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Monday am, 7/25 Obedience accesses Faith

July 25, 2011 Merlin Gonzales FHL Indiana, FHL Week

My day starts with my daily Bible devotion, tending my garden, checking FHL web, email, etc. I was just reminiscing how the Lord had rescued us from the extreme heat yesterday.
Early Sunday morning, I asked the Lord to provide us cooler weather, with some sprinkling of rain to cool us down and cloudy.

By 1pm, the cloud starting to form and at 1:30p it rained. (Indianapolis had not had rain and it had been in the 90’s in the past several days) I grabbed the mike and asked everyone at University Park to agree with me in prayer that the event will not be stopped by heavy rain. I also announced that we worship the Lord anytime, anywhere, anyhow. Our ministry leader showed me through his iPhone the current forecast with the cloud of rain just circling around the park. Within a few minutes of rain, all of a sudden, the temperature change to 15-20 degrees cooler, with breeze and the cloud lingered.
I heard from others who just came at 2-2:30p that just a mile or two from the park was a downpour and heavy rain.

The Bible states that the Lord gave the Israelites cloud by day to keep them cool and fire by night to keep them warm.

Lord, thank you for honoring our prayer and for showing us your Glory through the changing of the atmosphere and by blessing our land.

Looking forward for more miracles today. “Obedience access faith and faith access grace. Miracles happen because of the grace of God.”

Praise the Lord!

The next stage

July 17, 2011 Merlin Gonzales FHL Indiana

2 Chronicles 30:12, “Also in Judah the hand of God was on the people to give them unity of mind to carry out what the king and his officials had ordered, following the word of the LORD.” – NIV

Only by God’s blessings can we experience the true meaning of UNITY and we can carry out what FHL was called to. If we are to teach and preach unity, it needs to start from within us and from our leadership. We model who and what we are for.

Since early part of this year, my spirit has been anticipating new things coming in May (ministry-being more focused, resources/financial blessings):

in May and June we received 5 donated cars and in June alone, our income/donations was 3 times more than normal.
I sense that after our 7th FHL Week, we have to be ready for unexpected blessings and increased harvests from the years of sowing. We have been proven and tried. Our new season is coming. However, there is price to pay and we need to position ourselves for the growth and for new assignments.
2011 is the preparation for 2012 – (I’ll expound later in this)

Be ready. We will be harvesting where we did now sow and the reaper will overtake the harvesters. From the mountain of the Lord will flow Rivers of Living Water. Streams of Living Water will flow through us and we will continue to be conduits of God’s blessings to His people.

I’m looking forward to this upcoming FHL Week. Although the Official FHL Week is July 24-30th, our Noblesville area area starting early on Thursday, July 21st and a couple of other areas are extending till July 31st.

Thank you for coming alongside FHL, the ministry that God had birth out of His love for Indianapolis and beyond.

Focus directs your life

May 25, 2011 Merlin Gonzales FHL Indiana

Last weekend, I attended a Christian Conference in Youngstown OH. On our way there, we talked about the importance of focus and attention to certain things. When we got to the conference, most of what they talked about was about focus and attention.

Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” – NKJV One speaker said, you become what you think about.

This morning, I was reminded that if we meditate on the goodness of God, we will experience His goodness. The more we focus on Him, the more others see Him in us. We are being transformed to His likeness.
In the Book of Exodus, Moses ask to see the face of God. He waited on Him without any distractions. When Moses went down from the mountain, his face was transformed because God met Him at the mountain.

God, I pray that you give me grace to always be attentive to your Presence. Transform me, re-wire my brain to focus on You instead of the world.

Deuteronomy 16:15

May 19, 2011 Merlin Gonzales FHL Indiana

As we are getting closer to the Annual FHL Week (July 24-30), anticipation is building up. It is not so much about what we will accomplish and do but it is more of the alignment of our thoughts, faith and spirit. This is the Year of Faith for the FHL and do we go through God’s refining fire. Many of the city’s leaders are now preparing for FHL Week. Phone calls, emails, FB and other forms of communications are being used, visiting places, meeting new people, finding resources and volunteers, rehearsals for the dance and hundreds of other things that needed attention.

Have you find yourself praising God passionately when things are going your way? During challenging times, have you find yourself lethargic and even doubting the possibilities? Can you still have the joy from God?

The Bible says that no one nothing can take that joy away from you unless you allow that to happen. It’s about you and the choices that you make.

I would like to encourage you that God’s promises are real. When God called you to a task or mission, He will make sure that He will take care of you; it’s His Name that’s at stake. Notice I said, “take care of You”, not necessarily the “task” He had given you. He can do things Himself or through others; He wants your heart and He wants to train you to find joy in obeying Him.

For 7 days or more in July, we will celebrate the privilege of working alongside God and others in Central Indiana. “For seven days celebrate the festival to the LORD your God at the place the LORD will choose. For the LORD your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.” We will find that our greatest reward is in God and not in our accomplishment; it’s about our relationship with Him and with others…then our joy will be complete.

Thank you in advance for coming along side us in Proclaiming and Demonstrating the Unconditional Love of Christ.

Listen to my Daily Podcast about the expansion of the Kingdom of God in Indiana and how you can plug and play. Visit our FaceBook for more updated info. God bless you, Merlin

Automatic Faucet

May 19, 2011 Merlin Gonzales FHL Indiana

I was blessed to meet a couple last Friday when I went to my Men’s Bible study. Our guests was brother who was just released from a several years of imprisonment. He brought his entire family, his wife and 2 children at the Bible study. I had a chance to talk to him:

He said that Indianapolis had changed a lot, people seemed to be in a rush. One thing that he shared with me was the convenience of an automatic faucet; 10 years ago, no one would ever thought about this new technology-just put your hand under the faucet and water comes out!

Last Monday, he and his family stopped by the FHL office and we gave him some frozen food, bread, milk and shoes. This coming Saturday, they are planning to go to the Pantry of Hope to receive more food and supplies.

I would like to encourage you that your don’t have to go far to be in a mission field. To volunteer at other organizations or to partner with FHL on various ways to serve others, contact 317-578-3370 or [email protected]

Visit my Daily Podcast at https://www.facebook.com/pages/FHL-International-Inc/32260960938 to hear my interviews with people on the street. God bless you,