"2022: Days of Heaven on Earth" by Nancy Dufresne

What 2022 holds for us is “Days of Heaven on Earth!” 

Deuteronomy 11:21 reads, “That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.”

Days of heaven on earth is what God has planned and provided for His children, but we won’t just automatically float into that. The way to live “days of heaven upon the earth” is stated in the previous verses, starting with verse 18: “Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth” (Deut. 11:18-21).

How we treat the Word, giving the Word its rightful place in our lives and in our homes, and being doers of the Word, is how we experience “days of heaven upon the earth.” The more we renew our minds with God’s Word, taking on His way of thinking, speaking, and acting, the more we move into heaven’s flow — we move into how heaven operates. As we give the Word first place in our lives, life becomes sweeter and sweeter.

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. When we make the Word the centerpiece of our lives and homes, we come into a living faith, and it’s by that faith that we lay hold of, receive, and experience all that Heaven provided for us — which brings us into “days of heaven upon the earth.”

This is the kind of life God authored for His children. He did not put us here to live lives that would be full of heartache, tragedy, fear, depression, and hardship. No! He has provided for every need we will ever face in this life, and when we partake of what He has already provided for us, we will live days of heaven on earth.

Again, verse 21 tells us, “That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.”

When we give the Word first place in our lives and home, our days on this earth will be multiplied — not shortened. Not only that, our children’s days will be multiplied. The blessing of that Word governing us will bless the next generation.

Verse 21 also reads, “…IN THE LAND which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them….” In this passage, God was referring to them occupying the land He gave them — the Promised Land. That’s where He told them to be. That’s where their days could be multiplied. 

The Promised Land for us is being where He told us to be — in the place He leads us to — in the right local church, under the right pastor, and serving in that church — that is where our days can be multiplied. Be where God told you to be, and don’t exchange that place for anything else.

Ephesians 1:3 tells us, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” Another translation reads, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with everything that Heaven itself enjoys.” I like that! Nothing that heaven enjoys has been withheld from us while we are on the earth.

Romans 14:17 says, “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” Righteousness, peace, and joy — that is the flow of heaven, and that flow is offered to us while we are on the earth – a life of righteousness (Jesus has made us righteous) that lives in peace and joy. There’s no sadness, depression, fear, or torment in heaven, therefore, we can walk free from those things while we are on the earth, for the flow of heaven — righteousness, joy, and peace — is available to us NOW! We have already been blessed with everything that heaven is enjoying, and that’s what heaven is enjoying! No matter what circumstances show up in this life, they cannot remove the flow that heaven has already bestowed upon us — peace and joy. Choose heaven’s flow, a flow of peace and joy, right in the midst of opposing circumstances, and you will experience heaven on earth, no matter what the opposition!

Look at what Colossians 3:1-3 tells us: “If then you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth. For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died, and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God” (AMPC).

We don’t live days of heaven on earth by having our attention and focus fixed on earth and what’s happening here, but we are to be fixed on heaven. We are to live mindful of who He has made us to be in Christ. 

Days of heaven on earth have always belonged to God’s people, but in 2022, we are to emphasize living with Him in that flow — heaven’s flow.

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"Miracles & Reverence" by Nancy Dufresne

One of the things that God put on my heart to minister on in our recent Miracle Crusade is “Miracles and Reverence.” Brother Hagin had stated, “When reverence and honor are restored, there will be a restoration and multiplication of the miraculous power of God.” There is so much connected to our reverence and honor for the Lord.

    Not only is miracle power connected to our reverence and honor for God, but so is receiving the wisdom of God. We need His wisdom to fulfill His plan for our lives. Proverbs 9:10 (AMPC) reads, “The REVERENT and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning (the chief and choice part) of WISDOM, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight and understanding.” 

    The GNT translation reads, “To be wise you must first have REVERENCE for the Lord….”

    The NCV translation reads, “Wisdom begins with RESPECT for the Lord, and understanding begins with knowing the Holy One.”

    The NLT reads, “Fear of the Lord is the FOUNDATION of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.”

    “Fear of the Lord” is a wholesome dread of displeasing Him. Because of our love and reverence for Him, we want to please Him and live lives that are pleasing to Him.

    God is always dealing with us about something because He is faithfully working to bring us into full spiritual maturity. When we reverence God and “fear the Lord,” we listen to Him and we obey Him in His dealings with us. When we listen to Him and obey Him, we will operate in the wisdom He gives. Proverbs 15:31-33 (AMPC) reads, “The ear that LISTENS to the reproof [that leads to or gives] life will remain among the wise. He who refuses and ignores instruction and correction despises himself, but he who HEEDS reproof gets understanding. The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord brings instruction in Wisdom, and humility comes before honor.” 

    Reverence will bring you into wisdom, because reverence for God shows you are trustworthy to handle wisdom rightly.

     In Ephesians 1:16-19, Paul tells us a Spirit-inspired prayer he prayed for those in Ephesus. “Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the SPIRIT OF WISDOM and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe….”

​Paul prayed that they would be given the spirit of wisdom and revelation, which would cause them to come into the knowledge of Christ — who we are in Him, what we have because we are in Him, and what we can do because we are in Him. 

​Reverence holds a proper regard for the things of God. Reverence won’t treat the wisdom and revelation God gives lightly. Because having reverence for the Lord is connected to wisdom, the measure of reverence we walk in will affect the measure of the “spirit of wisdom” we will receive.

Rewards of Reverence

    There are rewards of reverence. Proverbs 22:4 (AMPC) tells us of those rewards. “The REWARD of humility and the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is RICHES AND HONOR AND LIFE.” Riches, honor, and life are connected to our reverence for God. Reverence brings the Presence of God, and the Presence of God prospers us.

    Jeremiah 5:22-25 (AMPC) reads, “Do you not fear and reverence Me? says the Lord…. But these people have hearts that draw back from God and wills that rebel against Him; they have revolted and quit His service and have gone away [into idolatry]. Nor do they say in their hearts, Let us now reverently fear and worship the Lord our God…. Your iniquities have turned these blessings away, and your sins have kept good [harvests] from you.”

    In this passage, their failure wasn’t due to the devil, but because of their lack of reverence for God. He was speaking to His people that had gone wayward, which laid them open to defeat. He was letting them know that their lack of reverence for Him put them in this wayward condition and laid them open to defeat by their enemies. So, if lack of reverence opened them up to defeat, then being reverent toward God is a safety to our lives — safeguarding us from defeat. It holds us in the flow where God can bless us and manifest Himself.

We Need Miracles

    Every man needs miracles! We want to conduct our lives in such a way that we are always positioned to receive the miracles we need. Reverence positions us for miracles.

    God and His Word are one, so to have a reverence for God is to have a reverence for His Word — for His written Word and His spoken Word — and for what He would say to us by His Spirit.

    We don’t want to displease the Lord — we want to please Him. Let’s continue to grow in our reverence and honor for God, which is expressed through our worship and our obedience to Him and His Word.

     As Proverbs tells us, there are rewards that come with reverence of God — riches, honor, and life. That’s the flow that we will live in when we reverence and honor God.

"Prepare For Your Purpose" by Nancy Dufresne

  In our Campmeeting 2021, different ministers taught wonderful messages in the morning services that helped us all so much. During the service taught by Pastor Chris Cody, he made the following statements. (I’m probably paraphrasing.)

What kind of end do you want? We should want one that is peaceful and glorifying. What we do every day is going to determine what kind of end we will have. Think about it and pay attention to what you do every day with the end in mind. 

We can’t live our life out of order and have the kind of results God has for us. Part of order is preparing for what’s ahead. Even if we are being faithful at the place we are today, we still have to save time today to prepare for what is ahead, or we won’t qualify for where we are headed. Lack of preparation will disqualify us. We shouldn’t just be trying to get to the “end of the day,” without preparing for where we are headed. You can’t let life happen – you have to make life happen. 

     One of these statements has stuck with me, so I want to spotlight it. “Part of order is preparing for what’s ahead.” 

     It is so easy for us to get to the place where we are just dealing with the things that arise that day instead of designing our day and our life with our God-given purpose in mind. Are we making certain that what we are giving ourselves to every day is going to help us arrive at God’s best? Are we prepared to go where God wants to take us?

     No matter where we are in the plan of God, He always wants to take us further, and before He can do that, we must BE PREPARED to go further! With that in mind, we have to order our day so that we make time to prepare.

     Dad Hagin would tell us, “Preparation time is never lost time.” Some things seem to press on our schedules so much, but we are to evaluate whether or not those things are preparing us to move forward.

     I love something one great faith pioneer of the past stated in his writings: “Before I take on a task, I ask myself, Is this going to help me in my race?” He was showing how mindful he was of the plan and purpose God had for his life, and he wasn’t willing to sell that off to distractions and unnecessary activities.

     We won’t just float into fulfilling the plan of God for our lives – we will only arrive there on purpose – as we make very purposeful steps. Paul warns us about this. “Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people), Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil. Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5:15-17, AMPC).

     Time is short. We don’t have time to wander and waste. We must live accurately and with clarity of purpose – ordering our lives and our days so that we are preparing to advance into all that God’s plan holds for us.

     For 30 years, Jesus did what He wasn’t born for. He worked as a carpenter, but the entire time He was preparing for the final three years of His earthly life so He could fulfill all. Yes, there are preparation seasons in our life, but during that time, we want to make sure we are being faithful to prepare for where we are headed and not just stay where we are at. We do that by responding to God and being obedient to Him.

     Make life’s decisions with your purpose in mind – and not just your profession or job in mind. The life choices Jesus was making every day as a carpenter weren’t just with the carpentry business in mind – He was making choices that would prepare Him for what He was born for.

He came to be the Savior of mankind, and even though He was the Son of God, He still had to order His life and His days so that He would be prepared for His purpose. 

     We too must order our lives and our days with our purpose in mind – not with just our income, professions, or life’s responsibilities in mind. 

     God has a purpose for us all, and we have a part to play so that purpose can be fulfilled. Let us order our days so that we will be prepared to move with God and lay hold of all He has planned for us.