jesus and almost said, "I'm good" but hesitated when I showed her His picture and asked if she would like to share it with someone else. She responded saying that would be ok and took the tract. When she left the table, we prayed for her. We knew something was heavy on her and we stood in the gap. As she continued to serve us, she seemed completely different. Her countenance was lovely. I wonder if she knows Jesus and spends time with Him in the morning to start her day. Only God knows. But one thing I know is that the encounter with her was used by our loving and merciful heavenly Father to lift her up. We were so glad. So remember, no matter how long we have known Jesus, we still need to receive from Him daily. We need to rest in His sweet love. We need to allow Him to rest on us. A lot like that Mary Magdalene story from last week. Just to be with Him is a blessing we can take to others who need Him just as much as we do. Song: The Dove (Belonging Company & Kari Jobe) Thank you for reading our weekly blog and even telling others whom you feel may benefit from it. You can check out our website to see what we do in Africa in addition to our ministry duties here. Any donations to our ministry are completely tax deductible. Help us spread the Word around the globe. Much love and many blessings to you and yours in Jesus' Name. Amen! Denny & Hanny Stearns Fish N Loaves Ministries, Inc. Multiplying God's Word around the globe!

www.Fishnloavesministries.org Fishnloavesministries.blogspot.com

Faith & The Marketplace - Mary Magdalene

 

Most of us are out there in the marketplace working to support our family and the ministries we support. That's great! Some of us are no longer working, yet we are out and about from day to day with various errands, chores, meetings, etc. Today, I opened to a Bible story that is very dear to my heart. It is the story of Mary Magdalene. She had come to Jesus a sinner (sound familiar?) and poured her heart out at the feet of Jesus. She went to the right place for the right thing and her life was transformed. Not only did she cry out to Jesus as she sought healing, forgiveness and deliverance from demonic influence, but she poured out upon His feet an expensive fragrance that she had from her financial supply. What does this have to do with us today, you ask? Everything! When we encounter Jesus and receive His forgiveness and healing, we begin to live a life of deep love and devotion to Him. Our biblical example given in Mary shows us that her deep love and devotion caused her to give all of her life to Jesus. That included her financial commitment to support His ministry, her whole heart of full devotion to Him, and sticking with Him in His darkest hour. He rescued her in her darkest hour, and subsequently, she would stay with Him in His. Total devotion to all that He is. This week, Denny and I had two different insurance appointments with clients. One on Thursday, and one on Saturday. It seemed pretty evident that these two couples did not know Jesus. We never pass judgment, but what we saw led us to believe that they may need some help getting there. The first gal had a boyfriend who was not present at the meeting except to pop in and say hi. I paid attention to the business at hand and waited for my opportunity to speak. Once I finished the business side of things, I asked if I could pray for her. Her answer was yes, though very causal. Before I prayed, I went to the bathroom and prayed. I asked the Lord for His help. She seemed like she would be a "tough nut to crack!" I went back and prayed with her and then showed her our tract with Jesus' picture on it. Then we talked about the little boy who went to heaven and saw Jesus. We told her about the movie, Heaven is For Real." She looked at that picture and said it gave her the chills. Halleluja! Holy Spirit was at work! We left that meeting rejoicing and praying for that couple, knowing that God was on the move. The Saturday appointment was similar. When her husband laid down, it was just her and us. We finished the business aspect of the meeting and offered to pray. She agreed. When I showed her the picture, she said, "His eyes are so mesmerizing." Then she said, "It gives me the chills!" I was in awe of God once again! Here He was, touching another lost soul! Wow! Again, we went to the car rejoicing in what the Lord was doing and praying for Him to help them to receive their salvation. So how do these stories and Mary Magdalene match up? By faith in God and a deep devotion to follow Jesus, we will surrender all that we do and have to Him for His work in the earth to save people. He created people and He deeply loves people. I spoke with a lady while getting a therapeutic pedicure on Saturday following the appointment. She accepted the card and it was yet another situation where she needed Jesus. You see, our work, our doctor appointments, our shopping trips, meetings, indeed, all that we do in the course of the week is an opportunity to touch people in the marketplace. And we need money to live and support the work of God's kingdom. All of this advancement of God's kingdom requires deep love, devotion, commitment and financial support. Won't you join us in committing all that we have to the work of Jesus in our lives and the lives of others? The devil doesn't want us to pay attention to this, but the Lord compels us to follow Him. Surrender all to Him and be about our Father's business. Matthew 4:19 - Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." Song: Victor's Crown Thank you for reading our weekly blog and even telling others whom you feel may benefit from it. You can check out our website to see what we do in Africa. Any donations to our ministry are completely tax deductible. Help us spread the Word around the globe. Much love and many blessings to you and yours in Jesus' Name. Amen! Denny & Hanny Stearns Fish N Loaves Ministries, Inc. Multiplying God's Word around the globe!

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Bringing in the Multitude

Today I am excited to share another wonderful message of how God works in our lives through the message of the gospel. Christians have been commissioned by the Lord Jesus to share His message of salvation with others. It seems simple, but many lack the boldness to step out and share this most important message with others. Regardless of how they will react, we still must tell them. This is a commandment of our Lord.

I was led to the very passage where Jesus was on the beach waiting to have breakfast with the disciples. Remember, they had gone back to fishing after Jesus had appeared to them following His resurrection. They had fished all night and caught nothing. Then, Jesus appeared to them at the beach. He had some final comments to make before He ascended back to heaven.

Read John 21 in full to review the story. He asked them if they had any food and they replied, "No." Next, He directed them to cast their net on the right side of the boat, and when they did, they were not able to draw in the multitude of fish. It is a wonderful reminder that we are called to be fishers of men.

What impressed me this morning as I read this is that with Jesus living inside of us to guide and direct us, we can be a part of the great harvest of souls in these last days. With Him, all things are possible. When I read about the fish and bread He offered them for their breakfast, I thought about the wedding feast we will one day participate in with Jesus in heaven.

For now, we must step out in faith to bring in the souls (fish) and then we will have a wedding feast with our Lord that is surely beyond our comprehension of how awesome that will be.

When we went out to walk our Jesse this morning, we ran right into a man who needed to hear the gospel. I would like to report that he received it with joy. But he had several misconceptions about Jesus, religion and how to get to heaven by doing good works. After our encounter, we prayed for him to have his eyes opened. At church, we talked about the very subject of taking our God given authority to pray for people, including our families to command satan to take the blinders off their eyes.

As children of God, we have all authority over the devil to pray for people to get healed, and to cast out demons, and to preach the gospel message. We must believe it. We must step out and tell people. They are desperate for this all powerful, lifesaving message. So, for now, the "fishing" as we co-labor with Jesus. Later, the feast with Jesus. How awesome! Let's remember who we are in Christ, and that with Him, we can do all things.

John 21:6-13

And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.

Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it) and plunged into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.”

Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.” Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?”—knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish.

We are praying you are blessed by this message. Feel free to share this with others. If you need prayer, you can call us anytime at 239-682-0944. We are happy to help.

Denny & Hanny Stearns

Fish N Loaves Ministries, Inc.

Multiplying God's Word around the globe!

Step Out in Faith!

 

I'm excited to share a few moments with you and tell you about all the great things we are seeing the Lord do! Fish N Loaves Ministries is reaching out to more people than ever with the Word of God. He is always on the move! We are so blessed to see the responses we are getting. God is really changing lives and healing hearts, bodies and minds. Our Blog is going out across the globe and reaching many right here in our own back yard. Today I am led to talk about "Stepping out in Faith." In spite of trials, setbacks, obstacles, or thoughts of, "I can't do that!" the Lord is able to do more than we can ask or imagine if we use our faith and trust Him for what we cannot yet see. We have been working hard to escalate the work of our ministry. Though we have had delays, we know what God wants to do through us, at least in part, and we want to see it all come pass as He wills. Today when I spent time with the Lord before church, I heard "step out in faith" and I did. We had an amazing service and Holy Spirit dropped me to the ground in awe of God as I laughed in His joy! I thought of an old book I read years ago by Stormie Omartian called "Just Enough Light for the Step I'm On." Looking at the stories in the Bible, we can see that God is in the habit of doing the unusual and the impossible as He calls us to take a step at a time. We cannot be afraid to do what we think we can't do. Look at Moses for example. He couldn't speak, or so he thought, so God made a way, and He was used to lead God's people out of bondage! And He is still working today. No matter what your particular gifts and calling are, believe that what He is calling you to do, He will perform. Jeremiah heard the Lord say, "I am ready to perform My Word." All it takes is for us to stop the fear and trust what God is calling us to do. You and I have a duty as Christians to seek out God's specific calling and plan for our lives. Then we need to take steps in that direction, one step at a time. Read Hebrews 11. By faith, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and Rahab to name a few, stepped out and did what looked impossible. We see in God's Word what the results of their faith was. It was beyond human capability. Friends, we can't do it on our own. But when we co-labor with our Lord and take a step of faith, He will do the heavy lifting. I hope this encourages you today. I am stepping out in faith with my husband to watch what God will do through Fish N Loaves Ministries. We have done many things so far, both here and abroad. But there is so much more! It's a time of awakening and revival. Let us be those passionate seekers of Jesus and be the revivalists that He appointed for such a time as this. Are you ready to do the impossible? Look at this, Hebrews 11:1 For without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. We are working in the US and with the churches in Africa to build and plant soul winning congregations. We are praying and seeing people get healed and overcome the impossible. And it's just getting started. Denny & I hope you will join in the journey with us to feed on God's Word and step out in faith to see the impossible. He is so good and faithful. We are praying you are blessed by this message. Feel free to share this with others. If you need prayer, you can call us anytime at 239-682-0944. We are happy to help. Denny & Hanny Stearns Fish N Loaves Ministries, Inc. Multiplying God's Word around the globe!

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The Man Who Felt Unworthy

 Sunday Message Feb. 18

“The Man Who Felt Unworthy”

It was another awesome God appointment this week as we met a very dear friend for lunch on Friday. It’s always so exciting to talk with him because he is so excited to talk and the Lord and ask questions. He is always eager to share Jesus with others, and then delights to tell us about His experiences! 

How many know if we aren’t excited to share Jesus with others, we might wonder if that person is really saved! 

Our friend told us he likes telling people that Jesus wants to heal them and give them the best. He also let us know that he thought he was going blind a little at a time. He had convinced himself this was going to happen. 

We explained that Jesus wants him healed. He thought if this was God’s will to be blind he would just accept it. We talked about what the Bible says in 3 John 2 that the Lord wants us to prosper and be in health even as our soul prospers. 

He looked at me and said, “But I’ve done some bad things in my life. I’m not worthy.” As he said it, he began to sob. I looked at him and explained that Jesus made him worthy and when God looks at him, He sees Jesus, who paid the price to make him worthy. 

I began to weep right along with him as his heart was being deeply touched by Jesus. It was touching me and Denny too. We were in awe as we watched this unfold. 

Then I realized what had happened in the car earlier in the morning while I waited for Denny to come out from his appointment. I had been playing worship music and praying in the spirit as I colored a picture. 

Suddenly I saw a scene in a vision and it was our friend that we were to meet for lunch at noon. He was crying. Then I heard the Lord say, “Help Dan.” 

As sat there at the lunch table, I told him what I had seen earlier in the car during prayer. He was stunned! Frankly, so was I! It was a heavenly “Wow God, thank You Jesus and Holy Spirit” moment. 

After we prayed over his eyes to be healed and went outside to hug and say “see ya later,” I began weeping so hard! It was as if God was showing Dan His love for him and how he was worthy to be healed and blessed, and now He was impressing me with the same thing so deep. I cried so hard! 

What a moment that was! He didn’t even know why we were meeting that particular day, he just knew he was supposed to have lunch with us that day. God had set the whole thing up, and the impact that it had on him and all of us was deeply touching! Hallelujah! 

Here are the verses that the Lord brought to me that solidify what God was revealing. 

”And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.“

‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

In the previous verses of that chapter, it talks about the way we were before we got born again. Pretty ugly stuff. Even Paul said he had been the chief of sinners but once he met Jesus, he was never the same. 

The same with John who went to heaven to be able to write the book of Revelation.  He always called himself the disciple whom Jesus loved. He had a revelation of the Lord’s love for him that kept him assured of his heavenly future. 

Here’s the other verse, 

”Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.“

‭‭II Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬-‭21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

There you have it! We accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and he made us justified, just as if we have never sinned. Then He appointed us to be ministers of reconciliation, meaning that we have a duty to tell others about this eternal good news! 

Our friend keeps feeling he wants to be a minister to others. That’s Holy Spirit urging him to do it! 

So my friend, if you or someone you know feels that you or they are not worthy to be healed, think again! God’s Word makes it clear! Remember, when God our Father looks at us, He sees Jesus! That’s the best news I’ve ever heard, how about you? 

As always, we pray this brings revelation to your heart and feel free to share it with others. You can respond to this blog as it is personal to you. Share our number with others. 

Love and many blessings! 🙏🏻✝️♥️

Denny and Hanny Stearns

Fish N Loaves Ministries, Inc. 

Multiplying God’s Word around the globe 🌍 

Fishnloavesministries.org

Fishnloavesministries.blogspot.com

Butterflies and Transformation

 Butterflies 🦋 🦋 🦋& Transformation 

Song: Set A Fire 🔥 

Yesterday I went shopping to see if I could find anything on sale. After much searching, I found a skirt covered with beautiful butterflies in my favorite colors of turquoise and pink! I knew it was for me. 

This morning I woke with a vision of a pillar of fire.🔥 As I walked into church, a sweet lady I know came up to recount how God was speaking to her about a decision she was going to make. She said that the Lord was trying to show her that she was about to make a wrong decision and move to a place where It wouldn’t be good for her. Now she had told me this story once before, so I patiently listened again. 

This time, however, she talked about the butterflies she gets in her tummy when Holy Spirit is trying to say to her, “No, don’t do this!” She could hear it in her heart. She hadn’t been listening when the butterflies came. Finally she got it. There was confirmation through the pastor as well. He had heard the same thing. 

I went into church and the service began, and the fire 🔥 of God fell on me so hard I just wept! It was like the fire I saw in the dream! I couldn’t sing, I just wept as He led me to just let it out! The Lord was speaking to my heart in such a big way all through the service, and I found myself repenting for things and thanking Him for healing me. 

He had much to say and I had to be “on my face” in the spirit before Him. I went in feeling a bit heavy this morning, but came out feeling better and closer to Jesus. 

While we sat there, Denny looked down at our dog Jesse who was resting in between us. He pointed to his tail. It was showing the shape of two perfect hearts! We hadn’t touched it! I was in awe of how was speaking this morning! 

Finally, after the service, a young lady came up to talk with Denny and I along with her mom. She pulled something out of her pocket. And no kidding, it was a stone with a beautiful butterfly that she had painted! Wow God! 

So today we are encouraged to pay attention to the butterflies. 🦋 we need to listen to what the Lord is trying to say to us and be willing to change so that He can make us the beautiful transformed person that He created us to be! 

”I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.“ ‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ 

Please feel free to share this blog with as many as you like and give them my number. This is a private text so you may respond if you like. We love to hear from you. This is reaching so many people around the world and the list just keeps growing - Praise Jesus! 

Much love to you all in Jesus! ✝️🙏🏻♥️ 

Denny and Hanny Stearns 

Fish N Loaves Ministries, Inc. 

Multiplying God’s Word around the globe 🌍  Fishnloavesministries.orgFishnloavesministries.blogspot.com