“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23 KJV

There are several different Hebrew and Greek words translated as goodness in the KJV. When referring to goodness as an attribute of the character God or man, the Hebrew words mean goodness, kindness, graciousness, beauty, gladness, and welfare. The Greek words mean virtue or beneficence and moral excellence – in character or demeanor.

When the Bible speaks of the goodness that is extended toward us and that follows us the Hebrew word for goodness means beautiful, bountiful, cheerful, joyful, kindness, loving, merry, favor, glad, pleasant, pleasing, pleasure, precious, prosperity, wealth, welfare and well-favored.

Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?  Romans 2:4 NKJ

So many people – Christians and non-Christians – present our Father God as an angry, hard, judgmental, demanding God, who expects us to keep a whole bunch of rules and regulations. We think that He loves to punish us and so when we sin, we try to run away and hide from Him. We try to defend ourselves and justify our actions, instead of just running to Him in repentance, and asking forgiveness.

Our sin destined us for hell, but God’s grace paid in full, by the blood of Jesus, destines us for heaven! It is the goodness of God that draws us to Him. We realize how much He loves us and how kind and gracious and merciful He is toward us and we come running into His arms to receive forgiveness and mercy. The goodness of God leads us to repentance. We repent because we know that God’s mercy will be poured out on our heads and the bondage of sin will be destroyed from off of our lives. What a good God we serve and how good He is to us!

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!

Psalms 27:13-14 NKJ

God’s goodness and kindness toward us are extended to every area of our lives here on earth. He is on our side and He is concerned with our welfare. He provides every good thing that we need – spirit, soul and body. In the middle of any adverse circumstance and situation we find ourselves in, we can know that God is not the author of the disaster (as some believe), but He is the answer and the solution to every problem that we encounter. He is the way out of the problem not the cause of it! We can be encouraged as we wait on Him and put our trust in Him to save us and to bring us out in victory. If we believe that God is the author of our trouble, then our courage will fail because we see ourselves in a hopeless situation. But if we know that He is our answer and that He has made a way for us and that He is ever ready to save us – we can have hope in His goodness and we can see our way out into His blessing and provision!

Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.  Psalms 107:8-9 NKJ

God is so kind and gracious to us. He is good and He fills us with His goodness. He is not stingy. He does not use a tiny teaspoon to dish out His goodness to us – He fills us – He does not stop until we are overflowing with His bountiful joy, favor, pleasure, prosperity, wealth, and welfare!

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.  Psalms 23:6 NKJ

God promises us that if we obey and serve Him that His bountiful joy, favor, pleasure, prosperity, wealth, and welfare will be following us all the days of our lives. Not just some days – or when He feels like it – no – every day we will be saturated in His blessing and His abundance. Thank God for His goodness – what a good God we serve. What a joy it is to serve Him!

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.

Romans 15:13-14 NKJ

We must be as good to one another as God is good to us. We should be kind and merciful, gracious and honest. We should be generous and hospitable and we should lavish blessings on one another.

Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.  II Thessalonians 1:11-12 NKJ

“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.

“Yet you have not called upon me, O Jacob, you have not wearied yourselves for me, O Israel. You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings, nor honored me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with grain offerings nor wearied you with demands for incense. You have not bought any fragrant calamus for me, or lavished on me the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your offenses.  “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more. Review the past for me, let us argue the matter together; state the case for your innocence. Your first father sinned; your spokesmen rebelled against me. So I will disgrace the dignitaries of your temple, and I will consign Jacob to destruction and Israel to scorn.  Isaiah 43:18-28 NIV

God created us to proclaim His praise. He loves us with an everlasting love – a love that gives all, without holding anything back. It is hard for us, as people who have experienced a world contaminated by the presence of evil and sin and death, to comprehend or even fully appreciate just how much God does love us. And yet He continues to reach out to us and demonstrate His mercy and grace at every opportunity. He makes a way in our wilderness and He causes rivers to flow through our dry places. He says that even the animals have the good sense to recognize, acknowledge and appreciate Him as the source of provision and blessing.

He is the God of the second chance. He is always ready to forget yesterday and to forgive our past sins, mistakes and rebellion. He encourages us, also, to forget about yesterday. He offers us a new day and a new beginning over and over. And yet instead of appreciating all He does for us and all that He is to us, we offer Him nothing but trouble in return. We burden Him with our sins and weary Him with our iniquities. We take, but we don’t give. We take His graciousness for granted as we continue in our sin and rebellion and selfishness – expecting Him to step in and pick up the pieces every time we mess up and then to step back out of our lives again until we need something more from Him.

God goes out of His way to take care of us, but we are too lazy or too self-absorbed to take the time or to make the effort to press into His presence and to seek His face. We won’t do anything that requires more than the minimum of effort. We want everything done for us, but we are not prepared to put ourselves out in the slightest for the Lord. We let our flesh rule us – we don’t rule our flesh.

He has been infinitely patient with us, while making very few demands. We ought to love Him, appreciate Him, and generously lavish Him with gifts and offerings. We should offer Him the best we have – not just the dregs. We should honor Him with our lips and honor Him with our gifts. Every day we should be looking for ways to please Him and to bless Him and make Him happy. Many people say that they love God, but they don’t act like it. If we truly love God, we will affectionately reverence Him, promptly obey Him and gratefully recognize His blessing! We will bring to Him the best we have – we will lavish Him with our offerings. We will give it with open heart and open hand – holding nothing back! For He is our light and the length of our days – our Rock, our Fortress and our Provider – our Savior, Healer, Deliverer and Lord! He is worthy of the very best that we have to give!

“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The LORD executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel. Psalms 103:1-7 NKJV

The Lord has made known to His people His heart and His deeds—His ways and His acts. He wants us to know Him and to know what His heart is toward us. He gives us His Word so there can be no excuses. The only reason we may not know what He wants us to know is because we choose to ignore or disregard His Word. He does not want us to be ignorant or misled about His character or about how He feels about us. He wants us to KNOW what He has done for us and what He will do for us. He daily loads us with benefits. He is the One Who forgives ALL our iniquities, Who heals ALL our diseases, Who redeems our life from destruction, Who crowns us with loving kindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies our mouth with good things and Who renews our youth like the eagle’s. He is on our side and He will defend, deliver and protect us.

The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. Psalms 103:8-14  NKJV

The Lord is infinitely patient with us. It takes a lot to make Him angry and it takes a long time for Him to get angry, neither does He stay angry for long. You don’t want to be on the wrong side of God when He is angry! But thankfully—for us—He is long on patience and mercy! He has graciously not dealt with us according to our sins nor punished us according to our iniquities. He has poured out mercy on us, when what we actually deserved was hell. He knows all our weaknesses and limitations and so He purchased our redemption Himself.

We could never earn salvation on our own merits—the price was so much higher than what we could ever afford. His mercy is as high as the heavens are above the earth and He has removed our transgressions as far as the east is from the west. How far is the east from the west? East and west will never meet. They are continually moving in the opposite direction—away from each other. Our sins keep moving away from us—never to return.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”  Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV

“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more. Review the past for me, let us argue the matter together; state the case for your innocence.”  Isaiah 43:25-26 NIV

God blots out our sins and He remembers them no more. You may have a hard time forgetting and the devil will try to accuse you, but you need to remind yourself of God’s Word on the matter. God wants to argue—discuss—the matter of your innocence. He knows the offer of mercy that He has made you, but do you know it? Think of your eternal destiny as being decided in a court of law. Father God is the judge. The devil is the prosecutor. Jesus is your advocate and the Holy Spirit is the bailiff. God’s desire is that you would walk out of court a free man or woman. He has made a way for you to be free, but you have to stand on your rights. You have to know what you believe and why you believe it.

The devil accuses you before God—stating his case of why you should be consigned to hell. You must know, without a doubt, what your rights are. You must know that you have a right to live eternally in the presence of God—not because of your good works, but because of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. You have received Him as Lord and Savior and justice has been served. Jesus was already judged, sentenced and executed in your place. He rose again to bring you into right standing with the Father. The words “judge” or “judgment” mean, “to make a decision.” Almighty God, the Righteous Judge, makes a decision concerning your life according to the decision you have made for your life. There is only one sin that will send you to hell forever and that is the sin of not receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior. There is only one good thing that you can do in order to go to heaven and that is to believe that Jesus died and rose again for you and to confess Him as Lord of your life.

“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.  Luke 5:17 NKJV

As we study the Gospels, we find a record of the healing and miracle ministry of Jesus. Over seventy percent of His life and ministry was healing the sick and casting out devils. Modern day religion and tradition says that the day of miracles is over, however, God’s Word says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8 NKJV). He has not changed. What He did then – He still does now!

Salvation – Greek word “soteria” – is translated in the KJV as deliver, health, salvation, save, saving. It means rescue or safety (physically or morally). Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words says that, “soteria” denotes deliverance, preservation, and salvation for our spirit, soul and body. “Salvation” is used in the New Testament of deliverance from everything that threatens us, whether in spirit, soul or body. If we serve God, He promises to deliver us personally and also as a nation. He will deliver us from the bondage of sin and also keep us safe from all physical dangers that threaten our life, our health and our well being, including sickness and disease. He will deliver Israel at His second coming and He will save His Church from the wrath that will be poured out on the ungodly at the culmination of the ages. The Lord’s salvation includes all the blessings bestowed by God on men in Christ through the Holy Spirit

When Jesus died at Calvary, He paid the price – not only for our sins, but for our sickness, too. For those who think that we are only saved from sin and nothing else – think about this: it is ridiculous to think that Jesus would save you from your sins and eternal damnation, only to make you live in hell all the way till you get to Heaven! It is evident in the ministry of Jesus that He wanted to heal people and perform miracles, because He is compassionate and He is good.  That is what the Gospel is all about – Good News! Good news to the lost – you don’t have to be lost any more. Good news to the sick – you don’t have to be sick any more.

The healings and miracles that are recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are not the only miracles that Jesus did, because the book of John 21:25 NKJV says that, “there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” This means that during Jesus’ three and a half years of earthly ministry, He performed miracles every day – healing the sick, raising the dead, casting out devils, forgiving and restoring people – spirit, soul and body.

9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, `Show us the father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. 12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.  John 14:9-12 NIV

Jesus did nothing on His own. His Father did the works through Him. In the same way, Jesus works through us to perform miracles to bless and help people. When He ascended, He gave the His power and ability to His disciples and to ALL who believe His Word. He said to us in Mark 16:15-18 NKJV, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

By God’s Word and with His power, we can lay hands on the sick and see them healed. He is the Healer – we just lay our hands on the sick. Always expect something to happen when you lay hands on the sick. You and I are an extension of the healing and miracle ministry of Jesus. The healing and miracle ministry of Jesus is still alive today – in us.

“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

The River Bible Institute Assignment – October 16, 2002
By Kelly Howard-Browne

I feel called to world evangelism, revival and a music ministry. I want to travel anywhere God takes me and sing, preach and teach. I want to travel to other nations where you need an interpreter, but I want to be able to speak in English (without an interpreter) and the people will understand me, because the Holy Spirit will translate my (His) words to them. (This might only be necessary when I’m not able to find a translator, but still it would be awesome.) Also, I want to be translated from place to place – every once in a while or whatever. (That would also be awesome.) I want to travel to the deep jungles of Africa, Spain, Asia, India, Europe and the Middle East, as well as wherever else God calls me to go, also Russia and probably the Ukraine, Norway, Greece and Rome.

I feel compelled to everywhere I go, to raise up a church with a school, a bible school, a hospital (where we will attract the unsaved with the word “Hospital,” and we will pray for them and get them saved and healed), an orphanage, and a food and clothing ministry.

Once I go to a place and get a lot of people saved, I’ll train them to flow in revival and win souls and run the whole ministry there. Then, I’ll move on to the next place to win souls, have revival, and establish a local place where the work of God can continue, then I’ll move on to the next place and so on. God is Awesome!!
—————————————————————————————————————————-
A Song, Written by Kelly Howard-Browne

I look through my window, at your face
Giv’n me love and peace and your grace
With your strength I live on, in this wide place, my peace sustained in you. (x2)

Chorus
All that I do, I do for you
I exalt you above all else
And when I see your face, it melts my heart
Your power so penetrates

Giv’n all I have trained for all my life
I will serve you always in mind, in my heart and my soul
To you I freely give (x2)

Thank you Lord for Jesus Christ
For the Holy Spirit that brings the light
We’re able to spread revival through this land

“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

“But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, 9 I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, `You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. 10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 11 “All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. 12 Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. 13 For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. 14 Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself will help you,” declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. 15 “See, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff. 16 You will winnow them, the wind will pick them up, and a gale will blow them away. But you will rejoice in the LORD and glory in the Holy One of Israel.”  Isaiah 41:8-16 NIV

This passage shows the nature of our Heavenly Father—so loving and kind and patient—as he deals with His people—stubborn and rebellious as they are!

But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. Because He made a covenant with Abraham and promised to bless his descendants, God continued to watch over them and be kind to them—even though they severely tried His patience.

I said, `You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.  So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. One of the awesome things about God is that He is so slow to anger and so swift to forgive and to restore. When we repent, turn around and commit to Him, He forgives us completely as if it never happened and He treats us as if we are His family. Under the Old Covenant, the best position that God’s people had with the Father was that of a servant. It was an honor for God to call you His servant. Under the New Covenant, we are not only servants, but we are sons and daughters of God and we enjoy all the rights and privileges of our position.

When we return to Him in humility and repentance, He reminds us that He has not rejected us. In reality, when we feel that God is far from us, it is usually we who have already rejected Him. The good news is that if He does not reject us, then that means that He must have already accepted us! If we want to see God’s promise of help and strength manifested in our lives, then we must deal with fear and reject it from our hearts, from our thoughts and from our mouths. If we believe and receive God’s promise that He will be with us, strengthen us, help us and uphold us, then that is exactly what we will experience. God makes it available—we tap into it when we refuse to be dismayed or fearful. Instead we choose to trust in Him and to believe in Him.

All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. When you are on God’s side then He is on your side. It is completely useless for your enemies to try to take you out. By attacking you, they sow the seeds of their own destruction. They will come to attack you, but they are the ones who will be taken out. When you place your trust in the Lord, He will contend with your enemies on your behalf. When God is finished with them, you will look for them, but you will not find them.

For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself will help you,” declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. “See, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff. You will winnow them, the wind will pick them up, and a gale will blow them away. But you will rejoice in the LORD and glory in the Holy One of Israel.Even though we may feel unworthy of God’s love, He loves us anyway. Because He loves us, He anoints us with power to do what we could not do. He gives us a reason to rejoice in the Lord and glory in the Holy One of Israel!